New Hire by JoMo

[the_real_MSU_is_us]

We just hired PSU recruiting coordinator Michael Villagrana to the same position. I know nothing of him other than PSU has a top 5 class, and PSU guys on Reddit say they don't dip into the south much at all. Thoughts?

[RocketDawg]

To me, I think it means our recruiting radius will increase dramatically, and that is a good thing. It probably won't be nationwide like Bama, but it'll be considerably larger.

There's no reason he can't relate to the southern players either ... we all speak (some variants, in some cases :)) English.

I think we'd be ahead of the game if we concentrate more on players who are good academically than those who barely get by, or in some cases don't even qualify.

[MaroonFlounder]

The goals for recruiting, going forward, should be:

1). Keep this loaded 2019 class from getting poached by Bama, Aub, LSU, and that unmentioned guy in Gainesville, FL.
2). Continue to get great prospects in Louisiana to Starkvegas.
3). Get into Meridian and Clinton H.S. Both have head coaches that are $omehow getting kids to not even consider MSU

[mparkerfd20]

I think we are going to see changes that go against the whole we are po' ol' missittipi state and we are about to branch out nationally... And why shouldn't we? Of course our bread and butter will still be MS and neighboring states, but Coach Mo has assembled a staff that appears to be built for the National respect and profile that a good majority of us have longed for... I'm going to sit back and give it a chance before worrying about if we have enough "Southern" recruiters on staff or not.

[BuckyIsAB****]

The goals for recruiting, going forward, should be:

1). Keep this loaded 2019 class from getting poached by Bama, Aub, LSU, and that unmentioned guy in Gainesville, FL.
2). Continue to get great prospects in Louisiana to Starkvegas.
3). Get into Meridian and Clinton H.S. Both have head coaches that are $omehow getting kids to not even consider MSU

We aint getting into Clinton as long as Judd is there or Peterson is here

[DogsofAnarchy]

The goals for recruiting, going forward, should be:

1). Keep this loaded 2019 class from getting poached by Bama, Aub, LSU, and that unmentioned guy in Gainesville, FL.
2). Continue to get great prospects in Louisiana to Starkvegas.
3). Get into Meridian and Clinton H.S. Both have head coaches that are $omehow getting kids to not even consider MSU

1. So go poach another state but dont let them poach us. Gotcha
2. Get into a schools that have head coaches that are anti MSU. Gotcha

Damn.....

[RocketDawg]

I think we are going to see changes that go against the whole we are po' ol' missittipi state and we are about to branch out nationally... And why shouldn't we? Of course our bread and butter will still be MS and neighboring states, but Coach Mo has assembled a staff that appears to be built for the National respect and profile that a good majority of us have longed for... I'm going to sit back and give it a chance before worrying about if we have enough "Southern" recruiters on staff or not.

And that will be a fantastic thing. We need to expand our horizons in that regard and in many other things too.

[RocketDawg]

1. So go poach another state but dont let them poach us. Gotcha
2. Get into a schools that have head coaches that are anti MSU. Gotcha

Damn.....


Recruiting players from other states is not "poaching". Now if they're already committed or signed with another school (like Dan supposedly was trying to do), that's another matter. But, supposedly all's fair in love, war, ... and football recruiting.

[Dawg61]

To me, I think it means our recruiting radius will increase dramatically

Good we have the 3rd smallest recruiting radius of all D1 schools for football (average distance a signee is from MSU) it's only like 177 miles or something. I remember someone posting that graph and it was shocking to see us top 3. Don Muffin was a lazy recruiter.

[RougeDawg]

One question. Are we now bumping assistants pay? Seems to me that Penn State is no slouch with regards to bank account. Just trying to figure out a guy jumping to us from a program on the rise in Big 10.

I like the hire, just trying to figure out the hows and whys.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

One question. Are we now bumping assistants pay? Seems to me that Penn State is no slouch with regards to bank account. Just trying to figure out a guy jumping to us from a program on the rise in Big 10.

I like the hire, just trying to figure out the hows and whys.

He was just a recruiting coordinator at Penn St he's the Director of Recruiting at MSU. I'm sure that's a nice pay raise.

[RocketDawg]

Good we have the 3rd smallest recruiting radius of all D1 schools for football (average distance a signee is from MSU) it's only like 177 miles or something. I remember someone posting that graph and it was shocking to see us top 3. Don Muffin was a lazy recruiter.

And we're a major school with a major football (and other) program, and need to strive to be elite. There's no reason we can't recruit all over the country. Lord knows we spend enough money on sports ....

[RougeDawg]

He was just a recruiting coordinator at Penn St he's the Director of Recruiting at MSU. I'm sure that's a nice pay raise.

Ah. Missed that part speed reading. Thanks. Still nice to expand footprint.

[yjnkdawg]

We just hired PSU recruiting coordinator Michael Villagrana to the same position. I know nothing of him other than PSU has a top 5 class, and PSU guys on Reddit say they don't dip into the south much at all. Thoughts?



I don't see any relevance or red flag concerning "they don't dip into the south much at all". If a staff member loves recruiting, is knowledgeable in recruiting and has recruiting skills, then I don't see an issue.

[HoopsDawg]

And we're a major school with a major football (and other) program, and need to strive to be elite. There's no reason we can't recruit all over the country. Lord knows we spend enough money on sports ....

We aren't going to recruit all over the country. It would be dumb to do so. We hired a guy who is hopefully good at his job. And I love that we are adding specialists to our recruiting staff.

[preachermatt83]

We aint getting into Clinton as long as Judd is there or Peterson is here

This^^

[Big4Dawg]

From CFB on Reddit:
I worked with Villagrana a lot this past season and he always made his presence felt. Every single recruit and parent would end up smiling when they talked with him and knew how to get the Penn State message across to every person that walked in our doors. I'm going to miss that man but Mississippi State, appreciate him while you have him.

[Todd4State]

We aint getting into Clinton as long as Judd is there or Peterson is here

There are ways around that.

[BuckyIsAB****]

There are ways around that.

You are the only one who knows them

[Todd4State]

You are the only one who knows them

It's not that hard in this day and age of technology and 7 on 7. If Boswell hates us so much that he controls every single aspect of his players life- then shame on him. A lot of work to do that on his part.

It takes effort and creativity- but it can be done. Within NCAA rules.

[BuckyIsAB****]

It's not that hard in this day and age of technology and 7 on 7. If Boswell hates us so much that he controls every single aspect of his players life- then shame on him. A lot of work to do that on his part.

It takes effort and creativity- but it can be done. Within NCAA rules.

Good luck. You obviously dont know 7 on 7 if you think teams go to tournaments without the head coach going

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

We just hired PSU recruiting coordinator Michael Villagrana to the same position. I know nothing of him other than PSU has a top 5 class, and PSU guys on Reddit say they don't dip into the south much at all. Thoughts?

That is real close to Viagra

[MaroonFlounder]

1. So go poach another state but dont let them poach us. Gotcha
2. Get into a schools that have head coaches that are anti MSU. Gotcha

Damn.....

Yeah, ?poach? wasn?t the correct term, even though that is what Merlins was trying to do.

And when I talk about out of state programs getting MS talent, we are talking 4 and 5 star guys they are getting. What 4 or 5-star players has Msu gotten from the state of Louisiana besides Keytaon?

[5049]

And we're a major school with a major football (and other) program, and need to strive to be elite. There's no reason we can't recruit all over the country. Lord knows we spend enough money on sports ....

This would be a total waste of time.

We need to stick to our strengths. You said something about academics earlier, are you saying we should not recruit JUCOs and similar? You sound very clueless about who and what MSU is

Mullen’s strategy was the right one. He simply did not land the players

[RocketDawg]

This would be a total waste of time.

We need to stick to our strengths. You said something about academics earlier, are you saying we should not recruit JUCOs and similar? You sound very clueless about who and what MSU is

Mullen’s strategy was the right one. He simply did not land the players

No, of course I didn't mean we should focus on the entire country at the expense of the locals and regionals. Nobody does that, even the private schools. But we shouldn't shy away from a guy just because he's from the west coast or the midwest. If a JUCO is up to the rigors of a university education along with playing a sport, go for him. There are reasons other than not being smart that a person goes to a community college.

Why don't you tell me "who and what MSU is" since I don't know. If I hear "people's university" one more time I think I'll puke.

[5049]

Why don't you tell me "who and what MSU is" since I don't know.
Sure.

We are the state university of Mississippi. We pride ourselves on that blue collar attitude, where anyone can come and get their education if they work hard. Being that we are tied closely to the state of Mississippi, it means we are tied closely to the JUCO system. We all know the school is good, but unfortunately we have that ruling that made the admissions standards lower. It is what it is. In this vein, pretending to be some high level academic institution would be idiotic.

Playing on the blue collar part, we can and should be a solid choice for students/athletes in surrounding states who may want to get out of their home state, but still want to be/feel close to home.

That is our brand right now. We are the people's university. If you don't like it, first go puke, then you best make peace with it.

That is the best fit strategy for now. Maybe one day we can take that next step. I read where Clemson heavily invested their recruiting efforts into the NJ/NY area, and it worked for them (I have no idea why, I guess it is linked to their economy). If we are picking a far away land to invest efforts, that should be TX, since we have similar economic interests. Other than that, it's futile. Now, I'm talking big area here......we do a great job in Memphis, Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville as it is.

I know we are talking football recruiting here, but I honestly believe that both efforts are interlinked.

And no, we should never shy away from any individual interested in our school, but when making strategic plans, you have to look big picture, not at individuals.

[Todd4State]

Good luck. You obviously dont know 7 on 7 if you think teams go to tournaments without the head coach going

Point is if Ole Miss can get in at Starkville HS we can get in at Clinton and Meridian. Is it more difficult? Yes. But it's also doable. Especially with a staff that places more emphasis on recruiting. MSU has gotten Bobby Hall coached players before. Local pressure from MSU fans can help too- see Starkville HS as well.

If it gets out that Boswell is doing everything he can to keep his players away from MSU I would imagine that there are some school board members in Clinton that wouldn't be happy about that.

[Todd4State]

Sure.

We are the state university of Mississippi. We pride ourselves on that blue collar attitude, where anyone can come and get their education if they work hard. Being that we are tied closely to the state of Mississippi, it means we are tied closely to the JUCO system. We all know the school is good, but unfortunately we have that ruling that made the admissions standards lower. It is what it is. In this vein, pretending to be some high level academic institution would be idiotic.

Playing on the blue collar part, we can and should be a solid choice for students/athletes in surrounding states who may want to get out of their home state, but still want to be/feel close to home.

That is our brand right now. We are the people's university. If you don't like it, first go puke, then you best make peace with it.

That is the best fit strategy for now. Maybe one day we can take that next step. I read where Clemson heavily invested their recruiting efforts into the NJ/NY area, and it worked for them (I have no idea why, I guess it is linked to their economy). If we are picking a far away land to invest efforts, that should be TX, since we have similar economic interests. Other than that, it's futile. Now, I'm talking big area here......we do a great job in Memphis, Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville as it is.

I know we are talking football recruiting here, but I honestly believe that both efforts are interlinked.

And no, we should never shy away from any individual interested in our school, but when making strategic plans, you have to look big picture, not at individuals.

I agree. Mississippi should always be our first priority. I think that philosophy is what has helped push our program past Ole Miss.

Clemson probably recruits New York because it is a huge population center. Which means a lot of players/talent. I would imagine that while it's far going from South Carolina to New York is driveable in a day too.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Point is if Ole Miss can get in at Starkville HS we can get in at Clinton and Meridian. Is it more difficult? Yes. But it's also doable. Especially with a staff that places more emphasis on recruiting. MSU has gotten Bobby Hall coached players before. Local pressure from MSU fans can help too- see Starkville HS as well.

If it gets out that Boswell is doing everything he can to keep his players away from MSU I would imagine that there are some school board members in Clinton that wouldn't be happy about that.

I dont think any OM and Starkville coaches hate each other either

[Todd4State]

I dont think any OM and Starkville coaches hate each other either

And that's fine. And really the way it should be. It's not right that MSU seems to be completely shut out of certain schools in the state- even if it's just a few- and meanwhile I can't think of any off the top of my head of any in state school where Ole Miss is completely shut out. I'm pretty sure Coach34 has coached some players that have ended up at Ole Miss even- and yet Judd Boswell has complete carte blance over his players careers? I'm not buying that.

The point is if Ole Miss wants to get to a player they find a way to do it- even if it's Starkville or West Point HS. Whether they get that player or not is besides the point- they did get AJ Brown and got a verbal from Willie Gay before he flipped to us. MSU on the other hand- "Well, we have no chance the coach hates MSU and is a big Ole Miss fan or has an issue with someone on our staff. Instead of finding a way to recruit Cam Akers let's make up some bullshit about Kylin Hill and Cam not getting along and that MSU is only going to take one RB. Our fans will buy it." I blame Dan more for that than anyone to be honest with you- it's more about putting forth the effort to find a way in than anything. We whiffed on two of the best recruits this state has produced the past five years including one in our backyard simply because Dan had his head up his ass and was too lazy to try to change things to get the recruit. And yes- it probably wouldn't have worked but every once in awhile we might get a Derek Pegues.

I'm tired of MSU just throwing their hands up in the air and not even trying because a situation may not be favorable at a school in Mississippi. No one else in the SEC does that. And I do think Moorhead will change that for us. Even if that results in us getting 1/10 players from a school that is not friendly to MSU.

[Cooterpoot]

This would be a total waste of time.

We need to stick to our strengths. You said something about academics earlier, are you saying we should not recruit JUCOs and similar? You sound very clueless about who and what MSU is

Mullen’s strategy was the right one. He simply did not land the players

No it wasn’t. Hell, Mullen barely recruited FL and TX. It’s was MS and whatever fell in his lap.

[maroonmania]

And that's fine. And really the way it should be. It's not right that MSU seems to be completely shut out of certain schools in the state- even if it's just a few- and meanwhile I can't think of any off the top of my head of any in state school where Ole Miss is completely shut out. I'm pretty sure Coach34 has coached some players that have ended up at Ole Miss even- and yet Judd Boswell has complete carte blance over his players careers? I'm not buying that.

The point is if Ole Miss wants to get to a player they find a way to do it- even if it's Starkville or West Point HS. Whether they get that player or not is besides the point- they did get AJ Brown and got a verbal from Willie Gay before he flipped to us. MSU on the other hand- "Well, we have no chance the coach hates MSU and is a big Ole Miss fan or has an issue with someone on our staff. Instead of finding a way to recruit Cam Akers let's make up some bullshit about Kylin Hill and Cam not getting along and that MSU is only going to take one RB. Our fans will buy it." I blame Dan more for that than anyone to be honest with you- it's more about putting forth the effort to find a way in than anything. We whiffed on two of the best recruits this state has produced the past five years including one in our backyard simply because Dan had his head up his ass and was too lazy to try to change things to get the recruit. And yes- it probably wouldn't have worked but every once in awhile we might get a Derek Pegues.

I'm tired of MSU just throwing their hands up in the air and not even trying because a situation may not be favorable at a school in Mississippi. No one else in the SEC does that. And I do think Moorhead will change that for us. Even if that results in us getting 1/10 players from a school that is not friendly to MSU.

Given the way the OM network operates I would think it would be difficult for any coach to shut them out. Seems they work their way in to a player through an influential family member rather than a coach for the most part. If there is a prospect or a prospect's family who is looking for something significantly more than a scholarship offer, I doubt they would let any coach stand in the way of them listening to OM. I just say this to point out that I'm not sure its really an apples to apples comparison between MSU and OM when it comes to a coach trying to shut somebody off recruiting at a school.

[Todd4State]

Given the way the OM network operates I would think it would be difficult for any coach to shut them out. Seems they work their way in to a player through an influential family member rather than a coach for the most part. If there is a prospect or a prospect's family who is looking for something significantly more than a scholarship offer, I doubt they would let any coach stand in the way of them listening to OM. I just say this to point out that I'm not sure its really an apples to apples comparison between MSU and OM when it comes to a coach trying to shut somebody off recruiting at a school.

Are Alabama or Auburn shut out at any high school in Alabama? It's only a handful of schools in Mississippi that are the issue. Regardless of the Network I'm still sure we can get in with a little bit of work if we want to. If the Network was as powerful as they would like to be they would shut us off from the state entirely. But that's not the case. It's more about the head coaches at those handful of high schools not being friendly towards us and MSU throwing their hands up in the air and saying aw shucks I liked the guy from D'Lo high better anyway.

[louisvilledawg]

We aint getting into Clinton as long as Judd is there or Peterson is here

Why? Does Judd hate MSU? I know his brother went to state

[BB30]

Are Alabama or Auburn shut out at any high school in Alabama? It's only a handful of schools in Mississippi that are the issue. Regardless of the Network I'm still sure we can get in with a little bit of work if we want to. If the Network was as powerful as they would like to be they would shut us off from the state entirely. But that's not the case. It's more about the head coaches at those handful of high schools not being friendly towards us and MSU throwing their hands up in the air and saying aw shucks I liked the guy from D'Lo high better anyway.

The fact that a high school football coach feels the need to let a personal issue with someone keep a major sec program from recruiting his kids in the same state is appalling and IMO should be grounds to be fired over. I don't care if he is Bear Bryant Jr that just isn't something you do. It hurts the kids more than anything. Also are there not some wealthy very plugged in State alums tied into Clinton? Why not just make his job a lot harder than it should be. I am sure there are ways to do that without violating anything regarding the NCAA. Whats he going to do when there is a marginal player that has a upside but needs to be developed and the only potential SEC offer he could get would be State?

His sole job is to win high school games and allow his kids to be recruited with no bias on his part.

[thf24]

1. So go poach another state but dont let them poach us. Gotcha

By that logic we shouldn't try to score points because we're trying not to let the other team score points. Nice...

[TALL DAWG]

The fact that a high school football coach feels the need to let a personal issue with someone keep a major sec program from recruiting his kids in the same state is appalling and IMO should be grounds to be fired over. I don't care if he is Bear Bryant Jr that just isn't something you do. It hurts the kids more than anything. Also are there not some wealthy very plugged in State alums tied into Clinton? Why not just make his job a lot harder than it should be. I am sure there are ways to do that without violating anything regarding the NCAA. Whats he going to do when there is a marginal player that has a upside but needs to be developed and the only potential SEC offer he could get would be State?

His sole job is to win high school games and allow his kids to be recruited with no bias on his part.

BB30 is dropping the hammer on the nail head here!! If ANY HS coach is somehow caught steering players they should be fired on the spot and have ALL their retirement funds forfeited. This will never come to pass but would put an end to this practice.

[5049]

No it wasn?t. Hell, Mullen barely recruited FL and TX. It?s was MS and whatever fell in his lap.
Yes, it was. It's not debatable. Mullen's success was built on MS/AL/LA, with a few others sprinkled in from wherever we could get them. Geography matters on a large scale, but not a small one.

It is not a smart strategy to go compete against half of the United States in Florida, especially when there is not a big contingent of MSU alumni there.

Again, I can give a little bit on Texas, specifically the Houston area. I would not bother with DFW Metroplex. A lot of MSU people in Houston around and back through Louisiana, in the oil industry. I also think it would be worth it to try and get flights from GTR to Houston.

[5049]

The fact that a high school football coach feels the need to let a personal issue with someone keep a major sec program from recruiting his kids in the same state is appalling and IMO should be grounds to be fired over. I don't care if he is Bear Bryant Jr that just isn't something you do. It hurts the kids more than anything. Also are there not some wealthy very plugged in State alums tied into Clinton? Why not just make his job a lot harder than it should be. I am sure there are ways to do that without violating anything regarding the NCAA. Whats he going to do when there is a marginal player that has a upside but needs to be developed and the only potential SEC offer he could get would be State?

His sole job is to win high school games and allow his kids to be recruited with no bias on his part.
Funny to me is that most of the hate is directed at MSU, towards Ole Miss biased coaches. Not the other way around. They are shameless in their hate, with seemingly no consequences.

But in the end, it is the money that wins the player, not the coach. The coach just cooperates and is friendly with the network, and allows them and the player to be connected.

[louisvilledawg]

Why? Does Judd hate MSU? I know his brother went to state

It's all coming back to me now. Some hometown tension.

[PlattsburgDawg]

It's all coming back to me now. Some hometown tension.

It is all about a female.

[maroonmania]

Are Alabama or Auburn shut out at any high school in Alabama? It's only a handful of schools in Mississippi that are the issue. Regardless of the Network I'm still sure we can get in with a little bit of work if we want to. If the Network was as powerful as they would like to be they would shut us off from the state entirely. But that's not the case. It's more about the head coaches at those handful of high schools not being friendly towards us and MSU throwing their hands up in the air and saying aw shucks I liked the guy from D'Lo high better anyway.

Putting it plainly I'm just saying if you are blatantly willing to break recruiting rules, as OM has no issue with, then it opens up a lot more options on how you get in on a prospect. I doubt boosters with inducements are worried too much about going around a HS coach that is not friendly when its needed. You don't have that option when you are limited to your actual football coaches doing the recruiting. That is my only point.