JuCo signees

[CharlieK]

I simply think that our football program has fallen to a level that's lower than most realize. We could easily struggle for a couple of years while we rebuild with high school signees,or we can strategically plug some holes with juco signees and turn things around in 2018.

I also believe that Tulane is vastly improving its program, and that Tech has things rolling pretty well for its program right now. This is why I feel such a huge sense of urgency for UL to turn things around immediately (as in 2018). I think we all should.

Whether anyone wants to admit it or not, we do compete with both Tulane and Tech for players. ULM, not so much maybe, but we can not afford to loose any more ground to Tulane and Tech than we have these last two years of the Dud's reign.

I think we've made an excellent choice in our new head coach. I'm just hoping everyone in the UL administration has communicated to him the need for IMMEDIATE improvement.

Merry Christmas to you Zee, and to all Cajun fans wherever you may be.

We have definitely fallen behind. That’s why we fired Hud and hired Napier. We should maybe give him a bit to work his plan.

[talktomewillis]

I think I'm the opposite.

Take your time. Build it. Build it to last.

Signing a slew of JUCO's isn't the answer.

[Turbine]

I think I'm the opposite.

Take your time. Build it. Build it to last.

Signing a slew of JUCO's isn't the answer.

If you sign too many high schoolers in an off kilter year you will always be off balance every 4 to 5 years.

17 or 18 HS recruits backfilled with Juco talent will get your program fully on track within 5 years.

[cajun4life]

If you sign too many high schoolers in an off kilter year you will always be off balance every 4 to 5 years.

17 or 18 HS recruits backfilled with Juco talent will get your program fully on track within 5 years.

We don’t “need” juco’s. What we need is to not miss on 30% of our recruits and have another 10% never make it on campus like we experienced with Hudspeth.

[cajun_lannister]

I think I'm the opposite.

Take your time. Build it. Build it to last.

Signing a slew of JUCO's isn't the answer.

We have major holes that need to be filled JUCO's are the answer giving you all year to get a strong 2019 class that way you can have the 2019 class sophomores or RS freshmen when this year Juco class leaves

[Turbine]

We don't "need" juco's. What we need is to not miss on 30% of our recruits and have another 10% never make it on campus like we experienced with Hudspeth.

It comes down to whether or not you want a balanced system or an unbalanced system.

If you go out and sign 25 freshmen this year you will have a very experienced team in 4 years but you will be starting over every 4 years.

Getting stuck in a great to poor cycle is not what you want.

17 or 18 freshmen signees per year is optimal if you want 5th year seniors from your red shirt program.

21 or 22 HS signees is optimal for a 4-year rollover system.

Stacking freshmen to fill a roster is unbalanced.

To get your program on a sustained even keel you need a good red shirt program and sign 17-18 high school seniors each year.

The problem right now coming off probation is UL has openings but going all HS now will put UL in the exact same boat in 4 years.

Juco is the Great balancer.

jmo

[CajunEXPRESS]

It comes down to whether or not you want a balanced system or an unbalanced system.

If you go out and sign 25 freshmen this year you will have a very experienced team in 4 years but you will be starting over every 4 years.

Getting stuck in a great to poor cycle is not what you want.

17 or 18 freshmen signees per year is optimal if you want 5th year seniors from your red shirt program.

21 or 22 HS signees is optimal for a 4-year rollover system.

Stacking freshmen to fill a roster is unbalanced.

To get your program on a sustained even keel you need a good red shirt program and sign 17-18 high school seniors each year.

The problem right now coming off probation is UL has openings but going all HS now will put UL in the exact same boat in 4 years.

Juco is the Great balancer.

Just a lotta hot air above.

First of all you can absolutely balance with 25 signed a year.
Some will red shirt, some will play as true freshman, some will be injured and cannot continue, some will be misses and quit, some will transfer.

In any case it's absolutely ludicrous to build a program strictly on a mathematical basis. If you were greatly successful with 2/3 of your signed players your 5th year couldn't be 25. Yes in there there'd be a need to back fil with juco and graduate transfers. Go ahead and sign the best 25 available.

[Just1More]

This is what we do on here. Talk amongst ourselves... speculating. I do think we all agree we've brought someone in to run our football program that doesn't need us telling him what he needs to do. He doesn't need to be told of an "urgency". He doesn't need us telling him how many recruits he is missing during early signing. He doesn't need us telling him he does or doesn't need JUCOs... or that he should try to win asap... or wait on his ideal high caliber program specific high schoolers to build an ideal Napier program.

All Napier needs from us is advice on Cajun cuisine and the best Ragin Cajun places to begin his association. My gut tells me he has a plan formulating with staff, recruits, and winning that exceeds our advice. But we definitely know more about how to pass a good time in Acadiana.

[NewsCopy]

Just a lotta hot air above.

First of all you can absolutely balance with 25 signed a year.
Some will red shirt, some will play as true freshman, some will be injured and cannot continue, some will be misses and quit, some will transfer.

In any case it's absolutely ludicrous to build a program strictly on a mathematical basis. If you were greatly successful with 2/3 of your signed players your 5th year couldn't be 25. Yes in there there'd be a need to back fil with juco and graduate transfers. Go ahead and sign the best 25 available.

I hope UL never signs 25 highschoolers again.

Why would anyone request to be so inexperienced the following year?

A recipe for disaster.

[Just1More]

I think I'm the opposite.

Take your time. Build it. Build it to last.

Signing a slew of JUCO's isn't the answer.

If you don't have a large high school class, what's wrong with snagging some JUCOs? I agree that you don't overload the team with them. But if we have gaps (chasms) on our lines and line backing corps... we must seek out some immediate impact JUCOs. One problem with this idea of "slow rolling" the "perfect program" is that if you have a dismal performance in 2018... you will not recruit as well for 2019. You don't forego anything to stabilize the program, trying to win games and compete. If that means bringing in certain JUCOs, you do it. There are JUCOs that were recruited by P5s that are ready for action in FBS. But they don't now factor into the P5s. We need some. And they don't sit idle in your program. They're in and out... giving you a shot in the arm.

There's no penalty for grabbing some instant contributing JUCOs. Napier can't go scorched earth theory... and try really really hard over a span of losing... to convince his ideal recruits to be "Napier Cajuns". ... with an unrealistic expectation that they'll deliver us a winning program. This situation is not unique to us or Napier. Every program... that results in a fired coach due to poor results... has this almost exact situation ahead of them.

I'll even add that Hud did not "devastate" this program. He weakened it. But it has some fast flex recovery if Napier knows how to use it.