The beauty contest is over ...

[Cougsocal]

wipe your eyes and get over it. At WSU we will never win the pageant, or even come close. It come down to whether our coaches have evaluated talent and character well. It always has been and always will be. This time 13 years ago we were favored to win the conference because we were considered the best and deepest team in the conference. We did that on just one recruiting class that was considered in the top half of the conference.

Put the pom poms down, go on Hudl and other similar sites and look at the play of the kids we actually have, and look for the holes in their games, put that critical thinking you were taught at WSU to use. Compare them to past Wulff and Leach classes. What are your thoughts?

I see significant improvement in athletic ability in this case over the prior Wulff/Leach classes. Are they good enough for us to take the next step? I just don't know because I can only judge them against classes that left us 12th in athletic ability in the conference. But it is a definite upgrade. Look at Sakaria for example, he has great feet and balance and could probably play DL, and this was one of the last kids we extended an offer to. If we want a better run game, this is the type of kid you need at guard. a kids who doesn't need zone blocking.

 

[YakiCoug]

Originally posted by Cougsocal:

wipe your eyes and get over it. At WSU we will never win the pageant, or even come close. It come down to whether our coaches have evaluated talent and character well. It always has been and always will be. This time 13 years ago we were favored to win the conference because we were considered the best and deepest team in the conference. We did that on just one recruiting class that was considered in the top half of the conference.

Put the pom poms down, go on Hudl and other similar sites and look at the play of the kids we actually have, and look for the holes in their games, put that critical thinking you were taught at WSU to use. Compare them to past Wulff and Leach classes. What are your thoughts?

I see significant improvement in athletic ability in this case over the prior Wulff/Leach classes. Are they good enough for us to take the next step? I just don't know because I can only judge them against classes that left us 12th in athletic ability in the conference. But it is a definite upgrade. Look at Sakaria for example, he has great feet and balance and could probably play DL, and this was one of the last kids we extended an offer to. If we want a better run game, this is the type of kid you need at guard. a kids who doesn't need zone blocking.

And it comes down to that and how well they develop those brought here. I read the Great Star Debate on the other thread, and I generally agree with Chip's point that those schools who routinely sign 4- and 5-star players routinely are in the Top 10-12 in the country. But those programs, with their vast resources, also continue developing that talent, so it's a mix of the two. At WSU, Leach et al are quietly building depth and talent on the lines, the kind that produces and sustains success. Look at any of the teams in the best bowl games and you will see size, strength, and agility on the lines. It's been years since we had that - nearly 12 to be exact - due to poor recruiting and poor development on top of that.

This post was edited on 2/5 10:41 PM by YakiCoug

 

[CrimsonDisciple]

Originally posted by Cougsocal:

wipe your eyes and get over it. At WSU we will never win the pageant, or even come close. It come down to whether our coaches have evaluated talent and character well. It always has been and always will be. This time 13 years ago we were favored to win the conference because we were considered the best and deepest team in the conference. We did that on just one recruiting class that was considered in the top half of the conference.

Put the pom poms down, go on Hudl and other similar sites and look at the play of the kids we actually have, and look for the holes in their games, put that critical thinking you were taught at WSU to use. Compare them to past Wulff and Leach classes. What are your thoughts?

I see significant improvement in athletic ability in this case over the prior Wulff/Leach classes. Are they good enough for us to take the next step? I just don't know because I can only judge them against classes that left us 12th in athletic ability in the conference. But it is a definite upgrade. Look at Sakaria for example, he has great feet and balance and could probably play DL, and this was one of the last kids we extended an offer to. If we want a better run game, this is the type of kid you need at guard. a kids who doesn't need zone blocking.

Agreed, does anyone really believe that Utah and Arizona had better classes than we did? It would be interesting to count BCS offers between all the classes in the PAC 12, then post the results.

 

[Fab5Coug]

Originally posted by Cougsocal:

wipe your eyes and get over it. At WSU we will never win the pageant, or even come close. It come down to whether our coaches have evaluated talent and character well. It always has been and always will be. This time 13 years ago we were favored to win the conference because we were considered the best and deepest team in the conference. We did that on just one recruiting class that was considered in the top half of the conference.

Put the pom poms down, go on Hudl and other similar sites and look at the play of the kids we actually have, and look for the holes in their games, put that critical thinking you were taught at WSU to use. Compare them to past Wulff and Leach classes. What are your thoughts?

I see significant improvement in athletic ability in this case over the prior Wulff/Leach classes. Are they good enough for us to take the next step? I just don't know because I can only judge them against classes that left us 12th in athletic ability in the conference. But it is a definite upgrade. Look at Sakaria for example, he has great feet and balance and could probably play DL, and this was one of the last kids we extended an offer to. If we want a better run game, this is the type of kid you need at guard. a kids who doesn't need zone blocking.

I believe Sarakia was actually offered and verballed before last season even started.

 

[britton ransford]

Originally posted by Fab5Coug:

Originally posted by Cougsocal:

wipe your eyes and get over it. At WSU we will never win the pageant, or even come close. It come down to whether our coaches have evaluated talent and character well. It always has been and always will be. This time 13 years ago we were favored to win the conference because we were considered the best and deepest team in the conference. We did that on just one recruiting class that was considered in the top half of the conference.

Put the pom poms down, go on Hudl and other similar sites and look at the play of the kids we actually have, and look for the holes in their games, put that critical thinking you were taught at WSU to use. Compare them to past Wulff and Leach classes. What are your thoughts?

I see significant improvement in athletic ability in this case over the prior Wulff/Leach classes. Are they good enough for us to take the next step? I just don't know because I can only judge them against classes that left us 12th in athletic ability in the conference. But it is a definite upgrade. Look at Sakaria for example, he has great feet and balance and could probably play DL, and this was one of the last kids we extended an offer to. If we want a better run game, this is the type of kid you need at guard. a kids who doesn't need zone blocking.

I believe Sarakia was actually offered and verballed before last season even started.

Tago and Sakaria committed last April.