Home Recruiting Recruiting Strategy (& 1/21 Visit List)

Recruiting Strategy (& 1/21 Visit List)

160

Wasn't January 21st supposed to be the biggest recruiting weekend in Oregon State history, with a chance to land the vaunted "Grant 4"? That dream has been picked away at during the past two months. It began with Grant advancing in their playoffs and having to cancel their Civil War trip. Then Sample committed to Washington, and shortly after that Moala pledged Cal. Recruiting services began to subtly break the news to Beaver fans. There were no threads about it, no outward declaration, no definitive answers to inquiries. They want you to buy memberships, after all, and bad recruiting is bad for business. We've been lead on once again.

So, here we stand, three days before another supposed huge recruiting weekend, and without a peep from anyone Moala disappeared from the visitor list at both Rivals and Scout. Sample remains on the Rivals visit list, but he's missing from Scout. The visit list is much smaller than originally planned, and barring last minute changes, it's been whittled down to:

  • Torian White (*possibly changed his visit to 1/28)
  • Puka Lopa
  • Darryl Paulo
  • Jaswha James

The newcomer offensive guard from Hawaii, Samson Kaleikin, will also be in town, in addition to two committed athletes, Larry Scott and Kellen Klute.

The fact that we had a viable chance to get all four Grant preps in town the weekend of the Civil War and failed to do so brings up what I feel is a great point of discussion: do you agree with the staff's strategy to bring recruits in late in the year so they can spend more one on one time with them?

Evidence clearly shows that recruits, especially from urban settings, are swayed by game day atmospheres, bustling social opportunities, and weather. "What evidence?", you might ask. Well, read quotes from commits to other Pac-10 schools to see what won them over. That's better than my trying to pursued you. Sure, some guys love the "family atmosphere", but they're not the type of players who can get the program over the hump. They are the complements to the cornerstones.

The staff needs to recognize the trend. The bottom line is that they had a chance to get all four of these athletes to Corvallis and by all reports have struck out. How many other athletes have they missed out on because the staff scheduled visits after the Army All American game? I do not know, but I think we fans need to start paying more attention and keeping track. Maybe Moala is keeping his visit quite because Cal is hanging a scholarship over his head. It's ugly out there, so that is a possibility. Or maybe all four claim publicly that they are in fact visiting. It doesn't detract from the fact that this strategy of last minute shopping is nerve-wracking, flawed, and based on the results benefits the competition more than it benefits Oregon State.

If our model is to be the Minnesota Twins of college football, as I claim it should be, is this the wisest and most efficient way to go about recruiting?

160 COMMENTS

  1. It does seem like getting kids in in the fall for some good weather and good game day atmosphere would be good. It probably depends on the kid though. A guy looking for the big city and distractions probably isn’t a good fit in Corvallis anyway. We have to sell what we have which is a coach that knows what it takes to get to the next level and quite atmosphere away from the distractions that allows kids to prepare for the next level.

    • I really believe you can market the Corvallis weather. OSU just does not know how to do it.

      I’ve seen NFL teams like the Bears, Bills, Jets, Steelers do it with a lot of success. Just sell it as toughness. Men, and specifically football players, like being known as tough.

      • I suppose so… although our weather is more mild and wet than “tough”. Plus you were talking about getting kids to visit in the fall, usually the weather is quite pleasant in the fall.

      • As someone that has lived in the Northeast, you would have a hard time selling Corvallis as a place with weather that only real men can handle. It very rarely gets below freezing.

        • I lived east; I know. I’m just saying, there are ways to spin things to kids from California that are more creative than, “I swear it doesn’t rain all year”…which seems to be the pitch right now.

          • The problem is that the kids could care less about the weather for gameday or football, they are concerned about the weather for the lifestyle they are used to. They want to wear flip flops, shorts and t-shirts year round and they do not want to see the co-eds bundled up six months out of year! These are 19 year old kids, most will not make the NFL. Football great, but they have other interests that are better enhanced in certain environments.

    • Did you see the quotes? I give it another year before Sark’s reputation catches up with him…

      Akeem Gonzales (Mission Hills, Calif./Alemany) took a visit to Oregon State this past weekend and now has a new leader.

      He had previously visited Arizona State and was set to trip to Washington this weekend, but the Huskies are no longer recruiting the lineman.

      “They called my coach last week and said they were pulling my offer,” Gonzales said. “I was leaning there too and was planning to commit on my visit but they said I was taking too long to commit. I didn’t want to commit without seeing the place first. They offered me as a sophomore and I wanted to see Seattle so bad. I was really looking forward to this visit but I guess that’s how it goes.”

      • As it stands, UW is at their limit for this year. They had 17 slots w/o attrition going into next year. Two kids transferred out. Sark will likely take ships away from the two walk-ons who got them last year. And they signed 31 (?) last year. I don’t know how many were early enrollees, and I know they had a couple grey shirts.

        They’re at 20 commits right now. Yanking the two walk-on ships gives them 21 slots w/o further attrition. And I can

        • …can’t tell you the exact math on how they might be up against the numbers this year by adding in the grey shirts.

          That’s why I thought it was likely Ma’ataua Brown was starting to get rubbed off Sark’s favorite list. If his grades are questionable and he wants to be guaranteed a 2011 roster spot if he does make it, Sark might tell him to go screw himself.

          That’s one nice thing about Riley. I’m almost sure he’s been straight about which kids are going to grey shirt and what order they will move up as others miss academic marks or general attrition happens. If he’s still recruiting big names, he can afford to tell a highly rated prospect like Brown that his spot in 2011 is guaranteed until he takes it away from himself.

    • I like both. Lopa more than Paulo but both will be good. Lopa at DE with Wynn would be deadly. A lot of people got so set on Sample and Moala that they underrated and slept on Lopa and Paulo. Would like to have both guys

    • I love Lopa’s game. A lot of the buzz on that Grant defense was due to his play.

      Paulo is better than many MLB’s we’ve recruited in the past, and maybe he has more upside than I can see. I don’t mind his recruitment, but I don’t see him playing as long as Michael Bibbee is on the team.

  2. Breath deep
    The gathering gloom
    Watch lights fade
    From every room
    Bedsitter people
    Look back and lament
    Another day’s useless
    Energy spent

    Impassioned lovers
    Wrestle as one
    Lonely man cries for love
    And has none
    New mother picks up
    And suckles her son
    Senior citizens
    Wish they were young

    Cold hearted orb
    That rules the night
    Removes the colours
    From our sight
    Red is gray and
    Yellow white
    But we decide
    Which is right
    And
    Which is an Illusion

  3. So Todd Peat Jr may have made a decision. It appears he has canceled his official visit to Colorado next week. I know Nebraska is after him, as well as ASU.

    Could it be that OSU made an impression of him…or maybe he didn’t like it. Apparently he might make an announcement this week…

      • It seems every year when the Beavs drop out of the running with all their top guys a mystery guest or some long shot A+ recruit is suddenly interested. I’ve seen how this story plays out before, and I am not insane, so I refuse to believe it. If Peat becomes a Beaver I’ll eat my hard drive.

    • The CU staff had an in-home with him on Monday. Pelini came in and gave him the “we’ll develop you better than anyone ever developed any DT at any point in history… past, present and future” spiel on Tuesday.

      From what I understand, the CU visit was never set, and they were so late to the game that he just wanted to meet with them first.

      I believe he wants to stay in the Pac 12, and I think NU stays in his top three out of respect for the Pelinis’ recruiting abilities.

      I still think he chooses ASU, but I’m hoping that his love for Cav transferred to Seumalo and the school itself.

      Besides, any good DT from the West is connected to Oregon in some way. Tuaolo, Edwards, Ngata, Suh and now Paea?

      Ok, Merlin Olsen was from Utah.

      • Edit: NU had an in-home on Sunday. CU, OSU and ASU all had in-homes on Monday.

        NU will get another in-home next week (?).

        How do you get more than one in-home? Do you hang around the local quicky-mart and just “run into” the kid all happenstance? Wait for him at the airport? Play stick ball with the neighborhood kids and feign surprise when you see him and strike up a conversation?

  4. I see two late offers by the Beavs.

    Justin Satele, C
    Louvan Green, DT (JC)

    There’s also a CB, Justin Rogers (JC)…not sure how long he’s had an offer.

  5. I know you are trying to keep this thread focused upon recruiting, but the bb threads are too old.

    Did anyone else see the Oregonian video of CR (from yesterday) talking about the upcoming CW game?

    WHO is in charge of the decorating for the interviews (not sure you could call it a press conference or that you would call it decorating). I know OSU’s colors are orange and black, but to drape (and the drape looks as though someone threw it from a distance) an almost all black something over a table with mostly black something in the background! Good Friday in a Catholic chapel looks more cheerful.

    I’ll let you guys dispute uniforms and the Beaver logo in center court, I’d be happy just to have a press platform that doesn’t look like it belongs in junior high.

    • It looks like that guy is stoned. He starts to make a point which I can project might be a good one, then he rambles on w/o direction and concludes with several fallacies.

      Most of his arguments can be set aside by pointing out the nature of the NFL’s 1987 season and how that affects the upcoming NFL season.

  6. Apparently, Riley had an in-home visit with Dockery and it went really well so he should be committing soon. He’s visiting WSU next week.

    There are rumors from Nebraska fans that Peat is going to ASU. I would take it with a grain of salt.

    • It went so well he’s visiting WSU? ;)

      ASU has been Peat’s favorite all along. If you want to remain positive, the one thing you can cling to is the fact he’s been quiet since returning from the trip. Usually you’d hear an affirmation quote such as “Trip went well, but I’m solid with ASU.” We haven’t heard that, which means he’s thinking things over. He probably sees the opportunity for early playing time. I’m not sure what ASU’s depth chart looks like.

      • He grew up as an ASU fan, so I would say it’s at least a moral victory that we’re still being considered. I know the NU blogs all think it’s a two horse race with OSU being left at the gate, but angry’s right that silence is better than chatter at this point. The only thing I know is that he absolutely loves Cav. I’m wondering if his little brother also loves Cav, and that’s what’s making his decision difficult. I’m not saying that Andrus will go where big bro goes. But I wonder if he’s thinking that factors in at all. If the family dynamics are such that he and his brother are really tight and want a hamlet where they can be left in peace, then that will pull at the heart versus Phoenix and Lincoln.

        And still that may not be enough.

        But this is all conjecture. I wasn’t bright enough to weigh all these factors by myself when I was younger. I was swayed by hype more than I knew, let alone wanted to admit. So now I wonder if OSU has pumped the hype this offseason enough to bring some good players into the fold.

        • The late offer out of the blue to Louvan Green makes me think we struck out on all DTs. But, the silence from Peat is something to cling to for the positive types. I’ve been down that road one too many times.

          Back to Green…I know nothing about him other than he lined up next to 4-star prospect Sheldon Richardson…meaning, I can’t trust any stats he put up.

          • I recall hearing Louvan Green’s name mentioned in November. I’m not positive that we offered him at that point, but I believe we did. Which makes his quote from yesterday pretty interesting to me.

            “Right now I’m only looking at three schools and those are UNLV, Iowa State, and Washington State,” said Green. “…I still have offers from the other schools but these three schools are the ones that are recruiting me the hardest.”

            If we know for a fact that we’ve struck out with Peat Jr, I think we’d be all over this kid right now. And we’d be his best offer. Plenty of playing time and the best program on his list. I have a hard time believing that we’d be 4th on his list of 3 when we have a clear need for a DT.

            Not that I think we will necessarily get Peat Jr, I just think it doesn’t mean anything that Louvan green has an offer.

  7. I think he’s just visiting out of respect. He will probably announce his commitment to OSU next week.

    Arizona State is fairly slim at DT. I’m guessing he would get some early playing there as he would at OSU.

    Depends how his official visit and in home visit went. I think he probably ends up at ASU but it is good that he seems to be thinking things over.

  8. Part of me wonders if Sample and Moala will be in town for a secret/unofficial visit. It’s hard to fathom they wouldn’t want to at least check out OSU with their best friends. The rumblings that Washington and Cal are threatening to take away their scholarships if they visit makes me even more curious to see who all shows up on Friday.

    • If Washington and Cal are indeed threatening to take away their scholarships just because of a visit then that would bring stupidity to a new level. It’s just a visit shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Ultimately, Tedford and Sark aren’t dumb enough to take away their scholarships if they visit. Would be nice if they did though

  9. I can totally hear Riley saying something cheesy like, “you should take all your visits and see what makes the most sense for you.” You got to love him for it but at the same time I don’t know that it is the best strategy for landing 18 year old kids. Then again maybe we could get someone like Gundy to do the pressure pitch and Riley can be the good guy. If Cal and Wash are threatening to take away scholarships for a visit that is terrible. The point of all of this is kids making the best choices for themselves…. that should be a recruiting violation if it isn’t already.

    • When I was in high school, I was talked into going down to the Army recruiting office to take their tests and interview, even though I did not have even the slightest interest in joining the military. The uber-aggressive recruiter damn near had me talked into signing.

      I think the hard sell is what most kids respond to. While as a 30-something I admire Riley’s honesty and integrity in staying above the fray, I really feel like they are going to need to employ some more aggressive recruiting tactics to start landing some of these ‘A’ list guys.

      I have to think part of the thought process for kids is “Coach X will be really upset if I turn him down, but Coach Riley will understand,” making it that much easier to turn down OSU.

      I may be completely off with this assessment, and I feel Riley is not quite the Mr. Rogers we are led to believe he is, but I do have a feeling we’re easier to say no to than most other schools.

  10. JackBeav shared some good quotes on Peat:

    “I’m really down to three schools right now,” said the 6-3, 300 pound standout out of Tempe, Arizona. “Arizona State, Nebraska, and Oregon State.”

    What happened to Stanford, who sat in his top three earlier this month?

    Peat replied, “Stanford was the front-runner for a long time, but when Coach Harbaugh left, they fell out.”

    Breaking down current Top Three…

    Arizona State: “ASU was my very first offer. I was a sophomore. They’ve always been high on my list. I’ve known the coaching staff for years, built good relationships with them. Plus, I’m from Tempe, so I live ten minutes from campus.”

    Nebraska: “Nebraska was also one of my early offers. They’ve always been in the top-five range. It’s the program, the tradition. They’ve shown me a lot of love over the past two years. I really like the way they’re running the program right now.”

    As for the Huskers’ move to the Big Ten, Peat said, “It never really mattered to me. It’s a different style of football, but I feel like I can fit in almost any style.”

    Oregon State: “Really, Oregon State was never really high on my list, but they’ve always stayed around. So when schools started falling off, I brought them (the Beavers) back in the picture. I’ve built good relationships with the coaches, and I think I have a good opportunity to play early there. Plus, with what they do schematically, I’ll fit well in their system.”

    As Peat nears National Signing Day, narrowing his list to one, What are some things on his checklist? What does he want in a program/school?

    “The number one most important thing to me was playing as a freshman, starting as a freshman,” answered Peat. “But, after the Army All-American Bowl, I think I can do that anywhere.”

  11. Alex Mitchell, 4-star guard out of Portland, contacted the Beavs to say he is interested. Apparently he has attitude and grade issues that have turned every team off to him…do we take a chance? Eh…I’d pass. His tape is awesome, but bad attitudes and lazy work ethics rarely (if ever) change.

      • A greyshirt is still a scholie against next year…at best I’d offer him a preferred walk-on spot, with a chance to earn the first available scholie by next year if he proves his issues are behind him.

    • If we can’t change a bad attitude, with all the nice-guy coaching and players we already have, we might as well not recruit anyone.

      And Cav will kick his ass into playing shape, that is a guarantee.

      Considering the state of our OLine, we really should take a chance on him. And it’s not like we have a long list of 4-stars just dying to sign up this year.

  12. An article from the ASU site:

    Peat becomes urgent priority:
    “Six months ago, defensive tackle appeared to be one of Arizona State’s deepest and most talented positions with honors candidate Lawrence Guy and stalwart Saia Falahola backed by some young and talented players at the position including William Sutton, Bo Moos and Corey Adams.

    Sutton was lost to academic ineligibility for the season however, and injuries plagued the group to the point that in certain games there weren’t even four healthy scholarship players for a rotation, forcing end Jamaar Jarrett to occasionally move inside.

    That’s how fast things can change in college football.

    With Guy’s early-NFL declaration, Falahola’s exhaustion of eligibility, Adams’ history of back and neck troubles, lightly used Toa Tuitea’s history of elbow problems and freshman Lee Adams’ transfer, the critically important position not longer appears deeply stocked with talent.

    The Sun Devils are scheduled to have just four experienced defensive tackles returning next season and five scholarship players at the position on the roster. Teams typically like to have at least seven or eight scholarship defensive tackles.

    The nation’s No. 16 defensive tackle, Peat has narrowed his list of finalists down to ASU, Nebraska and Oregon State with a decision possible at any time. ASU appeared to be very much in the driver’s seat in the recruitment as recently as a few weeks ago, and a decision nearly came at the U.S. Army All-American game early this month that almost undoubtedly would have been for the Sun Devils.

    Nebraska has made strides however, and Peat has said in recent days that he’s not sure if he wants to remain so close to home for college or not. He’s also said, though, that early playing time is of paramount importance, and that opportunity now seems to be more ripe than ever at ASU. “

    • Which is the bigger jump to make?

      Going from having no shot at these top-tier guys to being an occasional finalist (where we are now) or going from always being the bridesmaid to actually landing some of these guys?

      • Peters and Dockery are playmakers. Peters has potential to play right away, Dock should sit out and bulk up a bit, but both possess playmaking abilities to say the least. They also look like they are very competetive, and that bodes well, especially at corner.

        • Dockery did well versus Kasen Williams (4-star Washington recruit) at camp. A lot of people think Williams is overrated, though. Dockery’s offer sheet is less than impressive…and his film is mostly on offense, so he’s hard to gauge. He actually reminds me of a lot of the Dockery who just graduated.

          I think the odds of him of being a Beaver are high. I’d put them at 80%.

          The odds of landing Peters are slightly lower–figure around 65%. He does have the arrogance (“moxie”, as those in favor of euphemisms like to say) that’s been mentioned. He’s friends with Fred Thompson and Ryan Murphy, so that may help.

          Gun to my head, I think both sign.

          I also think Larry Scott will be moved to CB even if both sign.

          • I like Scott too, but I can’t help but love Dockery. His vision and very subtle hip jukes on returns makes it look like the seas are parting for him. I’ve only seen the WR and ST tape on him, but I imagine his quickness and ball skills translate very well to being a coverage DB.

            His size is going to be a problem on run defense, but I think that can be addressed. What’s important at his size is that he’s not afraid to run across the middle and take a hit. That mentality and some good technique will protect him as a DB.

            Williams is a good receiver, but he’s a straight line guy with size and strength. I would say that he’s like a slow Anquan Boldin. Dockery is more in the category of Desean Jackson.

            And he can do the field events during the track season. He can be one of three Beavs who can clear 7’0″ on the same team. We have the potential to have three All-Americans in track and field without even having a track team. A 24′ long jump, a 22s 200m and a 48s 400m are some really good numbers for his age as well… not elite, but really good times which can become elite with strength training.

          • I’ve seen a little tape of Dockery playing defense. He plays the ball well and actually looks back for the ball. Rumor has it Banker doesn’t like this kid’s ability to play the ball well and is demanding Riley strip him of his scholarship.

    • Harrah is actually at 280lbs now and being asked to move inside to DT. I hear he is working hard to add good weight. That’s fine. I absolutely hate him as a DE, but at DT he can provide some depth.

      Robbins is projected at DT as well.

      A strange rumor is that Desmond Collins will move inside. He looks horrible at LB (I find his 3-star/5.7 rating a joke), so I’d be all for that, but he’d have to add about 60lbs of good weight.

      Fernando will be moved to LB, and Jashwa James is projected at LB (I think his best fit is MLB). Jabral Johnson is the lone true LB. Lavonte Barnett is an “athlete”, who I think will ultimately wind up at OLB, though he could play DE as well. He’s a big time recruit that we all seem to overlook.

      Dylan Wynn is probably the lone DE, unless they try Collins there. Collins should not be a LB, though.

      Then there is De Rego. His film is pretty bad…I’m not sure what they have in mind for him. He’s 252lbs and listed as a DE.

      I’m really hoping we land Juda Parker as we need one more true DE to go with Wynn.

    • Wow! In some strange way I’m actually surprised that oregon would do something like this! Someday this kind of action will catch up to them. What goes around will come back around. Hopefully Oregon State will be able to exploit this to their advantage and sign this kid. Maybe they can get more future recruits because of oregon’s shady recruiting tactics?

      • I hate to defend the ‘ucks, but I have to…we pulled a scholarship offer from a kid this year. Chris Lampkins. And we’ve pulled offers before too. It happens. Everywhere.

        It’s a cutthroat game. Shit happens and offers get rescinded. Or they’re conditional to begin with. Either way, it’s all fair (on both sides) until you sign on the line which is dotted.

  13. Heard Marvin Hall has significant grade issues. Colorado canceled his visit on him because he was a longshot to be academically eligible.

    There were also rumblings that Peters might have academic issues.

    Not trying to be a debbie downer, just want to avoid a repeat of getting excited about recruits like Iona and Melosi, only to have them fall through the cracks.

    • You have to realize that Boulder is one of very few schools who does not allow for academic hardship appeals to allow athletes to be admitted. Everyone talks about Stanford’s admissions standards, and they are tougher than any classes you’ll take there (tongue in cheek). But they allow kids to appeal academically all the time. Before we saw success on the football team, it was mostly legacies. But they allow quite a bit to pass for football. Dawkins does not allow it for hoops though. Apparently football gets a little more love.

      • This is true of CU’s academic standards, but they now have a committee that will cancel official visits when the player won’t meet NCAA qualification requirements. That is (supposedly) the case with Hall.

  14. I dont see anything on his facebook page?

    Angry, I read this website quite frequently, and I’m wondering what good you think will come from becoming friends with a bunch of the recruits? I completely understand this website, but I think a recruit might not. Especially when you list off you “A” and “B”, and maybe they happen to be one of your “B” guys. I’m not trying to hate, just gets me a little worried, and I’m curious where your coming from.

    • The good that will come of it is if they don’t commit I’ll be able to ask them why, what they didn’t like, etc, something nobody in the media ever does. It’s not like I plan to follow their lives or bother them. If they see I have them listed as a B recruit, I’m sure they can easily Google for ten seconds and find a site that lists them as an A, since most Beaver sites gush over anyone we offer. Do you really think a recruit won’t sign with OSU because I list them as a B? Athletes have thick skins and understand criticism is part of the game. If they don’t, they usually learn quickly.

      In the past I’ve also been able to get some information (the Wynn/Renaud situation) via people on FB, so it’s information as well.

      All that being said, I am very lazy about FB and probably will wind up not even using it, but that’s the plan for it. See the jobs listing!

  15. Fair enough, like I said I wasn’t hating just curious.

    Hey, whats with the rumors Peters was announcing today? False/True? Any insight as to when, and/or where he is picking? Man I hope it’s not the damn Huskies. If there was one game we should roll a team besides the ducks it’s the Huskies. We seem to be recruiting against them a lot. I bet we blow them out.

  16. Monday now? Wow was thinking all say he was announcing today. That must mean he is visiting USC this weekend, which in turn means he hasn’t commited to anyone. My bet is he doesn’t announce today he is SC, if he does in fact announce today I think/hope it will be us.

    • USC is out. It is between us and UW, and UW brought Kam Jackson back from de-committment as well as getting a commitment from Marvin Hall today. Those factors and Peters’ action sound pretty good to me.

      I personally think Sark is an idiot for not chasing Dockery. The kid grows up in the shadow of the university and is a homer beyond homerism, and he gets to play against them instead of for them… with the talent he has.

      Sark is in the process of telling targeted recruits to get lost when someone better wants to commit. Without attrition or just yanking scholarships from scholarship players he can only grey shirt four (over 21) from here on out.

      • I agree on Dockery. Just from looking at his tape he has loads of talent and wanted to be a Husky and yet isn’t offered one by UW? Sarkisian is a moron. It will be nice to see Dockery come to Husky Stadium in 2012 and make Sarkisian regret not giving him a scholarship. Dockery will have a HUGE chip on his shoulder.

  17. I hope this sunny day helps with recruiting! All we need is a BBall Civil War win and hopefully some of these recruits sign on the spot.

    Interested on why we didn’t follow through on Lampkins? I know he wasn’t highly rated but I am just curious.

  18. You know you are a Beaver fan when you wake up, look out the window from your bed, and say to your wife (before you even say “good morning”), “Wow, it’s a beautiful day — should help us sign some talented football recruits visiting OSU this weekend.”

    My wife just looked at me with something between bemusement and exasperation….

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