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(11-09-2020 02:29 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 01:39 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I hear it's someone from OHIO. Not 100%, but that is the rumor.

Stephan Byrd, RB from Canal Winchester...he is a VERY good player. Picked us over offers from Tennessee, Iowa State, Pitt, West Virginia, and Minnesota

https://247sports.com/Player/Stephan-Byrd-46093909/

Now the class is ranked #9...obviously won't stay that way once the 5* guys start committing, but man is it crazy to see that. Would love if this momentum moved us up the lists of guys in Ohio like Aamil Wagner or Derrick Shepherd.

Yep, should only go up from there once the 5* guys start committing.

Wow. Just to put this in context, he'd be our second highest ranked recruit in the 2021 class. He's now the third highest in 2022 - a class that has 4 guys.

(11-09-2020 02:48 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 02:29 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 01:39 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I hear it's someone from OHIO. Not 100%, but that is the rumor.

Stephan Byrd, RB from Canal Winchester...he is a VERY good player. Picked us over offers from Tennessee, Iowa State, Pitt, West Virginia, and Minnesota

https://247sports.com/Player/Stephan-Byrd-46093909/

Now the class is ranked #9...obviously won't stay that way once the 5* guys start committing, but man is it crazy to see that. Would love if this momentum moved us up the lists of guys in Ohio like Aamil Wagner or Derrick Shepherd.

Yep, should only go up from there once the 5* guys start committing.

that made me chuckle, we are really off to a strong start in the 2022 class.

Interesting article re: Stephan Byrd:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports...951542002/

Let’s go!

crazy thing is he's only 16. 6' and 200lbs gives him room to grow into an absolute beast of a back.

I could have misinterpreted what Mo just said on 1530 but I believe he quoted Chad as comparing him to Mike Warren with more speed.

(11-09-2020 03:42 PM)dsquare Wrote:  Interesting article re: Stephan Byrd:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports...951542002/

Seems like a terrific kid, which is becoming a hallmark of Luke Fickell's recruiting.

The interesting thing to me about that article is it goes through all his offers(P5) and give no mention of a Cincy offer. However, at the bottom when his coach brings up contacts he includes Harbaugh and Fickell. The paper kind of writes off the G5 offer, but the coach put him in there with Michigan. Good for you Coach Stratton!

More info. from Osu article:

https://buckeyescoop.com/page/blog/artic...r-season/#

Another funny comment this from Msu Board re: Fickell to Um, our buddies:

1,716

Original post:
The biggest issue with Fickell is that he has the ear of all of the Ohio high schools that Dantonio used to poach a good chunk of our teams from. His assentation at Cincinnati is as big a part of MSU's decline in recruiting as anything Harbaugh and uofm did.

reply:
It seems like Cincy and UK took the Ohio kids we used to get and PSU (and UK to a certain extent) took the Michigan kids we used to get when Coach D set life on cruise control after 2015. If Tucker can string together a decent season this year and next and University leaders continue to acknowledge the value of a good football program, I think he'll recruit like we've never seen before at MSU. Not Bama, Clemson, OSU level, but top 15ish every year.

(11-09-2020 05:08 PM)dsquare Wrote:  Another funny comment this from Msu Board re: Fickell to Um, our buddies:

1,716

Original post:
The biggest issue with Fickell is that he has the ear of all of the Ohio high schools that Dantonio used to poach a good chunk of our teams from. His assentation at Cincinnati is as big a part of MSU's decline in recruiting as anything Harbaugh and uofm did.

reply:
It seems like Cincy and UK took the Ohio kids we used to get and PSU (and UK to a certain extent) took the Michigan kids we used to get when Coach D set life on cruise control after 2015. If Tucker can string together a decent season this year and next and University leaders continue to acknowledge the value of a good football program, I think he'll recruit like we've never seen before at MSU. Not Bama, Clemson, OSU level, but top 15ish every year.

Fickell and Freeman and Co are legit threats to the entire P5 narrative. Think where we are now and imagine if we have either Fickell or Freeman for the next 4-5 years leading this program. We are on the path to make some major disruptions with our performance on the field and the recruiting trail.

I will also add from everything I know, Fickell has built it the right way where we should be able to sustain a high level of success and make it easier even if/when he moves on.

(11-09-2020 04:14 PM)geef Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 03:42 PM)dsquare Wrote:  Interesting article re: Stephan Byrd:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports...951542002/

Seems like a terrific kid, which is becoming a hallmark of Luke Fickell's recruiting.

Remember when the bridges to many Ohio high schools were burned? Big Fick Construction, LLC!

To put in perspective how good of a start we have to the 2022 class, we already have 3 players ranked a over #400 nationally. That’s as many as the last 2 record setting classes have combined, if I’m not mistaken. The future is looking extremely bright and only getting brighter!

Edit: I just looked and forgot 1 so we are still 1 shy, but with only 3 graded recruits the overall point still stands!

I love it. I've been a season ticket holder for 36 years, and I have finally seen Fickell and Company doing what everyone has dreamed of for a long, long time. It's made it all very worthwhile. It would have been hard to see this 5 or 6 years ago. Lot of fun along the way, and hopefully even more to come.

His sister is 6'1 and graduating HS, he's definitely going to grow a couple of inches to at least 6'2" or 6'3" and get up to ~240 or so. He could become Najee Harris-lite with those kinds of measurables. Honestly, if he keeps growing to the 6'4" range he may have a future as a WR or OLB with that combination of size and speed.

(11-09-2020 05:22 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 04:14 PM)geef Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 03:42 PM)dsquare Wrote:  Interesting article re: Stephan Byrd:

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports...951542002/

Seems like a terrific kid, which is becoming a hallmark of Luke Fickell's recruiting.

Remember when the bridges to many Ohio high schools were burned? Big Fick Construction, LLC!

Exactly. It seems that it's nearly the opposite now. The relationships that our coaching staff has with Ohio high schools is phenomenal.

(11-09-2020 05:38 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I love it. I've been a season ticket holder for 36 years, and I have finally seen Fickell and Company doing what everyone has dreamed of for a long, long time. It's made it all very worthwhile. It would have been hard to see this 5 or 6 years ago. Lot of fun along the way, and hopefully even more to come.

It does make you wonder what this coaching staff can achieve when we ultimately get the P5 call up

(11-09-2020 08:31 PM)iBinturong Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 05:38 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I love it. I've been a season ticket holder for 36 years, and I have finally seen Fickell and Company doing what everyone has dreamed of for a long, long time. It's made it all very worthwhile. It would have been hard to see this 5 or 6 years ago. Lot of fun along the way, and hopefully even more to come.

It does make you wonder what this coaching staff can achieve when we ultimately get the P5 call up

Yea, you know i'm not as desperate for that as i thought i would be when Louisville left and it looked like a long slog. This league has turned out better for football than i imagined, and although i wish we had closer rivalries for various reasons if you can recruit at this level, you have a nice shot each year to win your league, likely compete for a New Year's bowl, and likely schedule some pretty good OOC games given your top 25 standing. Money is always a concern, but having a competitive and entertaining product is first and foremost. I look where a lot of these programs who left are right now, and honestly there aren't a lot of winners on the football side.

(11-09-2020 11:02 PM)dsquare Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 08:31 PM)iBinturong Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 05:38 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I love it. I've been a season ticket holder for 36 years, and I have finally seen Fickell and Company doing what everyone has dreamed of for a long, long time. It's made it all very worthwhile. It would have been hard to see this 5 or 6 years ago. Lot of fun along the way, and hopefully even more to come.

It does make you wonder what this coaching staff can achieve when we ultimately get the P5 call up

Yea, you know i'm not as desperate for that as i thought i would be when Louisville left and it looked like a long slog. This league has turned out better for football than i imagined, and although i wish we had closer rivalries for various reasons if you can recruit at this level, you have a nice shot each year to win your league, likely compete for a New Year's bowl, and likely schedule some pretty good OOC games given your top 25 standing. Money is always a concern, but having a competitive and entertaining product is first and foremost. I look where a lot of these programs who left are right now, and honestly there aren't a lot of winners on the football side.

You haven't seen their financials. I think it's a lot more important than you may be giving it credit for especially over the long haul if we want to stay at this level. I guess I've got to add prestige as somewhat lacking in this league as well although I think that is on the increase.

But in terms of competitiveness, it really is a pretty solid league where just about every team has a shot at competing near the top over time. It's just harder at this level to be able to afford to keep your coach when that does happen. Of course I'd be very happy if we got a B12 invite and I'd absolutely jump for joy if we got added to the ACC, but as you say, I kind of like the AAC aside from the money and sometimes the officiating.

Back to the topic. This has to be the greatest week or so of commitments n the history of UC football recruiting, doesn't it? Gotta get 'em signed but this is an unprecedented incredible burst of commitments afaik.

(11-09-2020 11:49 PM)Bearhawkeye Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 11:02 PM)dsquare Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 08:31 PM)iBinturong Wrote:  

(11-09-2020 05:38 PM)dsquare Wrote:  I love it. I've been a season ticket holder for 36 years, and I have finally seen Fickell and Company doing what everyone has dreamed of for a long, long time. It's made it all very worthwhile. It would have been hard to see this 5 or 6 years ago. Lot of fun along the way, and hopefully even more to come.

It does make you wonder what this coaching staff can achieve when we ultimately get the P5 call up

Yea, you know i'm not as desperate for that as i thought i would be when Louisville left and it looked like a long slog. This league has turned out better for football than i imagined, and although i wish we had closer rivalries for various reasons if you can recruit at this level, you have a nice shot each year to win your league, likely compete for a New Year's bowl, and likely schedule some pretty good OOC games given your top 25 standing. Money is always a concern, but having a competitive and entertaining product is first and foremost. I look where a lot of these programs who left are right now, and honestly there aren't a lot of winners on the football side.

You haven't seen their financials. I think it's a lot more important than you may be giving it credit for especially over the long haul if we want to stay at this level. I guess I've got to add prestige as somewhat lacking in this league as well although I think that is on the increase.

But in terms of competitiveness, it really is a pretty solid league where just about every team has a shot at competing near the top over time. It's just harder at this level to be able to afford to keep your coach when that does happen. Of course I'd be very happy if we got a B12 invite and I'd absolutely jump for joy if we got added to the ACC, but as you say, I kind of like the AAC aside from the money and sometimes the officiating.

I've seen the financials, but I'm realistic that any new affiliation will not be a short term full share, and the product here in this city has always been critical. Winning is very, very important in drawing fans and in turn talent. I believe in the future revenues for all these conferences/teams are going to become much more specific to teams. Network contracts, etc. are likely to be challenged given media is splintering and i do not think the traditional revenue model is sustainable for tv coverage. I think you will see that in short order with the FC situation. They'll likely get a pass from fans next year give a new stadium etc, but if they continue to not even score in games don't expect many folks to trot out there to the west end for games.