Final Thoughts on the Class of 2012

[corncraze]

Given such a small class size we should have been full in October. Its an ok class for nebraska. I dont think we will ever get much better really. Never will we get shizzle or bling type guys. Only utility type atheletes and work in progress type guys. So realistically I think in four years we will look back and say wow this guy and that guy were great but him and him and him and him...eh. I'm guess nebraska will be about 9-4, 10-3 and guys like seisay and Anderson will be NFL bound leaving only a couple big impact guys. Can't wait to see who emerges.

So since Anderson, Seisay, Afalava, Moss, Cross, Curry, Moore and Valentine weren't ready to commit by then we should have given up on them and taken whoever would commit?

NU will never be full in October. Our gameday Atmosphere sells more kids than anything. We will never fill up in October.

Which is why not a single kid committed following an official visit this fall?

Our game day used to be great. When we fielded a high intensity team that played with constant grit, fire, and passion, In those days, now long past... the energy of the place was electric as the energy of the team electrified the fans. That was then. This is now....

It all starts with the passion of the players. That passion, generally, is no longer something that characterizes NU football. And... the game day experience is, as well... compromised.

 

[zoogs]

It is our biggest selling point. I suppose the debate is if it that selling point was maximized as a recruiting pitch or not.

Best way to build excitement around a prospective student would be to bring them to a night game in Lincoln. Not that it is the end all be all thing for every recruit, but would you rather have a recruit in for a visit to Lincoln for a night game against Wisconsin, or in the first week of December?

Definitely for the night game. I don't know what exactly you are alluding to, but I think we leveraged our 'in-game' experience with some December, post-season visits last year, which would be a bit disappointing.

 

[kchusker_chris]

Given such a small class size we should have been full in October. Its an ok class for nebraska. I dont think we will ever get much better really. Never will we get shizzle or bling type guys. Only utility type atheletes and work in progress type guys. So realistically I think in four years we will look back and say wow this guy and that guy were great but him and him and him and him...eh. I'm guess nebraska will be about 9-4, 10-3 and guys like seisay and Anderson will be NFL bound leaving only a couple big impact guys. Can't wait to see who emerges.

So since Anderson, Seisay, Afalava, Moss, Cross, Curry, Moore and Valentine weren't ready to commit by then we should have given up on them and taken whoever would commit?

NU will never be full in October. Our gameday Atmosphere sells more kids than anything. We will never fill up in October.

Which is why not a single kid committed following an official visit this fall?

Vincent Valentine just off the top of my head was here on game day. So was Moore.

VV signed on 2/1. Moore on 2/1. (must have missed that wednesday game). No one was so blown away by the atmosphere they went home and pulled the trigger. It might help sell the program, but it's not like we are full by December because of it.

 

[HuskerFowler]

VV signed on 2/1. Moore on 2/1. (must have missed that wednesday game). No one was so blown away by the atmosphere they went home and pulled the trigger. It might help sell the program, but it's not like we are full by December because of it.

Bolded is what is trying to be said, and it does. Gameday HELPS sell recruits, and it plays a huge roll in the overall decision. Armstrong, Moore, VV, Rose, Siesay, McMullen, Westerkamp, Moss, Thurston all visited for a game day along with a couple others im sure i missed. Gameday in Lincoln is a one of a kind event you dont see at alot of other colleges.(Camp Randall was pretty cool as well) If i would venture a guess 75-80% of our recruits over Bo Pelini's tenure have visited us on a gameday. Im not going to look it up, someone can if they wish. Only ones i can think of this year are Alexander, Curry, Cross, and Whitaker are the only ones who have never experienced a game day.....yet. Im pretty sure everyone else has been to a game in Lincoln from this class.

 

[Danny Bateman]

[quote name='kchusk

VV signed on 2/1. Moore on 2/1. (must have missed that wednesday game). No one was so blown away by the atmosphere they went home and pulled the trigger. It might help sell the program, but it's not like we are full by December because of it.

Bolded is what is trying to be said, and it does. Gameday HELPS sell recruits, and it plays a huge roll in the overall decision. Armstrong, Moore, VV, Rose, Siesay, McMullen, Westerkamp, Moss, Thurston all visited for a game day along with a couple others im sure i missed. Gameday in Lincoln is a one of a kind event you dont see at alot of other colleges.(Camp Randall was pretty cool as well) If i would venture a guess 75-80% of our recruits over Bo Pelini's tenure have visited us on a gameday. Im not going to look it up, someone can if they wish. Only ones i can think of this year are Alexander, Curry, Cross, and Whitaker are the only ones who have never experienced a game day.....yet. Im pretty sure everyone else has been to a game in Lincoln from this class.

There may have been a few kids that would have done so, if not for Bo following the mantra of "go home and think it over" and telling that to them while they were on their visits. I wonder, with the way things went down to the wire this year, if they consider adopting a new attitude next year...

 

[kchusker_chris]

[quote name='kchusk

VV signed on 2/1. Moore on 2/1. (must have missed that wednesday game). No one was so blown away by the atmosphere they went home and pulled the trigger. It might help sell the program, but it's not like we are full by December because of it.

Bolded is what is trying to be said, and it does. Gameday HELPS sell recruits, and it plays a huge roll in the overall decision. Armstrong, Moore, VV, Rose, Siesay, McMullen, Westerkamp, Moss, Thurston all visited for a game day along with a couple others im sure i missed. Gameday in Lincoln is a one of a kind event you dont see at alot of other colleges.(Camp Randall was pretty cool as well) If i would venture a guess 75-80% of our recruits over Bo Pelini's tenure have visited us on a gameday. Im not going to look it up, someone can if they wish. Only ones i can think of this year are Alexander, Curry, Cross, and Whitaker are the only ones who have never experienced a game day.....yet. Im pretty sure everyone else has been to a game in Lincoln from this class.

There may have been a few kids that would have done so, if not for Bo following the mantra of "go home and think it over" and telling that to them while they were on their visits. I wonder, with the way things went down to the wire this year, if they consider adopting a new attitude next year...

This is one of his approaches, that while I understand and sort of admire...I'd say it's better to have them committed at 95%, than wait and hope for 100%. It's one more thing we'd have going for us. Recruits don't like to decommit - i'm sure it's tough on them. It also signals to other schools to kind of backoff. They might maintain contact but they'll move on to an extent. Since coaches likely treat every recruit as uncommitted until he signs anyway, it's not any different from our perspective. Seems like a no-win situation for Nebraska to me.

 

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

My final thoughts. When this class graduated in 4-5 years, we will look back at the class size and compare it to the amount of impact players. And I am willing to bet money that we will be extremely happy! I see 8-12 guys in this class that could be huge contributors and possibly soon.

This doesnt include what some are saying the best walkon class in years!

 

[EZ-E]

VV signed on 2/1. Moore on 2/1. (must have missed that wednesday game). No one was so blown away by the atmosphere they went home and pulled the trigger. It might help sell the program, but it's not like we are full by December because of it.

As you stated in a later post, Bo doesn't like kids to commit until they have stepped off of campus. The gameday atmosphere in Lincoln is a huge selling point. Not the only one but one that can't be ignor. Reason why we don't fill up in June or July.

But by the above logic, there has never been a single recruit SIGN after visiting a school. They have all signed on NSD.