They just beat out UC & ECU for a recruit for the 1st time ever.

Sign of things to come or just an aberration?

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/06/defensiv...t-carolina

A tremendous amount. They're in a good recruiting area with a huge population and no professional sports competition. They would sell out a stadium of at least 35,000 today. I look forward to seeing their expansion plans later this summer.

A LOT of upside. Anybody that can't see that needs to put their glasses on. They're going to make it harder for ECU to get the FBS "Diamond in the Rough" recruits for sure.

The parents love our coach and the players do to. He is amazing. While he has a long term contract. I'm thinking maybe 5 years if were lucky.

(06-22-2013 02:23 AM)workingodu Wrote:  The parents love our coach and the players do to. He is amazing. While he has a long term contract. I'm thinking maybe 5 years if were lucky.

If he is immediately successful at this level, the sad truth is you will have him 3 yrs tops. The big boys dont necessarily wait around for sustained success. this yr perfect examples are Dykes at LaTech, and Doeren at North Illinois. But the postive is that he can leave ODU as an attractive destination for an Up and coming coach.

Good Luck, but we are going to spank you in Dowdy Ficklen and take your lunch money.

(06-22-2013 12:18 AM)Niner National Wrote:  A tremendous amount. They're in a good recruiting area with a huge population and no professional sports competition. They would sell out a stadium of at least 35,000 today. I look forward to seeing their expansion plans later this summer.

I too, look forward to ODU's emergence in the east. (Kinda like the sun! Ha!) I think it will be good for CUSA. But that's an enormous statement right there. EVERYTHING will change for ODU now that they are at the big boy level. It will be much tougher for ODU to hold on to good coaches at this level.

I know. If u read his press conferences he talks about staying but since he was already on some list for the bc job last year well see. His son is in high school and a qb so that will slow it a little.

To answer the OP, ODU has a TON of upside.

(06-22-2013 07:41 AM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(06-22-2013 12:18 AM)Niner National Wrote:  A tremendous amount. They're in a good recruiting area with a huge population and no professional sports competition. They would sell out a stadium of at least 35,000 today. I look forward to seeing their expansion plans later this summer.

I too, look forward to ODU's emergence in the east. (Kinda like the sun! Ha!) I think it will be good for CUSA. But that's an enormous statement right there. EVERYTHING will change for ODU now that they are at the big boy level. It will be much tougher for ODU to hold on to good coaches at this level.

I agree. Coach Wilder employs the Oregon Spread offense, and he learned it at the place it was developed, the University of New Hampshire. He knows how to run it, recruit to it, and condition his athletes for it. Whether you like that style or not, it is very fun, and "attractive" to fans, both live, and on television. It will be difficult to keep BW, especially if ODU experiences early success. I believe Wilder was the best athletic hire ODU has ever made, and the key to continued success when he eventually is lured away is finding a replacement who can provide continuity on all fronts. Finding such replacements can be difficult, but having a history of success (even a brief one,) and a history of HC's moving on to bigger paychecks, and greater exposure can only help. Maintaining excellence at the head coach position is the key to the growth of any program, and I think Bobby Wilder, no matter how long he is on Hampton Boulevard, has built a tremendous foundation for our football future.

I honestly think that they've got more potential relative to what has been realized in the past than anybody else in the conference.

note: I can't really include Charlotte in that, just because we have realized absolutely zero potential on the field yet, and I'm not Chuck Norris.

I can admit to wearing big blue glasses a fair amount because I've developed something of an emotional connection to the team, but it's hard to be negative with all the observable upside that the program offers. An exciting brand, the coaching to develop it, and the ability to recruit sufficient talent to proliferate it. That's just the surface. The people in the seats will give the program depth off the field. Belief is a powerful thing. We believe that we can win. In time, I think we will.

Ecu did not accept his commitment due to him being smaller and slower than they thought when he came to camp last week. I never knew it worked like that but now it makes me wonder about recruits that we get that supposedly turn down schools in the P5 conferences

I think part if it depends on whether or not, once they get to the point that they catch the eye of UVA and VT, the internal politics in VA allow the establishment schools to hold odu down*, if they should so choose.


*see: alabama and auburn re: uab, and UM and MS re: southern miss.

(06-22-2013 11:08 AM)jvllepirate Wrote:  Ecu did not accept his commitment due to him being smaller and slower than they thought when he came to camp last week. I never knew it worked like that but now it makes me wonder about recruits that we get that supposedly turn down schools in the P5 conferences

I guess I'm left wondering why ECU offered in the first place? Was he bigger & faster when they initially offered, but somehow got smaller & slower (doubtful)? Or did the ECU football staff offer him without looking (doubtful)? Or was it something else?

Good question. I think they offer a lot of guys off of their highlight films. Not sure why we would do that as anyone can look good in a highlight film. Also his offer could be one like many schools do as in if someone else falls through the spot is his but he isn't the top target at the position.

Very much upside...

(06-22-2013 11:50 AM)odusteeler Wrote:  

(06-22-2013 11:08 AM)jvllepirate Wrote:  Ecu did not accept his commitment due to him being smaller and slower than they thought when he came to camp last week. I never knew it worked like that but now it makes me wonder about recruits that we get that supposedly turn down schools in the P5 conferences

I guess I'm left wondering why ECU offered in the first place? Was he bigger & faster when they initially offered, but somehow got smaller & slower (doubtful)? Or did the ECU football staff offer him without looking (doubtful)? Or was it something else?

He was at 220, and a local kid. Showed a lot of promise last year, guess they hoped he would grow more. We were looking at him for possible DE/OLB hybrid. But you need to be 230-275 with LB speed. When we got him here he just didn't have either. That's not to say he won't be a good LB. But, with stacked at LB and with higher targeted players the coaches seem to be more selective, we got plenty of depth. Of course, that could be it, we could have told him he will be red-shirted and have to work his way up, ODU could be offering a chance to play right away.

We do tend to offer local kids earlier than others.

But, here's what we got so far already here,

http://247sports.com/Player/Tristan-Mumford-11581
http://247sports.com/Player/Patrick-Green-22150
http://247sports.com/Player/Gabe-Woullard-17556
http://247sports.com/Player/Montese-Overton-373
http://247sports.com/Player/Zeek-Bigger-1688
http://247sports.com/Player/Jake-Geary-4257
http://247sports.com/Player/Jeremy-Grove-4259
http://247sports.com/Player/Kyle-Tudor-22726

Those are the top guys fight for time,

For the position we were looking at him playing, here's the too 2, what we would want,

http://www.ecupirates.com/sports/m-footb...06206.html

Justin has had injury problems, but he is beast, a man among boys strength wise. He benches 490.

http://www.ecupirates.com/sports/m-footb...39106.html

We lost 3 starters from lastyear's D, we return everyone else.

(06-22-2013 11:10 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I think part if it depends on whether or not, once they get to the point that they catch the eye of UVA and VT, the internal politics in VA allow the establishment schools to hold odu down*, if they should so choose.


*see: alabama and auburn re: uab, and UM and MS re: southern miss.

It's possible, but not very likely as it's a bit more difficult to accomplish that in Virginia (UAB's situation for example), as all of the universities are independent state agencies with their own board (there are no state systems). ODU being the lone large research school and FBS program in Hampton Roads really helps our situation given the areas population. FWIW, UVA football barely registers in the Norfolk area.

(06-22-2013 12:36 PM)monarchman Wrote:  

(06-22-2013 11:10 AM)EagleX Wrote:  I think part if it depends on whether or not, once they get to the point that they catch the eye of UVA and VT, the internal politics in VA allow the establishment schools to hold odu down*, if they should so choose.


*see: alabama and auburn re: uab, and UM and MS re: southern miss.

It's possible, but not very likely as it's a bit more difficult to accomplish that in Virginia (UAB's situation for example), as all of the universities are independent state agencies with their own board (there are no state systems). ODU being the lone large research school and FBS program in Hampton Roads really helps our situation given the areas population. FWIW, UVA football barely registers in the Norfolk area.

From what I've seen it does register well in southern half of the state.

(06-22-2013 12:09 AM)Indiana Bones Wrote:  They just beat out UC & ECU for a recruit for the 1st time ever.

Sign of things to come or just an aberration?

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/06/defensiv...t-carolina

ODU has good upside.

That being said, that fact that they won a recruit over Cincy and ECU is yet another prime example that the AAC is not looked upon as any better than CUSA from high school students. If anything, the re-branding to the AAC has hurt them more than imagined and it will take years of "on the field" performance to regain some of the respect it had under the Big East Banner.



.