2015 recruits

[McKinney's Neighbor]

We offered damn near 75 guys it seemed like and no one wanted to come to Omaha. We aren't taking a break until the Spring because our team is so good that we don't need any more recruits.

Some of you guys must bathe in the kool aid.

[Bluejay Bilas]

We offered damn near 75 guys it seemed like and no one wanted to come to Omaha. We aren't taking a break until the Spring because our team is so good that we don't need any more recruits.

Some of you guys must bathe in the kool aid.

Yes, a lot of those damn near 75 guys decided that they did not want to be Bluejays. What I have been poorly trying to articulate in a few posts is that a number or those damn near 75 guys may have wanted to come to Omaha or at least consider coming to Omaha, but, if we're to believe in this possibility of waiting until Spring, the staff apparently decided that cooling on a good number of guys while going all in on Clarke and McQuaid was the way to go.

The positive spin, which I'm entertaining partially because the staff deserves the benefit of the doubt at this point and partially to keep the "stop obsessing and being negative about recruiting" responses to a minimum, is that the staff compares some of the current players favorably to its second or third tier HS prospects and likes the chances of improving the team via guys who might be available in the Spring but not now (e.g. transfers and coaching change decommits) more than it likes its chances of doing so with some of the guys who are now available (Schwartz or Moss, for example) or might have been available for longer had the coaches shown more long-term interest (Milon or Wampler, for instance).

I'm obviously one of the last posters on here who would disagree with the notion that the 2015 recruiting year has been confusing and a little dismal to follow for Jays fans. But I do think it's a little odd that the staff has thus far seemed pretty uninterested in trying to get a Fall commit from some of those guys who are in that 150 to 250 or so ranking range and play at the 2 through 4 spots.

[Duke1Agn]

I think it's somewhere in the middle of the two scenarios.

The staff likes our roster currently, so I think they felt they should at least roll the dice on a couple of instant-impact players. They probably thought that even if they spent much of their time on those players, and missed out on those guys (which it looks like may happen in both cases), they would have offers out to several dozen other targets as a backup plan. Given that we had just come off a season full of publicity and awards, they probably felt they had a decent shot at one of the prime-timers, and that the others would hang around simply because we were one of their better offers. The problem is obvious. They missed out on McQuaid. They look likely to miss out on Clarke. And the vast majority of their backup options didn't wait around. They either committed elsewhere, or cut us from their list.

I'm more thankful now than ever that we landed Patton. But yikes, we would be in a fairly dire recruiting situation if we hadn't had a top-50 kid in our backyard. I'm sure if they miss on Clarke the coaches have some sort of plan, but being in a situation where we have to rely on transfers or JUCO guys yet again isn't ideal

[gtmoBlue]

This recruiting season (for 2015) appears to have been a strike while hot campaign on the Top 150. CU had 15-18 offers in the top 100 and an additional 5-10 in the 100-150 range. While a good strategy, Coach's capture/commit ratio is discouraging at a 1:25 commit to offer or approximately 4%. Optimally, over time, the staff can improve that ratio to 1:12 (8%) to 1:10 (10%).

Our top candidates committed early to the name schools (Metu, Simon, Adams, Noskowiak, Small, A. Jordan) or eliminated the Jays early (Brunson, Ellenson, Toye, Adams, T. Davis/DJ Hogg). Over 15 of our offerees were off the boards by the time we focused on McQuaid's re-entry on the recruiting market and honed in on Chris Clarke. IMO the biggest letdown thus far was G Watson's decision to Nebraska. The longer the McQuaid saga drug on, the less likelihood he would commit to CU. I am optimistic regarding Chris' recruitment. If we land him - we are set for 2015, if not - we just move on (no choice otherwise).

The kids in the 150-250 range, and there are hoards of them, are mainly still available as fallback recruits. They are not disappearing in droves, and many will be available should Coach opt to dig that deep for bodies. Agree that the focus has been on the top tier recruits - potential impact, high athletic, type guys. Such a focus is appropriate given team needs to compete at a high level, in the BE. The staff got two under the radar guys in Stewart and Patton (Stewart currently in the 150-250 group), and are sporting a capture rate of roughly 4% or 1 commit per 25 offers.

With 2 very good commits for 2015 in tow, a reassessment of needs may be a good thing. The Jays can either hold the 2 remaining scholies for 2016 recruiting...or use 1 scholie this coming Spring for a high level grad transfer. Remember that this recruiting season is our 1st full recruiting season, 2nd overall, as a member of a Big 6 conference. We are doing good - but we can and will - do better as we settle in the conference.

[Duke1Agn]

The kids in the 150-250 range, and there are hoards of them, are mainly still available as fallback recruits. They are not disappearing in droves.

That's the thing. I feel like we overplayed our hand a little bit. Never ever have we gone after top 50 guys. Since they actually started ranking recruits, I think P'Allen was the only top 150 guy we ever landed (I understand prior to that there were several guys, but they didn't rank recruits back then). Instead our focus in the past was on solid mid-major level guys who weren't even ranked by most services.

Focusing on the 100-250 range is our sweet spot right now I think. Guys that have the talent to contribute soon after arriving on campus, but aren't going to necessarily be Freshman All-Americans right out of the gate. While I'm sure the staff would love to get to a level where we can regularly land top 50 guys, I just don't think our program is there yet. Obviously, they felt this was the year to try given our move to the Big East and our run of success the past three seasons. You can't tell me that there aren't a bunch of guys in the at 100-250 range who are slightly undervalued at the moment, and could end up being major contributors for a Big East school. Wragge was the best shooter in the country last year. He was a 2* recruit by Rivals. Hopefully the staff has at least maintained regular contact with a few of them.

[AttyAlum]

Since they actually started ranking recruits, I think P'Allen was the only top 150 guy we ever landed (I understand prior to that there were several guys, but they didn't rank recruits back then). Instead our focus in the past was on solid mid-major level guys who weren't even ranked by most services.

How soon we forget Andrew Bock.

Both Harrell and Gilmore are top 150 guys too.

[taa71458]

How soon we forget Andrew Bock.

I predict he starts by conference season

[Duke1Agn]

Since they actually started ranking recruits, I think P'Allen was the only top 150 guy we ever landed (I understand prior to that there were several guys, but they didn't rank recruits back then). Instead our focus in the past was on solid mid-major level guys who weren't even ranked by most services.

How soon we forget Andrew Bock.

Both Harrell and Gilmore are top 150 guys too.

I understand Harrell and Gilmore are. I was implying before we joined the Big East.

[cu1979]

Kenton Walker was a top 150 recruit

[Duke1Agn]

Kenton Walker was a top 150 recruit

According to who? Not ESPN or Rivals.