As Big Ten Declines, Homegrown Talent Flees

[bevosu]

Not sure whether this article has been posted? Misery loves company and it might cheer up some on the board who have no love for the Big Ten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/s...-homegrown-talent-fades-and-flees.html?src=me

Depending on whom you ask, Jerome Baker, a senior at Benedictine High School here, is either the highest- or the second-highest-rated football prospect in Ohio from the class of 2015. He is a four-star linebacker, appraised from 36th to 72nd nationally.

“I love tradition,” Baker said. But, he continued, “I know in my heart I can make it to the N..L. — that’s my dream since I was a little kid. I don’t want any questions of, ‘You went to the Big Ten?’ There’s not that many teams that are good in the Big Ten anymore.

“I wanted to say that I played against great backs every game. I wanted the challenge. It was a test of myself, my pride. And the SEC is the biggest test.”

 

[OrangeCrush22]

He's a sucker for SEC propaganda. There's zero evidence that the SEC schools have better running backs.

In fact here is where some of the top NFL backs have come from.

DeMarco Murray - Oklahoma
LeSean McCoy - Pitt
La'Veon Bell - Michigan State
Frank Gore - Miami
Matt Forte - Tulane
Marshawn Lynch - Cal
Arian Foster - Tennessee

 

[bevosu]

That quote is just indicative of the flavor of the article..not as much home grown talent. the local talent is now going elsewhere, the BIGS poor national championship record over the past decade and a half. The general decline of the national perception of the Big Ten...etc.

 

[shantydaze]

“It was 2010,” Baker said. “Auburn. Cam Newton — Heisman year. That was the year I knew the SEC is where it’s at.”

It pays to cheat . . . that was the year Baker knew the SEC would pay for his services.

 

[texascpa]

Listening to the college sports channel on SXM yesterday and they had a caller asking about how Illinois can expand their profile. The show's host hammered how they need to recruit better locally, particularly Chicago. First thought in my mind is how SU has gotten several Chicago players of late. It's not just the SEC pulling midwest kids out.

 

[wfschrec]

He's a sucker for SEC propaganda. There's zero evidence that the SEC schools have better running backs.

In fact here is where some of the top NFL backs have come from.

DeMarco Murray - Oklahoma
LeSean McCoy - Pitt
La'Veon Bell - Michigan State
Frank Gore - Miami
Matt Forte - Tulane
Marshawn Lynch - Cal
Arian Foster - Tennessee

Yeah but I think when he says backs that includes QBs ... both Mannings, Cam Newton, Cutler, Manziel, etc. and don't forget you still have guys like Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Trent Richardson, Mark Ingram, Marcus Lattimore, Todd Gurley, Ronnie Brown, Steven Ridley and a host of others that while they might not be as elite as the guys above are SEC guys that are currently or will be getting fat paychecks. Plus good lord look at the wideouts that are drummed out each year ... AJ Green and Julio Jones just to name a couple. The SEC loads up the draft rather well ... 49 players were selected that participated in the epic LSU/Bama game that LSU won 9-6 ... 49 players ... wow.