I’m seeing that sentiment pop up over and over. Just say what you mean: you want to see young, dynamic, black coaches on the staff.

I do, too. Hall should be retained to coach DBs, if Smith hasn’t pissed him off and burned that bridge already. As a recruiter, he’s Heyward, lite edition.

Smith seems to be hiring coaches known for teaching rather than recruiting — that’s fine up to a degree and very important. Obviously you need both, though, to consistently play at a high level. My concern with these hires is that since Smith was a walk-on who went to a Fiesta Bowl, he might be skewed in his views toward recruiting.

To Iowa. So much for Riley helping out with recruiting.

It was a nice one day narrative while it lasted.

First off, I never cared that Riley “abandoned us” twice. Coaches all want money, prestige, challenges, etc. People in all professions want these things, and when opportunity knocks, the smart ones take it. That said, I’ve disliked Riley 3.0 for three main reasons:

1. He’s been a bad coach for five years.
2. Jonathan Smith won’t get credit. If the team is better next year, it’s because of Riley.
3. Riley is a symbol of mediocre football. Apathy is contagious. Even the “good Riley” wasn’t very good. And we now know that had nothing to do with OSU, given his failure at Nebraska.

That’s it. They’re all supported by facts, or at the very least (#2 above) reasonable deduction given the media’s past treatment of Sir Riley.

That said, after seeing Petras solidify his commit, Crocker saying that OSU is now his #1 school, and Hufanga granting us a visit, I have to believe that’s Riley’s influence. So maybe he still does hold some sway on the recruiting trail, and might be fine in some ancillary role. Moms like him, the recruit feels safe playing for a grandpa who’s a lifer, etc. Do I think that’s a recipe for great football? No. Would I rather someone else? Yes. But for now it might be alright to get us back to respectable. At least the guys Riley was recruiting at NE are now solid or leaning OSU, so he has to have some merit and weight with recruits, and for that he might be an asset is all I’m saying. And, frankly, I can’t believe I’m saying it.

He says he will sign December 20th. This is a program changing QB. Riley probably helped just a hair with this recruit, since he was recruiting him at Nebraska and had a relationship.

-Final stats: 199/313 (63.3 percent)
-4,157 yards
-50 TDs
-2 interceptions

More than ideal numbers that show efficiency, smarts (no turnovers), and big play ability with the high yards per completion. I think he should start over Luton. I base this off his film and stats, and feel very confident in the call. He’ll be graduating early to get a jump start on that job. Smart kid who could be a great one.