How Recruiting and Results Work ( jmo )

[TuffGuy84]

The one thing I'll say about the recruiting subject is this. I do believe that the last 2 recruiting classes have been our best, and its true, but still, I'm worried about retention of our recruits by the staff. We did have some talent in the classes that should be juniors and seniors right now, but why aren't they being able to live up to their potential. As I look back at the 03 and 04 recruiting classes, I see alot of players who made no impact on the program, and I'm curious as to what happened, whether they quit, got hurt, or just remained deep on the depth chart. With how "young" we are right now, its a legitimate concern for alot of fans, we need to retain and help these recruits achieve their potential. Now, me personally, I dont give a crap where the recruits come from, If they can play, (and make the grades) I want them here. I think a legitimate response and reasoning for WHY we are young would go a long way to understanding why Bustle is in the position he is.

Tuffguy

[DrumRoll]

I do believe that the last 2 recruiting classes have been our best, and its true, but still, I'm worried about retention of our recruits by the staff. We did have some talent in the classes that should be juniors and seniors right now, but why aren't they being able to live up to their potential. As I look back at the 03 and 04 recruiting classes, I see alot of players who made no impact on the program, and I'm curious as to what happened, whether they quit, got hurt, or just remained deep on the depth chart. With how "young" we are right now, its a legitimate concern for alot of fans, we need to retain and help these recruits achieve their potential. Now, me personally, I dont give a crap where the recruits come from, If they can play, (and make the grades) I want them here. I think a legitimate response and reasoning for WHY we are young would go a long way to understanding why Bustle is in the position he is.

Tuffguy _

Let me try...

If your last 2 classes have been the overall best out of the last 4 years, why would it surprise you to be in the situation you are in? If the Freshmen and Sophomores are better than or equal to the juniors and seniors, you should play them, as their playing time creates a better future...

So, technically, you really sort of want this problem, because if you improve your recruiting class for 4 years in a row, each improved class makes some of the previous class's recruits, obsolete so to speak. This is like the guy in the commercial where his woodworking business is growing, you need some of those card slider things and some more...um...wood!

[MakoMaker]

Turbine,

You can either coach or you can't. I said it once, I'll say it a mill times. Dennis Erickson can coach. Ed Orgeron can't. Steve Spurrier can coach, Tommy Bowden can't. Rickey Bustle is in the can't category...always will be. Good coaches win games with avg players and great players get 'em to championships. You can send R. Bustle to BR to coach and that team would fall like a Fri night prom queen....why? cause he can't coach. Les Miles didn't need a 40 yr Beamer model at Ok St to win, he just won. Look at the coach that took his place, hadn't won a stick of gum since...why? Miles can coach and Gundy can't.

I don't make the rules Turbine, I just interpret. It's been that way since Pop Warner, it'll be that way forever.

[DrumRoll]

_ Turbine,

You can either coach or you can't. I said it once, I'll say it a mill times. Dennis Erickson can coach. Ed Orgeron can't. Steve Spurrier can coach, Tommy Bowden can't. Rickey Bustle is in the can't category...always will be. Good coaches win games with avg players and great players get 'em to championships. You can send R. Bustle to BR to coach and that team would fall like a Fri night prom queen....why? cause he can't coach. Les Miles didn't need a 40 yr Beamer model at Ok St to win, he just won. Look at the coach that took his place, hadn't won a stick of gum since...why? Miles can coach and Gundy can't.

I don't make the rules Turbine, I just interpret. It's been that way since Pop Warner, it'll be that way forever. _

I have no idea how long it's been since Pop Warner, but let's take a look at your proclamation that "Miles can coach and Gundy can't."

Les Miles as OC at OSU
1995 4-8
1996 5-6
1997 8-4

Les Miles as HC at OSU
2001 4-7
2002 8-5
2003 9-4
2004 7-5

Mike Gundy in 1st 2 seasons at OSU
2005 4-7
2006 7-6

OSU is 5-3 in 2007 so far...

Is Les Miles a class act? Sure he is, but he is certainly not the Captain Invincible Super Star Coach that you have made him out to be...

And it's ludicrous to even try and compare Bustle's situation to OSU and LSU. OSU has more funding than any other DI program in the country, and LSU is in the top 5.

College Football is a lot like NASCAR racing...the BS stops when the green flag drops, and no amount of BS is going to make up for a team's lack of funding...

[MakoMaker]

Wasn't even comparing the two. Making the point that when good coaches get a hold of a program they start winning...now, not six years. My point will be proven when Bustle is fired in 2 mos 2 yrs, whatever it takes and we have nothing to show for it.

Don't take my post and construe anything, I'm not making Miles out to be anything...but I will say this, this you will not have to twist my words around. Take Bustle and put him in BR to coach that team and he loses b/c HE CAN"T COACH!!!! It doesn't have anything to do with money...if that's the case let's fold the football program right now b/c we will never have big time money.

[CajunNation]

_
College Football is a lot like NASCAR racing...the BS stops when the green flag drops, and no amount of BS is going to make up for a team's lack of funding... _

There are 119 FBS(1-A) schools in America.


TEAM A

-- has a 19 million budget
-- there are alomost 100 FBS(1-A) schools with a larger budget
-- since '02 they are 65-9
-- since '02 they have gone to 5 bowl games
-- since '02 they have beaten Oregon State(twice), Iowa State, Oklahoma
-- they played and won in the FIESTA BOWL(BCS)

They are Boise State


TEAM B

-- has a 12 million budget
-- they have the 6th smallest budget in the FBS(1-A)
-- since '03, their 1st 1-A year, they have only had 1 losing season
-- since '03, they have gone to 2 bowl games
-- since '03, they have beaten Missouri, Oklahoma State
-- since '03, they have a 22-9 record against SBC schools

They are Troy


TEAM C

-- since '04, they are 9 points away from having 2 winning seasons
-- since '04, they have a 16-12 record against SBC schools
-- since '02, they are 4-1 against UL
-- they have the lowest budget in the FBS(1-A) and the lowest paid coaches

they are ULM



Using lack of funding as an excuse for losing is old, tired, and done by LOSERS.

[Turbine]

Les Miles didn't need a 40 yr Beamer model at Ok St to win, he just won. Look at the coach that took his place, hadn't won a stick of gum since...why? Miles can coach and Gundy can't.

Fair enough but OSU had been to a bowl game just 4 years before Miles took over, and yes he did take the Redshirt Seniors from that bowl recruiting class to a bowl of his own.

. . . and of course we know what he inherited at LSU.

[Just1More]

These posts are comical bordering on silly. Coaching or Talent? Talent or Experience? Admin or Money? Money or Ability? Speed or Size? Talent or Heart? How many pieces of the puzzle can you pit against one another before you realize that they are all pieces of the same puzzle?

They are interconnected, non-mutually exclusive, components that make up the end-point. BUT... if you want to keep slapping your brother on the back of the head because that is the way you are wired... go for it.

Oh... Turbine is an extraordinarily classy guy... but, if Bustle were a pig, Turbine has a vat of lipstick in tow to dress him up. I'm not saying he is a pig. But, if he doesn't make this "youthful, yet inexperienced talent" start showing signs of "well coached, youthful, yet inexperienced talent"... he is going to be a diamond head at UL (unemployed contractor leaning on the outside of the hurricane fence, watching someone else coach his team).

[Turbine]

TEAM C
-- since '04, they are 9 points away from having 2 winning seasons
-- since '04, they have a 16-12 record against SBC schools
-- since '02, they are 4-1 against UL
-- they have the lowest budget in the FBS(1-A) and the lowest paid coaches
they are ULM

Using lack of funding as an excuse for losing is old, tired, and done by LOSERS. _

I like posts like yours that helps put things into perspective and make me realize how far a team has to go to turn the corner. Then again sometimes teams not only take steps back from being there, sometimes they also take a step back from being close.

Along those lines . . .
In 2004 UL was 8 points away from a winning season and only 17 points away from an 8 win season.

In 2005 UL did have a winning season and was only 8 points away from having an 8 win season.

That's 25 points away from consecutive 8 win seasons.

In 2006 UL was 10 points away from a winning season.

That is 18 points away from 3 straight winning seasons

In 2007 (This year) OUCH I don't want to talk about it

[cajunlove]

_ I like posts like yours that helps put things into perspective and make me realize how far a team has to go to turn the corner. Then again sometimes teams not only take steps back from being there, sometimes they also take a step back from being close.

Along those lines . . .
In 2004 UL was 8 points away from a winning season and only 17 points away from an 8 win season.

In 2005 UL did have a winning season and was only 8 points away from having an 8 win season.

That's 25 points away from consecutive 8 win seasons.

In 2006 UL was 10 points away from a winning season.

That is 18 points away from 3 straight winning seasons

In 2007 (This year) OUCH I don't want to talk about it _

The bottom line is that those 18 points did not get scored, and the winning seasons did not happen. Programs are not built on "we were close." They are built on "we got it done."

I think that the prevailing attitude around here has for far too long and for as long as I can remember, included satisfaction with "making it close." "Getting close" is viewed by the excuse-makers as victory. The "triumphant loser" attitude and associated excuse making is the perfect way to continue repeating the failures that we have experienced so many times in the past. It's time for that attitude and all of the excuse making to be flushed. FACT.

[CajunShocker]

_ Here we go again with the recruiting quality. Learn some facts about the recruiting classes especially lasts years, which will be ready to play next year (some are allready playing) and the year after that then come here and talk smack. I am so sick of it. I guarantee these coaches are commited to building a great program. I guarantee they look at and offer local kids but hey one kickers dad...he probably knows it all!! Perhaps he has received NO letters because he really isn't that great and computer generated letters mean NOTHING so all of the other "letters" he has received mean nothing as well unless they are handwritten and unless a coach calls the player as often as allowed by then NCAA, then daddy can talk.Oh and by the way my son is not "a little coon ass"...have some respect and if you can't why don't you get out there and practice and play...let's see what level you're at...certainly know the level of your mouth. GRRRRRRRRRRR _

I reread my post to make sure that I did not make any derogatory comments and I don't think that I did, but since you decided to make it personal Mandy, I guess I can throw my hat in the ring too.

1st off, I don't need any facts about any recruiting classes to support my post. All I was doing was posing a question about the quality of our Florida recruits. Some have turned out to be pretty good, some have not. It costs a lot more money to recruit a kid out of Florida that is just OK, when you can probably find an OK kid from around Lafayette. But since you want facts, I went get some from Rivals.com. Here are our recruiting class rankings for the last 5 years.

2007 - 113th out of 124 (1 rated 3 stars, Jermaine Rogers)
2006 - 91st out of 125 (1 rated 3 stars, Korey Raymond)
2005 - 72nd out of 123 (3 rated 3 stars, 1 still on roster - Deon Wallace, 1 quit this year)
2004 - 97th out of 124 (0 rated 3 stars)
2003 - 56th out of 121 (4 rated 3 stars, 1 still on roster - Jordan Jackson)

Let me preface this by saying that you cannot arbitrarily rank talent, but rivals.com is about the best tool we have to come up with an answer. That being said, you told me to get facts about our previous recruiting classes, especially last years. Please let me know what is so special about last years recruiting class. Looks to be the worst out of the last 5 years, according to rivals. No offense, but I'll take rivals opinion over yours.

Secondly, I am not talking smack. I completely support all of ULs athletes and I think our coaches are great people. I base my opinions on results. We have had 1 winning season in the 6 years that Coach Bustle has been here. We are currently 1-7. He has had long enough, I am not seeing the results, sorry.

Thirdly, you think you are sick of it? Wow, your son just recently came to this school so I assume you became a fan sometime in the last two years and you are already sick of it. Imagine being a fan of UL for the past 25 years and seeing the same thing year after year. WE are sick of it.

Fourthly, about the kickers dad. I said in my post that I just met the guy and he could be blowing smoke. My point was that I don't think Bustle does a very good job of recruiting this area, which he doesn't. This is not the first time I have heard of recruits not even being contacted by UL when they live in ULs back yard. That's all I was saying.

Fifthly, what in the world makes you think that I was talking about your son? I don't even know who your son is. And don't believe the national media when they tell you that Nick Saban used the word coonass and WE consider it derogatory. I AM A LITTLE COONASS and proud of it, like a lot of cajuns are.

Sixthly, please don't pull that "why don't you get out there and play" bull____. I a little too old to be doing that, but let me tell you something. If I was blessed with some of these kids size, I would have been out there when I was in school. I played plenty of sports, and just because someone may not have the talent to play college ball does not mean that they can't be critical of the program that they spend there hard earned money supporting.

And finally, in regards to my "mouth". If you took offense to the word coon ass, I apologize. If you're not from here, maybe you don't quite understand what I meant by that and I am sorry if you took it the wrong way. But perhaps before you jump in here and go off on somebody's "mouth", you should take a second and think about the lifelong fans that spend the money that is currently paying for your son's education. Maybe you should show me some respect.

If any players read this, I'm sure you can handle it. If this hurts your feelings, then maybe you're not cut out for college athletics. If your goal is to go pro, better get accustomed to criticism.

[blackjack]

to responed to the statement of why we recruite Players From Fla. Well they are good all around ball players. Derrick Smith turned down Wisconson and Rutgers, Jason Cherry originally was committed to Ok State, Fred Davis was committed to Toledo then switch to the cajuns, Maurice Rolle turned down FAU, FIU and others, Frantz Accime Turned Down FIU, C. FLA Marshall and others to come to the cajuns. Verlin Moorer the same. Dont sound like 4th or 5th tier kids to me. Oh yeah Troy state has several kids on there team from Fla. Middle TN. But i do agree a better job needs to be done in Louisiana