Robb Smith and recruiting...

[twistitup]

If they have any concerns about moving that far and if they'd like it, they should talk to Pat Bradley.

He's a perfect example....from 20 years ago

[Cletus]

It is a loooong ways.  But didn't we have a kid from NJ a few years ago?

I bet you're thinking about Matt Hewitt.

[bobpantsspongesquare]

The guy has the resume and time will tell if he can help the Hogs. Anything else is assumption.

[Chief Mac]

Our coordinators do pull their weight, as much praise Pittman gets for getting his kids, chaney is right there with him every time. I think it was Ragnow who said that Chaney played a big role in his commitment. The fact is, his territories don't matter when he's a coordinator. Only thing that matters is how good of a salesman he is. Nobody knows how he is in the living room, but it's foolish to bash his recruiting abilities when you don't know one way or the other

I'm not bashing his abilities, I'm simply saying he has nothing in his resume to lead one to believe he is good or bad.  Add to the fact that we only have three coaches on staff with ANY sort of connection within our traditional recruiting footprint, the situation does lend itself worthy of discussion.

You get kids interested in a school via two approaches, connections with the high school/area or track record of putting kids in the NFL.  This guy has neither so it should be understandable why some of us are underwhelmed

[Hogvillage Idiot]

I know that Rivals is no longer considered "in", but I did a quick check and in 2013 Texas had right around 150 recruits rated 3* and above while New Jersey had 23!

I know that if I were fishing which lake I would drop my hook in!

Yeah, always go for the popular chick.

[Pork Twain]

Quick!  Without looking it up, name 9 of the 14 DC's in the SEC.  I mean, without a name, they're terrible right?

Some folks are so enamored with a name that they throw poo at anything that doesn't go their way.  Kinda sounds like... oh yeah, a baby.

We saw the same crap with our DL coach.  Hogville posters crack me up.

[IBleedRazorbackRed]

I'm not bashing his abilities, I'm simply saying he has nothing in his resume to lead one to believe he is good or bad.  Add to the fact that we only have three coaches on staff with ANY sort of connection within our traditional recruiting footprint, the situation does lend itself worthy of discussion.

You get kids interested in a school via two approaches, connections with the high school/area or track record of putting kids in the NFL.  This guy has neither so it should be understandable why some of us are underwhelmed

And our traditional recruiting has been pretty successful right?

Rutgers has had a good number of players drafted over the years that he was on staff, so I disagree with the putting players in the nfl part. Sure, he doesn't have Texas connections but he's not gonna be the guy to go in there and make first contact. Joel goes in there, makes the contact then smith comes in to help him seal the deal. You don't know how he is as a recruiter, so it's foolish to write him off prematurely.

[Fayettechill14]

New Jersey is 13th in FBS talent per year. Here are the schools that regularly recruit that region, by proximity and then by prestige:

Rutgers
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Connecticut
Boston College
Syracuse
Temple

New Jersey produced 47 players that signed with FBS schools last year. It's a gold mine, almost as much as south Florida.

[opineonswine]

I know that Rivals is no longer considered "in", but I did a quick check and in 2013 Texas had right around 150 recruits rated 3* and above while New Jersey had 23!

I know that if I were fishing which lake I would drop my hook in!

Me too.  Both of 'em.

[Fayettechill14]

I'm aware that Texas has more high-ranked recruits than New Jersey, but that doesn't help that much. Here's an example:

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

Well, ultimately, you want to become one of the guys that can frequent the first bar with confidence, but that's not you right now. If you want a woman tonight, you're gonna have to go to the second bar.

We're getting slaughtered in Texas. The only players we are getting from there are guys that Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and LSU don't want. Don't even get me started on schools like TCU, SMU, Baylor, Houston, UTEP, UTSA, Tulsa, and others that recruit Texas as a priority. We don't get points for just "being at the party." We need to get players, and outside of Solomon Thomas we're not even finalists for our major Texas targets, with good reason. We went 3-9 last year. Running backs like Knile Davis and Jonathan Williams are great, but we have a reputation with RBs anyway and can get them from anywhere (like south Florida).

If we can sign and win with players from New Jersey that we wrestled away from Rutgers and Boston College, then in the future, when our stock is higher, we can go back into Texas with some swagger and win more battles.

Right now, hiring a recruiter isn't the solution. Winning more games is.

[gmarv]

 our problem with texas recruiting seems to me is. texas gets first pick oklahoma gets second pick  a&m gets third pick  lsu gets fourth pick and i,m not sure were even fifth with okla state baylor and us fighting over the few
top flight recruits the top four don,t have room for. and then we lose the best
potential recruit we could of signed to stanford.

insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different
results.maybe recruiting fla. and n.j hard is worth a try.

[Uncommon]

I'm aware that Texas has more high-ranked recruits than New Jersey, but that doesn't help that much. Here's an example:

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

Well, ultimately, you want to become one of the guys that can frequent the first bar with confidence, but that's not you right now. If you want a woman tonight, you're gonna have to go to the second bar.

We're getting slaughtered in Texas. The only players we are getting from there are guys that Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and LSU don't want. Don't even get me started on schools like TCU, SMU, Baylor, Houston, UTEP, UTSA, Tulsa, and others that recruit Texas as a priority. We don't get points for just "being at the party." We need to get players, and outside of Solomon Thomas we're not even finalists for our major Texas targets, with good reason. We went 3-9 last year. Running backs like Knile Davis and Jonathan Williams are great, but we have a reputation with RBs anyway and can get them from anywhere (like south Florida).

If we can sign and win with players from New Jersey that we wrestled away from Rutgers and Boston College, then in the future, when our stock is higher, we can go back into Texas with some swagger and win more battles.

Right now, hiring a recruiter isn't the solution. Winning more games is.

+1.  Some much needed critical thinking in here.

[swinesation]

I'm a HUGE proponent of recruiting Florida and love the fact we are getting 2-4 kids a year out of Miami but even I realize we need to hit our traditional recruiting footprint.  Can't do that with only two coaches with connections in those areas.  We will continue to suffer in Texas, Oklahoma, and the Memphis area

McGee was awesome recruiting Oklahoma. It hurt Petrino's recruiting when he left.

[Hogvillage Idiot]

McGee was awesome recruiting Oklahoma. It hurt Petrino's recruiting when he left.

Didn't hurt Petrino's recruiting at all seeing as how he followed McGee out the door.

[jvanhorn]

Dallas to Fville - 350 miles - what the ---- is going on there?

Texas, OU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State

[Big Daddy]

Dallas to Fville - 350 miles - what the ---- is going on there?

Springdale Harber High School to University of Arkansas - 9 miles

[hogcard1964]

YO HE'S A GOOD HIRE.  FA REAL!!!!

Here's our new safeties and corners for 2014.

[Pathogen]

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

There's an Aggie joke in here somewhere.

[Karma]

Recruiting New Jersey is a waste of time. Way to far away. We need to do a better job in Louisiana,Kansas,Missouri,Oklahoma,and Texas. Auburn,Florida,and Oregon out recruited us in Kansas. Nebraska practicly owns west Missouri.

It's closer than Miami.

[twistitup]

Texas, OU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State

Sec schools - 1

What's your point? We can't out recruit big 12 schools?

[Bebop]

If we can pull one or more good to great recruit from New Jersey, then this hire may very well be a good hire from a recruiting standpoint.

I agree that we need to make our presence known more in the surrounding states (Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, etc) . However, the key for us may be finding places that have good recruits that we don't have a natural footprint in and where kids may be willing to leave the state to play elsewhere. New Jersey may hold that for us. 

[Dirty]

If you think its easier to recruit NJ than TX then keep on spinning

How do yo know?  Have you tried to recruit NJ?

[weresoclose]

Even IF Bobby can recruit NJ, is there much of a crop of football players willing to leave the Northeast for Arkansas??

[GlassofSwine]

 New Jersey is actually the same distance away as South Florida, slightly closer than Miami. We just pulled 5 recruits from South Florida & Miami this year. So obviously kids are willing to skip the multitude of schools in between Miami and here and come the distance to Arkansas. If we can pull 2 or 3 New Jersey kids a year than that would be huge.

[secneahog]

I'm aware that Texas has more high-ranked recruits than New Jersey, but that doesn't help that much. Here's an example:

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

Well, ultimately, you want to become one of the guys that can frequent the first bar with confidence, but that's not you right now. If you want a woman tonight, you're gonna have to go to the second bar.

We're getting slaughtered in Texas. The only players we are getting from there are guys that Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and LSU don't want. Don't even get me started on schools like TCU, SMU, Baylor, Houston, UTEP, UTSA, Tulsa, and others that recruit Texas as a priority. We don't get points for just "being at the party." We need to get players, and outside of Solomon Thomas we're not even finalists for our major Texas targets, with good reason. We went 3-9 last year. Running backs like Knile Davis and Jonathan Williams are great, but we have a reputation with RBs anyway and can get them from anywhere (like south Florida).

If we can sign and win with players from New Jersey that we wrestled away from Rutgers and Boston College, then in the future, when our stock is higher, we can go back into Texas with some swagger and win more battles.

Right now, hiring a recruiter isn't the solution. Winning more games is.

+1000000.   Post of the year.  You nailed the crap out of it. You went up high in my books Chill.

[IBleedRazorbackRed]

Even IF Bobby can recruit NJ, is there much of a crop of football players willing to leave the Northeast for Arkansas??

Seems like we've gotten 2 in the recent past without having a coach with ties up there. I think its very possible to get 2 a year from up there with Smith on staff.

[trashcan maN]

Great post FC. It's kind of sad that things have to be broken down on an anecdotal level around here..

[hogcard1964]

It's gone a full 160 degrees from this guy actually being a legitimate DC to being hired because he may be able to recruit an area over 1000 miles away.

Holy Mackeral Batman!

[Dirty]

It's gone a full 160 degrees from this guy actually being a legitimate DC to being hired because he may be able to recruit an area over 1000 miles away.

Holy Mackeral Batman!

No one knows what this man can do but beat our ass.  I am willing to give him a chance.

[seasonhog]

I'm aware that Texas has more high-ranked recruits than New Jersey, but that doesn't help that much. Here's an example:

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

Well, ultimately, you want to become one of the guys that can frequent the first bar with confidence, but that's not you right now. If you want a woman tonight, you're gonna have to go to the second bar.

We're getting slaughtered in Texas. The only players we are getting from there are guys that Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and LSU don't want. Don't even get me started on schools like TCU, SMU, Baylor, Houston, UTEP, UTSA, Tulsa, and others that recruit Texas as a priority. We don't get points for just "being at the party." We need to get players, and outside of Solomon Thomas we're not even finalists for our major Texas targets, with good reason. We went 3-9 last year. Running backs like Knile Davis and Jonathan Williams are great, but we have a reputation with RBs anyway and can get them from anywhere (like south Florida).

If we can sign and win with players from New Jersey that we wrestled away from Rutgers and Boston College, then in the future, when our stock is higher, we can go back into Texas with some swagger and win more battles.

Right now, hiring a recruiter isn't the solution. Winning more games is.

The women gets better looking at closeing time....or is that recruits.

[tophawg19]

This is where the SEC comes into play. Do you want to go with ND and play against the likes of Pitt and other schools, or do you want to showcase your talents against the SEC? Do you want live in the miserable weather of Ohio or Michigan or get nicer weather down south? This obviously won't work for every big time recruit up there, but it could very well work for a few of the better recruits.

i agree somewhat but there are a number of SEC teams closer too. i think NOTRE DAMN is the biggest enemy up there . although pitt , BC and syracuse moving to the ACC  makes it even tougher .

[tophawg19]

we went UP there this year to try for several and struck out . our coaches can hit several schools in a day in Texas in the amount of time it would take to see 1 in jersey and at less expense

[trashcan maN]

we went UP there this year to try for several and struck out . our coaches can hit several schools in a day in Texas in the amount of time it would take to see 1 in jersey and at less expense

Schools are open from X time to Y time. You fly in before X and leave after Y regardless of where you're going. You can hit all the schools you want anywhere you're going. And I really don't think we're breaking the bank on plane tickets. You're reaching

[seasonhog]

we went UP there this year to try for several and struck out . our coaches can hit several schools in a day in Texas in the amount of time it would take to see 1 in jersey and at less expense

If Ar doesn't go hard at Tx in recruiting we are in a heap of trouble.

It seems there are some strange things going on at Ar, hope they work out.

[weresoclose]

So if we didn't hire Rob for recruiting, what was it?  What made him rise to the top of the list?

[Pathogen]

So if we didn't hire Rob for recruiting, what was it?  What made him rise to the top of the list?

Showing great potential as a DC?

[hogcard1964]

No one knows what this man can do but beat our ass.  I am willing to give him a chance.

Based on that reasoning, we should have hired any given member from any of the teams that helped us lose 17 games over the past two years.

[Dirty]

Based on that reasoning, we should have hired any given member from any of the teams that helped us lose 17 games over the past two years.

We did dumb ass!

[PygmalionEffect]

I'm aware that Texas has more high-ranked recruits than New Jersey, but that doesn't help that much. Here's an example:

You can pick between two bars to go out to tonight. The first bar has many more hot women, but it also has WAY more men, and most of them are Marines or professional baseball players. The second bar has fewer hot women, but it has a favorable female to male ratio and less impressive guys. Which do you go to?

Well, ultimately, you want to become one of the guys that can frequent the first bar with confidence, but that's not you right now. If you want a woman tonight, you're gonna have to go to the second bar.

We're getting slaughtered in Texas. The only players we are getting from there are guys that Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and LSU don't want. Don't even get me started on schools like TCU, SMU, Baylor, Houston, UTEP, UTSA, Tulsa, and others that recruit Texas as a priority. We don't get points for just "being at the party." We need to get players, and outside of Solomon Thomas we're not even finalists for our major Texas targets, with good reason. We went 3-9 last year. Running backs like Knile Davis and Jonathan Williams are great, but we have a reputation with RBs anyway and can get them from anywhere (like south Florida).

If we can sign and win with players from New Jersey that we wrestled away from Rutgers and Boston College, then in the future, when our stock is higher, we can go back into Texas with some swagger and win more battles.

Right now, hiring a recruiter isn't the solution. Winning more games is.

That's simply incorrect.  I agree with your basic premise that we need to search high and low for recruits and use our ties to the SEC to sign players a far distance from the south that might not normally be given an offer from an SEC school, but our recruiting in Texas is not as bad as your post indicates. 

As crappy as we've been the last two seasons, the two recruits we got from Texas were not leftovers that all those teams above didn't want.  They were both highly sought by several teams on your list.

Hopefully we start performing better on the field this year and we start getting 5-6 highly recruited players out of Texas instead of just 2.

[MountieDawg]

I AM NOT A SMART MAN

[secneahog]

That's simply incorrect.  I agree with your basic premise that we need to search high and low for recruits and use our ties to the SEC to sign players a far distance from the south that might not normally be given an offer from an SEC school, but our recruiting in Texas is not as bad as your post indicates. 

As crappy as we've been the last two seasons, the two recruits we got from Texas were not leftovers that all those teams above didn't want.  They were both highly sought by several teams on your list.

Hopefully we start performing better on the field this year and we start getting 5-6 highly recruited players out of Texas instead of just 2.

5 in Bielemas first two classes from Texas.

[secneahog]

Smith's defense gave up more than 40 points 5 times last year in the awful Big East....  Gotta give it to the Ugly Uncle for making a great attempt to shine a teed!

Do you even know what your talking about?? 
He was at the Tampa Bay Buck this past year!
You have to pull up the 2012 schedule to see his defense.

[hogwild210]

Heck we should appease your every desire. What the heck was CBB thinking not consulting you? 

Are you familiar with the concept of a message board?

[trashcan maN]

Smith's defense gave up more than 40 points 5 times last year in the awful Big East....  Gotta give it to the Ugly Uncle for making a great attempt to shine a teed!

:///

[IBleedRazorbackRed]

Smith's defense gave up more than 40 points 5 times last year in the awful Big East....  Gotta give it to the Ugly Uncle for making a great attempt to shine a teed!

The buccaneers play in the Big East?

[Dirty]

Smith's defense gave up more than 40 points 5 times last year in the awful Big East....  Gotta give it to the Ugly Uncle for making a great attempt to shine a teed!

A little more research

[opineonswine]

A little more research

crickets

[MountieDawg]

A little more research

NOT ONE BIT

[Bebop]

52 to Fresno State
52 to SMU
49 to Houston
52 to CINN
41 to Central FL

Smith wasn't the DC last season. He was in 2012.

[Hawg Life]

52 to Fresno State
52 to SMU
49 to Houston
52 to CINN
41 to Central FL

WOW!! Put the bottle down!