CSNbbs

with zero local recruits

http://mb27.scout.com/fmississippi74787f...8783.topic

Wait until we sign all our players and then see if it is a good group of recruits. Where they come from really does not matter. All that matters is whether they can play football.

They're just yapping on their own board, which is fine with me. As far as recruiting in Memphis goes, they've always recruited up here, as every man, woman, child, donkey, goat, pigeon, and llama in Memphis knows. Their school is practically located in the outskirts of Memphis, so it would be a big shock if they weren't recruiting Memphis. They have plenty of alumni living in the area, and quite a few Memphis high-school coaches and other football people who feed them players. Nothing wrong with that; it's all part of recruiting in a wide-open place like Memphis.

The Tigers have never been able to sign most of the top players in Memphis. They're not in a BCS league, and SEC tradition is a powerful influence on recruits. Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and others are always raiding the city when the talent is good.

Mississippi has always used Memphis and West Tennessee recruits to augment their recruiting in Mississippi and Louisiana. They have always gotten the lion's share of Mississippi recruits, even when they have bad coaches.

I've always taken the whole fence thing as Orgeron's crude way of saying they want to re-establish their recruiting presence in Memphis, which had waned under previous coaches. Tennessee and Alabama were previously signing many of the Memphis players.

What I question is how many productive players they're really going to get out of Memphis for all their efforts. If you look at their roster, they've got a dozen or so players from Memphis and environs, quite of number of which (Frison, Hardy, etc.) they're redshirting, or haven't played much.

Of the Memphis players who have played, Oher is clearly the one who has had the most impact--NFL potential there. Brandon Jenkins of East has done some things. The others are still works in progress. Of course, Patrick Willis is their best Tennessee player; but he's from Bruceton, not Memphis, and Orgeron didn't have enough money to extend the fence out there.

As others have pointed out, a fairly substantial number of Memphis recruits don't pan out for a number of reasons. Whether that number is significantly higher than that of other cities of the same size, I'm not sure. But quite a few fans seem to think that it is.

Anyway, Mississippi is not going to win the SEC championship recruiting Memphis players; if they win one (a dream they have, I guess), it will be with Mississippi and Louisiana players. The way Orgeron is doing things, all Tommy has to do is stand at the gate to the fence after the Mississippi recruits' freshman seasons end in Oxford, and wait for players to head for the University of Memphis admissions office. I think they need a separate gate in east Memphis for the players returning from Knoxville.

IdahoTiger Wrote:They're just yapping on their own board, which is fine with me. As far as recruiting in Memphis goes, they've always recruited up here, as every man, woman, child, donkey, goat, pigeon, and llama in Memphis knows. Their school is practically located in the outskirts of Memphis, so it would be a big shock if they weren't recruiting Memphis. They have plenty of alumni living in the area, and quite a few Memphis high-school coaches and other football people who feed them players. Nothing wrong with that; it's all part of recruiting in a wide-open place like Memphis.

The Tigers have never been able to sign most of the top players in Memphis. They're not in a BCS league, and SEC tradition is a powerful influence on recruits. Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and others are always raiding the city when the talent is good.

Mississippi has always used Memphis and West Tennessee recruits to augment their recruiting in Mississippi and Louisiana. They have always gotten the lion's share of Mississippi recruits, even when they have bad coaches.

I've always taken the whole fence thing as Orgeron's crude way of saying they want to re-establish their recruiting presence in Memphis, which had waned under previous coaches. Tennessee and Alabama were previously signing many of the Memphis players.

What I question is how many productive players they're really going to get out of Memphis for all their efforts. If you look at their roster, they've got a dozen or so players from Memphis and environs, quite of number of which (Frison, Hardy, etc.) they're redshirting, or haven't played much.

Of the Memphis players who have played, Oher is clearly the one who has had the most impact--NFL potential there. Brandon Jenkins of East has done some things. The others are still works in progress. Of course, Patrick Willis is their best Tennessee player; but he's from Bruceton, not Memphis, and Orgeron didn't have enough money to extend the fence out there.

As others have pointed out, a fairly substantial number of Memphis recruits don't pan out for a number of reasons. Whether that number is significantly higher than that of other cities of the same size, I'm not sure. But quite a few fans seem to think that it is.

Anyway, Mississippi is not going to win the SEC championship recruiting Memphis players; if they win one (a dream they have, I guess), it will be with Mississippi and Louisiana players. The way Orgeron is doing things, all Tommy has to do is stand at the gate to the fence after the Mississippi recruits' freshman seasons end in Oxford, and wait for players to head for the University of Memphis admissions office. I think they need a separate gate in east Memphis for the players returning from Knoxville.

Frison actually played some, but it was minimal due to his size. At one point, he was a 2nd string DT, due to injuries, and he's only about 225. I expect him to eventually move back to TE, probably this year. Hardy was freshman All-SEC (freshman All-American by Rivals), started most of the games at DE and led all defensive linemen on our team in tackles. He even lined up at WR in the final game of the year and caught a TD pass. He'll be All-SEC and maybe even All-American by the time it's all said and done. He's the real deal. Cassius Vaughan played on special teams and blocked two punts. From what I've heard, he's got all the athletic tools to be a great CB, but he just needs polishing and technique.

Looking at our Olive Branch signees, Walker and Summers both played some on special teams and are expected to contribute in the secondary this year.

This year, there are probably fewer guys in Memphis that we've targeted for recruiting than last, and we haven't landed any of them. We've actually done more of our damage this year in the Mississippi and Louisiana.

Thanks for the info, bmglennreb. You're a good fan for your team. Guess I erred using Hardy as an example. Just shows I don't follow Ole Miss football beyond what I hear on the national news. It sounds as if Orgeron was forced to play some people early because of talent and depth problems at some positions.

From your description, Frison and Vaughan will be contributors on what looks to be another medicore or weak Ole Miss team next year, unless Orgeron can bring in some difference-makers in this recruiting class.

It's possible, I suppose. Looking at the Mississippi state rankings, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are dividing up most of the Rivals top 30 as usual. And as usual, Mississippi is getting most of the highest rated guys. And I've heard Orgeron is still trying to mine the California JC ranks.

Anyway, if you look at Oher, Jenkins, Hardy, and maybe a couple of others, that's some return for all the recruiting work they do in Memphis, but it's nothing to really crow about the way some were doing on that thread. They're just supplementing what they're doing in Mississippi and Louisiana, just maintaining a presence in Memphis. If Ole Miss were dominating recruiting in a city like, say, Miami, then they could crow. But it's not even true they're dominating recruiting in Memphis.

I think if I had to rank what the SEC schools have traditionally gotten out of Memphis, Tennessee would be no. 1, Mississippi no. 2, and Arkansas no. 3. Alabama was strong in Memphis until the scandal, and Mississippi State has gotten some good players over the years. The other SEC schools, farther away, occasionally grab Memphis players, but their main interest lies elsewhere.

Tennessee has so many alumni, boosters, and fans in the Memphis/West Tennessee area, and they're the state school. Many of the high-school coaches, especially in rural West Tennessee, either like Tennessee or are connected with the program, and they help feed them players. The local business leaders, politicians, and others in the small towns of West Tennessee support Tennessee football. It's tough for the Tigers to go head-to-head with Tennessee for West Tennessee players outside Memphis because of all the advantages Tennessee has--very frustrating for the Memphis coaching staff.

Mississippi has a decent presence in West Tennessee, as evidenced by Willis and others, but, again, it hasn't been as productive as some Mississippi fans think, nor is it likely to be in the future. Tennessee is always going to get the most Memphis/West Tennessee players.

Sadly, one way you can tell what the talent situation is in Memphis high-school football in any given year is by looking at how active Tennessee and Mississippi are; and, as you mentioned, neither is around this year. So it's apparently going to be a subpar year, with players going to schools all over the map--LSU, Colorado, wherever. Chris Walker looks to be the biggest prize, and seems ticketed for Tennessee or some other big school. Beyond him, there don't seem to be a lot of potential difference-makers.

Idaho, thats good stuff.

By the way, Chris Walker verbaled to UT today.

Easterwood Wrote:Idaho, thats good stuff.

By the way, Chris Walker verbaled to UT today.

Keith .......... what's the outlook for Walker to get any playing time the first couple of years at Yew Tay???






.

Easterwood Wrote:Idaho, thats good stuff.

By the way, Chris Walker verbaled to UT today.

big suprise there.

Can't disagree with you Idaho. I don't think Memphis is the best area to mine for talent, and you certainly can't rely solely on it like you could a city like Miami, but there are occasional prospects to be had.

When O made his comment about Memphis, he had made the same comments about the state of Mississippi and I believe also New Orleans. Basically, he wants to be able to take his pick of players from those areas, and I don't think it's a bad strategy. You'll never win them all, but as a coach, you have to believe you can.

Currently, we're still hitting the Cali Juco ranks and some of the HS ranks, tapping in on his old USC ties. We're also doing very well in Mississippi, as is MSU, which is actually not usual. It's a credit to both Croom and O that this year's top in state recruits are staying home. I believe LSU has one Miss. commit in the Top 30, and AU also has one. Usually, we lose quite a few more to LSU, AU, Bama, and occasionally UT, which is part of the reason our programs have struggled. This year, they're mostly staying in state, which is good news for both OM and MSU.

Agree about Memphis area recruiting this year. It doesn't seem to be as much of a hot bed as it has in past years. I believe Vandy landed a few solid prospects that we were actually after out of the area, but there aren't as many this year as have been in the past, and we're certainly not landing any and not going after nearly as many as we did last year.

Oh, and I don't blame you for not following us too closely. I couldn't tell you much about Memphis other than what I saw in the opener either. Hardy wasn't playing much in the Memphis game, because it was his first, but he started most of the year after that, partly due to injuries, and partly due to the fact that they couldn't take him out once he got his shot. His best game was Vandy when he caused two fumbles and had around 10 tackles. He'll be a good one, but guys like he and Oher are probably closer to the exception as far as Memphis talent working out rather than the rule. Jenkins actually has been a disappointment. He supposedly has a lot of potential according to coaches, but he's never been able to really put it together.

We don't have any daughters to offer our recruits so it is a bit unfair. ;-)

Easterwood Wrote:Idaho, thats good stuff.

By the way, Chris Walker verbaled to UT today.

Yuck! That pi$$es me off. Why would any Memphian send their kid to play ball for that team? I understand why east Tennesseans move to Memphis and retain their allegiances, but why would any west Tennessean have a love for that school? Memphis should get more respect than that. I'd rather see Chris Walker go to Notre Dame than go to U-Tay.

I want to wish him the best, but part of me wants absolutely nothing to do with helping the Vols. I hope he's the best player on an 0-12 Vols team for four years straight.

bmglennreb Wrote:Hardy was freshman All-SEC (freshman All-American by Rivals), started most of the games at DE and led all defensive linemen on our team in tackles. He even lined up at WR in the final game of the year and caught a TD pass. He'll be All-SEC and maybe even All-American by the time it's all said and done.

let's not get carried away with Hardy. OM situation on the Dline this year pretty much forced Hardy to play.

you do realize that very few (if any) SEC schools have freshmen starting at DE, don't you? in other words, don't you think some of those Frosh awards are by default.

UMTigerfan Wrote:

bmglennreb Wrote:Hardy was freshman All-SEC (freshman All-American by Rivals), started most of the games at DE and led all defensive linemen on our team in tackles. He even lined up at WR in the final game of the year and caught a TD pass. He'll be All-SEC and maybe even All-American by the time it's all said and done.

let's not get carried away with Hardy. OM situation on the Dline this year pretty much forced Hardy to play.

you do realize that very few (if any) SEC schools have freshmen starting at DE, don't you? in other words, don't you think some of those Frosh awards are by default.

Pretty good thread. Rod Davis is really the only guy we are after in Memphis this year.

And yes, Hardy was forced into action this year. But the fact is, even undersized a bit, he had a good season.

giantrebfan Wrote:

UMTigerfan Wrote:

bmglennreb Wrote:Hardy was freshman All-SEC (freshman All-American by Rivals), started most of the games at DE and led all defensive linemen on our team in tackles. He even lined up at WR in the final game of the year and caught a TD pass. He'll be All-SEC and maybe even All-American by the time it's all said and done.

let's not get carried away with Hardy. OM situation on the Dline this year pretty much forced Hardy to play.

you do realize that very few (if any) SEC schools have freshmen starting at DE, don't you? in other words, don't you think some of those Frosh awards are by default.

Pretty good thread. Rod Davis is really the only guy we are after in Memphis this year.

And yes, Hardy was forced into action this year. But the fact is, even undersized a bit, he had a good season.

I'll put it this way. Hardy led our DL in tackles this year as a true freshmen at 240 pounds. After a year in the college weight program, he'll probably be up to 260 next year and get even better. He's also athletic enough that we used him as a WR in the Egg Bowl just so we'd have a deep threat, and he caught a TD pass. He's not your typical DE, and he does have all the potential to do the things I mentioned.

not to really , but is that a factor of Hardy really being that good, or the rest of the DL being that bad? Considering that Ole Miss finished 93rd in rushing defense, you have to wonder.

ChattTiger Wrote:not to really , but is that a factor of Hardy really being that good, or the rest of the DL being that bad? Considering that Ole Miss finished 93rd in rushing defense, you have to wonder.

no, he's a future all american.

you're not listening.