Sizing up Pac 12 recruiting
by John Berkowitz on Feb 5, 2012 7:00 AM PST
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PrintFlush with money from the coffers of America's TV networks the Pac 12 wasted no time remaking itself once the season was officially over. Complete coaching staffs were fired at four schools and replaced with experienced and aggressive coaching staffs at UCLA (Mora), Arizona (Rodgriguez), Arizona State (Graham), and Washington State (Leach).
In the aftermath of a 67-56 loss to Baylor in the Alamo Bowl UW coach Steve Sarkisian decided to fire most of his defensive staff and start from scratch. He proceeded to poach Wilcox (DC) and Sirmon (LB) from Tennessee, Heyward (DB) from Oregon State, Tosh Lupoi (DL) and Erik Kiesau (OC) from Cal.
2012 evolved into perhaps the nastiest and most competitive off season of recruiting anyone associated with the conference can remember. PSA commitments meant little as assistant coaches changed jobs with ease and led their recruits in many different directions.
In the end the conference did well exceptionally well from top to bottom with Stanford finish 6th in the country on top and Washington State finishing 53rd on the bottom.
1. Stanford - The Cardinal was solid all the way across the board but the highlight was how well they did on the offensive line. I am not sure if I have ever seen a better OL class than that. They even picked up RB Barry Sanders Jr.. Grade - A Plus
2. USC - They could only take 15 so the recruiting services mark them down a bit for that but the 15 they got averaged a total of 3.8 on the star meter. Zach Banner and Kevyon Seymour are a couple of guys I would have preferred to see in purple and gold . Grade - A
3. Oregon - The Ducks put together their usual solid class with the highlight being the number one DL in the country Arik Armstead. Deforest Buckner is another solid get on the defensive side of the ball. Grade - A
4. Washington - Sark and company rallied for a solid finish in California. Criticisms are that they missed big time locally on the OL and didn't pick up the big OLB they coveted. Two franchise quality QB's was the highlight on offense. An all star DB class is the highlight on the other side of the ball. Grade - B Plus
5. UCLA - Who said Jim Mora couldn't recruit? He did a tremendous job in his first year but just like his predecessors he didn't bring in enough quality offensive linemen which has been one of the programs biggest problems. He picked up a couple of QB's but I wouldn't describe either of them as being franchise quality. Grade - B Plus
6. Colorado - Jon Embree and his staff know how to recruit. For the second year in a row they snatched a number of players off Washington's board. The highlight of the class is scoring big time on both lines. The negatives are that they aren't getting the play makers they need on offense and they aren't keeping the best guys in state at home. Grade - B
7. Utah - Jeremiah Poutasi was part of a huge offensive line class. That includes some JC guys to fill the gaps now and some great HS guys to develop for the future. They didn't get the play maker they needed at QB. They did a great job keeping in state talent home which will be the key to this program going forward. Grade - B
8. California - The Bears had the best class in the Pac 12 until Washington came in and upset the apple cart. Kenny Lawler and Bryce Treggs bring a great skill set to the wide out positions. Michael Barton has All Pac 12 LB written all over him. Grade - B Minus
9. Arizona State - A new head coach and too many JC's for one class for my liking. DJ Foster has the ability to develop into a marquee running back. Grade - C
10. Oregon State - The coaching changes on the west coast didn't help the Beavers. They lost some big time recruits over the last two weeks. One guy they didn't lose was OT Isaac Seumalo who decided to stay home. Grade - C
11. Arizona - If they can get a late commit from all world Davonte Neal it would really help this class out. Rodriguez is doing a better job keeping local recruits home which was a problem for Stoops. Grade C
12. Washington State - Welcome to Pullman Mike Leach. You thought Lubbock was desolate..nope...Pullman is desolate. He picked up a couple of kids from Pago Pago that UW was also looking at. WR Gabriel Marks is a great get. Grade C
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The Stanford Effect
So, how is it that Stanford is getting these athletes? Is it really the case that they have lowered their standards for academic qualification? If so, what are the implications? How long before Stanford starts having the kinds of offseason struggles that you more often associate with a more moderate program? How will their elitist administration and alumni base react?
It really doesn’t matter to me – Stanford as a national recruiting entity is going afterthe kids that USC wants. Still, I’m not sure what this all means. Is this a permanent changing of the tide or is it more flavor of the month?
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
I also can't help but wonder,
if the standard for football players is lowered too much, does that devalue the degree somewhat? Some players go there because they offer the best education, but it deminishes that degree when employers find out that they were a football player and were therefore held to a lower standard than everyone else.
by Mind of no mind on Feb 5, 2012 12:56 PM PST up reply actions
When they graduate...
…and Stanford athletes graduate rates are tops in the conference…they go on to do well. Oh by the way…UW is #2 in graduation rates.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Feb 5, 2012 4:35 PM PST up reply actions
Nicely done John; finding a way to laud UW grad rates.
I find that wonderful.
Wonder what Cal thinks . . .
We might be able to hear them if they weren't all the way down at 11
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
My take
Stanford recruits nationally and they are starting to get a lot of the kids who used to end up at Notre Dame.
The standards are more lax than they have been in the past but they can’t lower them too much or the kids simply can’t make it through school….Stanford isn’t Arizona State or San Diego State…like Notre Dame there is no place to hide from the academic side.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
ND
I really don’t see ND changing in their recruiting prowess all that much either up or down – so its not like they are simply taking NDs recruits. That rules out the notion that they are now winning battles for the “smart” athletes that they used to lose.
As someone who went through the rigors of the Stanford admission process twice – for both undergrad and grad school – I can guess that all of these athletes didn’t all of a sudden become all that much smarter. That just leaves a laxing of the standards and that probably isn’t sustainable forthat kind of institute.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
I agree.
Started at UW and finished at Navy.
If you lower admission standards you wind up w/ two choices:
1. lower graduations standards, or
2. live with lower graduation rates.
Pretty simple, really . . .
Sad that the Dawgs lost several
talented local kids. Even more sad was that a couple of those kids (Russell, Williams) trashed the local school on their way out the door. While I am not blaming Sark, the school or local fans for the trashing, I believe that the UW staff will work overtime to tighten bonds with local kids and high school coaching staffs, ensuring this doesn’t happen again. We won’t always get ALL the top local talent, but those kids need to know UW coaches and fans respect them and want to see them wearing purple and gold. After that, it’s up to the prospect to act in a respectful manner.
The prospects have no doubt had their comments taken out of context and/or blown out of proportion
…by hyper defensive / critical fan bases. That said, if I were the parent of a PSA, I’d go the route of the Brosteks and unplug from both social and traditional media (and then commit as soon as possible). If you want to avoid blow back, stay out of the fray.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
Hate was a pretty strong word to use
I’m not sure how it could be taken out of context. Anytime someone refers to the word hate, you are bound to get a reaction.
All I saw was purple
I think it was pretty close!
Here is “exactly” what he said: “…First of all, my mom doesn’t like U-Dub at all, she told me she doesn’t want me to go there and that was a big influence in my life. My mom doesn’t want me to go to this school, I won’t feel comfortable going to a school my mom doesn’t want me to go to…”
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111229/SPORTS01/111229840/0/BIZ
by onewoodwacker on Feb 6, 2012 4:57 AM PST up reply actions
"Not liking at all" is not the same as "hate"
Hate is a pretty strong word.
by Carl Shinyama on Feb 6, 2012 9:49 AM PST up reply actions
I don't know if anyone said "hate"
But Russell said: "First of all, my mom doesn’t like U-Dub at all, she told me she doesn’t want me to go there and that was a big influence in my life. My mom doesn’t want me to go to this school, I won’t feel comfortable going to a school my mom doesn’t want me to go to.
One thing about commenting
for the record, any ill-advised words cannot be taken back. UW fans in the Everett area might not forget those words for awhile.
I agree with Gekko Mojo above, that it is better to stay above the fray and commit early, if possible. Contrast Shane Brostek’s (and family’s) classy handling on his recruitment with Jordan Payton, who verbally committed to no less than four PAC-12 schools.
It's called "justification":
They can look at friends in the face and say they should be vindicated for their choice to leave because of the way they were treated. Anyone with any thought can see the posturing.
Funny thing is, while there may have been 10 “supposed Husky fans” calling for their heads, there were/are 250,000 “real Husky fans” that wanted them here, but still respect their decision and wish them well.
by onewoodwacker on Feb 6, 2012 5:04 AM PST up reply actions
It's hard to fault the in state kids that got away
Garnett, Russell, and Dozier chose quality academic institutions. Williams chose a school that played in the Rose Bowl and Banner went to USC which appears to be BCS stacked next season. Did these kids grow up being Husky fans?
I do like what Sark said about in state kids growing up wanting and wishing to play for the Huskies in the future. It tells me he is commited to mend the fence and in around about way says something about longevity.
All I saw was purple
Yes, they made their choices,
each for his own reasons. All I know is that Husky fans will forever revere Shane Brostek, Jake Locker, Kasen Wiliams, Jeff Lindquist and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins. As for Russell, Williams, Garnett, Dozier and Banner, hope you earn a legacy in Indiana, Wisconsin, the SF Bay area, and SoCal, respectively, as someday you might need some folks in your corner.
not just this year...
…give Kiffin & staff a lot of credit for doing a terrific job of balancing numbers and loading up prior to the sanctions in a way that will give them the maximum ability to weather that storm. They crunched the roster numbers and set things up as best they could.
Now the question is if they can avoid the injury bug and not suffer too much from their reduced depth.
Been a Husky and Pac8/10/12 fan
since 1965 and I don’t EVER remember USC having a “bad” recruiting class – no matter who was coaching there. That said, kudos to Kiff/Staff for yet another great class.
by onewoodwacker on Feb 6, 2012 4:50 AM PST up reply actions
yeah, it's not so much who they got...
…it’s how they balanced the numbers to manage the scholarship limits as best as possible. USC always gets high level talent, though they definitely had some relative lulls prior to Carroll.
they wont be able to afford to miss though
or have injuries etc. The USC sanctions wont affect them until 2014 in my opinion. If at all
sure
They are very thin at RB and DT, and key injuries there and elsewhere could easily derail the trendy talk of them as a #1 team next year.
If they are lucky in terms of injuries, they could contend. But chances are their reduced depth will catch up to them at some point and they’ll stumble.
I though USC would go downhill when Kiffin took over
Boy was I wrong. He’s kept that program above water despite the NCAA sanctions.
locals and Udub
I give Sark a huge amount of credit for this year’s class. The fact that he is fighting against a udub reputation that has tainted the local kids’ opinion of udub was something set in motion 10+ years ago and he can’t fix it this quickly…. he’s right; it’ll take time.
That said, the fact that some people are upset that he focuses too much on California is misplaced anger. Focusing on California is the only way to guarantee a steady crop of top talent and he’s farming it well. Become a good program and the top local kids will want to come.
Finally, the way he absolutely rebuilt the coaching staff in a month is mind boggling and I’m incredibly optimistic for the future. This is a signature move he made and he’s set up the staff such that if any one of them gets a head coaching gig, there’s someone internal to move up – love this strategy and I’m sure both Tosh and Sirmon were lured by it.
Maybe one more finally… getting a new coach for the DBs is something I’m also really excited for. I’ve hated our defensive secondary for so long that this is a huge move.
Sark nailed it this year.
by Meek99 on Feb 5, 2012 1:10 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Sark's strategy, as you defined it,
mirrors that of one of the best coaches to ever walk the sidelines of college football. Don James not only reloaded on players every year, he scoured the country for young coaching talent that he would prepare to move up his coaching ladder. Other programs pirated many assistants and coordinators from UW during Don’s 17 season at UW, only to have Don magically have another to replace the one who left. We are fortunate to have Sark.
by Saltherring on Feb 5, 2012 3:16 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
It is always good...
…too be one of those guys that are known to be a good guy to work for…most UW caches witht he exception of Ty have had that reputation.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Feb 5, 2012 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
Don't be a stranger Meek
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Feb 5, 2012 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
I'm a lurker
but only occasionally expound my brilliance.
"rebuilt the coaching staff...This is a signature move he made..."
I agree 100%. On paper, I love the moves/hires and I pray it works out. It’s also fair to say that these hires were career altering moves as well. Sark rolled the dice; he/staff will be given EVERY opportunity to get us to the next leve and I sent in my annual donation because I know no great ride runs for free. That said, I also think he/we know his window closed a little.
by onewoodwacker on Feb 6, 2012 4:44 AM PST up reply actions
In other words...
given the defense in 2011, I give this class an A+ for what Sark had to do in such a short time period.
You HAVE to "LOVE"
the size (height) of the 2013 DE’s Wilcox/staff is focusing on: Daeshon Hall 6-6/220, Marcus Farria 6-4/240, Joe Mathis 6-4/250, Dajaun Drennon 6-4/230.
All of these recruits fit that proto-typical 6-4/6-5 range you look for in the DE’s used in a 3-4 defense. NICE!!
I hope we don't overlook
- do NOT think we will – Bellermine Prep’s 6-4/220 Sefo Liufau.
From Scout:
“..Throws a very catchable ball. Excellent accuracy on short and intermediate passes, but can also throw the deep ball. Named the top QB at the U.S. Army National Underclassman Combine in January 2012…”
Easy to focus on Max Browne right now – he, very deservingly, has all the stars (4 of them). But when Scout gets around to rating Sefo – you will see him listed with 4* too.
I’ve seen Sefo play 4-5 times now and he just keeps impressing and getting better.
Better to offer both now.
After all, lightning did strike twice in the class just signed, didn’t it?
they've already offered a couple Cali kids
One would also figure that Sefo will get attention from this staff, as would Kolney Cassel over in Yakima. However, it may be they need to impress this staff with camp performances this Spring and Summer before they get offers. It’ll be interesting to see how the staff reacts if/when Max Browne makes an early commitment elsewhere.
Sefo Liufau
This kid is a stud. I’ve watched him a few times and every time I come away impressed by his skill and mad that he torched South Kitsap. From what I remember he threw a pretty deep ball and had good arm strength.
Those Bellarmine guys are all studs.
Really, just can’t do better than Bellarmine alums. They’re upstanding, talented and intelligent. Handsome too.
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