The Biggest Problem With Our FB Program

[hogsanity]

I know many former teammates that loved Fayetteville and some still reside there. I'd pick Fayetteville over Tuscaloosa, Oxford, and Starkville any day.

Fayetteville is not the problem. The problem is that there are not enough SEC difference makers close enough to get them to bypass schools like Bama, LSU, GA, Auburn, Tn, etc to get them to come play here. Think about it, a player from somewhere in middle Alabama, good enough to play in the sec, is going to have to tell Bama, Aub, old misses, miss st and GA all no to come here. That is a lot of place close to home to by pass to come to Fayetteville.

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Well, with a class average of around 25, which puts them 8th or lower in the sec every year, how is it coaching alone that is keeping them from being in the top 25? When you have to play 6-8 teams in your conference every year that are getting better players it is lunacy to think that you are going to out coach enough of them to get 8 or 9 wins, which is what it takes to be in the top 25.

Yet people here will tell you that the players just need to want it more, regardless of actual ability.

Going 8-4 but drop a game to Toledo, that is coaching
blowing a 17 point lead at Rutgers
Losing to Mizzou in 2014 because you refuse to take out your QB that cant get off the ground on his own
blowing double digit leads to Mizzou and Va Tech
Having #1 Mississippi State beat but unable to convert a game winning FG
These are ways that coaching is keeping Arkansas from being a top 25 game. This is just a handful of them, but there are several more.

[hogsanity]

Going 8-4 but drop a game to Toledo, that is coaching
blowing a 17 point lead at Rutgers
Losing to Mizzou in 2014 because you refuse to take out your QB that cant get off the ground on his own
blowing double digit leads to Mizzou and Va Tech
Having #1 Mississippi State beat but unable to convert a game winning FG
These are ways that coaching is keeping Arkansas from being a top 25 game. This is just a handful of them, but there are several more.

Yes it was coaching that turned things around after the 1-3 start to end up with 8 wins.

Rutgers in 2013, without a fake punt and a hb pass, the Hogs are never ahead in that game.

Yes, the 2 mizzu losses and VT were coaching issues, imo too.

But you ignore the overall point. When you are constantly out recruited by half to 2/3rds of your league, you are not going to be a top 25 team because you play too many teams that are better than you. You say that having a top 25 class should result in a top 25 team ignores the fact of where the other top 24 classes. Go. YEa, if you get top 25 classes year after year and you are in the big12 or pac12, yea you should finish in the top 25.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Arkansas     15% African American
Alabama      27%
Georgia       32%
Mississippi    37%
Louisiana     32%
Tennessee    17%
South Car     26%
Fla               15%

The only state in the sec with a lower % of the population that is AA is Missouri. Also, Ar has the lowest total population in the SEC.

I had no idea Florida was such a waste land of talent.

[riccoar]

Fayetteville is not the problem. The problem is that there are not enough SEC difference makers close enough to get them to bypass schools like Bama, LSU, GA, Auburn, Tn, etc to get them to come play here. Think about it, a player from somewhere in middle Alabama, good enough to play in the sec, is going to have to tell Bama, Aub, old misses, miss st and GA all no to come here. That is a lot of place close to home to by pass to come to Fayetteville.

The problem is we will not do what it takes to get them to bypass those schools.  Not saying we should either.  I wish the Feds would clean up NCAA Football once they get through with basketball.

[Razorbackers]

wat?  Glad you asked.  This perception that you progressives paint of Fayetteville or Central AR like they could make part 2 of Mississippi Burning is effing laughable.  Hell, I thought I'd seen it all when Nuttbag was complaining about seeing "Like It Is" columns on the coffee table when he'd go for recruiting visits.  Now we have rampant Rebel flags sticker sightings?  God Bless America magnets?  Maybe we need Lanny to carve out the Safe Spaces forum for some of you guys.

You are, without a doubt, the most triggered person in this thread. So i don't know what the heck you're ranting about.

[hogsanity]

I had no idea Florida was such a waste land of talent.

Yea, they only have 6.5 times the population of Arkansas. The AA population in FLA is a more than the entire population of the state of AR.

[hogsanity]

The problem is we will not do what it takes to get them to bypass those schools.  Not saying we should either.  I wish the Feds would clean up NCAA Football once they get through with basketball.

So are you asserting that Bama and Ga and AUb etc all have to cheat to get kids to go there in stead of to come here? I mean, lets assume no cheating goes on at all ( YEs, I know ), would that mean the Hogs would have any better shot at landing kids from thse areas than they do now?

[Ex-Trumpet]

Yea, they only have 6.5 times the population of Arkansas. The AA population in FLA is a more than the entire population of the state of AR.

So what?  Recruit the best players, I don't care if they're plaid.

[Razorbackers]

Yea, they only have 6.5 times the population of Arkansas. The AA population in FLA is a more than the entire population of the state of AR.

Yeah, everybody here keeps glossing over how low our population is. That's kind of the biggest issue, folks. We don't have many people in the state, and most of the schools are small and don't have the population to statistically make many D1 athletes. It's not about "genetics", it's just straight up population.

[hogsanity]

So what?  Recruit the best players, I don't care if they're plaid.

Yea, cause no one else is recruiting them, no one closer to home, no one that is putting kids in the nfl at a high rate.

[geauxhawgs]

Recruiting. We can't consistently compete against the 4 and 5 star athletes that populate many of the rosters of our SEC opponents.

As much as I like Fayetteville, it is not in a fertile recruiting ground. The geographic area is sparsely-populated, and there are few elite, African Americans, and very little cultural attraction for African Americans. Little Rock used to be pretty good, but it's football culture is a shadow of its former self.

Our 1960s heyday was prior to integration. We've struggled since.

If you look at Hogville, where we have posters with rebel flags, a State flag with imagery that mimicks one, and avatars of confederate soldiers, you get the picture of the challenge we face.

Ever seen Alabama's state flag? It literally mimics one and is A LOT more similar than ours is to it. Thats B.S. and has got NOTHING to do with it. I will agree with you on the Fayetteville comments though. We are THE exception of schools that need to keep playing off campus...period. Keep meaningful games in LR (update the stadium!!) every year and you'll see us start getting more and more kids from not only South Arkansas, the Delta, and Central AR-- you WILL  see high school football improve in the state and we WILL get more recruits from Memphis, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. That is not a guess, that is a fact! Fayetteville is the least diverse place in the SEC.

Heck even in the Big 12- Texas, TCU, Oklahoma and KU are all either surrounded by or closer to more diversity than we are. Very difficult to think that's not part of the equation.

[hogsanity]

Yeah, everybody here keeps glossing over how low our population is. That's kind of the biggest issue, folks. We don't have many people in the state, and most of the schools are small and don't have the population to statistically make many D1 athletes. It's not about "genetics", it's just straight up population.

Well, it is both population and genetics. I see a lot of AR hs football, and for the most part the players are small and slow when compared to players in MIss, TX, LA, AL, Ga, Fl.

[Vantage 8 dude]

Well, it is both population and genetics. I see a lot of AR hs football, and for the most part the players are small and slow when compared to players in MIss, TX, LA, AL, Ga, Fl.

Well the only thing that I can think of is it must be in the water.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Well, it is both population and genetics. I see a lot of AR hs football, and for the most part the players are small and slow when compared to players in MIss, TX, LA, AL, Ga, Fl.

If they're slow and weak don't recruit them.  Take a look at Oregon's roster...not too many kids from the Pacific northwest.  In fact, there's a lot of kids from TX and the southeast.

Kids will leave home to play for a winner!  Or wear the most hideous uni's on the planet.

[hogsanity]

If they're slow and weak don't recruit them.  Take a look at Oregon's roster...not too many kids from the Pacific northwest.  In fact, there's a lot of kids from TX and the southeast.

Kids will leave home to play for a winner!  Or wear the most hideous uni's on the planet.

I agree, I would not spend a second recruiting Ar after the top 5 players in any given year. Someone posted here the other day they thought we needed MORE players from in state. The orster is already over half players from Ar, and that isnt working to well.

As for Texas, almost all the HS teams there have gone to spread finesse offenses and the defenses are suffering from having all the talent moved to offense. As a couple others have pointed out, only one sort of finesse team has won the sec, and even then they had really physical offensive and defensive lines.

[Ex-Trumpet]

I agree, I would not spend a second recruiting Ar after the top 5 players in any given year. Someone posted here the other day they thought we needed MORE players from in state. The orster is already over half players from Ar, and that isnt working to well.

As for Texas, almost all the HS teams there have gone to spread finesse offenses and the defenses are suffering from having all the talent moved to offense. As a couple others have pointed out, only one sort of finesse team has won the sec, and even then they had really physical offensive and defensive lines.

Yup, I blamed Jack Pardee in another thread for the demise of Texas HS football (you young pups just google him...).  Certainly the demise of good fundamental defense, anyways.

[Hog-Corleone]

Recruiting Problem:
Poor Recruiting Effort.
Poor Recruiting Evaluations.

Beyond Recruiting:
Poor Development of Players.
Poor Player Evaluation - (who plays)

It is just that simple...

[Inhogswetrust]

Arkansas     15% African American
Alabama      27%
Georgia       32%
Mississippi    37%
Louisiana     32%
Tennessee    17%
South Car     26%
Fla               15%

The only state in the sec with a lower % of the population that is AA is Missouri. Also, Ar has the lowest total population in the SEC.

The total lowest population is somewhat misleading when some states have more than one SEC or P5 schools in them. 

[JaketheSnake]

The total lowest population is somewhat misleading when some states have more than one SEC or P5 schools in them. 

The only state that is close to our population is Mississippi, which has more than double our AA population and payz!

The other issue is relative distance to recruits... we and Mizzou are in no-mans-land.

[hawgbawb]

wat?  Glad you asked.  This perception that you progressives paint of Fayetteville or Central AR like they could make part 2 of Mississippi Burning is effing laughable.  Hell, I thought I'd seen it all when Nuttbag was complaining about seeing "Like It Is" columns on the coffee table when he'd go for recruiting visits.  Now we have rampant Rebel flags sticker sightings?  God Bless America magnets?  Maybe we need Lanny to carve out the Safe Spaces forum for some of you guys.

snowflake

[hawgbawb]

We should be getting 3 or 4 AA studs (4* or better) out of metro LR every year.

We're not, because HS football is dead in LR. 

[Hog N Bama]

Ut uuum... I live in Alabama. More bigots per capita than anywhere in my opinion.  It's the capital of ignorance

[billieback]

In terms of state flags, care to guess this one?

Alabama. Why?

[geauxhawgs]

The only state that is close to our population is Mississippi, which has more than double our AA population and payz!

The other issue is relative distance to recruits... we and Mizzou are in no-mans-land.

Mizzou? Kansas City & St Louis no mans land? they're close to more talent than several schools in the SEC

[Ex-Trumpet]

In terms of state flags, care to guess this one?

[Cure]

Fayetteville is much improved, Long has done a great job in the AD changing perception, but the university still has a long way to go. Does it still get compared to Oxford or Tuscaloosa? No, but it's not too far removed from those comparisons and there's not much you can do about it.

OP has a lot of valid points.

[go hogues]

Spoken like a true confused liberal that doesn't think about all the facts involved.
P.S. That being said I think Morgan Freeman is right. Why notate minorities by their ancestry. He said he is American not African American. Nobody ever referred to me as European American. We are all Americans. No real need to add anything to that.

Racist gonna racist.

[hogsanity]

The total lowest population is somewhat misleading when some states have more than one SEC or P5 schools in them. 

How is it misleading? The total population is the total population. It has nothing to do with the # of schools. You can talk about # of schools dividing up available talent, but when the available talent is almost nil, does it matter if you are the only school or not?