Class of 2017 QB Jack Coan (NY) Verbal to Wisconsin

[Statesman1]

When it comes to NYS kids it is really pretty simple. If we like them we offer try to get them up to the camp and an OV. They all have the ability to see the program on their own. We simply do not have that many great football players in the state. There is only so much we can do to keep a kid at home.

My daughter is case in point. She is a good student and letters in three varsity sports. CU and CSU are great schools in beautiful settings. She has zero desire to stay in CO for college. She loves the state and will most likely live here but for college she is looking all over the country but not at the local schools. I hear the same thing from my friends in other states. Very few of the kids want to stay home for college. The point is that we are behind the 8 ball from the start because we are the in state school not in the lead.

Location doesn't seem to hurt us in hoops or lax- so what's the real variable? Proximity may be a factor for some kids who want to get away, but it is also a factor for many who want to remain close to home. Dr. Gross was correct in trying to increase the pathetic brand of SU Football. Perennial suckitude for decades at a time does little to make SU the place to be for Northeast kids who would like to stay within an easy car ride from home. Hopefully Babers can at least make us an interesting team to watch ( we haven't been interesting since the Freeney era) and generate some excitement around the program based on the product on the field next year and we can once again make the Dome a destination instead of a place for the leftovers and "diamonds in the rough". I trust the coaches/Next man up.

 

[Statesman1]

We already focus on NYS recruits and have since Marrone was the coach, at least.

Since you don't personally know what Babers thinks, compared to what he says in interviews, I'll take what you think he means and his intent, with a grain of salt.

Is he lying in his interviews or something? Interesting take-

 

[Statesman1]

The best player in CNY this year (Schaffner) went to Colgate. Syracuse absolutely needs to get three kids a year from NY who can contribute, but it's a wide net to cast for so few fish.

Not really- Rochester/Buffalo annually put out a couple P5 players and the best player in the state the last two years (Zembiec) from Aquinas was 1.5 hours from campus. Seems to me we could improve our in state recruiting quite a bit. Ultimately I don't care where the players come from as long as they come to Syracuse. It also seems to me that improving our results on the field will have a bigger impact on retaining better Northeastern talent than it will the further you go away from campus. My brother played HS ball with Tim Green back in the day, and he was the domino that got it all started keeping talent at home. I'd like to see that next domino be a player like Coan and get that ball rolling again-

 

[CuseLegacy]

Is he lying in his interviews or something? Interesting take-

My take is that they will go after some NY state kids but their ties/relationships are Florida and the Midwest...with the Mid-Atlantic thrown in with Ferri on staff. The only one that seems to have recruited NY much is Monroe when he was at Colgate. You recruit who and what you know. Babers told donors that they prefer to go after kids that they have been watching/following for a few years.

 

[Statesman1]

Pretty sure he said filling your roster, IE 6-10 recruits per year. We should being trying to get 2 of the top 5 NY recruits per year. Most of the big recruits prefer to go out of state for one reason or another.

We should be trying to get more than 2- we need to figure out a way to increase our NY retention, imo

 

[Statesman1]

My take is that they will go after some NY state kids but their ties/relationships are Florida and the Midwest...with the Mid-Atlantic thrown in with Ferri on staff. The only one that seems to have recruited NY much is Monroe when he was at Colgate. You recruit who and what you know. Babers told donors that they prefer to go after kids that they have been watching/following for a few years.

That makes some sense to me- I think over time those relationships will be cultivated within the Northeast in general and in NYS in particular. Hopefully sooner rather than later-

 

[TheCusian]

We should be trying to get more than 2- we need to figure out a way to increase our NY retention, imo

Not at the expense of quality.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Not really- Rochester/Buffalo annually put out a couple P5 players and the best player in the state the last two years (Zembiec) from Aquinas was 1.5 hours from campus. Seems to me we could improve our in state recruiting quite a bit. Ultimately I don't care where the players come from as long as they come to Syracuse. It also seems to me that improving our results on the field will have a bigger impact on retaining better Northeastern talent than it will the further you go away from campus. My brother played HS ball with Tim Green back in the day, and he was the domino that got it all started keeping talent at home. I'd like to see that next domino be a player like Coan and get that ball rolling again-

But that statement only backs up what I'm saying. Two metro areas with a combined population of about 2 million people produces a couple of P5 players a year. New York City and Long Island produce a couple more. Still, less than 10. There's very little talent TO keep home.

 

[RMH44]

I think this is how it will be going forward. 3-5 if they are good - otherwise fill from other states.

EDIT: and till we win consistently, there will be local grumbling.

More than likely there will still be grumbling even if/when we win consistently. Just the nature of the beast around here.

 

[kcsu]

The NYS recruit situation will take care of itself. The staff will offer those that are worthy and they will either come or not. Given the fact that at most there are 20 kids worth recruiting each year i wouldnt spend a ton of time. Heck one HS in Florida might produce 5 or more D1 players a year

 

[Statesman1]

I'm objecting to your "wide net" perspective. People act like the state is devoid of all talent- You've got ballers within an hour and a half to two hours away on the regular who have an opportunity to play in front of family and friends. We need to get more of our fair share of these kids. This should not be a controversial line of thinking.

 

[Sudano]

We already focus on NYS recruits and have since Marrone was the coach, at least.

Since you don't personally know what Babers thinks, compared to what he says in interviews, I'll take what you think he means and his intent, with a grain of salt.

Ah...the old 'you can't read his mind' and what he REALLY is thinking defense. Now you're really stretching the concept of reality. So you think he's lying and its all just a ruse. Call me old fashioned but I take people at their word when they make sense.

 

[TheCusian]

I'm objecting to your "wide net" perspective. People act like the state is devoid of all talent- You've got ballers within an hour and a half to two hours away on the regular who have an opportunity to play in front of family and friends. We need to get more of our fair share of these kids. This should not be a controversial line of thinking.

It's only controversial if you take kids that are "reaches" just because they are local. Dino should go after the best kids they can get.

 

[Statesman1]

It's only controversial if you take kids that are "reaches" just because they are local. Dino should go after the best kids they can get.

Who suggested anyone take kids who are not up to snuff just because they are from NY? This is another straw man argument that we should not waste time recruiting close to home- tell me, in your opinion, has Dino taken any such NYS "reaches"? In fact he did the opposite--

 

[TheCusian]

Who suggested anyone take kids who are not up to snuff just because they are from NY? This is another straw man argument that we should not waste time recruiting close to home- tell me, in your opinion, has Dino taken any such NYS "reaches"? In fact he did the opposite--

Right. Babers took some heat in the media and people here suggested that he should have kept a local kid even if he wouldn't see the field. Not a straw man at all.

I applaud Dino for not folding to that pressure and being willing to take some heat locally on the name of getting the best kids he could in 2 months.

If people are saying "recruit NY" and the kids he has rated highly were committing elsewhere - and people are still saying "take NY kids" - than yeah - there is a sense that that are asking the staff to take a reach based on geography.

 

[PhatOrange]

At the end of the day in 2017 we’ll recruit what ever New Yorker's are good enough and the bulk of the effort will come from PA, MD, VA, MI and Ohio, and as many as we can get from Florida. NJ is TBD.

Yes there will be some token kids from wherever, but I believe the bulk of our class will be made up of the aforementioned states.

NY only typically has 0-5 high major kids in a given year. 10-15 D1 kids max. Our focus will be small because that's the value.

 

[Statesman1]

Right. Babers took some heat in the media and people here suggested that he should have kept a local kid even if he wouldn't see the field. Not a straw man at all.

I applaud Dino for not folding to that pressure and being willing to take some heat locally on the name of getting the best kids he could in 2 months.

If people are saying "recruit NY" and the kids he has rated highly were committing elsewhere - and people are still saying "take NY kids" - than yeah - there is a sense that that are asking the staff to take a reach based on geography.

I hear what you are saying. I agree, Dino needs to get the best players he can, regardless of geography, but I'd like to see us start winning some of these in state battles a little more regularly.

 

[Sudano]

It's only controversial if you take kids that are "reaches" just because they are local. Dino should go after the best kids they can get.

Exactly. We must agree then. No one said to reach to get a NYS kid. Go after NYS kids who are of a high quality. Its odd that you change what is being said than disagree with what you just wrote. For us to improve we have to begin with winning recruiting battles for NYS kids with SEC offers. Let's start with one, then get 3, then get 5...That's how we get better, by getting better players and not settling.

 

[TheCusian]

I hear what you are saying. I agree, Dino needs to get the best players he can, regardless of geography, but I'd like to see us start winning some of these in state battles a little more regularly.

For sure.

It's not a huge stretch to think if we follow the Eastern Illinois/Bowling Green/Baylor model - that in the next few classes we'll land the NY kids that typical choose ND, Penn St, etc.

 

[Sudano]

But that statement only backs up what I'm saying. Two metro areas with a combined population of about 2 million people produces a couple of P5 players a year. New York City and Long Island produce a couple more. Still, less than 10. There's very little talent TO keep home.

And of those 10 players we have to do a much better job of keeping the top players to stay home.

 

[TheCusian]

Exactly. We must agree then. No one said to reach to get a NYS kid. Go after NYS kids who are of a high quality. Its odd that you change what is being said than disagree with what you just wrote. For us to improve we have to begin with winning recruiting battles for NYS kids with SEC offers. Let's start with one, then get 3, then get 5...That's how we get better, by getting better players and not settling.

"No one said" - but there was an undercurrent of "no NY or NJ" kids here and in the media. Babers has fielded the question repeatedly.

I haven't changed what I've said.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

And of those 10 players we have to do a much better job of keeping the top players to stay home.

Don't disagree there.

 

[Sudano]

When it comes to NYS kids it is really pretty simple. If we like them we offer try to get them up to the camp and an OV. They all have the ability to see the program on their own. We simply do not have that many great football players in the state. There is only so much we can do to keep a kid at home.

My daughter is case in point. She is a good student and letters in three varsity sports. CU and CSU are great schools in beautiful settings. She has zero desire to stay in CO for college. She loves the state and will most likely live here but for college she is looking all over the country but not at the local schools. I hear the same thing from my friends in other states. Very few of the kids want to stay home for college. The point is that we are behind the 8 ball from the start because we are the in state school not in the lead.

In fact the data shows otherwise. Proximity is the most important factor in college selection.
72 percent stay in-state, according to Niche Ink. In NYS its 81%. Only 11 percent of students venture more than 500 miles from their hometown. Top players will stay home if SU offers what they want. Winning, Bowls, and packed stadiums. All Hail Dino!!

 

[RF2044]

And of those 10 players we have to do a much better job of keeping the top players to stay home.

That's the key. The reality of the situation is that for 10+ years, we haven't been in strong contention for the vast majority of relatively limited number of 4 and 5 star prospects this state produces [there are a few exceptions, i.e., we had a solid "in" with Ishaq, etc.]. The Easleys, Mavetys, Zambiecs, Samuels, Gronkowskis, etc. flood out of state--primarily to PSU, Ohio State, ND, and the SEC. We haven't gotten much more than token interest from the vast majority of those prospects.

That needs to change. We need to start competing for the top tier talent in state and halt the mass exodus to the factories.

However, I do agree that the vast majority of recruiting focus should be out of NYS, as there just aren't enough D1 prospects in state to support the program. And elevating the talent level [which I am completely confident that Babers and staff will be able to do] is the most important outcome, no matter what geographic region the recruits are from.

 

[VaSaltine]

From the perspective of a NYC resident, Syracuse may as well be in Montana. Distance from home, I think we can sell that aspect. But asking a kid from Brooklyn or Long Island to be loyal to the New York State team is a much harder sell.