Fatinikun plans to be a Rocket

[rocketfootball]

If we take our lumps on the recruiting trail this season because of the head coaching change so be it, but that will show in later years, and the program will have to overcome it then. It's not like a huge amount of these whining, middle-of-the-road recruits were going to come in and set the world on fire next season as true freshman.

I'd agree that these kids were not going to come in and play a lot right away next year, and remember there is still a month to go in recruiting and your new coach will likely have guys coming in to replace them that will do fine.

That said, these are not all the middle-of-the-road recruits from your board. Look at the guys that are looking elsewhere. QB Patrick Nicely has not re-committed anywhere yet, but he was widely considered your best recruit.....not middle-of-the-road. CB Ricky Steele was highly regarded in your class too, as was TJ Fatinikun. I know of at least one more player that was considered one of the higher regarded recruits in your class that is considering other schools even though he has not de-committed from BG so far. He could very well end up at BG still and he does have an official with BG coming in January, but he is also considering Toledo among other schools.

Point is, it's not just your middle-of-the-road recruits, but at the same time I am sure Clawson will have nice replacements for you. The question, like it will be with Beckman at Toledo, can he recruit in future years and can he win the MAC?

[cowboyjoe]

Well I know one thing and that is that these recruits coming in were going to be a part of 30 point scoring per game. Like I have said before. I hope that Clawson can recruit in this little town of 25,000 people. I think people took for granted the players we were able to get here the last few years. I hope Clawson can do it. If he does then I will be the happiest guy on this board. I think he should have done everything in his power to keep the recruits that had already verballed. Just my opinion.

[factman]

Take your "gloom and doom" over to the UT board if you want to spread it. As far as I know they still only have 8 recruits in this class and that leaves a looooooong way to go. Most of us here are VERY happy with Coach Clawson and the direction we are headed!

Hammb is right on target, as usual!

[always a falcon]

I just find it interesting that 3 or 4 young men from different parts of the state, have come out with the same "excuse" for decommitting to BGSU and heading for Toledo. Do you think that the "NEW" UT staffers might be planting some seeds of doubt in there?????

Coach Clawson didn't just fall off the football truck yesterday. He met with this current team, he met with staff and boosters, he made arrangements to meet wth every recruit , and recruits were on campus the day after he was named.

He isn't Coach CLONEson. Somebody got called first and somebody got called last. Alpha- P- number- part of the state- random dart throwing......who knows how the order went.
I just find it VERY interesting that the same answer is showing up.

[NWLB]

I think Clawson had a basic obligation to honor offers made to players on the behalf of the program, even if they weren't his recruits. However I don't think he has much obligation to chase after them.

To be honest, I'd rather take the second-hand recruits that don't go to U.Tenn than snot nosed brats from bloody Perrysburg. If they don't have their butts kissed to their satisfaction, screw'em.

[utrocks84]

No one wants to lose recruits this late in the recruiting season, why do you think Toledo is going after BG recruits because it's late. Though I do think it's interesting that Toledo recruit Boucher the QB that OSU visited said he was happy with Beckman who did call him the day he got his job, where Nicely, not a OSU target is looking at Akron and Toledo when Clawson was to busy to make 20 phones to Verballed recruits that would have taken maybe 2 hours to make on a plane or car. What about the nonverbals BG was in on that we don't know about that could also be lost. I'm sure the new coach at Tenn. made calls after his presser, even to players like T. Boyd the QB at U of Tenn. to tell him they were no longer interested. Yes, it was only a phone call missed, but when others are telling you stuff in your ear that makes a difference. What kind of Offense, am I still in your plans, at 17 it is important, they are kids not adults, they are easily swayed, thats why colleges keep recruiting players after they verbal. Wake up Ziggy board and make those phone calls.

[Arthur_Seven_Vandalay]

Wake up Ziggy board and make those phone calls.

We're not allowed to, per NCAA regulations. But thanks for your thoughts.

[Bleeding Orange]

No one wants to lose recruits this late in the recruiting season, why do you think Toledo is going after BG recruits because it's late. Though I do think it's interesting that Toledo recruit Boucher the QB that OSU visited said he was happy with Beckman who did call him the day he got his job, where Nicely, not a OSU target is looking at Akron and Toledo when Clawson was to busy to make 20 phones to Verballed recruits that would have taken maybe 2 hours to make on a plane or car. What about the nonverbals BG was in on that we don't know about that could also be lost. I'm sure the new coach at Tenn. made calls after his presser, even to players like T. Boyd the QB at U of Tenn. to tell him they were no longer interested. Yes, it was only a phone call missed, but when others are telling you stuff in your ear that makes a difference. What kind of Offense, am I still in your plans, at 17 it is important, they are kids not adults, they are easily swayed, thats why colleges keep recruiting players after they verbal. Wake up Ziggy board and make those phone calls.

ewe iz ruly smert

[birddog]

Bullshit back at ya. He should MEET with his current players (not call them). From what I read he had little to no chance to really look into the recruits. As he said on the podium- everything happened so fast. They even laid out the timeline. Sorry but he is behind the 8 ball now and did not need to be. Let the excuses Roll. You do not just through coins out of your pocket in the hopes of filling it with bigger ones at this late stage. That is STUPID!

A call should have been the first thing a new coach should do after walking off the podium.

Bullshit.

You ever think maybe he doesn't value these recruits as highly as the previous regime did? Maybe THAT is why they are so anxious to verbal elsewhere and why they don't like what they hear from him as much as they liked what they were being told by Brandon & Co?

Look anytime you make a coaching change recruiting that year suffers. Whether it be a firing or a head coach moving on the recruiting is behind the eightball for that year. This year's class will likely not be a full complement of what we could sign, because we're on a short recruiting calendar.

That is not, however, always a bad thing. Our new coach (and his new staff whenever they get hired) will have their own opinions on what they look for in a player. Those might not coincide with what Gregg Brandon's staff looked for in a player. It's quite likely that coach Clawson would rather scout and recruit players that meet his own expectations than bow to whatever Brandon's recruits wanted to hear.

Personally, I'm quite fine losing these Gregg Brandon recruits rather than use up our scholarships on kids that may or may not meet Clawson's ideals. To say that his first duty should be to call our current commitments is just ludicrous. His first duty should be to call his CURRENT players, not some HS kids that just want to hear how great they are.

[Class of 61]

bird dog,

I got the impression that he DID meet with his current players... as to not contacting the potential recruits, I'm going to assume that one of the things that he did was talk with his recruiting coordinator, since he WAS one of the people retained (Logically, I'd think).... then proceed to meet with, talk with, whatever semantics you wish to apply, his possible recruits...someone else has noted that 3-4 of these kids said virtually the same thing re: not being contacted immediately after the hire...got to think they got that line from someone else?