Paul Johnson - Navy

[Dwan]

Good point. Most players who go to the service schools usually have no other offers. Also, the type of kids who can get into the Naval Academy and have what it takes to stay in and graduate from the Naval Academy, are some pretty tough, disciplined, hardworking kids. Life at the Naval Academy and SMU are night and day to say the least. Not to take anything away from our players, but I wonder how many of them would last 2 weeks at the Naval Academy. And those type of kids are a perfect fit for Johnson's hard nosed system

[Stallion]

Oh I remember a 4th kid-Shane O'Neil who also IMMEDIATELY started the first two games that he transferred from Air Force in 1999. That's 4 kids that were good enough to start at SMU. I really think there is another-that I just can't recall.

So tell me what does it say about SMU that 4 straight kids ("that nobody wanted") from these Academies and Prep Schools have been able to either immediately start or start multiple years at SMU. That's as revealing a snapshot of SMU's "talent level" as one can find.

[Dwan]

and then there are players who don't play at SMU who go on to make NFL rosters.

So what we have here is a low talent level and poor coaching.

[Statler]

I'm going to call these Paul Johnson fans-the lunatic fringe of SMU Football. We don't need another X and Os mastermind who can really motivate the boys. We ain't in high school any more. We do't need the wishbone. Paul Johnson does not recruit players-he signs 4 times the number that real college teams do and weeds out the football players. SMU can not do that. This has D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R written all over it. He has no Texas ties. This makes absolutely ZERO sense.

Stallion,

Darth agrees with you much of the time especially about the m*****. However, I guess I am just part of the lunatic fringe now. (of course that is what many of Darth's critics say) LOL

[Water Pony]

how many of our players had offers? . . . . Look when schools like SMU, Rice, Tulane et al are taking almost a oomplete class of sleepers then it helps to be able to weed out from a huge class of sleepers. . . . .

Question: I agree with the premise. If Point A is where we are and Point B is the target (rich and deep recruiting classes), then the most important question is the how.

Assuming that recruiting skills for a HC are number one, our challenge is selling a non-BCS, private school to our target recruits. Can it be done? What needs to be done? Not just differently from what has been undertaken for the last twenty years, but differently from other non-BCS schools which would help SMU to break out of our mold and the limitation$ of not being in a BCS conference?

No blast intended, just the realilties of our past and of our peer group?

[Stallion]

where was Luke Johnson from?-straighten me out if I'm wrong but I am 98% sure that he was an Air Force transfer-yep-so I got 5 of those "players nobody wanted" who were good enough to IMMEDIATELY start at SMU or were multiple year starters for SMU. Yes it is an advantage to be able to send 75 of these types of kids through your varsity and Prep programs every year. Clearly an advantage-maybe you could dispute whether the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. I submit the 21 bowl games the Academies have been to in 20 years should at least raise your eyebrows that yes it is significant advantage.

[westexSMU]

[quote="Stallion"]I'm going to call these Paul Johnson fans-the lunatic fringe of SMU Football. We don't need another X and Os mastermind who can really motivate the boys. We ain't in high school any more. We do't need the wishbone. Paul Johnson does not recruit players-he signs 4 times the number that real college teams do and weeds out the football players. SMU can not do that. This has D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R written all over it. He has no Texas ties. This makes absolutely ZERO sense.[/quote]..............In case you did not know, Paul Johnson is not just a wishbone/option Coach. Coach Johnson also coached at Hawaii as an offensive coordinator. So he is obviously well schooled in the passing game....Coach Johnson has said that he runs the option at Navy because he thinks it is the best offense to run there in order to Win... In their case he is right...That said, my favorite would be Coach Bowden if I had a say. Yet Paul Johnson would not be a mistake. We would be lucky to get either one of them.