Q&A with South Florida's Skip Holtz, Part I

[2000bull]

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/17830/qa-with-south-floridas-skip-holtz-part-i

[South_Florida_Flip]

The last part with Nate Allen and the 4 star should be bolded for smazza and the like.

[BullFan98]

Good read.  Looking forward to part ii

[tau.reanb]

Skip is great at these interviews.  And I could not agree more with his opinion of recruiting so-called "four-star" and "five-star" athletes.  Holtz obviously looks at the total package when it comes to high school athletes: ability, coachability, academics, among others.  That is a far better way to asses how well a player will do at the next level than merely relying on Scout, Rivals, or ESPN to tell you "this player is gonna be big time!"  Skip mentioned that Nate Allen-- former "two-star" athlete who was a contender for defensive rookie of the year in the NFL this season-- was listed above some four-star athlete who he had "never heard of."  That couldn't be a bigger indictment on the ridiculousness of the star rating system. 

Speaking of ridiculous...  The anticipation to which some college football fans sat on the edge of their chairs waiting for Jadaveon Clowney to make his announcement yesterday is a prime example of how we've become far too obsessed with these high school prima donnas-- most of whom will never become stars at next level.  Why should ESPN broadcast the college choice of some 18 year-old who isn't even old enough to grab six-pack from 7-Eleven as though he were some star on the caliber of a Lebron James?  It's just like the obsession by USF fans with Josh Grady from a few weeks back following his every move from what schools he was visiting, to what he was Tweeting, and what kind of juice he drank that morning with his toast and eggs.  It was truly pathetic.  And while we're obsessively following his every move like he is some NFL superstar, he is mocking USF fans and laughing all the way to Nashville, TN to play for a school that is more known for its oligarch founders and academic reputation than for its bottom-dwelling football program. 

I'm glad we have a coach who doesn't go for these ego-inflated high school "superstars."  Bring in quality athletes who will buy into your system and qualify academically and we can win more games with those kind of players than a team full of Jadaveon Clowney's.   

[CPR]

No offense, but what you just said sounds ridiculous to me. I think the only reason people like you here are agreeing with not wanting 4 and 5 star stud divas is because we didn't get any besides maybe 1 boarderline case. If we got 5-6 of these blue chip guys you'd be ecstatic. Nate Allen was an exception diamond in the ruff type guy that Leavitt found. The chances of having another Allen type talent out of the 2 star guys this year is very small. There's a reason the top 20 programs in the country recruit and go after the best 4 and 5 star talent.

[tau.reanb]

No offense, but what you just said sounds ridiculous to me. I think the only reason people like you here are agreeing with not wanting 4 and 5 star stud divas is because we didn't get any besides maybe 1 boarderline case. If we got 5-6 of these blue chip guys you'd be ecstatic. Nate Allen was an exception diamond in the ruff type guy that Leavitt found. The chances of having another Allen type talent out of the 2 star guys this year is very small. There's a reason the top 20 programs in the country recruit and go after the best 4 and 5 star talent.

Nowhere did I say "don't recruit four and five star players."  I have two main points:

One-- go after the right "fit" for your system.  Recruit great athletes who are also great students.  If that player happens to be a five-star player, then great.  That's just bonus points.  If he happens to be a two-star player, who cares?  He's the player YOU want and that's all that matters. 

Two-- we are way too obsessed with the whims of high school kids and their school choices.  It irritates me just a little bit the way ESPN totally overhyped Clowney as though the fate of human society hinges on what ******* hat he puts on. 

[BDYZR]

That's funny, I agree with both of you, sorta.

I think C-Holtz will recruit the best STUDENT-Athlete-Person he can. I think we're going to see the graduation rate AND SUCCESS of our football team rise while CSH is here.

[Mama_Bull]

tau.reanb, FWIW ESPN ranked Josh Grady with only two stars.  Im pretty sure that most of the people following him, including myself, didn't think he'd be the next Nate Allen playing safety for USF. Grady was just providing some board interest up until signing day. There weren't all that many other recruits to follow.

[Fold FB Invest in BB]

Sounds like a bunch of coachspeak to me. Frakishly skilled athletes that can make it past the AC fit into anybody's "system". I don't care what coach said, but I'll give him credit for making it sound good. That guy is smooth.

[TallyBull]

I think Coach Holtz's point gets lost on some.  It's NOT that he doesn't want four and five-star recruits.  He DOES.  But he also recognizes that USF is relatively new on the scene and is going to have a tough time prying these folks away from traditional in-state and out-of-state powers.  In the meantime, he has to rely on athletes with fewer stars by their name, particularly those that get overlooked by the recruiting services and other schools.  

It's hard to argue that there isn't SOME correlation between star rating and success on the field.  Is it overblown?  Yessir.  Does it nevertheless matter?  Yessir.  But Coach Holtz and USF can still see an amazing amount of success on the field, even if they don't get a ton of four-star players.  If he can string together several successful seasons (e.g. win the Big East 2 or 3 times out of 5 years, and be in contention the other years) you will see recruiting improve, and it will get EASIER for USF to see success.  While star ratings do not guarantee sucesss, it does make life a little easier on coaching staffs that know what they're doing.  FWIW, I think this coaching staff knows what it's doing.