02-08-2011, 07:47 PM
02-08-2011, 08:04 PM
Robbie Anderson wound up signing with Temple.
If we're looking for a Bronco replacement somewhere to put on the list, SS Rontavious Atkins might be right up there with Kendrick Roberts in terms of a big catch.
If we're looking for a Bronco replacement somewhere to put on the list, SS Rontavious Atkins might be right up there with Kendrick Roberts in terms of a big catch.
02-08-2011, 08:45 PM
good catch MB - thanks
02-08-2011, 09:16 PM
Nick always enjoy your review. Thanks!
02-09-2011, 08:08 AM
Good work as always Nick. Your analysis is appreciated.
Keep an eye on EMU transfer, Marlon Pollard from UCLA. Was rated the #14 Cornerback by rivals in the 2009 class. Sat out and practiced with team this fall.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/re.../rank-2130
Keep an eye on EMU transfer, Marlon Pollard from UCLA. Was rated the #14 Cornerback by rivals in the 2009 class. Sat out and practiced with team this fall.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/re.../rank-2130
02-10-2011, 11:26 AM
temple links bring up toledo
02-10-2011, 05:54 PM
Thanks Nick.
02-11-2011, 08:23 AM
I'm going to play 'homer' for EMU.
If EMU is only #12, the MAC recruited very, very well.
First, I agree with Cotton as at top 5 or top 10 recruit.
I believe Reed should be at least a sleeper pick. This kid should play from day one at WR, KR, or DB. I believe he has Big Ten abilities.
We have two transfers who could be in your transfer list.
If Mike Marrow doesn't try to transfer, again, he's a top 5 MAC transfer. Marlon Pollard, might/should be a top 10 transfer.
As Marrow and Pollard are transfer sitouts, their abilities are known to some whose opinions I greatly respect.
Not reading press clipping or rankings from years ago. We are talking about what they showed in practice a few short months ago.
If MAC fans see Marrow, Pollard, Cotton, and Reed making an impact in '11 just say EMU Steve told you... I believe EMU79 probably agrees with this post as well.
If EMU is only #12, the MAC recruited very, very well.
First, I agree with Cotton as at top 5 or top 10 recruit.
I believe Reed should be at least a sleeper pick. This kid should play from day one at WR, KR, or DB. I believe he has Big Ten abilities.
We have two transfers who could be in your transfer list.
If Mike Marrow doesn't try to transfer, again, he's a top 5 MAC transfer. Marlon Pollard, might/should be a top 10 transfer.
As Marrow and Pollard are transfer sitouts, their abilities are known to some whose opinions I greatly respect.
Not reading press clipping or rankings from years ago. We are talking about what they showed in practice a few short months ago.
If MAC fans see Marrow, Pollard, Cotton, and Reed making an impact in '11 just say EMU Steve told you... I believe EMU79 probably agrees with this post as well.
02-11-2011, 09:07 AM
NIU's ranking to be expected, I believe Nick has ranked NIU 7th or lower the last 5 or 6 years.
02-11-2011, 11:14 AM
(02-11-2011 09:07 AM)BobL Wrote: [ -> ]NIU's ranking to be expected, I believe Nick has ranked NIU 7th or lower the last 5 or 6 years.
Maybe so, but haven't NIU fans been complaining that the recruiting services have ranked NIU low as well and then you've done well on the field?
For what it's worth, Nick had NIU with the best class in the MAC in the 2005 recruiting class.
02-11-2011, 11:47 AM
(02-11-2011 11:14 AM)BrianNowicki Wrote: [ -> ](02-11-2011 09:07 AM)BobL Wrote: [ -> ]NIU's ranking to be expected, I believe Nick has ranked NIU 7th or lower the last 5 or 6 years.
Maybe so, but haven't NIU fans been complaining that the recruiting services have ranked NIU low as well and then you've done well on the field?
For what it's worth, Nick had NIU with the best class in the MAC in the 2005 recruiting class.
My point exactly, these rankings do not mean anything. What I would really like to see is Nick rank the classes when they are seniors. I think we would all agree that NIU's 2007 class, ranked 11th was much better than NIU's 2005 class ranked first.
02-11-2011, 02:05 PM
(02-11-2011 11:47 AM)BobL Wrote: [ -> ](02-11-2011 11:14 AM)BrianNowicki Wrote: [ -> ](02-11-2011 09:07 AM)BobL Wrote: [ -> ]NIU's ranking to be expected, I believe Nick has ranked NIU 7th or lower the last 5 or 6 years.
Maybe so, but haven't NIU fans been complaining that the recruiting services have ranked NIU low as well and then you've done well on the field?
For what it's worth, Nick had NIU with the best class in the MAC in the 2005 recruiting class.
My point exactly, these rankings do not mean anything. What I would really like to see is Nick rank the classes when they are seniors. I think we would all agree that NIU's 2007 class, ranked 11th was much better than NIU's 2005 class ranked first.
Someone could do a senior class ranking, but it could be done as something completely separate from a recruiting ranking. A recruiting class might have some kids start as true freshman and are seniors in 4 years, while some redshirt and are seniors in 5 years......and even sometimes a kid leaves for the NFL after his junior year. That doesn't happen a lot in the MAC, but it does happen. Antonio Brown (CMU), Nate Davis (Ball State), Omar Jacobs (BG), and Ben Roethlisberger (Miami) are a few that come to mind right away.
And of course a recruiting class ranking has no way to know if a kid is going to leave school or just how good each player will turn out. That's part of why recruiting rankings are so popular......because there is a lot of mystery to it all, making it exciting since nearly every school can feel good about the direction it appears their program is going.
02-11-2011, 05:16 PM
Over the years I've been pretty kind and complimentary of NIU classes but you have inspired me BobL, here is how I had NIU ranked over the past several years...I'll try to put together some follow up info on the classes and top ranked players compared to their careers.
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/recruit/
Unlike other publications I do stand behind my picks and keep this info posted for anyone to go back and review on their own. You will not find anyone who puts more time and effort into MAC recruiting over the years than me. I'm not 100% accurate, certainly honest about my historical logic & data though.
By the way, do you see a trend of where Novak's last few recruiting classes were not quite as good before Coach Kill came along to revamp the process? The only reason why the 2008 class was ranked low was because they signed a very small class, thus not a lot of impact players compared to other MAC teams that season. I note in my final anaylsys of NIU's 2008 class that "this may be a small class in terms of numbers, it is quite solid in terms of talent. There is a lot of quality players added that will help NIU forge ahead under the new coaching staff. There is not a lot of size but there is a lot of speed, which is always needed by MAC schools. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the MAC this year but it certainly looks like Coach Kill has made some strides for future recruiting pipelines..."
NIU Ranked by VanDelaySports.com
2010 #8
2009 #7
2008 #12
2007 #11 <this class turned out to be much better than I had predicted>
2006 #8
2005 #1
2004 #5
2003 #2
2002 #3
As I note every year for college football recruiting that..."Like many recruiting forums, please keep in mind that most of these kids are anywhere from 17-years to 20-years old, so these rankings are very subjective. Many things can happen to a young man in his college-playing career like injuries, grades, personal issues, or lack of anticipated development that can hinder how a class may really pan out. And let’s not forget the late bloomers either who rarely show up on the recruiting radar screen and end up becoming all-conference players and sometimes even NFL players. The only way to know how good a class really has been is to look at them after they have graduated in four or five years"
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/recruit/
Unlike other publications I do stand behind my picks and keep this info posted for anyone to go back and review on their own. You will not find anyone who puts more time and effort into MAC recruiting over the years than me. I'm not 100% accurate, certainly honest about my historical logic & data though.
By the way, do you see a trend of where Novak's last few recruiting classes were not quite as good before Coach Kill came along to revamp the process? The only reason why the 2008 class was ranked low was because they signed a very small class, thus not a lot of impact players compared to other MAC teams that season. I note in my final anaylsys of NIU's 2008 class that "this may be a small class in terms of numbers, it is quite solid in terms of talent. There is a lot of quality players added that will help NIU forge ahead under the new coaching staff. There is not a lot of size but there is a lot of speed, which is always needed by MAC schools. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the MAC this year but it certainly looks like Coach Kill has made some strides for future recruiting pipelines..."
NIU Ranked by VanDelaySports.com
2010 #8
2009 #7
2008 #12
2007 #11 <this class turned out to be much better than I had predicted>
2006 #8
2005 #1
2004 #5
2003 #2
2002 #3
As I note every year for college football recruiting that..."Like many recruiting forums, please keep in mind that most of these kids are anywhere from 17-years to 20-years old, so these rankings are very subjective. Many things can happen to a young man in his college-playing career like injuries, grades, personal issues, or lack of anticipated development that can hinder how a class may really pan out. And let’s not forget the late bloomers either who rarely show up on the recruiting radar screen and end up becoming all-conference players and sometimes even NFL players. The only way to know how good a class really has been is to look at them after they have graduated in four or five years"
02-11-2011, 05:17 PM
Over the years I've been pretty kind and complimentary of NIU classes but you have inspired me BobL, here is how I had NIU ranked over the past several years...I'll try to put together some follow up info on the classes and top ranked players compared to their careers.
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/recruit/
Unlike other publications I do stand behind my picks and keep this info posted for anyone to go back and review on their own. You will not find anyone who puts more time and effort into MAC recruiting over the years than me. I'm not 100% accurate, certainly honest about my historical logic & data though.
By the way, do you see a trend of where Novak's last few recruiting classes were not quite as good before Coach Kill came along to revamp the process? The only reason why the 2008 class was ranked low was because they signed a very small class, thus not a lot of impact players compared to other MAC teams that season. I note in my final anaylsys of NIU's 2008 class that "this may be a small class in terms of numbers, it is quite solid in terms of talent. There is a lot of quality players added that will help NIU forge ahead under the new coaching staff. There is not a lot of size but there is a lot of speed, which is always needed by MAC schools. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the MAC this year but it certainly looks like Coach Kill has made some strides for future recruiting pipelines..."
NIU Ranked by VanDelaySports.com
2010 #8
2009 #7
2008 #12
2007 #11 <this class turned out to be much better than I had predicted>
2006 #8
2005 #1
2004 #5
2003 #2
2002 #3
As I note every year for college football recruiting that..."Like many recruiting forums, please keep in mind that most of these kids are anywhere from 17-years to 20-years old, so these rankings are very subjective. Many things can happen to a young man in his college-playing career like injuries, grades, personal issues, or lack of anticipated development that can hinder how a class may really pan out. And let’s not forget the late bloomers either who rarely show up on the recruiting radar screen and end up becoming all-conference players and sometimes even NFL players. The only way to know how good a class really has been is to look at them after they have graduated in four or five years"
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/recruit/
Unlike other publications I do stand behind my picks and keep this info posted for anyone to go back and review on their own. You will not find anyone who puts more time and effort into MAC recruiting over the years than me. I'm not 100% accurate, certainly honest about my historical logic & data though.
By the way, do you see a trend of where Novak's last few recruiting classes were not quite as good before Coach Kill came along to revamp the process? The only reason why the 2008 class was ranked low was because they signed a very small class, thus not a lot of impact players compared to other MAC teams that season. I note in my final anaylsys of NIU's 2008 class that "this may be a small class in terms of numbers, it is quite solid in terms of talent. There is a lot of quality players added that will help NIU forge ahead under the new coaching staff. There is not a lot of size but there is a lot of speed, which is always needed by MAC schools. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the MAC this year but it certainly looks like Coach Kill has made some strides for future recruiting pipelines..."
NIU Ranked by VanDelaySports.com
2010 #8
2009 #7
2008 #12
2007 #11 <this class turned out to be much better than I had predicted>
2006 #8
2005 #1
2004 #5
2003 #2
2002 #3
As I note every year for college football recruiting that..."Like many recruiting forums, please keep in mind that most of these kids are anywhere from 17-years to 20-years old, so these rankings are very subjective. Many things can happen to a young man in his college-playing career like injuries, grades, personal issues, or lack of anticipated development that can hinder how a class may really pan out. And let’s not forget the late bloomers either who rarely show up on the recruiting radar screen and end up becoming all-conference players and sometimes even NFL players. The only way to know how good a class really has been is to look at them after they have graduated in four or five years"
02-11-2011, 05:21 PM
For EMU Steve - I may have missed on Cotton, we'll see this fall. Certainly a terrific recruit for the program.
As for Marrow, my source stated he may or may not end up in the program this fall. Don't know the whole story, don't know if he will be in camp come August either. That's why I didn't rank him.
As for Marrow, my source stated he may or may not end up in the program this fall. Don't know the whole story, don't know if he will be in camp come August either. That's why I didn't rank him.
02-12-2011, 09:39 AM
(02-11-2011 05:16 PM)Nick in Cleveland Wrote: [ -> ]Over the years I've been pretty kind and complimentary of NIU classes but you have inspired me BobL, here is how I had NIU ranked over the past several years...I'll try to put together some follow up info on the classes and top ranked players compared to their careers.
http://www.vandelaysports.com/football/recruit/
Unlike other publications I do stand behind my picks and keep this info posted for anyone to go back and review on their own. You will not find anyone who puts more time and effort into MAC recruiting over the years than me. I'm not 100% accurate, certainly honest about my historical logic & data though.
By the way, do you see a trend of where Novak's last few recruiting classes were not quite as good before Coach Kill came along to revamp the process? The only reason why the 2008 class was ranked low was because they signed a very small class, thus not a lot of impact players compared to other MAC teams that season. I note in my final anaylsys of NIU's 2008 class that "this may be a small class in terms of numbers, it is quite solid in terms of talent. There is a lot of quality players added that will help NIU forge ahead under the new coaching staff. There is not a lot of size but there is a lot of speed, which is always needed by MAC schools. Overall this class rates as AVERAGE compared to the MAC this year but it certainly looks like Coach Kill has made some strides for future recruiting pipelines..."
NIU Ranked by VanDelaySports.com
2010 #8
2009 #7
2008 #12
2007 #11 <this class turned out to be much better than I had predicted>
2006 #8
2005 #1
2004 #5
2003 #2
2002 #3
As I note every year for college football recruiting that..."Like many recruiting forums, please keep in mind that most of these kids are anywhere from 17-years to 20-years old, so these rankings are very subjective. Many things can happen to a young man in his college-playing career like injuries, grades, personal issues, or lack of anticipated development that can hinder how a class may really pan out. And let’s not forget the late bloomers either who rarely show up on the recruiting radar screen and end up becoming all-conference players and sometimes even NFL players. The only way to know how good a class really has been is to look at them after they have graduated in four or five years"
Certainly ranking recruiting classes is very subjective, just comparing rivals to scout show quite a difference.
Generally your rankings fall in line with those of rivals and/or scout as that is where much of the background info is found. I also agree that evaluating talent at any level is difficult but more so at the HS level. I's like to think that NIU(more so Novak and staff) do a much better job of projecting an individuals growth as do many MAC and non AQ teams.
This is why I think that evaluating the class as seniors would be interesting, it would be an indicator of the coaching staffs ability to project and to develop players.
02-12-2011, 02:21 PM
That 07 class was a BIG TIME winner and is evidence of how difficult it is to project recruiting classes. There is no measuing stick for heart and hard work. We never see Rivals,Scout and whoever be able to measure those traits.
CMU has had more under rated classes than anyone over the years and plenty of trophies.
CMU has had more under rated classes than anyone over the years and plenty of trophies.
02-12-2011, 09:47 PM
(02-12-2011 02:21 PM)NIU05 Wrote: [ -> ]There is no measuing stick for heart and hard work. We never see Rivals,Scout and whoever be able to measure those traits.
Even the coaches recruiting the kids don't really have a good measuring stick for heart and hard work when they are recruiting these kids out of high school. That's something that often times cannot be known until a kid gets to campus and proves himself.
02-12-2011, 11:02 PM
I too appreciate Nick's hard work, but I just can't follow his rankings sometimes. I trust ESPN's rankings above all others, and by their work I can't see any way Temple's class is better than NIU's (nor the majority of teams for that matter) or how Buffalo's best recruiting class ever (by grades and need) is ranked lower than last year's class and 3rd lowest in the conference.
I do take solace in recalling he ranked UB's 2005 class, with 3 future NFL players and the core of our title team, 'average' (or the worst) against the balance of the other classes.
I do take solace in recalling he ranked UB's 2005 class, with 3 future NFL players and the core of our title team, 'average' (or the worst) against the balance of the other classes.
02-13-2011, 06:37 AM
(02-12-2011 09:47 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote: [ -> ](02-12-2011 02:21 PM)NIU05 Wrote: [ -> ]There is no measuing stick for heart and hard work. We never see Rivals,Scout and whoever be able to measure those traits.
Even the coaches recruiting the kids don't really have a good measuring stick for heart and hard work when they are recruiting these kids out of high school. That's something that often times cannot be known until a kid gets to campus and proves himself.
This is why I've focused so much on EMU's redshirt class from '10.
It is nice to see frosh, transfers, etc. in a 'common environment.'
Coaches should have a pretty good idea after a kid's redshirt year if he is a good prospect for 2-deeps or a 'team member'.
It really helps focus recruiting needs going forward.