The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-02-2017 10:06 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 08:55 PM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  

(03-02-2017 09:15 AM)floridabronco Wrote:  I investigated a short list of WMU offers seen on MLive. I'm sure these are all upstanding high school athletes. However, I'm seriously concerned about the ability levels in comparison to the last several classes. Time will tell.

I'm not concerned about the ability level of the guys that Western has offered. As Colin pointed out, Lester and staff seem to be offering guys that a lot of P5's are after. And they should. They didn't get hired to settle.

My concern, and I've probably been among the more vocal here, is that they will have trouble landing the type of talent we were getting.

Proof will be in the pudding. But starting the class with a kid that had no other offers isn't encouraging.

Doesn't mean the kid can't play. Obviously this staff thinks he can and we won't know for about 3 years.

How many other offers did Corey Davis have?

Reality is, when the P5 schools offer as well as Western we're going to lose to them 99% of the time.

Lester, like Fleck, is going to need to find the Diamonds in the Rough. That's the only way we'll get top quality athletes. Because if the P5 know about them and know they have talent, it's already too late.

Why is this always the default? The how many offers did Corey Davis have? One, he had grade issues so people backed off. Two, the Corey Davis' are exceptions to the rule. This is such a ridiculous argument.

Yes, the reality is the P5's win most of the time. But we have won plenty of times. Lester is going to have to win some just like Fleck did, Cubit did and plenty of other MAC coaches have done.

I cant believe I'm saying this, but stop building excuses as to why Tim Lester can't do something. He is doing the right thing going after the talent level he is going after. Otherwise he would just be accepting Western's "place" among college football.

Have we not learned to think bigger?

Quote:This is such a ridiculous argument.

It's reality. If a kid has a Big 10 offer and a MAC offer, who's he going to choose 99% of the time? I'm not saying we shouldn't try and get them to come aboard, but you have to play the numbers.

If you look at the top WMU performers over the decades much of the time they were 'Diamonds in the Rough'-talent that the big schools missed because the athlete might have been in a losing program in HS and got overlooked. Or he played in a top talent conference and got hidden behind other talented players. Or he didn't fill out yet and had a late growth spurt after HS. Or he had injuries.

John Offerdahl got overlooked because there was a big OLman on this HS team the Big 10 coveted (think he ended up at Michigan) and John was skinny for a LBer. He filled out on Bronco Burgers and tater tots. Greg Jennings had injuries in HS and the big schools backed off. And there have been some with grade issues. And Tim Lester himself was considered by the big schools but they backed off due to injuries-case in point.

If we look at the WMU basketball team, Dave Kool had injuries in HS and MSU backed off-our gain.

If the P5 schools are offering an athlete a MAC school's only chance at landing him is something occurs-like an injury-that makes the P5 folks retract their offer.

Quote:Have we not learned to think bigger?

You can think as big as you want, but if your recruiting strategy at WMU is to only offer athletes that the P5 schools are offering you're going to be left empty handed on LOI day. You're going to have to take some chances-way it is. And we'll find a few diamonds in the rough, always have. There is a lot of talent out there that's missed.

Fleck and Cubit both had some success holding on to commits that were offered later in the cycle by P5s, but I'm not sure how many true head to heads they won. Where Fleck's recruiting shined was in winning battles against other MAC schools.

Fleck did take a handful of guys in each class that were "diamond in the rough" hopefuls but the majority were well scouted and sought after kids.

Also Corey Davis is not a very good example as the only reason he didn't have a bunch of offers was grades. We are very fortunate he didn't end up having to go the JC route like Delshawn Phillips and Lonnie Johnson because he would've ended up at a P5 for two years.

BP- no offense but it sounds like you have a very outdated understanding of the recruiting landscape.

Edit- I feel like I should clarify that I'm not necessarily concerned about Lester's recruiting until we see the cycle unfold a bit

[quote='BroncoPhilly' pid='14139004' dateline='1488514217']
[quote]This is such a ridiculous argument. [/quote]

It's reality. If a kid has a Big 10 offer and a MAC offer, who's he going to choose 99% of the time? I'm not saying we shouldn't try and get them to come aboard, but you have to play the numbers.
[b][b]
If you look at the top WMU performers over the decades much of the time they were 'Diamonds in the Rough'-talent that the big schools missed because the athlete might have been in a losing program in HS and got overlooked.[/b][/b] Or he played in a top talent conference and got hidden behind other talented players. Or he didn't fill out yet and had a late growth spurt after HS. Or he had injuries.

John Offerdahl got overlooked because there was a big OLman on this HS team the Big 10 coveted (think he ended up at Michigan) and John was skinny for a LBer. He filled out on Bronco Burgers and tater tots. Greg Jennings had injuries in HS and the big schools backed off. And there have been some with grade issues. And Tim Lester himself was considered by the big schools but they backed off due to injuries-case in point.

If we look at the WMU basketball team, Dave Kool had injuries in HS and MSU backed off-our gain.

If the P5 schools are offering an athlete a MAC school's only chance at landing him is something occurs-like an injury-that makes the P5 folks retract their offer.

[quote]Have we not learned to think bigger?[/quote]

You can think as big as you want, but if your recruiting strategy at WMU is to only offer athletes that the P5 schools are offering you're going to be left empty handed on LOI day. You're going to have to take some chances-way it is. And we'll find a few diamonds in the rough, always have. There is a lot of talent out there that's missed.
[/quote
This is cubit 100%

I think everyone just seems on edge. The last few years some of Fleck's early commits had no other offers, but their offer lists grew throughout the spring and summer. I think everyone needs to just take a breathe and see what this year brings.

(03-03-2017 08:00 AM)Chibronco Wrote:  I think everyone just seems on edge. The last few years some of Fleck's early commits had no other offers, but their offer lists grew throughout the spring and summer. I think everyone needs to just take a breathe and see what this year brings.

It's part of being a fan, being on edge with the new Staff comes in. We were the same way when Fleck first came in, remember?

Lester knows what is expected of him, he knows he has to deliver. He knows that doing what Bill Cubit did the last few seasons he was here won't meet with the fans expectations.

Miles Marshall 3* WR From GA

https://twitter.com/milesmarshall23/stat...2047781889

Ben VanSumeren received an offer from Columbia. I always love seeing Bronco commits with Ivy League offers. Success off the field is even more important than their success on the field.

(03-12-2017 02:17 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Ben VanSumeren received an offer from Columbia. I always love seeing Bronco commits with Ivy League offers. Success off the field is even more important than their success on the field.

Just received an offer from EMU as well.

According to thedzone.net a bunch of 2018 & 2019 kids with Rising Stars are in this Friday.

http://www.thedzone.net/?m=1#.WNF4ujz3aEc

(03-21-2017 02:01 PM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:  According to thedzone.net a bunch of 2018 & 2019 kids with Rising Stars are in this Friday.

http://www.thedzone.net/?m=1#.WNF4ujz3aEc

Yep. Tons of kids will be on campus this weekend. Since I have nothing better to do I'll try to compile a list of visitors, courtesy of The D Zone:


Salem 2019 RB/LB Dez Dewberry
Flushing 2019 OL/DL William Racely
Ecorse 2019 DB/WR Terrance Brown
Davison 2018 RB Tariq Reid
Detroit Cass Tech 2019 RB/LB Marcellus Gaines
Southfield A&T 2019 FS/RB Marcus Fuqua
Warren De La Salle 2019 S/WR Jacob Dobbs
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 2018 WR/FS Marshall Brooks
South Lyon East 2019 CB/WR Jon Carter
Walled Lake Western 2019 OT/DE Spencer Brown
Auburn Hills Avondale 2018 WR Nick Whiteside
West Bloomfield 2018 WR/DB Dwayne Thompson
Bloomfield Hills 2018 QB John Paddock
FH Harrison 2019 CB/WR Roderick Heard
OLSM 2018 RB/LB "ATH" Kyren Cunningham
West Bloomfield 2018 WR "ATH" Taj Mustapha
West Bloomfield 2018 WR A.J Abbott
Walled Lake Western 2019 WR Malcomb Baker
Macomb Dakota 2019 WR/K Brandon Michalak
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 2018 WR/Slot Dwayne Gurley
Utica Henry Ford II 2018 TE/DE Luke Heide
Walled Lake Western 2020 S/WR Calvin Brown
Grosse Pointe South 2018 WR/RB/CB Jhordan Rush
Detroit Cass Tech 2019 RB/LB "ATH" Jaren Mangham
OLSM 2018 ATH RaShawn Allen
Fraser 2018 RB Chris Brown
Romulus 2018 RB/LB Terrell Huguley
West Bloomfield 2018 QB Bryce Veasley
Eisenhower 2018 QB Max Wittwer
Utica Henry Ford II QB Noah Heide
Dearborn Divine Child 2018 OL Sean Pilon
Southfield A&T 2019 OC/NG Juan Walker
FH Harrison 2018 OLB "ATH" Jerrin Harvey
West Bloomfield 2018 WR/OLB Desmond Simpson
Grand Blanc 2018 LB/RB Kendall Green
Walled Lake Western 2018 LB Jonathon Moffett
Livonia Churchill 2018 OLB/DE/HB Javante VanBuren
Detroit Cass Tech 2018 DT/OL Jeremiah Reed II
Detroit Cass Tech 2019 CB Xavier Goldsmith
Rochester Adams 2018 DB Vincent Gray
FH Harrison 2018 RB/MLB Moet Andrews
Salem 2018 CB/RB Andrew Davis
Southfield A&T 2018 WR/CB Matt Gilbert
West Bloomfield 2018 WR/CB Chase Swoope
Chippewa Valley 2019 CB/WR Marcel Duncan
West Bloomfield 2018 WR/FS Collin Heard
Rochester Adams 2018 WR/CB Cole Patritto
Davison 2018 CB Anthony Fordham
West Bloomfield 2018 S Richard Sanders
West Bloomfield 2020 QB Anthony Romphf
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 2020 QB Dustin Fletcher
Macomb Dakota 2019 WR/CB Ross Lewalski
Sterling Heights 2019 WR Brian Overall
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 2019 WR/CB Jakobe' Blount
Southfield A&T 2019 RB Anwar Jackson
Chippewa Valley 2019 RB/FS David Ellis
Detroit Loyola 2019 RB D'Anthony Robinson
Holt 2019 QB/FS David Peterson
L'Anse Creuse North 2020 LB Logan Simons
Flint Carman-Ainsworth 2019 DE/TE Mike Fletcher
Farmington 2019 CB/Slot Joe Stevens
Bloomfield Hills 2020 WR/RB Alec Ward
EEVPA 2018 RB/CB Zhamaine March
OLSM 2019 RB/LB Clarence Glasker
Delta 2019 WR/CB Davonte Mitchell
Ecorse 2020 DE Mike Sessoms
EEVPA 2019 RB/CB Jordan Anderson
Oak Park 2019 QB Corey Graham

(03-22-2017 10:02 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 02:01 PM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:  According to thedzone.net a bunch of 2018 & 2019 kids with Rising Stars are in this Friday.

http://www.thedzone.net/?m=1#.WNF4ujz3aEc

Yep. Tons of kids will be on campus this weekend. Since I have nothing better to do I'll try to compile a list of visitors, courtesy of The D Zone:

Nice work. I saw 8 or 9 on theDzone twitter account and figured it would take a while to post here. The group from Rising Stars is also supposed to visit NIU the same day.

(03-22-2017 02:11 PM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:  

(03-22-2017 10:02 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  

(03-21-2017 02:01 PM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:  According to thedzone.net a bunch of 2018 & 2019 kids with Rising Stars are in this Friday.

http://www.thedzone.net/?m=1#.WNF4ujz3aEc

Yep. Tons of kids will be on campus this weekend. Since I have nothing better to do I'll try to compile a list of visitors, courtesy of The D Zone:

Nice work. I saw 8 or 9 on theDzone twitter account and figured it would take a while to post here. The group from Rising Stars is also supposed to visit NIU the same day.

Good. Our beautiful campus and stadium will be fresh in their minds when they visit that dump.

(03-20-2017 10:28 AM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  

(03-12-2017 02:17 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  Ben VanSumeren received an offer from Columbia. I always love seeing Bronco commits with Ivy League offers. Success off the field is even more important than their success on the field.

Just received an offer from EMU as well.

We love DITR's with no offers who play weak competition. That's why we always rank at the bottom of the MAC in recruiting.

LB Brayden Jones out of Pennsylvania visited today. Think he's a guy that could commit at some point. We are his only offer thus far.

Link? Can't find this guy on any of the recruiting sites.

(03-23-2017 08:49 PM)floridabronco Wrote:  Link? Can't find this guy on any of the recruiting sites.

https://twitter.com/BrayJ_32/status/845006100911083520

(03-23-2017 08:49 PM)floridabronco Wrote:  Link? Can't find this guy on any of the recruiting sites.

All I see on him is this highlight reel
http://www.hudl.com/profile/4162945/brayden-jones

Still one commit guys. I know everyone but me here seems patient, but it would be nice to see some of these guys who seem to enjoy their visits be turned into commits.

(03-25-2017 06:36 PM)Stampede your face!! Wrote:  Still one commit guys. I know everyone but me here seems patient, but it would be nice to see some of these guys who seem to enjoy their visits be turned into commits.

Stampede, I'm not at all patient. First of all, I see a commitment from a two-star, who has an offer from Columbia, and then a possible commit from a player who has no mention on Scout, Rivals, 24/7 or ESPN. I guess I was spoiled by the previous Waldo football tenet. Northern Illinois already has 3 three stars committed. Even the Chimps have one!