Sounds a bit disappointing that half the Illinois coaches interviewed said they don't see or hear from NIU coaches much. We should be cleaning up the G5 players and WMU appears to be taking lots of good recruits in our backyard.

They also mention the new Illinois coaching staff is making Illinois HS players a priority, whereas they said Lovie Smith pretty much ignored them.

https://theathletic.com/2975263/2021/11/...the-state/

Quote:Seven current FBS head coaches hail from the state of Illinois: Bret Bielema, Pat Fitzgerald, P.J. Fleck, Tim Lester, Sean Lewis, Chuck Martin and Jeff Monken.

That puts the Land of Lincoln in a three-way tie (with Florida and Tennessee) for fifth-most FBS head coaches, trailing California (13), Ohio (11), Texas (9) and Oklahoma (8).

The quality of high school ball in the area has gone up across the past decade as well, with Illinois currently boasting 19 four- or five-star prospects from the 2021-23 recruiting classes, the most that the state has had during any three-year stretch since 2014-16 (22).

Quote:The panel:

Coach 1: Head coach in Chicago

Coach 2: Head coach in western suburbs

Coach 3: Head coach in Chicago area

Coach 4: Head coach in northern suburbs

Coach 5: Head coach in western suburbs

Coach 6: Head coach in southern Illinois

Coach 7: Head coach in Chicago area

Quote:How does Northern Illinois factor into the picture locally?

Coach 1: I still don’t think they’re doing a good job, to be honest with you. They really don’t recruit or even kind of reach out to the Catholic schools. I think they can do a better job. I know they’re winning right now, so you can be like, “What the f— is he even talking about?” But it just seems like they’re taking the old U of I approach in the MAC a little bit.

Coach 3: I think they’ve been doing a really good job with (receivers coach Tony) Sorrentino in the Catholic league, and a couple of guys who played there also coached in high school in the Chicago area and they’re right there. Obviously, they don’t have the same amount of power and resources that Northwestern or Illinois have, but any kid who’s borderline Power 5 — they were on all of our kids before any of the big-time schools.

Coach 4: Not a lot. I haven’t seen them around as much as they were in the past. They’ve had a bunch of great coaches. All those guys have been great. When the new guy took over, he came around and introduced himself. But I haven’t seen much of them lately.

Coach 5: I’ll tell you what, I love that staff. Thomas Hammock is outstanding, and I know a lot of those guys on staff. The defensive line coach recruits our area, he used to be at North Dakota, Jordan Gigli. Those guys are awesome. The thing I love about them is they are very honest and genuine in their evaluation. The head coach offers everybody. He’s very honest. He wants to meet all the parents. They’re very diligent in their process, and I have great respect for that. He does a great job. They’re having a great year.

Coach 6: They haven’t been as visual for me at least. The first year they came and their wide receivers coach (Sorrentino) is a good guy. I knew him through some people. He seems like they’re trying to be a little more specific, too. I knew that other staff pretty well and they were very Illinois-ish just because of (former OC Mike) Uremovich and those guys, because they had the Catholic league (ties). But I just think they’re doing a different philosophy. Not bad, but not as much (contact) as I used to have.

Coach 7: I gotta tell you, I do like Tommy (Hammock). (But) they haven’t been around much with me. They don’t come by us anymore at all. … I’m shocked I haven’t heard from Northern because they always came by me.

Quote:Which out-of-state school has made the biggest dent in Illinois?

Coach 1: Western Michigan. I think they do a really good job. That staff, I love. But they do a good job just throughout the whole year of staying in contact and keeping me updated with kids, and Chicago’s always just been, if you don’t play sports, a lot of the population goes to Iowa or Western Michigan. It’s an easy drive, but I think they do a good job recruiting Chicago, and I think kids, if they’re going to a MAC school in Chicago, it’s a lot of Western Michigan people are going to.

Coach 2: Western Michigan does a great job. I mean, Eric Evans recruits our area. Tim Lester obviously knows the area and has a lot of pride in this area. So I definitely think they do a great job down here. Cincinnati, I think, has done a really good job. I was watching that game this weekend and Alec Pierce being able to slip to them, being an Illinois kid. And that (Jake) Renfro, I think he’s the center, played at Providence, I saw him at camp and the kid was a beast. I was surprised he didn’t get more looks. And then they got Jackson (Bruscianelli), I believe. I think they’ve done a pretty good job. I personally haven’t connected with them. So I think they’re selective and they go after the right kids, and they do a good job with their camps and then figure out who they are and then stay on them. I’m trying to think. Alex Golesh, he was awesome. Very, very in-tune with what was going on in the high school world, another guy who knows everybody. He’s at Tennessee now. Tennessee, obviously they’re not recruiting Illinois a ton unless it’s a big-time kid. But I think Western Michigan’s a really good one that’s done a good job.

Quote:Which coach, either head or assistant, has impressed you the most in your time coaching in this state?

Coach 1: Guys that I actually like that I hit it off with, that I think are good people, that I think do a good job: I think Seth Wallace at Iowa does a really good job. Lou Esposito at Western Michigan, Lou to me (is among the best). And I can’t forget about Don Dobes from Dartmouth. He is an absolute stud. He’s a St. Rita grad. He’s been all around the Ivy League, I wanna say, but he’s been at Dartmouth for the last 15, 20 years. He’s a straight shooter. He doesn’t bull**** these kids.

Coach 2: Another guy who I’m thinking about that does a good job is Chuck Martin. He’s another Illinois guy at Miami-Ohio. Another personable guy, open-door policy. I’ve known him since he was at Grand Valley State. … I think those I-AA schools like those coaches that come from, like, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, I think they do a really good job and have some really good guys that are super genuine and I think evaluate talent very well. … North Dakota State (is) very selective of who they are and what they want. There’s been some really sharp guys from there.

Coach 3: (Kent State special teams coordinator/tight ends coach) Zac Barton. The guy is upfront, honest and thorough. He isn’t a big-timer or anything like that. He is a genuine football coach who loves football, and he wants to do a good job and he’s the best.

Coach 5: Wow. Man. I mean, as a head coach, Fitz most certainly. I think as an assistant, there have been several along the way, but recently Seth Wallace from Iowa has done a really good job of communicating. Jordan Gigli from NIU is up and coming. He does a great job of building relationships. Here’s what I love about both of those guys: their honesty. You may not always like what you hear, but they’ll be honest and that’s all you want, especially through the difficulty of recruiting.

Quote:Who’s the best active player you’ve seen here?

Coach 1: (Brother Rice quarterback) Jack Lausch is the best player I’ve seen.

Coach 2: The kid from Brother Rice, the quarterback, Jack Lausch, I’ve heard about him for the last three years. When I closed on my house, one of the attorneys, he found out I was a football coach and he knew this kid, this was a few years ago, he said, “Hey, this kid’s gonna win a state championship, he’s the real deal.” And he’s definitely backing that up. I’ve heard some unreal things about him. That Loyola running back (Marco Maldonado) was really good before he got hurt.

Coach 3: Quentrell Harris from Nazareth. The kid had like six kickoffs returned for touchdowns on film. It was unreal. You’ve got to keep the ball out to his hands as much as possible. He’s an exceptional player and a great kid.

Coach 4: As a sophomore, I said Kaleb Brown’s the best player we’ll probably ever see, but I haven’t seen him live. He’s been hurt most of the year. So I think that’s No. 1. After that, I do love (James) Kreutz as a pure football player. It’s crazy he doesn’t have offers, but he’s probably the best guy I’ve seen. Lausch is a hell of a player. If he walks on at Notre Dame he’s just gonna make people miserable on the scout team, if he goes that route.

Coach 5: The tailback from Warren (Township) that’s going to Vandy, Maurice Edwards. In terms of explosiveness, the wide receiver from Hoffman (Estates) who’s going to Western Michigan, Jashawn Johnson. Man, you talk about dynamic and fast. But probably the best overall was Maurice Edwards from Warren.

Coach 6: That linebacker from Loyola is really underrated, Kreutz’s kid. Someone’s going to get him.

Quote:Are there any active guys you’d consider underrated?

Coach 1: This kid right now from my understanding has no offers and he is an absolute nightmare and you must offer him is Olin Kreutz’s son at Loyola. I don’t know if you have access to Hudl or whatever, this kid is an absolute f—— nightmare. He’s good. He’s aggressive as ****. He’s got good size, long arms.

Coach 3: Martin Paris. He’s a safety that just has been the heart and soul of Fenwick’s defense. He’s the type of kid who’s probably going to walk on at Notre Dame or something like that.

Coach 5: I just saw the quarterback from New Trier who I thought was really improved (Nevan Cremascoli), and I think he just committed to NIU, so I can’t say that about him anymore.

We have 45 players--more than a third of our roster--from Illinois. Michigan has 27 from Illinois. Seems like Hammock & Co. are doing a good job recruiting in state. Just as important, NIU also has players from 15 other states plus Canada on its roster. Important to bring in talent from wherever you can find it.

2nd youngest team in the country and we have 8 wins and won the West. Whatever this staff is doing is working just fine.

Love what that one coach said about Hams.. He wants to meet the parents. Novak & Mallory were the same way, wanted to know the kid better through his support system and family. Could also judge growth potential better.

(11-24-2021 04:59 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Love what that one coach said about Hams.. He wants to meet the parents. Novak & Mallory were the same way, wanted to know the kid better through his support system and family. Could also judge growth potential better.

The Woody Hayes philosophy. Recruit the parents, not the kid

(11-24-2021 06:24 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  

(11-24-2021 04:59 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Love what that one coach said about Hams.. He wants to meet the parents. Novak & Mallory were the same way, wanted to know the kid better through his support system and family. Could also judge growth potential better.

The Woody Hayes philosophy. Recruit the parents, not the kid

In today's world, you recruit the decision maker and the student. That decision maker could be the street agent, parents, high school coach, family member, summer league coach and even NIL money a school can generate. There are so many different factors.

(11-24-2021 03:18 PM)7 Wrote:  2nd youngest team in the country and we have 8 wins and won the West. Whatever this staff is doing is working just fine.

I agree with you on the offensive side of the ball. How do you feel about the defensive coordinator? We have a very weak defense and I am not sophisticated enough to know if the problem is youth and inexperience or an incompetent defensive coordinator.

I would be interested in your take.

(11-24-2021 08:50 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(11-24-2021 03:18 PM)7 Wrote:  2nd youngest team in the country and we have 8 wins and won the West. Whatever this staff is doing is working just fine.

I agree with you on the offensive side of the ball. How do you feel about the defensive coordinator? We have a very weak defense and I am not sophisticated enough to know if the problem is youth and inexperience or an incompetent defensive coordinator.

I would be interested in your take.

I too have pondered this question. A couple posters have remarked that the defensive scheme doesn't make sense. Obviously a lot of youth doesn't help either. I don't know enough to really consider which is the bigger issue.

(11-24-2021 03:18 PM)7 Wrote:  2nd youngest team in the country and we have 8 wins and won the West. Whatever this staff is doing is working just fine.

I concur. We are getting different types of athletes here. What we did before won us the MAC, who knows what Hammock's strategy will lead to? My head is in the clouds.

(11-25-2021 11:37 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(11-24-2021 08:50 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  

(11-24-2021 03:18 PM)7 Wrote:  2nd youngest team in the country and we have 8 wins and won the West. Whatever this staff is doing is working just fine.

I agree with you on the offensive side of the ball. How do you feel about the defensive coordinator? We have a very weak defense and I am not sophisticated enough to know if the problem is youth and inexperience or an incompetent defensive coordinator.

I would be interested in your take.

I too have pondered this question. A couple posters have remarked that the defensive scheme doesn't make sense. Obviously a lot of youth doesn't help either. I don't know enough to really consider which is the bigger issue.

I'm no coaching pro, and while I'm sure youth has something to do with it, it appears to me that our defensive coordinator does not make intelligent adjustments well. Seems like we don't adjust on the fly well scheme-wise when the other team finds something that work against us, and they go back to the well for a while why we tinker with the fix...

I’m not sold on Jackson either but I think it’s easy to forget how young this team is. Offense is obviously ahead of the defense though

We have young Talent . I believe we have pros at every position group on the team except LB. We have some good and very good Dline. That Fr db Byrd is special. Our safety's could be better, but sometimes they make plays and other times are lost. Just hoping we don't lose much to transfers..

(11-25-2021 04:36 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  We have young Talent . I believe we have pros at every position group on the team except LB. We have some good and very good Dline. That Fr db Byrd is special. Our safety's could be better, but sometimes they make plays and other times are lost. Just hoping we don't lose much to transfers..

Bolster the D with some experienced JUCO transfers and, by all means, hire an effective D Coordinator, and we could be just fine.

We have a super inexperienced secondary combined with a D-line that can’t get pressure on the QB. That really hamstrings the coordinator. When we say the team is young that really only applies to the D. And while the D line isn’t that young, it hasn’t had time to find/develope difference makers. Same at LB. Ester, Thomas, Kennedy, Griffin, Rattin, Devaux. They’re all good but aren’t game changers. They’re good Core guys. It’s not that the starters need more experience, but the staff needs more time to find studs.