Why can't we land top OOS recruits?

The bottom line is that Mack feels like he can compete for and win Championships with Texas kids. He proved that he was correct in this thinking with the 2005 MNC. It seems that he would rather have a kid from Texas than a similarly or even slightly more talented OOS kid. You have to remember that we have been burned more than once recently trying to go after highly touted OOS recruits. Mack will go after OOS kids if he feels they have a genuine interest in coming here. Also, in case you haven't been paying attention we are in the running and possibly lead for the #1 RB in the nation out of Cali - Darrell Scott.

You may disagree with this philosophy (I'm not sure I totally agree with it myself), but while Mack is around I don't think you will see a major change in our recruiting strategy.
 
I think an OOS 5 star takes much more time and effort from the coaching staff to recruit, perhaps this staff just doesn't want to make that kind of investment. The bigger names aren't likely to commit early, or so it seems. If you get 90% of your class as early commits, you just made your life that much easier come Fall.

As far has money, Mack has almost a bottomless well of money at his disposal. $ 183k per athlete we spent last year.

I'm more concerned about being able to identify a talented player and develop him into a star player. We just don't have the big time difference maker type players on either side of the ball. With JC leaving, several of the younger RB's will have a shot at the position, I hope someone steps up.


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Other schools are able to focus PRIMARILY on their OWN state/region and then ADD TO THAT a few cherries on a consistent basis.

Just off the top of my head: Quarterbacks at USC, Georgia, USC, Michigan & LSU are all out of state for each of those schools. I don't know if LSU's qb was a five star but most of the other guys were. Two of those guys were five stars from Texas.
 
Mack's OOS recruits over the past few years:

Blaine Irby (CA) 4*
Ben Alexander (SC) 3*
Lamarr Houston (CO) 4*
Michael Houston (CO) 3*
Bryan Pickryl (OK) 5*
Marquis Johnson (IL) 5*

That doesn't include Lyle or Kasey, who both had UT ties, or Darrell Scott, the number one recruit in California who's a heavy Texas lean and little over 70 miles from USC's campus.

Unless Texas has a pressing need, what's the point of going out of state to recruit? It's extra money out of the recruiting budget, it makes local coaches unhappy, and fans tend to hate on perceived 'outsiders.'

Also, have you people considered that the Florida and California schools have to go out of state because they have so much in-state competition? USC has UCLA in its back yard and Arizona next door. If you take a look, historically, at where the top 50 California recruits are going, they're hitting those three schools and, believe it or not, UCLA gets their fair share of top 10 California talent with Arizona sprinkled in there quite a bit. Florida, Miami, and FSU all compete with each other for talent. Texas? If you take a look at the top talent on the list, 0u normally takes a handful and aggy gets one or two every once in a while, but the top talent in Texas primarily heads to Texas. You can go down the top 20 in any given year (with this year and a few years ago being the big exceptions) and it might be:

Texas
0u
Texas
Texas
0u
Texas
0u
Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas
Texas
someone else
Texas
0u
Texas
Texas
Texas
aggy
Texas

...and those will all be guys that are on every school's watch list. When it comes to evaluating talent, I trust Coach Brown's judgment. And if he thinks someone from Lufkin will be just as good or better than someone from Mater Dei, I believe him.
 
I'm not sure some of you are getting the idea. I'm probably not making myself clear.

Clearly we should focus on our own state. Texas is the mecca. We have loads of talent in state. Texas is our BREAD AND BUTTER.

What I'm saying is that IN ADDITION to the bread and butter of Texas. I would like to see us add one or two cherries on top from out of state. I'm talking about CHERRIES from out of state. It would generally be a waste of time and effort to spend any time on a guy oos unless he was a real difference maker. This is what other schools have done with success. I don't see any reason why we can't do a better job.

And for the record, I would not trade Mack for anyone, ever. I will be happy if he spends the next couple of decades as coach for UT.
 
Hagy,

I posed this same question and got all the same responses on the recruiting board. It worked in 05, thus Texas doesn't need to get talent anywhere but Texas. I mean, who wants to win BCS bowls every year like USC? let them waste all that money on stupid out of state recruiting (I can't believe people actually think the expense is worth mentioning).

I'm not sure why Sangre was being so confrontational and irrational in the discussion.
 
ou has 3 5*'s from Texas? I thought just 2 but that still sucks. Didn't we also somehow miss on a 4* that's going to lsu and both of the recruits parents are UT grads!?

Regarding out of state, hate to say it, but the USC's/Ohio St.'s /LSU's probably have a little more clout nationally than we do at this time; hate to say it but it's true. We could have really rode 2005 into some out of state recruiting momentum but didn't for some reason.
 
Players HS state from last years NFL Draft 1st Round

----
FL – 5
TX – 4
OH – 3
AL - 3
TN - 2
CA - 2
LA - 2
GA
WI
SC
VA
AK
WA
PA
IN
OK
MI
NJ
----

I think that is pretty indicative of the ratio of great Texas players. Texas HS produce ~10-15% of the top talent each year.

I personally don't believe that a strategy of recruiting primarily from one state is a strategy that can last long-term, but obviously Mack believes differently.
 
Could it be that MB is a bit lazy or spoiled when it comes to recruiting? Maybe that explains his penchant for getting early commitments from 3 and 4 star recruits, rather than putting up with the 5 star recruits who like to take their visits and enjoy the process. Being at the big school in Texas, and in a city like Austin, makes me think it's tempting to sit back and take the easy pickings from the garden that is Texas football.

When it comes to recruiting, how many of you think MB works as hard as RB?
 
Here's a thought...

Maybe kids who understand the history, tradition, and prestige of the state's flagship university "value" playing for the 'horns more than the out of state kid who just knows Vince Young. I would venture to guess that Mack believes that TX kids play harder for Texas schools. A state pride thing.
 
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