2017 Recruiting thread

[Kodos]

Zing!

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

More like he is making the smart move. One team wins Rose Bowls, the other rents the Rose Bowl

When we were a third place team, we got stuck with lower tier bowls. Sometimes when the sun shines on the pimple on the ass of SC, it shimmers brightly.

[tarcone]

Iowa lost 4 recruits out of Texas. Part of the problem was the rule that when you commit to Iowa you cannot visit other schools.
Iowa will go after kids that have committed to other schools, but our recruits cannot visit other schools when they commit.

F Ferentz

[MrBug708]

Im pumped to see how Phillips will do in the AA game tomorrow. He's been dominating in the Army AA practices

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Iowa lost 4 recruits out of Texas. Part of the problem was the rule that when you commit to Iowa you cannot visit other schools.
Iowa will go after kids that have committed to other schools, but our recruits cannot visit other schools when they commit.

F Ferentz

Chris Petersen does the same thing, and it works because the commitment goes both ways for him. If a kid commits to Petersen, Petersen is committed to that kid - he's not going to pull a Harbaugh and yank the offer if a shinier object comes along and there's no room for that commit any more. But if that commit then decides to visit another school, he's by definition not "committed" any more, and Petersen will no longer guarantee that offer and will pursue other options.

[Gaelic Hill]

Will Coach Shaw start Davis Mills as a frosh? #1 QB, #4 overall. KJ Costello is already waiting in the wings (2016 #2 Pro Style). Hopefully Osiris St Brown gives us a desperately needed deep threat.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Chris Petersen does the same thing, and it works because the commitment goes both ways for him. If a kid commits to Petersen, Petersen is committed to that kid - he's not going to pull a Harbaugh and yank the offer if a shinier object comes along and there's no room for that commit any more. But if that commit then decides to visit another school, he's by definition not "committed" any more, and Petersen will no longer guarantee that offer and will pursue other options.

Bob toledoo had that policy. It's great when you are winning, it gets overlooked when you arent

[Gaelic Hill]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

More like he is making the smart move. One team wins Rose Bowls, the other rents the Rose Bowl

The CARD owns UCLA and owns the Rose Bowl. It's Palo Alto South.

[Eaglesfan27]

Bubba Bolden to USC!

[bhlloy]

Maybe... I think about 50/50 he ends up here. The kid really wants to go to ASU, I think

[MrBug708]

EF27 stopped giving us recruiting updates

[bhlloy]

I'm sure he just had somewhere else to be

[Eaglesfan27]

Actually, I was out playing in the snow with my girl. Far more important

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

Darnay's dad took the money. I was shocked that he was even considering USC with how much Dad's "business connections" are intertwined with UCLA.

7 inches of snow and counting here made for a fun afternoon with my girl

[MrBug708]

Haha. That used to be UCLA's line when we lost a kid.

Holmes has been a ucla lock for like 4 years

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Actually, I was out playing in the snow with my girl. Far more important

That's some handy weather there, dropping all that playful snow on you in between Bolden picking up a hat and Darnay picking up "another" hat.

Great timing there, Mother Nature!!

[Gaelic Hill]

The CARD scoops UW on the best recruit of all:

Nation's No. 1 Recruit OT Foster Sarell Commits To Stanford Over Washington

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Gaelic Hill

The CARD scoops UW on the best recruit of all:

Nation's No. 1 Recruit OT Foster Sarell Commits To Stanford Over Washington

That one stings, but he's been all Stanford for years now. That Washington got him to stop to consider was a minor surprise.

Give Petersen another year or two and let recruits see some UW offensive linemen going to the league (Adams, McGary & Shelton are all headed there), and guys like Sarell will no longer favor the Cardinal over the Huskies.

[MrBug708]

Not sure players in the league have influence on academics of a school. He'd be all UW if he didn't have the grades. He did and nothing an NFL lineman could have done about it

[dawgfan]

Academics were part of it, but the clincher for him was the legacy of success of Stanford OL under this staff. Even so he came very close to flipping to Washington.

[Gaelic Hill]

No question the Petersen era will be golden. I'm plenty old enough to remember Don James, and that kind of sustained success is within reach.

We might butt heads again with Connor Wedington. I wish you the worst of luck!

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Gaelic Hill

No question the Petersen era will be golden. I'm plenty old enough to remember Don James, and that kind of sustained success is within reach.

We might butt heads again with Connor Wedington. I wish you the worst of luck!

Wedington won't be going to Washington - the way that played out turned off the UW coaching staff. Too bad - he's a good kid, but some people in his family and inner circle meddled and tried to do things below the radar only to get found out. Had they been upfront with Petersen things might have gone differently, but instead he felt burned and the Huskies aren't recruiting him any more.

Washington and Stanford are definitely going to be in a lot of recruiting battles with Petersen in charge - he targets a lot of the same types of kids that Stanford does.

[Eaglesfan27]

A big time commit for USC tonight as DT Marlon Tuipulotu decommitts from Washington and will be an early enrollee at USC. It is looking like USC is going to have a very talented class along both DL and OL this year.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

A big time commit for USC tonight as DT Marlon Tuipulotu decommitts from Washington and will be an early enrollee at USC. It is looking like USC is going to have a very talented class along both DL and OL this year.

Early enrollee, starting two weeks after the spring semester started?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Early enrollee, starting two weeks after the spring semester started?

Last day to drop/add classes at USC is January 27th.

[dawgfan]

That's a big get for the Trojans. Sounds like Johnny Nansen worked some...interesting angles with Marlon's older brother who lives in the area. He's not much of a position coach, but he's a helluva recruiter.

[MrBug708]

The task talk on the message boarda about this decommitted has been crazy. UW fans went all millennial on the situation and USC fans act like they won the national title. This outsider has been enjoying the meltdowns and trash talking being done. Some of the SC posters have come completely unhinged. I think Ruth might lock her board down

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I think Ruth might lock her board down

Ruth is a loon and an embarrassment to Washington.

Tough break on losing Tuipulotu. The only real disappointment for me is that he apparently wasn't upfront with the UW coaches about continuing to talk with USC and did all of this under the table. Sounds like this was mostly about family pressure. Scout guys say they'll spill the whole story after Signing Day.

[dawgfan]

UCLA tried to poach one of Washington's better commits in WR Ty Jones, but despite a visit this past weekend to LA he's sticking with the Huskies. Meanwhile the Huskies flip former Bruin commit (and UW legacy) OL Jaxson Kirkland.

[MrBug708]

Yup. That policy didnt work as well for CCP this year. I hate to lose Kirkland, not because I think he's that great but because we need OL commits. We already had his spot filled anyways

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Yup. That policy didnt work as well for CCP this year. I hate to lose Kirkland, not because I think he's that great but because we need OL commits. We already had his spot filled anyways

You guys still lacking a WR commit, or are one of the DB's projected to play on offense instead?

Jones would have been a damn good flip for Mora. Glad to see him stick with Washington.

[MrBug708]

We are short on WR commits, but Im not sure if we need one this class. We tend to also move kids around positions and work with athletes. I havent been impressed with Yarber's recruiting either.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

You guys still lacking a WR commit, or are one of the DB's projected to play on offense instead?

Jones would have been a damn good flip for Mora. Glad to see him stick with Washington.

While it would be best to grab a guy or two at every spot every year, WR was a positional group UCLA didn't really need to bring in anyone for this year. They brought in something like 5 or 6 guys last year, ane also have Dymond Lee, currently listed as a QB but he will also end up a WR. UCLA's problem with WRs on the field this year was less talent and more the inexplicable WR rotation and an unusually poor season for the dropsies (which hadn't been a problem prior to 2016).

Jones is a good player and it would have been nice to flip him, but not really a necessary flip. UCLA probably just adds McNeal (long time lean) and maybe brings in speedster Branden Smith.

As for Kirkland, terrific get for UDub, although I am not going to give Coach Pete's staff too much credit there--as a legacy recruit, Kirkland was always there to be had. Normally a recruit would be turned off by a staff ignoring him for most of recruiting while they chased after (and lost) higher end recruits, but Kirkland comes from a devoted pro-Husky fam.

Just like UCLA staff really should get little credit for pulling Phillips. I love how much he bleeds Bruin blue and gold but that path was set from the second he was born to passionate Bruin parents.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

As for Kirkland, terrific get for UDub, although I am not going to give Coach Pete's staff too much credit there--as a legacy recruit, Kirkland was always there to be had. Normally a recruit would be turned off by a staff ignoring him for most of recruiting while they chased after (and lost) higher end recruits, but Kirkland comes from a devoted pro-Husky fam.

Yeah, he said point blank that Washington was a dream offer. I'd be willing to bet the coaches knew that and knowing how Petersen operates, they were likely very upfront with him throughout the recruiting process that there were other guys higher on their list, but that he'd be one of the guys they'd offer next if they missed on Sarell and Jackson.

Had this been a bigger class and/or had Kirkland not been a kid that bled purple and gold, they probably would have offered him sooner.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Yeah, he said point blank that Washington was a dream offer. I'd be willing to bet the coaches knew that and knowing how Petersen operates, they were likely very upfront with him throughout the recruiting process that there were other guys higher on their list, but that he'd be one of the guys they'd offer next if they missed on Sarell and Jackson.

Had this been a bigger class and/or had Kirkland not been a kid that bled purple and gold, they probably would have offered him sooner.

As a UCLA fan, I think that's one thing about this that has me a little irritated at both the UDub and UCLA staffs.

Given, I'll say that I didn't follow Sarrell or Jackson too closely since in neither case were they considered likely for UCLA.

But from what I did read, those recruitments went exactly as they were laid out for the past year. Although Sarell is a Washington kid, he was well known to be a super smart, academics driven recruit who would covet a Furd offer. His commitment to Stanford seemed almost a certainty in every recruit update I read for the past six months. And Jackson was a legacy recruit for USC who had smokescreen written all over him, a noted practice by the type of jack hole recruits USC gets and which is encouraged by the type of program they run in South Central (see Adoree, Iman, Juju, Jack Jones, etc). I coulda called Coach Pete up in August and told him not to waste his time with either one (especially Jackson).

So UDub should have flipped to Kirkland much sooner, even given his legacy status. So that's on them (but they got away with it).

I am mad at UCLA's staff for not doing the same math and realizing that UDub would eventually turn to Kirkland. They should have done a much better job keeping other OT options warm in case the Kirkland flip happened. Massive fail there by the Bruin staff, indicative of the same lack of foresight that led to the mess this past season became.

Frustrating to say the least.

[dawgfan]

Washington did a great job working on Sarell, and after his visit he was 50/50. But he eventually gravitated back to his love of Stanford. If he were a 2018 recruit and next season plays out with Washington finishing above Stanford with All-Conference OL honorees, I think he'd be a Husky. Regardless, he was a kid Washington had to go after until the bitter end.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

Washington did a great job working on Sarell, and after his visit he was 50/50. But he eventually gravitated back to his love of Stanford. If he were a 2018 recruit and next season plays out with Washington finishing above Stanford with All-Conference OL honorees, I think he'd be a Husky. Regardless, he was a kid Washington had to go after until the bitter end.

I don't doubt Sarell had Washington second in his heart, but from what I discerned following his recruitment as a fan of a school in Sarell's very distant second tier, he was always going to Stanford. It would have taken him not getting into Stanford for him to consider any other school once rubber hit the road. That is not meant to be a hit on UDub, btw, just my read on circumstances as they played out. As a 2018 kid, he would have been just an enamored with a Stanford education, which wouldn't change from this year to next year.

All that said, I entirely get that UDub had to walk that road. Even putting aside the reality that you have to prioritize a top end player like that in your direct recruiting base region, pursuing a recruit versus Stanford has the much more possible circumstance that the recruit in question may not even be admitted to Stanford, which is a rare occurrence at most other FBS schools.

Jackson was the one UDub should have not bothered with from the start. ASU and maybe Arizona have to at least kick the tires, since he's an AZ kid, but Washington shouldn't have bothered.

Keep in mind while I note the fruitlessness of pursuing USC smokescreen kids, I entirely understood why UCLA stays in it with the LA smokescreen recruits--much like Washington with Sarrell. You can't NOT pursue guys like Adoree Jackson or Iman Marshall in your own region, even if you know they're just jacking you around (USC guys) or being nice/diplomatic (Sarrell).

I am curious what UDub nation's take is on Jones' visit to UCLA, how he still has an offer from the Huskies and how it impacts Peterson's commit visit ban. Since it appears that Jones' offer is still good, it appears to me that Peterson's visit ban is punchless and will likely be ignored by recruits with options.

I think Coach Pete is a terrific coach and I also admire the point he is making with his recruits in upholding his visit ban with them, but I think he needs to reassess his stance on that now that he has to engage in "big boy" recruiting at a Pac 12 school. And perhaps by accepting Jones, he already is. If so, good move by him to ditch that.

[MrBug708]

Petersen doesn't have a visit ban on commitment visits, he just has a toothless "we won't hold your spot". Ty Jones wasn't in danger of losing his spot and everyone knows that.

Ucla landed Zabie, 4* OT out of Texas, essentially upgrading Kirkland. I'd still take Kirkland though

[Kodos]

Looks like Indiana didn't have any last-minute defections today. Happy with our incoming class, including Florida's Mr. Football, QB Nick Tronti. Excited to see what Coach Allen and his staff can do with this dual-threat QB.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I don't doubt Sarell had Washington second in his heart, but from what I discerned following his recruitment as a fan of a school in Sarell's very distant second tier, he was always going to Stanford. It would have taken him not getting into Stanford for him to consider any other school once rubber hit the road. That is not meant to be a hit on UDub, btw, just my read on circumstances as they played out. As a 2018 kid, he would have been just an enamored with a Stanford education, which wouldn't change from this year to next year.

Education was obviously a huge factor for Sarell. But just like UCLA is an outstanding school, so it Washington - it's not like he was looking at some big step down. Especially considering he wants to go into medicine. But education wasn't the only factor - he's a smart kid (obviously) and sees how Stanford has been churning out pro linemen under Harbaugh/Shaw. Petersen has done pretty well developing unheralded OL at Boise into NFL players, but it probably won't be until next year or the year after that we see a similar pattern emerging at the UW (Trey Adams, Kaleb McGary leading the way). Seeing more proof that Washington coaches know what they're doing in developing OL for the pros would have been a factor for Foster. And finally, the fact that he really started to question his recruitment when Washington blasted Stanford and ended up having a clearly superior season - that shows that the trajectory of the programs mattered to him.

All of those factors are why I believe that, had he been class of '18 instead, there's a much better chance Washington would have kept him home.

Jackson was the one UDub should have not bothered with from the start. ASU and maybe Arizona have to at least kick the tires, since he's an AZ kid, but Washington shouldn't have bothered.

Eh, when a high-level recruit is telling coaches he's very interested, you have to see where it goes. I doubt they were blind to the likelihood he'd eventually pick USC, but you have to try if the recruit is leaving the door that open.

I am curious what UDub nation's take is on Jones' visit to UCLA, how he still has an offer from the Huskies and how it impacts Peterson's commit visit ban. Since it appears that Jones' offer is still good, it appears to me that Peterson's visit ban is punchless and will likely be ignored by recruits with options.

There's a lot of confusion out there about his policy. Here it is - when Petersen gets a commitment from a recruit, he makes it clear to them that if they are publicly committing to him, he's committing to them. He encourages them to take their time and do other visits first before committing to Washington if they need to. He wants them to be sure about their decision, because he considers that commitment binding in both directions. None of this kicking a lower-rated commit to the curb later in the process when a shinier toy comes along (*cough* Harbaugh *cough*).

If a recruit chooses to visit another school, that means he's no longer committed, which means Petersen is no longer obligated to keep a spot for them.

You might think his approach is "punchless", but exhibit A is Connor Wedington - once it got out that he was meeting with Stanford coaches, the UW staff dropped him. This isn't some low 3-star, long-term project prospect - he's a legit 4-star athlete that is likely to have a very good college career.

Now, we both know these things are always a leverage game. In the case of Jones and UCLA, Jones had significant leverage - on the last weekend before Signing Day, the chances of UW getting a good WR to come in and visit on short notice and take that spot was small, so Jones had to know he was probably not going to jeopardize his UW offer by going to L.A.

But last year Amandre Williams decided to take a visit to Utah in September, and Washington had plenty of other capable OLB/DE prospects they were recruiting. It only took Williams a day after that Utah visit to reconfirm his UW commitment, both because he still preferred Washington but also because the coaches made it clear there were other guys they could get to fill his spot and pressed him to shit or get off the pot.

These things are always going to be handled on a case-by-case basis. The recruits that are upfront with Petersen about this (Jones, Williams) are going to get a little more leeway that those trying to be sneaky (Wedington). And obviously a highly talented player is going to have more leverage.

I think Coach Pete is a terrific coach and I also admire the point he is making with his recruits in upholding his visit ban with them, but I think he needs to reassess his stance on that now that he has to engage in "big boy" recruiting at a Pac 12 school. And perhaps by accepting Jones, he already is. If so, good move by him to ditch that.

I think he's been constantly tweaking his approach, but I doubt he'll abandon his policy on what a commitment means. If anything, with the early signing periods likely coming, his way of doing things might actually benefit him.

[Eaglesfan27]

USC lands 3 big recruits today:

4 star OLB Levi Jones, 5 star DT Jay Tufele, and 5 star OL Austin Jackson. Good chance that USC ends up in the top 5 in recruiting this year.

[Atocep]

So Mike Harley had been committed to WVU since June. In November he gets an offer from Miami, flirts with them a bit, then shuts his recruitment down reaffirming his commitment to WVU. Parents get involved and push him to visit Miami (which he does) and then he takes another late visit back to WVU but refuses to shut his recruitment down for a 2nd time. So WVU pulls his offer.

It was clear he was trying to drum up interest in his recruitment and wanted to pull a signing day flip to Miami. WVU wasn't having it so he had to do his hat thing with a Miami hat and a UCLA hat (who he never visited).

[tarcone]

Normal Iowa class. Maybe better with Espensa.

But nothing spectacular

[Eaglesfan27]

USC closed out very strong to end up with a top 5 class with a big signing day. I wasn't sure about Coach Helton earlier in the year, but he has convinced me that he has the team and recruiting heading in the right direction.

[MrBug708]

Good thing you had Helton, otherwise I'd be worried that USC was going to have a tough time recruiting

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Atocep

So Mike Harley had been committed to WVU since June. In November he gets an offer from Miami, flirts with them a bit, then shuts his recruitment down reaffirming his commitment to WVU. Parents get involved and push him to visit Miami (which he does) and then he takes another late visit back to WVU but refuses to shut his recruitment down for a 2nd time. So WVU pulls his offer.

It was clear he was trying to drum up interest in his recruitment and wanted to pull a signing day flip to Miami. WVU wasn't having it so he had to do his hat thing with a Miami hat and a UCLA hat (who he never visited).

The UCLA interest stemmed from Jedd Fisch at Michigan and UCLA taking a kid from his HS. I dont think we were a threat though, either.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Y'all down south have got to relax a bit about all of this stuff...