Aggies first decommit for 09 class.

miller 58

250+ Posts
My personal opinions:

When research showed that A&M had signed only an average of 6 four and five star athletes each year for the decade, I realized we have a recruiting problem. When UT and ou both averaged signing 14 each year for this same period, I knew what the problem was. When the other MNC teams of this decade, lsu, florida, and usc each averaged 15 four and five star athletes each year, I confirmed we have a recruiting problem.

When A&M started hiring 10 coaches in November 07, that had a total of 2 ( TWO ) four and five star athletes signed for the last 5 years, I knew we have a recruting problem.
UT signed 62 and ou 67 during that same period.


When these same coaches at the last minute lost 4 four and five star athletes and a lb to 4 decommits and a head to head loss and signed questionable recruits, I knew we have a recruiting problem. A&M signed 7 four and five star recruits, UT 12 and ou 15 for the Feb 08 class.

When this same coaching staff lost head to head 09 class battles for a 5*qb, a 4* rb, a 4*wr and a 4* ol to UT and a 4* de to lsu, I knew we have a recruiting problem.

Now, when this staff scored its first decommit less than a month into the 09 class, I know we have a recruiting problem. A&M lost RB Christine Michael, Beaumont Westbrook, decommitting according to Texas Football confirmed by his coach.

I'm looking for a hobby for the next 6 to 10 years while the A&M athletic department and coaching staff goes up the learning curve in recruiting. If we lose both the Feb 08 and Feb 09 recruiting classes, the future W/L record will be more than dismal.

(Please don't let the Ag blogs get wind of this?)

miller 58
 
IMHO, the biggest reason for A&M's recruiting difficulties is that they are surrounded by Texas, OU, and LSU. These three programs have all won MNC's relatively recently. For the elite HS talent in this region, they have grown up watching these teams have great success. Combine that with the fact that the distance from home to any of the aforementioned schools is probably pretty comparable, and it spells bad news for A&M. Moreover, schools like USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia sometimes come into Texas and cherry pick, and it makes things even harder on A&M.

How does A&M get its recruiting up to par with the likes of the Horns, Sooners, and Tigers? Well, I think one of two things needs to happen:

(1) Make a true bigtime hire at head coach.

I think Sherman is an OK hire. Not terrible, but certainly not great. Simply the fact that Sherman is now at A&M will not make an immediate, significant impact on recruiting. A&M would need someone on the level of a Brown, Stoops, Saban, Carroll, etc. for this to happen.

(2) Start winning at a similar level of the UT's, OU's, and LSU's of the college football world.

How do you start winning at that level? Well, you need elite talent. I know, it sounds like a circular problem. This is why I feel A&M's path to success is more likely if Option 1 occurs.

In summary, I think Sherman can command the recruits that could potentially get A&M winning at an 8-4 mark relatively regularly. Sometimes they might go 9-3. Other times they might go 7-5. However, it will be extremely difficult to reach that elite level any time in the near future.
 
Everyone dances around the real problem of A&M recruiting. When recruits read any ag board they can see the brainwash cult atmosphere that is a&m, and their braggadocios rant of being the most conservative, most intolerant university in the country. There is also a feeling that they are racist from reading some of the quotes by the proud redass ags. Some times I get the same feeling, right or wrong. When seeing their white-outs I think of...klan rally.

Scoff at these thoughts if you want, but any top recruit that has a choice at another top university isn't going to sign to spend four years of his life in that atmosphere. Maybe a few that wants to be part of a cult or have cult parents that demand he go there.

With their facilities, location, and money they shouldn't have a problem recruiting with UT, OU, or LSU, but since the internet their closed world is exposed.

You can now begin laughing at this if you are aggy but any one else tell me where I'm wrong.
 
I have spoken with more than a handful of minority students from there and the vast majority of them felt uncomfortable there, esp. blacks. They felt stares when they would go some places. It was not that they are paranoid or sheltered either. They can experience things like that anywhere, sadly. But it is just more common there. I absolutely believe they are much more racist than the average college.

It is not a goal of the administration, faculty or staff and not of the majority of the students. But their levels of racist jackasses is much higher than other places I have encountered.
 
It just doesn't seem to me that A&M offers anything that you can't get better somewhere else, unless you have ties or tradition for that program. I would think for the average recruit who doesn't grow up in an aggy family or in the general aggy area that there wouldn't be any really compelling reason to go there over UT, OU, LSU. College Station works against them, lack of recent success, weird fans, hillbillies, racist stuff, being in the middle of nowhere...some places have some of these things but have enough positives to outweigh these negatives.

I've tried hard to be as objective as I can about this, and I really don't see why anyone in their right mind would go there when they had viable options other places. That's why recruiting there is so tough. If they ever start winning again, recruits will consider them again because recruits like to win and be on TV. Till then, Baton Rouge, Norman, and Austin are calling.
 
Racist? maybe...for some, probably....for a few, without question. This is unortunately true at many places around the country.

I do believe however, that the shaved head, wannabe military fanaticism, or the mentality of "I can get away with this because I'm part of the group", increases this perception. (See sword brandishing/poo flinging as examples)

Well that, and the nut-grabbin', dog worshipping, our grass is holier than your grass, nose-pickin' national exposure, etc., etc. has got to be a wee bit of a turn off for most rational kids.
 
Aggy has a better reputation in some areas of rural Texas due to its vet school and ag influence with county extension agents.
 
aggy's motto should be..."If we're not payin', they're not playin". Their most successful times usually lead to some kind of NCAA sanctions. aggy's recruiting problems have been outlined quite well in a couple of posts above this one. There's just no reason to go there unless an athlete has family ties to aggy, or didn't get an offer from a higher-profile program. That's not gonna change unless aggy starts winning consistently, and I'm not sure how they do that minus Fed-Ex.
 
It appears that the days of real NCAA sanctions for big programs are over.

If the Ags were smart, they'd take a look at OU's approach and start dialing FedEx.

But the operative word is still "if."
 
My personal opinions:

Let's see now:

The resumes of the 10 coaches, says they suck!

The last minute decommits and loses of 5 badly needed football players in the 08 class, says again the 10 coaches suck!

The head to head loss of 5 top football players for the 09 class plus another decommit already, says for the third time, the 10 coaches suck!

The projection of at least 5-6 loses or more of a team with the talent and very easy schedule to go at least 10-2 or 11-1, says, for the fourth time, the 10 coaches suck!

Conclusion? Our football program will continue to suck again nationally this whole decade; and our basketball program without BCG, just set a national NCAA record for "the time a team has gone scoreless". What other futility again, is there?

miller58

Winning coaches sign the four and five star athletes, say "it's about winning", and just go out and consistently win!

Losing coaches sign the two and three star athletes left over, say "it's about player development", and just go out and consistently lose!
 
Yes, Loston was the first decommit.

Bobby Janisch was the second decommit.

Michiel Brown wa the third decommit.

Christine Michael was the fourth decommit.

All from the 09 class.

Thanks.

miller58
 
Miller58, please help me to understand this. You come on a Texas board, and explain to us how bad aggy suck. We already know this. I have absolutely no problem with you posting on here, just why. I spend a lot of time on other boards, but it is to logically defend my team, not talk trash about how sorry they are. Are you a psychologist or something? All your posts sound very Freudian to me; telling the people on this board how bad aTm sucks, yet REALLY believing they are superior?
confused.gif
 
So you're saying that aggy has a recruiting problem? Just wanted to make sure I am reading it right.
 
My personal opinions:

nytejag, just an old Ag who hates being lied to on a daily basis by A&M's athletic department and its surrogates.

For your answer, please refer to the fourth post down on "Aggies, how long will we be football stupid". (another thread on this recruiting page). It details an answer, particularily the last paragraph discussing the incesteous relationship between the Ag blogs, their ownership, some former football players, Byrne, RC, current football coaches and blog personnel who need daily access to all coaches to do their blog job . A current radio sports talk host also volunteered info about the "in crowd" and the control they exercise.

Thanks

miller58
 
I think it's nice that there's a place this soul searching ag can go to vent. No way in hell they let him tell the truth at Texags. But, all Sherman needs to do is beat the teams he should beat, and win the toss ups that the Tech and Baylor games have become for ag, and they will get a few more recruits/higher quality recruits. Right now, the competition for ag recruiting is Tech (Lubbock), Okie Aggie (Stillwater), Iowa State (cold, cold, cold), Baylor (Waco), etc. Those places aren't that much better than BCS. If they all had strange behavior and cult membership as their cornerstones, it might be even. So what it comes down to is that aggie's biggest problem is that they're aggie. I guess I disproved the point I was trying to make.
 
My personal opinions:

1legged duck, this is what I don't understand? We've won 16 games the last two seasons, and yet the Ag blogs are projecting 5 or 6 losses for 09? We should be talking 11-1 or 10-2 at the worst with all this NFL power?

And the Ag Blogs keep talking about Shermans NFL experience is going to kick in on recruiting? Yet when it came to holding the Feb 08 class together, we had last minute losses of a 4* cb to ou, a 4* de to notre dame, a 4* lb to ole miss, a 4* wr to isu, a 3* lb to la tech and pulled in some last minute 2*'s. When is this big NFL recruiting thing going to kick in?

Then we've had our rears kicked for 09 already, losing 7 head to heads battles with UT, lsu and tulsa? I know the coaching staff only signed two 4* in the previous five years, but when does this big NFL recruiting advantage start happening? Or is this a figment of $Bill's imagination, too?

miller58
 
My personal opinions:

S197HOOKEM, certainly can't disagree with your no. 1 !

Nick Saban hired 9 recruiting assistant coaches, and Saban signed 3 five star and 19 four star athletes in Feb 08, Saban's first year out of the NFL .

Mike Sherman hired 9 non-recruiting assistant coaches, and UT and lsu will sign Sherman's 3 five star and 19 four star athletes in Feb 09, Sherman's first year out of the NFL?

A&M has zero four and five star athletes as of today?

A&M or anybody else can hire recruiting assistant coaches like Saban did and compete successfully the very first year. (But please don't let the Ag blogs/Athletic Department know this)

Miller58
 

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