Recruiting Question

[SMUSportsTalkNow101]

Why do some find it crazy to even be "offering" the best of the best? Does SMU really harm itself at all by doing so? Specifically, what is the art to recruiting that keeps SMU from at a minimum "offering" more big time players for the program(s)? Even if only 25 rides are available can you not put out 100+ offers? Even if odds are against us in landing some of these guys what is the harm in offering? Can someone provide a good answer or link to a good article?

[Alaric]

Anyone specific saying it's crazy?

[mrydel]

Phil Bennett did. But that aisde, we need to target the best of the best if we want to progress. You may choose to be selective. QBs for example. You do not blanket offer all the top ones. Jones knows what he wants and those are who he will target. He also knows how many so he will stop at that point.

I hear a lot more about Arkansas recruiting from where I am and Petrino recruits very similar to Jones. Petrino has designated 2 QB spots this year. He has Brandon Allen already, and Keihl Frazier is the next target. Frazier is probably going to make a lot of visits and play it out, so I would imagine Petrino will not take or offer another QB until Frazier has made his decision. That would be a reason for not offering all the good ones. Also, Petrino does not want an offensive lineman under 6'5". So he may pass on some highly rated ones because he is pretty strict with that guideline. Other than reasons like that Jones should not shy from the high ranked kids. But Bennett was documented as staying away from ones he thought he could not get.

[PoconoPony]

Why do some find it crazy to even be "offering" the best of the best? Does SMU really harm itself at all by doing so? Specifically, what is the art to recruiting that keeps SMU from at a minimum "offering" more big time players for the program(s)? Even if only 25 rides are available can you not put out 100+ offers? Even if odds are against us in landing some of these guys what is the harm in offering? Can someone provide a good answer or link to a good article?

I seem to recall that Stanford offered more than 125 players for the 2010 class. Have not checked them out; however, believe they have a very good class and their ploy worked for them.

[originaloverthehilltop1]

all the coaches look for a balance between spending lots of effort recruiting and offering kids who just show no interest in your school and recruiting and offering some of the top kids who may have only mild interest at first, but who might just visit and fall in love with the school.

reading the respose to an early offer to a top kid also gives the recruiting schools some time to get a feel for the true interest of a kid (does the interest grow, does he visit and follow thru with building a relationship?)

as for how many you offer, i think every kid is told and knows that a school may withdraw an offer if the school fills its quota at his position. the kids have to know that if they play it out to the very end, somebody doesn't get down in one of the musical chairs. this pressure is always there, and i think jj and staff do a good job of not pressuring beyond what is the obvious length of fuse burning in the background for all these recruits.

[Alaric]

I hear a lot more about Arkansas recruiting from where I am and Petrino recruits very similar to Jones.

Not only does our recruiting style seem similar to Petrino but we seem to offer a lot of the same kids or at least show interest in many of the same kids. Seems more than coincidental.

[EastStang]

You really want to go after those that will make your program better. That gets done incrementally. You don't want to have the solid 3 stars hear that you're offering 4 stars at the same position (who you have no chance of signing). I'd take a class of all 3 stars if I could.