B10Network Recruiting Show
- Thread starter loyolacat
- Start date
It's not surprising because the metrics typically use an aggregate/formula that rewards teams for signing more players.
The problem is we have among the lowest turnover (# of transfers, etc.) in the nation, so our classes are typically smaller on average.
If you look at average class ratings, the class was fine and would be above at least 4-5 other Big Ten teams according to the various sites.
Instead of wondering if our new guys will allow us to hang with Purdue, we need to ask ourselves each year if our current recruiting class is likely to beat those of OSU, UW, UM, or PSU in three years out on the gridiron. We obviously need a "game changer", a Taj MaFitz, or a Fake By the Lake. Wait - we have one. D.J. Brown is exactly the kind of guy it was supposed to turn our way - to allow us to play on an equal playing field with the so called bigger boys. When do the benefits kick in?
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If it were accurate, it would be disappointing. It is not.
We pretty much hear this every year from the recruiting pundits. I don’t think I could care much less. It’s just annoying to see these lightly informed proclamations on our network.
If it makes some of you feel better, I have an adjusted national rank of 32 for the Cats and an adjusted BIG rank of 8. We’ll see the impact of the 10-3 season, the 27-12 three year record, the bowl wins and the Taj beginning with the 2019 class and more so with the 2020 class. The key here is that Taj won’t do anything for us in recruiting unless we continue to win and remain a viable contender to play in Indy.
GOUNUII
Well, we join about 120 other schools in asking ourselves whether our class would be likely to beat OSU and Penn State in three years.
If you are going to adjust it, how about adjusting NU to 17 and 4 in the B1G. Sounds about right fir our performance last year.
Look, I am a reasonable man and fully appreciate that NU has limitations other schools do not face - academic standards, private school status, limited alumni and a small fan base. Yet, we have proven that we can compete in the Big Ten and Fitz, to his credit, has made a point of saying that he EXPECTS to win championships and that anything else is a disappointment. I agree with him; and I support him. I just want our recruiting classes to give us a chance to reach that goal. Accordingly, I pose the questions I ask in my earlier post.
I think Stanford was ranked last in their conference------so what does it mean?
Yes, but I looked on Rivals site. Point being that NU, like virtually all teams must strive to get better players; but, these rankings have to be taken with some context.
Instead of relying on so-called recruiting gurus to rank our class against other schools, what if we ranked our class internally against other classes at NU over the last 10 years? As a benchmark, look at the Justin Jackson class, how does this year's class compare?
By every single metric, this was an awful recruiting year for Northwestern. By the metrics used and readily available, I'd say this is truly the worst recruiting job and worst class since one of Walker's classes back in the 2000s. The only metric that matters though is playing time and production so don't put too much stock in the pre-metrics that the gurus go by. I used to hit the panic button when I saw most of our recruits being recruited by Hofstra, Brown, etc with few if any power 5 offers, but we have played pretty scrappy and winning 10 games is competitive. Obviously, we aren't getting those pillars that can bag a division title for us, but if things fall our way next year we should be able to contend for a division. We got Wisconsin at home so I smell an upset!
Some of you need to calm down. We got some very good players in this class. We consistently have been building depth over the last 4 classes. Guys are ready to step in much quicker. Where we need to improve is getting some more of the top tier recruits that The big boys want.
Ratings in some cases make no sense to me. Watch the tape then complain if you wish, but don’t come on here blowing smoke when you never took the time to review what we got. Cale Millen In 2019 class is fine example. Somehow dropped out of the top 1000 on Denny’s. I bet anyone a Grand Slam that had he verballed to U Dub he would go up in rankings not down. Watch Millen and then go and watch the 4 stars we offered in the class. Tell me there is as big of a difference as the ratings show? No way this guy is a 82 Denny rating. Signing early ( like most guys in 2018) and not completing the camp circuit doesn’t help our ratings. Closing down your recruitment stops the flashy offers too. So don’t get worked up.
Ratings in some cases make no sense to me. Watch the tape then complain if you wish, but don’t come on here blowing smoke when you never took the time to review what we got. Cale Millen In 2019 class is fine example. Somehow dropped out of the top 1000 on Denny’s. I bet anyone a Grand Slam that had he verballed to U Dub he would go up in rankings not down. Watch Millen and then go and watch the 4 stars we offered in the class. Tell me there is as big of a difference as the ratings show? No way this guy is a 82 Denny rating. Signing early ( like most guys in 2018) and not completing the camp circuit doesn’t help our ratings. Closing down your recruitment stops the flashy offers too. So don’t get worked up.
I'm a reasonable man, too, and a reasonable person knows we have a very limited chance to compete with the likes of Ohio State and Penn State in recruiting. The thing is, the people at the big football schools expect to win championships, too, and their road to doing it is a lot easier. We have proven we can compete in the league to an extent, but what is our lifetime record against schools such as Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan etc., and I'm talking long before the Fitz era. Fitz has set a goal, is doing his best to reach it, and is doing so with honor. As far as recruiting rankings, I'd bet that several of the B1G teams we beat this season had consistently higher rankings than we did over the past few years.
Maybe it has to actually open first. You would hope it might wow some highly regarded guys right away but recruiting for some of those kids starts when they are 15. So that is about 3 years of young kids that get a look at the new facility to see that it is as impressive or better than others.
My guess is we get more and more depth first, Continue to be consistently competitive and eventually have two really excellent classes in a row (this may have already happened) that elevate us to the next level. We used to see that when we were moving out of the bottom, a couple of strong classes would get us into bowl conversations. We will still have limited academic choices and a small alumni fan base, so name recognition and favorable coverage from the news agencies who care more about eyeballs than accuracy will always work against us. Most schools have some challenges though.
Weren't we ranked in the top twenty in May or June in football recruiting? Below the obvious 5-stars, I think these ratings, especially for football, are very subjective.
Did you happen to notice that this class is at the bottom of the conference? Behind Illinois and Rutgers! Do you ever have anything honest to say when talking NU football???
That's just it. Look at the performance of previous classes on the field, and comparing them to this class would give you some kind of sense of how good it is.
For example, I don't think last year's class was all that highly ranked by the recruiting services, yet we ended up playing a bunch of true freshmen, and two of them even got All-American honors (Samdup Miller and Rashawn Slater). So I would say that last year's class was one of the top classes in the B1G based on early returns.
How does this year's class compare to last year's?
I would say the facility benefits will kick in by next year's class (the 2020 class).
It's hard to sell something based on videos; wait until these kids get to see it in-person, full of people.
Read his post through. He was acknowledging the metrics and moving beyond to basically say so what as what matters is what they do on the field
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