(03-26-2023 02:01 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 10:39 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:26 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  I like the theory behind these tall DE. If you can’t get pressure at least hold your arms up.

Better than not getting pressure and being too short for anything else

A lot of untapped potential there. Liegel isn’t clumsy like many guys his size and moves surprisingly well. He’ll be able to add plenty of mass and once he is taught how to properly use his hands and long arms, should develop into a really solid player on the edge.

I just checked and he’s already received two more offers. Army and Air Force. I’m sure more are coming.

He's got plenty of room to grow.... So much room

And bigger programs will see that. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

im not here to piss in your cereal....ok, thats exactly what I'm here to do...

I appreciate CoachPMac's contribution to the board......but it reminds me of a movie character who suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts preaching some religious BS and unexpectedly everyone falls in line and starts regurgitating his gospel.

This board has gone to its' grave disparaging 247"s rankings and the like. The mantra here has always been "rankings be damned". Yet suddenly it feel's like a 247 pied piper has shown up and is leading a lot of little puppies out of dekalb. I appreciate him saying he "evaluates film first". So do a lot of members on this board. I mean no disrespect personally.....but when an anonymous internet video reviewer starts posting their opinions it's not much more relevant to me than the opinion's of red dog, chilla or Hawaiii.

Depth has always been an issue every where in the MAC. Jordan Lynch's back up was Matt freaking Mcintosh. Anyone ever mention that? Did people come on this board in 2012 and say - what if Lynch goes down?

Are we slow in the defensive secondary? yes....right now. It's the portal game and recently we lost. Had Eric Rogers not transferred(probably bc of the ****** scheme) do you think a corner tandem of Rogers and Byrd are slow???? Had safety Dillion Thomas and his legit 4.5 40 time not transferred last year(probably bc of the crappy scheme) would you have said our safeties wee slow?

Look, the recruiting hasn't been great at some skill spots the last 2 years. **** is cyclical. But don't let some random come on here and confirm your biggest fears. Hammock made a big mistake by cleaning house in 2019. He put himself in a deep hole. But do me a favor..... look at the 2017 class. You see a good CB in that class? Now look at 2018. Same question? Then in 2019 portal opened up and Hammock lost his best defensive players and he's still trying to recover. He is stumbling right now at some positions. But please don't believe that bc we don't have high 3 star recruits buried 3 deep on the depth chart that the program is destitute. We've never had depth. It's the MAC. Every team struggles to field quality FBS starters and then hopes they stay healthy.

It’s a slow time in the football world and I thought I’d join the conversation here. I actually registered on the csnbbs boards well over a month ago and was just recently approved. Northern Illinois has more activity than the other boards, so it made sense to jump in on the action.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I do have more experience than most. I coached for nearly 15 years before making a career change. The opportunity to work from home and spend more time with family presented itself (one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.) I now cover recruiting which helps scratch the sports itch.

Am I always right? No. Who is? One thing that holds true in college football is the more physically gifted athletes with upside potential that are collected, the better chance at success. Usually the higher rated players are more explosive and dynamic. The teams that do not continue to recruit at a high level will eventually struggle.

I am a MAC advocate and have pushed for more coverage since joining the recruiting world, but it’s been an uphill battle. As I’ve also stated before, I follow turnaround situations closely. Hence my jumping onto the Joe Moorhead/Akron bandwagon.

When NIU lands a recruit I like, I’ll make it known. If a conversation has already been started about the state of the program and where it’s headed, I’ll also jump in because recruiting falls into my realm. Everything else I’ll leave to others in the know.

As far as MAC depth goes, some teams absolutely have more quality depth than others.

(03-26-2023 06:59 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 02:01 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 10:39 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:26 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  I like the theory behind these tall DE. If you can’t get pressure at least hold your arms up.

Better than not getting pressure and being too short for anything else

A lot of untapped potential there. Liegel isn’t clumsy like many guys his size and moves surprisingly well. He’ll be able to add plenty of mass and once he is taught how to properly use his hands and long arms, should develop into a really solid player on the edge.

I just checked and he’s already received two more offers. Army and Air Force. I’m sure more are coming.

He's got plenty of room to grow.... So much room

And bigger programs will see that. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

im not here to piss in your cereal....ok, thats exactly what I'm here to do...

I appreciate CoachPMac's contribution to the board......but it reminds me of a movie character who suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts preaching some religious BS and unexpectedly everyone falls in line and starts regurgitating his gospel.

This board has gone to its' grave disparaging 247"s rankings and the like. The mantra here has always been "rankings be damned". Yet suddenly it feel's like a 247 pied piper has shown up and is leading a lot of little puppies out of dekalb. I appreciate him saying he "evaluates film first". So do a lot of members on this board. I mean no disrespect personally.....but when an anonymous internet video reviewer starts posting their opinions it's not much more relevant to me than the opinion's of red dog, chilla or Hawaiii.

Depth has always been an issue every where in the MAC. Jordan Lynch's back up was Matt freaking Mcintosh. Anyone ever mention that? Did people come on this board in 2012 and say - what if Lynch goes down?

Are we slow in the defensive secondary? yes....right now. It's the portal game and recently we lost. Had Eric Rogers not transferred(probably bc of the ****** scheme) do you think a corner tandem of Rogers and Byrd are slow???? Had safety Dillion Thomas and his legit 4.5 40 time not transferred last year(probably bc of the crappy scheme) would you have said our safeties wee slow?

Look, the recruiting hasn't been great at some skill spots the last 2 years. **** is cyclical. But don't let some random come on here and confirm your biggest fears. Hammock made a big mistake by cleaning house in 2019. He put himself in a deep hole. But do me a favor..... look at the 2017 class. You see a good CB in that class? Now look at 2018. Same question? Then in 2019 portal opened up and Hammock lost his best defensive players and he's still trying to recover. He is stumbling right now at some positions. But please don't believe that bc we don't have high 3 star recruits buried 3 deep on the depth chart that the program is destitute. We've never had depth. It's the MAC. Every team struggles to field quality FBS starters and then hopes they stay healthy.

It’s a slow time in the football world and I thought I’d join the conversation here. I actually registered on the csnbbs boards well over a month ago and was just recently approved. Northern Illinois has more activity than the other boards, so it made sense to jump in on the action.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I do have more experience than most. I coached for nearly 15 years before making a career change. The opportunity to work from home and spend more time with family presented itself (one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.) I now cover recruiting which helps scratch the sports itch.

Am I always right? No. Who is? One thing that holds true in college football is the more physically gifted athletes with upside potential that are collected, the better chance at success. Usually the higher rated players are more explosive and dynamic. The teams that do not continue to recruit at a high level will eventually struggle.

I am a MAC advocate and have pushed for more coverage since joining the recruiting world, but it’s been an uphill battle. As I’ve also stated before, I follow turnaround situations closely. Hence my jumping onto the Joe Moorhead/Akron bandwagon.

When NIU lands a recruit I like, I’ll make it known. If a conversation has already been started about the state of the program and where it’s headed, I’ll also jump in because recruiting falls into my realm. Everything else I’ll leave to others in the know.

As far as MAC depth goes, some teams absolutely have more quality depth than others.

I welcome you to the board. I've got no issues with Akron. The MAC is certainly a niche conference.

(03-26-2023 10:16 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 06:59 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 02:01 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 10:39 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  A lot of untapped potential there. Liegel isn’t clumsy like many guys his size and moves surprisingly well. He’ll be able to add plenty of mass and once he is taught how to properly use his hands and long arms, should develop into a really solid player on the edge.

I just checked and he’s already received two more offers. Army and Air Force. I’m sure more are coming.

He's got plenty of room to grow.... So much room

And bigger programs will see that. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

im not here to piss in your cereal....ok, thats exactly what I'm here to do...

I appreciate CoachPMac's contribution to the board......but it reminds me of a movie character who suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts preaching some religious BS and unexpectedly everyone falls in line and starts regurgitating his gospel.

This board has gone to its' grave disparaging 247"s rankings and the like. The mantra here has always been "rankings be damned". Yet suddenly it feel's like a 247 pied piper has shown up and is leading a lot of little puppies out of dekalb. I appreciate him saying he "evaluates film first". So do a lot of members on this board. I mean no disrespect personally.....but when an anonymous internet video reviewer starts posting their opinions it's not much more relevant to me than the opinion's of red dog, chilla or Hawaiii.

Depth has always been an issue every where in the MAC. Jordan Lynch's back up was Matt freaking Mcintosh. Anyone ever mention that? Did people come on this board in 2012 and say - what if Lynch goes down?

Are we slow in the defensive secondary? yes....right now. It's the portal game and recently we lost. Had Eric Rogers not transferred(probably bc of the ****** scheme) do you think a corner tandem of Rogers and Byrd are slow???? Had safety Dillion Thomas and his legit 4.5 40 time not transferred last year(probably bc of the crappy scheme) would you have said our safeties wee slow?

Look, the recruiting hasn't been great at some skill spots the last 2 years. **** is cyclical. But don't let some random come on here and confirm your biggest fears. Hammock made a big mistake by cleaning house in 2019. He put himself in a deep hole. But do me a favor..... look at the 2017 class. You see a good CB in that class? Now look at 2018. Same question? Then in 2019 portal opened up and Hammock lost his best defensive players and he's still trying to recover. He is stumbling right now at some positions. But please don't believe that bc we don't have high 3 star recruits buried 3 deep on the depth chart that the program is destitute. We've never had depth. It's the MAC. Every team struggles to field quality FBS starters and then hopes they stay healthy.

It’s a slow time in the football world and I thought I’d join the conversation here. I actually registered on the csnbbs boards well over a month ago and was just recently approved. Northern Illinois has more activity than the other boards, so it made sense to jump in on the action.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I do have more experience than most. I coached for nearly 15 years before making a career change. The opportunity to work from home and spend more time with family presented itself (one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.) I now cover recruiting which helps scratch the sports itch.

Am I always right? No. Who is? One thing that holds true in college football is the more physically gifted athletes with upside potential that are collected, the better chance at success. Usually the higher rated players are more explosive and dynamic. The teams that do not continue to recruit at a high level will eventually struggle.

I am a MAC advocate and have pushed for more coverage since joining the recruiting world, but it’s been an uphill battle. As I’ve also stated before, I follow turnaround situations closely. Hence my jumping onto the Joe Moorhead/Akron bandwagon.

When NIU lands a recruit I like, I’ll make it known. If a conversation has already been started about the state of the program and where it’s headed, I’ll also jump in because recruiting falls into my realm. Everything else I’ll leave to others in the know.

As far as MAC depth goes, some teams absolutely have more quality depth than others.

I welcome you to the board. I've got no issues with Akron. The MAC is certainly a niche conference.

Thank you! Glad to be here.

(03-26-2023 06:59 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 02:01 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 10:39 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:26 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  I like the theory behind these tall DE. If you can’t get pressure at least hold your arms up.

Better than not getting pressure and being too short for anything else

A lot of untapped potential there. Liegel isn’t clumsy like many guys his size and moves surprisingly well. He’ll be able to add plenty of mass and once he is taught how to properly use his hands and long arms, should develop into a really solid player on the edge.

I just checked and he’s already received two more offers. Army and Air Force. I’m sure more are coming.

He's got plenty of room to grow.... So much room

And bigger programs will see that. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

im not here to piss in your cereal....ok, thats exactly what I'm here to do...

I appreciate CoachPMac's contribution to the board......but it reminds me of a movie character who suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts preaching some religious BS and unexpectedly everyone falls in line and starts regurgitating his gospel.

This board has gone to its' grave disparaging 247"s rankings and the like. The mantra here has always been "rankings be damned". Yet suddenly it feel's like a 247 pied piper has shown up and is leading a lot of little puppies out of dekalb. I appreciate him saying he "evaluates film first". So do a lot of members on this board. I mean no disrespect personally.....but when an anonymous internet video reviewer starts posting their opinions it's not much more relevant to me than the opinion's of red dog, chilla or Hawaiii.

Depth has always been an issue every where in the MAC. Jordan Lynch's back up was Matt freaking Mcintosh. Anyone ever mention that? Did people come on this board in 2012 and say - what if Lynch goes down?

Are we slow in the defensive secondary? yes....right now. It's the portal game and recently we lost. Had Eric Rogers not transferred(probably bc of the ****** scheme) do you think a corner tandem of Rogers and Byrd are slow???? Had safety Dillion Thomas and his legit 4.5 40 time not transferred last year(probably bc of the crappy scheme) would you have said our safeties wee slow?

Look, the recruiting hasn't been great at some skill spots the last 2 years. **** is cyclical. But don't let some random come on here and confirm your biggest fears. Hammock made a big mistake by cleaning house in 2019. He put himself in a deep hole. But do me a favor..... look at the 2017 class. You see a good CB in that class? Now look at 2018. Same question? Then in 2019 portal opened up and Hammock lost his best defensive players and he's still trying to recover. He is stumbling right now at some positions. But please don't believe that bc we don't have high 3 star recruits buried 3 deep on the depth chart that the program is destitute. We've never had depth. It's the MAC. Every team struggles to field quality FBS starters and then hopes they stay healthy.

It’s a slow time in the football world and I thought I’d join the conversation here. I actually registered on the csnbbs boards well over a month ago and was just recently approved. Northern Illinois has more activity than the other boards, so it made sense to jump in on the action.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I do have more experience than most. I coached for nearly 15 years before making a career change. The opportunity to work from home and spend more time with family presented itself (one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.) I now cover recruiting which helps scratch the sports itch.

Am I always right? No. Who is? One thing that holds true in college football is the more physically gifted athletes with upside potential that are collected, the better chance at success. Usually the higher rated players are more explosive and dynamic. The teams that do not continue to recruit at a high level will eventually struggle.

I am a MAC advocate and have pushed for more coverage since joining the recruiting world, but it’s been an uphill battle. As I’ve also stated before, I follow turnaround situations closely. Hence my jumping onto the Joe Moorhead/Akron bandwagon.

When NIU lands a recruit I like, I’ll make it known. If a conversation has already been started about the state of the program and where it’s headed, I’ll also jump in because recruiting falls into my realm. Everything else I’ll leave to others in the know.

As far as MAC depth goes, some teams absolutely have more quality depth than others.

You are more than welcome here anytime. I appreciate your perspective. You're just putting gas on the fire with some of the local Hammock doubters. And there's definitely reason for SOME doubt. But not this - NIU is heading off a cliff - mind set. Ham definitely is struggling with recruiting secondary athletes. But Carey never recruited a decent RB after 2013. And this is supposedly Running Back U. It happens. What Ham IS doing is finding very good O-linemen, exceptional RB's and quality QB's. That's his formula for now. Win with power offense. Defense just hold on til the end.

Depth is a luxury. It's not a priority. You'll have it at some spots. Some teams more than others. But it's really only relevant if you already have a championship level team. And even then if you lose any of your key players, namely your QB (Rourke in the MACC), it's often too much to overcome. You win MACCs with your stars, not with really good LB depth. We'd all love to have great depth but there just isn't enough .8450 level players who are willing to be a back-up for 2 or 3 years. They'll just transfer. Toledo might be the exception.

The parity in the MAC is at an all-time high. It's why teams like NIU and BSU can win it all while having recruit classes ranked 6 or 7 on average. There are no MAC power teams like the 2010's had. In today's portal crazy college football world NIU can easily win a trophy if their big 3 stay healthy. Then again so could probably 6 other MAC teams.

New verbal yesterday according to coach Hammock. Who is it?

Verbals seem to be coming earlier this season, no?

(03-26-2023 10:56 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 06:59 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-26-2023 02:01 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 10:39 PM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(03-25-2023 12:48 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  A lot of untapped potential there. Liegel isn’t clumsy like many guys his size and moves surprisingly well. He’ll be able to add plenty of mass and once he is taught how to properly use his hands and long arms, should develop into a really solid player on the edge.

I just checked and he’s already received two more offers. Army and Air Force. I’m sure more are coming.

He's got plenty of room to grow.... So much room

And bigger programs will see that. Let's keep an eye on this kid.

im not here to piss in your cereal....ok, thats exactly what I'm here to do...

I appreciate CoachPMac's contribution to the board......but it reminds me of a movie character who suddenly appears out of nowhere and starts preaching some religious BS and unexpectedly everyone falls in line and starts regurgitating his gospel.

This board has gone to its' grave disparaging 247"s rankings and the like. The mantra here has always been "rankings be damned". Yet suddenly it feel's like a 247 pied piper has shown up and is leading a lot of little puppies out of dekalb. I appreciate him saying he "evaluates film first". So do a lot of members on this board. I mean no disrespect personally.....but when an anonymous internet video reviewer starts posting their opinions it's not much more relevant to me than the opinion's of red dog, chilla or Hawaiii.

Depth has always been an issue every where in the MAC. Jordan Lynch's back up was Matt freaking Mcintosh. Anyone ever mention that? Did people come on this board in 2012 and say - what if Lynch goes down?

Are we slow in the defensive secondary? yes....right now. It's the portal game and recently we lost. Had Eric Rogers not transferred(probably bc of the ****** scheme) do you think a corner tandem of Rogers and Byrd are slow???? Had safety Dillion Thomas and his legit 4.5 40 time not transferred last year(probably bc of the crappy scheme) would you have said our safeties wee slow?

Look, the recruiting hasn't been great at some skill spots the last 2 years. **** is cyclical. But don't let some random come on here and confirm your biggest fears. Hammock made a big mistake by cleaning house in 2019. He put himself in a deep hole. But do me a favor..... look at the 2017 class. You see a good CB in that class? Now look at 2018. Same question? Then in 2019 portal opened up and Hammock lost his best defensive players and he's still trying to recover. He is stumbling right now at some positions. But please don't believe that bc we don't have high 3 star recruits buried 3 deep on the depth chart that the program is destitute. We've never had depth. It's the MAC. Every team struggles to field quality FBS starters and then hopes they stay healthy.

It’s a slow time in the football world and I thought I’d join the conversation here. I actually registered on the csnbbs boards well over a month ago and was just recently approved. Northern Illinois has more activity than the other boards, so it made sense to jump in on the action.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but I do have more experience than most. I coached for nearly 15 years before making a career change. The opportunity to work from home and spend more time with family presented itself (one of the few good things to come out of the pandemic.) I now cover recruiting which helps scratch the sports itch.

Am I always right? No. Who is? One thing that holds true in college football is the more physically gifted athletes with upside potential that are collected, the better chance at success. Usually the higher rated players are more explosive and dynamic. The teams that do not continue to recruit at a high level will eventually struggle.

I am a MAC advocate and have pushed for more coverage since joining the recruiting world, but it’s been an uphill battle. As I’ve also stated before, I follow turnaround situations closely. Hence my jumping onto the Joe Moorhead/Akron bandwagon.

When NIU lands a recruit I like, I’ll make it known. If a conversation has already been started about the state of the program and where it’s headed, I’ll also jump in because recruiting falls into my realm. Everything else I’ll leave to others in the know.

As far as MAC depth goes, some teams absolutely have more quality depth than others.

You are more than welcome here anytime. I appreciate your perspective. You're just putting gas on the fire with some of the local Hammock doubters. And there's definitely reason for SOME doubt. But not this - NIU is heading off a cliff - mind set. Ham definitely is struggling with recruiting secondary athletes. But Carey never recruited a decent RB after 2013. And this is supposedly Running Back U. It happens. What Ham IS doing is finding very good O-linemen, exceptional RB's and quality QB's. That's his formula for now. Win with power offense. Defense just hold on til the end.

Depth is a luxury. It's not a priority. You'll have it at some spots. Some teams more than others. But it's really only relevant if you already have a championship level team. And even then if you lose any of your key players, namely your QB (Rourke in the MACC), it's often too much to overcome. You win MACCs with your stars, not with really good LB depth. We'd all love to have great depth but there just isn't enough .8450 level players who are willing to be a back-up for 2 or 3 years. They'll just transfer. Toledo might be the exception.

The parity in the MAC is at an all-time high. It's why teams like NIU and BSU can win it all while having recruit classes ranked 6 or 7 on average. There are no MAC power teams like the 2010's had. In today's portal crazy college football world NIU can easily win a trophy if their big 3 stay healthy. Then again so could probably 6 other MAC teams.

We’ll have to disagree about the depth perspective. Any team can create depth through the portal in today’s landscape. However, the positions that are most difficult to recruit from the portal are along the line of scrimmages. In particular the OL. Those positions usually need to be developed from within and losing top linemen to the portal can be a detriment to a program. That being said, I agree that OL is not an issue for NIU. Outside of linemen, there really isn’t any reason for teams to struggle at skill positions anymore. There are so many skill players in the portal it’s just a matter of finding who fits best.

My intent was not to throw “gas on the fire,” but I do stand by this staff’s recruiting needs to pick up before the team struggles on the field. That’s not just for NIU. Across college football when recruiting drops past a certain standard, or there are too many misses in multiple classes, the record will eventually reflect it. Like I said before, Akron was a prime example of that. I’m not sure if there was a roster in FBS that was worse than the 2021 roster. Were there a handful of decent players? Sure, but even they couldn’t carry the team as needed. NIU is not at that point and Akron is an extreme example, but it’s an example that anyone here can relate to as all witnessed what happened under the previous regime.

(03-27-2023 09:17 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  We’ll have to disagree about the depth perspective. Any team can create depth through the portal in today’s landscape. However, the positions that are most difficult to recruit from the portal are along the line of scrimmages. In particular the OL. Those positions usually need to be developed from within and losing top linemen to the portal can be a detriment to a program. That being said, I agree that OL is not an issue for NIU. Outside of linemen, there really isn’t any reason for teams to struggle at skill positions anymore. There are so many skill players in the portal it’s just a matter of finding who fits best.

My intent was not to throw “gas on the fire,” but I do stand by this staff’s recruiting needs to pick up before the team struggles on the field. That’s not just for NIU. Across college football when recruiting drops past a certain standard, or there are too many misses in multiple classes, the record will eventually reflect it. Like I said before, Akron was a prime example of that. I’m not sure if there was a roster in FBS that was worse than the 2021 roster. Were there a handful of decent players? Sure, but even they couldn’t carry the team as needed. NIU is not at that point and Akron is an extreme example, but it’s an example that anyone here can relate to as all witnessed what happened under the previous regime.

I enjoy discussions around data so this is very fun to me. We tend to become slaves to data in how it forms our opinions. And data is convoluted. Recruit rankings certainly fall into that catagory. Take any given class and rank it. Great, school X had a good class. Now check back in 2 years and see how many of those kids are still there and re-rank that class. That's the real value.

You can use your own 247 composite rankings and probably get a better idea of who has more "talent". Though I'm not completely sold on the accuracy of these composites. Really there should be a "starting 22 talent composite" if you wanna see who is fielding the highest rated unit each game. Take that to your bosses. The composite rankings have existed since 2015. In those 8 seasons, out of 16 division winners, can you guess how many division winners had the #1 rated talent composite? Two. 2 out of 16. The teams who had the #2 rated talent composite finished on average in 3.75 place compared to the teams who had the 12th and lowest rated talent who finished on average in 3.87 place.

NIU's composite ranking in 2015 was 6th. In 2022 it was 6th. The Huskies have never been rated higher than 3 or lower than 6 in any season. Subjectively rated high school talent is important. There's an obvious correlation btw high rated talent and success. But down in the lowest level of FBS football, the MAC, talent evaluation gets muddled. Coaching becomes as important as talent. Ask WMU fans.

(03-27-2023 11:08 AM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-27-2023 09:17 AM)CoachPMac Wrote:  We’ll have to disagree about the depth perspective. Any team can create depth through the portal in today’s landscape. However, the positions that are most difficult to recruit from the portal are along the line of scrimmages. In particular the OL. Those positions usually need to be developed from within and losing top linemen to the portal can be a detriment to a program. That being said, I agree that OL is not an issue for NIU. Outside of linemen, there really isn’t any reason for teams to struggle at skill positions anymore. There are so many skill players in the portal it’s just a matter of finding who fits best.

My intent was not to throw “gas on the fire,” but I do stand by this staff’s recruiting needs to pick up before the team struggles on the field. That’s not just for NIU. Across college football when recruiting drops past a certain standard, or there are too many misses in multiple classes, the record will eventually reflect it. Like I said before, Akron was a prime example of that. I’m not sure if there was a roster in FBS that was worse than the 2021 roster. Were there a handful of decent players? Sure, but even they couldn’t carry the team as needed. NIU is not at that point and Akron is an extreme example, but it’s an example that anyone here can relate to as all witnessed what happened under the previous regime.

I enjoy discussions around data so this is very fun to me. We tend to become slaves to data in how it forms our opinions. And data is convoluted. Recruit rankings certainly fall into that catagory. Take any given class and rank it. Great, school X had a good class. Now check back in 2 years and see how many of those kids are still there and re-rank that class. That's the real value.

You can use your own 247 composite rankings and probably get a better idea of who has more "talent". Though I'm not completely sold on the accuracy of these composites. Really there should be a "starting 22 talent composite" if you wanna see who is fielding the highest rated unit each game. Take that to your bosses. The composite rankings have existed since 2015. In those 8 seasons, out of 16 division winners, can you guess how many division winners had the #1 rated talent composite? Two. 2 out of 16. The teams who had the #2 rated talent composite finished on average in 3.75 place compared to the teams who had the 12th and lowest rated talent who finished on average in 3.87 place.

NIU's composite ranking in 2015 was 6th. In 2022 it was 6th. The Huskies have never been rated higher than 3 or lower than 6 in any season. Subjectively rated high school talent is important. There's an obvious correlation btw high rated talent and success. But down in the lowest level of FBS football, the MAC, talent evaluation gets muddled. Coaching becomes as important as talent. Ask WMU fans.

Absolutely coaching is important. I think we touched on that before? It boils down to recruiting and development (coaching). Schemes can play a part but in the end it’s players making plays. That being said I do agree coaching has a bigger impact the further down you go in competition levels, but better players can cover up a lot of mistakes.

I don’t use 247 data for anything except pointing out flaws as I’m not employed by them. They have far too much incorrect information on G5 schools. In fact, none of the recruiting sites have ever been 100% correct on G5 signees and fully ranked. Rivals should be 100% correct on MAC signees, this year, and almost fully ranked. Only four 2023 HS signees in the MAC still need a rating on Rivals. The rest are JUCOs. Unfortunately, the national writers have moved on to 2024 prospects and the unrated 2023 signees will probably not get a rating. I think that is a mistake because then you have situations like sure first rounder Devon Witherspoon from Illinois not getting ranked. Toss on Witherspoon’s HS hudl film and there is no way he would be rated anything lower than a (5.7) 3 star. Certainly could have been a (5.8) 4 star. He wasn’t a G5 player, but I’m sure you get my point about not finishing out a class.

Where Rivals is playing catch up is with the portal. They are ranking portal players, but not yet incorporating them in with the classes themselves like 247 does. I expect that will change next year. So when I give my opinion on where the classes are ranked this year (HS/JUCO and portal combined) it is simply my opinion from years of experience.

I like the idea of a re-ranking and that happens when a player enters the portal. They will then have a HS/JUCO ranking and also a transfer ranking. None of the sites will go through and redo it for players who have not entered the portal. The exception would be for top tiered players when they do their “looking back” articles.

I guess what I’m trying to drive home is the significance of signing as many impact players as possible. Not all players will work out. For the most part, a good class has 2/3 of the signees pan out. Some will be stars and starters, others will be backups and contributors, the last portion won’t do anything. If a school is recruiting less impact players and more “diamond in the rough types” then chances are less than 2/3 of the class is going to pan out. Start compounding classes like that and issues on the field become obvious.

Back to the original intent of this thread. TE Lane Wadle out of Indiana committed.

https://twitter.com/lane_wadle/status/16...o5BavIxA3w

(03-27-2023 01:16 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  Back to the original intent of this thread. TE Lane Wadle out of Indiana committed.

https://twitter.com/lane_wadle/status/16...o5BavIxA3w

Lane is another one to keep an eye on. Check out his hudl film and it’s easy to see why. I may have been critical of the 2023 class as a whole (minus a handful of guys) but 2024 is picking up steam with the latest commitments.

(03-31-2023 06:46 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-27-2023 01:16 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  Back to the original intent of this thread. TE Lane Wadle out of Indiana committed.

https://twitter.com/lane_wadle/status/16...o5BavIxA3w

Lane is another one to keep an eye on. Check out his hudl film and it’s easy to see why. I may have been critical of the 2023 class as a whole (minus a handful of guys) but 2024 is picking up steam with the latest commitments.

Really appreciate the updates and content- thanks CoachPac

(04-01-2023 08:22 AM)ChicagoHuskie Wrote:  

(03-31-2023 06:46 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  

(03-27-2023 01:16 PM)CoachPMac Wrote:  Back to the original intent of this thread. TE Lane Wadle out of Indiana committed.

https://twitter.com/lane_wadle/status/16...o5BavIxA3w

Lane is another one to keep an eye on. Check out his hudl film and it’s easy to see why. I may have been critical of the 2023 class as a whole (minus a handful of guys) but 2024 is picking up steam with the latest commitments.

Really appreciate the updates and content- thanks CoachPac

Thanks! I’ll keep posting as I see new commitments happen.

Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

(04-03-2023 04:46 PM)NIU32 Wrote:  Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

He needs a nickname, I will never pronounce his last name.

(04-04-2023 08:36 AM)Klake1987 Wrote:  

(04-03-2023 04:46 PM)NIU32 Wrote:  Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

He needs a nickname, I will never pronounce his last name.

Those are the best kinds of kickers

(04-04-2023 09:04 AM)HawaiiToNIU Wrote:  

(04-04-2023 08:36 AM)Klake1987 Wrote:  

(04-03-2023 04:46 PM)NIU32 Wrote:  Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

He needs a nickname, I will never pronounce his last name.

Those are the best kinds of kickers

Is that 3 kickers on roster? Let the summer battle begin!

(04-04-2023 08:36 AM)Klake1987 Wrote:  

(04-03-2023 04:46 PM)NIU32 Wrote:  Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

He needs a nickname, I will never pronounce his last name.

Good Irish name. How about "Kolo The Kicker"? And he can even have an entrance song to the sounds of the Kinks Lola. Ko-lo! K-O-L-O Ko-lo!

(04-05-2023 08:51 PM)Schaefer Beer Wrote:  

(04-04-2023 08:36 AM)Klake1987 Wrote:  

(04-03-2023 04:46 PM)NIU32 Wrote:  Another new commit. One of Nendick's kickers. Glad we have a staff that is finally working with Chris, he produces a TON of talent around the country. I think he is a 2023 add though

He needs a nickname, I will never pronounce his last name.

Good Irish name. How about "Kolo The Kicker"? And he can even have an entrance song to the sounds of the Kinks Lola. Ko-lo! K-O-L-O Ko-lo!

That will work.

Coach Hammock Tweeted out a new 24 Huskies Commitment, not sure who it is though

(04-22-2023 05:31 PM)TrentenH Wrote:  Coach Hammock Tweeted out a new 24 Huskies Commitment, not sure who it is though

DB Dev'lon Reynolds 6'1" 175 lbs. from Carmel HS Mundelein, Ill,