So...do current events affect your

[gravedigger]

Attitude about the star system and how coaches evaluate?

I say sacrificing some stars to focus on traits like leadership and grades pays off.

The opposite sure as shit can lead to trouble.

[Op4isabitch]

Absolutely 100% agree, I think the star system is O.K if you are Alabama etc and pull high skill / high character players.

I think it is a catch 22 if you are a smaller school and have to settle for either high skill or high character.

[Coach34]

Character matters,,,cant be stated enough

[Political Hack]

that's why Chris jones is a true five star.

[EAVdog]

There is a reason some of these 4-5 star guys Ole Miss has been getting didn't get other offers. Not the Kimchees nut guys like Sims. Something caused Auburn and Bama to not offer. Maybe its character, over active parent during recruiting, or he's over rated. The fact of the matter is Old Miss has had more of their super star croots arrested or kicked off the team than have made it to the NFL. By far.

[Todd4State]

It hasn't changed my opinion of the star system one bit.

Even this year- we are going to get plenty of four star guys. But I'll be honest- I'm just as excited about the potential of Darrien McNair even though he is a three star guy right now. And we're going to get some 3 star guys that are going to be underrated and I will be very excited about them just as I would be a Dontea Jones who is a four star guy.

I trust our coaches, and they have earned my trust with their talent evaluation and development with the results on the field.

Any college coaching staff that actually uses a website and their rankings to evaluate talent is doomed for failure. Even Saban brings in a few 3 star guys every year.

[Intramural All-American]

My question, is all this negative press going to seriously hurt their recruiting this year? I know the immediate answer is yes, but do y'all really think this will hurt them in a year or will it blow over by then. You would think parents would not want their kids involved with Ole Miss at this current moment, but logic doesn't seem to prevail in recruiting a lot of times.

[Brad Stevens]

I was going to post something similar, but I'm glad you did. I'm not opposed to having high-ranked players. I AM opposed to getting high-ranked players who have no real loyalty to the school/coach/program, and getting them at any cost to the point the player has free reign to do whatever he wants without consequence or repercussion. We saw it in basketball with Renardo and the gang, and it seems the core of the problem can be exposed in football as well.


This is why I've been against getting the best AAU players at any cost in basketball. The entire program is affected if the coaching staff is not completely in control. Freeze and Ole Miss have talent in Oxford, but it seems they can't control the egos that come with it. Continuing to protect screw-up players (like we did with Renardo) rarely comes to a good conclusion for a program. I think this is no different.

[Homedawg]

My question, is all this negative press going to seriously hurt their recruiting this year? I know the immediate answer is yes, but do y'all really think this will hurt them in a year or will it blow over by then. You would think parents would not want their kids involved with Ole Miss at this current moment, but logic doesn't seem to prevail in recruiting a lot of times.

Cash solves problems. So if this is all there is, no won't hurt. However, if there is more and it could hurt in the future.

[BeardoMSU]

Guys, a little perspective here, please. Something like this could easily happen to our players, god forbid, obviously. It wasn't too long ago that we had starters shooting guns on campus, remember.

That being said, since Dan's arrival we haven't had any significant issues with our players, and that points to the stability of our program. And I'm confident that if something embarrassing did happen, they'd be handed in a way that didn't make MSU look like a bunch of cover-up cops, as I'm sure most of us view OM. That's the difference.

[Todd4State]

My question, is all this negative press going to seriously hurt their recruiting this year? I know the immediate answer is yes, but do y'all really think this will hurt them in a year or will it blow over by then. You would think parents would not want their kids involved with Ole Miss at this current moment, but logic doesn't seem to prevail in recruiting a lot of times.

It depends on what all comes out about Ole Miss. Over time it does.

High school kids look up to guys that are Dandy Dozen, D-I prospect type guys. I remember going to watch MC/NWR in a playoff game and I was sitting behind some of Provine's players. They were all talking about how awesome Tobias Singleton was. When these HS football players see their heroes go off to Ole Miss and they flame out time, after time, after time- but then they see guys like Nikoe Whitley, Gabe Jackson, etc go to MSU and have success and go on to the NFL or at the very least have productive college careers- it definitely makes an impact.

I think we are starting to see some of that this year.

[Todd4State]

Guys, a little perspective here, please. Something like this could easily happen to our players, god forbid, obviously. It wasn't too long ago that we had starters shooting guns on campus, remember.

That being said, since Dan's arrival we haven't had any significant issues with our players, and that points to the stability of our program. And I'm confident that if something embarrassing did happen, they'd be handed in a way that didn't make MSU look like a bunch of cover-up cops, as I'm sure most of us view OM. That's the difference.

It certainly could happen at MSU, but at least Dan isn't trying to pretend like he's running an Upward college football program and using religion while our football players are bashing frat boys heads in.

[BeardoMSU]

I can agree with that, for sho.

[BrunswickDawg]

I was going to post something similar, but I'm glad you did. I'm not opposed to having high-ranked players. I AM opposed to getting high-ranked players who have no real loyalty to the school/coach/program, and getting them at any cost to the point the player has free reign to do whatever he wants without consequence or repercussion. We saw it in basketball with Renardo and the gang, and it seems the core of the problem can be exposed in football as well.


This is why I've been against getting the best AAU players at any cost in basketball. The entire program is affected if the coaching staff is not completely in control. Freeze and Ole Miss have talent in Oxford, but it seems they can't control the egos that come with it. Continuing to protect screw-up players (like we did with Renardo) rarely comes to a good conclusion for a program. I think this is no different.

Saw this about #1 recruits from GA:

Scary trend among No. 1 ranked recruits in the state of Georgia--
2013 Robert Nkemdiche: Being sued for $2 million
2012 Josh Harvey-Clemons: dismissed from UGA
2011 Isaiah Crowell: Arrested, dismissed from UGA
2010 Da'Rick Rogers: Arrested, indefinitely suspended by Tenn., transferred to Tenn. Tech
2009 Greg Reid: Arrested, dismissed from FSU

To quote the great Crash Davis, "you got a million dollar arm, and a 10 cent head"

[Coach34]

Beardo- you're right- something like that could happen at State. However, the cultures and discipline within the program's are much different. Mullen had problems from his 5-star DT- and finally sent his ads packing. But like the Renardo Sidney situation- Freezus can't do that- too much invested.

OM and their tactics set themselves up for this kind of behavior

[thedawg]

Its a fine line... you need a few of those guys for edginess in the program... you cant sign too many.. and you have to sign the right ones... We have a few guys that arnt the most upstanding citizens that are big time players but with the right balance you can get them to buy in and be very productive... If you sign all idiots and throw them in whore and cocaine parties well you see what happens

[Dawgface]

Its a fine line... you need a few of those guys for edginess in the program... you cant sign too many.. and you have to sign the right ones... We have a few guys that arnt the most upstanding citizens that are big time players but with the right balance you can get them to buy in and be very productive... If you sign all idiots and throw them in whore and cocaine parties well you see what happens
This.