I realize it's easy to blame the jerk now that he's gone, but what I'm about to share is stunning evidence of the damage he did. Please bear with me ... I'll get to the meat and potatoes soon.
Before I do, I will say that yesterday, for the first time, my confidence in Riley and staff was shaken. Iowa's defense is so piss poor, it's incomprehensible that we allowed those big plays. The offense, I'm not nearly worried about. But defense wins championships, and I thought we were turning the corner under Banker this year - until yesterday's debacle.
But as I thought about this more, and wondered (again) why teams like Wisconsin and Iowa, who ALWAYS recruit worse than we do on paper, are beating us on the field. We SHOULD have better players then them, right?
But what I discovered was that the players you sign on the first Wednesday in February are not necessarily the players who ever suit up for you, and therein lies our problem.
Retention, retention, retention. Bo apparently recruited with little regard to a player's personality, character, academic ability or cultural fit to Lincoln. Or, he was such a prick, he chased away guys who, with a little love and support and communication, might have stayed.
Some basic research showed me that at least 20 players from the three pivotal classes of 2012, 13 and 14 are no longer with the team. That's a lot.
I started with the 2012 class, a class that, in general, should have finished up its eligibility this year. From that class, five players never contributed significantly or at all while at Nebraska. Worse, those five appear to be good players:
* Thomas Brown, kicked off, Riverside CC
* Avery Moss, kicked off for public indecency, 10 sacks at Youngstown State
* Jared Afalava, left, now at Weber State
* LeRoy Alexander, left, starting DB at Youngstown State
* Aaron Curry, left, starting DT for TCU, 9 sacks
But it gets worse. The 2013 class is what's absolutely KILLING us right now:
*Courtney Love, LB, Kentucky, had key fumble recovery today in win over Louisville
* Greg Hart, TE, Kentucky, second string and plays
* Kevin Gladney, WR, kicked off and now at Akron
* Johnny Stanton, QB, was starting at UNLV but hurt
* Ernest Suttles, DE, kicked off, three sacks and in DL rotation for Memphis
* Drake Martinez, DB, left, playing for Michigan State (special teams)
* Dimarya Mixon, DE, left, playing in DL rotation for Tennessee
* Tre'Vell Dixon, athlete, no idea where he ended up
The 2014 class was another disaster:
* Monte Harrison, WR, playing baseball
* Lorenzo Stewart, RB, playing JUCO somewhere
* Javaen Walton, ath, fought with Neb. veterans and now at JUCO in Louisiana
* Jariah Tolbert, WR, Arizona Western CC
* Glenn Irons, WR, Northwestern State CC
* Deandre Willis, DE, left team; whereabouts unknown
* AJ Bush, QB playing for the Rievers
The good news is, Mike Riley and his staff seem to be MUCH, MUCH better at retention, which will help build the roster up in terms of depth and allow more players to develop over time.
From the 2015 class, which was only partially his (he was hired in December, 2014), the only two defections so far are Jordan Stevenson (head case who we took a late shot on) and Adrienn Talan (Navarro CC).
And from what looks like a very solid 2016 class, only Derrion Grimm (starring as a WR at Delta CC) has left, and his case seems more flaky than a symptom of deeper problems.
Looking at this made me feel much, much better about Riley's first two years, and makes me feel like we MUST give him at least five total years, even if we take a couple of steps back next year or the year after. It's truly a rebuild.
Recruiting is very important. But retaining is just as, or more, important. You can't just have a revolving door of players every year, hoping a few stick. It's about class balance and player development over four- and five-year cycles.
So let's all rally behind this staff for the next two, three years, keep an eye on the roster and see if they aren't building/developing from the inside out. I think they are.
Before I do, I will say that yesterday, for the first time, my confidence in Riley and staff was shaken. Iowa's defense is so piss poor, it's incomprehensible that we allowed those big plays. The offense, I'm not nearly worried about. But defense wins championships, and I thought we were turning the corner under Banker this year - until yesterday's debacle.
But as I thought about this more, and wondered (again) why teams like Wisconsin and Iowa, who ALWAYS recruit worse than we do on paper, are beating us on the field. We SHOULD have better players then them, right?
But what I discovered was that the players you sign on the first Wednesday in February are not necessarily the players who ever suit up for you, and therein lies our problem.
Retention, retention, retention. Bo apparently recruited with little regard to a player's personality, character, academic ability or cultural fit to Lincoln. Or, he was such a prick, he chased away guys who, with a little love and support and communication, might have stayed.
Some basic research showed me that at least 20 players from the three pivotal classes of 2012, 13 and 14 are no longer with the team. That's a lot.
I started with the 2012 class, a class that, in general, should have finished up its eligibility this year. From that class, five players never contributed significantly or at all while at Nebraska. Worse, those five appear to be good players:
* Thomas Brown, kicked off, Riverside CC
* Avery Moss, kicked off for public indecency, 10 sacks at Youngstown State
* Jared Afalava, left, now at Weber State
* LeRoy Alexander, left, starting DB at Youngstown State
* Aaron Curry, left, starting DT for TCU, 9 sacks
But it gets worse. The 2013 class is what's absolutely KILLING us right now:
*Courtney Love, LB, Kentucky, had key fumble recovery today in win over Louisville
* Greg Hart, TE, Kentucky, second string and plays
* Kevin Gladney, WR, kicked off and now at Akron
* Johnny Stanton, QB, was starting at UNLV but hurt
* Ernest Suttles, DE, kicked off, three sacks and in DL rotation for Memphis
* Drake Martinez, DB, left, playing for Michigan State (special teams)
* Dimarya Mixon, DE, left, playing in DL rotation for Tennessee
* Tre'Vell Dixon, athlete, no idea where he ended up
The 2014 class was another disaster:
* Monte Harrison, WR, playing baseball
* Lorenzo Stewart, RB, playing JUCO somewhere
* Javaen Walton, ath, fought with Neb. veterans and now at JUCO in Louisiana
* Jariah Tolbert, WR, Arizona Western CC
* Glenn Irons, WR, Northwestern State CC
* Deandre Willis, DE, left team; whereabouts unknown
* AJ Bush, QB playing for the Rievers
The good news is, Mike Riley and his staff seem to be MUCH, MUCH better at retention, which will help build the roster up in terms of depth and allow more players to develop over time.
From the 2015 class, which was only partially his (he was hired in December, 2014), the only two defections so far are Jordan Stevenson (head case who we took a late shot on) and Adrienn Talan (Navarro CC).
And from what looks like a very solid 2016 class, only Derrion Grimm (starring as a WR at Delta CC) has left, and his case seems more flaky than a symptom of deeper problems.
Looking at this made me feel much, much better about Riley's first two years, and makes me feel like we MUST give him at least five total years, even if we take a couple of steps back next year or the year after. It's truly a rebuild.
Recruiting is very important. But retaining is just as, or more, important. You can't just have a revolving door of players every year, hoping a few stick. It's about class balance and player development over four- and five-year cycles.
So let's all rally behind this staff for the next two, three years, keep an eye on the roster and see if they aren't building/developing from the inside out. I think they are.
