There has been a lot of talk on here today about how our coaches tried really hard to land some of the guys today but failed. And I agree that our coaches tried their best to get these guys to Lincoln, really wanted them, and pulled out all the stops.
However, there is also now a lot of talk on here about how we will now be "scrambling" for recruits just like Pelini was at the end of most recruiting cycles. The inference is that Riley is no better at recruiting than Pelini was.
I reject this thinking. For starters, most of the hype with regard to the guys who we wanted today was generated by boards like this. All kinds of posts about crystal balls, and top 15 classes, and this guy or that guy as "must get" recruits, with post after post after post breathlessly following every tweet and message.... So there was an air of expectation that we really were going to get some of these guys, but it was an air of expectation built on hype from these very boards. One wonders to what extent our coaches were also hyperventilating over this? I doubt they were at all. My guess is they knew all along that these guys were a reach, a stretch and so on, but thought "what the hell, let's go get em if we can". But nowhere along the way did our coaches most likely think that we were going to get most or any of these guys. So while some on here are panicking, my guess is the coaches are not. In other words... they were not caught by surprise.
Second... this is not similar to Pelini. Pelini's recruiting was a train wreck from top to bottom. Poorly organized and focused without an eye to roster management. This coaching staff is far more organized and is well aware of what needs to get done. They are not in full panic mode right now nor are they going to "scramble" for recruits. My firm conviction is they have a plan in place and are going to follow it right up until signing day. No scrambling, just a calm determination to go after the best guys they can find. They, unlike members of this board, never bought into the hype machine and are therefore most likely not back in their rooms crying and sucking their thumbs.
Third, there is still a lot of time left to recruit. All we need are about 7 more guys for a decent class. You don't think our coaches can identify 7 football players somewhere in this country who can be real gamers and ballers for this team? I think they can and will.
However, there is also now a lot of talk on here about how we will now be "scrambling" for recruits just like Pelini was at the end of most recruiting cycles. The inference is that Riley is no better at recruiting than Pelini was.
I reject this thinking. For starters, most of the hype with regard to the guys who we wanted today was generated by boards like this. All kinds of posts about crystal balls, and top 15 classes, and this guy or that guy as "must get" recruits, with post after post after post breathlessly following every tweet and message.... So there was an air of expectation that we really were going to get some of these guys, but it was an air of expectation built on hype from these very boards. One wonders to what extent our coaches were also hyperventilating over this? I doubt they were at all. My guess is they knew all along that these guys were a reach, a stretch and so on, but thought "what the hell, let's go get em if we can". But nowhere along the way did our coaches most likely think that we were going to get most or any of these guys. So while some on here are panicking, my guess is the coaches are not. In other words... they were not caught by surprise.
Second... this is not similar to Pelini. Pelini's recruiting was a train wreck from top to bottom. Poorly organized and focused without an eye to roster management. This coaching staff is far more organized and is well aware of what needs to get done. They are not in full panic mode right now nor are they going to "scramble" for recruits. My firm conviction is they have a plan in place and are going to follow it right up until signing day. No scrambling, just a calm determination to go after the best guys they can find. They, unlike members of this board, never bought into the hype machine and are therefore most likely not back in their rooms crying and sucking their thumbs.
Third, there is still a lot of time left to recruit. All we need are about 7 more guys for a decent class. You don't think our coaches can identify 7 football players somewhere in this country who can be real gamers and ballers for this team? I think they can and will.
