We are on the cusp of breaking into "big boy" recruiting, and while well positioned, there will be plenty of swings and misses and unfavorable nail-biters for every commitment we will land. We are no longer "playing"; rather, we are burgeoning competition poised to mature into a perennial player for Top-50 talent.
The Nesbitt situation was what it was. It was similar to but more personal than the Nolley recruitment; like Nolley, though, something about this felt off, especially for someone who was "almost 100 percent (Woodcock per Goode ... aka Trent Jr. in re: recruiting / program cheerleader)". Several things stand out about the misses, however, and implicate the impending Hopkins decision, and why, to which one poster alluded, missing on targeted 2021 wings is not yet a terrible thing.
Focusing first on the misses vis-a-vis Nesbitt, his skillset, length / size, athleticism, etc. checked many, if not all of the boxes of BU's "prototype player checklist". Our 2021 needs for players like Mac and Hopkins notwithstanding, we have seen BU's player mold validated again by this year's recruitments of Jones, Nesbitt, Cardet and now Kordell Charles; this will not change ... nor should it. Having skilled, long, rangy players that can stretch the floor and play both ends are the lifeblood of this system. That said, players like these are coveted by most every P5 program (including Memphis) making more palatable the Nesbitt loss. This makes sense in a backhanded way. We may pitch to recruits the respective development of Ayo and Kofi, both great stories but neither are enough for a rebuilding program that did not have the opportunity to leverage its turnaround heading into March; the lack of March Madness definitely hurt more than Ayo.
The commitments, wings and all, will come as the return to relevance continues. It is therefore incumbent upon this team to win in order to keep the momentum trending as BU's system is showcased on the national spotlight. In this context, it is understandable why a player looking a small sample size and the build of this team may be skittish when asking "can they deliver after this year?" and "where will I fit?". With exposure and winning, players will see more clearly BU's vision for each / how they will fit and thrive, which is why missing on Jones and Nesbitt (Cardet, too, given the 'Bama lean) is, for now, a minor hiccup. It is also why closing on Hopkins must be the first domino to fall heading into, um, Fall, as a Hopkins' commit, among other things, immediately makes the 2021 class more attractive to Spring recruits; it also demonstrates the ability of this staff to rebound and close on a Top-50 player after recently missing on one of its top targets.
Hopkins will set the tone for Spring recruiting (and beyond); winning will keep the program nationally relevant; and, the combination of both, paired with strong Spring signings,
should have this program positioned to capitalize on its successes in a way that Bruce did not leverage following what the 2005 team accomplished. It is time to close, win, repeat, and ... resurrect!