"Recruiting Stars Don't Matter?"
- Thread starter IowaLawWasRight
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HomerChampless
Well-Known Member
Most, if all, 5-star, high schoolers just don't work out at Iowa under KF.
Every team has its demands. You play by the team's rules to play on any team but the rules to play on, for example, Clemson are much more conducive to bringing in the higher-starred recruits (where are the beaches or mountains in Clemson, S.C., anyway?) than at Iowa. Kids with high athletic talents want to show off those talents. The low level offense and bend-but-don't-break zone defense at Iowa turns off kids who've spent their lives making their athletic talent as finely tuned as they possibly can.
BTW, if the starting QB for Clemson doesn't develop a knack for passing, soon, he'll be put on the bench like the former starting QB for Alabama. Alabama learned why they beat Clemson in the semi-finals of the Championship Series. Will Clemson learn why they lost?
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hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
<<Where are the beaches or mountains in Clemson, S.C., anyway?>>
Two hours, tops, from the beach (actually less), 30 minutes, tops, from the mountains (if that).
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Depends on which beach - Duke Energy damned up a river for a nuclear plant and the resulting lakes are beautiful. There's allegedly more waterfront property within roughly an hour drive of Clemson than in the whole state of Florida. My cousin works at Clemson and had her wedding down there in October. I love Iowa City, but if you objectively try to compare it to Clemson or a lot of the schools in the South or on the West Coast, Iowa City loses hands down. I would say Iowa City is objectively better than a lot of places in the Midwest, like Manhattan, Kansas, Lincoln, Nebraska or Ames, Iowa, but we're waaaaay down the list on a national level.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
In any given year, Clemson MIGHT get snow. The number of days with highs in the 30s or below can be counted on one hand. A kid from the South/Southeast used to warmer/warmer temps, beaches, or even mountains will rarely look at B1G, let alone Iowa, save for O$U, Michigan or Penn State. He can get all that without flying north of Atlanta, and more importantly, his parents/family can, too.
As George O'Leary said (and I witnessed it personally), a coach in this part of the country doesn't need to have as good a relationship with a recruit as he does with the recruit's mother and girlfriend.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
One of my best friends has been down by Clemson for 7 years. He's begging me to move down there. His wife calls Ma at least once a month. After that freaking cold blast that just ended, I'm pretty seriously considering it. My son needs to go outside and run around, not be stuck inside for 3 months because its 12 flipping degrees outside. I heard it got down to 18 one night during the cold spell, but it was in the 30s the next day.
Now the summer. It's bad. That sun, whoa nelly. But my buddy has a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom mountain house north of Asheville. Goes there every weekend. I visited there in July and it was 75 and perfect up in the mountains. I've been offered a key to said house should I move down there.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Asheville is the Southeast's answer to Vermont and Portland. Granola types who wear corduroy jeans and flannel shirts--when it's 90 outside--and dream of "the big move" to Taos.
HomerChampless
Well-Known Member
If it takes a high-talented, high school athlete two hours, tops, in your opinion, to reach a beach or mountain from Clemson, S.C., why wouldn't today's student go to a school closer to the mountains or beaches? Can you explain the drought of high level talent at, for example, Miami (Florida) until Richt took over as their HC? Can you explain the riches of recruiting talent Nebraska enjoyed in the 80s and 90s? How close is Nebby to any mountain or beach?
Does this theory hold up with plane travel or, for example, high-speed train travel like the Amtrak that's government subsidized and therefore a cheap ticket? I don't think the 'Iowa can't recruit because there are no mountains or beaches close by' carries any water, whatsoever.
Furthermore, I don't think even you believe in this hokey theory explaining the consistently ill recruiting at Iowa under KF. It is an excuse for KF's style of coaching. Mebe you just like to argue
?
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Motigerhawk
Well-Known Member
I was listening to the local sports talk show on the radio. They were talking about the year Alabama played Missouri in the SEC championship. Alabama had 44 4 and 5 * players while Missouri had 4. Saban just has to show up and they come these days, And why not?
As for Iowa, I think another problem is that FKF wont play highly rated players. These studs come in, esp. to program like Iowa, expecting to play right away. For whatever reason, we rarely play studs in their freshmen year.
See Espy.
I will say this, we played more freshmen this season then I have seen in a long time.
As for Iowa, I think another problem is that FKF wont play highly rated players. These studs come in, esp. to program like Iowa, expecting to play right away. For whatever reason, we rarely play studs in their freshmen year.
See Espy.
I will say this, we played more freshmen this season then I have seen in a long time.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
If it takes a high-talented, high school athlete two hours, tops, in your opinion, to reach a beach or mountain from Clemson, S.C., why wouldn't today's student go to a school closer to the mountains or beaches? Can you explain the drought of high level talent at, for example, Miami (Florida) until Richt took over as their HC? Can you explain the riches of recruiting talent Nebraska enjoyed in the 80s and 90s? How close is Nebby to any mountain or beach?
I don't think the 'Iowa can't recruit because there are no mountains or beaches close by' carries any water, whatsoever.
Furthermore, I don't think even you believe in this hokey theory explaining the consistently ill recruiting at Iowa under KF. It is an excuse for KF's style of coaching. Mebe you just like to argue
There wasn't a drought of talent at Miami. There were sanctions for a while, brought on by "improprieties". As for Nebraska, has that horse not been beat to a pulp? Pre-85 scholly limit, "parking" guys as walk-ons, etc.
And as was mentioned elsewhere, some coaches/staffs/programs--and especially "boosters"-- play a little more loosely with the rules. Given the NCAA completely absolving UNC and their academic scandal, it all but rewards certain places for staying "high-profile" and "blueblood".
The theory DOES hold up for plane travel. Try getting to Iowa City/CR, DIRECTLY, from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, etc. Now, try getting their DIRECTLY via Amtrak. Good luck with that.
HomerChampless
Well-Known Member
About an hour on the bus from Ia. City to Amtrak stop in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (had to look it up on Google). Amtrak heads either towards Chicago and parts east or Denver and parts west.
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hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Hence the reason kids from Southeast don't come in waves....although Texas might be a different matter.
But again, how many recruits take Amtrak to Tuscaloosa, AL, Athens, GA or Tallahassee?
D
DDThompson
Guest
Because Iowa is the only school to upgrade their facilities so it’s just plain laziness.
I mean why would you want to bring in the best talent you can when you’re the only school to upgrade facilities.
HomerChampless
Well-Known Member
You seem to agree the 'Iowa doesn't have beaches or mountains' theory for their bad recruiting is a bad theory? IMO, it's the systems that entice high-level athletes that get high-level athletes.
Some schools have success in recruiting by changing their unis and helmet stickers for every game until they realize that doesn't bring the high-level athlete especially when every other school (except Iowa) perpetually changes unis and helmet stickers. But it sure turns on the fan base.
Ben Rumson
Well-Known Member
I asked this awhile back and never really got any reply's back. I'm not trying to disc Kirk but do any of you think we would have NC trophy with KF as coach if he had bama's roster? For some reason I kind of thing we would but who know's. Both teams offense's rely on heavy run and D-fence.
Motigerhawk
Well-Known Member
Alabama also has some of the best asst. coaches and cooridinators in the nation. I heard that 5 of the other SEC schools have head coaches that were former coordinators at Alabama. Sabans coaching tree is outstanding.
Would we have won a title? Maybe. But there a lot of better coaches out there. I think it is less than a 50% chance we would have.
Ben Rumson
Well-Known Member
I agree with that. Georgia was as loaded with talent as bama and as much as I was pulling for the Dawgs Saban showed that he has the intestinal fortitude to pull his qb and go with an unproven. KF would have never took that gamble!
hawkeyes87
Well-Known Member
No. You don't win NC's playing not to lose.
A more telling question is: could KF recruit "Bama's roster" at Bama? And that's a much more emphatic no. Think a Julio Jones / Amari Cooper / Calvin Ridley type wants to come and play Kirk-ball?
