2006 Recruiting Analysis

[Stallion]

There are presently 155 Players in Texas rated 5.4 or higher. 5.4 is a high 2 star. 3 Stars start at 5.5. As of today SMU is only listed as in contention for 5 of the uncommitted players from this 155 player group:

1) Sam Acho 6-3, 248 St. Marks Rating: 5.7

2) Charles Opeseyitan 5-10, 186 Allen Rating: 5.6

3)Grant Garner 6-3, 260 North Mesquite Rating 5.4

4) Jeff Olson 6-5, 240 McKinney North Rating 5.4

5) Terrael Williams 6-8, 407 Dallas Skyline Rating 5.4

Based on recent reports in last 2 weeks, Opeseyitan, Garner and Olson are longshots at best, No recent report on Williams 2-3 months.

These numbers compare to some of our rivals who recruit Texas as follows(with numbers of uncommitted players rated 5.4 or above):

1) UTEP 32

2)TCU 25

3)UH 24

4)Tulsa 8

5) Rice 6

[davidsmu94]

I don't see the first on when I do a prospect search

[Stallion]

corrected spelling

[Pony Fan]

stallion, ol' boy, you definitely need to go apply for the assistant recruiting coordinator position at some school as you seem to have plenty of time on your hands to go figure all of this stuff out.

[ponydawg]

pony fan how dare you say something like that......Stallion could never lower himself to be an assistant.

[Charleston Pony]

I assume Bennett and his staff at least inquire whether all these top guys (assuming they show an ability to handle the academic side of college) have any interest in SMU and would pursue anyone who expresses any interest...but at the same time I think you have to be realistic. SMU can't devote it's limited resources to pursue guys who are talking to Texas and OU and are not going to realistically consider SMU. It would be nice to get guys who attend those schools and then want to come back to Dallas for lack of playing time...but realistically SMU's coaches have to get those "next tier" guys out of H.S. and project what they might become.

Unless/until someone can start winning games at SMU , generate more enthusiasm (measured by butts in seats) for the program and making post season appearances with some regularity, there will be plenty of opportunities for people to whine about the lack of interest among the top 100 players in our program.

Suffice it to say there is NO DOUBT that this program needs to continue moving forward and that means finding a way to go 7-5 or better this year. Competing on a par with TCU and what they have accomplished in football should be our immediate and urgent goal

[SoCal_Pony]

Let me get this straight…

Stallion provides one of the most informative posts in weeks and the responses are:

2 Bashings of him personally (term I picked up from PK…I owe you a beer for that one)…

and

1 CP post that compares us again to UT….

Hey CP…forget these inane comparisons to UT…focus instead on what should be our more true peers…UTEP, TCU and UHouston…on this front Scorecard reads:

UTEP 32, TCU 25, Houston 24 and SMU 5….

Does anyone want to provide an intelligent response to why we are so far these 3 schools? And isn’t this problem exacerbated by these 3 schools’ ability to recruit JCs and transfers versus ours?

I for one do not believe it is due to PB’s recruiting ability which I think is above average.

[McClown27]

Stallion,

In your opinion, is this related more to the model or does it reflect the particular schemes of our coaches? Or, is it a combo?

[PK]

2 Bashings of him personally (term I picked up from PK…I owe you a beer for that one)…

Glad I could help...make that a tall G&T.

[Charleston Pony]

SoCal: sorry for the UT reference. Hopefully everyone has gotten past the idea that SMU will ever compete again for football national championships...at least under the current system.

As for the UTEP 32 TCU 25 Houston 24 SMU 5 scorecard - it will remain one of life's true mysteries how that can happen when SMU beat each and every one of those schools on the field just last year.

Maybe I've misinterpreted a lot of people's posts who seem to be saying that Bennett is doing a poor job recruiting. He must be doing SOMETHING right to obtain results on the field like we saw last year.

I readily acknowledge the correlation between those numbers and the fact that each of those other 3 schools has been involved in post season games while SMU has suffered thru 16 losing seasons in the past 17 years since returning from the death penalty. Regardless of what those numbers might suggest, I believe the gap between SMU and those schools is narrowing (as evidenced on the field last year). I'm just more optimistic than some that Bennett does have this thing moving forward and believe that once he fihally turns the corner and this program experiences a bowl game - that we will compete very successfully against that bunch.

What upsets me more than anything is the possibility that even when that happens, i.e., SMU earns a bowl invite, no more than the 50 loyalists on this board will notice or care. That fact (lack of support for the program) as much as anything is why SMU is where it is in the world of college athletics

[McClown27]

Maybe I've misinterpreted a lot of people's posts who seem to be saying that Bennett is doing a poor job recruiting. He must be doing SOMETHING right to obtain results on the field like we saw last year.

I feel that Bennett is good on gameday, preparation, and probably motivation. I also feel he is a good recruiter, given the onerous SMU limitations. SMU lacks an offensive identity which can help to sway recruits. I remember when Burn was brought in, we were supposed to begin to recruit better QB's because of the scheme. As far as I can tell, our talent level at the position is the same. I guess this year we will be a run heavy team that employs some of the basic patterns of the spread offense.

When recruits look at the new Rice staff, UTEP, UCF, and Tulsa; each team has a distinct offensive identity that recruits can envision putting up numbers in.

[Terry Webster]

In following up with McClown's question, could you write about our 'model'. I hear that mentioned many times and I am not sure what that means. I know that some changes in admissions have been made. What all has been done in the past few years? How does our 'model' compare to TCU and Baylor? What more needs to be done?

[RE Tycoon]

Please don't Stallion. Those that want Stallion's model musings, just look at some former posts, it has been covered ad nauseam. I don't disagree with the man, I just don't want to re-read what has already been covered hundreds of times.

[SoCal_Pony]

[Glad I could help...make that a tall G&T.

PK.

G&T's are too flat for my liking




I prefer a more full-bodied drink

[PK]

[Glad I could help...make that a tall G&T.

PK.

G&T's are too flat for my liking




I prefer a more full-bodied drink

No doubt that is a full bodied drink, but I guarantee that ain't no beer. Beer has never looked...er...tasted that good.

Obviously the tonic used in your G&T shown above was old and cheap.