Recruiting Changes

[Missoula223]

So watching NDSU and SDSU you see an alarming difference in their defense lines and offense lines compared to UM. They seems to have more size and in some cases speed. Im certain there recruiting base is more Midwest. Like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota etc. Might we shift our recruiting more that direction as well for linemen at the very least.
I know we have in years past recruited California, Washington, Oregon, manly west coast ish….
Could we get a foothold in recruiting the Midwest?
Don’t get me wrong we have had a few players on the lines that have done well. But especially in offense line we always seems to struggle.
Our QB’s right now have hardly any time to check reads.
I’d like to see some horses up there that can open holes and hold blocks. It
Thoughts? Or am I just seeing this wrong?

This is good discussion. I would say given the resources at the FCS level, MT included, you’re relegated to recruiting with 1 of 2 things: ties and direct flights. Had this discussion in spring regarding athletes in like Louisiana. You can go down there, but most kids want their family to be able to attend home games. Hard to convince kids CONSISTENTLY to be able to come up here when their family is going to have to take 2 flights and a layover. Additionally the cost of recruiting Iowa kids is increased for the coaches to fly out there.

Are there outliers? Sure. You can convince a kid. But as a general rule, it’s more expensive and a tough sell. Only other option is having a coach with strong ties to the Midwest. My personal opinion, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. With that being said, I too want to get better up front on both sides of the ball. The best OL/DL at ISU, Weber, even Sac, Idaho, etc. should be recruited to UM and more often than not, UM should win those battles.

 

[mthoopsfan]

UM used to get a lot of players from Bellevue, and from what I recall a lot of them were lineman. Not sure what happened to that connection

Griz didn’t get lineman. I recall only one and he was backup. They got rb’s, secondary, receivers and linebackers. A Griz supporter asked Stitt to just call a relative as a courtesy, but knew the kid would not get pursued. Stitt refused. Stitt didn’t really recruit Bellevue. I don’t think Stiff recruited Ifanse, despite being told about him. I assume the connection died during Stitt. Also, the longtime great Bellevue coach Butch moved on or was moved on.

 

[BDizzle]

Respectfully, I disagree. I would take a good high school hoops player every single day of the week. They need solid footwork if they work the post position and hand eye coordination is also at a premium. Hands are critical for a good lineman.

Basketball players for OLine. Wrestlers for DLine. Gotta be able to slap those hands away.

 

[TBL Griz]

Respectfully, I disagree. I would take a good high school hoops player every single day of the week. They need solid footwork if they work the post position and hand eye coordination is also at a premium. Hands are critical for a good lineman.

Disagree, leverage, is more important than anything. Having played on the line, played basketball and wrestled I’ll take five wrestlers over five basketball players on the o line every time. You are entitled to your opinion, even when wrong.

 

[smarsh]

Disagree, leverage, is more important than anything. Having played on the line, played basketball and wrestled I’ll take five wrestlers over five basketball players on the o line every time. You are entitled to your opinion, even when wrong.

hell, i would just take someone that is more worried about getting beat on the edge 50% of the time than they are about their hair.

 

[Vamos Gatos Vamos]

Idk. If you look at a year like 2008. One of our best offensive lines ever it was a mix of Montana kids and out of state guys with all conference dudes at every position and backing them up.

Dow Hillsland Quin Russum Horn.

Those guys would have handled any DLine the bison or rabbits have put together.

Had guys from Sidney Billings Drummond. And then Spokane Texas Idaho and Portland.

Seems like it’s more important just to get the right guy in the program rather than where they come from.

Certainly it can be done this way again at UM but ...... it will take a change in recruiting, development, and most likely coaches. What's interesting is that you have to go back 16 years to find a line like this one. those dudes were studs. Until UM commits to changing, it won't.

 

[brewskis]

Gotta be better in state...cats are predictably winning that battle right now.

Especially gotta get better in the trenches. We aren't in the same stratosphere as the xyzSU's right now as far as line play.

Gotta be willing to compete with other schools for top tier talent and pitch the program to the players better.

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

Gotta be better in state...cats are predictably winning that battle right now.

Especially gotta get better in the trenches. We aren't in the same stratosphere as the xyzSU's right now as far as line play.

Gotta be willing to compete with other schools for top tier talent and pitch the program to the players better.

You don't think they are willing to compete when it comes to recruiting?

 

[oldngrizzly]

You could look at it this way. It's like being in a fist fight. You are not good at fighting and you get your brains beat out. Then the next year you kind of figure some of it out and make a couple changes to your training and try to fight the guy again. Well you did not figure it out good enough how to beat him so he beats you up again. You think well I can take this guy but in reality you are over matched and never will win. The only thing left is to retire. Do you know who the fighter is?

 

[mthoopsfan]

You could look at it this way. It's like being in a fist fight. You are not good at fighting and you get your brains beat out. Then the next year you kind of figure some of it out and make a couple changes to your training and try to fight the guy again. Well you did not figure it out good enough how to beat him so he beats you up again. You think well I can take this guy but in reality you are over matched and never will win. The only thing left is to retire. Do you know who the fighter is?

That post is just plain dumb. Please don’t waste our time.

 

[mthoopsfan]

Does anyone in this thread know anything about football recruiting and Griz recruiting? If so, please post your credentials and experience. I don’t want to waste our time on the other stuff and nonsense.

 

[701Grizfan]

So watching NDSU and SDSU you see an alarming difference in their defense lines and offense lines compared to UM. They seems to have more size and in some cases speed. Im certain there recruiting base is more Midwest. Like Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota etc. Might we shift our recruiting more that direction as well for linemen at the very least.
I know we have in years past recruited California, Washington, Oregon, manly west coast ish….
Could we get a foothold in recruiting the Midwest?
Don’t get me wrong we have had a few players on the lines that have done well. But especially in offense line we always seems to struggle.
Our QB’s right now have hardly any time to check reads.
I’d like to see some horses up there that can open holes and hold blocks. It
Thoughts? Or am I just seeing this wrong?

I believe you are seeing this exactly as it is. NDSU and SDSU are significantly better at identifying and developing O line kids. My guess is Pawluk was added to the staff to address the gap.

 

[OrgonGriz]

So another possible recruitment snag…May sound out there but politics. Granted Missoula is a bit more liberal and blue as are many more populated parts of the west. But Montana in general is more conservative red. I assume Bobby is conservative? Can that play into recruits that come to Montana? Meaning if we recruit heavy in western Washington (blue) or the Los Angeles (blue) will those kids “click” with a more conservative leaning head coach or coaches?
We have seen the division the past couple elections.
So if you’re a conservative leaning coach would it be better to recruit kids that might also lean more that way? There are still a lot of red areas in Oregon, Washington, California. If we are sticking to more west coast recruiting should it be looked at that way? Take Oregon for instance. Instead of recruiting Portland, Salem, Eugene maybe recruit Medford, Grants Pass, Pendleton. There still some pretty good ball being played in those more rural areas in each state.
I don’t know I may be way off base but one can wonder.
It would be nice if no matter what your political beliefs might be that if you’re in the same team it doesn’t matter. But hell we are on the SAME TEAM in our own country and it unfortunately matters.
Go Griz!

 

[ordigger]

So another possible recruitment snag…May sound out there but politics. Granted Missoula is a bit more liberal and blue as are many more populated parts of the west. But Montana in general is more conservative red. I assume Bobby is conservative? Can that play into recruits that come to Montana? Meaning if we recruit heavy in western Washington (blue) or the Los Angeles (blue) will those kids “click” with a more conservative leaning head coach or coaches?
We have seen the division the past couple elections.
So if you’re a conservative leaning coach would it be better to recruit kids that might also lean more that way? There are still a lot of red areas in Oregon, Washington, California. If we are sticking to more west coast recruiting should it be looked at that way? Take Oregon for instance. Instead of recruiting Portland, Salem, Eugene maybe recruit Medford, Grants Pass, Pendleton. There still some pretty good ball being played in those more rural areas in each state.
I don’t know I may be way off base but one can wonder.
It would be nice if no matter what your political beliefs might be that if you’re in the same team it doesn’t matter. But hell we are on the SAME TEAM in our own country and it unfortunately matters.
Go Griz!

I doubt any coach in America is recruiting based on politics. That’s just dumb

 

[armonte]

I believe you are seeing this exactly as it is. NDSU and SDSU are significantly better at identifying and developing O line kids. My guess is Pawluk was added to the staff to address the gap.

I see in the recruiting area we have 4 OL signed, not sure but it seems that's more than recent history.

 

[oldngrizzly]

That post is just plain dumb. Please don’t waste our time.

Please explain why you think that ? Because it is clear you do not understand recruiting.

 

[PDXGrizzly]

Does anyone in this thread know anything about football recruiting and Griz recruiting? If so, please post your credentials and experience. I don’t want to waste our time on the other stuff and nonsense.

This is a message board, Hoops! All of us are assholes with opinions. If anyone actually needed credentials to post this board would be crickets. SMFH…

 

[mthoopsfan]

This is a message board, Hoops! All of us are assholes with opinions. If anyone actually needed credentials to post this board would be crickets. SMFH…

I didn’t say credentials were needed. But if no one knows anything about Griz recruiting, I don’t want to waste my time. I have trips to plan. Places to go.

 

[PDXGrizzly]

I doubt any coach in America is recruiting based on politics. That’s just dumb

In all fairness, it might factor into a recruit choosing a location. Orgon’s point is valid, but from the other direction. Politics may not be on the ol ball coach’s mid, but it might be on the recruit’s. But considering the number of states that voted red, it would be kind of limiting. IDK, who says any of us werent idiots when we were 17-18? It’s a crazy age we live in.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I didn’t say credentials were needed. But if no one knows anything about Griz recruiting, I don’t want to waste my time. I have trips to plan. Places to go.

Simple, don't read and waste your time.