(02-09-2024 10:33 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 02:55 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I don't want to dump all over this kid, but he's far from polished. And no one else was offering him. As mentioned above, he looks like a good one to take a flyer on as a PWO.

You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

Wasn't Spencer highly touted out of hs? He had several Power 5 offers, including Nebraska. Why would a kid like that come to NIU, when they are paying even small amounts of money to ride the pine in the Power 5? Those days are over, unless the Power 5 has coaching changes and pulls offers last second, as what happened with Antario Brown. We can only pray for those moments.

They go to CMU, WMU, Miami, Toledo, Akron, and other MAC schools. Certainly they aren't rolling in much more money than us. Especially since all the other MAC schools are dealing with the same decline in enrollment numbers.

I'm not going through all the 2024 recruits for MAC schools but Toledo got six 3 star WR recruits. One of them, Tashi Braceful, had 26 FBS offers including multiple P5 offers. Another of their WRs, Zy'marion Lang, had over 30 offers with multiple P5 offers. WMU has a WR, Terence Marshall, with 17 offers, including multiple P5. Even Kent State came into our backyard and pulled a WR, Darrion Gilliam, from Mount Carmel who had 9 FBS offers.

Problem is Hammock and his staff just aren't that great of recruiters or they don't bother going after more sought after recruits. They go after guys who have virtually no FBS/P5 offers so when those guys finally get a few P5/FBS offers they suddenly think they are great and then decommit and go elsewhere.

Based on the comments about how bad are recruiting and player development, you would think we are a MAC bottom feeder. Read my signature line before posting silly comments.

Hammock recruits different. He’s not worse than any past coaches, not better, just different.

He doesn’t chase recruiting stars or numbers of offers. He actually seems to recruit height weight speed. We never actually had a coach do that.

I find Hammocks lines are very good. His running backs are excellent, and his DBs are trending that way too. Lbs are good, not great, transfers help there. WRs are actually better at the top of the depth chart … and a total collapse at the bottom. TEs are very good.

QBs are awful. Now, I think it’s fair to count transfers because hammock has to recruit them…Rocky won a MAC title. So that should improve the rating.

The QB room as it sits is a huge question. I don’t think we can judge anyone until they play a season after an off season getting starter reps.


I guess what I am saying is Hammock is fine as a recruiter

(02-09-2024 03:33 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Based on the comments about how bad are recruiting and player development, you would think we are a MAC bottom feeder. Read my signature line before posting silly comments.

What's silly about facts? Facts show other MAC schools recruit players that are sought after. NIU isn't getting those same sought after players.

Until a late season turnaround Hammock was on pace to have his 4th losing season in five years. We aren't the same NIU under Kill, Doeren, and Carey. Hammock has a 24-33 record. We are dead last in (now no longer) MAC West in overall record since Hammock took over. It's not a happy story under Hammock.

MAC Football records since 2019 (when Hammock took over):

Toledo: 37-22
Miami: 34-23
Ohio: 32-23
EMU: 30-28
CMU: 29-28
WMU: 28-28
Buffalo: 27-28
BSU: 27-30
NIU: 24-33
KSU: 23-32
BG: 20-35
Akron: 7-47

(02-09-2024 04:04 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 03:33 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Based on the comments about how bad are recruiting and player development, you would think we are a MAC bottom feeder. Read my signature line before posting silly comments.

What's silly about facts? Facts show other MAC schools recruit players that are sought after. NIU isn't getting those same sought after players.

Until a late season turnaround Hammock was on pace to have his 4th losing season in five years. We aren't the same NIU under Kill, Doeren, and Carey. Hammock has a 24-33 record. We are dead last in (now no longer) MAC West in overall record since Hammock took over. It's not a happy story under Hammock.

MAC Football records since 2019 (when Hammock took over):

Toledo: 37-22
Miami: 34-23
Ohio: 32-23
EMU: 30-28
CMU: 29-28
WMU: 28-28
Buffalo: 27-28
BSU: 27-30
NIU: 24-33
KSU: 23-32
BG: 20-35
Akron: 7-47

As we know those are heavily skewed due to a couple train wreck seasons and Covid. Do MAC titles and bowl wins over the same span. (I am no hammock fan but I am real. The guy did a complete rebuild, necessary or not, pre portal. It’s not not impressive.)

The crazy **** about stats is that they don’t mean much in a debate like this. I like the guys Hammock brings in as transfers. This squad has a solid base and should do well again.

Anything less than being in the MAC race is not acceptable. But I bet we will be. And then his recruiting will kind of speak for itself.

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 02:55 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I don't want to dump all over this kid, but he's far from polished. And no one else was offering him. As mentioned above, he looks like a good one to take a flyer on as a PWO.

You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

It’s not just you. They don’t.

(02-09-2024 10:21 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 02:55 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I don't want to dump all over this kid, but he's far from polished. And no one else was offering him. As mentioned above, he looks like a good one to take a flyer on as a PWO.

You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

It’s not just you. They don’t.

I could be wrong but the defense seemed to develop pretty well.

(02-09-2024 11:55 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 10:21 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 02:55 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I don't want to dump all over this kid, but he's far from polished. And no one else was offering him. As mentioned above, he looks like a good one to take a flyer on as a PWO.

You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

It’s not just you. They don’t.

I could be wrong but the defense seemed to develop pretty well.

This season.

(02-10-2024 12:26 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 11:55 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 10:21 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 02:55 PM)NIU1981 Wrote:  I don't want to dump all over this kid, but he's far from polished. And no one else was offering him. As mentioned above, he looks like a good one to take a flyer on as a PWO.

You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

It’s not just you. They don’t.

I could be wrong but the defense seemed to develop pretty well.

This season.

Oh...ok...so that one doesn't count.

(02-10-2024 01:44 AM)Big Red Wrote:  

(02-10-2024 12:26 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 11:55 PM)Big Red Wrote:  

(02-09-2024 10:21 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  

(02-08-2024 09:46 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  You can say that about a lot of his classes since coming to NIU. The team has gone far away from going after the type of recruit like a Spencer tears. Don’t even offer those guys much anymore.

The problem is this staff doesn’t seem to develop talent well but maybe that’s just me.

It’s not just you. They don’t.

I could be wrong but the defense seemed to develop pretty well.

This season.

Oh...ok...so that one doesn't count.

lol.

I don’t disagree, the defense was fixed and was talented. I think the safeties developed. The corners as well. Ends and DT? You bet. Linebackers? Eh…not really. That’s why we grab transfer backers whenever we can.

On offense the running backs, TE, and o line all seem to show some improvement (I’d like to see more out of the line but they aren’t bad.). The problem is homegrown WR and QB are rare.


So to say they *dont* develop anyone is wrong. But they aren’t some great growth factory either.

I am going to say what I said a lot- Hammock had very few connections in the coaching world when he got here and his staff was awful. It’s better now. Not great. But better.

Honest question because I stopped caring about recruiting rankings forever ago: is our recruiting worse than it was under Carey? The last few pages of this thread feel like people complaining because of how we announce walkon’s.

(02-10-2024 09:58 AM)7 Wrote:  Honest question because I stopped caring about recruiting rankings forever ago: is our recruiting worse than it was under Carey? The last few pages of this thread feel like people complaining because of how we announce walkon’s.

On paper it's marginally better. Sizewise, Hammock is recruiting players who look the part. No more running back sized DEs and LBs, scat WRs RBs and CBs. Those guys were tiny, but they had speed and could flat out ball. I kind of miss having that level of excitement on both sides of the ball.

(02-10-2024 09:58 AM)7 Wrote:  Honest question because I stopped caring about recruiting rankings forever ago: is our recruiting worse than it was under Carey? The last few pages of this thread feel like people complaining because of how we announce walkon’s.

Exactly the right question to ask. Too much love for stars rankings and things like that.

I like the guys hammock brings in. If folks want to argue about development of players, fine, but I like the talent.

Maybe QB you can point to, but he has to recruit transfers…and before Rocky fell apart we can say Hammock did an excellent job there.

Again, not a hammock guy, but I like how he recruits. Let’s see what happens at QB this season…he might be a genius?