How do we build up SMU Swagger and dominate the AAC?

[PonyPride]

"Fear the Horse" billboards everywhere?

^^^bait^^^

Heck no! What's next? Change our color to purple?!?!

That's not a Frog thing. If you're going to emulate the originator of that phrase, you'd have to change to red, yellow and black. Maryland started it with its "Fear the Turtle" campaign.

[East Coast Mustang]

"Fear the Horse" billboards everywhere?

^^^bait^^^

Heck no! What's next? Change our color to purple?!?!

That's not a Frog thing. If you're going to emulate the originator of that phrase, you'd have to change to red, yellow and black. Maryland started it with its "Fear the Turtle" campaign.

Pony Pride- you're obviously pretty connected with SMU athletics- do you, on April 8 2014, think June has any fire left in his belly to get this thing turned around? Or is he content to cash one last $2MM check before riding off into retirement?

[PonyPride]

I don't think there's an question about it. The 2013 season was the first that I spent watching the games from the sideline, after umpteen years up in the press box, and the perspective is different. From upstairs, I saw what everyone else saw: a guy who never shows much, if any, outward emotion … win or lose. I never bought into the "he doesn't care" idea anyway — you don't get where he is, first as a player and then as a coach, without caring about the games and the people who play the games. But being on the sideline this season, I saw a different perspective. He doesn't jump up and down and flail his arms around, but he's intense. When he talks to a player who comes off the field after making a mistake, the conversation is short — sometimes just a few words — but he gets his point across. When he gets in an official's ear, you won't doubt his competitiveness. Likewise, when a player comes off the field after scoring a touchdown or making a great catch or a key tackle, the conversation also is very short, but he just doesn't dress things up with a bunch of sugary rhetoric — he says what he has to say and then he moves on. He never will be one of those guys who jumps up and down, frothing at the mouth like he has rabies. That's just not who he is. But I see him after games when the cameras aren't on. He is genuinely thrilled when the Mustangs win, and he takes it hard when they lose. Everyone can discuss any coach and find things they would do differently, just like anyone can come to where each of us works and have ideas about how things can be improved. But as for the idea that he doesn't care — I just don't see it.

[Big12Mustang]

I don't think there's an question about it. The 2013 season was the first that I spent watching the games from the sideline, after umpteen years up in the press box, and the perspective is different. From upstairs, I saw what everyone else saw: a guy who never shows much, if any, outward emotion … win or lose. I never bought into the "he doesn't care" idea anyway — you don't get where he is, first as a player and then as a coach, without caring about the games and the people who play the games. But being on the sideline this season, I saw a different perspective. He doesn't jump up and down and flail his arms around, but he's intense. When he talks to a player who comes off the field after making a mistake, the conversation is short — sometimes just a few words — but he gets his point across. When he gets in an official's ear, you won't doubt his competitiveness. Likewise, when a player comes off the field after scoring a touchdown or making a great catch or a key tackle, the conversation also is very short, but he just doesn't dress things up with a bunch of sugary rhetoric — he says what he has to say and then he moves on. He never will be one of those guys who jumps up and down, frothing at the mouth like he has rabies. That's just not who he is. But I see him after games when the cameras aren't on. He is genuinely thrilled when the Mustangs win, and he takes it hard when they lose. Everyone can discuss any coach and find things they would do differently, just like anyone can come to where each of us works and have ideas about how things can be improved. But as for the idea that he doesn't care — I just don't see it.

This is the same I have heard from people who have worked with/played with/know June. He is a really good coach. And I actually think he takes recruiting seriously. The problem here is perception: people assume just because we had a "horrible" class compared to the rest of the teams that recruit in DFW, that we suck at recruiting. But let's look at the top recruiting classes this year and see:

Top Classes in DFW:

1) Texas A&M
2) Texas
3) Baylor
4) Texas Tech
5) TCU
6) SMU
7) UNT

Doesn't that look eerily familiar to the actual pecking order? We are the best non-BCS team there. How can we expect to be better recruiters than the Frogs (for example) when they have had 10 years of consistent success and are in a P5 conference?
What I think we need to do is to hire top recruiters and consultants and start closing the gap between us and TCU in recruiting...get really close to them until we start to surpass them. Also, make sure we are the #1 recruiters in our conference...that alone will make us the top dogs in the non-BCS world.

That is how TCU and UTAH did it.

[Big12Mustang]

And although I do believe that it is way harder for us to convince big name talent in the DFW are to choose SMU over a Big 12/SEC program, I don't think it is impossible. With efficient sports marketing, full court press recruiting and increasing success on the field (showing the kids that we can keep improving year over year), we can start to bridge the gap and start taking jabs at some of the big programs around. We have the facilities (a IPF would be nice though), we have the university (academics) and we have the fans and the largest potential to bring even more fans. (basketball proved this)

[RGV Pony]

answering the question posed by the OP, let's consider what might happened if events unfolded similar to hoops...even with the current regime in place.

-Get a couple serviceable transfers, preferably local guys (players who can start and are an upgrade to what we already have) This would not include the OL or RB from UT as examples) Hoops comparison: Williams and Russell

-Get a high-profile transfer (this would be akin to GG) Hoops comparison: former MVC freshman of the year Nic Moore

-Get a transfer from a big-time program who comes to SMU and transforms himself, and becomes all-conference (Hoops comparison: Markus Kennedy)

-Get a top-5 juco player to commit and come to SMU, even if he doesnt start (Yanick)

-Combine these steps with some high 3 and 4 star players who can play as freshman, one or both of whom were first team all-state (Hoops comparison: Sterling Brown and Ben Moore)

-get a commit from a 5-star, top 3 nationally at his position, QB or RB or WR (Hoops comparison=Emmanuel Mudiay)

-combine all of that, and the year before the 5 star guy gets here, do the following:
Beat the #18 team in the country at Ford
Beat the #15 team in the country at Ford
Blow the doors off the #7 team in the country at Ford
Beat the #23 team in the country on the road
Beat an SEC team at home
Beat an ACC team at a neutral site

then lose the conference championship game, but go to a bowl game with great visibility, and perform at a high level beyond all expectations

...and that should just about do it.

[mrydel]

Sounds good to me RGV. Lets do that.

[birddogger]

Sounds good to me RGV. Lets do that.

Seconded. It's an unconventional model, but would be very effective.

[East Coast Mustang]

When's the last time a 5-star recruit signed out of highschool with a school outside of a power conference?

[Big12Mustang]

When's the last time a 5-star recruit signed out of highschool with a school outside of a power conference?

Do people really think that a 5 star kid will choose non-BCS SMU first over Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, BU or TCU?
Let's hoard the 3 stars that the P5s don't want and grab a couple of 4 stars every other year and let's see how we do on the field.

[blackoutpony]

If you have to ask how to acquire swagger, you will never have it

[StallionsModelT]

Its not about getting a 5 star recruit. In football you get a class of 25 kids not 3 or 4 like basketball. Yeah you probably are not ever going to convince a Top 20 player in the nation to go to SMU for football, but if you are smart and diligent you can convince several Texas Top 100 kids who are close to Dallas to come here. We haven't done that at all. We are a total afterthought in this state on the recruiting scene. The next coaching staff has some major work to repair the damage this staff has done to SMU's image among the high school coaches and prospects in this state.

[Big12Mustang]

If you have to ask how to acquire swagger, you will never have it

We are doing it in Basketball...and we can do it in Football.

[sbsmith]

I never bought into the "he doesn't care" idea anyway — you don't get where he is, first as a player and then as a coach, without caring about the games and the people who play the games.

Sure he cares, but does he care as much as the competition? On the recruiting trail it's a resounding no, and that's where programs are built (something June has never quite understood).

[Grant Carter]

I never bought into the "he doesn't care" idea anyway — you don't get where he is, first as a player and then as a coach, without caring about the games and the people who play the games.

Sure he cares, but does he care as much as the competition? On the recruiting trail it's a resounding no, and that's where programs are built (something June has never quite understood).

Does he not understand or does he not care? Seems like they are different things but you are conflating them.