People go full retard when talking about recruiting and Mullen

[Coach34]

People say Mullen doesnt have enough "star power" in his classes. We need more star power they say. Talent wins games. I'll then point out that our 2-deep on the DL will have three 5* players- (Autry, Evans, Jones), four 4* players (PJ Jones, Eulls, Big Nick, Jefferson), a 3* (Brown), and a 2*star diamond in Smith (who is very likely going to be a draft pick)...but what is the common thought about our DL? "Wellllll, we just dont know if our DL will be very good".....

So we need star power to make our talent better- because talent wins games but where we have our star power and talent- we arent sure if we will be very good????

My other pet peeve is "Mullen has been winning with Croom's recruits"....Nevermind how assinine this is the first place- giving Crooms credit for people he never even coached for 1 practice- not 1- but just as many of the best guys from 2009 were Mullen pulls.

You dont see Alabama fans giving Shula credit for those draft picks he left Saban-I've never heard 1 Bama talk about Saban inheriting some good talent- and there were 6-7 of them- but by God State fans will give Crooms credit for players he never saw arrive on campus. Boggles the mind.

[601Dawg]

To compete with the top SEC teams we need more Star power and Mullen isn't providing that.

If we finish 12th or 13th in the sec in recruiting it will catch up wih us.

We have to lock up some of the top guys we are after like Gerri Green, Jesse Jackson, Aeries Williams and Cory Thomas

[sorantable]

State has never been deeper from a talent standpoint. This much is true.

[601Dawg]

State has never been deeper from a talent standpoint. This much is true.

Good point, but the SEC has never been stronger top to bottom.

[mic]

To compete with the top SEC teams we need more Star power and Mullen isn't providing that.

If we finish 12th or 13th in the sec in recruiting it will catch up wih us.

We have to lock up some of the top guys we are after like Gerri Green, Jesse Jackson, Aeries Williams and Cory Thomas

Which we are in the lead for all 4...

[PMDawg]

People say Mullen doesnt have enough "star power" in his classes. We need more star power they say. Talent wins games. I'll then point out that our 2-deep on the DL will have three 5* players- (Autry, Evans, Jones), four 4* players (PJ Jones, Eulls, Big Nick, Jefferson), a 3* (Brown), and a 2*star diamond in Smith (who is very likely going to be a draft pick)...but what is the common thought about our DL? "Wellllll, we just dont know if our DL will be very good".....

So we need star power to make our talent better- because talent wins games but where we have our star power and talent- we arent sure if we will be very good????

My other pet peeve is "Mullen has been winning with Croom's recruits"....Nevermind how assinine this is the first place- giving Crooms credit for people he never even coached for 1 practice- not 1- but just as many of the best guys from 2009 were Mullen pulls.

You dont see Alabama fans giving Shula credit for those draft picks he left Saban-I've never heard 1 Bama talk about Saban inheriting some good talent- and there were 6-7 of them- but by God State fans will give Crooms credit for players he never saw arrive on campus. Boggles the mind.

I agree with this so much. And then beyond the star power, you look at guys like Preston Smith, McKinney, Slay, RoJo, MoJo (I just made that up), Ballard, Perkins, and on and on that play well above their "star power". Mullen and company have done a fine job spotting talent and coaching our players up. They've signed their fair share of star guys too. They have limited their "busts" as well. My only complaint thus far is the OL. Almost all of our busts are linemen. A lot of attrition on the line. We lack any star power whatsoever on the line. The thing that is holding Mullen back at MSU is a really good and deep OL. I'm not sure how we fix that. I have no complaints at any other position, and yes that includes QB.

[Coach34]

State has never been deeper from a talent standpoint. This much is true.

I agree with this

[sorantable]

O/T but how do I add my avatar?

[Coach34]

If we finish 12th or 13th in the sec in recruiting it will catch up wih us.


We've finished 9th in the SEC the last two Feb's....what's this 12-13th shit?

That is what I'm talking about- it's all over-reaction. Not to mention we are probably the best team in the SEC at finding lower-rated prospects and turning them into quality players.

The same people that are scared about the Rebs getting Kimdeechy, Hooks, and the kid from Panola are the same people that are worried Jones, Evans, James, etc wont be impact players in 2013. I dont understand it

[FlabLoser]

O/T but how do I add my avatar?

Top right, click Settings.

Left side of the page click Edit Avatar. Your avatar has to be 120x120 or smaller.

[sorantable]

Got it. Thanks!

[Coach34]

O/T but how do I add my avatar?

go to settings on your profile

[FlabLoser]

I really wish somebody would put out recruiting rankings that are re-ranked after 4 years. That would show how meaningful everybody's croots were.

[Coach34]

I agree PMDawg- OL recruiting is where we have to get better. Hopefully we have- the guys we signed in this last class could be very good. Just need to find a couple more Gabe Jackson's out there

[bulldawg28]

Being a former player under Jackie Sherrill I can tell you that his tabs were loaded with talent. Mullen has finally brought and is bringing talent to consistently compete and win in the SEC. One of the worst things any coach can do is recruit players based on an star evaluation by reporters. The team loses continuity and can easily become all about me. Mullen recruits players that fit his team vision which is only going to attract a certain type of player. Fans need to realize Mullen isn't recruiting everyone that has stars behind their name for a reason. Of course he offers undeniable talented players but rarely is he persistent when he doesn't fit the MSU family. Mullen has the stalls full of thoroughbreds in Starkville. He's the closest thing to the winning Jackie Wayne we have ever seen. If he stays at MSU he'll easily shatter the records.

[mic]

I agree with this so much. And then beyond the star power, you look at guys like Preston Smith, McKinney, Slay, RoJo, MoJo (I just made that up), Ballard, Perkins, and on and on that play well above their "star power". Mullen and company have done a fine job spotting talent and coaching our players up. They've signed their fair share of star guys too. They have limited their "busts" as well. My only complaint thus far is the OL. Almost all of our busts are linemen. A lot of attrition on the line. We lack any star power whatsoever on the line. The thing that is holding Mullen back at MSU is a really good and deep OL. I'm not sure how we fix that. I have no complaints at any other position, and yes that includes QB.

I agree to a degree..
Gabe I believe was a 2 or 3 star and will be a first or second round draft pick
Dillon Day is a All SEC type player and will prob play on Sunday
We have some possible good / really good young lineman in Malone, Desper, Thomas, Clausell, and Flowers.. but I agree we need that Cant Miss OL and we haven't gotten one..

[Big4Dawg]

I agree with this so much. And then beyond the star power, you look at guys like Preston Smith, McKinney, Slay, RoJo, MoJo (I just made that up), Ballard, Perkins, and on and on that play well above their "star power". Mullen and company have done a fine job spotting talent and coaching our players up. They've signed their fair share of star guys too. They have limited their "busts" as well. My only complaint thus far is the OL. Almost all of our busts are linemen. A lot of attrition on the line. We lack any star power whatsoever on the line. The thing that is holding Mullen back at MSU is a really good and deep OL. I'm not sure how we fix that. I have no complaints at any other position, and yes that includes QB.

I think our OL class currently is one of Mullen's best. 2 JUCO's and 2 solid solid 3* out of GA. Will not be as raw as Mississippi OL.

I also think last year's OL class is pretty good.
Jake Thomas, Kent Flowers, Clayborn

[maroonmania]

People say Mullen doesnt have enough "star power" in his classes. We need more star power they say. Talent wins games. I'll then point out that our 2-deep on the DL will have three 5* players- (Autry, Evans, Jones), four 4* players (PJ Jones, Eulls, Big Nick, Jefferson), a 3* (Brown), and a 2*star diamond in Smith (who is very likely going to be a draft pick)...but what is the common thought about our DL? "Wellllll, we just dont know if our DL will be very good".....

So we need star power to make our talent better- because talent wins games but where we have our star power and talent- we arent sure if we will be very good????

My other pet peeve is "Mullen has been winning with Croom's recruits"....Nevermind how assinine this is the first place- giving Crooms credit for people he never even coached for 1 practice- not 1- but just as many of the best guys from 2009 were Mullen pulls.

You dont see Alabama fans giving Shula credit for those draft picks he left Saban-I've never heard 1 Bama talk about Saban inheriting some good talent- and there were 6-7 of them- but by God State fans will give Crooms credit for players he never saw arrive on campus. Boggles the mind.

I have some concerns about Mullen's recruiting (especially in the QB department) but its been better the last couple of years. We took a big step up when Nutt and staff quit recruiting and then still had a solid year last year even with OM recruiting lights out (but mostly out of state). This year I don't know what to make of things because I don't know a whole lot about the guys we have committed so I'm making no judgements right now. I will say that a lot of those top flight players you are mentioning on defense all came out of that one class where Nutt quit and was maybe the best defensive class we've ever recruited.

In the end though whether people praise Mullen's recruiting or bitch about it won't matter because he will be judged, as all coaches are, by wins and losses on the field. This is year 5 for Mullen, so essentially every player on the field (save a comeback by Tobias Smith) will be a player he recruited so the results will speak for themselves. And I think we all agree that Mullen's first 2 full classes left a lot to be desired so it still may be another couple of years before we fully see what Mullen can do. We now finally have depth but we certainly do NOT have top line SEC talent at all positions.

[Sandman14]

Being a former player under Jackie Sherrill I can tell you that his tabs were loaded with talent. Mullen has finally brought and is bringing talent to consistently compete and win in the SEC. One of the worst things any coach can do is recruit players based on an star evaluation by reporters. The team loses continuity and can easily become all about me. Mullen recruits players that fit his team vision which is only going to attract a certain type of player. Fans need to realize Mullen isn't recruiting everyone that has stars behind their name for a reason. Of course he offers undeniable talented players but rarely is he persistent when he doesn't fit the MSU family. Mullen has the stalls full of thoroughbreds in Starkville. He's the closest thing to the winning Jackie Wayne we have ever seen. If he stays at MSU he'll easily shatter the records.

I agree with this.

I don't think our current team is much more talented, in comparison with our competition, than some of Jackie's teams. I think it is about the same, though. Which is a very nice compliment.

And the difference is we have Mullen right here at the beginning of his head coaching career, whereas we had Jackie at his last stop. So yes, if ******* hangs around, he's a good enough coach that he will have some very nice squads and will easily shatter all coaching marks. The problem is that he still probably won't ever get to the SEC title game because of Bama and LSU.

[J-Dawg]

We've been decent on a star-power point of view since Mullen got here.... especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Brown's, all the studs on the DL, several 4*'s in the secondary etc etc.

Here's my main knock on Mullen: Star-power at offensive skilled positions. Now, we get solid guys here. 3* types that you love to make of the bulk of your team. But lets face it... Fred Ross and Morrow are the only 4/5* guys at any of our skilled positions. Cord would have been one, obviously.

What Mullen has done a considerably good job at is raising our floor. Like the Rebel said... we've probably never been deeper in overall talent. We now need gamechangers at skilled positions. Sure, some of these 3* types might become that (and Mullen obviously does a great job of "coaching them up"), but getting more polished talent like 4/5*s at those positions would take them to another level.

ETA: Ashton Shumpert is a good start. Forgot all about him. Need MOAR.

[Sandman14]

We've been decent on a star-power point of view since Mullen got here.... especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Brown's, all the studs on the DL, several 4*'s in the secondary etc etc.

Here's my main knock on Mullen: Star-power at offensive skilled positions. Now, we get solid guys here. 3* types that you love to make of the bulk of your team. But lets face it... Fred Ross and Morrow are the only 4/5* guys at any of our skilled positions. Cord would have been one, obviously.

What Mullen has done a considerably good job at is raising our floor. Like the Rebel said... we've probably never been deeper in overall talent. We now need gamechangers at skilled positions. Sure, some of these 3* types might become that (and Mullen obviously does a great job of "coaching them up"), but getting more polished talent like 4/5*s at those positions would take them to another level.

ETA: Ashton Shumpert is a good start. Forgot all about him. Need MOAR.

you nailed it. great post. and the difference arises with, for instance, our receivers getting separation. we can't get separation, which means we can't get guys open before the pressure gets there. the only way to change this is to bring in several high-end receivers and then have one or two actually pan out. This has not yet happened.

[601Dawg]

We've finished 9th in the SEC the last two Feb's....what's this 12-13th shit?

That is what I'm talking about- it's all over-reaction. Not to mention we are probably the best team in the SEC at finding lower-rated prospects and turning them into quality players.

The same people that are scared about the Rebs getting Kimdeechy, Hooks, and the kid from Panola are the same people that are worried Jones, Evans, James, etc wont be impact players in 2013. I dont understand it

We are currently 12th or 13th in the SEC in recruiting at the moment.

[Coach34]

I can understand some "concern"...but that's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing people listening to other fanbases to the point that they seriously want Hud to be our coach asap because of it. It's insane

It's just frustrating that many in our fanbase just cant see the big picture I guess and feel like we are headed for doom and gloom all the time.

[Coach34]

We are currently 12th or 13th in the SEC in recruiting at the moment.

not according to 247-we are currently 10th in the SEC- try again

http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/CompositeTeamRankings?Conference=SEC

Not to mention 90% of those guys wont play a down of football until the 2015 season, and 75% wont start before 2016 or later. It's 2013 by the way

[maroonmania]

We've been decent on a star-power point of view since Mullen got here.... especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Brown's, all the studs on the DL, several 4*'s in the secondary etc etc.

Here's my main knock on Mullen: Star-power at offensive skilled positions. Now, we get solid guys here. 3* types that you love to make of the bulk of your team. But lets face it... Fred Ross and Morrow are the only 4/5* guys at any of our skilled positions. Cord would have been one, obviously.

What Mullen has done a considerably good job at is raising our floor. Like the Rebel said... we've probably never been deeper in overall talent. We now need gamechangers at skilled positions. Sure, some of these 3* types might become that (and Mullen obviously does a great job of "coaching them up"), but getting more polished talent like 4/5*s at those positions would take them to another level.

ETA: Ashton Shumpert is a good start. Forgot all about him. Need MOAR.

And that is a concern of mine as well. We should be able to begin attracting more top line skill players along with better OL/DL prospects (and I mean consistently not just in one recruiting class where we got Evans and James). While recruiting has improved under Mullen, I will admit that when you factor in umpteen sold out home games, 3 straight bowl years and major facility upgrades both with the football complex and the stadium work going on our recruiting has not improved as much as I orginally thought it would. As mentioned, we are getting solid players but not very many elite players at any position. And I'll add that I do believe our low key recruiting approach and our compliance techniques do hurt us a lot with getting the elite type players.

[mic]

We are currently 12th or 13th in the SEC in recruiting at the moment.

Its Just July 2nd..

[601Dawg]

Last years end of the season collapse has a lot to do with people's opinion on Mullen.

Plain and simple we stopped playing at he same level we were on when we started 8-0. We played hard against LSU and Arky. But against Bama, A&M, OM, and Northwestern we played as if we were just going through the motions.

All of that fell on Mullen and couple that with OM getting the best recruiting class in school history and us having commits flip didn't help.

[601Dawg]

Its Just July 2nd..

And we will sign a small class

And most SEC schools will sign 25-30

And most SEC schools have 15+ commits I think Kentucky has 20

[Coach34]

We've been decent on a star-power point of view since Mullen got here.... especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Brown's, all the studs on the DL, several 4*'s in the secondary etc etc.

Here's my main knock on Mullen: Star-power at offensive skilled positions. Now, we get solid guys here. 3* types that you love to make of the bulk of your team. But lets face it... Fred Ross and Morrow are the only 4/5* guys at any of our skilled positions. Cord would have been one, obviously.

What Mullen has done a considerably good job at is raising our floor. Like the Rebel said... we've probably never been deeper in overall talent. We now need gamechangers at skilled positions. Sure, some of these 3* types might become that (and Mullen obviously does a great job of "coaching them up"), but getting more polished talent like 4/5*s at those positions would take them to another level.

ETA: Ashton Shumpert is a good start. Forgot all about him. Need MOAR.

I agree with that- we havent pulled the sexy WR yet except maybe Ross in this past class. But those are really hard to come by for State- always has. Our best WR's in school history have been in-state recruits. And the problem with that? Mississippi doesnt produce many elite QB's or WR's. Very few. And OM got the last one in Moncrief.

It's not easy to recruit out of state Pre-Madonna types (as most elite WR and QB prospects are) to Starkville, Ms

But we can recruit the shit out of offensive linemen and RB's. And we need to step it up in the OL department. Build your product by what is easiest to acquire.

[Coach34]

Last years end of the season collapse has a lot to do with people's opinion on Mullen.

Plain and simple we stopped playing at he same level we were on when we started 8-0. We played hard against LSU and Arky. But against Bama, A&M, OM, and Northwestern we played as if we were just going through the motions.

All of that fell on Mullen and couple that with OM getting the best recruiting class in school history and us having commits flip didn't help.

who flipped besides Koolio- that was orchestrated? The fat lineman from SP? You expect me to believe there is growing concern because we lost his fatass?

We got overmatched vs Bama and A&M...played our ass off vs LSU...OM was at home and extremely motivated, when we didnt capitalize on turnovers in the 1st half- that sealed our fate....and NW was on our QB throwing INT's...

Nobody liked how last year ended- but to let that get you down when we have a new season upon us is crazy- especially with what we have returning, and what young players got experience last year

[mic]

And we will sign a small class

And most SEC schools will sign 25-30

And most SEC schools have 15+ commits I think Kentucky has 20

so if / when we close with... Gerri Green, Jesse Jackson, Aeries Williams and Cory Thomas and a few others it will be another strong class that's building depth..

[Sandman14]

This issue here is that recruiting isn't nearly as important as people think it is as long as you sign solid players (3 star) and are good at developing them. Can you win a national title like that? No. But you can be very good, like Vag. tech has been for the last 15 years.

So, folks freaking out over recruiting: Ignorant. Folks freaking out over the way we played football against TAMU, Ole Miss, and NW: very understandable.

It's quite concerning when your team fails to give effort. This was visibly evident from our team. And notice that ******** wasn't nearly as talkative before the egg bowl this past year. It was like he knew we were gonna get smoked. And that stuff filters down to the players.

******** needs to get back to being a guy who surprises you with his offensive attack, and a guy who is very, very hungry. These two components have been waning the last half season of football we've witnessed.

[theloungeinleft]

Last years end of the season collapse has a lot to do with people's opinion on Mullen.

Plain and simple we stopped playing at he same level we were on when we started 8-0. We played hard against LSU and Arky. But against Bama, A&M, OM, and Northwestern we played as if we were just going through the motions.

All of that fell on Mullen and couple that with OM getting the best recruiting class in school history and us having commits flip didn't help.

We started 7-0.

#webelieve

[Coach34]

And we will sign a small class

And most SEC schools will sign 25-30

And most SEC schools have 15+ commits I think Kentucky has 20

only 3 schools have more commits than us right now- we're damn near done recruiting. We wont sign many because we already have that talent on campus

[mic]

who flipped besides Koolio- that was orchestrated? The fat lineman from SP? You expect me to believe there is growing concern because we lost his fatass?

We got overmatched vs Bama and A&M...played our ass off vs LSU...OM was at home and extremely motivated, when we didnt capitalize on turnovers in the 1st half- that sealed our fate....and NW was on our QB throwing INT's...

Nobody liked how last year ended- but to let that get you down when we have a new season upon us is crazy- especially with what we have returning, and what young players got experience last year

EXACTLY....EVERY school have players that flip.. Hell I think the Rebs had more than a hand full last year that flipped.. Who among us thought that we would actually keep Kailo..
Did you forget about Ross.?? I will take the Ross flip over losing Kailo and the SP baby OL any day and all day...

[HancockCountyDog]

Jesse Jackson is a must have recruit in this year's class for several reasons.

One, he is an elite playmaker at a position of need. Two, his teammate Javon Patterson is a Top 100 type OT that will probably be the best player in the state next year not named Malik Dear.

He is a must have. Ive been worried that the Bears were making up ground for him.

[fishwater99]

Last years end of the season collapse has a lot to do with people's opinion on Mullen.

Plain and simple we stopped playing at he same level we were on when we started 8-0. We played hard against LSU and Arky. But against Bama, A&M, OM, and Northwestern we played as if we were just going through the motions.

All of that fell on Mullen and couple that with OM getting the best recruiting class in school history and us having commits flip didn't help.

I wish we had started 8-0, we might have been in the BCS game. 7-0 and then Bama, A&M & LSU killed us.. What a brutal 3 game stretch..
Let's hope the team and coaches have a better attitude this fall than we saw at the end of the season.

[Coach34]

This is where we are with recruiting and talent on our team:

Chris Jones- a 5* talent...2nd best DE in the country coming out, and a top 10 in the nation recruit- wont be able to start for us in 2013 and will be fighting for reps.

Ashton Shumpert- 4* RB and LB- wont have a place to start until 2015 probably and if he is smart will redshirt

Fred Ross- 4* WR- will have a hard time getting on the field this year, even with us losing all 3 starting WR's...Tubby, Fred Brown, Holloway will all make it tough for him to get in games this year

[maroonmania]

who flipped besides Koolio- that was orchestrated? The fat lineman from SP? You expect me to believe there is growing concern because we lost his fatass?

We got overmatched vs Bama and A&M...played our ass off vs LSU...OM was at home and extremely motivated, when we didnt capitalize on turnovers in the 1st half- that sealed our fate....and NW was on our QB throwing INT's...

Nobody liked how last year ended- but to let that get you down when we have a new season upon us is crazy- especially with what we have returning, and what young players got experience last year

While last year's ending has not "gotten me down" its definitely tempered my enthusiasm and expectations for this season especially when I look at our schedule. And what bothers me was our lack of competitiveness in the last half of Mullen's FOURTH season. AL and A&M just manhandled us, LSU and OM were games we were competitive in for a half but faded quickly in the 2nd half (both were still double digit losses). And then we just played horribly sloppy and mistake filled in the NW game, a game BTW we had over a month to prepare for. I believe losing 5 of our last 6 would have been easier to brush off if we had had at least a couple of those come down to the end of the games but none of them did.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

We are Mississippi State football, which means it takes a while to stock the cupboard with a bunch of solid players - which is 3 stars and undervalued 2's. The good news is the past 4 years have not been wasted because we have done just that. I agree with others that we need to find the playmakers. Well, we may have to pull off an upset or two to prove we are worth taking a chance on for those 4-5 skill guys. Now is the time for Mullen to make a move on the field. If we can knock off a big boy this year it will go a long way towards attracting some high-end talent.

As far as what Mullen has already accomplished in recruiting, I think he has done an above average job. When you consider the kind of haul he pulled in for 2013 in the face of an ongoing NCAA investigation I give him an A+ for that.

[PMDawg]

I think our OL class currently is one of Mullen's best. 2 JUCO's and 2 solid solid 3* out of GA. Will not be as raw as Mississippi OL.

I also think last year's OL class is pretty good.
Jake Thomas, Kent Flowers, Clayborn

I agree. Unfortunately it doesn't help us much this year. Next year, we lose a lot on the line, but our skill positions and defense should be really good. If we don't develop some good depth this year, we could waste a golden opportunity for double digit wins next year. After '14, I think our OL will be in pretty good shape as long as there aren't too many busts or too much attrition or injuries.

[Coach34]

I agree. Unfortunately it doesn't help us much this year. Next year, we lose a lot on the line, but our skill positions and defense should be really good. If we don't develop some good depth this year, we could waste a golden opportunity for double digit wins next year. After '14, I think our OL will be in pretty good shape as long as there aren't too many busts or too much attrition or injuries.

we only lose 2 starters

[PMDawg]

we only lose 2 starters

You're right. I was thinking clausell was a SR. Still, who will play RT? We will only have 1 guard that has proven he can play also. This years backups need to play a good bit and show they can handle the load.

[Dawgfan77]

You're right. I was thinking clausell was a SR. Still, who will play RT? We will only have 1 guard that has proven he can play also. This years backups need to play a good bit and show they can handle the load.
One of the JC's will

[ShotgunDawg]

This issue here is that recruiting isn't nearly as important as people think it is as long as you sign solid players (3 star) and are good at developing them. Can you win a national title like that? No. But you can be very good, like Vag. tech has been for the last 15 years.

So, folks freaking out over recruiting: Ignorant. Folks freaking out over the way we played football against TAMU, Ole Miss, and NW: very understandable.

It's quite concerning when your team fails to give effort. This was visibly evident from our team. And notice that *cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough** cough* wasn't nearly as talkative before the egg bowl this past year. It was like he knew we were gonna get smoked. And that stuff filters down to the players.

*cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough** cough* needs to get back to being a guy who surprises you with his offensive attack, and a guy who is very, very hungry. These two components have been waning the last half season of football we've witnessed.


You can win a NC like this if you have an elite QB difference making mobile QB like Manziel, Newton, or Vick

[blacklistedbully]

We didn't have anywhere close to the "star power" in '98, yet made the SECCG. We came damn close in the early 80's with John Bond and company. Yes, we had what turned out to be amazing talent, but when recruited, our guys pretty much took a back seat overall to the Bama's, LSU's, UT's, UF,s UGA,s, etc.

I simply refuse to believe we have to have nearly as many star-players as the big boys to ever contend for the SECCG or more. We do have to have talent, but with good coaching, players learning to make those one or two plays a game that are often the difference between winning and losing, and a little luck, we CAN do it. We can do it with 3 stars versus 4, and occasionally against 4+. I think the talent just has to be within striking distance, not necessarily on an exact or near par.

Now we won't make it nearly as often as the stud programs unless or until we do consistently recruit just about as well, and we'd need to win a lot for a long time to do that, unless we cheat or get a lights-out recruiting staff that can also coach. But I believe Mullen & staff absolutely can get us there from time-to-time with talent not rated as highly by the so-called experts. And I do believe he will consistently get us into bowl games most years. Do that, and things will slowly, but surely get better for us, perhaps closing the talent gap bit-by-bit.

[BHildreth3]

Being a former player under Jackie Sherrill I can tell you that his tabs were loaded with talent. Mullen has finally brought and is bringing talent to consistently compete and win in the SEC. One of the worst things any coach can do is recruit players based on an star evaluation by reporters. The team loses continuity and can easily become all about me. Mullen recruits players that fit his team vision which is only going to attract a certain type of player. Fans need to realize Mullen isn't recruiting everyone that has stars behind their name for a reason. Of course he offers undeniable talented players but rarely is he persistent when he doesn't fit the MSU family. Mullen has the stalls full of thoroughbreds in Starkville. He's the closest thing to the winning Jackie Wayne we have ever seen. If he stays at MSU he'll easily shatter the records.

This is a great post. Fans, seriously - forget about winning the recruiting war. ESPN has blown up recruiting, etc. WE WILL NEVER FINISH IN THE TOP 5 IN RECRUITING, esp under Mullen. For those who keep refreshing twitter and the boards hoping and praying that 4 or 5 "5 Star" players are going to sign with us, forget about it. Mullen has a plan for winning at Miss. State. We've added depth, we're adding on the OL. He has a great eye for identifying talent AND KNOWING that he can develop them with Balis and the rest of his coaches. As someone said recently, he's also realized (after not totally listening to JWS) that he's got to recruit the JUCOs more and more.

We know what our IDENTITY is, we know what we need to do, the problem is some fans don't like that approach. They get pissed off that Ole Miss and Freeze finish in the top 5 and we aren't. Get used to it. It's complicated on why they finish high in recruiting. As long as Mullen continues to tweak his offense around duel-threat mobile QBs - who allow us to have an extra RB in the backfield, we will be fine. We need to have more lead-blocking with RBs and TEs and quit trying to run the football with LaDarius as a one-back offense - It just doesn't work for us - We don't have an Alabama offensive line. Go under center, block more with pulling TEs/Gs, throw screens, passes in the flat and that will open up more of our offense.

[blacklistedbully]

Being a former player under Jackie Sherrill I can tell you that his tabs were loaded with talent. Mullen has finally brought and is bringing talent to consistently compete and win in the SEC. One of the worst things any coach can do is recruit players based on an star evaluation by reporters. The team loses continuity and can easily become all about me. Mullen recruits players that fit his team vision which is only going to attract a certain type of player. Fans need to realize Mullen isn't recruiting everyone that has stars behind their name for a reason. Of course he offers undeniable talented players but rarely is he persistent when he doesn't fit the MSU family. Mullen has the stalls full of thoroughbreds in Starkville. He's the closest thing to the winning Jackie Wayne we have ever seen. If he stays at MSU he'll easily shatter the records.

KJ or JB?

[fishwater99]

This is a great post. Fans, seriously - forget about winning the recruiting war. ESPN has blown up recruiting, etc. WE WILL NEVER FINISH IN THE TOP 5 IN RECRUITING, esp under Mullen. For those who keep refreshing twitter and the boards hoping and praying that 4 or 5 "5 Star" players are going to sign with us, forget about it. Mullen has a plan for winning at Miss. State. We've added depth, we're adding on the OL. He has a great eye for identifying talent AND KNOWING that he can develop them with Balis and the rest of his coaches. As someone said recently, he's also realized (after not totally listening to JWS) that he's got to recruit the JUCOs more and more.

We know what our IDENTITY is, we know what we need to do, the problem is some fans don't like that approach. They get pissed off that Ole Miss and Freeze finish in the top 5 and we aren't. Get used to it. It's complicated on why they finish high in recruiting. As long as Mullen continues to tweak his offense around duel-threat mobile QBs - who allow us to have an extra RB in the backfield, we will be fine. We need to have more lead-blocking with RBs and TEs and quit trying to run the football with LaDarius as a one-back offense - It just doesn't work for us - We don't have an Alabama offensive line. Go under center, block more with pulling TEs/Gs, throw screens, passes in the flat and that will open up more of our offense.

Good Post..
I also think if we would have won the Egg Bowl and beaten Northwestern, then people would be pretty damn happy right now...

[Todd4State]

This is a great post. Fans, seriously - forget about winning the recruiting war. ESPN has blown up recruiting, etc. WE WILL NEVER FINISH IN THE TOP 5 IN RECRUITING, esp under Mullen. For those who keep refreshing twitter and the boards hoping and praying that 4 or 5 "5 Star" players are going to sign with us, forget about it. Mullen has a plan for winning at Miss. State. We've added depth, we're adding on the OL. He has a great eye for identifying talent AND KNOWING that he can develop them with Balis and the rest of his coaches. As someone said recently, he's also realized (after not totally listening to JWS) that he's got to recruit the JUCOs more and more.

We know what our IDENTITY is, we know what we need to do, the problem is some fans don't like that approach. They get pissed off that Ole Miss and Freeze finish in the top 5 and we aren't. Get used to it. It's complicated on why they finish high in recruiting. As long as Mullen continues to tweak his offense around duel-threat mobile QBs - who allow us to have an extra RB in the backfield, we will be fine. We need to have more lead-blocking with RBs and TEs and quit trying to run the football with LaDarius as a one-back offense - It just doesn't work for us - We don't have an Alabama offensive line. Go under center, block more with pulling TEs/Gs, throw screens, passes in the flat and that will open up more of our offense.



That pretty much sums it up. Our fans say that they don't want smoke blown up their ass, but at the same time they get upset because Ole Miss is getting four stars like Ryan Buchanan which jack up their recruiting ranking. Also, I've seen some of our fans get pissed when we lose a three star guy to Ole Miss, but then get pissed when Dan reels in a three star guy because his ranking isn't high enough.

If I was Gene or whoever, I would just put a bunch of stars by our recruits names. He did it with Tyson Lee. What the hell difference does it really make? The stars are really for the fans any way, and I guess the kid to a large degree.

We have way too many fans that don't understand that it is a bullshit system. And if anyone says "well, look at the NFL draft and stars matter"- you're using skewed data to justify skewed data.

These web site owners- what I think the really need to do is say- "hey, look these are the guys that are committed to MSU. Go out and pay 5 bucks and go watch them play high school football on Friday night and watch their video and make an informed opinion on your own as to whether a guy is a good player or not." Why are our fans relying on a guy that used to sell furniture for a living to evaluate our football recruits? Why don't they have some ex-college football coaches or ex-NFL scouts evaluate these players? You think Tommy West, Jackie, and Angelo Mirando wouldn't jump at that opportunity right now?

[engie]

Here are the guys we've taken during the summer months under Mullen -- keeping in mind that these are final ratings and not necessarily ratings at the time of their commitment(per scout -- since they keep commitment dates on the main list):

Jameon Lewis(2* only BCS offer)
Curtis Virges(3* only BCS offer)
Malcolm Johnson(2* only BCS offer)
Blaine Clausell(2* only BCS offer)
Kaleb Eulls(4* many offers)

Darius Slay(3* only offer)
Dee Arrington(4* many offers)
Justin Cox(3* only offer)
Dak Prescott(3* only BCS offer prior to a late offer from LSU)
Josh Robinson(3* with BCS offers from MSU and OM only)
Joe Morrow(4* many offers)
Daniel Knox(3* only BCS offer)
James Maiden(3* several BCS offers)
Devin Fosselman(3* only BCS offer)

Nick James(4* many offers)
Will Redmond(4* many offers)
Fred Brown(3* with BCS offers from MSU and OM only)
Brandon Holloway(3* with 4 BCS offers)
Gus Walley(2* only BCS offer)
Xavier Grindle(3* many offers)
Ryan Brown(3* with BCS offers from MSU and Colorado)
Cole Carter(3* only offer)
Torrey Dale(3* only BCS ofer)
Nelson Adams(3* only offer)
Quadry Antoine(3* with 4 BCS offers)
Cedric Jiles(3* only BCS offer)


So, we've taken 6 blue chips in 3 years. Some have been solid, but none have been stars yet. Still too early to tell on a few. This is one of the most disappointing subsets of our team that I can imagine at this point(Eulls, Arrington, Morrow, James, Redmond, Grindle). One is completely gone.

We've taken 3 guys with mediocre offers(Antoine, Holloway, Maiden) -- and it's too early to see on the first 2, while Maiden is gone.

We've taken 19 with little/no interest or offers. We've hit on AT LEAST 9 of them(Jameon, Virges, Malcolm, Clausell, Slay, Justin Cox, Prescott, Robinson, Ryan Brown), have 3 more that are on the depth chart as rsFR and look promising(Fred Brown, Holloway, Jiles), and 5 more that are too soon to tell(Carter, Walley, Dale, Adams, Antoine). We've only positively whiffed on TWO summer "diamonds" in these 3 classes(Knox and Fosselman).

If any of you can actually look at these lists and not trust Mullen's player evaluations, especially on diamonds in the summer, I really don't know what to tell you..

[Raytoraid83]

Could Rod Taylor be that big name ol or does ole miss already have a deal in place for him if he choses not to go to bama? And how do we stand with the Mississippi juco o-lineman cant think of his name right now?

[HancockCountyDog]

Could Rod Taylor be that big name ol or does ole miss already have a deal in place for him if he choses not to go to bama? And how do we stand with the Mississippi juco o-lineman cant think of his name right now?

I would love that to happen, but it looks like even the Bama folks have him going to Ole Piss. Just pisses me off.

[Coach34]

Taylor is a Bama-OM battle....but we are in it for the juco

[Coach34]

I would love that to happen, but it looks like even the Bama folks have him going to Ole Piss. Just pisses me off.

OM getting him along with Tunsil concerns me more than anything about their recruiting

[Raytoraid83]

OM getting him along with Tunsil concerns me more than anything about their recruiting

definitely. They can have all the treadwells and primadonna playmakers they want. Look at how snoop "da champ" brassell turned out, he's doing more to hurt their program now than he is helping it. But if you consistently get 4/5* o lineman the rest of the team seems to just falls in place.

[I seen it dawg]

This is a great post. Fans, seriously - forget about winning the recruiting war. ESPN has blown up recruiting, etc. WE WILL NEVER FINISH IN THE TOP 5 IN RECRUITING, esp under Mullen. For those who keep refreshing twitter and the boards hoping and praying that 4 or 5 "5 Star" players are going to sign with us, forget about it. Mullen has a plan for winning at Miss. State. We've added depth, we're adding on the OL. He has a great eye for identifying talent AND KNOWING that he can develop them with Balis and the rest of his coaches. As someone said recently, he's also realized (after not totally listening to JWS) that he's got to recruit the JUCOs more and more.

We know what our IDENTITY is, we know what we need to do, the problem is some fans don't like that approach. They get pissed off that Ole Miss and Freeze finish in the top 5 and we aren't. Get used to it. It's complicated on why they finish high in recruiting. As long as Mullen continues to tweak his offense around duel-threat mobile QBs - who allow us to have an extra RB in the backfield, we will be fine. We need to have more lead-blocking with RBs and TEs and quit trying to run the football with LaDarius as a one-back offense - It just doesn't work for us - We don't have an Alabama offensive line. Go under center, block more with pulling TEs/Gs, throw screens, passes in the flat and that will open up more of our offense.

Great ****ing first post. +52,000,000

[HancockCountyDog]

OM getting him along with Tunsil concerns me more than anything about their recruiting

I just don't get it either, they got a commit from another 4-5 star OL from Mizzou that they beat Bama for, or should I say outbid.

[Coach34]

I just don't get it either, they got a commit from another 4-5 star OL from Mizzou that they beat Bama for, or should I say outbid.

Bama has more money than them...Reverend Freezus is winning by Pimpin as much as anything....OM has a great plan and is working it like no other...the parties and ***** are primo these days- Jones was driving 2 hours late at night to go get some- that's how good it is

[Todd4State]

definitely. They can have all the treadwells and primadonna playmakers they want. Look at how snoop "da champ" brassell turned out, he's doing more to hurt their program now than he is helping it. But if you consistently get 4/5* o lineman the rest of the team seems to just falls in place.

I still say he ends up at Jackson State. If CJ Johnson is hurt bad enough, JSU might end up with the Mississippi grand slam. All we need is Gus Mahlzahn to get pissed off at Jermaine Whitehead. I hope it happens for two reasons:

1. I think they are decent kids that got REALLY bad advice.

2. It would be hilarious.

[Todd4State]

Bama has more money than them...Reverend Freezus is winning by Pimpin as much as anything....OM has a great plan and is working it like no other...the parties and ***** are primo these days- Jones was driving 2 hours late at night to go get some- that's how good it is

Honestly, if a player chooses that over Alabama to play for a 6-6 team, they're probably going to die of herpes anyway.

[War Machine Dawg]

And that is a concern of mine as well. We should be able to begin attracting more top line skill players along with better OL/DL prospects (and I mean consistently not just in one recruiting class where we got Evans and James). While recruiting has improved under Mullen, I will admit that when you factor in umpteen sold out home games, 3 straight bowl years and major facility upgrades both with the football complex and the stadium work going on our recruiting has not improved as much as I orginally thought it would. As mentioned, we are getting solid players but not very many elite players at any position. And I'll add that I do believe our low key recruiting approach and our compliance techniques do hurt us a lot with getting the elite type players.

THIS is the real "problem" with Mullen's so-called inability to recruit. He's recruiting handicapped compared to the other 13 SEC schools. Until we get rid of Bracky, don't look for our recruiting to significantly improve.

[fishwater99]

How do we get rid of Bracky? He is a thorn in our side...

[sorantable]

How do we get rid of Bracky? He is a thorn in our side...
It seems like you would have to have a DAMN GOOD reason to fire your compliance director. The reasons I'm seeing on blogs / this site would probably not fly in the public's eyes.

[maroonmania]

How do we get rid of Bracky? He is a thorn in our side...

No doubt our attitude across the board on compliance is a major stumbling block to our recruiting. Even with the "Library" type parties that OM has for recruiting, if we ever tried to get a recruiting centrally planned party event like that going it would immediately be chopped off at the knees by our compliance department and our administration that apparently believe in every word that flows out of Bracky's mouth. We seem to be wrapped around the axle with everything we believe we can't do while every other school in the SEC looks for everything they can do even when its pushing the limits of what the NCAA allows. But if recruits think they can get some things and get to enjoy some experiences at other universities that will not be allowed at MSU that is a definite disadvantage. And I just can't relate to anyone who thinks that institutionally our compliance office is looking out for us. Seriously, if you look around at the other NCAA situations and what those schools actually got for what they did and then look at our recent situation, you will see that we got about the maximum the NCAA could give to us for what was a minimal infraction. And we imposed it on OURSELVES. I know we joke about how OM compliance is handling these emails and trying to keep things covered up, well good for them, that's the way we should be playing the game too. All we sit around doing is incriminating ourselves over ticky tack crap.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'd fire him for the multiple instances of probation under his watch, and specifically cite the allowance of the NCAA to essentially open a ****ing branch office in Starkville from '01-'04. It shouldn't be that hard to find a reason to fire him. Until we do, you can't honestly expect our recruiting to substantially improve. Everyone else in the SEC has the Bill Clinton approach to compliance, while we have the tattle approach to compliance.

[Todd4State]

It seems like you would have to have a DAMN GOOD reason to fire your compliance director. The reasons I'm seeing on blogs / this site would probably not fly in the public's eyes.

Is not doing your job not a damn good reason to be fired? I know we're in Mississippi, home of the good ol' boy system, but that doesn't mean it always holds true.

I don't think anybody would care if Bracky got fired. Now, the Ole Miss fans (you did say public) might have a problem with it.

But I doubt you'll see some woman wearing a "Bracky for compliance head man" t-shirt on during a football game. It's going to be another personnel move just like Joe Dier retiring. If we do fire him, it's not going to be publicly released as "We fired this guy because he sucks"- we don't even do that where I work. They just spin it as "Bracky has decided to pursue other interests after years of being lauded by the NCAA for his cooperation."

[sorantable]

But I doubt you'll see some woman wearing a "Bracky for compliance head man" t-shirt on during a football game.
That would be hilarious. Don't let the wrong Bear hear this idea or you might just see some shirts floating around. :p

[Coach34]

Dont fire him- reassign him. Make him director of women's compliance

[engie]

It seems like you would have to have a DAMN GOOD reason to fire your compliance director. The reasons I'm seeing on blogs / this site would probably not fly in the public's eyes.

You don't fire him -- you reassign him -- and bring in a compliance director with a law and/or NCAA infractions background to run it for you...

[Todd4State]

That would be hilarious. Don't let the wrong Bear hear this idea or you might just see some shirts floating around. :p

Just know that if XenaReb attacks me with a cowbell, I'm still going to be pro-cowbell.

[bulldawg28]

This is where we are with recruiting and talent on our team:

Chris Jones- a 5* talent...2nd best DE in the country coming out, and a top 10 in the nation recruit- wont be able to start for us in 2013 and will be fighting for reps.

Ashton Shumpert- 4* RB and LB- wont have a place to start until 2015 probably and if he is smart will redshirt

Fred Ross- 4* WR- will have a hard time getting on the field this year, even with us losing all 3 starting WR's...Tubby, Fred Brown, Holloway will all make it tough for him to get in games this year

This.
These guys can play and start anywhere in the country within 2 years and will find themselves battling for playing time at State. Dan is building something special that is going to start paying off soon.

[LiterallyPolice]

For me, *cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough* recruiting is a catch-22... I want him to do better at recruiting, and sometimes I think he and his staff could do better...

But it's BECAUSE of Mullen's success that I have higher expectations. So in the end, I guess you could say one of *cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough**cough* greatest accomplishments is raising the expectations that we as fans have of our football program.