CaBisonFan
05-31-2008, 07:10 AM
In this era of college football, it appears that a major recruit wants some type of guarantee that they are going to see significant playing time -- and early -- especially if the traditional powerhouse programs were really serious in their recruiting efforts. There seems to be so much at stake, in the minds of these young athletes. The dream of reaching the NFL has to be on the mind of most 3, 4, or 5 star recruits. So they want playing time -- no, they demand it.
As much fun as it is to follow the recruiting websites that project the abilities of an athlete, I don't see them being as brilliant as they'd like to think they are. Most of it isn't rocket science. If a kid is 6' 7", 310 lbs, and moves like a running back -- well, odds are pretty good that he could play most anywhere. The big recruits aren't hard to find. Still, the lists are fun to see, and it's fun to see where they're all going.
But even this type of player has problems to face if he enrolls at one of the powerhouse, historic universities. Take Nebraska, for example. They've had some big problems there, and there's no guarantee that they will rise to the top in the Big 12 for a while. There's no stability in Husker country.
In the case of a player from a lesser-populated region of the country, with less exposure, it would seem that going to one of these programs could be more than intimidating. The problem being that when you get there, odds are strong that you'll line up with many other recruits that have similar credentials. Still, if this young man has major raw ability, he'll overcome it if his work-ethic matches the intensity of the program.
The parity in college football that we're seeing has a lot to do with this, I believe. Players want playing time. It's simple. So when a 'Kansas' calls, a team that appears to be on the rise, the temptation is to choose the up and coming program over the historic one.
This is a problem at a place like Notre Dame and Nebraska. The historic nature of their tradition has become both a blessing & a curse. The expectations are so high that they can hardly be met, at least not consistently enough to keep the alumni happy. And Nebraska has a reputation for plucking big-time athletes from the upper midwest that often disappear into the depth chart. So what do many of the players get when they end up at a historic program, typically? They get upheaval, discontent from the fans, and coaching changes -- which translates into not knowing where you stand. There are the exceptions, of course. Who wouldn't pay attention if USC, Florida, or Ohio State called?
Stability 'is' in lesser-known programs that are striving to become powerhouses. In its own way, NDSU is one of those. It is the perfect setting, much as Boise State was a while back. We're not there, but the table is being set. It doesn't matter if it's not in the FBS. We're ready to make some real noise. Imagine -- a national championship game against App. State. How many of us would fly to that game?
If I were a big-time recruit from North Dakota I'd be more likely to look for a place that doesn't have the big 'REP.' I'd look for a Missouri, or a Kansas, or maybe even head west to a place like Oregon or Washington State. And if heading that far from home is a little too much to handle, then I'd look to a place like NDSU, where football is king, but still not as intense as heading into Cornhusker country.
Being a fan of the Bison, over any bigger program, I'd like to see a 3 or 4-star recruit choose NDSU at some point, but the odds are long. As many have written, the lure of the big-time is pretty powerful.
But if -- if -- in the distant future the Gateway & Missouri Valley melded into one all-sport conference, and made the move up together, I think that we could see the day where NDSU could land a major recruit from the region, someone that the 'bigs' wanted badly.
But for now, I'm more than happy to see some of our lesser-known recruits develop into outstanding college players, and more than happy to see the Bison go into a place like Central Michigan and make them wonder what happened. "Oh -- we really had a down day today. We didn't play our game." Right. We know the story. Ball State, Minnesota, and others have had their excuses.
Me -- I'll take Tyler Roehl and guys that give a darn like he does. He doesn't come off as the type of guy that 'expects' things to be handed to him. He runs like his life depends on it. And we have ma-ny players like that.
Big-time recruits, regardless of where they are from, make no difference to me at this point. If they come in 'expecting' to play, well, there is news in Bison country. The depth chart is getting deeper. It certainly appears that the Bison roster is full of players that could turn into something special. Collectively, the current roster has the opportunity to do something big.
Barring a rash of serious injuries at some of the key spots, I will re-state what 'will' happen in 2008:
Gateway co-champions in 2008. National title game with an insane finish that will remind us of the Troy State title game, for those of us who were born before that. It's not a prediction. It's a warranty. Take it to the bank.
Not smokin' nothin' tonight. Nope
It's the smog.
As much fun as it is to follow the recruiting websites that project the abilities of an athlete, I don't see them being as brilliant as they'd like to think they are. Most of it isn't rocket science. If a kid is 6' 7", 310 lbs, and moves like a running back -- well, odds are pretty good that he could play most anywhere. The big recruits aren't hard to find. Still, the lists are fun to see, and it's fun to see where they're all going.
But even this type of player has problems to face if he enrolls at one of the powerhouse, historic universities. Take Nebraska, for example. They've had some big problems there, and there's no guarantee that they will rise to the top in the Big 12 for a while. There's no stability in Husker country.
In the case of a player from a lesser-populated region of the country, with less exposure, it would seem that going to one of these programs could be more than intimidating. The problem being that when you get there, odds are strong that you'll line up with many other recruits that have similar credentials. Still, if this young man has major raw ability, he'll overcome it if his work-ethic matches the intensity of the program.
The parity in college football that we're seeing has a lot to do with this, I believe. Players want playing time. It's simple. So when a 'Kansas' calls, a team that appears to be on the rise, the temptation is to choose the up and coming program over the historic one.
This is a problem at a place like Notre Dame and Nebraska. The historic nature of their tradition has become both a blessing & a curse. The expectations are so high that they can hardly be met, at least not consistently enough to keep the alumni happy. And Nebraska has a reputation for plucking big-time athletes from the upper midwest that often disappear into the depth chart. So what do many of the players get when they end up at a historic program, typically? They get upheaval, discontent from the fans, and coaching changes -- which translates into not knowing where you stand. There are the exceptions, of course. Who wouldn't pay attention if USC, Florida, or Ohio State called?
Stability 'is' in lesser-known programs that are striving to become powerhouses. In its own way, NDSU is one of those. It is the perfect setting, much as Boise State was a while back. We're not there, but the table is being set. It doesn't matter if it's not in the FBS. We're ready to make some real noise. Imagine -- a national championship game against App. State. How many of us would fly to that game?
If I were a big-time recruit from North Dakota I'd be more likely to look for a place that doesn't have the big 'REP.' I'd look for a Missouri, or a Kansas, or maybe even head west to a place like Oregon or Washington State. And if heading that far from home is a little too much to handle, then I'd look to a place like NDSU, where football is king, but still not as intense as heading into Cornhusker country.
Being a fan of the Bison, over any bigger program, I'd like to see a 3 or 4-star recruit choose NDSU at some point, but the odds are long. As many have written, the lure of the big-time is pretty powerful.
But if -- if -- in the distant future the Gateway & Missouri Valley melded into one all-sport conference, and made the move up together, I think that we could see the day where NDSU could land a major recruit from the region, someone that the 'bigs' wanted badly.
But for now, I'm more than happy to see some of our lesser-known recruits develop into outstanding college players, and more than happy to see the Bison go into a place like Central Michigan and make them wonder what happened. "Oh -- we really had a down day today. We didn't play our game." Right. We know the story. Ball State, Minnesota, and others have had their excuses.
Me -- I'll take Tyler Roehl and guys that give a darn like he does. He doesn't come off as the type of guy that 'expects' things to be handed to him. He runs like his life depends on it. And we have ma-ny players like that.
Big-time recruits, regardless of where they are from, make no difference to me at this point. If they come in 'expecting' to play, well, there is news in Bison country. The depth chart is getting deeper. It certainly appears that the Bison roster is full of players that could turn into something special. Collectively, the current roster has the opportunity to do something big.
Barring a rash of serious injuries at some of the key spots, I will re-state what 'will' happen in 2008:
Gateway co-champions in 2008. National title game with an insane finish that will remind us of the Troy State title game, for those of us who were born before that. It's not a prediction. It's a warranty. Take it to the bank.
Not smokin' nothin' tonight. Nope
It's the smog.