RD, I have asked this question before, just wondering...

[MuskogeeHogFan]

If when you talk to these recruits, could you conduct an informal poll of the recruits as to what is most important to them in selecting a school?

As an example:

1. Going to a school that is already winning.
2. Opportunity to play early (which may not mean going to a school that is already winning).
3. A staff that they feel can help develop them so that they can get to the next level.
4. A quality education/getting their degree and a support staff to help them achieve this.
5. Being on a team that they expect to compete for Conference and National Championships.
6. Staying relatively close to home.
7. Outstanding facilities.
8. Entertainment value of the college town/area that they choose.

There may be more or this may be too many and these that I mentioned are in no particular order.

I'd just like to know which answers tend to rank more highly across a wide range of recruits.

We all think and sometimes assume that we know what is most important to recruits, but I would like to actually know, based upon the answers that they give you.

[moses_007]

Likely most, if not all of the reasons you have listed. 

[FBREW000]

RD have an alter? 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Likely most, if not all of the reasons you have listed. 

Perhaps, but I am more interested in which answers seem to occur most often among recruits. That could be very telling.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Bump for RD.

[Hogtimes]

I do not think there is an answer to your question.   Most every recruit will have a different reason for his decision that is unique to him.

[redeye]

I do not think there is an answer to your question.   Most every recruit will have a different reason for his decision that is unique to him.

I agree and I wouldn't trust their answers, anyway.  Lot's of recruits talk about certain things being important to them, but then select a school that doesn't align with that view.

Besides, does Richard really have time to conduct experiments for us?

Personally, I think 3, 6 and 8 are all huge.

[navyhog24]

Or which school pays the most

[hambone]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2012/12/14/the-surprising-factors-driving-college-football-recruits-decision/

[redeye]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2012/12/14/the-surprising-factors-driving-college-football-recruits-decision/

So, education is #1, but Alabama signs #1 classes.

That doesn't equate.

[Nipsey Mussle]

Bump for RD.

Doubt he's interested in doing polling for you at his job.

I'm not sure any of that is too interesting anyway.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I agree and I wouldn't trust their answers, anyway.  Lot's of recruits talk about certain things being important to them, but then select a school that doesn't align with that view.

Besides, does Richard really have time to conduct experiments for us?

Personally, I think 3, 6 and 8 are all huge.

And that is an example of why I asked Rich about it. As I said originally, we all think that we know why these kids make the decisions that they do, we all have our opinions of what is most important to them. But that is all it is, "we think" we know.

At least some of the reasons that kids have for choosing a particular school have probably changed to some degeree over the years and I thought it might be interesting to have a better understanding of those reasons. Rich is in a particularly unique position (more so than most of us) to have access to that information in the course of his work.

And BB'stheman, I wasn't aware that you handled Rich's schedule these days. Sorry I didn't get this thread request cleared with you first. 

[redeye]

And that is an example of why I asked Rich about it. As I said originally, we all think that we know why these kids make the decisions that they do, we all have our opinions of what is most important to them. But that is all it is, "we think" we know.

At least some of the reasons that kids have for choosing a particular school have probably changed to some degeree over the years and I thought it might be interesting to have a better understanding of those reasons. Rich is in a particularly unique position (more so than most of us) to have access to that information in the course of his work.

And BB'stheman, I wasn't aware that you handled Rich's schedule these days. Sorry I didn't get this thread request cleared with you first. 

Let me start by saying that I shouldn't have questioned your request to Richard.  It seemed a little presumptuous, but I don't know what type of friendship you guys have, so I apologize.

I do agree that it would be interesting to know what recruits value most, but as I said, I wouldn't really trust what they'd have to say, anyway.  For example, I'm sure academics are important to many of them, but if it were the #1 thing, then why are Alabama and LSU so successful?  I think proximity is the answer and likely the real #1, no matter what recruits have to say.

[Nipsey Mussle]

And BB'stheman, I wasn't aware that you handled Rich's schedule these days. Sorry I didn't get this thread request cleared with you first. 

I'm his chief of staff   

[hambone]

So, education is #1, but Alabama signs #1 classes.

That doesn't equate.

Education probably entails more than just school ratings. I would bet it entails things like academic support as well. You know things like the Springdale parents were asking Broyles about.

[redeye]

Education probably entails more than just school ratings. I would bet it entails things like academic support as well. You know things like the Springdale parents were asking Broyles about.

Yea, I'm sure that's true.  Still skeptical that it's the #1 reason why Alabama signs top classes, though.

[hambone]

Yea, I'm sure that's true.  Still skeptical that it's the #1 reason why Alabama signs top classes, though.

http://www.rolltide.com/genrel/081912aaa.html

The study had a list of 15 factors. Education wasn't number one with everyone, just the most chosen reason.

Also, Bama seems to be pretty stout in terms of academic success within their sports and football program in general. So they probably aren't losing anyone due to academics either.

[redeye]

http://www.rolltide.com/genrel/081912aaa.html

The study had a list of 15 factors. Education wasn't number one with everyone, just the most chosen reason.

Also, Bama seems to be pretty stout in terms of academic success within their sports and football program in general. So they probably aren't losing anyone due to academics either.

I never said that Alabama is bad.  But if you want to play for a BCS team, and get the best education possible in the process, many schools would come before Alabama.  However, if you want a good education, and play for the winningest team in the process, then Alabama should be near the top of your list.  Point being that winning comes before education.

[hambone]

I never said that Alabama is bad.  But if you want to play for a BCS team, and get the best education possible in the process, many schools would come before Alabama.  However, if you want a good education, and play for the winningest team in the process, then Alabama should be near the top of your list.  Point being that winning comes before education.

I guess you know more than the 170 something players that answered the questions then.

[redeye]

I guess you know more than the 170 something players that answered the questions then.

I know that a degree from Alabama isn't worth as much as a degree from Stanford, Washington, Michigan, Duke and a number of other BCS schools.  Maybe those players were fooled into believing it would be, but few in the real world would agree.

[3kgthog]

Many players chose education because they are told that's the PC thing to choose. You know the majority of them outside the offensive line couldn't care less about that degree. They'll do just enough to stay eligible.

[redeye]

Many players chose education because they are told that's the PC thing to choose. You know the majority of them outside the offensive line couldn't care less about that degree. They'll do just enough to stay eligible.

And that's my point.

I suspect many of them do care, but just not enough to sign with Stanford over Alabama.  If we're honest, that's likely the reason why we lost Solomon Thomas to Stanford, because education probably did mean that much to him.

[bennyl08]

Overall, I imagine the answers vary too much to really notice any trends. However, among top rated players, you will probably notice a similar set of answers as with lower rated players. Another trend you may see is by separating out by family situation. Someone coming from a wealthy family may have different interests than somebody coming from a poorer family.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Let me start by saying that I shouldn't have questioned your request to Richard.  It seemed a little presumptuous, but I don't know what type of friendship you guys have, so I apologize.

I do agree that it would be interesting to know what recruits value most, but as I said, I wouldn't really trust what they'd have to say, anyway.  For example, I'm sure academics are important to many of them, but if it were the #1 thing, then why are Alabama and LSU so successful?  I think proximity is the answer and likely the real #1, no matter what recruits have to say.

Well I certainly didn't mean to be presumptous of anything with Rich. I really figured that he probably already knew just from from talking to the kids, what seemed to be the most frequent answers without a lot of work having to be done.

And yeah, a lot of kids are going to give you the PC answer of education, so you could just make that assumption and throw that question out entirely figuring that you may not get accurate answers.

And I think you are right that there is always going to be a certain percentage of kids that grew up always wanting to play for their state school. But it obviously isn't going to be the same with all or we might never lose a big time player from Arkansas to another big football school out of state.

So while I have my opinion of why kids choose certain schools over others, I thought I would see if we could benefit from RD's accrued base of knowledge on this subject.

[hambone]

I swear you people are daft.

Do you even know that athletes graduate at a much higher rate than the rest of the student population?

The notion that education isn't important to most of these kids just shows how most of you were not able to play at a high level and have the blessing of having choices. You think of this like a kid thinks of Christmas.

I often read in RD's articles where a prospective recruit mentions checking out our business school or engineering department.

You also forget that a lot of these kids have parents who are guiding them through this process.

To not believe academics is a major influence is naive at best. To not believe a survey of actual players saying it is just makes you a fool.

[redeye]

Well I certainly didn't mean to be presumptous of anything with Rich. I really figured that he probably already knew just from from talking to the kids, what seemed to be the most frequent answers without a lot of work having to be done.

And yeah, a lot of kids are going to give you the PC answer of education, so you could just make that assumption and throw that question out entirely figuring that you may not get accurate answers.

And I think you are right that there is always going to be a certain percentage of kids that grew up always wanting to play for their state school. But it obviously isn't going to be the same with all or we might never lose a big time player from Arkansas to another big football school out of state.

So while I have my opinion of why kids choose certain schools over others, I thought I would see if we could benefit from RD's accrued base of knowledge on this subject.

I see.  The way you posted the question made me think you were asking Richard to do more work, but I agree that it would be interesting to hear what Richard thinks.  I'd also be interested in what you think, if you care to share?

On staying close to home, I can't recall the actual percentage of players who sign with schools within 250? miles of home, but I'm wanting to say it's around 80 percent.  Obviously there are exceptions and South Florida supposedly has an unusually high number of them.

[redeye]

I swear you people are daft.

Do you even know that athletes graduate at a much higher rate than the rest of the student population?

The notion that education isn't important to most of these kids just shows how most of you were not able to play at a high level and have the blessing of having choices. You think of this like a kid thinks of Christmas.

I often read in RD's articles where a prospective recruit mentions checking out our business school or engineering department.

You also forget that a lot of these kids have parents who are guiding them through this process.

To not believe academics is a major influence is naive at best. To not believe a survey of actual players saying it is just makes you a fool.

Who said academics wasn't a major influence?  Or that education wasn't important to them?  And you're calling others daft?

Btw, why does this offend you so much?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I swear you people are daft.

Do you even know that athletes graduate at a much higher rate than the rest of the student population?

The notion that education isn't important to most of these kids just shows how most of you were not able to play at a high level and have the blessing of having choices. You think of this like a kid thinks of Christmas.

I often read in RD's articles where a prospective recruit mentions checking out our business school or engineering department.

You also forget that a lot of these kids have parents who are guiding them through this process.

To not believe academics is a major influence is naive at best. To not believe a survey of actual players saying it is just makes you a fool.

Settle down there amigo. Everyone has opinions and no one is denying that the #1 reason listed for most kids is a quality education. What some are questioning is whether the majority of those answers are accurate, or whether the influence of Mom and Dad might be driving that answer more so, than it really being the kids true #1 reason for selecting a particular school.

I think all of us believe that the quality of education certainly plays a role in their decision (particularly with Mom and Dad looking over their shoulder in the recruiting process), but whether it is truly the #1 reason in the true heart of hearts of the majority of these kids, might be something that is more open for debate.

We aren't dismissing the value of a quality education or the fact that it plays a role, but I do think that a lot of kids say that because #1, their parents are watching and listening, #2, scholarships are so valuable that no coaching staff wants to spend a scholarship on a kid that they feel won't apply themselves academically, and #3, it is what they are expected to say in response to that question. Some truly mean it, others, maybe not so much.

[Atlhogfan1]

Who were the players involved in the Forbes poll?  Where are they from and which programs did they choose?  What are they majoring in now? 

6, 3, 1/5 and 2 are more influential to the recruits in our region of the country.  We recruit in the poorest, worst educated portion of our country.  It is good pc rhetoric to say they value education as the top priority but that is crap.  Programs like UVa and UNC would be cleaning up in the South if that were true. 

[wholehog92]

I don't think 18 yo kids are mature enough to even give you a straight answer to that as a general rule.  Especially ones that have been pampered all their life and especially the last two years.

The reason education is #1 on the list is they are responding to what they think people want to hear.  RD's impromptu survey wouldn't turn out any different.  I can ask my kid why they hid their spilled food under the rug all day long.  "I don't know" will flow from their mouth like water.  Every adult parent knows they did it to avoid trouble and telling someone what they don't want to hear.  They aren't mature enough to take that on yet with the rare exception.

The only way to gain that kind of maturity is for the people around you to hold you to standards.  It is rare that an elite HS athlete we are interested in has been held to those kind of maturing standards.  Most of them will grow up a lot in college when they aren't as "special" any more.

That's why you get a much more diverse answer when you are asking graduating seniors about why they chose a school.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I don't think 18 yo kids are mature enough to even give you a straight answer to that as a general rule.  Especially ones that have been pampered all their life and especially the last two years.

The reason education is #1 on the list is they are responding to what they think people want to hear.  RD's impromptu survey wouldn't turn out any different.  I can ask my kid why they hid their spilled food under the rug all day long.  "I don't know" will flow from their mouth like water.  Every adult parent knows they did it to avoid trouble and telling someone what they don't want to hear.  They aren't mature enough to take that on yet with the rare exception.

The only way to gain that kind of maturity is for the people around you to hold you to standards.  It is rare that an elite HS athlete we are interested in has been held to those kind of maturing standards.  Most of them will grow up a lot in college when they aren't as "special" any more.

That's why you get a much more diverse answer when you are asking graduating seniors about why they chose a school.

You may be onto something there. It might be interesting to poll kids that sign with a school as to their reasons for the selection of that school in the beginning and then re-visit that question two years later to see if the order might have changed, while providing them with the answers that they gave when they originally committed to the school.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I see.  The way you posted the question made me think you were asking Richard to do more work, but I agree that it would be interesting to hear what Richard thinks.  I'd also be interested in what you think, if you care to share?

On staying close to home, I can't recall the actual percentage of players who sign with schools within 250? miles of home, but I'm wanting to say it's around 80 percent.  Obviously there are exceptions and South Florida supposedly has an unusually high number of them.

Can't say that 80% works for us. In fact, just the opposite. 79.2% of our signees for 2014 come from further than 250 miles away with only 21.8% coming from within 250 miles.

Last year, 60.9% came from further away than 250 miles and 39.1% came from 250 miles or closer and that was with 7 signees from within the state of Arkansas, which is a pretty good number to come from Arkansas being able to play at this level.

In 2012, 70.9% came from further away than 250 miles while only 29.1% came from within 250 miles. This time there were 4 signees from Arkansas and 3 from Oklahoma.

In 2011, 65.6% came from further away than 250 miles and 34.4% came from within 250 miles, again this was when Arkansas produced 7 players that signed with Arkansas.

So over the course of the last 4 recruiting years, the 80% thing hasn't worked out for us. It may work out for Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, S. California, Texas, Texas A&M and the like, but not so much for us.

So if close physical proximity (within 250 miles) doesn't seem to be a factor that has been working for us, what else do we have to offer considering those things that are important to signees? Coaching staff? Education? Campus? Competing in the SEC? Playing early? Prep for the NFL?

[redeye]

Can't say that 80% works for us. In fact, just the opposite this year. 79.2% of our signees come from further than 250 miles away with only 21.8% coming from within 250 miles.

Last year, 60.9% came from further away than 250 miles and 39.1% came from 250 miles or closer and that was with 7 signees from within the state of Arkansas, which is a pretty good number to come from Arkansas being able to play at this level.

In 2012, 70.9% came from further away than 250 miles while only 29.1% came from within 250 miles. This time there were 4 signees from Arkansas and 3 from Oklahoma.

In 2011, 65.6% came from further away than 250 miles and 34.4% came from within 250 miles, again this was when Arkansas produced 7 players that signed with Arkansas.

So over the course of the last 4 recruiting years, the 80% thing hasn't worked out for us. It may work out for Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, S. California, Texas, Texas A&M and the like, but not so much for us.

No, I must not have been very clear about what I meant. There have been a couple of studies showing that some high number of players commit to schools within 200-300 miles of their hometown.  The point is that a good majority of players don't want to play far from home.  We don't have enough players that close to field a team, so most of our class will always be from outside that radius.

However, this is why it makes perfect sense that Alabama, Georgia, Florida and LSU always have great classes, because they're all located in the middle of great recruiting territories.  It may also arguably be why Nebraska hasn't played in a BCS game since 2001.

I'd post a link, but I don't recall where I've seen these studies.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

No, I must not have been very clear about what I meant. There have been a couple of studies showing that some high number of players commit to schools within 200-300 miles of their hometown.  The point is that a good majority of players don't want to play far from home.  We don't have enough players that close to field a team, so most of our class will always be from outside that radius.

However, this is why it makes perfect sense that Alabama, Georgia, Florida and LSU always have great classes, because they're all located in the middle of great recruiting territories.  It may also arguably be why Nebraska hasn't played in a BCS game since 2001.

I'd post a link, but I don't recall where I've seen these studies.

No, you were clear in what you meant, and that is why I pointed out what we have done compared to some of those other schools that I mentioned. That (80%) is probably true for most of them, but for us, the 80% doesn't apply.

[redeye]

No, you were clear in what you meant, and that is why I pointed out what we have done compared to some of those other schools that I mentioned. That (80%) is probably true for most of them, but for us, the 80% doesn't apply.

Oh, I see.

I think the conclusion was that players, in general, usually stay within a specific distance of their hometown, but that doesn't imply that a school without much BCS talent nearby, would mostly have players that grew up nearby.

We obviously rely a lot on distant talent, but without getting into specifics, I'd like to see us rely more on nearby, out of state talent.   We do okay, but I wish we fared better in Dallas, Memphis, NE Texas, Northern Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, Kansas and Southern Missouri.  None of those areas are far away, and if we could clean up in most of these places, we'd be a regular force in the SEC.

Keep in mind that I don't want to abandon Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Southern Louisiana or Mississippi, but would just like to do better nearby, where our proximity gives us some advantage.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Oh, I see.

I think the conclusion was that players, in general, usually stay within a specific distance of their hometown, but that doesn't imply that a school without much BCS talent nearby, would mostly have players that grew up nearby.

We obviously rely a lot on distant talent, but without getting into specifics, I'd like to see us rely more on nearby, out of state talent.   We do okay, but I wish we fared better in Dallas, Memphis, NE Texas, Northern Louisiana, Eastern Oklahoma, Kansas and Southern Missouri.  None of those areas are far away, and if we could clean up in most of these places, we'd be a regular force in the SEC.

Keep in mind that I don't want to abandon Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Southern Louisiana or Mississippi, but would just like to do better nearby, where our proximity gives us some advantage.

I'd like to see us have more of a presence in Texas and obviously, the staff is putting more emphasis on that area.

And they aren't limiting themselves to the northern portion of Louisiana either, picking up committments from the New Orleans area.

There certainly isn't any reason that we shouldn't be able to pick up some kids from Oklahoma, particularly the Tulsa area, where some of the best football in the state is played.

As for Kansas, the best talent is usually and most frequently to be found in the KC area, unless we are talking about JC football, and Kansas has strong JC program's.

Missouri tends to produce fewer high level recruits, similar to Arkansas, but we will hae to fight Missouri for the best from there now that they are in the SEC.

Memphis should be a strong recruiting area for us, being so close in physical proximity to Arkansas.

I agree that we shouldn't back off of recruiting kids from any part of the country, particularly Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc. I think that this staff may be taking more of a national view of and putting more emphasis on national recruiting than what many thought we would see under BP.

I hope that their efforts produce significant returns in terms of talent that helps us compete at a higher level in the SEC. It sure seems like they have a really good and positive way with recruits that might not have considered Arkansas in the past.

[redeye]

I'd like to see us have more of a presence in Texas and obviously, the staff is putting more emphasis on that area.

And they aren't limiting themselves to the northern portion of Louisiana either, picking up committments from the New Orleans area.

There certainly isn't any reason that we shouldn't be able to pick up some kids from Oklahoma, particularly the Tulsa area, where some of the best football in the state is played.

As for Kansas, the best talent is usually and most frequently to be found in the KC area, unless we are talking about JC football, and Kansas has strong JC program's.

Missouri tends to produce fewer high level recruits, similar to Arkansas, but we will hae to fight Missouri for the best from there now that they are in the SEC.

Memphis should be a strong recruiting area for us, being so close in physical proximity to Arkansas.

I agree that we shouldn't back off of recruiting kids from any part of the country, particularly Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, etc. I think that this staff may be taking more of a national view of and putting more emphasis on national recruiting than what many thought we would see under BP.

I hope that their efforts produce significant returns in terms of talent that helps us compete at a higher level in the SEC. It sure seems like they have a really good and positive way with recruits that might not have considered Arkansas in the past.

I almost didn't mention Memphis, because they are closer to several other SEC schools, but I still think we should do better there.  In contrast, the Kansas JUCO's seem to be producing a lot of good talent and they're almost in our backyard, so I don't know why we don't see more of them.

Gotta agree that this staff is recruiting at a higher level.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I almost didn't mention Memphis, because they are closer to several other SEC schools, but I still think we should do better there.  In contrast, the Kansas JUCO's seem to be producing a lot of good talent and they're almost in our backyard, so I don't know why we don't see more of them.

Gotta agree that this staff is recruiting at a higher level.

These guys are all over the country making offers. I'm impressed. Bottom line is, who signs and who doesn't, but they are creating interest among nationally rated recruits and there is certainly something to be said about that.

[urkillnmesmalls]

MHF...I like your list, and I'm sure all of those play some role. 

BUT...to be prudent, I think you should add #9.  These kids are walking hormones.   

9.  Girl shows interest on visit, twitter, facebook, instagram, or any other social media source.  We pretty well watched DGB go to a school to follow a girl, and that happens more than most would realize.  They're young, impressionable, and while they're going to be pampered and catered to on their visits anyway, if there's a female involved on any deeper level than just "hanging out" with the players to show them around campus, then it could potentially have a profound effect.  I know of more than a few people who chose colleges specifically to stay closer to girlfriends, or went there for a girlfriend. 

[ldfergu]

If when you talk to these recruits, could you conduct an informal poll of the recruits as to what is most important to them in selecting a school

Common sense tells you it's winning. That's why these schools with 10+ win seasons crush it in recruiting. Elite recruits have to see the proof on Saturdays.

[VBMark]

The fact of the matter is that all of the reason weigh to some degree. That is the point of the survey. None of them are alone.

If education is 30%, then the remaining nine reasons are 70% of the equation. And, the truth of the matter is that after you get outside of the top 10-15 schools-most of them Ivies who rank lower on other things in the list-the education level drop off is not that great.

The average income 20 years post-UNC versus post-UofA is not much, particularly when you account for cost of living differentials.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

MHF...I like your list, and I'm sure all of those play some role. 

BUT...to be prudent, I think you should add #9.  These kids are walking hormones.   

9.  Girl shows interest on visit, twitter, facebook, instagram, or any other social media source.  We pretty well watched DGB go to a school to follow a girl, and that happens more than most would realize.  They're young, impressionable, and while they're going to be pampered and catered to on their visits anyway, if there's a female involved on any deeper level than just "hanging out" with the players to show them around campus, then it could potentially have a profound effect.  I know of more than a few people who chose colleges specifically to stay closer to girlfriends, or went there for a girlfriend. 

Problem with that is, that it might be more true than false, we just witnessed a big recruit that we thought we had landed, because his sister and his girlfriend were going to Arkansas, instead go to Stanford. Maybe he and the girlfriend weren't as tight as we first thought, or maybe he made a life-choice based on education for Pre-Med as well as good football, even if it wasn't SEC football? Stanford is one of the top schools in Pre-Med.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Problem with that is, that it might be more true than false, we just witnessed a big recruit that we thought we had landed, because his sister and his girlfriend were going to Arkansas, instead go to Stanford. Maybe he and the girlfriend weren't as tight as we first thought, or maybe he made a life-choice based on education for Pre-Med as well as good football, even if it wasn't SEC football? Stanford is one of the top schools in Pre-Med.

Yeah, it's not a hard-fast rule, that's for sure. 

It was probably as much of a joke as anything, but there are some instances where it holds true.  I think if people really knew some of the real reasons behind their choice, they would be shocked. 

[redeye]

Common sense tells you it's winning. That's why these schools with 10+ win seasons crush it in recruiting. Elite recruits have to see the proof on Saturdays.

So you don't find it interesting that all these 10+ winning schools are located in the middle of great recruiting territories?  I do think winning is up there, but I'm not sure that it's #1.  All schools have their ups and downs, so they all spend time recruiting with so-so records.  That's why I'd probably put playing relatively close to home at #1.

[urkillnmesmalls]

So you don't find it interesting that all these 10+ winning schools are located in the middle of great recruiting territories?  I do think winning is up there, but I'm not sure that it's #1.  All schools have their ups and downs, so they all spend time recruiting with so-so records.  That's why I'd probably put playing relatively close to home at #1.

I'm with you, and it just solidifies why we will always have our challenges at the UA.  I think those teams excel because of the wealth of talent within that magical 250 mile radius, and then once they start winning, kids who want to get away from home will go there as well.  But the underlying theme is...the talent at their disposal that is close to those schools.  It's just too great of a coincidence.   

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Yeah, it's not a hard-fast rule, that's for sure. 

It was probably as much of a joke as anything, but there are some instances where it holds true.  I think if people really knew some of the real reasons behind their choice, they would be shocked. 

Well, and that is the reason for this thread. I was kinda hoping that RD might be able to enlighten us.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Well, and that is the reason for this thread. I was kinda hoping that RD might be able to enlighten us.

I doubt even he would get all of the "real" answers, but I would like to hear his input.  If I had to bet though, I would say that it's the combination of everything that ultimately leads these kids to picking a school.  But they're so close in facilities and other things to offer, that who knows what one thing sways it for them over the others.  Seeing the field immediately?  Better chance of going Pro with their position coach?  I'm not buying that we're losing a bundle of kids because we don't have a good night life.  It's not like we're competing with Miami Beach for most of these kids.  We're competing with Oxford, Tuscaloosa, and Columbia as just a few examples.   

Based on the snippets of interviews with our recruits, virtually ALL of them say something about "I like what they're building there, and I want to be a part of it."  My guess is that we're leading with that and hoping it plays into the "family" feel and high character story that CBB aspires to bring to the UA's football team.  I truly believe that could be our niche, and for those who say it can't work...I say Stanford is a perfect example that it can work.