The 2013 Graveyard Thread

[yazoo]

Originally Posted by The Gamecock Outlaw

You would think after back to back 11 win seasons that we would be a sexy pick for a lot of these recruits but to this day we only have four 4 star recruits. No 5 stars.

So I went to rivals and started looking at everyone we are recruiting or have gotten commitments from and I noticed something. The person who is doing most of our recruiting is G.A. Mangus. Don't get me wrong, I love G.A. but why isn't Spurrier personally recruiting some of these guys? Maybe that's why we aren't getting the higher rated guys. Other Head Coaches are making the house calls. Why won't Spurrier? Or am I just out of the loop and completely off base here?

Mangus is an excellent recruiter. We are lucky he got set up by Clemson fans for urinating in public. If he had not, other programs would be flirting with making him an offensive coordinator or head coach. Clemp fans make a dumb 911 call and will continue to pay for it indefinitely.

Second, Spurrier is and will make calls and visit recruits. I don't know where you are getting your information he is not doing his job. Where did you hear he was goofing off?

[GarnetArmy07]

In 2014, we will finish in the Top 10, possibly the top 5. If it hasn't been already addressed, I'll say it again. Our program, wait for it...develops players. Sure, we have picked up a few instant impact guys (Clowney, Latty, Gilmore) but mostly we get guys that work within our system. We all should be happy w finishing in the top 15-20 every year bc our talent pool in SC isn't the likes of fla, ga, Cali. I'll take a 11-2 Carolina team that develops players, over an overhyped prima donas So Cal team any day.

[SpurProsecutor]

Originally Posted by CoverTwo

Because USC isn't capable of recruiting like those schools year in and year out.

Listen, USC is a program that will end up being a school that is expected to win 8+ games a year and compete for championships the years they bring a lot of players back. That is the ceiling for this program.

We will not bring in talent like Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, and now aTm every year.

We don't have the talent base that most of those schools do and we will not recruit nationally like those programs.

USC has had great success by sticking to a simple plan: Recruit your state, recruit Atlanta, recruit Charlotte, recruit areas in AL/FL/VA/MD/NJ/PA that your coaches have connections. That has led to an SEC East title and back to back 11 win seasons w/ a few breaks away from being in Atlanta 3 years in a row.

Fans need to understand that USC having a Top 10-20 class in years like this where the instate isn't very good is very impressive. You want Top 10 class expectations? Pick years where the in state talent is not only good but deep. For example, 2014.

There is a reason that C2 is our recruitnik ... well said.

[Evilchicken2]

The best measure of recruiting is who we are benchmarking against.

The only aberrations I see in the aggregate recruiting rankings are Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech. Everyone else above us is a legacy team like Bama, Auburn, Notre Dame, So Cal, Ohio State, etc. You're going to need many more 11-win seasons to routinely outrecruit heavyweights like Bama, Ohio State, So Cal...I'm sorry.

South Carolina fans can rightly expect regular top 10-15 recruiting classes as long as we continue to win. Occasionally we'll get that top 5-9 class when instate talent is amazing.

[talon]

At this point we are not able to go and get guys that are the elite on a regular basis. Our great results the last few years will help us with the kids who are in middle school if we keep winning like we have been. These young men will grow up with the Gamecocks being a top team on the national scene. The chore of trying to convince kids to come to USC will shift from help us build a program for the first time to come be the group that gets us to the elite level. We are still in the building phase because the national perception is that we are still a flash in the pan because of SOS. If we are able to get to the top of the SEC it may be enough to push us over the edge and then it becomes much easier.

[talon]

sounds more like safety or spur size.
does he have the quicks to play there?

[Evilchicken2]

I remember my "A-HA!" moment came years ago when I asked myself how Carolina was able to pull so many recruits from Georgia and Florida. I was like, "WOW! We're outrecruiting UGA and UF!" Then it dawned on me (and this was not yesterday btw) that we're never going to outrecruit UGA or UF because out of the 300 elite prospects those states produce, UGA and UF get their pick of the cream. Those players grew up UGA and UF fans, or at the very minimum, their families did. What we get are the leftovers, but because those states produce sooooo much talent, we often get 4-star, or high 3-star leftovers! It is what it is.

South Carolina will always be demographically challenged in comparison to UGA and UF....that will NOT change. EVER. So just roll with it and enjoy what we have accomplished in recruiting since Holtz has been here.

[MWard]

So far the recruits we had over the years are great. We've been recruiting the Carolinas, GA, FL and mid-atlantic really well too. We don't have a lot of 4 or 5 stars that reflect our winning % against the level of competition we play, but we are winning nonetheless.

This year I read that our recruiting budget is in the bottom half of the SEC and we've also been dealing with scholly reductions, so that's forced us to scrutinize who we target and where we spend energy/effort/money even more.

Winning the East, beating uga, unc, ut, clemscum and uf will help a lot next year, b/c guys that have been playing HS ball now for 3+ years will have only seen us beating those teams pretty consistently. Of coarse beating those teams isn't the only thing in recruiting...you have coach relationships, location, facilities, tradition, academics, etc...but there isn't an exact formula for everybody and every above aspect has at least some effect on recruits.

It's better to look at it like a checklist:

Coaches - Got em
Faciliites - Got em (tutor center, indoor/outdoor practice fields, stadium upgrades, etc..)
Location - Different for everybody, but we are close to a major airport and interstate and several relatively high density populations (ATL, CLT, CAE, Charleston, Greenville) for the south.
Academics - Got em, some majors are better ranked than others though.
Winning Now - Yes, but not at a Championship level.
Tradition - To be fair, in comparison to many schools we are recruiting against, we don't have that level of winning tradition.

[Tailfeathers]

Originally Posted by trapper82

There is a difference between Spurrier being the "main recruiter" and his doing house calls, which he does regularly. Nick Saban is not listed as anyone's main recruiter.

And yes, we've had two 11 win seasons, and we are going against people with similar resumes. In state talent is down from Alshon/Lattimore/Clowney type years, so that means not only are we going against teams that have also been pretty successful, they are that person's home state school.

Recruiting is going about as well as it should, hopefully we can get a few surprises to make an even better class. Our current class builds depth, meets needs and is filled with guys that will work hard and want to be here.

In a nut shell because Bama, UGA, Florida, etc. are getting them. In most cases even those we get from the state of Georgia are not offered or heavily recruited by the Bulldogs. Our player development these days is probably second to none, which enables us to compete at a high level.

[DTGCOCKS#32]

i believe the coaches were high on him until they realized he had a slim chance of qualifying. now that those chances are higher they may pick back up. i saw him play last year in person and he plays really really fast. flies around much like larenz bryant.

[Tailfeathers]

Originally Posted by PageUSC

No one really knows. But you are going to get a lot if stars don't matter, we are getting the guys our coaches want and we have some underrated guys responses.

Truth is we've whiffed on some top guys on our coaches board this year and there is no other way to sugar coat it. No it's not a bad class at all but it could be better. We've just missed on several guys.

Great post! It is what it is...

[Acockolypse Now]

Originally Posted by CCtiger91

Not just saying this because he's a Clemson lean, but there are a ton of experts who would disagree with you.

Absolutely. ...and I don't get paid to evaluate recruits, I do it for my own personal gratification. He just reminds me of a few highly touted OL prospects who like press and food more than actual work. I think he's got a great frame, but his footwork seems slow (even for his size) and he's defeated by quickness pretty easily. In highs school that's easy to mask because you don't see a lot of big, quick linemen. You do at the next level. I wonder if he'll have the level of commitment needed to address that and get better.

He may end up being a great one for you guys, who knows?

[trapper82]

Originally Posted by Factorynew

If we ever want to win the SEC ( one of the last remaining goal for SOS) then we have to recruit like those that win year in and out. I think it's pretty simple... to beat Bama or aTm, you got to recruit like them. Yes I know we beat them 2010, but we then got crushed in the title game. Arkansas ( with Petrino) was a good example. They recruited fairly well (not as well as Bama or Lsu) and they got the most out of their recruits. Every one knew they were a very good team..... and everybody knew they would never win the west.

How is it that we still recruit the same as we did five years ago? I just don't get it. Seriously, how hard could it be to convince a few elite recruits that we could win the SEC/NC every year with the help of their services? Yes, I know that we are doing well to recruit top 20 every year, but doing good isn't going to take us to the next level. Why is everyone so impressed by the idea that stars don't matter??? Look at our best players over the last three years (our years of prominence); Latty, Clowney, Alshon, Gilmore. All of those players were top recruits. We simply would not have had the success over the last three years without these highly touted players. Yes I know that we have players that weren't top recruits that have contributed greatly.....but it's the top shelf guys that have taken us to the next level. I don't see how it it so hard to understand that we need more top shelf guys to take us one step further.

Texas A&M finished 15th in 2012, 27th in 2011, 17th in 2010 and 22nd in 2009. This year they are doing better, yes, but the ranking this year has nothing to do with how well they have done on the field this year.

My point is Texas A&M had a few good things go there way that we didn't, even though we have an identical record. They lost to LSU and Florida, just like us, right? They won their bowl game, we won our bowl game. The perception is they were world beaters this year when really the only thing they did that we did not is beat Alabama. Yes, beating the number 1 team and eventual national champion is good, but we also spanked GA who gave Alabama all they wanted in SEC championship game. The years we have had are not worlds apart, and Texas A&M's recruiting was actually a little worse than ours the last 4 years.

All that to say, we are doing fine. Sometimes you get a bad break, the beauty and the ugly side of college football is that one mistake can cost you an entire season when it comes to winning hardware.

[GH]

A lot of programs in our region can point to title banners, heisman trophies and former greats as lures to recruit...we have to sell recruits on our present and future...so in two moee years we should have an easier time drawing recruits IF we maintain the level of success and exposure we currently have...a lot of casual fans will see the Gamecocks for the first time because of the media hype that will follow Clowney next season...we will find that the people who are aware of our program will grow quite a bit...but it depends on winning and Clowney's highlight making performances (Ace is helping in that regard too)...everyone loves soundbites....every one loves highlights...evryone loves winners (or love to hate them)

[ac_lanham]

Originally Posted by DawginCola

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac_lanham

I'll hit the roof if he flips to aTm. Wouldn't shock me based on this year but I would be furious!


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If he flips, it won't be to aTm, it'll be to USC. College Station is too far from home for him.

He's taking an OV there so you never know


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[SimpleGamecock]

I may be wrong but wasn't one of the reasons Brendan Langely flipped to UGA was to play with Wiggins?

[SpecOps Cock]

Yeah im good with recruiting. If you look at the geographics Fl, CA, TX, are your biggest producers of 5* players. We have to rely on the guys that are getting overlooked that have a desire. Some of these players also want to be a part of something new and uncharted. Win they have a chance to be on a team that can win the SEC for the first time its appealing. Sydney Rice was not heavily recruited but he was a baller and only a 3*. Building a program doesnt happen over night and with one top 5 recruiting season.

[LegalCock]

How many kids would you say on average, per season, come out of SC high schools that could rate offers from Clemson and Carolina but for their obvious academic deficiencies?

[mick66]

Originally Posted by CoverTwo

We have a Top 15 class on Rivals at the moment and are #16 on 247. That ranking will improve if the staff finishes like they expect.

If you are finishing in the Top 15-20 every year, you are doing a very good job.

Seriously, the 247 rankings have a glitch today. They moved Clemson up to #3, for instance, after 2 decommits, and most of the rankings are way off including Vandy's. Vandy was in the mid-20s last week and I don't think they have any new commits. Will probably get corrected very soon. Just for example, Rivals has Clemson at #30. Yes, #30.

[JDRAY^#]

Originally Posted by SimpleGamecock

I may be wrong but wasn't one of the reasons Brendan Langely flipped to UGA was to play with Wiggins?

it was because he can play basketball at UGA as well