young pups get to develop (c/o '24) | The Boneyard

young pups get to develop (c/o '24)

Maybe. Hopefully. While overall I’m very pleased with the Mora era to date, we have not yet learned if the players he is recruiting out of high school, with time, will be as good as we want/need them to be.

That’s not a knock — it’s just something that requires more time to reach a conclusion. Our lineup is overwhelmingly a few kids left from the prior regime and a lot of transfers we’ve brought in.
 
Bottom line.. The bar is set higher to get meaningful playing time... we needed that... Way too much learning on the job going on.. lead to a ton of losses... Hopefully we can keep churning the roster... the cream eventually rises to the top...
 
In today's transfer portal world, a kid needs to have a plan to seeing the field. Those who don't will transfer. Those who buy in to development and waiting their turn will require trust in (a) the staff not being replaced or leaving (b) not being over recruited.
 
businesslawyer said:
Maybe. Hopefully. While overall I’m very pleased with the Mora era to date, we have not yet learned if the players he is recruiting out of high school, with time, will be as good as we want/need them to be.

That’s not a knock — it’s just something that requires more time to reach a conclusion. Our lineup is overwhelmingly a few kids left from the prior regime and a lot of transfers we’ve brought in.
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For recruits it's like wine: a combination of terroir (recruit's region/state and level (big school Texas v. Class M CT), the initial quality of grape (base talent and athleticism of the incoming recruit), and the treatment and time (coaching, strength and conditioning training, time to bulk up and practice against men)

Fill the gap with the best bourbon you can afford and you've got yourself a party.
 
In fairness, this class was less about HS signees and far more focused on portal. What did we sign-12 or 13?

So does this bring an end to the play welliver now debate?
 
businesslawyer said:
Maybe. Hopefully. While overall I’m very pleased with the Mora era to date, we have not yet learned if the players he is recruiting out of high school, with time, will be as good as we want/need them to be.

That’s not a knock — it’s just something that requires more time to reach a conclusion. Our lineup is overwhelmingly a few kids left from the prior regime and a lot of transfers we’ve brought in.
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the way things are going, we may never see what you're talking about (how good is JM at high school recruiting).
Here's the kicker --- it might not matter.


its obvious the way things are headed in college football - we need money now to get the kids out there who can get us to where we wanna go. high school recruiting will always be a part of the pie, but it's less important than re-stacking the team for next year. it is becoming a safer assumption that you recruit to build THIS YEAR's team, and everyone left out is a transfer risk. you just assume it now.

kids wanna get paid? COOL bro - well they're gonna have to pay too (that is... the price of being forgotten once the 2-deep is established prior to week 1)

JM & UConn are raising the funds to do this. If our freshman class suffers, long term it doesn't matter as many of them were never going to see the field here, and few if any were ever going to graduate from UConn.

I don't like it. but the truth remains; the days of battling for high schoolers are over - why over-invest your recruitment $$ (visits, coaches travel/hotel, etc.) in HS kids, If the kids are probably transferring in a year or 2 anyway? Again, it will stll be part of it, but it will never again be what it once was. There used to be only a front door to a college football team. now there are side doors and back doors. the money will get spread accordingly.

The ROI (wins vs. NIL/revenue share/recruitment expenditure) on that "spread" of money & energy, is how we should judge JM and staff.
 
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Jetskies said:
the way things are going, we may never see what you're talking about (how good is JM at high school recruiting).
Here's the kicker --- it might not matter.


its obvious the way things are headed in college football - we need money now to get the kids out there who can get us to where we wanna go. high school recruiting will always be a part of the pie, but it's less important than re-stacking the team for next year. it is becoming a safer assumption that you recruit to build THIS YEAR's team, and everyone left out is a transfer risk. you just assume it now.

kids wanna get paid? COOL bro - well they're gonna have to pay too (that is... the price of being forgotten once the 2-deep is established prior to week 1)

JM & UConn are raising the funds to do this. If our freshman class suffers, long term it doesn't matter as many of them were never going to see the field here, and few if any were ever going to graduate from UConn.

I don't like it. but the truth remains; the days of battling for higih schoolers are over - why over-invest your recruitment $$ (visits, coaches travel/hotel, etc.) in HS kids, If the kids are probably transferring in a year or 2 anyway? Again, it will stll be part of it, but it will never again be what it once was. There used to be only a front door to a college football team. now there are side doors and back doors. the money will get spread accordingly.

The ROI (wins vs. NIL/revenue share/recruitment expenditure) on that "spread" of money & energy, is how we should judge JM and staff.
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I agree with you to some extent. We don't know how the future of recruiting at all levels will play out, so it's possible it won't matter. But it's more likely that it won't matter to those at the top of the collective fund food chain, and to those like UConn not paying at the top level it's still going to matter.
 
businesslawyer said:
I agree with you to some extent. We don't know how the future of recruiting at all levels will play out, so it's possible it won't matter. But it's more likely that it won't matter to those at the top of the collective fund food chain, and to those like UConn not paying at the top level it's still going to matter.
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it won't matter both ways.

we will keep buying the skyler bells and nick evers's who can't get what they want at the top level ($, playing time, NFL tape, etc.)
they (P4 elite) will keep taking away our Justin Joly's, who have a breakout year.

every year will be a reset. the odd man out will be the unproven high school senior.
 
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businesslawyer said:
Maybe. Hopefully. While overall I’m very pleased with the Mora era to date, we have not yet learned if the players he is recruiting out of high school, with time, will be as good as we want/need them to be.

That’s not a knock — it’s just something that requires more time to reach a conclusion. Our lineup is overwhelmingly a few kids left from the prior regime and a lot of transfers we’ve brought in.
Expand ...
I believe he took a 0 or possibly 1 star high school player and developed him extremely well. Unfortunately we couldn't afford to keep Justin Joly. I think Justin is making close to a half a million with NC State. Mora has done an amazing job with very limited resources. I just hope we can keep him and his staff together for a couple more years.
 
Slick said:
I believe he took a 0 or possibly 1 star high school player and developed him extremely well. Unfortunately we couldn't afford to keep Justin Joly. I think Justin is making close to a half a million with NC State. Mora has done an amazing job with very limited resources. I just hope we can keep him and his staff together for a couple more years.
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I don’t miss Joly. He was good for us last year, but we’re much better this year.
 
If we look at the current team there are a few guys from his first recruiting class in 2022 that are contributing*

*(not sure if any of these guys signed under RE)

Offense - Edwards, Rosa, Big Ben plus Joly who already bolted
Defense - Brinson and to a much lesser extent Lee Mollete
 
DawgEnjoyer said:
If we look at the current team there are a few guys from his first recruiting class in 2022 that are contributing*

*(not sure if any of these guys signed under RE)

Offense - Edwards, Rosa, Big Ben plus Joly who already bolted
Defense - Brinson and to a much lesser extent Lee Mollete
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Think Brinson was an Edsall commit then recommitted to Mora. Branch is another and to a lesser extent Passamore, not sure whats up with him. There is a number of Edsall guys that are contributing though.
 
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I think you have to look at recruiting and development differently now. You still have HS recruits that need to be developed, but you also have underclassmen in the portal that also need to be developed and still have 3 or 4 years of eligibility remaining. And, you also have some plug in players with one or 2 years of eligibility. Thus, I think you need to look at recruiting/development in its totality.
 
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