As bad as the AAC is..

[Carl Spackler]

2 things here that aren't surprising.

1. You missed the point.
2. You are worried about the wrong things.

No, I think I answered the question you posed quite accurately, and if you intended to get a different answer, you should have asked a different question, and I'm not worried about anything except how I'm going to be able to convince my wife and family that going to late season games will be worth the day's effort if we suck as bad as we have the past few seasons again.

I like you whaler, and I do sometimes wonder about your negativity. Happy Father's day - go enjoy it. I'm turning this damn device off now and taking my own advice.

 

[uconndogs]

I disagree that we never faired well against them. That is just not true.
Going back to 2003, below is UCONN's record against Cuse, BC, Rutgers and Pitt.

vs. Cuse UCONN is 6-3
vs. Rutgers UCONN is 4-6
vs. Pitt UCONN is 4-4
vs. BC UCONN is 0-2

Overall Record against above 14-15. I call that holding there own.

Carl, that's exactly my point. The recruiting sites would have you believe that our recruiting was completely uncompetitive, yet the results on the field say differently. To say nothing of the fact that those sites are fraught with incomplete information and inaccurate information.

The stupid Twins had plenty of talent to continue the good trajectory of the program. Instead, they allowed a systemic breakdown.

Is Diaco the guy to fix it? I don't know.

 

[whaler11]

No, I think I answered the question you posed quite accurately, and if you intended to get a different answer, you should have asked a different question, and I'm not worried about anything except how I'm going to be able to convince my wife and family that going to late season games will be worth the day's effort if we suck as bad as we have the past few seasons again.

I like you whaler, and I do sometimes wonder about your negativity. Happy Father's day - go enjoy it. I'm turning this damn device off now and taking my own advice.

I like you too Carl but it was a rhetorical question. That's how you missed the point.

 

[whaler11]

You complain about recruiting...
Uconn gets the first recruit... Recruits are not good enough because he was committed to an fcs school.

So you immediately judge this kid as unworthy, before you've seen him play, or before he's even played one down for uconn. Rather than learn about this kid and understand this is a step forward, you pull your same crap. Bah humbug!

An then you cry to mommy about personal attacks. What a ???
Btw, that is a personal attack.

Most of you guys who complain about what I post have nothing but personal attacks.

I don't see anyone's mommy here and it doesn't really bother me - I just like to point out that a good number of you don't actually attempt to debate anything football related - but instead take shots at me.

I should probably just give up because the level of reading comprehension for so many here is about zero - but pointing out the macro level recruiting issues this program is experiencing is not a statement or judgment about any one player.

If you think Diaco has magic beans that allows him to beat teams on the field without ever beating them in recruiting... I'd say I'm not surprised you are the type of person who believes in magic beans.

 

[uconndogs]

Most of you guys who complain about what I post have nothing but personal attacks.

I don't see anyone's mommy here and it doesn't really bother me - I just like to point out that a good number of you don't actually attempt to debate anything football related - but instead take shots at me.

I should probably just give up because the level of reading comprehension for so many here is about zero - but pointing out the macro level recruiting issues this program is experiencing is not a statement or judgment about any one player.

If you think Diaco has magic beans that allows him to beat teams on the field without ever beating them in recruiting... I'd say I'm not surprised you are the type of person who believes in magic beans.

You sound like a victim Whaler. That's a big part of what I take away from that post.

I'm serious.

 

[huskymedic]

For someone who is supposed to be the ultimate sales guy - why doesn't that show up in the place where being a sales guy would pay the highest dividends?

There is an article in today's Courant discussing Southington's Jay Rose and his recruitment process. Here's a snippet:

>>Rose is being recruited by former UConn coach Randy Edsall, now at Maryland. Edsall didn't have much success in keeping top talent at home when he was at UConn, but he has a whole new bargaining chip with Maryland being in the Big Ten, a Power Five conference.

Boston College of the ACC also plays in a Power Five conference and has Connecticut native Steve Addazio as its coach. He has helped turn around BC in his two years there and has a track record of getting state players.

UConn is led by second-year coach Bob Diaco, who doesn't have a Power Five pin on his lapel but is trying to build the Huskies into an AAC power and keep state talent at home.<<

Besides these 2 - there are West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and N.C. State as well). These are the head to head's you reference --- If you were the Coach Whaler - what's you're sales pitch to overcome the conference affiliation debacle they face each trip into a family's living room (service to the state only goes so far )?

Heading out for Father's Day brunch... be back.

 

[whaler11]

You sound like a victim Whaler. That's a big part of what I take away from that post.

I'm serious.

LOL if you say so.

I might rant and rave but somehow I take these posts a lot less seriously than many of you.

 

[uconndogs]

LOL if you say so.

I might rant and rave but somehow I take these posts a lot less seriously than many of you.

Good. God knows nothing on these boards should be taken too seriously and ultimately it should be about having some fun.

 

[whaler11]

There is an article in today's Courant discussing Southington's Jay Rose and his recruitment process. Here's a snippet:

>>Rose is being recruited by former UConn coach Randy Edsall, now at Maryland. Edsall didn't have much success in keeping top talent at home when he was at UConn, but he has a whole new bargaining chip with Maryland being in the Big Ten, a Power Five conference.

Boston College of the ACC also plays in a Power Five conference and has Connecticut native Steve Addazio as its coach. He has helped turn around BC in his two years there and has a track record of getting state players.

UConn is led by second-year coach Bob Diaco, who doesn't have a Power Five pin on his lapel but is trying to build the Huskies into an AAC power and keep state talent at home.<<

These are the head to head's you reference --- If you were the Coach Whaler - what's you're sales pitch to overcome the conference affiliation debacle they face each trip into a family's living room (service to the state only goes so far )?

For one - I'm not guaranteed 8.5 million dollars to sell the school to high school recruits - so it's not really my job to come up with their pitch.

It's like the poster who told me to follow women's basketball the other day... is there no middle ground between where they are and where people are pretending I'm saying they should be?

FWIW I would never pitch service to the state because that is horsecrap.

What I'd pitch a kid like Rose is the opportunity to become a local legend. The opportunity to step in and play early and often and do it
on front of tens of thousands of people who are dying for a local
kid to lead them out of the dark valley.

Let's not try and pretend I'm holding Diaco's feet to the fire for not consistently beating BC, Rutgers and Maryland for players. You'd need to pretend nothing exists football-wise between the P5 and FCS.

 

[noeynox]

@whaler, my only point of contention is that we've never gotten kids with multiple offers to commit here. Edsall got a few, Kanuch, Difton, Fogarty. P got a few, Myers, Jhavon Williams. Mostly though, recruiting looks the same it ever has while recruiting to a lesser conference than the BCS Big East. It's a tall task, when our local peers from the Big East all went P5 and we were essentially left behind.

You are right in that Diaco is being paid P5 money, to overcome this disadvantage, and last year's results aside, his tenure hasn't exactly inspired confidence. So far he seems like a guy who talks big from February through August, but when the games start it's about patience and and program building and the future and not sacrificing future success for a few wins which makes no damn sense but whatever.

 

[Dooley]

Seems like most of us are saying the same things. 1) UConn football grew and found most of its success mining for the under-recruited talents under Edsall. 2) We all wish UConn could recruit better but won't be able to until we start winning again. 3) More time is needed to effectively evaluate the current staff's ability to find under-recruited talent and coach/train them up. 4) the AAC blows and we are all frustrated that we aren't running roughshod through this sh1tstorm of a conference on and off the field.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I agree with whalers overall point about recruiting, but it seems like this guy may be pretty good?

3* from VA, with interest from the regional P5 teams?

Recruiting is a mess, but maybe I don't know. I'm more concerned with the New England guys we got with Bryant, Lehigh type offers.

 

[Pudge]

ONE ... whaler11 is wrong about these first two kids. Just crazy throwing bricks in June, particularly relating to the Quarterback position. If a kid gets a UConn offer, and senses that he is at his highest & best, he grabs it early. The QB position is far different than all others. The exception is the kid that climbs dramatically in his Senior year and that is a low percentage of kids who get either P5 or AAC/MWC or even MAC scholarships.

You can't judge UConn or Diaco by the standards of other schools. We just have a far different paradigm in recruiting. And now we have the P5 - Syracuse, BC, Rutgers, Pitt - issue. Diaco, with 15-17 scholarships, is probably a better evaluator/recruiter than I initially suspected; and in relationship to Edsall, he goes for a higher pedigree. Edsall was an amazingly good selector of potential - RE Will Beatty or Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

SECOND ... I abhor this tendency to be dismissive to others. Yes, I name names of those that are bullies. Have a problem with that? I know several guys my age who aren't around here any longer. If someone does disagree, it's not because you are superior. Maybe you can learn something.

as some clearly state ... no one is playing the apologist for Diaco and his staff ... we just really want to be better and go to fun games.

 

[Srqhusky]

The irony in these threads always amazes me.

The boards is filled with thousands of posts about how great UConn is. How UConn should be in the Big 10. How UConn should be in the ACC. Mocking of Rutgers, Syracuse and BC...

Yet when I point the coaching staff should be held to a higher standard in their recruiting because of what the school is and offers I'm a bad guy.

For someone who is supposed to be the ultimate sales guy - why doesn't that show up in the place where being a sales guy would pay the highest dividends?

As for the narrative that Diaco and the staff are going to coach up underdog RKGs with high GPAs... this isn't Hoosiers or the Mighty Ducks. You have completely disconnected how college football works versus reality. You also must have stopped watching last season at 14-0 BYU.

As for the idea this is how we've always recruited... um yeah that's the problem it's not good enough. Bob Diaco isn't concerned about recruiting lol - it's a wild coincidence they flipped an FCS verbal for their first commit half way through June.

For the Art's and Marty's who don't want to hang out. Don't worry I wasn't asking. Why not hit the ignore button instead of personally attacking me because you can't attack my content?

Do you even have a clue on how to fix the problem?? Are you going to start doing 100 dollar handshakes

 

[whaler11]

It's interesting how people talk about Edsall now versus when he was here.

A common theme in this thread seems to be well Edsall did it this way maybe it will work again - let's take a look at the sustainability of the approach.

The formula seems to be generally considered:
- Have a better eye for talent and land under appreciated recruits
- Coach them up better than the competition
-Make fewer mistakes/outcoach them on Saturdays

Is that sustainable? Does that leave you any margin for error? Well what were some of the things that happened during the Fiesta Bowl season that he had no control over?

Louisville was digging out of the Kragthorpe era.

Syracuse had a decent season but was digging out of the Robinson era.

Brian Kelly left Cincinnati the year before.

Bill Stewart was a huge downgrade at West Virginia.

They lost to Temple were the only team Rutgers beat in conference.

How narrow was the margin of error? There were 3 plays that were the difference between the Fiesta Bowl and not being bowl eligible. WVU fumbling in OT, Pittsburgh not getting a 4th down stop and Teggert bombing a kick in a blizzard (also some good fortune to catch USF in a December blizzard).

There is a reason why what happened with Edsall was remarkable - it almost impossible to replicate. Unless the other teams in the AAC are willing to mismanage themselves as badly as the Big East did at the end of the decade.

 

[whaler11]

Do you even have a clue on how to fix the problem?? Are you going to start doing 100 dollar handshakes

LOL yeah everyone else is cheating.

 

[whaler11]

ONE ... whaler11 is wrong about these first two kids. Just crazy throwing bricks in June, particularly relating to the Quarterback position. If a kid gets a UConn offer, and senses that he is at his highest & best, he grabs it early. The QB position is far different than all others. The exception is the kid that climbs dramatically in his Senior year and that is a low percentage of kids who get either P5 or AAC/MWC or even MAC scholarships.

You can't judge UConn or Diaco by the standards of other schools. We just have a far different paradigm in recruiting. And now we have the P5 - Syracuse, BC, Rutgers, Pitt - issue. Diaco, with 15-17 scholarships, is probably a better evaluator/recruiter than I initially suspected; and in relationship to Edsall, he goes for a higher pedigree. Edsall was an amazingly good selector of potential - RE Will Beatty or Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

SECOND ... I abhor this tendency to be dismissive to others. Yes, I name names of those that are bullies. Have a problem with that? I know several guys my age who aren't around here any longer. If someone does disagree, it's not because you are superior. Maybe you can learn something.

as some clearly state ... no one is playing the apologist for Diaco and his staff ... we just really want to be better and go to fun games.

It's fairly impressive how often you can contradict yourself while ignoring actual facts but inventing things with no evidence.

You can't judge Diaco by the same standards as other schools but no that isn't playing the apologist?

To answer your question no I don't really have a problem with what or how other people post - maybe I'm not as sensitive when people disagree with me.

 

[Pudge]

I am not chasing whaler11 down a rabbit hole of his making.

I type complex sentences: I am sorry.

When I say UConn football specific facts, that includes Diaco. OK ... whaler11, now go add 1000 posts.

YOU ARE freaking sensitive. We can time you ... and you are faster than the NHRA.

 

[whaler11]

I am not chasing whaler11 down a rabbit hole of his making.

I type complex sentences: I am sorry.

When I say UConn football specific facts, that includes Diaco. OK ... whaler11, now go add 1000 posts.

YOU ARE freaking sensitive. We can time you ... and you are faster than the NHRA.

If I'm so sensitive in your estimation why are you so comfortable bullying me?

 

[huskymedic]

Let's not try and pretend I'm holding Diaco's feet to the fire for not consistently beating BC, Rutgers and Maryland for players. You'd need to pretend nothing exists football-wise between the P5 and FCS.

You say that, but that's what I read this statement from the initial post in this thread to mean... "How does the staff get a pass when they lose every recruiting battle?" Is it just intended hyperbole?

He's gotten a few kids in the short time here with other G5 peer and non-peer P5 offers to take a chance (half dozen?).

There are only so many kids who will buy into the local legend/hero line... they just need to put W's on the board this year to build on it quickly.

 

[Doggie Style]

You say that, but that's what I read this statement from the initial post in this thread to mean... "How does the staff get a pass when they lose every recruiting battle?" Is it just intended hyperbole?

He's gotten a few kids in the short time here with other G5 peer and non-peer P5 offers to take a chance (half dozen?).

There are only so many kids who will buy into the local legend/hero line... they just need to put W's on the board this year to build on it quickly.

Wow.... That was a quick brunch!!!!

 

[whaler11]

You say that, but that's what I read this statement from the initial post in this thread to mean... "How does the staff get a pass when they lose every recruiting battle?" Is it just intended hyperbole?

He's gotten a few kids in the short time here with other G5 peer and non-peer P5 offers to take a chance (half dozen?).

There are only so many kids who will buy into the local legend/hero line... they just need to put W's on the board this year to build on it quickly.

Well I can't really pretend that I'm above some hyperbole to try and make a point.

Nobody knows better than you what is happening.

Either the staff wastes time on players they don't think they are
can land - or they aren't executing as well as they would like. That seems self evident I'm not sure why some think we need to pretend otherwise.

 

[junglehusky]

I don't want the staff to spend most of their time on kids we have zero shot at, but I kind of want them to spend some time on kids who are reaches. I also want them to spend some time on finding less developed kids that don't already have 20 offers.

Minor note - SMU, Houston, Memphis & Tulane which are supposedly killing it on the trail this year play in the western division.

 

[06029]

ONE ... whaler11 is wrong about these first two kids. Just crazy throwing bricks in June, particularly relating to the Quarterback position. If a kid gets a UConn offer, and senses that he is at his highest & best, he grabs it early. The QB position is far different than all others. The exception is the kid that climbs dramatically in his Senior year and that is a low percentage of kids who get either P5 or AAC/MWC or even MAC scholarships.

You can't judge UConn or Diaco by the standards of other schools. We just have a far different paradigm in recruiting. And now we have the P5 - Syracuse, BC, Rutgers, Pitt - issue. Diaco, with 15-17 scholarships, is probably a better evaluator/recruiter than I initially suspected; and in relationship to Edsall, he goes for a higher pedigree. Edsall was an amazingly good selector of potential - RE Will Beatty or Blidi Wreh-Wilson.

SECOND ... I abhor this tendency to be dismissive to others. Yes, I name names of those that are bullies. Have a problem with that? I know several guys my age who aren't around here any longer. If someone does disagree, it's not because you are superior. Maybe you can learn something.

as some clearly state ... no one is playing the apologist for Diaco and his staff ... we just really want to be better and go to fun games.

And you could be wrong about the first two kids. No one will know until 2017 at the earliest about either. Offers while not the beginning end and of the discussion mean something. People who actually make a living evaluating talent can not afford to make a series of mistakes. Offers more than stars tell you a lot about a kid's potential.

While you believe Uconn's paradigm is different, you don't really explain how it is far different especially in the context of how Uconn's recruiting compares to other AAC schools. The rest of your opinion on BD and the pedigree he is looking at has no factual basis mainly because it does not yet exist. Last years class suggest no major step up in pedigree versus Edsall. Edsall had a couple of recruiting wins every year starting with Dan O before Uconn had a new stadium and playing in Div I.

And for one of the more superior/condescending posters ("I write complex sentences"), look in the mirror and say hello to a dismissive poster.

Finally, do you really want more fun or do you want a championship? Do you want to be better or dominant in the AAC? Baby steps first, but what is your real hope?

Tangible positive steps in recruiting is having a class of kids wher 80% choose Uconn over other sImilar/peer G5 FBS schools, 5% chose Uconn over P5 schools and 15% under the radar/we evaluate talent better kids. Put together 3 classes like that, and I will take the bet on competing for championships. of course I assuming there is a moderate level of coaching talent assembled (tbd as of right now).

 

[Adios]

Minor note - SMU, Houston, Memphis & Tulane which are supposedly killing it on the trail this year play in the western division.

More proof all it takes is a truly competent coaching staff. We're ****ing 0-3 against SMU?!?

 

[whaler11]

And you could be wrong about the first two kids. No one will know until 2017 at the earliest about either. Offers while not the beginning end and of the discussion mean something. People who actually make a living evaluating talent can not afford to make a series of mistakes. Offers more than stars tell you a lot about a kid's potential.

While you believe Uconn's paradigm is different, you don't really explain how it is far different especially in the context of how Uconn's recruiting compares to other AAC schools. The rest of your opinion on BD and the pedigree he is looking at has no factual basis mainly because it does not yet exist. Last years class suggest no major step up in pedigree versus Edsall. Edsall had a couple of recruiting wins every year starting with Dan O before Uconn had a new stadium and playing in Div I.

And for one of the more superior/condescending posters ("I write complex sentences"), look in the mirror and say hello to a dismissive poster.

Finally, do you really want more fun or do you want a championship? Do you want to be better or dominant in the AAC? Baby steps first, but what is your real hope?

Tangible positive steps in recruiting is having a class of kids wher 80% choose Uconn over other sImilar/peer G5 FBS schools, 5% chose Uconn over P5 schools and 15% under the radar/we evaluate talent better kids. Put together 3 classes like that, and I will take the bet on competing for championships. of course I assuming there is a moderate level of coaching talent assembled (tbd as of right now).

Well he did also ignore I didn't say anything bad about the first kid and have never commented on the second kid. So I guess not having any real opinion of them could prove wrong.

 

[Pudge]

And you could be wrong about the first two kids. No one will know until 2017 at the earliest about either. Offers while not the beginning end and of the discussion mean something. People who actually make a living evaluating talent can not afford to make a series of mistakes. Offers more than stars tell you a lot about a kid's potential.

While you believe Uconn's paradigm is different, you don't really explain how it is far different especially in the context of how Uconn's recruiting compares to other AAC schools. The rest of your opinion on BD and the pedigree he is looking at has no factual basis mainly because it does not yet exist. Last years class suggest no major step up in pedigree versus Edsall. Edsall had a couple of recruiting wins every year starting with Dan O before Uconn had a new stadium and playing in Div I.

And for one of the more superior/condescending posters ("I write complex sentences"), look in the mirror and say hello to a dismissive poster.

Finally, do you really want more fun or do you want a championship? Do you want to be better or dominant in the AAC? Baby steps first, but what is your real hope?

Tangible positive steps in recruiting is having a class of kids wher 80% choose Uconn over other sImilar/peer G5 FBS schools, 5% chose Uconn over P5 schools and 15% under the radar/we evaluate talent better kids. Put together 3 classes like that, and I will take the bet on competing for championships. of course I assuming there is a moderate level of coaching talent assembled (tbd as of right now).

Do you have any historical empirical facts to the last paragraph?

Yes. This is speculation. After watching the last 16 years of UConn recruiting, I dispute your statement about Edsall before Dan O. There are parents that can step up and tell you the facts.

Yes. This is speculation. But QBs in June - well, most QBs from here on should be better than our QB recruiting pre-Diaco. So, I will say ... BINGO ... I take Williams and Davis over the field. As for Dixon? Run a sub 4.5 at 6 foot 3 and look good in a CT HS ... and we have a history of that kind of kid. Will he be good? History shows that we have not been all that successful on this; but, he's still well worth the offer/commitment in June.

We won Championships with a recruiting plan that wasn't what you are whaler11 are evangelizing. The Jarrell Miller; Dwayne Difton; Anoai ... guys.

I do have a fear when you start looking around the AAC and making the OP. We probably - over a 5 year period - face lower recruiting at Syracuse, Rutgers and Pitt in the BE than what we might see at UCF or Houston in the next few years.

 

[Pudge]

Well he did also ignore I didn't say anything bad about the first kid and have never commented on the second kid. So I guess not having any real opinion of them could prove wrong.

hmm ... is this an SAT question?

Because one can easily deduce your implication from the original post.

 

[whaler11]

hmm ... is this an SAT question?

Because one can easily deduce your implication from the original post.

Well the post was made before the second kid committed so that's quite a leap you are making.

That I'm making an argument about a macro trend accross a program and you want to assume that it is an argument attempting to predict the future of every individual player... well I can't really stop you even if it's wrong.

 

[huskymedic]

Tangible positive steps in recruiting is having a class of kids wher 80% choose Uconn over other sImilar/peer G5 FBS schools, 5% chose Uconn over P5 schools and 15% under the radar/we evaluate talent better kids. Put together 3 classes like that, and I will take the bet on competing for championships. of course I assuming there is a moderate level of coaching talent assembled (tbd as of right now).

I'm curious on your thoughts of what's the talent/skill differences for your example above between a low/mid MAC or Sunbelt G5 FBS schools and high end FCS schools (besides the obvious nomenclature)?