Football Recruiting...Last 10 Scholarships

[Steve]

Good response, thanks. I'm with you on that. I don't follow it closely, but it does sound like we're bringing in more speed and athleticism. I think that will allow us to use players in specialty roles like we did with Bates this year, and we'll be able to better mold them into the player that we want and need. I was hoping that someone who follows recruiting could confirm what I had been feeling. Thanks again.

The other criteria that Chizik uses for recruiting is obviously size. The OL all seem to be 6-4 or taller which really helps on pass blocking as well as for maintaining quickness after gaining weight. The DE's all seem to be 6-3 or taller which again helps with generating a pass rush.

In the past we brought in some guys with speed, but usually gave up size to get speed. We seldom got the complete package.

For a comparison, the recent Juco WR from ND has size & speed. We signed Larry Anglin in 2001 - supposedly a 5-10 Juco WR with speed. He might have had the speed, but 2 years later he was generously listed as being 5-7 in the program roster.

 

[mwitt]

That's a fair point as well, but it's not like McCarney never got players from Florida or Texas.

 

[Aclone]

Okay, cool. Now that we're done with the inevitable "stars don't matter" spiel, can someone actually answer my question?

The rankings are there for a reason. They might be skewed a bit by where they go, but theyr'e there for a reason. If rankings meant NOTHING and we're just supposed to sit back and trust the coaches, then why does anyone follow recruiting? Why is anyone excited about Darius Darks or Joe Tiller?

I did answer your question. The "rankings" that have us so low are based on the "stars". What Chizik is doing is recruiting players with athleticism and speed rather than notoriety. In hoops, Wesley Johnson is a phenomenal athlete--but was a complete unknown on the recruiting front. That's what Chizik is trying to bring in.

To put it more clearly, speed + athleticism + skills+ gaudy stats + a successful team + exposure + notoriety = five stars. Chizik's staff is attempting to identify the players who might be lacking one or more of those elements--but not the first two.

Why am I excited about someone like Tiller? Well, if you saw Bate's catch in the Iowa game, you saw what rare athleticism can mean--despite a modest three stars. Tiller, for example, offers more of the same. At 6-3, with a legit sub 4.5 forty time, and an almost ludicrous 40-inch vertical, he has the crediblty of a superior athlete, the ones who go on to become superior playmakers. So yes, more speed in spite of rankings is good.

 

[djcubby]

As far as rankings go, they are pretty similar with what Mac had. One thing that i don't think has been pointed out yet is that it seemed like a lot of Mac's higher ranked players didn't seem to pan out for one reason or another. I don't feel that same way with this class. It seems like he is recruiting a lot of good kids that are also good football players. When guys like Cedrick Mack are rumored to have grade issues or charachter issues, we've backed off which, IMO, hasn't seemed to happen much in the past.

 

[djcubby]

would you rather have a 2* or 3* from FL/TX or a kid of the same ranks playing in Iowa 4A or 3A ball? DISCLAIMER: I'm not ripping on Iowa athletes, some outstanding players have come from this state... but you think of who those players are going up against every friday night in FL and TX (going against a lot of other D-I talent) vs the types of players a kid will face in the CIML or MVC (kids who will most likely hang up the pads after HS or play D-III)... whoa boy I know I'm setting myself up for a lot of flak on this one...

For every Tim Dwight, Tavian Banks, or Dedric Ward, there are about 50 other players on the team that don't get a shot at D-1 ball. You won't find that at most schools in TX or FL.

 

[ISU_Alum_2000]

mwitt:

If you want to look at our class this year and in previous years, go here and use the drop-down list to look at previous seasons:

http://iowastate.rivals.com/commitlist.asp

To see how we stack up against the rest of the Big XII, go here (same thing with the yearly drop-down):

http://iowastate.rivals.com/teamrank.asp?Sort=0&PosType=0&Year=2008&conf=0

 

[CloneIce]

For those of you who follow recruiting closely, is this year's recruiting really that much better than we've had in the past?

The latest rankings I've seen had us ranked 60, I believe, and among the worst (if not the worst) in the Big 12. I know we're getting more speed, but speed doesn't make a good football player.

I think we are doing better this year. If you looked at past years, we always had a bunch of recruits who we offered that ended up committing to non-BCS, lower level schools. This year all the ones who turn us down have committed to other good schools. That tells me we are recruiting a little higher level of player on average than in years past. Plus many have multiple BCS offers who have committed to us.

 

[cyclonenum1]

For those of you who follow recruiting closely, is this year's recruiting really that much better than we've had in the past?

The latest rankings I've seen had us ranked 60, I believe, and among the worst (if not the worst) in the Big 12. I know we're getting more speed, but speed doesn't make a good football player.

Speed is, hands down, the single most important factor in having a successful college football team. The best teams in the country are the teams with the best overall team speed. The teams that win championships are the ones that have excellent coaching and schemes to go with the speed.

 

[cyclonenum1]

Okay, cool. Now that we're done with the inevitable "stars don't matter" spiel, can someone actually answer my question?

The rankings are there for a reason. They might be skewed a bit by where they go, but theyr'e there for a reason. If rankings meant NOTHING and we're just supposed to sit back and trust the coaches, then why does anyone follow recruiting? Why is anyone excited about Darius Darks or Joe Tiller?

The rankings are there so all these recruiting services can sell their subscriptions to guys like you!

 

[wheels686]

To kinda get back to subject who do people really want in this class with the last 10 scholarships. Do you want the same ones i listed or other ones?

 

[cyclonenum1]

So you're saying that it doesn't matter who we recruit? We have a good coach, so that means our players will all become good?

Seriously, I don't think what I'm trying to say is that confusing. Everyone complained all year long that we weren't winning because we had no talent, but that would change because Chizik would get better talent and coach them up.

Don't tell me about Nebraska's class. I don't care about them. I get it...Callahan sucks.

I'm asking if we're getting better talent. And I'm trying to ask the people who follow recruiting closely who actually have an idea instead of a bunch of BS responses.

Here's my take on the whole ratings / star thing.

I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of the bell curve. That concept applies to everything, including HS FB talent. It takes virtually no knowledge or skill to go out and identify the guys that either absolutely can't play or the guys that are superstars in waiting (the guys at either end of the bell curve).

However, it is that huge mass of kids in the middle...the average to slightly above average to slightly below average that are much more hard to quantify. Frankly, this is where a coach that can spot raw talent is able to really make his money and a guy that can't...well, he condemns himself to geting canned in a few years.

Just my take!

 

[bmuff]

Chizik has said he expects about 25 recruits and currently we have 15, so here is who I think we should get with the remaining scholarships.

Maurice Gray 4* Corner

Joe King 6'6 297 lb. tackle

Adrin Haughton 6'4 323 lb. defensive tackle/offensive guard from Florida 4.9-40

Leonard Johnson 5'10 Corner from largo florida. great athlete

Zaviar Gooden. Same town as newly committed Darius Darks. 6'2 195 lb. 4.4-40 from Texas. Currently not in top 4 but hopefully that could change.

Willie Carter 6'2 210 lb Athlete from Texas. Had been previously committed to tulsa. Seems like a good athlete and our staff wants him so I want him.

A Kicker.

Evan Epstein. Offensive Center from Texas. 6'4 285 Dont know much about him but his highlight tape is good and has a good list of schools. Dont here much about him so not sure weather we are still recruiting him, including Cal, florida, USC, stanford, UCLA.

Bo Williams 6'1 203 pound running back who is transfering from florida.
Bo Williams - Football Recruiting

I would also like another DT. Either Joe marshall (favoring minnesota, we have offered, wondering if he is waiting on an offer or something else from minnesota) Ottis Jones, or Kendrick payne. Payne seems alittle small right now, and i would think it would be harder to luer jones from all the west coast schools. Hopefully minnesota hasnt offered or if they have he changes his mind and comes here. Im guessing from the headline. marshall wants to be golden he is waiting on an offer. Add James Brown as well. My order would be Marshall, Brown, Jones, and then payne
Joe Marshall - Football Recruiting
Otis Jones - Football Recruiting
Kendrick Payne - Football Recruiting
James Brown - Football Recruiting

I like that list. I would change out Haughton for a TE. And if they don't get Gray, I'd take TeRan Benton. I'm not too optimistic on Gooden, but with Darks in the fold, I'd take a LB like Adeoba or Dan White.

As for Chizik's class vs Mac's, I think that they are fairly similar. Chizik seems to be getting better athletes, but overall ranking is about the same. One thing that I can say is that I DEFINITELY like Chizik's S&C staff better than Mac's. I think that Sheppard will do a better job of getting the recruits to reach their potential. AND, I think that Chizik will do a better job of evaluating and keeping kids on campus, resulting in better depth.

 

[KMAC_ATTACK]

Thank you for the intelligent response.

I feel the same way you do. I think the talent level seems to be similar, but we're bringing in some guys who have potential to really become a threat. I don't recall us bringing in this much speed in the past. Then again, we heard that Allen Bell was a burner, too.

I agree Mwitt....i think the speed is increased greatly....also, i hate to give props to EIU but, the way that ferentz built his 10 win teams was to focus on the two lines....i think our staff has really focused on coaching and that showed in the performance of the line this year....i thought it was much much better even if the results were not.....

I foresee our ranking changing as the recruiting winds down...were in very good with quite a few 3* players....and quite frankly regardless of the stars, more so then with our previous staff, to run the type of offense and defense they want to employ, we need fit players more then we need stars players. Don't get me wrong, i wondered the other night on here about why were only recruiting (9) 4* players that seems very low...i mean even baylor is after 15 4* guys....but, our staff realizes they need to build the same way Kansas did, then they can throw recruiting dollars away on 4* guys that will then commit to Texas or Oklahoma....you need to win games to win recruits.....unless your a car salesmen in a coaches body - i.e. Tim Brewster UofMinnesota.....

 

[flander1649]

I really would like to see ISU get the best players they can at these positions
1-OL
1-DT
2-LB's
1-CB
1-TE I see Bykowski being an OL
and the other four spots to the best athletes with speed that ISU can get because you can always find a place for a guy with speed.

 

[wheels686]

I really would like to see ISU get the best players they can at these positions
1-OL
1-DT
2-LB's
1-CB
1-TE I see Bykowski being an OL
and the other four spots to the best athletes with speed that ISU can get because you can always find a place for a guy with speed.

I just dont see carter as a OL. In the last 2 recruiting classes we have been after alot of o-lineman. I see him as a te to our current te ben barkema

 

[mjlane]

To kinda get back to subject who do people really want in this class with the last 10 scholarships. Do you want the same ones i listed or other ones?

I don't know about specific players because I don't follow recruiting as closely as others, but we need to find a dynamic kick/punt returner. I'm not talking about a guy with sure hands who can get 5-10 yards per punt return either. We need someone who is a legitimate threat to take it to the house at any given time. A TD on a return is a MAJOR momentum booster (UNI game in 2006) and can either turn a game around or break the opponent's back.

Hopefully one of these speedy athletes that we're bringing in can be that guy.

 

[Wesley]

For those of you who follow recruiting closely, is this year's recruiting really that much better than we've had in the past?

The latest rankings I've seen had us ranked 60, I believe, and among the worst (if not the worst) in the Big 12. I know we're getting more speed, but speed doesn't make a good football player.

You are correct in class ranking from year to year. It has been about the same. Phillip Bates as a 4 star brought the average up last year.

 

[Wesley]

Here's my take on the whole ratings / star thing.

I'm sure you are familiar with the concept of the bell curve. That concept applies to everything, including HS FB talent. It takes virtually no knowledge or skill to go out and identify the guys that either absolutely can't play or the guys that are superstars in waiting (the guys at either end of the bell curve).

However, it is that huge mass of kids in the middle...the average to slightly above average to slightly below average that are much more hard to quantify. Frankly, this is where a coach that can spot raw talent is able to really make his money and a guy that can't...well, he condemns himself to geting canned in a few years.

Just my take!

We have been picking up some two and one stars that are probably underrated. That said, they better be able to run to play.

 

[bmuff]

I just dont see carter as a OL. In the last 2 recruiting classes we have been after alot of o-lineman. I see him as a te to our current te ben barkema

I just don't see it. First off, the staff has to go after a lot of OLs because we NEED OLs. They're still after a few...you need to bring in 3-5 every year. Bykowski seems more in the mold of Lamaak. He's supposedly slower (4.9) than Barkema and Barkema was probably too slow to be a threat at TE.

IMO Bykowski will start off at TE and spend next year at that position. BUT, by the time spring practice is over, he'll be an OL, just like Lamaak.

 

[Wesley]

I understand what your talking about. By the rankings they are not all that different at the moment than in the past. the difference right now is that chizk is recruiting alot more speed and athletitism.. And some of 3* and 2* that we are getting were more actively pursued by bigger schools rather than smaller ones. Stars do mean something to a point. We are excited about guys like Darks because he is a 3* athlete with alot of potential. Were more excited about these guys than dans is they are better athletes. We beat out schools like michigan st., iowa, texas am, kansas, mizzou and teams like that rather than with dan (more often than not) it was against central michigan, northern illinois, wyoming and schools like that. If i didnt answer your question just say so and i will try and answer it better

Stars are handed out a little like this - the top 10 defensive linemen are 5 stars, the next 20 are 4 stars, the next 80 are three stars, the next 150 are 2 stars, the rest are one or no rank.