Inside recruiting in Mississippi

[Leeshouldveflanked]

The number 10 rated recruit in Mississippi would barely break the Top 40 in Georgia or Top 60 in Texas. Plus Mississippi kids are way behind in coaching and academics, so even if they have the physical tools, it?s going to take them longer to get them ready.

[WhiskeyPirate]

Leach built great relationships with HS coaches throughout Texas, and I would argue had more influence on Texas Hs football than any other coach. I say that because when he was at Tech, the air raid and air raid clinics spread throughout the state. You still see Leach going to Texas for his q b s that’s because they all run the air raid.

He will do the same in Miss

[BrunswickDawg]

What I see are a bunch of fans trying to twist things however they need to in order to make our current coach look better.

If Leach isn't building good relationships throughout the state, that is a problem that will hurt us. I don't know that he's not; I'm just saying that if he's not, it's a problem. Leach is a great coach, so he's winning games and probably will continue to. But if he doesn't care about recruiting or building relationships, then he won't win as many as he otherwise could.

There's no need to make it seem better just because he's our coach now. Once he's gone and we have somebody else, then we'll all talk about how obviously Leach didn't care about recruiting and didn't put in the time and effort and it hurt us, but now our new coach really gets it and will do even better.

I don't think Leach and staff have an issue building relationships with coaches and they know it is important in building a program. Leach still does things like co-hosting an MSU branded summer camp at Valdosta State - so I'm sure he gets it.
I do think the article didn't factor in at all what has been going on the past 2 years and the pandemic restrictions and how that has kept most coaches off the road and looking for alternative ways to recruit. I think that those alternate methods are going to catch hold and make recruiting less of a travel and coach relationship oriented process than it has been previously. I don't see that as excuse making, I see it more as a realization of how much the world has changed over the past 24 months.

[vindastra]

...
If Leach isn't building good relationships throughout the state, that is a problem that will hurt us...

The sooner we break this small-pond syndrome, the better we will be. Recruit all over the nation, not just the state. The state of our OL over the years is most likely due to recruiting MS and MS alone.

[TrapGame]

The sooner we break this small-pond syndrome, the better we will be. Recruit all over the nation, not just the state. The state of our OL over the years is most likely due to recruiting MS and MS alone.

And because of Mike Leach we can definitely expand to a national footprint.

[Percho]

The difference in AAU basketball and the 7 on 7 circuit is that basketball is always basketball; 7 on 7 is not football. While there are certainly merits to it for developing skill players, it will never be recruited like AAU basketball (besides, there are no linemen).

Many of you are missing the importance of relationships with high school coaches. It isnot so much important in recruiting a specific kid. As many of you have pointed out, that is done more directly now. It is most useful in identifying prospects, either from the coach?s school or area schools. Those relationships are where you find the under-recruited kids.

Leach is a huge proponent of 7 on 7. Talked about how they needed more of it in the state of Mississippi. He likes the reps.

[OLJWales]

This is the most correct answer. No matter what some the coaches say about the two SEC staffs working in state, there are huge deficiencies. And then some of the higher rated players in the state that don?t go out of state, struggle to spell any words longer than 5 letters and add double digit numbers.

Example: J-Red Patterson from Pearl. Unbelievably talented Wide Receiver with size and speed. John Perry won a State Championship going 15-0 with the kid and an offensive line that started together 3 straight years that couldn?t put a single player above the Juco level. The Head Coach and his staff knew from the 9th grade that Patterson was a struggling student, and that kind of stuff has to be corrected! Coaches need to put a boot in their ass as hard for academics as they do for workouts and practice habits and discipline.

Damn. Thanks for this post. We need this crap fixed and NOT just for 17ing sports. Total BS for Mississippi.
I do slightly disagree as to the impact of wiping the confeds off the map leaving us as The Big Dogs of the STATE. We would still need LA & AL guys but we would compete for the SEC not having to share with TSUN named after slave owners wife.