Illinois Football Recruiting Thread

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#851      
orangeswarm76
Second and Chalmers said:
Other splashy hires do all the time. This period is typically a rich vein of recruiting for new staffs across the country, and there is no question that it was intended to be the same for Lovie. He has stepped up to the plate and is striking out left and right.

I am more excited for the Lovie era than most, I think. I'm not giving up. But the results don't start on September 8th. They started on March 7th. Stuff is happening, it matters, and it's going horrendously. I don't see what the point is in pretending that it doesn't exist.
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Did the other splashy hires take over for two fired coaches, one of which was found to be mistreating players. Let's be honest here we have had a very dark cloud over us for quite a while locally and nationally. Lovie is a splash hire but things on the cover of the program still carry that dark cloud. He is working on fixing this but this will take time. What I'm getting at truly is all of the negativity that has surrounded this program and this board since the last year of Zook. That negativity was justified with the Beckman scandal and hiring. :chief:
 
#852      
Second and Chalmers
orangeswarm76 said:
things on the cover of the program still carry that dark cloud.
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Totally disagree.

Things will get better in many ways, I have confidence in that. But there is never going to be more of a halo around the head of our head coach than there is right now. Nick Saban doesn't have Lovie Smith's approval rating.
 
#853      
IAmChrisFarley
Second and Chalmers said:
Totally disagree.



Things will get better in many ways, I have confidence in that. But there is never going to be more of a halo around the head of our head coach than there is right now. Nick Saban doesn't have Lovie Smith's approval rating.
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Lel. Nick Saban can do whatever he wants in Tuscaloosa. Hell, boosters lid off his house to assure he'll be there for a long time


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#854      
Shaign
This is still Illinois football you're trying to sell these kids on. It's got to be tough when you're asking these kids to commit to what it may become when other coaches are reminding them what it has been. IMO we have to prove it on the field this year to help this class out.
 
#855      
IAmChrisFarley
Shaign said:
This is still Illinois football you're trying to sell these kids on. It's got to be tough when you're asking these kids to commit to what it may become when other coaches are reminding them what it has been. IMO we have to prove it on the field this year to help this class out.
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Perfectly stated. Lovie has already sold himself, but now he has to sell Illinois. Which is tougher than say ucla.


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#858      
AutoPoster 3000
I want to see what happens with Oladipo before drawing too many conclusions. That's a battle we need to be winning right now. In-state, Illinois first to offer (under Cubit even), a position of strength the past few years from which our guys have been drafted (Ward, Spence, Liuget), need to beat out PSU, MSU, Minny, IU ... right in our wheelhouse.
 
#859      
Second and Chalmers
AutoPoster 3000 said:
I want to see what happens with Oladipo before drawing too many conclusions. That's a battle we need to be winning right now. In-state, Illinois first to offer (under Cubit even), a position of strength the past few years from which our guys have been drafted (Ward, Spence, Liuget), need to beat out PSU, MSU, Minny, IU ... right in our wheelhouse.
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....does anyone really believe we have a chance in that one?
 
#860      
sigint
It is possible to admit that recruiting has gone below reasonable expectations thus far without that being a referendum on the long term success of the coaching staff. Lovie can and still probably will be a successful coach here when it's all said and done, but the results thus far have not been the best. "Better than interim Cubit" isn't saying a whole lot, and it wasn't exactly the bar I had set in mind for the first recruiting class.

Obviously, there is plenty of time for Lovie to put a good season in the books and use that to propel the class forward, but you're not a bad fan or some unreasonably negative person for admitting things haven't gone according to plan thus far.
 
#863      
Second and Chalmers
sigint said:
It is possible to admit that recruiting has gone below reasonable expectations thus far without that being a referendum on the long term success of the coaching staff. Lovie can and still probably will be a successful coach here when it's all said and done, but the results thus far have not been the best. "Better than interim Cubit" isn't saying a whole lot, and it wasn't exactly the bar I had set in mind for the first recruiting class.

Obviously, there is plenty of time for Lovie to put a good season in the books and use that to propel the class forward, but you're not a bad fan or some unreasonably negative person for admitting things haven't gone according to plan thus far.
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:shakehands:
 
#864      
calibear
Tales of the tape
A few more defensive ends.
Markaviest Bryant Ga 6'5 231
Long limbs long framed with body to 25-35 #s through s+c . A wde by step 2 already at full speed which he converts into power on arrival which is a big hitter so he thumps. Gets thru the trash well at the line which should improve with coaching using his length to shed blocks . Vg aggression, and tackling form so likely making him very coach able. Another d-ends equally good against pass and run although he doesn't play with hand in the dirt leaving the question of his playing olb.
Ex-top sp and burst/ ex qu, st and power as well as tackling in space.
Rating 4* 8.0
Bobby Roundtree Fl 6'5 215
Rail thin and very long which he takes full advantage of needs 40# for wde seemingly that or olb his position in college. Use arm length and hands to disengage from blockers. Vg lateral skills redirecting on passer or runner.. Needs more reps to upgrade in open field tackling. Plays a physical brand of football inspite of lack of weight needs weight more t o compete. On occassion so an ex burst. Vg-ex sp/ vg qu, burst/ sbg ( slightly better than good) pow and st.
Rating Mid 3* 6.5
Jackson Perkins Il 6'6 230
Looks fairly long , lacks qu fast twitch needing 40 to 50 # of s+c to play sde. Not really a candidate for wde though he is relentless just to long to get there. Sbg - gd pow/vg use of hands sp, qu, bur, st and power. Much better defending the run than the pass.
Rating Low 3* 5.5
 
#865      
CUWPC
sigint said:
It is possible to admit that recruiting has gone below reasonable expectations thus far without that being a referendum on the long term success of the coaching staff. Lovie can and still probably will be a successful coach here when it's all said and done, but the results thus far have not been the best. "Better than interim Cubit" isn't saying a whole lot, and it wasn't exactly the bar I had set in mind for the first recruiting class.

Obviously, there is plenty of time for Lovie to put a good season in the books and use that to propel the class forward, but you're not a bad fan or some unreasonably negative person for admitting things haven't gone according to plan thus far.
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I'm just confused on what was expected in four months? To me the articles below should have been what's expected in the first four months. He's brought excitement and energy to the fan base and made Illinois relevant in the news. Not everything is ultra positive, but out of pure respect for Lovie I've noticed the media hasn't beaten up Illinois like normal.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...ting-illini-big-ten-media-days-preview-072616

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-lovie-smith-illinois-football-20160726-story.html

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2653413-winners-and-losers-from-2016-big-ten-media-days/page/2

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/reviving-illini-lovie-smith-giving-it-old-college-try/
 
#866      
calibear
Tales of the tape nose tackles
Caylon May Il 6'1 1/2 308
Ye shall not pass actually run or pass. Damn near immovable even on double teams, just tossing would be blockers of him. Extremely nasty, aggre, phy, and tough yet ex body control. A bad hombre as he a a burst that could allow him to play from the 3 tech slot. Like Oladipo his emotional play on the field should jack up teammates leading by example. With long arms for his ht and a beast converting a short area burst say a step or two to an already powerful frame this guy his a must get. Think the power of Bain's and better qu than Ward last year.
Top-ex st and pow/ vg=ex burst, sp and qu . One of the top 3 tapes of the offers I have seen so far. I love this guy he just needs to qualify.
Rating high 4* 8.5-9
Juan Harris Ia 6'3 367
Needs to drop to about 330-335 through s+c and dietary training. Also a bit of a immature showing on his flucuating on commits.
He concerns me in more than one way. Until he is signed and on campus somewhere his story may not be over.
Tape he is probably playing at 400# seemingly slimming and improving as the tape went on.
First step is nice while improving, along with redirecting as he shrank. Devastating pow top-ex st and pow/nice qu, sp and burst. Can pursue from tackle to tackle to make plays from behind no more than that. Move his swim move improved and his punch is stopping the dead in there tracks or leaving them crumpled on the ground. Able to actually get a little skinny on rush, and a nasty big boy.
Rating mid 3* 6.0
Boe Tuflele Ca 6'3 310
Power is his game thou he moves well enough to play a little 3 tech, with an ex chuck to lose blockers. Double even triple teams don't move him. Needs s+c to see if he can improve his sp and qu make him more than a tackle to tackle defender, who can penetrate a little. Just what you would expect from nt ex lower base/ top-ex pow, st disengaging blocker/sbg sp, qu bur.
Rating high 3* 7.0-7.5

Finally hybrid nt/3 tech/og
Howard Watkins Oh 6'5 280
As Dt needs help with his stance. Gd at redirecting on play. Sbg-vg qu, burst, / vg pow and st/ sbg sp. You pickem for where he plays as he has issues on ft crossing over and just tech with slide step at og slot. He is aggre and a better drive blocker. Seems best suited to nt with his power at least at first.
Rating mid 3* 6.0
 
#867      
Stevegarbs
Second and Chalmers said:
Other splashy hires do all the time. This period is typically a rich vein of recruiting for new staffs across the country, and there is no question that it was intended to be the same for Lovie. He has stepped up to the plate and is striking out left and right.

I am more excited for the Lovie era than most, I think. I'm not giving up. But the results don't start on September 8th. They started on March 7th. Stuff is happening, it matters, and it's going horrendously. I don't see what the point is in pretending that it doesn't exist.
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#869      
sdillini
IAmChrisFarley said:
Let's compare his first class to Lovie's, but I'd bet he was hired around December to January. Plus, he's in a perfect location for recruits. So JMJ should have better results his first time around.


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Jim Mora Jr. had never recruited a day in his life prior to the UCLA job. His sole college experience had been as an intern.
 
#870      
IAmChrisFarley
sdillini said:
Jim Mora Jr. had never recruited a day in his life prior to the UCLA job. His sole college experience had been as an intern.
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I know. But he is still in LA, talent rich city/state. Plus it helps that usc has been down. However, he has kinda underwhelmed last season


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#871      
Double Down
Bomb Squad 217 said:
I thought you were over this. Give it time. Results will come.
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Couldn't agree more. I think that Lovie's best recruiting will be with the improvement of the team this year. I believe we have some coachable talent which will lead to us surprising some teams with closer games than expected. :thumb:
 
#872      
FatGreg
I think that anyone viewing the situation rationally has to agree we're off to a poor start. When Lovie was hired, some pundits were skeptical largely based on his time away from the college game. I think we're seeing a rough adjustment period right now: Lovie has to figure out how to recruit in the information age and he has to build relationships from the ground up with recruits and high school coaches. The incontrovertible fact is that other schools are getting commitments (or at least serious interest) from highly regarded kids and we are not.

I was hoping for a top-40 class this year, but that seems increasingly unlikely. I remain optimistic about Lovie's long-term potential as a recruiter, but it's hard not to be at least mildly disappointed right now. I think we'll still get a few nice recruits this year and next year's class will be much better. I've come around to the probability that this will be a 4-5 year rebuild.
 
#875      
illiniaaa
IAmChrisFarley said:
Let's compare his first class to Lovie's, but I'd bet he was hired around December to January. Plus, he's in a perfect location for recruits. So JMJ should have better results his first time around.


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I don't think there is another hire like this that you can compare it to. Dumpster fires like Illinois don't hire Lovie Smith type coaches. UCLA vs IL?? No comparison.
 
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