Recruiting, 2015

[bigdaddyg]

So how many players will be under scholarship in the fall- provided everything stays the same?

[EastHallApp]

On the "only want kids who bleed Black and Gold" idea, I think that's really just coachspeak for "I'm not going to focus on the ones we lost." Realistically, I don't think you can be that emotional about recruiting. We're looking at it from the perspective of students, alumni and fans who have already built that loyalty. In recruiting, you're dealing with kids who usually don't have that kind of allegiance to a school. Sometimes you have to get them on campus and THEN they learn to bleed Black and Gold.

SS was certainly happy enough to take Jaylan Barbour after he initially signed with Wake, as well he should have been. Shaedon Meadors took a last-minute visit to Rutgers after already committing to us. Numerous players and commits on our roster originally committed somewhere else. That's just how it works.

As far as Miller, before we bash him too much, let's consider a few facts:

- There were existing rumors that he might not qualify.
- On signing day, suddenly there are reports of mysterious "administrative issues" holding up his fax.
- Later, his coach claims Miller has decided to "keep his options open."

Perhaps the kid simply didn't want his name in a bunch of public reports stating that his academics weren't in order?

[appstate77]

I remain unimpressed with the star system of ranking recruits. I am so for two reasons. One it is a measurement of potential. Actual performance can and often does not meet up with potential.

Number two reason: I looked back on the recruiting class of 2006. Armanti showed ZERO stars as did Mario Acitelli, and we all know how that story ended.

A star rating cannot tell what is in a kid's heart and what he is willing to leave on the field. So I am not losing sleep over GaSo's three star or Clemson's 5 star recruits. What will you show me on the practice field and on Saturdays is what I want to know.

[appst89]

Steve Czaban read a list of the top 50 high school recruits from 10 years ago, as rated by one of the top experts, on his show this morning. Of the 50, I believe there were 6 names I recognized as current NFL players.

I think the star system is just something to talk about, but it really means nothing in terms of how the kid will perform.

I am happy with the class we signed. We'll know for sure if it was any good in 2019 when these guys are all redshirt seniors.

[asu66]

Um, why is the GMC coach tweeting out a pic of Morgan saying welcome the newest GMC bulldog?

He didn't qualify.

Jerry, I don't understand why our program would participate in a charade like this. Did university officials just learn this today? I think not! Why is Morgan still listed on the team roster? This is misinformation unworthy of Appalachian.

[bigdaddyg]

I remain unimpressed with the star system of ranking recruits. I am so for two reasons. One it is a measurement of potential. Actual performance can and often does not meet up with potential.

Number two reason: I looked back on the recruiting class of 2006. Armanti showed ZERO stars as did Mario Acitelli, and we all know how that story ended.

A star rating cannot tell what is in a kid's heart and what he is willing to leave on the field. So I am not losing sleep over GaSo's three star or Clemson's 5 star recruits. What will you show me on the practice field and on Saturdays is what I want to know.

I completely agree with you. I would love to see a comparison between the number of stars a kid has versus the level of his particular high school- how many 5 star recruits went to 1A-3A high schools. Level of competition has to play a part. I have always said that many freshman centers in college struggle because in high school they (the really tall ones) typically never faced other centers their height. They can throw up huge numbers in HS but struggle in college because everybody has a tall center. Same for stud football players. Some can dominate in reatively weak conferences (even at the 4A and up levels). I think that, besides great coaching we have been able to snag kids who have a chip on their shoulder because they felt snubbed by P5's. They might be borderline with size and speed but make up for it with heart. The star system has many flaws no doubt. Also, are there degrees of 2's, 3's, 4's and 5's? Can a kid be a 2.9 or a 2.1? Would he be considered closer to the number above or below where he actually falls? Also, are the various rankings based solely on a handful of film? A little bit of film can't compare to a coach actually sitting at a game and watching every element of a kid's game.

[firemoose]

I'm going to add one thing to this and then it's on to 2016. There are several on the board who have posted the "everyone does it, including App" part concerning non qualifiers (please note "non qualifers", not admission standards vs general student population). I hope events this year and last, should some forget the GA RB (Harrod) and TN WR (Haralson) we wanted last year who didn't qualify, show the fact that this staff is not taking non qualifiers. Satt stated it in his first presser as HC that he wanted students-athletes in every sense of the word (said the same thing last night as well). And it appears they are sticking by that statement.

I put everything I had into the last two days. I hope I gave those on here that are not members of the pay sites as much as they needed as quickly as they wanted it. I was finally able to edit the 2015 Main Page and have moved everyone into their spots and edited their player pages with the latest information. We still have a few players that have not been rated by the sites yet and I will add those ratings as they come in. One word on that. We had three players (Flory, Franklin and Norris) who had not been rated by 24/7. When Mike added them to the signed NLI list yesterday the 24/7 website defaulted them to a 2 star 70 rating. Nothing Mike could do as that's what the site does. We'll just have to see if they care enough to change the rating. Baring any last minute additions to our class I'll just be putting any additional PWO's in as they show up and doing edits as needed.

I'm pretty spent and I am glad that, while it never stops, at least it won't be as frantic as the last few weeks have been. I'm moving on to the 2016 thread and page.

[MAD Doctor]

Thanks Moose, and well-done. Your tireless efforts are greatly appreciated.

[kiddbrewer]

I'm going to add one thing to this and then it's on to 2016. There are several on the board who have posted the "everyone does it, including App" part concerning non qualifiers. I hope events this year and last, should some forget the GA RB (Harrod) and TN WR (Haralson) we wanted last year who didn't qualify, show the fact that this staff is not taking non qualifiers. Satt stated it in his first presser as HC that he wanted students-athletes in every sense of the word (said the same thing last night as well). And it appears they are sticking by that statement.

I put everything I had into the last two days. I hope I gave those on here that are not members of the pay sites as much as they needed as quickly as they wanted it. I was finally able to edit the 2015 Main Page and have moved everyone into their spots and edited their player pages with the latest information. We still have a few players that have not been rated by the sites yet and I will add those ratings as they come in. One word on that. We had three players (Flory, Franklin and Norris) who had not been rated by 24/7. When Mike added them to the signed NLI list yesterday the 24/7 website defaulted them to a 2 star 70 rating. Nothing Mike could do as that's what the site does. We'll just have to see if they care enough to change the rating. Baring any last minute additions to our class I'll just be putting any additional PWO's in as they show up and doing edits as needed.

I'm pretty spent and I am glad that, while it never stops, at least it won't be as frantic as the last few weeks have been. I'm moving on to the 2016 thread and page.

I'm sure I speak for 99.9% of everyone, but...



well done moose!!

[85gradinATL]

Don't get so wrapped up on ratings and rankings. Be happy with the guys who want to be in Boone and trust the coaches to get them to be their best over their time at App. We have a pretty good track record with that. I don't recall Kevin Richardson having a very high rating, or scholarship offers, coming out of high school. It's impossible to rate everyone and a big part of ratings is who recruits folks. Rankers say well if Alabama and Florida State are after this guy he must be a 5 star. Less attention is focused on guys that aren't actively recruited by the "big boys." There was a few years ago when Wake had beaten FSU 3 years in a row and the FSU class each of those years were top 10 classes and Wake's highest class was like 80 and the rest weren't in the top 100. It's why they play the games on the field!

PS - Thanks Moose for all your work!

[Budman2154]

Moose, You DA MAN!

[hapapp]

There is a report that Morgan may yet qualify based on his work this semester. So he may yet be a Mountaineer, if not, he is headed to GMC.

[EastHallApp]

There is a report that Morgan may yet qualify based on his work this semester. So he may yet be a Mountaineer, if not, he is headed to GMC.

I was wondering how they already know he won't qualify this early. With the sliding scale, seems like as long as you graduate, there's a chance to make it with high enough test scores. Plus sometimes a guy can retake a class in summer school or something if it's close. Hope he makes it.

[asu66]

There is a report that Morgan may yet qualify based on his work this semester. So he may yet be a Mountaineer, if not, he is headed to GMC.

OK, thanks. That's a reasonable explanation. I'll admit to having a knee-jerk reaction. Sounds as if the GMC coach jumped the gun by a few months. I suppose it's understandable that a coach at that level would be excited at the prospect of reeling in a hot prospect and maybe use it to his advantage in reeling in others.

[asutrnr81]

I'm going to add one thing to this and then it's on to 2016. There are several on the board who have posted the "everyone does it, including App" part concerning non qualifiers (please note "non qualifers", not admission standards vs general student population). I hope events this year and last, should some forget the GA RB (Harrod) and TN WR (Haralson) we wanted last year who didn't qualify, show the fact that this staff is not taking non qualifiers. Satt stated it in his first presser as HC that he wanted students-athletes in every sense of the word (said the same thing last night as well). And it appears they are sticking by that statement.

There is a report that Morgan may yet qualify based on his work this semester. So he may yet be a Mountaineer, if not, he is headed to GMC.

There is a report that Morgan may yet qualify based on his work this semester. So he may yet be a Mountaineer, if not, he is headed to GMC.

I was wondering how they already know he won't qualify this early. With the sliding scale, seems like as long as you graduate, there's a chance to make it with high enough test scores. Plus sometimes a guy can retake a class in summer school or something if it's close. Hope he makes it.

Two points and I think I said this before. I PROMISE ere' one on here IF they could have would have taken a non-qualifier they would have taken Phillips who now resides at UNC-KonKord.

As to address the East....comment. The formula that is used by the NCAA that determines "qualifier" is really pretty easy to figure out. We have figured out to the 110th GPA point what a kid would need. So they can pretty much figure out who and when they are going to "qualify". UNLESS there is a significant increase of their ACT or SAT scores.

[App95]

Thanks for all the hard work Moose!

One last post for those concerned about how we stacked up this year. According to Rivals we were in the top 100, just behind GS based on total score. Based on average recruit rating we tied for second in the SB with GS, SA and ULL. I'm looking forward to seeing these guys on the field over the next few years!

[firemoose]

Bump...just in case it's needed.

[eggers76]

Some good news coming?

[firemoose]

Just keeping the thread in the thoughts. It's no secret, after Thompson, that we've been watching for a DE. And another ship opened up when Walton left. Anything can happen.

[App91]

5*, 6"5 240, 4.4, 40 time, is that what i am hearing?