Recruiting vs. Coaching

[Justin Boza is cee]

I was watching ESPNU and they were interviewing RU coach Greg Schiano and he was asked about recruiting and his relationship with Florida schools.  I don't want to quote, but he said that the base of RU recruits is still the northeast, but he collects a good share of recruits from Florida.  He also said that there is such a fine line between the recruiting classes of programs within the Big East.

More importantly, he said that the recruiting rankings are a bit overrated, and that most people tend to forget that Recruiting and Coaching go hand-in-hand.  You can't recruit studs and have poor coaching techniques and vice versa.  However, Schiano cited programs like VaTech and WVU, who have slightly above average recruiting bases, but coach their programs up to elite status.

I thought this was pretty interesting.  I hear a lot of clamoring on this board about how good/bad Leavitt recruits and that he's located in the state of Florida.  However, we dont have to look very far to see that recruiting isn't end-all be-all of a program (FSU and UM have had good recruiting classes, both are unranked).  Do you guys think Leavitt's coaching is on par with his recruiting?  I think he's doing a fine job recruiting (nothing spectacular, but adequate), but I still question his coaching strategies.

[SANJAY]

Good question.  There are two (at least) aspects to coaching.  Game day coaching and in-week (and offseason) coaching.  Leavitt does some good things and some questionable things in each.  Given that more of our players are athletes than pure football players, they need to be coached up. I think for kids to be coached up it is a question of in week coaching as the game day decisions do not make them better.  CJL is a decent gameday coach and a pretty good in week coach.  His major problem will be loyalty to assistants who are not that good, and therefore not helping coach players up.

[Justin Boza is cee]

CJL is a decent gameday coach and a pretty good in week coach.  His major problem will be loyalty to assistants who are not that good, and therefore not helping coach players up.

Would the loyalty that you refer to be that of Rod Smith?  Just curious.  Based on what you've said, I question his in-week coaching specifically for the penalties that we have.  For instance, we get a lot of technique penalties like facemasks and pass interferences.  We also get a lot of holds.  As compared to formation penalties like offsides, false starts, # of men on the line of scrimmage, etc.  The discipline is also a big reason why I question Leavitt, especially with all of our off the field problems.  It seems as if the inmates are running the assylum.

[Guest r_to_the_izzo]

I think Leavitt is a pretty solid recruiter, considering he sold the first few classes on nothing. I do however think he is a little weaker on the game day coaching then some on here want to believe.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Yep, Coach Leavitt has made some odd coaching decisions.  He's an above average coach, but not one of the elite like so many of our compadres on this site try to argue.

[BullBlood]

Assistants are equally as important as the Head Coach in all of these areas covered above (recruiting/game day coaching/mid-week coaching/off-season coaching/discipline).  None of our assistants are exactly being courtshipped, for head coaching jobs, like many of the other big time program assistants are.  Anyone have any problems with our LB unit????  You think Leavitt coaches the LBs differently than the rest of the team?  We've recruited well there, they play outstanding, they play disciplined, and they don't have off-field issues.  All of our LBs make grades and make it on campus when recruited.  A couple more assistant like Wally and we'd be set.  Dawsey has certainly stepped it up with his group as well.

I agree with the statement that Leavitt's loyalty has hindered some progress at this program.  Most of the loyalty, however, was to the guys that had been here since the begining.  I can only hope that the new contract and the BE affiliation will force him to treat the newcomers like any other major program would--performance based.  Don't forget that the assistants salaries will also be increased steadily over the length of CJL's contract as well.

[Bullish]

I see CJL as middle of the pack in recruiting, coaching, and game day preparation - no glaring weaknesses but nothing to get overly excited about either.

I would like to see a step up in recruiting: top 30 - 40 ranking year after year, less penalties and more accountability for the assistants to take this program up a notch. We should be a year or two away from competing with WVU, Lville, and Pitt for the top of the BE division. If we are not competing after the 3rd year for a BCS birth them CJL better be replaced. Please do not suggest we were competing for a BCS birth last year, just look at the overall record, who beat USF and while you are at it stop kidding yourself.

[windbane]

Please do not suggest we were competing for a BCS birth last year, just look at the overall record, who beat USF and while you are at it stop kidding yourself.

you said please but I am not a nice guy.  let's look at the record, shall we?  4-3.  3rd in big east.  without UConn choke we have a game for BCS but at worst 5-2.  2nd.  and that was without grothe.  pitt, UConn, miami, penn state (nearly undefeated, won BCS game), NC State, west virginia (oh look, another BCS game winner.  imagine that).  we lost to 3 top-notch programs, 2 quality programs, and 1 heartbreaking upset.  stop being negative when it's not necessary.

[Bullish]

Wind, stop being overly positive and it really does not matter if you are nice or not, you are entitled to your opinion.

How can you overlook the failure to beat a dormat team like UCONN? Beat UCONN and we are having a discussion about competing for a BE Championship however as reality played out it lost that game and was eliminated from a chance to compete for the BE championship.

[windbane]

Wind, stop being overly positive and it really does not matter if you are nice or not, you are entitled to your opinion.

How can you overlook the failure to beat a dormat team like UCONN? Beat UCONN and we are having a discussion about competing for a BE Championship however as reality played out it lost that game and was eliminated from a chance to compete for the BE championship.

so that single loss to UConn means we cant compete against anyone else?  last i saw we blew them out this year.  things change, you know.  things dont need to change that much for us to win the big east.  i'm not being that positive, i'm analyizing the results differently.  not that there is anything wrong with being positive.

fact:  the only teams with a better record in the big east were UL and WVU.  we beat 1 out of 2.  we dont have much to go.