Marcel Lazard 2013

[Husky Harry]

OT from NJ names top 4 of UConn, Miami, Michigan and West Virginia.

 

[Carl Spackler]

That's right where we belong. Yup. Right there with those programs.

 

[Dann]

now see, there must be a reason were included in that list. why didn't he name a top 5 with 1 sec school added? i like that he thinks us us in that group.

 

[ktuck911]

Wonder what will happen when Alabama and LSU and Florida and Florida State come calling? Just being brutally honest guys... If we pull this one off then I know we're definitely headed in the right direction sooner rather than later...

 

[NutmegState]

Wonder what will happen when Alabama and LSU and Florida and Florida State come calling? Just being brutally honest guys... If we pull this one off then I know we're definitely headed in the right direction sooner rather than later...

We'll lose him if they get involved. If you are expecting us to beat those schools for kids, you are expecting too much.

With that said, we don't have to beat those schools for kids in order to be wildly successful.

 

[ktuck911]

We'll lose him if they get involved. If you are expecting us to beat those schools for kids, you are expecting too much.

With that said, we don't have to beat those schools for kids in order to be wildly successful.

We've already succeeded.. just need to keep the improvement process going each year.. Can't help but be excited about UCONN football....

 

[cohenzone]

He lists UConn so certain BYrs can complain again that PP can't close the deal, never mind that he is getting in on these more sought after (better ?) recruits in the first place.

 

[BNich]

We've already succeeded.. just need to keep the improvement process going each year.. Can't help but be excited about UCONN football....

Couldn't agree more Ktuck. I like where your head is at. Someone else that shares the same enthusiasm that I do.

 

[businesslawyer]

He lists UConn so certain BYrs can complain again that PP can't close the deal, never mind that he is getting in on these more sought after (better ?) recruits in the first place.

Sheesh. Recruiting is about who you sign. You don't get extra credit for being named by kids who don't sign with you, and you certainly don't lose credit for not closing on a kid who considered you . You succeed or fail based solely on who you get and how you develop and coach them.

 

[cohenzone]

"Sheesh. Recruiting is about who you sign. You don't get extra credit for being named by kids who don't sign with you, and you certainly don't lose credit for not closing on a kid who considered you . You succeed or fail based solely on who you get and how you develop and coach them."

I think you miss the point. There are a few guys here who only see the kids we miss and conclude PP can't close (after one year on the job and thus being behind the curve with the more notable recruits or with recruits the opposition may have some natural advantages with). He seems to have closed quite a number of kids, and too bad some folks here think we got sloppy seconds. There used to be guys here who always complained that HCRE never went against the big boys for recruits. Now we seem to have a coach who is willing to go after recruits who somebody or other (other programs, rating services, some BYers) seems to think have more talent than a bunch of other kids out there. And then some name us, an achievement at some level in that crazy recruiting world. Which (un)naturally leads some BYers to the silly conclusion that once we are named and fail to succeed, the guy can't close. It stands to reason that succeeding in the rarefied air is hard in general and even harder in particular for a wannabe program like UConn which is just not realistically mentionable in the same breath as some of the competition folks here want us to go toe to toe with for recruits. Great facilities obviously don't make that big a difference to kids who have a cornucopia of yummy choices. But, sheesh, the guy closes on some recruits, and for god's sake, some of the kids we get who only mention us with Yale and Akron are better than some of the kids who only name Michigan and ND. If UConn is ever truly a big boy to recruits, it is more likely to be in teenie steps based on a few kids here and there and a bit more sustained notable success on the field with the kids we do manage to into signing with us. And BTW, I have no feelings one way or the other on PP and staff's recruiting ability after one year. Most of his recruits this year won't see the field. Clearly, the team needs to perform better than it did this year if PP is to have a leg up with most recruits, but we will still be operating with big unknowns at QB and WR. Ain't it all fun.

 

[businesslawyer]

"Sheesh. Recruiting is about who you sign. You don't get extra credit for being named by kids who don't sign with you, and you certainly don't lose credit for not closing on a kid who considered you . You succeed or fail based solely on who you get and how you develop and coach them."

I think you miss the point. There are a few guys here who only see the kids we miss and conclude PP can't close (after one year on the job and thus being behind the curve with the more notable recruits or with recruits the opposition may have some natural advantages with). He seems to have closed quite a number of kids, and too bad some folks here think we got sloppy seconds. There used to be guys here who always complained that HCRE never went against the big boys for recruits. Now we seem to have a coach who is willing to go after recruits who somebody or other (other programs, rating services, some BYers) seems to think have more talent than a bunch of other kids out there. And then some name us, an achievement at some level in that crazy recruiting world. Which (un)naturally leads some BYers to the silly conclusion that once we are named and fail to succeed, the guy can't close. It stands to reason that succeeding in the rarefied air is hard in general and even harder in particular for a wannabe program like UConn which is just not realistically mentionable in the same breath as some of the competition folks here want us to go toe to toe with for recruits. Great facilities obviously don't make that big a difference to kids who have a cornucopia of yummy choices. But, sheesh, the guy closes on some recruits, and for god's sake, some of the kids we get who only mention us with Yale and Akron are better than some of the kids who only name Michigan and ND. If UConn is ever truly a big boy to recruits, it is more likely to be in teenie steps based on a few kids here and there and a bit more sustained notable success on the field with the kids we do manage to into signing with us. And BTW, I have no feelings one way or the other on PP and staff's recruiting ability after one year. Most of his recruits this year won't see the field. Clearly, the team needs to perform better than it did this year if PP is to have a leg up with most recruits, but we will still be operating with big unknowns at QB and WR. Ain't it all fun.

No, I don't think I do miss the point. I made a totally coach-neutral statement. If coach neutral isn't enough for some people, that's fine but then they shouldn't be surprised when others need to jump in and take an opposite position.

P's after a prospect. Great. No more needs to be said, unless someone is trying to bait someone.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

We'll lose him if they get involved. If you are expecting us to beat those schools for kids, you are expecting too much.

With that said, we don't have to beat those schools for kids in order to be wildly successful.

That's what they use to say about UConn hoops in comparison to Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, and many others. Now . . . if a kid is really a talent, UConn is probably in the mix. Let's not limit ourselves. Sure, too early for Alabama, LSU and the Gators, but some of the other programs??? It is good to be mentioned in the same breath when recruits list their potential choices.

 

[cohenzone]

Not to belabor this, BL, but my original post was totally tongue in cheek, and quite obviously, you and I totally agree that what matters is not who names us or who the competition is, but who we sign and how they perform. Knowing who the competition is is pretty much only mildly interesting. Who we get is the bottom line and we will lose more recruits than we sign.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Not to belabor this, BL, but my original post was totally tongue in cheek, and quite obviously, you and I totally agree that what matters is not who names us or who the competition is, but who we sign and how they perform. Knowing who the competition is is pretty much only mildly interesting. Who we get is the bottom line and we will lose more recruits than we sign.

When Jim Calhoun first got to UConn, he would recruit the conference (since the program itself was at a very low point). For a long time now, however, he's recruited UConn (the chance to be part of something special) - period. Recruiting was a very fragile courtship and one important piece of it (a very small part admittedly along the road to becoming an established power) is "WHO ELSE IS ON A KIDS LIST". The next step is obviously to land one or more of these kids. And until we start doing this . . . can you say 4-7 or on a real good year 8-4.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Sheesh. Recruiting is about who you sign. You don't get extra credit for being named by kids who don't sign with you, and you certainly don't lose credit for not closing on a kid who considered you . You succeed or fail based solely on who you get and how you develop and coach them.

Absolutely true. Every word.

Who we sign, and how we develop them, and how they play is directy related to our level of success on the field.

I like reading....UConn, Michigan, Miami, West Virginia.........quoted as coming out of a potential recruit's mouth.

If you don't think and believe that we belong there, with those names, you'll never get there,and I guarantee you, that if we're not coming out those recruits mouths in the same breath at this point in the recruiting game, we most certainly will not be seeing their highlight clips on signing days.

"But, as I said, it all starts with the attitude of the head man, which trickles down throughout the enterprise. His values and standards become the group's values and standards. I've always had sky-high standards.

I saw no reason whatsoever why Northeastern couldn't be the best team in our conference, and win enough games to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Was I crazy?"

People said he was. Northeastern was a doormat that hired a twenty something high school b-ball coach working multiple jobs to make ends meet, to run it's college basketball program. That's a quote from Jim Calhoun. Jim Calhoun, came to UConn, and brought the same itensity and committement to winning, and lofty goals, and took the resources of the institution available, and now is a three time national champion.

If Randy Edsall had had the same commitment to UConn, there's no reason to think that he couldn't have accelerated the program up to national level too. It was never a lack of instituitional support or fan support for UConn, and it won't be.

I believe Coach P has the belief, and full committemt to winning, that will take UConn to a level of national relevance as a football program.

There is absolutely no reason to why UConn shouldn't be right there in the same breath with those other names.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

This is not a new phenomena. Why are people behaving that being in a kid's top 4 or 5 with programs of these types is suddenly fresh and exiting, its simply not the case. Closing aginst them, yes. involvement, no.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is not a new phenomena. Why are people behaving that being in a kid's top 4 or 5 with programs of these types is suddenly fresh and exiting, its simply not the case. Closing aginst them, yes. involvement, no.

Please show me the last time that a week after signing day, a following year prospect mentioned UConn as a top choice among any other 4 prorgrams that have a history regular top 25 ranking, and/or multiple national championships.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Please show me the last time that a week after signing day, a following year prospect mentioned UConn as a top choice among any other 4 prorgrams that have a history regular top 25 ranking, and/or multiple national championships.

One quick look back to prior's years offer lists will prove Duncan Idaho's point. He's 100% correct. Edsall recruited these type of kids but could never, or rarely, land them. You guys have selective memories. I hope to God that you guys are right about our improvement in recruiting, but there's no evidence to support your stance whatsoever.

Its basically "recruiting is better because we said so". Impossible to have a discussion about this in a rational manner. I can give you 5 star kids name that we've recruited in the past, but I doubt that would change your opinion.

 

[Palatine]

This thread is meaningless. The kid could be listing UConn for any number of non-football reasons like relatives in the area. And the single most important factor in our recruiting for next year will be our w-l record and bowl.

P. didn't do us any favors with 5-7 this year. Improve that and it will improve recruiting.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think, unless family members are out there that have been recruitedthemselves,or you have personal connections somehow, very few people actually know the recruiting process. I know for absolute certainity, that there was very litte significant effort put into going after the most highly sought after local players in the tri-state area in the past, especially early on in the process. UConn would show up on the recruiting path, late, always late.

In the late 1990s, and the early 2000s, it was a waste of time to put oo much effort into it, and that's the way it was done, it's not being done that way anymore.

I realize there's no way to prove what I"m writing.

You know, I think I' through writing on this website for awhile. I think there are a lot of people out there that really care about UConn, and really think we have a bright future. I hope that continues to grow.

All I can say about recruiting, is that I trully believe that we have leadership in place at this program now, that has a program that can walk into any players living room in the country,and sit down with their parents, and look them straight in the eye, tell that player, and their family, that even though the likes of Michigan, Miami, and West Virginia might be after them, that they really belong at UConn, and then tell them why, and get that player and their family to believe it as much as that recruiter and all of us fans believe it and know it to be true.

I don't believe we had that from the top on down before.

There's no way to prove what I just wrote, and that's why it's called an opinion.

I hope all of you out there that see the future being as bright as I do, keep up the fight against the negative energy.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Oh please. Negative energy my .

If dealing in facts and reality offends you, tough.

 

[businesslawyer]

Not to belabor this, BL, but my original post was totally tongue in cheek, and quite obviously, you and I totally agree that what matters is not who names us or who the competition is, but who we sign and how they perform. Knowing who the competition is is pretty much only mildly interesting. Who we get is the bottom line and we will lose more recruits than we sign.

Fair enough. As you know, it's easy to miss sarcasm or "tongue in cheek" on boards.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

I think, unless family members are out there that have been recruitedthemselves,or you have personal connections somehow, very few people actually know the recruiting process. I know for absolute certainity, that there was very litte significant effort put into going after the most highly sought after local players in the tri-state area in the past, especially early on in the process. UConn would show up on the recruiting path, late, always late.

In the late 1990s, and the early 2000s, it was a waste of time to put oo much effort into it, and that's the way it was done, it's not being done that way anymore.

I realize there's no way to prove what I"m writing.

You know, I think I' through writing on this website for awhile. I think there are a lot of people out there that really care about UConn, and really think we have a bright future. I hope that continues to grow.

All I can say about recruiting, is that I trully believe that we have leadership in place at this program now, that has a program that can walk into any players living room in the country,and sit down with their parents, and look them straight in the eye, tell that player, and their family, that even though the likes of Michigan, Miami, and West Virginia might be after them, that they really belong at UConn, and then tell them why, and get that player and their family to believe it as much as that recruiter and all of us fans believe it and know it to be true.

I don't believe we had that from the top on down before.

There's no way to prove what I just wrote, and that's why it's called an opinion.

I hope all of you out there that see the future being as bright as I do, keep up the fight against the negative energy.

Baloney,
Lets see, just off the top of my head we made strong efforts for just in-state talent in Orlovsky, Tinney , Nixon, Redd, Williams, A.Hernandez , Kabongo, M. Cox, Stewart, Werner, Mulrooney,... and not going after the most sought after talent in the tristate area very early on is just a prudent use of valuable time, you go after the kids in which you have have a better chance of getting here. We went after talent in NJ and NY too. Didnt think the NJ HS coaches cared much for Edsall after Beergate with Dorcelus and the year before that losing Pommells to academics, I think alot of them thought he was too much of a tight ass, just an opinion.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Strong effort for Mulrooney? My ass. Edsall didn't return a single call, and didn't acknowledge the kid existed until after Boston College made the offer. By then it was too late. That kid's dream was to play at UConn, and by the time Edsall came calling, he was so sour he didn't care. Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining. Addazio knew more about Silas Redd and his family before he got anything on paper from UConn, let alone a live voice.

 

[businesslawyer]

There's no way to prove what I just wrote, and that's why it's called an opinion.

I would point out that most people intelligent enough to make this observation would thus state their position and move on when it's disagreed with.