The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho...404ca.html

The Va Pilot's list of the top 50 football players in the area. ODU is only mentioned as being involved with 3 of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. This begs the question, is it really a recruiting advantage to be located in a recruiting "hotbed"? There are some good players, and they aren't all going to P5 schools either.

(08-11-2017 10:14 AM)monarx Wrote:  https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho...404ca.html

The Va Pilot's list of the top 50 football players in the area. ODU is only mentioned as being involved with 3 of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. This begs the question, is it really a recruiting advantage to be located in a recruiting "hotbed"? There are some good players, and they aren't all going to P5 schools either.

It seems to have helped get some good programs to come and play us in Norfolk.

(08-11-2017 10:14 AM)monarx Wrote:  https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho...404ca.html

The Va Pilot's list of the top 50 football players in the area. ODU is only mentioned as being involved with 3 of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. This begs the question, is it really a recruiting advantage to be located in a recruiting "hotbed"? There are some good players, and they aren't all going to P5 schools either.

We will never be competitive with Alabama, VT etc..at least in our lifetimes. Kirk Cox saw to that.
However there will be times that a good P5 talent wants to "stay home", so occasionally we will get that kid.

As we improve and enhance our brand, we will get more of the top G5 talent that might otherwise leave town.
And because of our geographical location and large urban population we will slowly be getting more good G5 talent coming from elsewhere that want the beach and a medium large university experience.

My buddy the retired ACC football coach continues to stress facilities for us. He said we otherwise have everything else going for us to get to the top of the G5.

Lets not discount the fact that many of our walkons who produce on the field are local.

(08-11-2017 10:41 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Lets not discount the fact that many of our walkons who produce on the field are local.

Thats a good point. We've had some great ones. It does strike me as strange that some of the G5 commits weren't even listed as having ODU interested yet they are highly rated and committed to the likes of Navy and Temple. Maybe they just weren't the right fit. Just seemed odd that we only were involved with three of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. I would hope we were involved with that many in the top 30 in the whole state.

Most of the top 20 players on that list aren't going to be reasonable targets because they're getting heavily recruited by P5s. That's not to say ODU can't snag one or two of them, but hometown advantage isn't a golden ticket to the chocolate factory either. Some of them want to leave the area. Others wouldn't fit at ODU for one reason or another. As ODU continues to evolve, I expect them to be at least in the running for more and more of those better guys, and eventually they're going to get that four-star guy who gives them the local tiebreaker and commits.

(08-11-2017 10:41 AM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  Lets not discount the fact that many of our walkons who produce on the field are local.

Great point. Some players develop so much during their 4-5 years at college.

I keep hoping we'll get a top recruit to stay in the 757, it's going to happen.

Al Davis's philosophy will get that top recruit to stay. Just win Baby, versus a Tech or UNC. If those recruits see they can get exposure and success at ODU some will stay. If they really want to go away to school it doesn't matter what we do they will leave the area.

My feeling is it may still take several years until we can hope to see a home town effect. The kids being recruited now didn't grow up even thinking of us as an FBS program. We need to get to the point where kids have spent their entire life following the program and hearing about FBS level success. Those kids may still be 10 years old right now.

Does anyone have a pulse on BW's and the rest of the coaching staff/recruiters relationship with the local coaches?

I remember when BT was the hoops coach, he didn't mesh with the AAU guys and many thought that hurt recruiting. Just didn't know if a similar situation existed with the FB program.

(08-11-2017 12:54 PM)ODU_NYG Wrote:  Does anyone have a pulse on BW's and the rest of the coaching staff/recruiters relationship with the local coaches?

I remember when BT was the hoops coach, he didn't mesh with the AAU guys and many thought that hurt recruiting. Just didn't know if a similar situation existed with the FB program.

AimHigh had mentioned that the late Bill Dee was refusing to send any Oscar Smith players to ODU after he was let go. No telling whether his successor will continue that practice.

(08-11-2017 12:53 PM)ODU804 Wrote:  My feeling is it may still take several years until we can hope to see a home town effect. The kids being recruited now didn't grow up even thinking of us as an FBS program. We need to get to the point where kids have spent their entire life following the program and hearing about FBS level success. Those kids may still be 10 years old right now.

As an FBS team, yes. But the kids that are in high school now have grown up with ODU football and sold out stadiums. We should start seeing some fruit from that very soon. Remember, To a high schooler 3 or 4 years is forever.

I think it going to take getting out of CUSA before we see any big changes.

Many things at play on this topic. As Wilder mentioned somewhere in a VP article a while back, he has learned (the hard way) that for some local players there is a need to get away from this area. Also, ODU coaches are smart and make inquiries on top talent and if there is Zero interest in staying at home and great interest in playing at the P5 level there is no reason to pursue or offer them. Although retired I actually helped on one of those last year at my old HS. There are other points that could be made but those are the 2 major ones. I think the ODU coaches are pretty well thought of locally but don't forget we had a bit of a revolving door for a while and so that precludes really building up a rapport. Of course, the present stability with the staff will help resolve that issue. As noted getting walk-ons who slipped through unnoticed by the bigs has been a benefit already (ODU being local saves them cost as a walk-on) and we have some who have transferred home after things not working out for them at whatever P5 they went to. Finally as some have suggested, the day will come when a local multi-star kid will want to stay in the area, be a safe get for ODU if he does stay, and ODU will have its breakthrough.

(08-11-2017 12:57 PM)ODUDrunkard13 Wrote:  

(08-11-2017 12:54 PM)ODU_NYG Wrote:  Does anyone have a pulse on BW's and the rest of the coaching staff/recruiters relationship with the local coaches?

I remember when BT was the hoops coach, he didn't mesh with the AAU guys and many thought that hurt recruiting. Just didn't know if a similar situation existed with the FB program.

AimHigh had mentioned that the late Bill Dee was refusing to send any Oscar Smith players to ODU after he was let go. No telling whether his successor will continue that practice.

I am out of high school football and officiating this season due to cancer but having talked with some coaches last year stated ODU coaches aren't very active with area HS coaches. I feel Dee's bad taste was due in part Wilder and ODU fired him days after national sign day.

(08-11-2017 10:14 AM)monarx Wrote:  https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho...404ca.html

The Va Pilot's list of the top 50 football players in the area. ODU is only mentioned as being involved with 3 of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. This begs the question, is it really a recruiting advantage to be located in a recruiting "hotbed"? There are some good players, and they aren't all going to P5 schools either.

A few upset games would change that dynamic.

App State vs Mich was huge for them.
If we were to beat UNC and VT this year, I would think that some 4 stars would look at our program more closely.

We also need to get players drafted. As of right now, we can't say we coach or develop players that the NFL wants or needs.

That list was very telling. We could not even beat out the likes of JMU and Elon for local players. We should be doing better with local players.

(08-11-2017 10:14 AM)monarx Wrote:  https://pilotonline.com/sports/high-scho...404ca.html

The Va Pilot's list of the top 50 football players in the area. ODU is only mentioned as being involved with 3 of the top 30 in Hampton Roads. This begs the question, is it really a recruiting advantage to be located in a recruiting "hotbed"? There are some good players, and they aren't all going to P5 schools either.

Will take time. Build the stadium. Stay tha course.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

(08-11-2017 07:47 PM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  That list was very telling. We could not even beat out the likes of JMU and Elon for local players. We should be doing better with local players.

There was not one player on that list that either of those schools beat ODU on.
JMU was not mentioned except as being in the mix for several players. Elon got a commit from Bevins from Bishop Sullivan, but it does not say who else offered.

I believe that being in a recruiting hotbed is a double edged sword. On the one edge ODU gets to schedule great H&H series with teams like VT, UNC, etc. The other edge of the sword is that our area is hyper-recruited and very few kids slip through the cracks. Perhaps BW and staff believe it is more beneficial to search for under the radar players in areas where there is leas radar in place.