Why I hate Crootin and Signing Day by C34

[Coach34]

1. You have RR accountants, waiters, and the like putting ratings on players that arent obvious standouts. The fat Khardashian sister could tell me that Aeris Williams and Gerri Green are all-star football players- but it's guy that arent as mature or arent as obvious that really need to be evaluated the best.

2. It's dirtier than a Bourbon Street strip club

3. It's the same top 15 teams damn near year in and year out. Seriously. Look at the last 5 years of Rivals Top 10- it may be 20 different schools total in that 5 year span. People get all excited and its the same shit year after year.

4. People who say "it is about stars- the last 8 National Champions have a 4 year average inside the top 10". Ok, well that makes up what- 5 different teams? 5 out of 120. What is the average recruiting class for the Cotton Bowl participants the last 5 years? What is the average recruiting class for the Peach Bowl over a 5 year span? Because that is way more relevant to schools not named Auburn, Alabama, and LSU.

Bottom line- our classes are undervalued. Our staff, who have to work their ass off to sell Starkville, does a helluva job finding undervalued talent. Not developmental talent- undervalued talent. There is a difference.

Bernadrick McKinney- undervalued. 5 star talent playing at a shit school in the Delta. Low 3-star nobody in the ratings. He was a Freshmen AA his 2nd season in college. He hadnt been developed very much in one season- he was just put in the right position and taught how to play it. He could have left this year- his 3rd year in college- and drafted by the 3rd round. Decided to stay another year shoot for Round 1

Jamal Clayborn- low 3-star coming out of JA, a private school. Plays his true Freshmen year and does a good job. Now being projected to be drafted down the road. Will be a 3 yr starter in the SEC. We didnt "develop" him- he was on campus 2 months before he started playing. He was undervalued.

Jonathan Banks- small school undervalued who played as a true Freshman
Nickoe Whitley- started as a Freshman
Vick Ballard- we didnt develop him either-he just stepped in out of juco and kicked ass


These are just a few that come to mind and I could go on and on. Our staff is great at finding undervalued talent. Dont let this year get you down- it's just an unusual year with injuries to recruits and what not. 2015 is full of prime targets, and we will get our share, just like we always do in the state of Mississippi

[BeardoMSU]

My biggest problem is the entire nature of how these kids are treated through the whole recruiting process. I mean, we have grown ass men obsessing over 17/18 year olds. I know it's the nature of the beast that is college football, but the hat-fake ceremonies, the "takin' my talents to..." announcements, etc, just feel shaddy to me.

And people wonder why half these kids turn into divas.


I love the example of guys like Banks, McKinney, Ballard, etc. These guys aren't about the glitz and glamor; they just play football, and they'll all get rewarded for it too.

[defiantdog]

1. You have RR accountants, waiters, and the like putting ratings on players that arent obvious standouts. The fat Khardashian sister could tell me that Aeris Williams and Gerri Green are all-star football players- but it's guy that arent as mature or arent as obvious that really need to be evaluated the best.

2. It's dirtier than a Bourbon Street strip club

3. It's the same top 15 teams damn near year in and year out. Seriously. Look at the last 5 years of Rivals Top 10- it may be 20 different schools total in that 5 year span. People get all excited and its the same shit year after year.

4. People who say "it is about stars- the last 8 National Champions have a 4 year average inside the top 10". Ok, well that makes up what- 5 different teams? 5 out of 120. What is the average recruiting class for the Cotton Bowl participants the last 5 years? What is the average recruiting class for the Peach Bowl over a 5 year span? Because that is way more relevant to schools not named Auburn, Alabama, and LSU.

Bottom line- our classes are undervalued. Our staff, who have to work their ass off to sell Starkville, does a helluva job finding undervalued talent. Not developmental talent- undervalued talent. There is a difference.

Bernadrick McKinney- undervalued. 5 star talent playing at a shit school in the Delta. Low 3-star nobody in the ratings. He was a Freshmen AA his 2nd season in college. He hadnt been developed very much in one season- he was just put in the right position and taught how to play it. He could have left this year- his 3rd year in college- and drafted by the 3rd round. Decided to stay another year shoot for Round 1

Jamal Clayborn- low 3-star coming out of JA, a private school. Plays his true Freshmen year and does a good job. Now being projected to be drafted down the road. Will be a 3 yr starter in the SEC. We didnt "develop" him- he was on campus 2 months before he started playing. He was undervalued.

Jonathan Banks- small school undervalued who played as a true Freshman
Nickoe Whitley- started as a Freshman
Vick Ballard- we didnt develop him either-he just stepped in out of juco and kicked ass


These are just a few that come to mind and I could go on and on. Our staff is great at finding undervalued talent. Dont let this year get you down- it's just an unusual year with injuries to recruits and what not. 2015 is full of prime targets, and we will get our share, just like we always do in the state of Mississippi


I completely agree.... Preston Smith is one of the biggest undervalued guys we've picked up. Another 2* that is going to be in the NFL.

[Coach34]

And let me add:

We are also doing a great job on getting developmental talent. Guys that redshirt and then work their way to the line-up in Year 3. We have tons of examples also. I just wanted to point out the difference in undervalued and developmental talent.

We are picked as the team to watch in 2014 by people all over. That means we have talent. Rece Davis, Robert Smith, Jesse Palmer, and numerous others have already started the talk about Dakota and our team in 2014. We are obviously doing something right to be in this position come September

[TUSK]

Your overview is accurate. ..

LSU finished a distant second to My Dark Lord & their top signee would arguably be 4th or 5th on the depth chart.

FTR, I think yall got a good one from Bo's old HS.

[Dawg61]

I absolutely despise college football recruiting and especially today NSD. It's the same ****ing party that only 10-15 schools get to enjoy every year. It doesn't matter what we do or who we sign. We never get to attend the fun. Even Steve Spurrier was joking that he's finally glad South Carolina got a mention at 1:30 in the afternoon after 5 hours of ESPN and the rest just talking about the same 10 schools over and over. The other huge reason I despise recruiting is the players that put on the show for an entire year and then pull total egomaniac moves like hat punking schools and they all say "I'm taking my talents" like they actually think they are LeBron James. The whole thing is a disgusting show.

[Schultzy]

Jimbo Fisher said today in Finebaum college football needs an early signing period. Even he sounded disgusted with the whole process.

He said most of it is wrapped up earlier these days for everybody then you have several weeks or months of hanging on.

[John Farley]

Here is my take, not that anyone asked for it, and it won't be popular with other recruiting folks. Who cares. It's the truth.

The entire recruiting rankings system is. Flawed. Why? Because Of how they handle recruits. I will give you three examples to support my theory.

Chris jones was a five star recruit the day he stepped into out camp. It was obvious from anyone who was in attendance that this kid was the best DL in the state and could be in the country. But instead if listening to the people they hired to cover this state, the big networks had to send one of their crack ratings guys to Houston monthes later for him to get his due. Paul,Steve, myself, Logan, yancy, Neal, and David see more kids live in Mississippi then anyone. Shouldn't they have a say in what a kid is ranked without having to fight some jackass in Atlanta or Nashville for the kid? Most rankings are done off of film. Period. Not live. Film. If you don't see a kid for four quarters, you have no basis for ranking him. Period.

Rod Taylor. Like most I felt he was the top Player in the state. Why? Because everyone said he was. Then I watched him play. Not only was he not the best player, on his team, but he wasn't the best offensive lineman on his team. He underwhelmed me and everyone that watched him play that night. Sometimes a kids hype remains when the production doesn't. Callaway made it to the north state championship for one reason. Look at the bracket. They didn't play anyone until Oxford and then got manhandled. One guy stood out that night. Breeland Speaks. He was and is the best player on that team. I have read on Rebel boards they want Taylor to start as a true freshman. Trust me, so do I.

Aeris Williams. Anyone who does any kind of ranking system for the state of Mississippi that does not have him as one of the top three players in the state shouldn't be ranking kids. I watched him play Oxford. At halftime I said, damn they are shutting him down. And Oxford pretty much did on the first half. Until you start counting. He had 97 yards in the first half and looked like he was shut down. The kid gets stronger and faster and meaner with every carry. He was named Mr Footbal for a reason. He was the best player in Mississippi last year. Period. And he is a damn good kid too. Anyone from Atlanta or Nashville or anywhere else that didn't see him play live has no business ranking him.

The services are good and do great things. They give you up to date recruiting info and that is something that recruitniks love. I have seen people pick their favorites and that's great and fine and dandy. I personally could care less if I am first or last because to me it's about the kid. Not me. Steve isn't wrong all the time no more then Paul is right. And vice Versa. You are trusting the word of a person who just last week decided he likes a certain brand of socks. We are all gonna miss and we are all gonna be right. But watch the kid play for four quarters and then tell me what you think. a highlight film is just that. It's shows the 75 yard touchdown. It doesn't show the play before when he was tackled for a 6 yard loss.

[Dawg61]

Good post

[Bubb Rubb]

1. You have RR accountants, waiters, and the like putting ratings on players that arent obvious standouts. The fat Khardashian sister could tell me that Aeris Williams and Gerri Green are all-star football players- but it's guy that arent as mature or arent as obvious that really need to be evaluated the best.

2. It's dirtier than a Bourbon Street strip club

3. It's the same top 15 teams damn near year in and year out. Seriously. Look at the last 5 years of Rivals Top 10- it may be 20 different schools total in that 5 year span. People get all excited and its the same shit year after year.

4. People who say "it is about stars- the last 8 National Champions have a 4 year average inside the top 10". Ok, well that makes up what- 5 different teams? 5 out of 120. What is the average recruiting class for the Cotton Bowl participants the last 5 years? What is the average recruiting class for the Peach Bowl over a 5 year span? Because that is way more relevant to schools not named Auburn, Alabama, and LSU.

Bottom line- our classes are undervalued. Our staff, who have to work their ass off to sell Starkville, does a helluva job finding undervalued talent. Not developmental talent- undervalued talent. There is a difference.

Bernadrick McKinney- undervalued. 5 star talent playing at a shit school in the Delta. Low 3-star nobody in the ratings. He was a Freshmen AA his 2nd season in college. He hadnt been developed very much in one season- he was just put in the right position and taught how to play it. He could have left this year- his 3rd year in college- and drafted by the 3rd round. Decided to stay another year shoot for Round 1

Jamal Clayborn- low 3-star coming out of JA, a private school. Plays his true Freshmen year and does a good job. Now being projected to be drafted down the road. Will be a 3 yr starter in the SEC. We didnt "develop" him- he was on campus 2 months before he started playing. He was undervalued.

Jonathan Banks- small school undervalued who played as a true Freshman
Nickoe Whitley- started as a Freshman
Vick Ballard- we didnt develop him either-he just stepped in out of juco and kicked ass


These are just a few that come to mind and I could go on and on. Our staff is great at finding undervalued talent. Dont let this year get you down- it's just an unusual year with injuries to recruits and what not. 2015 is full of prime targets, and we will get our share, just like we always do in the state of Mississippi

I agree with your overall point, but would like to point out that Vick Ballard was a very highly-ranked recruit coming out of Juco. Most sites had him at four stars and I seem to recall one having him at five.

[Bubb Rubb]

And let me add:

We are also doing a great job on getting developmental talent. Guys that redshirt and then work their way to the line-up in Year 3. We have tons of examples also. I just wanted to point out the difference in undervalued and developmental talent.

We are picked as the team to watch in 2014 by people all over. That means we have talent. Rece Davis, Robert Smith, Jesse Palmer, and numerous others have already started the talk about Dakota and our team in 2014. We are obviously doing something right to be in this position come September

This is the bigger point. We may not have the high recruiting rankings but we are bringing in solid, solid players, redshirting a lot of them, and keeping them around. Our depth is as good as I can ever remember it being. Our situation is different than Ole Miss, who may have premium front-line talent, but are one injury on the o-line or at QB away from totally tanking it every year.

[rabbitthedawg]

When was the last time you saw Central Florida ranked in the top 20 recruiting classes? They beat a good Baylor team in a BCS bowl in January. What about Duke? They came within a hair of beating Texas A&M in the Peach Bowl new years' eve. What about Boise State? If Coach Mullen can continue to do as he does, State is going to compete. The Dawgs just have to complete the job of knocking off LSU and Auburn in the same year. Maybe this fall that will happen. Who knows, but at least we're competitive now. Just sayin>>>!

[Really Clark?]

I agree with your overall point, but would like to point out that Vick Ballard was a very highly-ranked recruit coming out of Juco. Most sites had him at four stars and I seem to recall one having him at five.

No. He was a mid 3 star with us as his only BCS offer.

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

I agree with your overall point, but would like to point out that Vick Ballard was a very highly-ranked recruit coming out of Juco. Most sites had him at four stars and I seem to recall one having him at five.

Vic was a 1 star out of high school with no offers. Chris white too. Both are in nfl

[slickdawg]

I agree with your overall point, but would like to point out that Vick Ballard was a very highly-ranked recruit coming out of Juco. Most sites had him at four stars and I seem to recall one having him at five.

I had to look this up. 3* on 247, 3* on scout, 3* on Rivals

[slickdawg]

I looked on Scout, in 2008, Ballard was not ranked, and listed as committed to Jackson State. 247 nor Rivals have him at all in 2008.

[Todd4State]

Here is my take, not that anyone asked for it, and it won't be popular with other recruiting folks. Who cares. It's the truth.

The entire recruiting rankings system is. Flawed. Why? Because Of how they handle recruits. I will give you three examples to support my theory.

Chris jones was a five star recruit the day he stepped into out camp. It was obvious from anyone who was in attendance that this kid was the best DL in the state and could be in the country. But instead if listening to the people they hired to cover this state, the big networks had to send one of their crack ratings guys to Houston monthes later for him to get his due. Paul,Steve, myself, Logan, yancy, Neal, and David see more kids live in Mississippi then anyone. Shouldn't they have a say in what a kid is ranked without having to fight some jackass in Atlanta or Nashville for the kid? Most rankings are done off of film. Period. Not live. Film. If you don't see a kid for four quarters, you have no basis for ranking him. Period.

Rod Taylor. Like most I felt he was the top Player in the state. Why? Because everyone said he was. Then I watched him play. Not only was he not the best player, on his team, but he wasn't the best offensive lineman on his team. He underwhelmed me and everyone that watched him play that night. Sometimes a kids hype remains when the production doesn't. Callaway made it to the north state championship for one reason. Look at the bracket. They didn't play anyone until Oxford and then got manhandled. One guy stood out that night. Breeland Speaks. He was and is the best player on that team. I have read on Rebel boards they want Taylor to start as a true freshman. Trust me, so do I.

Aeris Williams. Anyone who does any kind of ranking system for the state of Mississippi that does not have him as one of the top three players in the state shouldn't be ranking kids. I watched him play Oxford. At halftime I said, damn they are shutting him down. And Oxford pretty much did on the first half. Until you start counting. He had 97 yards in the first half and looked like he was shut down. The kid gets stronger and faster and meaner with every carry. He was named Mr Footbal for a reason. He was the best player in Mississippi last year. Period. And he is a damn good kid too. Anyone from Atlanta or Nashville or anywhere else that didn't see him play live has no business ranking him.

The services are good and do great things. They give you up to date recruiting info and that is something that recruitniks love. I have seen people pick their favorites and that's great and fine and dandy. I personally could care less if I am first or last because to me it's about the kid. Not me. Steve isn't wrong all the time no more then Paul is right. And vice Versa. You are trusting the word of a person who just last week decided he likes a certain brand of socks. We are all gonna miss and we are all gonna be right. But watch the kid play for four quarters and then tell me what you think. a highlight film is just that. It's shows the 75 yard touchdown. It doesn't show the play before when he was tackled for a 6 yard loss.

Spot on.

[quickstrike2]

Would a early signing period help? I feel that as shady as recruiting is now, the shenanigans would just happen in lets say August(early signing period) and then again in January.

[Todd4State]

Would a early signing period help? I feel that as shady as recruiting is now, the shenanigans would just happen in lets say August(early signing period) and then again in January.

I think it would help some because it rewards a school like MSU for finding a guy like Chris Jones before he blows up. I think it would be good for some players and their families that know where they want to go because then they wouldn't be harassed at 2 AM by people like Freeze and they can focus on their high school season.

The ones that want to do the hat stuff can still do that in Feb.

[Coach34]

No. He was a mid 3 star with us as his only BCS offer.

This

I chose Ballard on purpose to make my point

[War Machine Dawg]

I think it would help some because it rewards a school like MSU for finding a guy like Chris Jones before he blows up. I think it would be good for some players and their families that know where they want to go because then they wouldn't be harassed at 2 AM by people like Freeze and they can focus on their high school season.

The ones that want to do the hat stuff can still do that in Feb.

Exactly. Coaches everywhere are saying football needs an early signing period. Unfortunately, I don't think it will change because the money of the current system is too big. Kinda like the coaches saying cowbells aren't a problem but the ADs/Presidents always voting to ban them. Coaches have no stroke when it comes to the process when they should be listened to most, imo.

[Todd4State]

Exactly. Coaches everywhere are saying football needs an early signing period. Unfortunately, I don't think it will change because the money of the current system is too big. Kinda like the coaches saying cowbells aren't a problem but the ADs/Presidents always voting to ban them. Coaches have no stroke when it comes to the process when they should be listened to most, imo.

It won't happen because an early NSD is not in the best interests of Alabama, LSU, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, etc.

[GrassOfDWS]

I also hate recruiting because it can make people turn on a kid so vehemently so quickly. I hate that Tee flipped, and I'm not about to speculate about any underhanded doings, but to post some of the things on Twitter that people did was just asinine. I was ticked to, but a bunch of people were pretty happy when he committed, and now all of a sudden he's a scumbag that people want wiped off their shoe.