Illinois

[timkay99]

Once again, why is anyone assuming we've stopped recruiting GA when we already have offered 7 kids?

Where do you see 7 offers from the new staff? It isn't known if the offers from the old staff are even valid...

Even this site lists just 1 GA kid with an offer for 2014 at this point and that is Cortez McDowell.

 

[CuseOnly]

Where do you see 7 offers from the new staff? It isn't known if the offers from the old staff are even valid...

Even this site lists just 1 GA kid with an offer for 2014 at this point and that is Cortez McDowell.

TOS shows 8 offers out to kids in GA as of 5 mins ago as well as 8 for kids in IL, 6 offers to kids in MD.

 

[PhatOrange]

Lea I believe is from Tennessee and went to Vandy. Don't know if this will translate to him recruiting some in the south but maybe.

 

[OrangeFoo]

If we only get one or two kids from GA and we get 3 or 4 from Illinois due to staff connections does it matter how many overall kids a state had? As long as the players can play and we keep getting them then I'm all for it regardless of where they come from.

For the record having grown up in NY State and live in the Northeast for the vast majority of my life and now living in Chicago for the last 3/4 years I'd guess Illinois and especially Chicagoland are much more like NY State and Syracuse then anywhere in Georgia we would recruit. I would think Syracuse would be a much easier sell to an Illinois kid but that's just my take.

 

[tep624]

That is quite an area for the OC to cover. Florida, if you truly want to mine it for the best talent, requires one coach to monitor it at the very least. You need to have relationships with coaches (meaning, if you gave McDonald that big of an area, he would need to build personal relationships with 100+ coaches). While he already has these relationships in Florida, I haven't seen anything to relay he has these connections (at least in sheer #'s) in the other states discussed.

I rather he spend his time breaking down defensive film and devising an offensive game plan then spending time on the phone/emailing/reviewing video during the season with coaches.

Arguably the top recruit in the 2013 class was Corey Cooper, a NC kid that McDonald recruited himself. So he's definitely got some connections there. His Florida connections are top notch. He recruited the Southeast when he was at Minnesota, including GA, and being at Miami and then Arkansas (albeit briefly) I'm sure only helped his connections down there.

It would literally be insanity not to have him heavily involved in recruiting the Southeast.

 

[timkay99]

Arguably the top recruit in the 2013 class was Corey Cooper, a NC kid that McDonald recruited himself. So he's definitely got some connections there. His Florida connections are top notch. He recruited the Southeast when he was at Minnesota, including GA, and being at Miami and then Arkansas (albeit briefly) I'm sure only helped his connections down there.

It would literally be insanity not to have him heavily involved in recruiting the Southeast.

At the expense of his OC duties though?

I mean, fans want him to be recruiting the Southeast, devise a top 25 offense with, essentially a new supporting cast and maintain his twitter and instagram accounts.

I give him a lot of credit if he can handle that. I rather he focus on being a top notch OC in year 1, while also focusing on his connections in Florida and being a closer on the recruiting trail with Shafer.

I don't want him being the guy who makes the 70+ phone calls and correspondence that needs to go out to recruits for the entire south.

 

[RF2044]

At the expense of his OC duties though?

I mean, fans want him to be recruiting the Southeast, devise a top 25 offense with, essentially a new supporting cast and maintain his twitter and instagram accounts.

I give him a lot of credit if he can handle that. I rather he focus on being a top notch OC in year 1, while also focusing on his connections in Florida and being a closer on the recruiting trail with Shafer.

I don't want him being the guy who makes the 70+ phone calls and correspondence that needs to go out to recruits for the entire south.

I have no problem with McDonald doing that NOW [during the offseason]. But agree 100% that it is less than ideal for him to carry that workload once practice begins / during the season. As a somewhat inexperienced OC [I know that he was OC at WM for 1 year, I believe], I'd rather see him focus on that in-season.

 

[anomander]

we continue to pound the state of illinois with offers. Seems we are offering all big time prospects. I just can't see investing all this time, effort, and money into this. I know I certainly am not counting on them landing any of these tops guys. Almost every single kid has said they don't know anything about Syracuse Football. They all know about the basketball, but not the football. Going to be very interesting to see is anything pans out.

 

[bnoro]

we continue to pound the state of illinois with offers. Seems we are offering all big time prospects. I just can't see investing all this time, effort, and money into this. I know I certainly am not counting on them landing any of these tops guys. Almost every single kid has said they don't know anything about Syracuse Football. They all know about the basketball, but not the football. Going to be very interesting to see is anything pans out.

What money are they investing? Do they still have to pay to call long distance? Even if one kid is interested and comes here then it's worth it. Cast a big net and you're bound to pull out a couple big fish. A lot of the kids we fished out of GA recently didn't know anything about Syracuse Football. Doesn't mean you can't learn them.

 

[EDSPARTEN]

Is Illinois going to be to this staff what Georgia was to the previous staff?

If so, I highly dislike that trade-off.

Myself and others are also interested in SU's interest in Illinois talent. But realistically Northern talent is different than Southern talent. Yes there is more in the south, but the northern kids are stronger in body and spirit. Speed is not what the north really has. We are more of a big bodied player type. That suits better for northern weather. I feel with southern speed and northern bruts just might be the winning formula for play in ACC!!

 

[Old hank]

seems like NC state not Illinois is the competition, we are competing for the same kids in that area that would be interested in the ACC

 

[Orangejet]

I live in the Chicago area and have friends who are HS coaches. Lots of Cuse talk these days according to them and the players are taking notice.

Lester is very well known and respected in the Chicago HS circuit...

 

[billsin01]

At the expense of his OC duties though?

I mean, fans want him to be recruiting the Southeast, devise a top 25 offense with, essentially a new supporting cast and maintain his twitter and instagram accounts.

I give him a lot of credit if he can handle that. I rather he focus on being a top notch OC in year 1, while also focusing on his connections in Florida and being a closer on the recruiting trail with Shafer.

I don't want him being the guy who makes the 70+ phone calls and correspondence that needs to go out to recruits for the entire south.

This is a really valid point. People love the idea of "awesome recruits" but if last year taught us anything it's that system matters. is it the end all and be all? No, but coaching and system matter at this level. McDonald, as far as I'm concerned, is a rookie here and while he may be a natural recruiter, I remain convinced that it's better not to put too much on his plate in year 1.

As for where players come from -- I really don't care. I tend to think depth is about numbers more than pure talent. Get enough solid prospects at each position and let the cream rise to the top. The biggest issues, IMO, arise when you start getting huge academic/injury/off-field trouble attrition. That makes your "misses" even more painful.

 

[CaliCuse]

Is Illinois going to be to this staff what Georgia was to the previous staff?

If so, I highly dislike that trade-off.

I think its WAY too early to form THAT opinion. Not having seen anything from this staff on the field,you can't make presumptions on quality.You haven'y experienced a spring practice yet much less a game.Settle down and wait abit before condemning these guys and their efforts.couchburn

 

[bnoro]

I think its WAY too early to form THAT opinion. Not having seen anything from this staff on the field,you can't make presumptions on quality.You haven'y experienced a spring practice yet much less a game.Settle down and wait abit before condemning these guys and their efforts.couchburn

yet you condemn Nas Howard as "not D1 quality" on a youtube highlight tape...

 

[Frozen]

I think its WAY too early to form THAT opinion. Not having seen anything from this staff on the field,you can't make presumptions on quality.You haven'y experienced a spring practice yet much less a game.Settle down and wait abit before condemning these guys and their efforts.couchburn

What a ##king hypocrite.