Class of 2016 OT Sam Heckel (WI) SIGNED LOI

[retro44]

You must be mistaking me for someone else because I rarely worry about flips. But similar to colon and ped state, this kid is just saving his seat at our table. He said as much about being worried the spot would get taken.

Obviously anything can happen with any commit.

As long as Furman is the only competition later in the year. your post from the Stubbs

 

[PhatOrange]

As long as Furman is the only competition later in the year. your post from the Stubbs

My post was in response to the thought that we could wait on Stubbs and pry him away from furman later on. But in a couple of months our competition could be gtech, miss st, Missouri and vandy; not furman

 

[retro44]

My post was in response to the thought that we could wait on Stubbs and pry him away from furman later on. But in a couple of months our competition could be gtech, miss st, Missouri and vandy; not furman

not trying to pick on you ,but I am in the camp of trusting the kid's decisions. Others here worry about flips all the time...Flips to Syracuse or from Syracuse is always the kids and family choices.

To me talking about flips takes away from the good in the threads about the kid. A commitment doesn't really stop any kid from being recruited in the future by any program that's in the business of big time college football.

My self I just don't like to comment on a kid's commitment as then I am testing his sincerity of his choice......just my cup of tea.

 

[billsin01]

I'd like to test this some time, but I think stars can really matter when it comes to OL, ie there's an accumulation affect, like OL performance is consistently good if across the 5 OL spots there's a total of 14 stars, and OLs are really good if across the 5 spots they have 17+ or something like that. I get what you're saying, and it's similar to centers in basketball, but I feel better about signing the big guys that are rated more highly than not.

It's an interesting thought and I would say there is probably some merit to it, but I tend to disagree. My disdain for the star system is not so much I feel the evaluators don't know what they're doing, but rather from task itself -- in other words how does a national network of scouts, all using I would assume their own interpretation of what makes a D-I player, somehow cohesively come up with some pretty solid notion of a kid's potential relative to his peers? I mean, you're trying rank or at least classify (NR, 2 star, 3 star, etc.) probably close to 4,o00 kids a year, right?

Add to that the all the things that are really difficult to account for: does a kid work hard? Will he learn a playbook? Is he an aggressive, competitive kid by nature? Will he get into trouble off the field? In other words, did you sign dustin pedroia -- who has no right being as good as he is? Or did you sign Michael Coleman (a red sox draftee in the 90s with phenomenal athleticism, but absolutely no ability to translate it to the baseball field? Did you sign Billy Beane (who looked for all the world like an MLB star but didn't really have the mindset) or Lenny Dykstra (a guy who was a total mess in a lot of regards, but was an absolute single-minded animal intent on being an MLB star).

Lastly -- I, rightly or wrongly, view OL as the most difficult position to project. I covered HS sports for several years and I always felt it was easy to pick out the best skilled athletes on the field (in any sport, really). I got so I could tell you who the best player on the field would be before the game ever started. Just something about how they move and the confidence, etc. But on the OL it was always really tough. Sometimes the kid that was 5-10, 220 playing center was not only better, but a more dominant physical presence than the kid who was 6-3, 250 and playing tackle.

Anyway, I just tend to think getting numbers at OL is really important and I generally believe I'd rather have a kid with a good frame that needs to add muscle is a better bet than a kid who is already coming in at 310 but needs some work in re-shaping his body.

Having said that, no one has offered me a recruiting coordinator position yet, so perhaps I'm talking out of the wrong orifice

 

[OttoinGrotto]

It's an interesting thought and I would say there is probably some merit to it, but I tend to disagree. My disdain for the star system is not so much I feel the evaluators don't know what they're doing, but rather from task itself -- in other words how does a national network of scouts, all using I would assume their own interpretation of what makes a D-I player, somehow cohesively come up with some pretty solid notion of a kid's potential relative to his peers? I mean, you're trying rank or at least classify (NR, 2 star, 3 star, etc.) probably close to 4,o00 kids a year, right?

Add to that the all the things that are really difficult to account for: does a kid work hard? Will he learn a playbook? Is he an aggressive, competitive kid by nature? Will he get into trouble off the field? In other words, did you sign dustin pedroia -- who has no right being as good as he is? Or did you sign Michael Coleman (a red sox draftee in the 90s with phenomenal athleticism, but absolutely no ability to translate it to the baseball field? Did you sign Billy Beane (who looked for all the world like an MLB star but didn't really have the mindset) or Lenny Dykstra (a guy who was a total mess in a lot of regards, but was an absolute single-minded animal intent on being an MLB star).

Lastly -- I, rightly or wrongly, view OL as the most difficult position to project. I covered HS sports for several years and I always felt it was easy to pick out the best skilled athletes on the field (in any sport, really). I got so I could tell you who the best player on the field would be before the game ever started. Just something about how they move and the confidence, etc. But on the OL it was always really tough. Sometimes the kid that was 5-10, 220 playing center was not only better, but a more dominant physical presence than the kid who was 6-3, 250 and playing tackle.

Anyway, I just tend to think getting numbers at OL is really important and I generally believe I'd rather have a kid with a good frame that needs to add muscle is a better bet than a kid who is already coming in at 310 but needs some work in re-shaping his body.

Having said that, no one has offered me a recruiting coordinator position yet, so perhaps I'm talking out of the wrong orifice

I get where you're coming from. I try to be consistent though in stating that I think the star rankings are inaccurate when it comes to individual players, but much better when evaluating groups of players and comparing them to other groups. That's where my half-baked theory about the accumulation of stars across an offensive line comes from.

 

[TexanMark]

Looks like NIU's Plan B commits quickly after Heckel picks Cuse
http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-footb...cruiting-ot-brayden-patton-commits-highlights

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I like this kid a lot

 

[memcorsu]

http://www.wisn.com/sports/high-school-sports/op-fb-week-3-muskego-vs-waukesha-west/35117040

 

[memcorsu]

Heckel retweet

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

Free Article

 

[MadisonCuse]

Barring upsets I'll get to see Sam play when region #1 Waukesha West plays #1 Waunakee in the state Semi-Finals.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[JDubbin]

I may be crazy, but this seems like a big deal to me. You know the state of Wisconsin puts those country strong hosses in the trenches, for this kid to be considered for the best O Lineman in the state is big time. It's just nice to see in the midst of some star related criticism and doubt that accompanied his commitment. SU football needs something positive at the moment!

 

[PhatOrange]

This is one kid where i'll be worried about a flip until the ink is dry.

 

[jekelish]

Vote for Sam for Wisconsin's HS lineman of the year award:

 

[Libero2]

Vote for Sam for Wisconsin's HS lineman of the year award:

Please tell me they don't hand out these awards based on a popular vote? Because it appears that's what they are doing.

I hate that method of handing out awards.

That said, Sam is in 3rd of 5. Behind the leader by about 450 votes.

 

[creatorsgam]

Please tell me they don't hand out these awards based on a popular vote? Because it appears that's what they are doing.

I hate that method of handing out awards.

That said, Sam is in 3rd of 5. Behind the leader by about 450 votes.

Apparently it is 1/8th of the selection process, points awarded to top-3.

I agree with you. Even at 12.5% of the equation a popularity-influenced award is weak.