Why is USF not getting football recruits...

[Guest BullsFans]

  Leavitt should only go out of state for 2 positions  

He should go out of state and recruit a QB Coach and OC.

[Guest S.  Bien]

He should go out of state and recruit a QB Coach and OC.

Now that's a different story........... :-X

[BigShoop]

S. Bien, why dont you register so we can search for your posts more easily?

I love reading your opinions. Very informative.

[Velcro]

he is registered, but doesn't log in.

he'd probably be rivaling ET for 2nd most posts... no one can compete with a hundred 3 word posts a day, so 1st is out of the question

[Jebbull]

I also like reading S. Bien's analysis.  

[Chase]

...from out of the state of Florida on a yearly basis?

Check out the list so far:

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2006&School=70

Okay, arguably, Florida has the best recruiting base in the country. However, doesn't mean you only recruit from your own back yard.

To date, Rivals.com's, top recruiting class is UF. Their recruits are coming from: FL, TX, GA, VA, NC, and AR. And, mutiple players are coming from some of those states.

USF has ONE player coming from California. The rest, Florida.

Some factors I've considered:

1. UF tradition.

2. SEC -  arguably - much better conference than Big East.

3. Time factor. (Young program).

4. Stability. (Division II - Division I - C-USA - Big East).

5. Dreaded - OCS.

6. Flordia talent recruited is as good if not better than

   the caliber recruit that may be considering USF from out-of-state.

Regardless, it does not mean that the USF coaches shouldn't be or can't recruit elsewhere. I just find it unbelievably hard to imagine that there isn't some football star in one of the cold-weather climates that wouldn't be dying to head to Florida and play for USF - especially when there are so many holes to fill and there is the chance of playing almost immediately - if not in a year's timeframe.

Sorry for all of you that are still confusing my realism with negativity, but this coaching staff still isn't impressing me in a lot of ways.

1. USF is 58th overall in recruiting in the country.

2. USF is 5th overall in the Big East in recruting behind  

   Pitt, Louisville, Rutgers, and Syracuse.

3. Pitt is #1 in the Big East. They have recruits from

   PA, OH, NY and FL.  

4. Pitt has 6 4-star recruits.  

5. USF has 1 4-star recruit.

6. Both Pitt & Louisville have 12 3-star recruits.

7. USF has 6 3-star recruits.

However, my original argument was that there are quality players outside the state of Florida. Pitt came to FL and got four - why doesn't USF go elsewhere and get some?  

I have been rivals member for over two years.  Accurate recruiting rankings are the last reason I subscribe.  It is a joke.

1) Out of state recruits cost more money.  Around $10,000 a year more.  Multiply that by 20 and it starts to get expensive.

2) I believe it is more likely for an out of state recruit to transfer or drop out and it is a tougher transition.

3) USF has tried to recruit the NJ area without much success.

4) Most players want to play near their home so their families and friends can watch them play.  That gives us an advantage over the NCStates and Kentuckys of the world.  We are more likely to get a decent recruit in Florida to choose USF than one in Alabama.  

5) By recruiting in Florida, we can gain in-roads into the major 1-A player producing High Schools in the area.  I have read countless statements from Miami recruits who said USF felt like "home" because of all the other Miami players on our team and in some cases Alumni of the same HS.  How would a recruit from Texas feel?  Probably like Whoopi Goldberg at an Augusta National board meeting.

6) Some out of state recruits do not know USF exists and others just found out this year.  We are slowly making a name for ourselves in FL and we obviously do not have a "name recognition" issue in the Bay area.

7) It is much easier for JL to see FL recruits play live and get a feel for how successful they will be in college.  He can meet with them, their coaches and their families more often and obtain a better evaluation.

8} Every minute he spends recruiting a player out of state is a minute he could have spent on a Florida player.

9) I could go on forever.

My biggest critiques of USF recruiting so far is not getting a decent QB and WRs who can catch the ball.  It does not matter whether a WR is 6-5 and can run a 4.4 if they can't catch the ball, they are dead weight.  I believe we have done as good of a job as we could in the other positions especially OL.

Pitt does recruit PA, NY and OH.  They do their recruiting 400 miles from their campus.  So do we.  It just so happens that within 400 miles of USF lies the entire State of Florida.  Two of Pitt's FL recruits were a short bicycle ride away from his house in Davie.  The other two were from the same HS.

Pitt has received accolades by keeping the best recruits HOME instead of them going to PSU, ND or where ever.

8)

[BigShoop]

All this out of state stuff really means nothing...

Straight from the horses mouth, on his radio show, Leavitt said that if he "locks down" the 6 counties around Tampa, and stays in the state of Florida, he can win the Big East every year.

And he's right.

[CoolBull1]

Just as a point of info. since I don't think it's really been covered.  USF Athletics has to pay out of state tuition and fees to the University for out of state recruits.  Given the fact that only 5% of USF Alums contribute to USF, you can imagine why this is a difficult task when you are working with a budget.   As such, it is imperative that we get the best athletes we can from Florida to make ends meet and be competitive at the same time.  

Also...I agree S Bien's posts are amongst the best on the board.   There are some people's posts who I don't even bother to read because they've established a reputation.  If you think you are one of those....change your name and I (along with others, I'm sure) will read your posts for a while, at least.

[USFPDiddy]

There is nothing magical about florida, and nothing magical about other states either.  You can get guys with similar HS stats or bench reps etc. from anywhere.  After that, it's coaching and player development.  FL has a better high school football program than most other states, so recruits from here are probably a little better prepared for college ball as a whole, but probably not by much.

Mike Price succeeding with UTEP's previous players and Urben Meyer doing so with Utah's are prime examples of the biggest impact to a team: coaches developing the players that are there, physically and mentally.  Top recruits are just those guys that can already come in that way, thus top programs can fill their holes more rapidly and be more consistent over time.

[Guest S.  Bien]

There is nothing magical about florida, and nothing magical about other states either.  You can get guys with similar HS stats or bench reps etc. from anywhere.  After that, it's coaching and player development.  FL has a better high school football program than most other states, so recruits from here are probably a little better prepared for college ball as a whole, but probably not by much.

Mike Price succeeding with UTEP's previous players and Urben Meyer doing so with Utah's are prime examples of the biggest impact to a team: coaches developing the players that are there, physically and mentally.  Top recruits are just those guys that can already come in that way, thus top programs can fill their holes more rapidly and be more consistent over time.

I disagree completely.  There is something magical about FL, and arguably California, and Texas have similar distinctions.  Don't discount that fact, it's almost impossible to argue.  Look at the Big East Team, I believe 14 players on that team were from FL, and only four were USF players.  It's more than bench presses, and it's more than forty times.  The suggestions that have been made is the shear volume of competition in this state makes the HS kids better, also the ability to compete year-around in outdoor sports helps with conditioning, and speed.

There's no doubt in anyone's mind that FL is special.  It is very difficult to get a player of similar quality in a different state.