Same old story

[ChicoHog]

I keep hearing on this board "you can't recruit to Arkansas ". I'm just sick of this talk. Have any of you been to the towns where big time programs are?? Have any of you be to Tuscaloosa? How about Starkville? College Station really?? I have lived in Tuscaloosa and been to those programs towns and locations and they have nothing on Fayetteville.  Have any if you thought how much growth and the number of companies that located to NWA? The absolute number of opportunities kids have in that location? I doubt it. I graduated from Ohio State and Columbus is a great town but it isn't Vegas.  The Arkansas program facilities are second to none. What we have to do is recruit the best we can and win. Winning takes care of a lot of things. Before you guys say the chicken and egg thing I remind you with better coaching / coaches we should have won 9 games this year. Worst coaching on the defensive side I have ever witnessed in my life. We are recruiting better and with better coaching we will win with leads to better recruiting results.

It's not about the towns themselves but more about their proximity to HS talent.  Winning of course helps tremendously. 

[The_Iceman]

it's not about the town.  It is about the amount of talent within 200-300 miles of the town. 

this crap just isn't that hard.

Bingo!!!

[1highhog]

My prediction was 8-4, 9-4 after bowl game. Its crazy that how some of the losses went down combined with losing to Mizzou, no matter what the score, just totally changed my outlook. 

I had us going 6-6 before the Season started because of our QB and our OLine.  I was actually counting on our defense to get us the 6 wins and our losses were coming because of and inept offensive line, I was right about the Oline, but totally whiffed on our defense.  If we had finished winning those last two games I'd be okay with the season, but, we didn't.  So I want to see some changes for next season in our assistant coaching ranks, if not, then next year will I promise you will be a failure and I hope CB will be on the hot seat, and I've been a huge supporter of his since he was first hired.  But he has to take responsibility being Head Coach and fix the problems on this team, and it starts with coaching.

[hog47]

Take a look at the rosters and their hometown of the top football programs.  What you find is a lot of their players are from home states, however, many of their top recruits are from states that are 250 plus miles from campus. Many are from across country. They recruit on a national basis. My point is again, is winning on a consistent basis builds a tradition,  which attracts top talent. We are surrounded by states that have great talent. Miss, OK, Texas, Louisiana.  My God, there is loads of great talent not that far from Arkansas.  Our challenge is keeping the best talent in Arkansas and getting our share of out of state talent. Again, winning on a consistent basis, getting great coaching will get us where we all want.

[hawgfan4life]

Take a look at the rosters and their hometown of the top football programs.  What you find is a lot of their players are from home states, however, many of their top recruits are from states that are 250 plus miles from campus. Many are from across country. They recruit on a national basis. My point is again, is winning on a consistent basis builds a tradition,  which attracts top talent. We are surrounded by states that have great talent. Miss, OK, Texas, Louisiana.  My God, there is loads of great talent not that far from Arkansas.  Our challenge is keeping the best talent in Arkansas and getting our share of out of state talent. Again, winning on a consistent basis, getting great coaching will get us where we all want.

Agree 100%.  However, the catch is AR fans will never be patient enough with a coach to build a program before a large segment turn like rabid dogs because they dislike the offense or defense or philosophies employed or recruiting or etc...

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Most top football programs recruit nationally.  They can attract talent from all over in significant numbers.  We have never done that.  Never come close to doing that. 

BTW, you can look at our roster and see that we have many who aren't from within 250 miles.  They're just not the elite players.  Those players are the ones we don't get in significant numbers.  A stud from Georgia isnt coming to Fayetteville when he can go to UGA or BAMA or Clemson. 

I still don't know if we've signed a LA kid that had an offer to LSU.  I mean we have LA kids, all pretty good, but not elite.  None offered by LSU.

[ricepig]

Most top football programs recruit nationally.  They can attract talent from all over in significant numbers.  We have never done that.  Never come close to doing that. 

BTW, you can look at our roster and see that we have many who aren't from within 250 miles.  They're just not the elite players.  Those players are the ones we don't get in significant numbers.  A stud from Georgia isnt coming to Fayetteville when he can go to UGA or BAMA or Clemson. 

I still don't know if we've signed a LA kid that had an offer to LSU.  I mean we have LA kids, all pretty good, but not elite.  None offered by LSU.

You don't think Guidry had a LSU offer?

[roothawg]

until kids in our state are developed from an early age there never will be a bunch of kids out of our state to choose from

[Bubba's Bruisers]

You don't think Guidry had a LSU offer?

I said I didn't know.  Who else?

[ricepig]

I said I didn't know.  Who else?

Not sure, Harris had a Bama offer, but not a LSU offer.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Not sure, Harris had a Bama offer, but not a LSU offer.

LA kids were just an example.  You get the point, I'm sure.  We rarely actually get elite kids from out of state when they have offers to their home state program.  We pick off a few here and there, but our program doesn't have the juice to do it in any measurable way.  tOSU or MI or Clemson or TN can do it, but we never have.

[colbs]

LA kids were just an example.  You get the point, I'm sure.  We rarely actually get elite kids from out of state when they have offers to their home state program.  We pick off a few here and there, but our program doesn't have the juice to do it in any measurable way.  tOSU or MI or Clemson or TN can do it, but we never have.

Most elite kids in Louisiana and Alabama don't leave the state.  Sure some do but the majority do not.

[RazorPiggie]

There's only about 4 to 5 coaches that would be able to get a top 10 class to Fay. Saban, Meyer, Dabo, and maybe Jimbo. Any other coach is going to be about the same as we are now unless something is going on behind the scenes.

And yes it's around 300 miles where you are going to get 75% of your recruits. We don't have that much talent in that radius.

[1highhog]

Another thing is the fact t hat when we used to be in the old SWC there was a big 3 in the Conference year after year, until the rampant cheating scandals hit the Conference and shook things up.  Our program was apart of that big 3, SD o we had a huge recruiting reach into Texas.  Now with several of our old SWC rivals that used to be doormats having pretty good Football programs that are ranked more often than we are it's hard for us to get our foot in the door of really high rated recruits in big numbers like we used to.

It also didn't help at all when A/M joined the SEC.  Alot of people even on this board were all for them being in the SEC, I couldn't ever understand the reasoning behind that, I knew that would kill our little bit of recruiting we still had in Texas and it has.

[al_pigcino]

I like how everyone says Fayetteville is a great place to live and offers more than XXX town when they are biased and lived there.  Most of the kids in the talent rich towns haven't been to Northern Arkansas.  How many of the towns like Junction City, Warren, and Pine Bluff have elite athletes that visited Fayetteville?  Most in Southern Arkansas go to Shreveport/Monroe.  It's closer.  The U of A has never been a strong presence in Lower Arkansas.  When I was in school you'd see as many kids wearing North Carolina or Miami jackets as you would Arkansas coats.  I had never visited Fayetteville until I was over 21.......

[GoHogzzGo]

Our perspective is so messed up by being in the SEC. If we actually finish 21st that is great! So many programs would kill for that number, good good programs. USCe and MSU being so high is a product of their good recruiting coaches and will drop again soon.

21st is plenty good to win 9+ games. Think in context of the polls, I'd take being ranked 21st in a heart beat. Some years better or worse.

Having Saban in our division and schools being so competitive in the south is the only reason so many schools are ranked near or ahead of us in conference.

Look at ole miss, they are already regressing to where they should be. Bielema is underperforming on the field, but not in recruiting.

[hogcard1964]

Wait till this bowl game really settles in? Lets hope we don't lose a few. Also doubt Calloway wants to come here anymore

I also believe the way we played at the end of the season will sway some kids negatively.  I never imagined we'd actually become worse recruiting, but it appears we just may have.