RR, Bill, & DH recruiting - where is Dana's Big 12 bump?

[WVUDisciples]

RR's last three years averaged 4 four-star recruits and only 4 2-stars

BS last three years avg 4 four stars and only 3 2 stars

Counting this year's 23 recruits (almost full) DH average 2 4 stars and 6 2 stars, with this year being the lowest rated class in almost 10 years. Not only Are we getting less higher rated re recruits, we are getting more two stars. We are almost as bad at recruiting as Kansas State has been for the last 5 years. (Oh, wait a minute, our better recruits have yet to beat the lowly KSU recruits)

Where is the Big 12 bump we were promised?

Call me a hater but trying to keep this class together should not have been important enough to keep Dana another year. It's the worst class in years. It had to be strictly a financial buyout decision. Thanks Ollie.

 

[Vernon]

RR's last three years averaged 4 four-star recruits and only 4 2-stars

BS last three years avg 4 four stars and only 3 2 stars

Counting this year's 23 recruits (almost full) DH average 2 4 stars and 6 2 stars, with this year being the lowest rated class in almost 10 years. Not only Are we getting less higher rated re recruits, we are getting more two stars. We are almost as bad at recruiting as Kansas State has been for the last 5 years. (Oh, wait a minute, our better recruits have yet to beat the lowly KSU recruits)

Where is the Big 12 bump we were promised?

Call me a hater but trying to keep this class together should not have been important enough to keep Dana another year. It's the worst class in years. It had to be strictly a financial buyout decision. Thanks Ollie.

There has been a small increase but not what many thought would happen. The bottom line in my opinion is WVU has enough talent to be winning an additional game or two per years. Obviously they're not going to reach that level without better QB recruiting and development. I don't have a lot more to add but @Keenan Cummings may.

 

[wbgvwbgv]

RR's last three years averaged 4 four-star recruits and only 4 2-stars

BS last three years avg 4 four stars and only 3 2 stars

Counting this year's 23 recruits (almost full) DH average 2 4 stars and 6 2 stars, with this year being the lowest rated class in almost 10 years. Not only Are we getting less higher rated re recruits, we are getting more two stars. We are almost as bad at recruiting as Kansas State has been for the last 5 years. (Oh, wait a minute, our better recruits have yet to beat the lowly KSU recruits)

Where is the Big 12 bump we were promised?

Call me a hater but trying to keep this class together should not have been important enough to keep Dana another year. It's the worst class in years. It had to be strictly a financial buyout decision. Thanks Ollie.

LOL - Lyons announcement has the trolls and low information fans discombobulated. The roster is getting better and better and star comparisons between decades is just silly - reeks of desperation. Talk to the Texas fans about star ratings.

WVU is climbing the ladder one rung at a time

Oklahoma 11-1
TX Christian 10-2
Oklahoma St 10-2
Baylor 9-3
W Virginia 7-5
Texas Tech 7-5
Kansas St 6-6
Texas 5-7
Iowa State 3-9
Kansas

 

[Keenan Cummings]

There has been a small increase but not what many thought would happen. The bottom line in my opinion is WVU has enough talent to be winning an additional game or two per years. Obviously they're not going to reach that level without better QB recruiting and development. I don't have a lot more to add but @Keenan Cummings may.

I truthfully think some of those two-stars that West Virginia has are very underrated. Not sure how Saunders, Pratt or Battle are in that range and you can make an argument for some others. West Virginia has been recruiting better overall, particularly when you factor in attrition which was an absolute killer for Rodriguez's classes but as I've said time and time again the Mountaineers are always going to face challenges recruiting here that some programs don't. It's not nearly as easy as snapping your fingers.

 

[thunderstruckatthejoan]

How many of Stew's big recruits actually made it and stayed on campus?

 

[Low Mountains Drifter]

As you probably realize, I am a staunch critic of Holgorsen. I think he has done a poor job overall and that we can (and should have tried to) do better.

That said, with the obvious exception of QB, I don't think recruiting has significantly suffered under Holgorsen. It hasn't improved (whether you believe in recruiting rankings or just have eyeballs and a passing knowledge of the game and look at how the players perform) but there really was no sound reason to think switching conferences would lead to better recruiting. I think only the inverse proposition was true-- failing to remain in a conference with access to the highest levels would have damaged recruiting.

It's not as if we moved from Conference USA or the MWC to the "big time" and somehow became more attractive to recruits. We simply avoided becoming less attractive as we would have if we got relegated to the AAC. In the Big East (regardless of the overall strength of the conference) we were well positioned to recruit because if we won big all possibilities were open. Moving to the Big 12 just kept those possibilities open and did not increase them.

Other than QB recruiting, I don't see a significant difference between current recruiting and the level at which we recruited since the relatively early years under Nehlen. I think our major problem is what we do with and get out of the players we have. Recruiting is obviously very important but it does not tell the entire story.

In fact, looking at Nehlen's tenure is instructive. I would say that his recruiting toward the end of his tenure was probably the best in school history. Better overall than his earlier years and the other's who followed him. Maybe not by a huge margin, but I think the rosters from 1995-2000 had more talent overall than any others. Yet, those teams did not do as well as many of Nehlen's earlier teams or the Rodriguez teams from 2005-08. I'm a huge fan of Nehlen and credit him with establishing our program as a legitimate major college program, but I do think that toward the end of his tenure he lost a bit of the spark and did not do as well at coaching more talented teams to reach full potential as his younger self did at getting less talented teams to overachieve.

 

[WVUDisciples]

That's a good question. The fact is that Bill Stewart had more 4-stars complete their careers here than Dana Holgorson has recruited in total. Half his four star recruits ended up being drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL draft.

I'm not saying BS was the greatest coach, he did screwy things too, but he was held accountable for his mistakes and was getting paid much, much less.

In addition, the 2011 team was 100% BS players and BS staff. If you take that one year away from Dana's record, DH is a .500 coach at best. I frankly cannot understand how we hold onto Dana this long when we held BS accountable (and rightfully so) for his results.

I also agree that Don Nehlen wasn't getting it done, Bulger team from '98 was probably most talented team we ever had. Just didn't produce.

How many of Stew's big recruits actually made it and stayed on campus?

How many of Stew's big recruits actually made it and stayed on campus?

 

[Wvu21795]

Does anyone know if Jacob Mccrary is still coming in 2016?

 

[Low Mountains Drifter]

I agree about 1998, but that is a good reference for how far expectations have dipped.

That disappointing 1998 team went 9-4. The 4 losses were to teams that finished:

#2 Ohio State (#1 when we played) 34-17
#21 Miami 34-31
#19 VT 27-13
#25 Missouri 34-31

We beat Syracuse that finished #24 and won the Big East, going 6-1.

8-4 with: 1 win over a ranked opponent; no losses to unranked teams; 2 very close losses to ranked teams, and Don Nehlen, the man who built the program to where being disappointed with winning seasons was common, got plenty of heat for underachieving. Now, we lose 5 games (before the bowl), beat no ranked teams and get blown out by 3 of the 4 ranked teams we played, and some think a guy who has contributed a tiny fraction of what Neheln did to the program should get a pass.

It's really just sad. I'm getting beyond the point where I can muster any emotion beyond oh, well here we go again and shaking my head.

 

[Mtman 69]

Bill Stewart did nail some top notch recruits, I feel strictly because parents wanted their kids to play for a man like him......They trusted him......Also, some carry over from the Pat White years.....

 

[Atocep]

I truthfully think some of those two-stars that West Virginia has are very underrated. Not sure how Saunders, Pratt or Battle are in that range and you can make an argument for some others. West Virginia has been recruiting better overall, particularly when you factor in attrition which was an absolute killer for Rodriguez's classes but as I've said time and time again the Mountaineers are always going to face challenges recruiting here that some programs don't. It's not nearly as easy as snapping your fingers.

It seems like this class the staff is getting guys they want. These aren't 2 star kids we've had to settle on late in the cycle. Rivals are some other places don't seem to be high on them, but our staff is.

Personally, I don't see how Saunders and Pratt are 2 star guys. It remains to be seen who is right in the end, but considering we were on these guys early and haven't backed away I like our chances.

 

[WVUDisciples]

I think you hit the nail on the head with Bill Stewart. If you watched the 30 for 30 on Bill MCCartney, it was the way he turned that program around. All other things being equal (like program prestige, facilities, etc) Parents send their kids to head coaches that are good role models.

You have to have something to give you the edge in recruiting. With BS and DN, it was good old boy dad figure. With RR it was hard work and passionate staff, getting kids to believe we were a program on the rise.

I don't think Dana has found his edge. I really thought when he came that we would have QBs rolling in here. I guess they just aren't buying it.

Bill Stewart did nail some top notch recruits, I feel strictly because parents wanted their kids to play for a man like him......They trusted him......Also, some carry over from the Pat White years.....

I