Syracuse Football Recruiting - Lost the Core

[TheCusian]

The question isn't whether we should or shouldn't play the best players that we can, or whether we should or shouldn't recruit the best players that we can. The question is "in a world of finite resources, how should we allocate our assets to get the best results?" In other words, will it be more difficult to pull in talent abroad, or to find equally good talent close to Syracuse? I get that CNY football <<<<< Miami football (or insert any other football hotbed), but there are a number of really good players slipping through our grips and going to other programs. Given their families are from this area, they grew up in the cold, they are likely more familiar with SU and our lore, their coaches are more likely to be SU fans (or at least familiar with the school/program), they are more likely to have friends at SU, and so on, local kids might be easier sells. So, instead of going to the Midwest and pulling in 4 mid 3*'s we could theoretically focus on our core and get 4 mid/high 3*'s with the same amount of work (the exact numbers are just examples to illustrate the basic point). That said, you are right that we also have to go outside our core. As you point out, it isn't a binary situation. The two aren't mutually exclusive. It's a matter of what we emphasize more. It's also worth noting that Babers has done a very impressive job so far. I was a huge skeptic regarding the SS termination, but I am cautiously optimistic about Dino. His recruiting was great given what he was working with, and he was a great coach at BGSU. I think that there is a very good chance that he will have tremendous success as a coach, both in recruiting and actually winning games (which is really what matters).

Good post.

It is about resource allocation, but it's also about odds. There's a better chance (currently) of finding a few kids in the deeper waters of FL or MI or MD than the small fished over pond in NY. When we start winning playing for your "home" team will become attractive again.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Good post.

It is about resource allocation, but it's also about odds. There's a better chance (currently) of finding a few kids in the deeper waters of FL or MI or MD than the small fished over pond in NY. When we start winning playing for your "home" team will become attractive again.

The core areas are important. The question is why do some feel that Conn and Mass are within the core? The majority of each of those states is outside a 200 mile radius from SU. There is no "local" advantage. Kids don't grow up wanting to go to SU there. Ohio, Maryland, and Northern VA are all within 400 miles. If you want to count Conn and Mass shouldn't those states be considered as well? SU's recruiting footprint should be areas we play games close by. Both home and away. Why should we hit Conn or Mass more than North Carolina when we play more games in North Carolina? And the talent in that state is much much better? SU's local core should be NY, NPA, and NNJ. That is it.

 

[CuseLegacy]

The core areas are important. The question is why do some feel that Conn and Mass are within the core? The majority of each of those states is outside a 200 mile radius from SU. There is no "local" advantage. Kids don't grow up wanting to go to SU there. Ohio, Maryland, and Northern VA are all within 400 miles. If you want to count Conn and Mass shouldn't those states be considered as well? SU's recruiting footprint should be areas we play games close by. Both home and away. Why should we hit Conn or Mass more than North Carolina when we play more games in North Carolina? And the talent in that state is much much better? SU's local core should be NY, NPA, and NNJ. That is it.

With the CT schools some of those are within close proximity to NYC ... hence within the core. Plus the new staff must believe they are in the core as they reaffirmed offers to two highly ranked CT prospects yesterday.

 

[TheCusian]

With the CT schools some of those are within close proximity to NYC ... hence within the core. Plus the new staff must believe they are in the core as they reaffirmed offers to two highly ranked CT prospects yesterday.

I think the Spirograph is a better analogy than core vs non-core.

Core is probably a bit too rigid.

 

[Sudano]

The core areas are important. The question is why do some feel that Conn and Mass are within the core? The majority of each of those states is outside a 200 mile radius from SU. There is no "local" advantage. Kids don't grow up wanting to go to SU there. Ohio, Maryland, and Northern VA are all within 400 miles. If you want to count Conn and Mass shouldn't those states be considered as well? SU's recruiting footprint should be areas we play games close by. Both home and away. Why should we hit Conn or Mass more than North Carolina when we play more games in North Carolina? And the talent in that state is much much better? SU's local core should be NY, NPA, and NNJ. That is it.

Independent of Football colleges and students have regional relationships with their alumni, their family members, friends, prospective students. They recruit predominantly from areas that are within 500 miles of their campus. 90+% of all students attend college within 500 miles of HS. Its just a simple human condition. They want to be close enough for their local support system to be able to know they have succeeded. While I understand that most students have an economic reason to stay close to home and Football players on full scholarship have less reason to concept of support, family, community still holds true. If highly talented football players can get what they need closer to home the probability increases that they stay closer to home than go further away. So all Northeast States are in our footprint by the sole basis of proximity and what those advantages hold. Most in the Northeast know someone who attended, they are familiar with the University, its easy for friends, family, community to come see them, to support them. Its easier and less expensive for SU coaches to develop relationships with HS coaches, players, family. The other top factor to where we recruit is talent. So the correlation of players with top talent along with proximity holds where we should be emphasizing recruiting. The northeast should not hold 100% of our budget or team. But 50-60% of our 85 players should be top players from NE, NY, PA, NJ and MD if we want to be a top contender in the ACC and go to Bowls every year.

 

[TheCusian]

Independent of Football colleges and students have regional relationships with their alumni, their family members, friends, prospective students. They recruit predominantly from areas that are within 500 miles of their campus. 90+% of all students attend college within 500 miles of HS. Its just a simple human condition. They want to be close enough for their local support system to be able to know they have succeeded. While I understand that most students have an economic reason to stay close to home and Football players on full scholarship have less reason to concept of support, family, community still holds true. If highly talented football players can get what they need closer to home the probability increases that they stay closer to home than go further away. So all Northeast States are in our footprint by the sole basis of proximity and what those advantages hold. Most in the Northeast know someone who attended, they are familiar with the University, its easy for friends, family, community to come see them, to support them. Its easier and less expensive for SU coaches to develop relationships with HS coaches, players, family. The other top factor to where we recruit is talent. So the correlation of players with top talent along with proximity holds where we should be emphasizing recruiting. The northeast should not hold 100% of our budget or team. But 50-60% of our 85 players should be top players from NE, NY, PA, NJ and MD if we want to be a top contender in the ACC and go to Bowls every year.

* Unless you can't win enough with the talent you can get within that radius, and then you should throw out any arbitrary percentage and core areas.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Independent of Football colleges and students have regional relationships with their alumni, their family members, friends, prospective students. They recruit predominantly from areas that are within 500 miles of their campus. 90+% of all students attend college within 500 miles of HS. Its just a simple human condition. They want to be close enough for their local support system to be able to know they have succeeded. While I understand that most students have an economic reason to stay close to home and Football players on full scholarship have less reason to concept of support, family, community still holds true. If highly talented football players can get what they need closer to home the probability increases that they stay closer to home than go further away. So all Northeast States are in our footprint by the sole basis of proximity and what those advantages hold. Most in the Northeast know someone who attended, they are familiar with the University, its easy for friends, family, community to come see them, to support them. Its easier and less expensive for SU coaches to develop relationships with HS coaches, players, family. The other top factor to where we recruit is talent. So the correlation of players with top talent along with proximity holds where we should be emphasizing recruiting. The northeast should not hold 100% of our budget or team. But 50-60% of our 85 players should be top players from NE, NY, PA, NJ and MD if we want to be a top contender in the ACC and go to Bowls every year.

But like I said Eastern Ohio and Northern VA are within 350 miles. And all of Ohio, Virginia, and parts of North Carolina are within 500 miles. If you are going to prioritize areas within 500 miles then Connecticut and Massachusetts would be last.

 

[721Comstock]

But like I said Eastern Ohio and Northern VA are within 350 miles. And all of Ohio, Virginia, and parts of North Carolina are within 500 miles. If you are going to prioritize areas within 500 miles then Connecticut and Massachusetts would be last.

And in today's world, where JetBlue and the Internet exist, distance isn't really all that much of a thing anymore.