Always will be. Development is something really lacking.
Recruiting rankings don't show it but the guys Chizik brought in were pretty good. They 'looked' the part of Big 12 players and some of those guys are/were playing on Sundays. Since those guys have gone ISU has looked pretty bad.
So Rhoads played no part in developing them? Proof please? Seems all those guys sing the praises of Rhoads.
ISU will always need to develop guys and that has just not happened. Heck we are still seeing tackling optional defense along with poor angles. I know Burnham is worshipped by a lot of folks around here but some of his best defensive performances can be offset by essentially Jr high defense in several games.
How do you know it hasn't happened. You can't coach speed.
And around the country and by his players. Jr High defense. Riiggghhhtttt.
Player development does not necessarily come from meaningful game time. Development comes from weight room, proper coaching techniques and putting guys in where they have a chance to succeed. Red shirts years are a great start. Get some guys in on special teams as a frosh and some spot duty as Sophomores. When they are Jr/Sr they are acclimated to speed, have been taught proper techniques and have the strength to compete against Big 12 caliber guys. We have seen too much where ISU lines are pushed around by FCS schools, Tulsa and Toledo. I can understand having issues against the Big 12 schools but not against those I have listed.
No but there is a reason coaches all the way from Jr. High to the NFL say you can't simulate game speed.
What makes you think they aren't. These guys are still one, two and three star recruits with one, two and three star speed. Plus special teams don't require mental speed, reading defenses, adjusting routes, reacting to plays ect...
Sounds like a recruiting issue.
If you can find a coach that has proven to do these things better then Rhoads at a school comparable to ISU then maybe I'll be all for it. So far no one has produced a name with a legitimate chance of either doing that or becoming our coach. Until that time I will hope Rhoads can develop some recruiting momentum which maybe only can come from coaching longevity and stability at ISU. And no that is not an endorsement of mediocrity or an unlimited timeframe.