Riley vs. Harbaugh Recruiting: A Parent Chimes In

I like the fact that his articles allow me to periodically peruse the Athlon website and find gems like the "40 Must See College Cheerleaders" column.

 
My takeaway is Harbaugh appeals to the youth side of recruiting (the recruit) while Riley appeals to the mature side of recruiting (the parents/the kid's future). Different recruits and parents may like or dislike either approach.

What ultimately matters for both Riley and Harbaugh is the results on the field. Harbaugh can climb all the trees he wants and even swallow a tablespoon of wasabi. Riley, similarly, can tell as many stories as he wants.

 
huskerfan120889 said:
I like....snip........... gems like the "40 Must See College Cheerleaders" column.
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What, no link?

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When it comes to how Nebraska head coach Mike Riley and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh go about their respective recruiting business, there is no comparison.
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Wait, so he says there is no comparison, and then goes on to compare the different recruiting styles? Confusing.

 
Harbaugh is just doing whatever it takes to pull in talent. Like it or not, he's been pretty successful with this approach. He is sort of a jacka$$ though.
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Harbaugh is exactly playing the role of an overgrown child. Schools go nuts over recruits, including UNL -- when they send them a hundred letters at once, for example. I'm sure he will impress a lot of people this way; I'm a bit more skeptical of what appears to be a vast gulf in his cuddly treatment of players as recruits, and the icy cold with which he'll release them a couple years later to make room for more.

Harbaugh is over the top and always has been. When he was hired, a lot of people pointed out that for all his success, his act appears to have worn thin at his various stops. He has a good first year -- so did Brady Hoke -- and Nebraska had a bad one, but now we need to admire everything he does?

It's OK to look at this ridiculousness and see it for what it is. Hey, maybe it'll work out great -- but even if it does, I greatly appreciate Riley's more conventional style instead. Riley should be fantastic for good, substantive, honest conversations, and the contrast in style couldn't be more stark. I'm glad Nebraska is on this side of the gradient.

You can dismiss or disagree with the views of a recruit's parents but it was cool to actually hear a take from someone who's gone through the process.

 
zoogs said:
I greatly appreciate Riley's more conventional style instead. Riley should be fantastic for good, substantive, honest conversations, and the contrast in style couldn't be more stark. I'm glad Nebraska is on this side of the gradient.
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I'd say the recruiting rankings give a good indication about who's style is more effective.

 
If he wins, nobody cares. Right now, he's recruiting at an elite level, something we haven't done in two decades. In his first year as HC, with a 5-7 team and a transfer QB, he put up a better record than Nebraska has had in 15 years.

Perhaps instead of throwing shade at Harbaugh, we could see some looks at what we're doing wrong.

 
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So a guy who does what ever it takes has the #3 recruiting class in the country and thats a bad thing? If a HC at NU did that we'd think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Parents don't like it? I guarantee if Michicken wants them (their kids) other schools do as well.........

Who cares. Winning is the best thing we can do to help recruiting IMO.

 
It's a bit of a dour mood here in Huskerland, isn't it? Understandably, but still...

Harbaugh's various recruiting tactics and zanyness makes national waves -- with no shortage of head-shaking. We, as Nebraska fans, can't point this out without a suitable level of self-flagellation on the side over NU's bad record last year?

I mean, there's even a fair amount of positive momentum within our own program. Though that's another discussion. Let's leave the requisite awe to the Michigan fans.

 
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