Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

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#1,001      
Here is another example of why in state coaches have no loyalty. Daine Hanson is a SDE that plays for a team in Illinois that was in the Championship game two years in a row. He has some solid offers but nothing from Illinois. On the other hand, an unranked kid in Atlanta with less offers has one from Illinois. Here is his link.

https://247sports.com/Recruitment/Daine-Hanson-134669/RecruitInterests/

Should the Coach at Nazareth not feel this is a slap in the face. Why would JJ McCarthy consider a school that feels like his teammates aren't good enough but an unranked kid from Atlanta is? I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan has offered more Illinois kids than Lovie and his staff. These are the issues that a majority of the High School coaches in Illinois deal with when it come to Illinois Football. It's not that difficult. It has nothing to do with ego. Absolutely go out of state for what you CAN'T get in State. I am off my soap box however, I would really like to see things turn around with in state recruiting. You will get more passion on the field when a majority of the team is representing their home state. Just a thought but, I also get Illinois don't want any of the lower level scrubs that coaches want them to take. It is what it is.

Hopefully the kid commit and start a little more momentum. If you thinking Coaches in Illinois don't want to see the home school succeed, you are sadly mistaken. Most speak about it often. It will also help boast recruitment ranking especially when those kids have success.
Couple of things:

1. He's unranked because he hasn't been to as many camps as Hanson. If he commits Sedarius will have a similar ranking. Also they aren't even the same player or position. Hanson is 6'7 and 235 true DE, Sedarius is 6'2 and 250. Sedarius will be more of a DT or 3-4 DE.
2. The offers they have are about the same in my opinion, Hanson- (BC, Iowa, IU, K State, Iowa St, Neb, Syracuse and Texas Tech). Sedarius- (Louisville, Duke, Minn, Pitt, Vandy, West Virginia and Wake Forest).
3. Michigan has offered 23 Illinois players since 2017. Illinois has offered 106 players in the same time span.
4. You spoke earlier about not offering kids that you don't intend to take, correct? Okay so maybe they don't want Hanson. We have taken 4 DE's in the last couple of classes and maybe we have eyes on other DE's in this class. Also why would we offer a kids teammate just to make another recruit happy? Isn't that basically what we did with luwann powell from ESTL and you had a problem with that.
5. Maybe lovie and his staff don't see the value of recruiting Chicago because they see it as a waste of resources.
 
#1,004      
Couple of things:

1. He's unranked because he hasn't been to as many camps as Hanson. If he commits Sedarius will have a similar ranking. Also they aren't even the same player or position. Hanson is 6'7 and 235 true DE, Sedarius is 6'2 and 250. Sedarius will be more of a DT or 3-4 DE.
2. The offers they have are about the same in my opinion, Hanson- (BC, Iowa, IU, K State, Iowa St, Neb, Syracuse and Texas Tech). Sedarius- (Louisville, Duke, Minn, Pitt, Vandy, West Virginia and Wake Forest).
3. Michigan has offered 23 Illinois players since 2017. Illinois has offered 106 players in the same time span.
4. You spoke earlier about not offering kids that you don't intend to take, correct? Okay so maybe they don't want Hanson. We have taken 4 DE's in the last couple of classes and maybe we have eyes on other DE's in this class. Also why would we offer a kids teammate just to make another recruit happy? Isn't that basically what we did with luwann powell from ESTL and you had a problem with that.
5. Maybe lovie and his staff don't see the value of recruiting Chicago because they see it as a waste of resources.

1. Going to camps have absolutely nothing to do with it. The kids at ESL that are ranked haven't been to any camps. As far as position, I gave an example. If you want me find the exact same type of player I can do that. No way should any kid in Illinois have multiple big 10 offers with Illinois not being one of them. (If you care about in State recruiting)
2. I agree their offers are about the same. Same level of player.
3. Those numbers should be significantly different considering in State versus out of State. According to the school finances, It cost more for out of state students correct?
4. I am not advocating for this kid to get an offer from Illinois. I am simply pointing out you can't have great in state recruiting if you are not offering the kids that are worthy of an offer. Power 5 type of player. I am also not saying offer him to get JJ. That wasn't the point at all. People mention the 4 stars or higher don't stay. My point is if they are going to play with a bunch of kids from other states at Illinois, there isn't much difference when it comes to home state school.
5. Renting a car and driving to Chicago is a waste of resource but paying for Flights into Atlanta to hopefully get a kid is more value added?

If Lovie don't want the kids I am fine with that and I understand. Don't turn around and say Coaches are against you by not showing loyalty. Stand tall and say I don't think the kids in Illinois can play football. He has the option to feel that way. Not offering and/or offering super late shows that so everyone operates accordingly. It is what it is.
 
#1,005      
I don’t really care who we recruit as long as they’re good dudes who can play football. My question would be, if I’m recruiting a kid from Illinois and a similar player from Georgia (or the south in general) and my job is to win games, why wouldn’t I take Georgia (or the south in general)?

In general southern kids will have played vs better comp. secondly, you have kids who are in athletic periods. They lift, workout, run routes, work technique, and live football 1.5 hours per day during the school day all year long. They will be more advanced even if ranked similarly. They have spring football where they have like 15 actual football practices outside of the athletic period and end with a spring game.

So I get the back and forth, but if your job is on the line, where are you putting your time in?
 
#1,006      
I don’t really care who we recruit as long as they’re good dudes who can play football. My question would be, if I’m recruiting a kid from Illinois and a similar player from Georgia (or the south in general) and my job is to win games, why wouldn’t I take Georgia (or the south in general)?

In general southern kids will have played vs better comp. secondly, you have kids who are in athletic periods. They lift, workout, run routes, work technique, and live football 1.5 hours per day during the school day all year long. They will be more advanced even if ranked similarly. They have spring football where they have like 15 actual football practices outside of the athletic period and end with a spring game.

So I get the back and forth, but if your job is on the line, where are you putting your time in?
I agree with you-- I'm taking southern kids all day long. Once we start winning, the best Illinois kids will want to come on board as well.
 
#1,007      
I don’t really care who we recruit as long as they’re good dudes who can play football. My question would be, if I’m recruiting a kid from Illinois and a similar player from Georgia (or the south in general) and my job is to win games, why wouldn’t I take Georgia (or the south in general)?

In general southern kids will have played vs better comp. secondly, you have kids who are in athletic periods. They lift, workout, run routes, work technique, and live football 1.5 hours per day during the school day all year long. They will be more advanced even if ranked similarly. They have spring football where they have like 15 actual football practices outside of the athletic period and end with a spring game.

So I get the back and forth, but if your job is on the line, where are you putting your time in?

I was just about to say that and that school is a powerhouse in GA and can be a decent school to try a pipeline with.
 
#1,008      
1. Going to camps have absolutely nothing to do with it. The kids at ESL that are ranked haven't been to any camps. As far as position, I gave an example. If you want me find the exact same type of player I can do that. No way should any kid in Illinois have multiple big 10 offers with Illinois not being one of them. (If you care about in State recruiting)
2. I agree their offers are about the same. Same level of player.
3. Those numbers should be significantly different considering in State versus out of State. According to the school finances, It cost more for out of state students correct?
4. I am not advocating for this kid to get an offer from Illinois. I am simply pointing out you can't have great in state recruiting if you are not offering the kids that are worthy of an offer. Power 5 type of player. I am also not saying offer him to get JJ. That wasn't the point at all. People mention the 4 stars or higher don't stay. My point is if they are going to play with a bunch of kids from other states at Illinois, there isn't much difference when it comes to home state school.
5. Renting a car and driving to Chicago is a waste of resource but paying for Flights into Atlanta to hopefully get a kid is more value added?

If Lovie don't want the kids I am fine with that and I understand. Don't turn around and say Coaches are against you by not showing loyalty. Stand tall and say I don't think the kids in Illinois can play football. He has the option to feel that way. Not offering and/or offering super late shows that so everyone operates accordingly. It is what it is.
1. I care about winning games. I don't care how many kids we pull from the state. Do you really think a player with 10 P5 offers is going to be unranked? He will be ranked once he commits.
2. If it's up to me and the player is the same level of player give me the kids playing against better competition, which is in Georgia.
3. You made this claim, "I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan has offered more Illinois kids than Lovie and his staff."
4. The home state hasn't been working, i'm okay with trying a different strategy rather than banging our head into the wall over another in-state kids going somewhere else.
5. Well considering we have gotten 2 kids from Georgia already and exactly 0 the last two classes from Chicago, i'm okay will them spending the money in a place that actually wants to listen to us.
 
#1,009      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
Here is another example of why in state coaches have no loyalty. Daine Hanson is a SDE that plays for a team in Illinois that was in the Championship game two years in a row. He has some solid offers but nothing from Illinois. On the other hand, an unranked kid in Atlanta with less offers has one from Illinois. Here is his link.

https://247sports.com/Recruitment/Daine-Hanson-134669/RecruitInterests/

Should the Coach at Nazareth not feel this is a slap in the face. Why would JJ McCarthy consider a school that feels like his teammates aren't good enough but an unranked kid from Atlanta is? I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan has offered more Illinois kids than Lovie and his staff. These are the issues that a majority of the High School coaches in Illinois deal with when it come to Illinois Football. It's not that difficult. It has nothing to do with ego. Absolutely go out of state for what you CAN'T get in State. I am off my soap box however, I would really like to see things turn around with in state recruiting. You will get more passion on the field when a majority of the team is representing their home state. Just a thought but, I also get Illinois don't want any of the lower level scrubs that coaches want them to take. It is what it is.

Hopefully the kid commit and start a little more momentum. If you thinking Coaches in Illinois don't want to see the home school succeed, you are sadly mistaken. Most speak about it often. It will also help boast recruitment ranking especially when those kids have success.


Here's the rub for me regarding the belief that coaches in Illinois want to see the home school succeed and frequently speak about it: How come this same exact argument has been made under Zook, Beckman, and Lovie? I've been a part of this board through the entirety of all three of those coaching staffs and we constantly see it brought up on here about how the Illinois coaching staff doesn't do enough in-state. So until someone gives me a reason on why each of those staffs have been shouted-down by Illinois HS coaching staffs, even though Zook, Beckman, and Lovie have approached recruiting in massively different ways, I'm going to believe that at the very least it's a mutual problem.

I've spoken openly on here about my strong disappointment with the current staff and their approach to recruitment, including in-state, so this isn't coming from someone purely drinking the kool-aid, but it's tough for me to understand how this complaint has been consistent for 15+ years. It seems like there are two options: (1) every UI football coaching staff, with vastly different backgrounds, has decided that it isn't worthwhile to focus on the in-state talent at the same level that Illinois high school coaches want, or (2) this frustration is a sunk cost that cannot be eradicated by Illinois coaching staffs, that no matter what attention is provided in-state, that certain groups will always be upset based on attention being provided to certain areas and not as much to others.

For me, it's tough to believe that 15+ years of coaching staffs have all failed to respect the in-state recruiting potential unless, through experience or whatnot, they decided it wasn't worth the commitment, either because they believed the relationship wasn't repairable, the talent in certain areas would leave the state regardless, or other reasons.
 
#1,010      

mhuml32

Cincinnati, OH
1. I care about winning games. I don't care how many kids we pull from the state. Do you really think a player with 10 P5 offers is going to be unranked? He will be ranked once he commits.


We have built-in advantages with recruiting in-state recruits, advantages that are likely going to be further augmented within a worldwide pandemic. The staff is going to have to find a way to perform better with in-state recruiting. It's fine to say that individual recruiting battles shouldn't be measured by the recruit's location, but there are a number of empirical studies pointing to the importance of in-state recruiting to success, whether that's team success or factors that influence a recruit's choice of school. These factors are connected, so we should care about how many kids we from the state of Illinois for a number of reasons.
 
#1,011      
We have built-in advantages with recruiting in-state recruits, advantages that are likely going to be further augmented within a worldwide pandemic. The staff is going to have to find a way to perform better with in-state recruiting. It's fine to say that individual recruiting battles shouldn't be measured by the recruit's location, but there are a number of empirical studies pointing to the importance of in-state recruiting to success, whether that's team success or factors that influence a recruit's choice of school. These factors are connected, so we should care about how many kids we from the state of Illinois for a number of reasons.
This all sounds great in theory but in reality the top kids aren’t going to come to Illinois. It’s just not going to happen. So we can keep trying the same strategies that multiple other staffs have tried and “lock down our borders”. But in reality Michigan, Iowa, Norte Dame and Ohio state are always going to beat us with Chicago kids. Down state kids is where I agree we need to do better. Iowa and Wisconsin have been cleaning up south of Chicago for years. That’s a fair point. But in all honesty going to U of I isn’t cool anymore. For most of these kids lives we have sucked. Since 2010 we are 46-80, that is what these kids think about when they think illini football. So we have to go places where kids don’t know the history of Illinois. This is when relationships matter, and that is what I think is the staffs strength on the trail, relationships.
 
#1,012      
THIS: "Down state kids is where I agree we need to do better."

AND THIS: "No way should any kid in Illinois have multiple big 10 offers with Illinois not being one of them. (If you care about in State recruiting)"

Where I differ from some other posters' thinking is here: if two kids are equally ranked, I'm going to push to land the in-state (or border state) kid every time, because it is FAR more likely to help build a sustainable pipeline and local fan base in the long run.
 
#1,013      
Here's the rub for me regarding the belief that coaches in Illinois want to see the home school succeed and frequently speak about it: How come this same exact argument has been made under Zook, Beckman, and Lovie? I've been a part of this board through the entirety of all three of those coaching staffs and we constantly see it brought up on here about how the Illinois coaching staff doesn't do enough in-state. So until someone gives me a reason on why each of those staffs have been shouted-down by Illinois HS coaching staffs, even though Zook, Beckman, and Lovie have approached recruiting in massively different ways, I'm going to believe that at the very least it's a mutual problem.

I've spoken openly on here about my strong disappointment with the current staff and their approach to recruitment, including in-state, so this isn't coming from someone purely drinking the kool-aid, but it's tough for me to understand how this complaint has been consistent for 15+ years. It seems like there are two options: (1) every UI football coaching staff, with vastly different backgrounds, has decided that it isn't worthwhile to focus on the in-state talent at the same level that Illinois high school coaches want, or (2) this frustration is a sunk cost that cannot be eradicated by Illinois coaching staffs, that no matter what attention is provided in-state, that certain groups will always be upset based on attention being provided to certain areas and not as much to others.

For me, it's tough to believe that 15+ years of coaching staffs have all failed to respect the in-state recruiting potential unless, through experience or whatnot, they decided it wasn't worth the commitment, either because they believed the relationship wasn't repairable, the talent in certain areas would leave the state regardless, or other reasons.

Take a look at the 2007 Roster that was 9-3. The State of Illinois is well represented. Once Zook was force to hire to Coordinators that couldn't recruit, all things went down hill. Beckman started a little momentum initially but the treatment of Bailey (perception) put a damper on the Chicago Suburbs.
 
#1,014      
This all sounds great in theory but in reality the top kids aren’t going to come to Illinois. It’s just not going to happen. So we can keep trying the same strategies that multiple other staffs have tried and “lock down our borders”. But in reality Michigan, Iowa, Norte Dame and Ohio state are always going to beat us with Chicago kids. Down state kids is where I agree we need to do better. Iowa and Wisconsin have been cleaning up south of Chicago for years. That’s a fair point. But in all honesty going to U of I isn’t cool anymore. For most of these kids lives we have sucked. Since 2010 we are 46-80, that is what these kids think about when they think illini football. So we have to go places where kids don’t know the history of Illinois. This is when relationships matter, and that is what I think is the staffs strength on the trail, relationships.

A team has 107 players on it. 70 of them will not be 4 star recruits. That is one of the issues. Everything is about the top recruits. You get top recruits by building the foundation. The foundation consist of 2 to 3 star ball players that fit your system. Right now the theory is if I don't get your 4 star recruit, I don't want ANY of your players. So be it.
 
#1,015      
A team has 107 players on it. 70 of them will not be 4 star recruits. That is one of the issues. Everything is about the top recruits. You get top recruits by building the foundation. The foundation consist of 2 to 3 star ball players that fit your system. Right now the theory is if I don't get your 4 star recruit, I don't want ANY of your players. So be it.
Of course it easier to get 4 star level players when you have relationship and that's easier when they are in state. But once again top players aren't coming here. The guys we have taken in-state recently include kirts, thompson, girffin moore and fedanzo. Are any of these guys likely to be difference makers? We are getting our best players from out of state, for better or worse. I say we keep going out of state until our reputation heals enough for top kids to give us a chance.

4/5 Star players by state:
Illinois (1)- Ford
Texas (2)- Beason, Avery
Florida (2)- Coleman, Brown
Georgia (1)- Imathorbehbe
California (4)- Eifler, Sidney, Betiku, Hightower,
Washington DC (1)- Petitbone
Missouri (2)- Williams, Cooper
Michigan (1)- Peters
 
#1,016      
Of course it easier to get 4 star level players when you have relationship and that's easier when they are in state. But once again top players aren't coming here. The guys we have taken in-state recently include kirts, thompson, girffin moore and fedanzo. Are any of these guys likely to be difference makers? We are getting our best players from out of state, for better or worse. I say we keep going out of state until our reputation heals enough for top kids to give us a chance.

4/5 Star players by state:
Illinois (1)- Ford
Texas (2)- Beason, Avery
Florida (2)- Coleman, Brown
Georgia (1)- Imathorbehbe
California (4)- Eifler, Sidney, Betiku, Hightower,
Washington DC (1)- Petitbone
Missouri (2)- Williams, Cooper
Michigan (1)- Peters

Peters is from Indiana I believe. And you consider Verdis Florida or Illinois?
 
#1,017      
False statement (There is no reciprocity). Offering a kid after he is already committed somewhere and then turnaround and say I offered in state kids is not really putting forth an effort. Lovie can have whatever strategy he wants. That is why he is paid $5 million or whatever it is. I am not challenging his strategy. What I am saying is you can't say there is no reciprocity, when similar kids aren't offered in state. Stop making excuses for lack of effort in recruiting. If he don't want Illinois kids that is fine with me. My point is say that versus blaming everyone else and putting it on the in state coaches.
Its the coach's in the state period. This crap didnt start with Lovie.
 
#1,018      
Although I tend to be a supporter of the current administration, I think Title brings up a lot of great points here. We are losing out on players that are P5 caliber that wanted to come here (e.g., Macon) and are failing to offer scholarships to qualified in-state players until after their recruitment is down the stretch. I appreciate the amount of tape and scouting that Lovie and company does with recruiting. However, the other side of that is that they are often late to the game. This is no secret. Michigan and Iowa clear the top ranks of Illinois football players before we make offers. This supposed insistence on watching film is why we are finding diamonds in the rough, such as s. brown and witherspoon and Barnes. And, it is a reason that Georgia and Florida have better recruiting grounds for the type of recruiting Lovie likes to do. But, it is a failure on the part of this administration to offer scholarships to qualified players with expediency. Thanks @Title for the info!
 
#1,019      

Deleted member 654622

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I am personally tired of all the gnashing of the teeth about in-state recruiting. We have made kids priorities, "showed them all the love", and they still took off to Michigan, Georgia, Alabama and Notre Damn. It isn't going to change until the program improves. A 3 star Illinois kid is not the same level as a 3 star southern kid.
Whether anyone believes Collier is going to bounce or not, he is currently committed to IL. The QB room is sitting real nice. You got room for 1. Who are you taking, 6'3" 210 from a power house in Texas or 6ft 180 from a power house in Missouri. Come on guys
Most (don't come at me with examples like IW, I said most and you know it) kids do not care about loyalty. Big stars see big lights. Big lights come with winning.
Team Texas 3 Stars vs Team Illinois 3 Stars - The question is not who wins, it is how many points does Team Texas win by
 
#1,020      
I am personally tired of all the gnashing of the teeth about in-state recruiting. We have made kids priorities, "showed them all the love", and they still took off to Michigan, Georgia, Alabama and Notre Damn. It isn't going to change until the program improves. A 3 star Illinois kid is not the same level as a 3 star southern kid.
Whether anyone believes Collier is going to bounce or not, he is currently committed to IL. The QB room is sitting real nice. You got room for 1. Who are you taking, 6'3" 210 from a power house in Texas or 6ft 180 from a power house in Missouri. Come on guys
Most (don't come at me with examples like IW, I said most and you know it) kids do not care about loyalty. Big stars see big lights. Big lights come with winning.
Team Texas 3 Stars vs Team Illinois 3 Stars - The question is not who wins, it is how many points does Team Texas win by

Illinois recruits in football and basketball spurn the Illini. And honestly, a school in Minneapolis is more like Chicago than a school in Champaign. But I don’t agree with the staff not making offers to p5 players in state. They don’t have to prioritize them, as we hear about. but offering solid p5 contributors from Illinois As the 20th p5 offer is weird. I don’t agree that 3* Texas is better than 3* Illinois. But I do agree Texas recruits are more accurately ranked.So you are more likely to get what you see.
 
#1,022      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Illinois recruits in football and basketball spurn the Illini. And honestly, a school in Minneapolis is more like Chicago than a school in Champaign. But I don’t agree with the staff not making offers to p5 players in state. They don’t have to prioritize them, as we hear about. but offering solid p5 contributors from Illinois As the 20th p5 offer is weird. I don’t agree that 3* Texas is better than 3* Illinois. But I do agree Texas recruits are more accurately ranked.So you are more likely to get what you see.
I don't have an issue whether we offer them or not. If the kid has no interest in Illinois and/or Illinois has no interest in him, why offer?
And the 3 star comment, you agreed with me on a different grounds. You said Texas 3 stars are more accurately ranked, so the opposite is the Illinois players are ranked 3 star but are actually less. So you are still agreeing with me.
 
#1,023      
I am personally tired of all the gnashing of the teeth about in-state recruiting. We have made kids priorities, "showed them all the love", and they still took off to Michigan, Georgia, Alabama and Notre Damn. It isn't going to change until the program improves. A 3 star Illinois kid is not the same level as a 3 star southern kid.
Whether anyone believes Collier is going to bounce or not, he is currently committed to IL. The QB room is sitting real nice. You got room for 1. Who are you taking, 6'3" 210 from a power house in Texas or 6ft 180 from a power house in Missouri. Come on guys
Most (don't come at me with examples like IW, I said most and you know it) kids do not care about loyalty. Big stars see big lights. Big lights come with winning.
Team Texas 3 Stars vs Team Illinois 3 Stars - The question is not who wins, it is how many points does Team Texas win by

I would like to know examples of "showing them all the love".and choosing another school. My statements are from actual recruits experiences and not the pretend social media hype.
Your comments about Texas is obviously the way the staff feel as well. That being said, why blame in state players and coaches when it's clear they are not wanted? I am having difficulty understanding the logic. Kids everywhere else is better but, we want you to come and be put on the back burner whenever we can land a "better kid". I just don't get it.
 
#1,024      
Illinois recruits in football and basketball spurn the Illini. And honestly, a school in Minneapolis is more like Chicago than a school in Champaign. But I don’t agree with the staff not making offers to p5 players in state. They don’t have to prioritize them, as we hear about. but offering solid p5 contributors from Illinois As the 20th p5 offer is weird. I don’t agree that 3* Texas is better than 3* Illinois. But I do agree Texas recruits are more accurately ranked.So you are more likely to get what you see.

A 3 star is a 3 star period. I am not following the logic.
 
#1,025      
All of this angst about Illinois kids on our team seems pretty weird to me, considering that we have over 30 kids from Illinois on the roster. I get that it seems we don't offer/get the kids we'd like to get, but having about a third of the roster from the state suggests that we aren't ignoring our high schools.

Also, nobody's mentioned Northwestern. They no doubt have had a pretty good run the past several seasons. Much better than we have. Never had any indication that Fitzgerald had alienated the state. Yet, they only have 13 Illinois kids on their roster.

I guess I'm with the crowd that, while I would love for UI to get the top kids from the state, I'll be happy with the best players from where ever.
 
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