JUCOs

[PerunaPunch]

Question for PX, Stallion, Corso, Jason B, Recruiting Guru, et al,

Seems to me that recruiting JUCOs is a quick fix... That they give your team an immediate boost, but since they have fewer years of eligibility, in the long run, they're not as beneficial to your program as recruiting an equally talented kid out of high school.

One thing Bennett said at his press conference that stuck with me was that in this, what he considers to be his first 100%-Bennett class, he strictly wanted high school recruits. Not that he was ruling out JUCOs in the future, but for this class, he wanted only high school recruits.

My question is whether or not you agree with this philosophy and/or my interpretation of what Coach Bennett is doing. Thanks!

[JasonB]

Exactly. Juco's bring in talent that is ready to play sooner. Recruiting High schoolers can get a program up to the same level, it just takes a little bit longer as they mature. It also messes up the scholarship balance associated with different classes, so that all of a sudden you have to pick up 37 players one year.

The one benifit that recruiting Juco's does have is that you can see if the players are maturing as they should while they are at the JC. So it can help you weed out those players who hit an early wall.

All and all though, in the long term it doesn't affect the program any differently, it just allows you to build or re-build your program faster.

[SoCal_Pony]

Most people feel there will be conference realignment in the near future, but nobody knows the exact date. We need to leave the WAC for greener pastures. Given these facts, I would prefer 4 JUCOs who could contribute this year rather than waiting two or three years for our HS recruits to develop. This could be the difference between a winning and losing record this year.

Time is not our ally.

(and I still like this recruiting class!!)

[Corso]

I agree that JUCOs can help elevate the team's status, both in the conference and nationally, but they have to be chosen carefully. In my mind, JUCOs should be added only if (A) they are top-tier (4- or 5-star guys) or if they are linemen. Don't read anything into that statement that's not there — I'm ecstatic about the linemen we have coming in. However, playing on the offensive and defensive lines requires physical and mental maturity. The guys we have coming in are big and have promise, but I'd think that if a JUCO signee would allow these guys an extra year of lifting and growing stronger, they might be well worth the risk.

And like Coach Bennett said, the vast majority of our recruits every year have to come from high schools. If we rely too heavily on the JUCOs, we'll end up shooting ourselves in the foot.