Eichorst Statement About Football Program

Hunter94 said:
duh, no secret our recruiting sucks.........Fyfe playing 2nd string QB is painfully obvious as to our lack of talent.
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Nothing new from SE. We need better talent....No kidding. Look at the lack of depth and number of walk-ons starting over schollie players. This is nothing new at all. We have suffered in in recruiting for quite some time....

 
Isn't it a good thing that he at least recognizes the problem? You're right that it's kind of a no brainer, but at least he acknowledged it instead of saying some tired old line. The first step in solving a problem is identifying it.

 
I'm just not a SE fan. From only interviewing one person after firing Pelini, to the shot at Iowa and saying the team wasn't in rebuild mode, to then saying it is a rebuild after a bad season, but now we are in the hunt for championships. I'm probably to critical of him.

 
I view this 'statement' which is certainly a rarity by the AD as the first 'injuries and lack of depth' excuse for the upcoming bowl game outcome. This complete lack of depth across so much of our team is just an outrage to me as I have been reiterating since August. The QB spot is just plain inexcusable. While prior staff should have left the cupboard with some degree of depth, this staff should have recognized this problem and found a couple JUCOs or something. Just not acceptable. These coaches should, after this many years of college and pro coaching, be able to determine QB talent and ability and have made the judgment to go out and find someone sooner. Tanner Lee is a clear indication that they saw the problem but his lack of immediate eligibility should have been reason enough to find us another QB somewhere!

Yes, you don't panic but you do take due and deliberate action. Hope is not a strategy. Of course I suggested right away that POB should not have redshirted and needed the on the job training this season. By fall, we will be hoping and praying that somehow, magically, Lee and POB and Gebbia will be 'the next coming' of a real QB although we will have nothing but a spring 'game' to go by really. Since 2017 is YEAR THREE of the Riley Experiment things are going to be getting serious now. The 'give them time' and 'be patient' will no longer be so easily rationalized.

I am still a Riley supporter BUT this injury plague after a long pre-bowl layoff is just very shaky in my mind.

 
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Nebraska AD Shawn Eichorst lauds Mike Riley's leadership,
sees 'work to do' in recruiting after loss to Iowa
By Sam McKewon / World-Herald staff writer Updated 7 hrs ago

In an interview Wednesday, Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst complimented the work coach Mike Riley did this season in shepherding the team through two major off-field events, the death of punter Sam Foltz and three Huskers kneeling during the national anthem.

LINK
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The thing about recruiting was just one comment made during the interview--even though Sam chose to put "recruiting" in the title.
 
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NUance said:
Nebraska AD Shawn Eichorst lauds Mike Riley's leadership,
sees 'work to do' in recruiting after loss to Iowa
By Sam McKewon / World-Herald staff writer Updated 7 hrs ago

In an interview Wednesday, Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst complimented the work coach Mike Riley did this season in shepherding the team through two major off-field events, the death of punter Sam Foltz and three Huskers kneeling during the national anthem.

LINK
Click to expand...

The thing about recruiting was just one comment made during the interview--even though Sam chose to put "recruiting" in the title.
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Yeah, it makes no sense. I mean, it's not like Nebraska recruits at a top 25 level, and Iowa is in the 50's... oh wait.

 
On if the team has the talent level to compete at a championship level:
“That is not my expertise, I would hope we do. I see it from a far. I think our coaches have obviously have seen that and that Is why they brought these young men into our program. At the end of the day, I think we have kids in our program that are capable of winning championships.”
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Shawn Eichorst, November 30, 2014.

Talent wasn't the reason we had a losing season last year or got curbstomped by tOSU and Iowa.

Q: What elements of Riley's football program make you confident that it's on the right track to winning championships?

Eichorst: "Well, we were in the championship hunt this year, there's no doubt about that."
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Let's be honest, as early as November 5, after the first few minutes of the tOSU game, we didn't control our own destiny and were just wishing for a Wisconsin loss versus Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue, or Minnesota. In the end, that didn't even matter, because we got smoked by Iowa to finish 3rd in the West.

 
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In recruiting rankings Nebraska consistently has an edge, no doubt about it. So why would Iowa beat us by 30? Is it because the Huskers are cursed? Is it because Bo Pelini was our only chance? Is it because Mike Riley has a career .500 record?

It's most likely because recruiting rankings are proven to be accurate, for teams in the top 10 positions. After that recruiting rankings are much less reliable. They only account for individual talent within a class, with nothing to say for: recruiting needed positions, player attitude/work ethic, depth acquired, system fit, team chemistry.

This years talent and depth are all on Pelini. He did a terrible job assessing the teams recruiting needs, and attracting talented young men to Lincoln with good attitudes. This is why this years Draft output will be tied for the worst in 8 years. Our best player didn't even bother to pass his classes so he could play in a bowl. Say what you want about this season, Riley got us (atleast) 9 wins with an average at best talent team with poor depth. As well as a QB that should not be starting as a QB in power 5 football.

 
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