Wow! Matt Simms, son of Phil, brother of Chris...

[Bullpride08]

let me just clarify and yes it is all a game and you do win some or lose some, however it's fun to follow and is incredibly important to any program. we are a fall back option to the big 3 and national programs, mompremier was a 4 star caliber player as was peyton, however a major reason we had a shot at those players is because the big 3 didn't show them much love, mompremier was thought of as a safety/lb tweener and peyton had some character issues (which were proven to be true). taurus johnson was a gator all the way until they stopped recruiting him. if we really want a prospect and a program like the big 3 or ut, etc also really want him with everything being equal we will lose 98 percent of the time. it doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue them, because things can happen, like you stated, they can sign someone else that is higher rated and lose interest in that prospect. unfortunately most of the time that will be how we get most 4 star prospects until we start maturing as a program, which i believe we will.

rose however was a different case he had absolutely no weakness and his fall back option was uf, miami, or southern cal if florida state didn't want him. that why i thought it was a bit futile, however if he approached us like you stated than of course i don't fault the staff for recruiting him. he's from tampa so we had something on our side.

You're missing the point, or only reading a portion of what I am typing.  The staff plugs a few bigger caliber athletes they believe they had a shot at landing.  For example this last year Rose, Stirrups, James, Ford...you take calculated risks.  You're presumption is not to take any risks at all, or rather you initially state that then change your tune at the end.

Look at Ed Alcin, he had offers from Pitt, WVU, and NCST, nothing crazy, but suddenly at the last minute MIami throws him love because they lost #1.   You never know, but you've got to pursue certain athletes.  Mompremier wasn't really a tweener, he got overtures from one of the big three but didn't like that school (hint it's the one his teammate went to).   Everyone wanted Brouce, but there was a personal reason that led him to USF.  He's actually a very bright kid, and good student.   I bet the only school Brouce would have turned down USF for would be Miami- but they were stocked, four top LB's signed the year earlier and they had commitments from two of the nations best to include ole Willie Williams.

Your presumption on Peyton isn't quite fair either.  His dad was/is in prison, and he had a tough life, but Pitt, PSU, just about everyone wanted him except the big three.  Although, again, I would admit with Peyton though if any of the Big 3 had called he would have walked from us.

In the end our staff does a very good job of carefully selecting the top tier players they pursue.   We've won a few, lost a lot, but always seem to be in the game.  That's a good sign, but in the end they always have solid back-up plans (sans QB's in 2004).

[bullzpen4636]

i agree that we have to go after some big named players but you have to be smart about it. the point was about rose, he was a heavy fsu lean throughout the process and he was recruited nationally along with uf and miami. fsu wanted him badly and we were barely mentioned as a canidate although leavitt recruited the heck out of him. now leavitt did talk a bit about how close they were to get him, but i'm a bit skeptical of that considering we did not make his final 3 or 5 based on the many interviews he gave leading up to signing day(unless the newspapers have some personal vendetta against usf and they purposely left us out).

i'm not as connected as you but on paper that looked like a wild goose chase, this wasn't peyton or mompremier but one of the top 10-15 recruits in the nation and we were going head to head with st. bobby and his national championships. no disrespect to the players we recruited but we really did not land a signature player last recruiting period, besides stirrups who everyone thought was going juco and he did, and the staff says so in post interviews. we also picked up only one left tackle which was a bit of a need (although i do like ide, he's a sleeper and a project) now did our desire to get rose have something to do with it, who knows. could we have diverted some of those resources we used on rose and maybe pick up a quality 3 star left tackle or would it even make a difference, who knows all you can do is speculate.

much like you i trust the staff however it's legitimate to wonder if they got caught up in the race to get rose and missed out on a quality left tackle that we could've gotten if we pushed more.

now to tie it all together, i'm all for going after simms, i think the pros outweighs the cons plus we have grothe if we happen to wiff at qb this year, however i don't fault people who may be a bit wary that our pursuit of sims may hurt our recruiting of voss or marve.

[Guest Ari_Hinkelberger]

Everybody needs to lay off CJL.   He might be one of the best coaches in the country.

He has single handily taken something that was non-existenet and turned it into a wining, money generating, football producing program that is going to rescue this school from 40 years of dark depressing athletics.

From day one he has made progress every year.

We started out as a program that thought it was a big deal to play Georgia Southern and Western Kentucky -- to a team that has 2 home and home series with mutil-national champion Miami -- and has wins over 9th ranked Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, UConn,

We got the Gators in back to back years coming up.  We got Auburn, UNC and Kansas on the schedule.

We made a Bowl Game last year.

There is very little to criticize with respect to this program.  You can' start a program and in 10 years expect to land the Tim Tebow's of the world.

I really don't think you need Tim Tebow.  I think Blackwell was an exceptional QB and he wasn't hearalded.

Jim Leavitt turned down millions and nationwide prestige with Alabama to build a nationall champion at a school that hasn't even contended for one in a single sport.  We are a school with a basketball and baseball program that are in the gutter, but have a footbal program with complete promise,

And the entire time he has done nothing but produce with very little.

We have a young OC.  He made some retarded calls last year at UCONN.  He also called a brilliant game against UL.

I give the guy another year or two to show what he is made of.

He needs a QB.  This Grothe kid could be the anwer, or maybe another year with a hopefully much improved PJ.

In 20 years the entire athletic program is going to be named after this guy and he will be the Bobby Bowden of Tampa, Florida when all is said and done.

He took this job making like 75K.  Probably less this his coordinator pay at K-State.

It was pure dumb luck that we got this guy, but it was a huge blessing.

It is very hard to find anything to hit him over the head with, considering what he has produced.

Turn your attention towards a basketball program that has been in the gutter for almost 2 decades.

[MavTechKNIGHT2]

are you insinuating that o'liar would not listen to a player of stirrups caliber if he showed some interest? he was probably the third best prospect from the tampa area last year, he was being recruited on a national level by teams like southern cal before grades became a problem. if there is even a slight chance you could get him on the field, you make that gamble. especially for a program like usf and absolutely for a non bcs program like ucf. he'd have been the most highly rated recruit ucf ever got besides culpepper. and after seeing your d-line get demolished by our o-line last year you seriously could use the help.

Listen?  Yes.  Sign him to a schollie?  Hell NO!  No way.

Do you not understand that if he doesn't qualify, you don't get jack?  What is so hard about that.

But why do I try to explain this to you guys.  USF is the king of signing all these great players in February, only to have them not qualify or quit by May.

[bullzpen4636]

it's very easy why do you think programs offer more scholarships than they can give, because they know some will be loss through attrition. if there is a chance to get stirrups on the field, and there was, you sign him, worse case scenario you can have a leg up after he graduates juco. miami has been doing this for years they place their inelgible guys like richard gordon in prep schools and sign them as soon as they are elgible. it's part of college football. obviously you prefer to not have to do this for every player, but stirrups was an exception.

i believe 2 did not make it last year because of grades, which is about par for the course at most major programs.

[CyberBull]

Listen?  Yes.  Sign him to a schollie?  Hell NO!  No way.

Do you not understand that if he doesn't qualify, you don't get jack?  What is so hard about that.

But why do I try to explain this to you guys.  USF is the king of signing all these great players in February, only to have them not qualify or quit by May.

Dear UCF FAN:

Even though we realize that the only thing more exciting for you guys is a getting a Dirty Sanchez from GOL, this is not a place to get your jollies. There is a perfectly good smack board for you guys to talk yourself into the college football hall of fame. In other words, this thread doesn't concern the Tinmen so why are you here?

[MavTechKNIGHT2]

Because, for a year and a half, I was a USF student.  That gives me the right.

I have not attacked anyone.  Simply trying to help a USF fan out against S.Bien.  Most of the people who have posted for a while understand his "schtick".  For the newbies, I am providing a service.

8)

[ZeroBullChip]

That doesn't give you the right to the same thing on Brandon's board.  I was banned while taking classes at UCF no less.

[PingBull]

Turn your attention towards a basketball program that has been in the gutter for almost 2 decades.

you jackass....we've talked about Basketball since football ended...give it up!!!   its FOOTBALL time now!!!

[CyberBull]

Because, for a year and a half, I was a USF student.  That gives me the right.

I have not attacked anyone.  Simply trying to help a USF fan out against S.Bien.  Most of the people who have posted for a while understand his "schtick".  For the newbies, I am providing a service.

8)

Bien is right most of the time, except for Ronnie Banks ;^)

Back when UCFers were trying on BigEast shirts b/c they were "so in" the Big East,  Bien was the first to say slow down.....it's USF's game to lose. Fast forward three years and USF is poised to collect nearly $8-million in BE related revenues.

Got BCS?

Nope just an overpaid cheater.