In State Football Recruiting.

[Boomer]

Thanks T

…..So we have 6 guys I say we are hiding their rank!…..think this has worked in the past….Cajun T can you explain???

[cajun4life]

People who doubt this class are flat out wrong. It’s a very strong class and I’d bet money we have a NFL OL in the class as well. If he stays healthy and develops to his potential.

[CajunFun]

Guys…it’s quite simple. Louisiana has better rated HS players than LaTech in this class. LaTech has a ton of legit transfers…we don’t. Slice it however you want.

There are a couple of pieces to this story that we need to keep in mind.

1) Des is going to do this right. He's going to take his time, and recruit talent AND character. It will take a few years for him to put his imprimatur on the team.

But for those of us who watched him play, we should be hopeful. Des is a fierce competitor, and he was a beast on the field. And he loves UL. He's going to bring that passion, and his competitiveness, to every aspect of Cajuns football.

And oddly, he's the mascot for what he's trying to do, he's a great example of why we shouldn't pay too much attention to the ranking services: Des wasn't a ranked recruit. UL was just about the only school that offered him.

And look what he accomplished. He is still in our school record books in several categories.

But don't expect miracles, certainly not tomorrow. And maybe, don't expect them ever. My suspicion is that we will end up with the kinds of teams that Robe had: always competitive, often in the Top 25, but only occasionally bumping the rafters. If character is more important than win-at-all-costs, then obviously we're going to pass on some talent. We don't have to look far to see teams who have recruited talented but undisciplined players who turned out to be thugs.

Then compare our situation to LTU: they are shell-shocked for several reasons. They need to beef up their team now. You recruit experienced players when you need talent immediately. Tech doesn't have the luxury of time that we're giving Des.

2) Des started last season with only half of the scholarship players he coached in the NO Bowl. One of the interesting things that is only occasionally mentioned in passing, is that some of the players he inherited, he invited to leave.

So, what kind of players was Billy recruiting? Was he as focused on character as Des is, and as Robe was?

3) This last one is more speculative on my part, but LTU, more and more, is about appearances over substance. Renaud was spending money to make LTU look like a big school... and meanwhile, he wasn't investing in things like faculty salaries, not even in Engineering, which was always LTU's strong suit. So now as the older profs are retiring, LTU doesn't have the money to hire quality new faculty.

Over and over, we catch LTU trying to look like something they're not. We don't call them 'Louisiana Tarp University' for nothing. Those tarps are a metaphor for the whole school: smoke & mirrors, make the school look like there's more there than there actually is.

You still have to admire Renaud: he kept swinging for the fences, and the b*stard kept scoring. Problem is, Renaud is gone and all LTU now knows of playing the game is the long ball. But they aren't clearing the fences any more, and they don't know any other way to bat.

They are in disarray. From what I see, their problems are just starting. It's going to get a lot worse in Ruston before it gets better.

[Boomer]

…….the Ltur guy I hated along with the past AD was their president Taylor…..he kept them alive back when we really should have had separation from them! No doubt however the AD had that superior attitude which turned off the CUSAs!

[CajunFun]

…….the Ltur guy I hated along with the past AD was their president Taylor…..he kept them alive back when we really should have had separation from them! No doubt however the AD had that superior attitude which turned off the CUSAs!

People at other C-USA schools told me several stories about how offensive the LTU culture is... and yes, that starts at the top, with the Pres & the AD. The only story I can remember is one I've mentioned here before, when UAB dropped football for a couple of years, at a (basketball?) game, the LTU fans began taunting them by chanting, "We've got football."

The other C-USA schools, who have a long relationship with UAB, were shocked.