The Best I have seen this year..

[JonesDoe]

Re: Signing Day Surprise
by Mexmustang » Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:57 am

Fire and Passion? Lack of commitment? What are these comments based on? I believe the school has come a long way in the last 3-4 years. It will progress even more assuming the Big East money continues to come in and stay in the athletic department.

June is a highly competitive person, almost to a fault. He weaknesses are organization and management. He had two assistants that had to be let go (yes, let go) because the were not diciplined and wouldn't stay in the corral. Just ask yourself what would be the worst thing to happen to SMU athletics? This year was a real eye opener and I want to believe that recruiting effort of the staff and the Big East will bear fruit this year. We hired a top coach (yes an experienced coach, not a green assistant with a total of two years of experience or a tat-man with social problems) and recruiter from Houston--their players over the last two years were terribly successful, just look at their wins over Big 12 and Pac 12 teams over the last 3 years.

Will June ever have a class made up of 4-5 stars, problably not. Will they ever match up with Stallions expectations? Of course not, but then again Stallion would have never offered a scholarship to Sterling Moore. Part of it is that is not how he recruits, he relies on his and Mason's evaluations not those of recruiting services. The other is that he is fighting over 24 years of complete irrelevance with fans, students and high school coaches. Even UCLA has't had to fight this: no money; empty promises (Remember the 'Commitment"); high entrance barriers; no athletic friendly majors; no first class coaching, no athletic director, no facilities and no conference.

June put in a lot more effort than suggested by one that only reads recruiting sites concludes. It seems like we only started two weeks ago, not true at all. All of these recruits, save one, had been scouted months ago; most personally contacted. They were evaluated and debated withing the coaching ranks. June personally saw many of them at their high school games and went to many playoff games.

I know it is cute to claim all his does it play golf, or that he is lazy. But, that is simply not true. Try to get on his social agenda, try to schedule a golf game at the best club in Texas with major boosters and former board members, you will find that it is almost impossible to do with 3-6 months.

I would remind June's critics, that without June there wouldn't even be a list of candidates to replace him one day--

SMU football would still be only an old memory locked away in a yearbook in someone's attic and a joke in the minds of top coaches and athletes

[alyssa]

It takes an all around dynamic type of person to coach and rub elbows and all the other things needed.

I do like winning games. Some games definitely seemed thrown away to the loss column.

SMU doesn't have enough sports and doesn't win enough (for me) in the most popular ones or my sport of athletics (T&F), where there isn't even a men's team.

As far as recruiting. I know over 30 prospects in Collin County alone. I was hoping by now that SMU would BE THERE. There are many receivers in Collin County this year. 2 at Wylie East HS have 9 offers already. Maybe they are not SMU types but........and both are 6'4. Is the 6'6 QB at Plano any good? I haven't watched him so I don't know.

As far as SMU being a joke. The coaches and athletes today should be able to UNDERSTAND what really happened to SMU. The hows and whys.....and that other programs did and still do break the rules and get away with much more than they should. (Song: "I've been getting away with it all my life.").

(I know someone who got condos, cars, money, women etc. at a U in OK. and has come out and said it and laughs about it. Nothing ever happened to that U. I hate that nasty guy).

[alyssa]

It takes an all around dynamic type of person to coach and rub elbows and all the other things needed.

I do like winning games. Some games definitely seemed thrown away to the loss column.

SMU doesn't have enough sports and doesn't win enough (for me) in the most popular ones or my sport of athletics (T&F), where there isn't even a men's team.

As far as recruiting. I know over 30 prospects in Collin County alone. I was hoping by now that SMU would BE THERE. There are many receivers in Collin County this year. 2 at Wylie East HS have 9 offers already. Maybe they are not SMU types but........and both are 6'4. Is the 6'6 QB at Plano any good? I haven't watched him so I don't know.

As far as SMU being a joke. The coaches and athletes today should be able to UNDERSTAND what really happened to SMU. The hows and whys.....and that other programs did and still do break the rules and get away with much more than they should. (Song: "I've been getting away with it all my life.").

(I know someone who got condos, cars, money, women etc. at a U in OK. and has come out and said it and laughs about it. Nothing ever happened to that U. I hate that nasty guy).

[BB#2]

I like to think of the DP as drinking and driving. Every night there are drunk drivers but we where in a flashy car and going way too fast, in the end everybody does it but some just do it better then others.

[Charleston Pony]

I agree the football program has come a long ways and Jones and his staff get the majority of the credit for that. Relaxed admissions standards have helped, but it seems to me that far to many of the higher profile guys we've signed since those relaxed policies came into play just haven't panned out. In hindsight, it appears we've been able to get in on some talented guys because our higher profile competitors have the luxury of backing off on "academic risks".

JJ has done a good job of upgrading talent and player development seems to have improved. It seems there are plenty of people out there who think if we will just hire young aggressive coaches we will be able to convince 4 star guys to come here. I've ranted for years that our small school/lack of a large fan base works against us more than most will admit and I fully understand JJ's frustration that more people haven't come around yet.

Just need to keep plugging. This is going to take YEARS to change the culture. Those of us who dwell on Ponyfans are fanatics, but there just aren't that many of us. We had a 20 year post death penalty environment that wasn't very appealing to any prospective student who was "athletics minded". You can see that is just beginning to change, but we have a lost generation to replace.

Gotta get back to Mustang Mania type of marketing. Give tickets away if you must, but get more butts in seats and create an environment that recruits will appreciate. Keep the faith and long live the 1500!

[ponyte]

Recruiting is not an exact science. There will be sure fired athletes that don't pan out and unknowns that step up to stardom. Jones had one huge recruiting disadvantage this year. Our schedule.

Our best (on paper) recruiting class in decades happened with a home game and that fantastic environment against TCU. Imagine a kid looking at SMU and attending that game. That crowd and that excitement are infectious. And watching a very exciting game at ECU to secure the West also had to help. It is an adrenaline rush to kids to be in that kind of environment.

Now look at the games at home this year. Simply no comparison.

We have a much greater opportunity this year. Key is to get more of our fans in the stands against A$M and TCU. Make the environment an adrenaline rush for kids and more will want to come to SMU. And if we do, we will increase the chances of improved recruiting. It is our opportunity to help Jones and his staff recruit.

This next season can be the greatest in decades. A great time to be a Pony Fan.

[goldenstang]

Re: Signing Day Surprise
by Mexmustang » Thu Feb 02, 2012 6:57 am

Fire and Passion? Lack of commitment? What are these comments based on? I believe the school has come a long way in the last 3-4 years. It will progress even more assuming the Big East money continues to come in and stay in the athletic department.

I will tell you exactly where the fire, passion and lack of commitment comments come from. They come straight from recruits mouths. That is how we know there is a problem because 40 kids a year are telling us there is. When recruits are talked to we are never mentioned as being the one that is in contact with them the most NEVER. The only time that we were was when Klemm was here. All of his recruits constantly said that they were hearing from us the most. We are getting out worked by everyone else. I will say that this is fact because I am not willing to call 30-40 recruits liars.

[Wuba]

I will tell you exactly where the fire, passion and lack of commitment comments come from. They come straight from recruits mouths.

Just to be clear, did any of the recruits say anything directly about fire, passion or lack of committment by the coaches? If not, then it is not really accurate to say it came "straight from the recruits' mouths". It sounds more like you are interpreting what they said (perhaps accurately, perhaps not) as a lack of fire, passion and committment.

[goldenstang]

Ok, If it makes you happy I will say that I interpreted it from the recruits. When your team is never mentioned as someone that is talking to them the most I think it is fair to assume that there is a lack of passion fire and commitment. When recruits say that all they have gotten is emails then I think it is fair to say that there is a lack of passion fire and commitment. When recruits don't mention that June has been to see them but mention several other coaches that have then I think it is fair to assume there is a lack of passion fire and commitment. When we have a fraction of offers out to Texas recruits compared to other schools I think it is fair to assume that there is a lack of passion fire and commitment. There are plenty of other examples, sadly I could go on for a lontime. I want to make it clear that I am talking exclusively about recruiting when I am saying that there is a lack of passion fire and commitment.

[Wuba]

No big deal. I just think it is good to clarify things like that before they gain traction, or soon enough it will be commonly accepted fact on here that a recruit specifically said that the coaches lacked fire and passion.

[goldenstang]

It is really what the recruits aren't saying not what they are. That is the problem IMO

[redpony]

And until we get a couple of highly rated Texas savvy recruiters on our staff the problem will continue. We lose two active recruiters (AK and JR) and they are replaced by one person who may do some recruiting. I guess we'll know pretty quick if JP is really a recruiter or not.

GO PONIES!!!

[Stallion]

The two best recruiters SMU has had since the Death Penalty were unknowns before they coached at SMU. I'm thinking about that coach that is at UT now too-former Texas player(Oscar Giles). Point is you don't always have to get a guy with a huge reputation. But you do not need someone who is aggressive with excellent contacts.

[redpony]

Point is you don't always have to get a guy with a huge reputation. But you do not need someone who is aggressive with excellent contacts.

I think we already have coaches who are not aggressive and have few if any Texas contacts.

GO PONIES!!!

[JonesDoe]

The two best recruiters SMU has had since the Death Penalty were unknowns before they coached at SMU. I'm thinking about that coach that is at UT now too-former Texas player(Oscar Giles). Point is you don't always have to get a guy with a huge reputation. But you do not need someone who is aggressive with excellent contacts.

"Will June ever have a class made up of 4-5 stars, problably not. Will they ever match up with Stallions expectations? Of course not, but then again Stallion would have never offered a scholarship to Sterling Moore."