Meyer will address poor recruiting in the B1G with other coaches
jbook @jbook37
Urban Meyer tells 97.1 The Fan he will address the poor recruiting in the B1G directly with those coaches at the upcoming coaches meeting.
jbook @jbook37
Meyer tells the fan it's concerning about the lack of B1G recruiting when there are 11 teams in the SEC up in the top 25 in recruiting.
jbook @jbook37
Urban Meyer argument is if the conference is strong it helps everyone but if they are not recruiting well it hurts the conference overall.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^
Mixed feelings.
One hand, Meyer comes off a smug c**t for looking like he's telling others how to do their jobs - especially as he's poaching players.
Other hand, he knows the conf should be doing better overall, and maybe wants to discuss strategies to bring them more in line with SEC attractions (pressuring for more night games a start). Knows if the conf is noticeably behind the SEC, tougher sell for him.
You can bet that whatever else Ole Miss did, they can sell playing in the SEC every week nicely. Thier exposure is through the roof.
Mark D'Antonio has no need of any advice from anyone, naturally.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:27 PM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 10:33 PM ^
What does Urban think they're doing with their time??
Urban to Ferentz: "Kirk, you should try recruiting 4 and 5 stars instead of 2 and 3 stars!"
Kirk: "WOW URBAN. WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT. HEY JERRY, URBAN SAYS WE SHOULD RECRUIT 4 STARS."
Jerry Kill: "OOOOHHHH I HADNT THOUGHT OF THAT. THANKS URBAN! YOURE SO SMART"
February 8th, 2013 at 9:31 AM ^
Why Meyer believes he is the person to start this particular discussion is beyond me, and there is no part of me that believes he is that interested in the welfare of the conference as a whole, but so the board has some numbers:
Looking at Rivals, the SEC teams are averaging 25 commits with an average star ranking of 3.36 and 2155 points. The Big Ten, on the other hand, averages 21 commits per team, an average of 3.05 for star ranking and 1645 points. Per Rivals, 5-star commits make up 4.2% of the total recruits, compared to 1.8% in the Big Ten. The Big Ten makes up for it in three-stars, which comprise 72.7% of all Big Ten recruits this year, compared to 60.2% of SEC recruits.
We do sit about 10% behind the SEC for an average ranking, but the way this seems to work out over time, that's a significant deficit and would take years of all teams in the conference recruiting well to overcome. If there is anything to point out in some of the measurables anyway, it is that the Big Ten is definitely skewed towards certain teams in terms of recruiting, whereas the SEC actually has a somewhat more even distribution (that is to say, 6 of the 12 Big Ten teams have an average star rating above 3.00, compared to 13 out of 14 SEC teams).
The causes of that distribution would be an intriguing "deep dive", as they call them in business sometimes. That being said, the Big Ten sits in a culturally and geographically distinct area when it comes to football and football recruiting, so I don't know exactly what Urban wants to get out of talking about this.
Would Meyer be the person to address this? No, and it certainly is not for lack of trying in a competitive recruiting world on the part of his colleagues, so for him to lodge the complaint is irritating and makes it seem like he doesn't believe people are doing their best. I have to believe this is going to be veiled griping about how he can't recreate Florida.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
Frankly, he's right. There are two primary reasons the Big 10 doesn't compete well nationally:
- Assistant coach pay.
- Recruiting.
Michigan finally figured out they need to pay top dollar for coordinators and assistants, but much of the conference hasn't. Whether or not you believe it, Beilema gave assistant pay as one reason he left a nice seat at Wisconsin for a 2.5 year tour de force in Arkansas.
The Big 10 also has to recruit better to be a national player. Michigan is just digging out of the talent hole, and it was apparent that they weren't on the same level talent-wise as Virginia Tech, Alabama, and South Carolina. The rest of the conference is the same way. This is especially important given that Penn State is about to go down into a deep dark place for a few years.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:46 PM ^
"The Big Ten also has to recruit better." What exactly do you want them to do? Do you think other teams aren't trying?
February 7th, 2013 at 11:35 PM ^
Yes I am Bucks fan.
But that doesn't change what I am seeing around the B1G.
Outside of us and you guys, the other teams and fans for that matter are just rolling over.
Ask an Iowa fan about their team. If you can find 10 of them that do anything more than shrug about the poor play from their team I would be surprised.
Even Nebraska is slouching off. There is no excuse for them to not be a top 10 class.
On the B1G being within 10% of the ranking of SEC recruiting, well, pull OSU and Michigan out. To make it even pull BAMA and Florida out.
Is the B1G still within 10% of the SEC?
Even at that 10% in skill difference is 80% chance of a head to head loss.
February 8th, 2013 at 12:35 AM ^
What are you talking about? What does "slouching off" mean? Some fans in Iowa are apathetic, therefore the Big Ten can do much better in recruiting? Please, give us some specifics. What great secrets is Urban going to share with the rest of the conference? Do you have a single shred of evidence that other teams are just "rolling over," or do you just love throwing out stale sports cliches?
February 8th, 2013 at 10:23 AM ^
Welcome to the Board! That said, I think the B1G will always be at a disadvantage when recruiting against the SEC. Teams like Minnesota and Wisconsin have no chance against equivalent teams like Ole Miss and Mississippi State, for example. The weather is warmer down there, the girls prettier, the academics arguably less stringent, and the factc that the SEC is considered a better conference will continue to permiate the recruiting process.
February 8th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
Without going into whether I agree/disagree with DaveBuck above, I took part of his post (perhaps incorrectly) to be referencing what I might call "demand" from the fans?
With the basic idea that the fans have not been more demanding of success by the specific university, athletic department, and football team/staff. Because of historical successes, both OSU and Michigan's respective fan bases have inredibly high (unrealistic, really) level of demand and expectation for their teams year after year.
So, does the "will" and "complaining" of the fan base have a direct effect upon recruiting and other success of a program? Probably not, or at least to such a small degree that it is de minimis. That being said, I don't think the thrust of the larger argument is completely worthless, either.
I.e., how much whining, complaining, and additional support ($$$) from the fans will it take for Nebraska to go buy James Franklin from Vanderbilt, for instance.
Or I could be crazy . . . that's possible too.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:51 PM ^
Even with the well documented deficiencies we've had in recent years I don't see why it is apparent we had less overall talent than either Virginia Tech or South Carolina.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
A. He's right
2. Perfect venue
And......he's calling his shot rather than just springing on people. I say applaud his balls if not his brains.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
MGrowOld. You like quite good in the new pic.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:39 PM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^
I'm confused over how I feel about this. I think everyone agrees. But what is Urban telling folks for? Can you imagine Indiana suddenly, you know, like recruiting better b/c of what he says? Urban's going to give them a pep talk or a lecture? I don't get it exactly, and I don't see how it will help even 1%. This won't motivate them any more than they are already motivated.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:49 PM ^
B1G is not competitive.
February 8th, 2013 at 10:25 AM ^
Warmer climate, prettier girls, easier classes (?), shadier recruiting (?) etc. Kids focus on these kinds of things.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:52 PM ^
Do they really? We just witnessed Mississippi pull in a fantastic class and they're historically as bad as Indiana. I think he's telling every coach BUT Hoke that if you want to win nationally you've got to get the top recruits. And to get those kids you've got to change your way of recruiting.
The weather didnt hurt OSU or Michigan. Why was it such an issue everywhere else?
February 8th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
Because ][V][ and OSU are steeped in football tradition with fan bases that extend far and wide. IU/Iowa/MSU/NW/Minn does not. Mississipi has football tradition and warm weather and hot women. That's a tough combo to compete with if you're not ][V][ or OSU.
February 8th, 2013 at 12:34 PM ^
Obviously, there seems to be a wide range of opinion on this board. While his statement(s) may not have been necessary or appropriate, I don't think they are wrong. I took it more as him saying, "Look, if we, as the B1G, want to get collectively better, we may have to change some of the tactics we have always used." Implicit in that statement is certainly a degree of cockiness, but I'm not sure how you get around that (other than not saying it, obviously).
I guess I'm viewing like a CEO (of a major recording label) saying to the other CEO's, "Hey guys, we've been in this industry for a long time, but things have really changed (digital media, for instance) and we, as a group, better figure out how we can adapt if we have any hope of still being relevant in the next decade."
Without all of the explicit collusion and other Antitrust issues, of course.
EDIT: User stephenrjking just below said all of this much better than I. Read his.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:48 PM ^
Who died and made this ass clown king? If we're going to have a conference leader, shouldn't it be someone who's going to be around in 5 years?
February 7th, 2013 at 10:51 PM ^
Presuming he brings this up in a professional way, I have zero problem with this. Urban seems to think that a rising tide lifts all boats; if the whole conference recruits better, all the team will be better off. It's not like he's complaining that the B1G schools are holding him back. And, coming from the SEC, he knows what he's talking about.
The fact is, the Big Ten struggles not because of revenue and not even so much because of less talent availability (that's part of it, but a small part) but because a lot of schools just don't take football that seriously. They have small-time visions for what competitive football looks like. At best, they occasionally compete for a Big Ten title and then get slaughtered in minor bowl games by some SEC team that pulls in top-15 classes but can't cut it against the big boys.
I think he is addressing the guys that get away as much as anything. We can speculate (with, admittedly, some evidence) that LaQuon Treadwell just went for the cash, but in the bigger picture he is just another player in the B1G footprint that went somewhere else. A lot of guys have been doing that. And, further, a school like Minnesota shouldn't be bringing up the rear in the conference. It should be able to compete all over the midwest. Right now it recruits at MAC level.
Someone mentioned that the B1G needs a wake-up call; they're about to get it, in the form of Michigan and Ohio State crushing the rest of the conference for the next few years.
February 7th, 2013 at 10:54 PM ^
EXTREMELY well written. I completely agree with everything you wrote and the only thing I have to add is I have nothing to add.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 11:29 PM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 12:09 AM ^
The fact that he was on discussing this with the Fan means that he is incapable of bringing this up in a professional way.
February 8th, 2013 at 11:38 AM ^
Minny was competing in the Big Ten and going to bowl games on a regular basis BUT they decided to fire the coach who was responsible for that success - Glenn Mason.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:08 PM ^
i dont see why (if sensere) adressing the issue is a problem for all of the coaches to discuss how to recruit better. Each program is going to compete regardless for recruits whether they are not doing good on the recruiting trail or not. But if the confrence as a whole can recruit better, the better the strenth of schedual each team will have year in and year out in the confrence... which in turn will improve in each programs ranking. Which is exactly what the SEC has in their favor. It's almost always better for an SEC team to loose to another SEC team like even Miss State than an out of confrence team like Texas or someone which will in turn make each team's stature and prestiege in the confrence better. If each program in the B10 recruited better, they would play better and win more games which in turn would make the programs have more draw to them like a minnisota or northwestern in the eyes of many more recruits in the B10 area and would have many other recruits from different parts of the country looking to the big tens way to play football because each program has raised its profile.
edit:never mind repeat
February 7th, 2013 at 10:56 PM ^
on the recruiting trail, and newcomer Urban gets out of his Mercedes to tell them just how bad they're doing and how they can stop fucking things up for him.
In other words, he's Alec Baldwin in "Glengarry Glen Ross."
February 7th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 11:00 PM ^
that Big Ten schools have academic standards that prevent them from taking kids that SEC schools can.
More specifically, can Ole Miss take kids that, say, Minnesota (or Iowa, IU, MSU, Wisconsin, etc) cannot, for academic reasons?
February 7th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^
Not really. Except for maybe Northwestern, they all follow the minimum NCAA guidelines. Some schools, like OSU and Michigan will take fewer academic risks because they can get away with it. For example, Minnesota, especially under Mason, took plenty of borderline academic players.
February 8th, 2013 at 7:29 AM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 11:13 PM ^
...he's trying to get all the B1G coaches to get on board with oversigning.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:32 PM ^
Disagree. Florida and Georgia were vocal in the SEC against oversigning.
February 8th, 2013 at 3:19 PM ^
Recalibrate thy meter of sarcasm.
Moreover, even if I was serious, one doesn't neg someone simply for disagreeing. I don't know who it was, just sayin.'
February 7th, 2013 at 11:15 PM ^
We ALL should agree with Meyer.
He's exactly right (and Hoke is too). this is going to get WAY out of hand. And for Urban to say it is HUGE. Urban, Hoke, Mack Brown, Will Muschamp, and Nick Saban have nothing to worry about...the rules HELP them. Yet, they seem to be the most upset.
Why? Because they don't need help. They can relax over the summer knowing "This is Michigan." "We're Alabama." etc. --- now they're going to have to outwork the James Franklins of the world who are going to take advantage of this deregulation more than anyone.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:17 PM ^
February 7th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
Yo dudes. I was reading some comments by people who listened to the actual interview and he didn't criticize the rest of the big ten. All he said was that the ban on night games hurts recruiting in the conference and he wanted to address that when they met. He also said that the SEC has been doing better than then big ten in recruiting rankings, which is completely true. Everyone needs to chill out. The paraphrasing done by that douche who put this out was fabricated, based on people who listened to the interview.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:28 PM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 2:17 AM ^
Honestly, what is Urban going to tell the other coaches? I ask that question sincerely. Is Urban really going to give the other coaches anything of substance, or just a bunch of fluff? I can't see Urban giving out any "trade secrets" or really anything of much substance to the other coaches.
Urban to Indiana: "If 2 naked hostesses waiting in your recruit's bed doesn't work, try putting 3 in the bed"...."on second thought, you guys might as well put 30 girls in there...and a donkey"
Urban to Dantonio: "Quit mean-mugging me, Mark. Don't be such a hater, just because I have your dream job that you were passed over for. That's it, no recruiting tips for you!"
Urban to Minnesota: "1 cup snake-oil, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs,....ehhh, F**k it! Better just go with 2 girls, 1 cup"
February 7th, 2013 at 11:30 PM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 11:12 AM ^
Last season they went 12-0 and beat us. They'd probably have beaten ND for the BCS Championship if not for sanctions that were enacted before he came to OSU. I'm not sure your comment stings as much as you'd like.
February 7th, 2013 at 11:33 PM ^
who ran away from the SEC because the Saban writing was on the walls. Coward has no right to tell anyone how to run a program.
When he had 20+ players arrested a year at UF, did the other coaches have a come to Jesus meeting with him to teach him how not to run the sleaziest, most out of control program in the country?
February 8th, 2013 at 12:43 AM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 1:26 AM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 1:33 AM ^
SEC North. No Saban, no Miles. He's the same lying cheating scumbug in a much smaller pond now. They lost Tressel due to a decade of cheating and replaced him with this guy? Yeah, OSU really learned their lesson.
February 8th, 2013 at 12:39 AM ^
February 8th, 2013 at 12:41 AM ^
That being said, I don't think it's Meyer's place to address this. The last thing anyone like Ferentz, Kill or Dantonio are going to want to hear is a guy like Urban Meyer telling them they suck at their jobs and can't recruit worth a shit. I mean, what can Meyer say that's really going to help? "Hey guys, I know you think 2-3 stars are good, but have you tried 4-5 star guys?"
Elite recruits want to play for elite coaches that have won national titles (Meyer). The want to play in warm weather (SEC). They want to play at tradition-rich schools with rabid fan bases that can challenge for national titles now, or very soon (Michigan). A school like Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota or Illinois just doesn't offer any of that right now. They've been mediocre programs for years. Why would an elite recruit want to play there?
I think all Meyer is doing is burning bridges with the other coaches. They'll make it very clear that they don't give a shit what Meyer thinks, and that will be that. I do think Meyer cares about the state of the conference, but I don't doubt for a second that part of this is to keep the spotlight on himself, and give him another avenue to pump his chest and announce to the world what a badass he thinks he is.
February 8th, 2013 at 11:42 AM ^
Historically Nebraska's hasn't pulled great recruiting classes.