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Instate Recruiting

Kodiak said:
I believe there were 8 all conference players on the Cats last year from Montana (including Rylan Ortt who's father played for UM) and one on the Griz, Junior Bergen. The statement that there is not top talent in this state is incorrect. If the Griz go after these top in state kids and lose the recruiting battle that is one thing but the argument was made that they are not even pursing many of the top in state football players. This is in direct contrast to Bobby 1.0 who got 80% of the top in state players.
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Junior originally signed with the cats and only jumped ship after Choate bailed. Bobby has been losing the in-state recruiting battle since returning.
 
EverettGriz said:
Exactly. You have to recruit to need. If the 4 best HS players in Montana are safties, does it make sense to recruit all 4?

The whole "we gotta have Montana kids" is so 1995 (since we're celebrating). Look, everyone wants to recruit from inside out. But because the cats got 6 state kids and we got 4 doesn't mean the GRIZ are losing the recuriting battle.

I love Schmidt, but he says a lot schmidt I'm not sure he truly believes just to get a rise out of people.
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Yes
 
HikeGlacier said:
Junior originally signed with the cats and only jumped ship after Choate bailed. Bobby has been losing the in-state recruiting battle since returning.
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So does the in state battle really matter? Cats had a rare spate of runs at the natty and the Griz also had one during the same time period. If the Griz win the Brawl this year and advance to the national title - it is all square. Seems like a non issue then.
 
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Copper Griz said:
So does the in state battle really matter? Cats had a rare spate of runs at the titles and the Griz also had one during the same time period. If the Griz win the Brawl this year and advance to the national title - it is all square. Seems like a non issue then.
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When the Griz win the Brawl and advance to the natty this year, scat fans will be clamoring that the scats absolutely must use the portal more and should bring in 50 portal transfers next year.
 
ElrodGrizzly said:
But I just showed that wasn't true.... Last year we had Bergen, Tirrell, Gradney, and Rausch. So how could 7 of 8 been from MSU?

To your other point, I would rather get the best players. I would rather have Ah Yat at QB rather than whoever the top Montana QB was in his recruiting class. I would rather have Gillman than any Montana RB in his recruiting class. Montana HS football is not a strong talent pool compared to other states. It just is not. I want the best kids, not the most Montana HS players, and the way some fans obsess about who got the best Montanans is just a bit over the top, in my view.

The staff is trying to create the best team. Not the most Montana based team.
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Why were Bobby 1.0’s teams comparatively so Montana heavy and yet far more dominant? Were Montana athletes better then than they are now? At least it seemed that way…am I misremembering?
 
helenagrizfan#1 said:
The other thing that probably has to be taken into account is what the in state recruits are going to study in college. A lot of the higher paying jobs right now are in the STEM area and msu has that covered. The thing I've seen is that everything goes in cycles and the Griz with good leadership are growing the University.
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Do you think the degree a player can earn all of a sudden has become important?
 
catgrizfan said:
Why were Bobby 1.0’s teams comparatively so Montana heavy and yet far more dominant? Were Montana athletes better then than they are now? At least it seemed that way…am I misremembering?
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Without question, BH 1.0 had much better lineman recruits, many of whom were from Montana.
 
Copper Griz said:
So does the in state battle really matter? Cats had a rare spate of runs at the natty and the Griz also had one during the same time period. If the Griz win the Brawl this year and advance to the national title - it is all square. Seems like a non issue then.
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I think it matters in context of the culture of the state in general. My experience showed me that Montanans are kind, family oriented, loyal, and moderately weary of outsiders. In state recruiting feeds this. That’s why the feedback stating “feels like family” is so important. Kids naturally gravitate to it.

Like it or not, Bobby’s willingness to bring transfers specifically to compete can have the effect of feeling not loyal. Bobby recruits kids who thrive on it, so internally it’s kind of a moot point. Externally, it might give kids pause. They can question if they can develop into great players or if they will be given a fair shake when there is always something shiny out there that the staff can chase. It has the perception of not being willing to develop kids and Montana kids, who aren’t multi star recruits might feel like they have a more fair shot at the neighbors.

This might also be a massive reach. I think the heart and soul of what makes the Griz the Griz is the tough kids from across the state who instill that Montana culture into the program. Without it, it just feels hollow.
 
catgrizfan said:
Why were Bobby 1.0’s teams comparatively so Montana heavy and yet far more dominant? Were Montana athletes better then than they are now? At least it seemed that way…am I misremembering?
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I don't really know if you are misremembering to some degree. We relied heavily on out of state players back then, still, though. We also took on drop down transfers. He also had a reputation for offering in state kids more walk ons than scholarships, and saving scholarships for out of state students a lot of times. I remember that being something that people complained about.

In Bobby 1.0, the Griz had more dominant offensive players, yes. The also were clearly the premier program in Montana and the Cats were pretty garbage. It is a lot easier to get all the talent in the state that way. I also believe that the level of football talent outside of Montana has significantly outpaced the growth of in state player quality. In other states, some kids have options for off season coaching, 7 on 7 tournaments, and camps put on by multiple different sources. Other states are bringing in, and paying for, former NFL players to come coach teams. In Montana, at the single A level, it is most often a teacher that used to play high school football or a little NAIA ball.

With that, I think the staff has acknowledged it and is more than willing to bring in out of state kids. I have said this elsewhere on here, but the team is seeking the bests players, not the most Montana players. After having him for 3 years, I am glad we got Eli instead of the best Montana running back that year. Same with Ah Yat. Same with bringing in transfers like Wortham. Has there even been a player from Montana in the last four years that could successfully play NT in the 3 man front? I believe that Bobby's strategy has evolved a bit, though not as much as people think.

The staff wants to win as much as possible, and having a core of Montana kids is important to that.
 
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