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Post by bogeyman on Feb 2, 2016 12:45:46 GMT -6
Just an opinion on our recruiting of cofC kids. I tend to think it is more of a problem than OWC thinks (minor). The reality of not having cofC coaches really negates that advantage. They can't be a presence in most of our churches, youth rallies and camp settings where lots of cofC families and their budding athletes spend lots of time. I understand that our base numbers are not what Catholic or Baptist bases are but we do produce multiple quality athletes each year to which ACU should at least be on their radar. Understand that I'm not trying to put down our coaches and the bases they come from and develop. I'm just thinking we are missing out on a natural base that some schools are able to mine quite easily because of their religious backgrounds. Could 2-3 quality athletes from cofC each year change our football prospects? I think, yes.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Feb 2, 2016 12:46:51 GMT -6
Watched a little of Andersons HUDL film. Looks like after a year of weight and speed work he could be a player. Any word from Etuk? Would he and Anderson vie for work at center? Could Anderson' commitment mean we didn't get Etuk? Hisler is a junior. Andren Anderson is a rs freshmen I have forgotten which one, but either sophore Brady Melde or Kris Thigpen filled in at center last year when Anderson was hurtt. Wall has played center. the probability of any freshman vying for playing time at this spot seems very low, especially a walk on. Etuk will red shirt almost certainly. Anderson, too, I imagine. Every year we have a walk on or two who see the field, but the odds are against Anderson making it are huge unless he is a long snapper.
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Post by bogeyman on Feb 2, 2016 13:06:39 GMT -6
Didn't see the earlier comment that Slayde Anderson was probably a walk on. IMHO center was our "leakiest" line position last year, even with all the injuries. I'm willing to give a little grace to Hisler because he was hobbled too, but his play has to improve next year to hold on to that spot (again, my opinion). Anderson looked like he was willing to stick his nose into the action and keep guys out of the backfield. That's what I'm looking for in a center, walk on or scholarship recruit. 6'3 280 is a good start size wise too.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Feb 2, 2016 13:28:23 GMT -6
Didn't see the earlier comment that Slayde Anderson was probably a walk on. IMHO center was our "leakiest" line position last year, even with all the injuries. I'm willing to give a little grace to Hisler because he was hobbled too, but his play has to improve next year to hold on to that spot (again, my opinion). Anderson looked like he was willing to stick his nose into the action and keep guys out of the backfield. That's what I'm looking for in a center, walk on or scholarship recruit. 6'3 280 is a good start size wise too. I agree with cutting Hisler a little slack due to injuries and the fact that he had never before played center. I also agree that he was the weakest link in our O Line. I am anxious to see how our RS Freshman Anderson does. I really, really, really, hope we aren't forced to use any true freshmen this year. 99% of them need a rs year. Laws was as prepared as any freshman we have had in a while last year and even he was overmatched by older,stronger guys on the d line. I am guessing he will make huge strides this year after spending time in the weight room and with another year to adjust to the college game.
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Post by catmasters05 on Feb 2, 2016 13:32:25 GMT -6
Didn't see the earlier comment that Slayde Anderson was probably a walk on. IMHO center was our "leakiest" line position last year, even with all the injuries. I'm willing to give a little grace to Hisler because he was hobbled too, but his play has to improve next year to hold on to that spot (again, my opinion). Anderson looked like he was willing to stick his nose into the action and keep guys out of the backfield. That's what I'm looking for in a center, walk on or scholarship recruit. 6'3 280 is a good start size wise too. I agree with cutting Hisler a little slack due to injuries and the fact that he had never before played center. I also agree that he was the weakest link in our O Line. I am anxious to see how our RS Freshman Anderson does. I really, really, really, hope we aren't forced to use any true freshmen this year. 99% of them need a rs year. Laws was as prepared as any freshman we have had in a while last year and even he was overmatched by older,stronger guys on the d line. I am guessing he will make huge strides this year after spending time in the weight room and with another year to adjust to the college game. Another great advantage to adding a few OL in the recruiting class is practice. Last year there were so few "healthy" OL, that the ones who were starting were taking all the reps in practice. Although reps are good, it takes a physical toll on linemen to be battling that hard all week in practice. It will help to be able to let everyone get reps in practice.
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Post by acutrackfan on Feb 2, 2016 13:41:40 GMT -6
In a perfect world, I would love to see ACU have as many as 10 men in a rotation - 10 HEALTHY players that Coach Carey has enough confidence in to play with some regularity. Two years ago, ACU basically played with 7 linemen, with 5 starters getting huge amounts of the time (90-100% of the snaps). If we have enough healthy and capable linemen that no one has to play more than 75-80% of the time, I just think everyone is fresher and ready come playoff time. And, in just 1.5 years, we can begin to worry about playoff time.
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Post by Cap'n on Feb 2, 2016 13:43:23 GMT -6
Just an opinion on our recruiting of cofC kids. I tend to think it is more of a problem than OWC thinks (minor). The reality of not having cofC coaches really negates that advantage. They can't be a presence in most of our churches, youth rallies and camp settings where lots of cofC families and their budding athletes spend lots of time. I understand that our base numbers are not what Catholic or Baptist bases are but we do produce multiple quality athletes each year to which ACU should at least be on their radar. Understand that I'm not trying to put down our coaches and the bases they come from and develop. I'm just thinking we are missing out on a natural base that some schools are able to mine quite easily because of their religious backgrounds. Could 2-3 quality athletes from cofC each year change our football prospects? I think, yes. Bogeyman, I fall on the side of Oscar here. First, we have picked up a handful of C of C recruits(Alexis Mason). 2nd, the number of D1 recruits from the CofC is painfully thin. Like other recruits, when the big programs knock, they are more likely to open the door than if we knock. Remember also that there are thousands of players at Catholic schools across the Northeast and Midwest. I think that is where ND recruits, not so much who attends mass on Sunday. On on the other hand, Baylor can only recruit 20-25 players per year. That leaves a whole bunch of Baptists who might like to learn and compete in a Christian environment. Finally, at least in Texas, many conservative churches and members think ACU has fallen into apostasy and (seriously) believe their children are more likely to remain Christians at a state school than ACU. One ray of hope, however: ACU recruits heavily among the historically black churches of Christ for students in the general population. That should help athletics over the coming years.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Feb 2, 2016 14:21:10 GMT -6
Just an opinion on our recruiting of cofC kids. I tend to think it is more of a problem than OWC thinks (minor). The reality of not having cofC coaches really negates that advantage. They can't be a presence in most of our churches, youth rallies and camp settings where lots of cofC families and their budding athletes spend lots of time. I understand that our base numbers are not what Catholic or Baptist bases are but we do produce multiple quality athletes each year to which ACU should at least be on their radar. Understand that I'm not trying to put down our coaches and the bases they come from and develop. I'm just thinking we are missing out on a natural base that some schools are able to mine quite easily because of their religious backgrounds. Could 2-3 quality athletes from cofC each year change our football prospects? I think, yes. Bogeyman, I fall on the side of Oscar here. First, we have picked up a handful of C of C recruits(Alexis Mason). 2nd, the number of D1 recruits from the CofC is painfully thin. Like other recruits, when the big programs knock, they are more likely to open the door than if we knock. Remember also that there are thousands of players at Catholic schools across the Northeast and Midwest. I think that is where ND recruits, not so much who attends mass on Sunday. On on the other hand, Baylor can only recruit 20-25 players per year. That leaves a whole bunch of Baptists who might like to learn and compete in a Christian environment. Finally, at least in Texas, many conservative churches and members think ACU has fallen into apostasy and (seriously) believe their children are more likely to remain Christians at a state school than ACU. One ray of hope, however: ACU recruits heavily among the historically black churches of Christ for students in the general population. That should help athletics over the coming years. ALSO, ACU does recruit a couple of the schools supported by Churches of Christ. ....Greater Atlanta Christian, Fort Worth Christian, Lipscomb Academy and a few others.
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Post by acutrackfan on Feb 2, 2016 14:26:52 GMT -6
Over the past decade, ACU has had athletes from Dallas Christian, FW Southwest Christian, Midland Christian, and Northland Christian in Houston (current SLC runnerup decathlete Luke Woods is from there).
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Post by bogeyman on Feb 2, 2016 14:32:48 GMT -6
I will agree to disagree on this point. Doesn't need to be argued here. Several years ago, 3 of the 5 OL starters at Baylor had cofC backgrounds. One of them, from whom I got this info, would gladly have come to ACU but never got a sniff from the school. Several recent receivers at TT had not only cofC backgrounds but ACU ties but chose to go elsewhere. I alerted the school to one player for 4 years, having been friends with his dad, aunts and uncles and his grandfather who was a coach. ACU showed no interest. The kid went on to be an all American at a D2 school in the Midwest that we all know and love. Before leaving Wichita I played golf with him and he told me his dream had always been to go to ACU. I can't know all the whys and wherefores but do think that we do not pay near enough attention to our religious heritage in recruiting. I think it is a bigger problem than some see. We've got to get over the "we play 2nd fiddle to the big boys syndrome" if we're ever going to really compete in D1. Over and out.
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Post by Wildcat90 on Feb 2, 2016 14:35:15 GMT -6
Good point about local kids. We don't seem to have much luck recruiting in our own back yard. We seem teo get walk ons every year from Abilene-Wylie but I don't think we have had a single scholarship kid since turning D1. Maybe that's because we have very little interest from the community in how the Cats are doing. Locals don't turn out much for games. Coverage in local media has improved. Maybe that will result in more local support. The other thing I have wondered about in terms of recruiting is that we don't seem to have tapped into the Church of Christ base much for recruiting, unlike schools such as Notre Dame or BYU. Neither of these schools limit recruiting to those of their faith, but they recruit their own pretty heavily. Maybe because our coaches are not from a C of C background, we don't seem to put any emphasis on recruiting from this population, which is, of course, not nearly as large as Mormons or Catholics...but is still there....... These are minor points though. We are doing a good job with recruiting. This year in particular looks strong. Honestly from experience we don't get recruits from the Abilene area because we don't recruit the area much for whatever the reason is. I have been told a reason but who knows if accurate. Seems it would be the low hanging fruit that we could get early. Jake is a good example as he was not contacted much per his dad. Considering dad played at ACU would seem to be a no-brainer?
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Feb 2, 2016 14:42:43 GMT -6
I will agree to disagree on this point. Doesn't need to be argued here. Several years ago, 3 of the 5 OL starters at Baylor had cofC backgrounds. One of them, from whom I got this info, would gladly have come to ACU but never got a sniff from the school. Several recent receivers at TT had not only cofC backgrounds but ACU ties but chose to go elsewhere. I alerted the school to one player for 4 years, having been friends with his dad, aunts and uncles and his grandfather who was a coach. ACU showed no interest. The kid went on to be an all American at a D2 school in the Midwest that we all know and love. Before leaving Wichita I played golf with him and he told me his dream had always been to go to ACU. I can't know all the whys and wherefores but do think that we do not pay near enough attention to our religious heritage in recruiting. I think it is a bigger problem than some see. We've got to get over the "we play 2nd fiddle to the big boys syndrome" if we're ever going to really compete in D1. Over and out. I have had similar experiences Bogey. I have referred a couple of kids from c of c backgrounds with no follow up. I know another junior this year who is getting looks from SEC schools but I am not going to bother referring him based on past experiences.
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Post by Wildcat90 on Feb 2, 2016 14:44:18 GMT -6
I agree with cutting Hisler a little slack due to injuries and the fact that he had never before played center. I also agree that he was the weakest link in our O Line. I am anxious to see how our RS Freshman Anderson does. I really, really, really, hope we aren't forced to use any true freshmen this year. 99% of them need a rs year. Laws was as prepared as any freshman we have had in a while last year and even he was overmatched by older,stronger guys on the d line. I am guessing he will make huge strides this year after spending time in the weight room and with another year to adjust to the college game. Another great advantage to adding a few OL in the recruiting class is practice. Last year there were so few "healthy" OL, that the ones who were starting were taking all the reps in practice. Although reps are good, it takes a physical toll on linemen to be battling that hard all week in practice. It will help to be able to let everyone get reps in practice. I can only speak for S. Anderson and not A. Anderson....................S. Anderson will be a redshirt unless a lot happens and lets all hope that does not happen! Like I said he has a good base and good frame to put the right kind of weight on. My guess he can carry 300 to 310 if put on right and still move. Smart kid too as he was being recruited by the IVY league type schools. Older brother is playing at John Hopkins University now. SAT/ACT got a lot of school cost handled at ACU.
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Post by acutrackfan on Feb 2, 2016 14:46:19 GMT -6
I have certainly had some frustration at times over the years when ACU did not pursue a CofC kid that I hoped might go to ACU. I am trying to work with ACU coaches in a sport close to my heart right now to bring in just such a kid. Another kid with strong CofC and ACU legacy ties that went elsewhere is Davis Webb, the former Texas Tech starting QB who is the son of a former ACU all-conference tennis player, Donna Sykes Webb.
I also realize there is sometimes a story behind the lack of interest. I know of one case where I actually asked a kid - a grandson of a former ACU trustee whose grand parent told me that ACU never even gave him a call - if he knew why he never got a call from ACU. He said that he got some calls from ACU early in the recruiting process and he told ACU not to call him back he had no interest, but he told his grandparents that ACU never showed interest so they would get off his back. Only one anecdote, but an example of the fact there is often a back-story.
I don't mean to minimize Bogey's point here at all. I do think ACU can do a much better job of recruiting the CofC kid and the ACU legacy kid.
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Post by Wildcat90 on Feb 2, 2016 14:56:30 GMT -6
Good point about local kids. We don't seem to have much luck recruiting in our own back yard. We seem teo get walk ons every year from Abilene-Wylie but I don't think we have had a single scholarship kid since turning D1. Maybe that's because we have very little interest from the community in how the Cats are doing. Locals don't turn out much for games. Coverage in local media has improved. Maybe that will result in more local support. The other thing I have wondered about in terms of recruiting is that we don't seem to have tapped into the Church of Christ base much for recruiting, unlike schools such as Notre Dame or BYU. Neither of these schools limit recruiting to those of their faith, but they recruit their own pretty heavily. Maybe because our coaches are not from a C of C background, we don't seem to put any emphasis on recruiting from this population, which is, of course, not nearly as large as Mormons or Catholics...but is still there....... These are minor points though. We are doing a good job with recruiting. This year in particular looks strong. Honestly from experience we don't get recruits from the Abilene area because we don't recruit the area much for whatever the reason is. I have been told a reason but who knows if accurate. Seems it would be the low hanging fruit that we could get early. Jake is a good example as he was not contacted much per his dad. Considering dad played at ACU would seem to be a no-brainer? Honestly from experience we don't get recruits from the Abilene area because we don't recruit the area much for whatever the reason is. I have been told a reason but who knows if accurate. Seems it would be the low hanging fruit that we could get early. Jake is a good example as he was not contacted much per his dad and if I understand right was not offered. Considering dad played at ACU would seem to be a no-brainer? A gallon of gas is a pretty cheap recruiting trip to anywhere in town........... There is a kid at Abilene High that has all the measurable qualities you want, good grades and great personal character, right now will be a senior next year that would love to call ACU home. Keep an eye out for a Qua Washington. He was 1st team WR and 1st Team Defensive Safety two way player. I believe honorable mention All-State on Defense. This is a kid that we could get early by being out front! Same goes for the younger McMillon kid (Coy). 6'4" 265 TE and DE looks pretty good!
Sorry my message got mixed into the quote there!
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