OUCH!!!!
From The Herald Disgrace
Welcome to "Second Guess" Tuesday.
Just consider these opinions as an umbrella.
n The clock is ticking.
There are only eight shopping days left for Marshall's football program until National Signing Day on Feb. 1.
Usually, Marshall's fans have that date circled on their calendars. Usually, it's a day that generates revelry among the Herd faithful. Usually, some of Marshall's die-hards even treat it like a second Christmas.
But this year?
The usual has turned unusual.
Instead of courting prep phenoms and hoping to pick off a few FBS-quality recruits that aren't academically qualified yet, Marshall coach Doc Holliday appears to have opted for a "quick fix" with transfers.
That means Holliday's lengthy streak of having the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in Conference USA is most likely coming to an end.
In 247 Sports website's most recent recruiting rankings, Marshall's Class of 2017 is all the way down at No. 12 among C-USA's 14 football programs.
Mull that stunning news over for a moment.
Twelfth out of 14.
The 247 Sports website has Marshall with 11 commitments, including a trio of 3-star recruits. The only schools ranked lower were No. 13 UAB, which is reviving its football program, with 20 commitments and one 3-star, and No. 14 UTEP with eight commitments and one 3-star.
That's not good company.
Leading the way at No. 1 is UTSA with 24 commitments including 11 3-star recruits. Middle Tennessee is No. 2 with 20 recruits and 14 3-stars, followed in order by No. 3 FIU with 25 recruits (eight 3-star), No. 4 Southern Miss with 20 recruits (nine 3-star) and No. 5 Western Kentucky with 19 recruits (eight 3-star).
Next, Florida Atlantic is No 6 with 14 recruits (eight 3-star), followed by No. 7 Charlotte with 22 recruits (four 3-star), No. 8 Louisiana Tech with 15 recruits (six 3-star), No. 9 Old Dominion with 20 recruits (seven 3-star), No. 10 Rice with 14 recruits (two 3-star) and No. 11 North Texas with 16 recruits (three 3-star).
Think those ratings are sobering?
Then, try these national rankings on for size.
The 247 Sports website ranks Marshall's recruiting class as No. 124 in the country. By comparison, fellow Group of Five member Memphis is No. 57 and UTSA checks in at No. 72.
To put Marshall's ranking in perspective, the Herd is rated just below Yale, Eastern Washington, Harvard, Eastern Michigan and Arkansas State.
Ugh.
n There's a question about how many commitments Marshall has.
Rivals.com recruiting has the Herd with 10, including running back DeCavilon Reese, 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, from Benedictine High School in Cleveland.
The 247 Sports site, however, has Marshall with 11. Its list includes place-kicker Cole Phillips, 6-1, 210 pounds, from Cairo, Ga., and cornerback Ladarius Clark, 5-8, 170, of Fort Meade, Fla.
Rivals didn't list Phillips or Clark, while 247 Sports didn't include Reese.
Stay tuned.
n Time for a trip down memory lane.
This interesting tidbit was provided Monday by former Marshall coach Jim Donnan.
When Donnan's Herd routed VMI, 56-21, in 1995, two guys who are well-known coaches now were nondescript assistants for the Keydets.
Their names?
Dan Quinn and Mike Tomlin.
Quinn, who is the Atlanta Falcons' head coach, was VMI's defensive line coach. Tomblin, who is the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, was wide receivers coach.
Yet, both of them were coaching in the NFC and AFC title games on Sunday.
Imagine that.
From The Herald Disgrace
Welcome to "Second Guess" Tuesday.
Just consider these opinions as an umbrella.
n The clock is ticking.
There are only eight shopping days left for Marshall's football program until National Signing Day on Feb. 1.
Usually, Marshall's fans have that date circled on their calendars. Usually, it's a day that generates revelry among the Herd faithful. Usually, some of Marshall's die-hards even treat it like a second Christmas.
But this year?
The usual has turned unusual.
Instead of courting prep phenoms and hoping to pick off a few FBS-quality recruits that aren't academically qualified yet, Marshall coach Doc Holliday appears to have opted for a "quick fix" with transfers.
That means Holliday's lengthy streak of having the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in Conference USA is most likely coming to an end.
In 247 Sports website's most recent recruiting rankings, Marshall's Class of 2017 is all the way down at No. 12 among C-USA's 14 football programs.
Mull that stunning news over for a moment.
Twelfth out of 14.
The 247 Sports website has Marshall with 11 commitments, including a trio of 3-star recruits. The only schools ranked lower were No. 13 UAB, which is reviving its football program, with 20 commitments and one 3-star, and No. 14 UTEP with eight commitments and one 3-star.
That's not good company.
Leading the way at No. 1 is UTSA with 24 commitments including 11 3-star recruits. Middle Tennessee is No. 2 with 20 recruits and 14 3-stars, followed in order by No. 3 FIU with 25 recruits (eight 3-star), No. 4 Southern Miss with 20 recruits (nine 3-star) and No. 5 Western Kentucky with 19 recruits (eight 3-star).
Next, Florida Atlantic is No 6 with 14 recruits (eight 3-star), followed by No. 7 Charlotte with 22 recruits (four 3-star), No. 8 Louisiana Tech with 15 recruits (six 3-star), No. 9 Old Dominion with 20 recruits (seven 3-star), No. 10 Rice with 14 recruits (two 3-star) and No. 11 North Texas with 16 recruits (three 3-star).
Think those ratings are sobering?
Then, try these national rankings on for size.
The 247 Sports website ranks Marshall's recruiting class as No. 124 in the country. By comparison, fellow Group of Five member Memphis is No. 57 and UTSA checks in at No. 72.
To put Marshall's ranking in perspective, the Herd is rated just below Yale, Eastern Washington, Harvard, Eastern Michigan and Arkansas State.
Ugh.
n There's a question about how many commitments Marshall has.
Rivals.com recruiting has the Herd with 10, including running back DeCavilon Reese, 5-foot-10, 188 pounds, from Benedictine High School in Cleveland.
The 247 Sports site, however, has Marshall with 11. Its list includes place-kicker Cole Phillips, 6-1, 210 pounds, from Cairo, Ga., and cornerback Ladarius Clark, 5-8, 170, of Fort Meade, Fla.
Rivals didn't list Phillips or Clark, while 247 Sports didn't include Reese.
Stay tuned.
n Time for a trip down memory lane.
This interesting tidbit was provided Monday by former Marshall coach Jim Donnan.
When Donnan's Herd routed VMI, 56-21, in 1995, two guys who are well-known coaches now were nondescript assistants for the Keydets.
Their names?
Dan Quinn and Mike Tomlin.
Quinn, who is the Atlanta Falcons' head coach, was VMI's defensive line coach. Tomblin, who is the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, was wide receivers coach.
Yet, both of them were coaching in the NFC and AFC title games on Sunday.
Imagine that.
