I LOVE Flood's way of recruiting aka recruiting with HONESTY

[MikeRU1766]

I love the long-term vision Coach Flood has been taking with recruiting. He has developed a reputation as an honest recruiter and one who you can take his words and promises to the bank. Other schools take the short-term approach on recruits and tell them exactly what they want to hear and give them over the top promises and all that in order to get them to commit. And this works in the short-term and you get a class that ranks a little bit higher than you would have. BUT THESE RECRUITS TALK. They know the promises that their friends were told. They know that there upperclassmen teammate was told he would DEFINITELY be the starting middle linebacker in 2 years and that the spot is all his and then fast forward 2 years later and he sees his buddy buried on the depth chart riding the bench.
Flood speaks to these recruits frankly and honestly and the recruits are taking notice. They all say they love how honest the coaches were with them and they love the REAL feeling of F.A.M.I.L.Y at Rutgers.
So while Flood's honesty may have hurt us a tiny bit in past classes, I think it will pay big dividends in the future. Flood is now able to get Big Time recruits on campus often and this is because they know they are speaking to somebody real. They aren't being manipulated and brain-screwed. They are being spoken to like men. And I think the recruits in 2016 and beyond will really respond to this and we will begin to see some of the highest ranked classes we have ever seen at RU!

 

[DanoRU]

I don't remember which poster said it, but someone in the know said Flood is very respected by not only recruits, but HS coaches and most importantly, the recruit's parents. It seems being honest with people goes a long way. I hope it carries into signing day.

 

[TMCB]

Great, now we just need these big recruits to commit.

 

[RUBOB72]

As much as we admire Kyle's honesty with top recruits we need some of them to pull the trigger and stick with a commit to Rutgers for 2016...Before we got past the NC game we lost a top RB to Meyers...We have done ok thus far for 2016 but we need about 8-10 more .

 

[ScarletCrimson]

Flood definitely has a reputation for being an honorable man.

And now he's got a little more stain.

Watch out folks. :)

We were spoiled by Schiano, but Flood will stand on his own ground.

 

[ScarletDave]

I think in the past (even the recent past) the short-term recruiting has worked because the recruits didn't talk as much as they do now. But with social media, twitter especially, and all high schoolers having smart phones and quick contact, that word about what coaches say and what really happens is getting out there - Flood's tactics and honesty may be worth more than a heart warming in these next few years.

 

[RUMike410]

Being "respected" is cute, but Flood needs to start landing some top recruits, especially from NJ. Recruiting classes ranked from 45-55 isn't going to cut it in the B1G.

 

[Dr. Potato]

Being slimy has worked out pretty well for Saban and Meyer.

 

[nick614]

Only things Meyer promises to recruits are hard work & the chance to play for championships

 

[mikefla]

What I dont like is when posters intimate he isnt selling our program to recruits.

RU is NOT an easy sell....even now. We have had 10 years total success where many other programs have had multiple decades of winning seasons, bowls and championships.

It takes time to build a brand and he is doing it pretty well.

 

[WhiteBus]

Originally posted by mikefla:
What I dont like is when posters intimate he isnt selling our program to recruits.

RU is NOT an easy sell....even now. We have had 10 years total success where many other programs have had multiple decades of winning seasons, bowls and championships.

It takes time to build a brand and he is doing it pretty well.

I don't see anyone on here saying that Flood isn't a nice guy or doesn't run a squeaky clean program. That's why I don't get the point of this thread. Is the point of this thread is that Flood doesn't get the top recruits because he is honest??

And I don't think anyone on here doesn't think he does a bad job selling himself or the program so I'm not sure who you are talking about.

I think that Flood is a great man, well liked and sells RU. But the fact is that he keeps coming up short when trying to get NJ's best. And I don't think he loses all these battles to coaches who cheat or are dishonest. That's just a poor excuse many like to make.

 

[chase07470]

Winning seasons is all that matters. You can be Mack Brown, get all the kids and still lose. If you win, the kids will come, just look at MSU.

Been very impressed with everything he's done to bolster recruiting. The staff is better now than at any time in Rutgers history. The character of the program is something that isn't just talked about but it's real. There's a lot to like about Rutgers and I think we're seeing recruits respond to all the thought and effort that's gone into building a stronger program.


It's a long process to build the credibility as a HC for a first timer. No one can argue, at this point, that he's not moving forward to a day when recruiting will get easier for him. But only if he continues to win.


This post was edited on 3/9 9:19 AM by chase07470

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

It's great that Flood is a man of integrity, and I will be thrilled if he ultimately succeeds at Rutgers.

That said, IMO honesty in recruiting will never really matter to the best recruits. The kind of players you need to be at the top level of the Big Ten will always be the elite high school prospects who think they can go anywhere and succeed. These are the kids who are more than happy to be the 6th QB on roster, or the 4th 5 star running back to commit in a 2 year period. We all think they are crazy, and its certainly true that they are not acting in their own best interest, but they keep doing it. Their egos drive them to the elite programs.

 

[MikeRU1766]

Well the point of this thread is just commenting on the fact that Rutgers for the first time in history is getting the ELITE recruits of the state and the region to actually come on campus. This was very rare in the past even when we were a ranked team. I am putting out there that part of this change is due to the way Flood goes about recruiting. He has developed a reputation for being a straight-shooter and Rutgers has developed a reputation for putting kids into the NFL (and if they can't make it to the NFL then they get goods jobs i.e Mike Teel was working on Wall Street very recently). Obviously, the move to the Big10 helps a lot too, but I was just highlighting the fact that I think Flood is doing something special here building a high character, high achieving football team and he is doing it the right way.

 

[Dr. Potato]

Originally posted by nick614:
Only things Meyer promises to recruits are hard work & the chance to play for championships

"I think that Urban Meyer is now the undisputed sleaziest recruiter in the country."

"Apparently he told at least one recruit that he received a sign from God that he should be coaching him. He says that he would be willing to die on the sideline in order to coach Shariff Floyd."

"He is forcing recruits to not visit other schools or he will pull their scholly, while he is visiting other schools commitments."

"Head coach Urban Meyer[/B] ran a very loose ship at the University of Florida that coddled its stars, had little regard for injured players if their roster spot was needed for a new recruit, and generally threw every off the field issue under the rug."




Here are some of the more damning details

 

[ScarletCrimson]

only someone who can't sell would cite what's below- RU is an incredibly fertile dream to sell.

Originally posted by mikefla:
What I dont like is when posters intimate he isnt selling our program to recruits.

RU is NOT an easy sell....even now. We have had 10 years total success where many other programs have had multiple decades of winning seasons, bowls and championships.

It takes time to build a brand and he is doing it pretty well.

 

[imbazza]

The "feed me now attitude", is a shame for many who comment here.
The 5 Stars Jersey players will all be swooned by UCLA and ND (see JG) and that is the fate for Jersey players for at least 75 years that I know of.
So what do we have left a lot of hungry B players Face the facts it is a long road ahead of Rutgers
We will get the good B players, two examples that come to mind Betrim Bujari and Melewski. And we have the privilege of getting "sleepers" due to the respect Flood has with HS coaches, Turay comes to mind in that category.
So what do we do? we do what Wisconsin did, we do what MSU did, pick up Great B players who are hungry and slowly build a respectful team that will win some and lose some but a slow and steady climb up the ladders of respect. Berry at Wisconsin took almost 12-15 years to get to where they are today and MSU too about 8-10 years. Due to the fertile Jersey ground I see us on the 6-9 year track but I am RutgersAL in many respects. (No offense AL) 10-12 years is possible too.
Our bed will be made with class B, sleepers, and walk-ons over the next 3-5 years after quality success by this man of HONOR then and only then will the JERSEY FLOODGATES OPEN.

Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in an upright position. It going to be a LONG FLIGHT

 

[MikeRU1766]

I would have to disagree with you "imbazza." Flood has already shown he can obtain big time recruiting classes like he had in 2014 before it collapsed because of a poor decision to pull kids offers if they go and visit other schools. I think there is a very good chance the Class of 2016 will be a top 25 ranked recruiting class because you have a lot of kids that have seen the success of RU in the Big 10, they have felt the electricity that our stadium creates i.e like at the Penn State and Michigan games this year, and ultimately recruits now know that Rutgers is the place to go to become a true professional whether athletically or in the corporate sense.
Obviously this is all "what -ifs" as of now and we will see what happens come signing day 2016.

 

[Alamo Al]

An additional expansion of 8-10k seating would help. Although our 53k stadium is nice, it's still a bit small when compared to other B1G and 'other' competing schools. As long as the team keeps winning, they should still sell. The weak attendance was with Wisc, probably because of the crappy weather. The big losses to OSU, and Neb didn't help either.

 

[Knight Shift]

Originally posted by MikeRU1766:
I would have to disagree with you "imbazza." Flood has already shown he can obtain big time recruiting classes like he had in 2014 before it collapsed because of a poor decision to pull kids offers if they go and visit other schools. I think there is a very good chance the Class of 2016 will be a top 25 ranked recruiting class because you have a lot of kids that have seen the success of RU in the Big 10, they have felt the electricity that our stadium creates i.e like at the Penn State and Michigan games this year, and ultimately recruits now know that Rutgers is the place to go to become a true professional whether athletically or in the corporate sense.
Obviously this is all "what -ifs" as of now and we will see what happens come signing day 2016.

Didn't it collapse more because of the on-field collapse in October-November 2013?

 

[WhiteBus]

Please stop with the expansion excuse. Rutgers doesn't need it and it won't help recruiting.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Originally posted by Alamo Al:
An additional expansion of 8-10k seating would help. Although our 53k stadium is nice, it's still a bit small when compared to other B1G and 'other' competing schools. As long as the team keeps winning, they should still sell. The weak attendance was with Wisc, probably because of the crappy weather. The big losses to OSU, and Neb didn't help either.

Patience. I fully expect the season ticket base to hit the ceiling somewhere within the next 5 years. Once that happens, and a waiting list forms, then we'll see the studies about the financial impact adding the South Endzone Upper Deck will have. That should net us about 8.5K additional seats.

Before that, do not be surprised to see the West Side get redone to add corporate luxury boxes and a new press box. The luxury boxes will be a cash cow - right now I just think we need to get past the current political climate before those can get done.

 

[Knight Shift]

Originally posted by DJ Spanky:

Originally posted by Alamo Al:
An additional expansion of 8-10k seating would help. Although our 53k stadium is nice, it's still a bit small when compared to other B1G and 'other' competing schools. As long as the team keeps winning, they should still sell. The weak attendance was with Wisc, probably because of the crappy weather. The big losses to OSU, and Neb didn't help either.

Patience. I fully expect the season ticket base to hit the ceiling somewhere within the next 5 years. Once that happens, and a waiting list forms, then we'll see the studies about the financial impact adding the South Endzone Upper Deck will have. That should net us about 8.5K additional seats.

Before that, do not be surprised to see the West Side get redone to add corporate luxury boxes and a new press box. The luxury boxes will be a cash cow - right now I just think we need to get past the current political climate before those can get done.

Is this the climate you are referring to?

 

[MikeRU1766]

I was always under the impression that Flood tried to stop Kiy Hester from visiting other schools and this caused Hester to become upset and choose to go elsewhere. Also, since Hester was such a vocal leader of that class once he left, other chose to leave as well and the floodgates opened (no pun intended).
But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of this as well as the poor on the field performance as well for that key period of time.

 

[Knight Shift]

Originally posted by MikeRU1766:
I was always under the impression that Flood tried to stop Kiy Hester from visiting other schools and this caused Hester to become upset and choose to go elsewhere. Also, since Hester was such a vocal leader of that class once he left, other chose to leave as well and the floodgates opened (no pun intended).
But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of this as well as the poor on the field performance as well for that key period of time.

Others will have a better memory than me, but it was a combination of both, and not to be forgotten, multiple faux scandals including the later unfounded bullying allegations against Cohen and the secret midnight run to hire his replacement.

 

[ClassOf02]

Originally posted by MikeRU1766:
I was always under the impression that Flood tried to stop Kiy Hester from visiting other schools and this caused Hester to become upset and choose to go elsewhere. Also, since Hester was such a vocal leader of that class once he left, other chose to leave as well and the floodgates opened (no pun intended).
But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of this as well as the poor on the field performance as well for that key period of time.

Pretty much my thought as well. But wasn't it really Adonis Jennings more than Kiy Hester? Maybe I got lost in the decommits last year.

 

[brgRC90]

Am I missing something? Rivals has our 2015 class ranked at 53, with an average star rating .1 points ahead of Syracuse at 2.6 Even after the disastrous 2010 season the average rating was 2.75.

 

[Knight Shift]

Yeah, you are missing a positive mindset. The damage was done for the most recent class, and most recruits had already made their commitments. The damage is hopefully being undone, and recruits are seeing Rutgers and Coach Flood in a new light, with some stability with the extension. Things are looking up. OK?

 

[brgRC90]

Call me when players have actually SIGNED something. Until then it means nothing, especially as commitments are getting ever more ethereal all over college football. Ok?

 

[MikeRU1766]

See this is the exact type of mindset that is just not "getting it." Brian Dohn aka National Scout recruiter has on multiple occasions pointed out how big a step Rutgers recruiting has taken by getting these ELITE recruits on campus. This has never happened before.
So to say "Tell me when they sign, nothing else matters until then" while technically true, you are very much missing the point that things are truly moving in the right direction under Flood especially with the 2016 and 2017 kids.

 

[rutgersdave]

I hate these recruiting posts and just waiting for some more commits.

 

[brgRC90]

Originally posted by MikeRU1766:
See this is the exact type of mindset that is just not "getting it." Brian Dohn aka National Scout recruiter has on multiple occasions pointed out how big a step Rutgers recruiting has taken by getting these ELITE recruits on campus. This has never happened before.

Are you sure about that? What was Tom Savage?

 

[RU85inFla]

Judging Flood on past performance is just plain stupid - We weren't in the B1G and the press was doing us no favors predicting us to get slaughtered. It was an uphill battle that no coach could win. The University was in no position to win that PR battle after the TP and Rice mess so Flood did the best he could with the horrible press and went out and proved everyone wrong. Prior to last year what kid really wanted to come and play in the AAC - even for a year when we were expected to be bottom dwellers.

This has brought him a tremendous amount of credibility. The first year B1G success, and his honesty has frankly earned him the trust of many highly ranked recruits. Lets see what he can do going forward. Its a new ballgame. If he can deliver, more power to him. If he can't, we have a problem. But Frankly I am quite optimistic based upon what I have seen so far. Lets see what happens over the next few weeks.

 

[MikeRU1766]

Yes Tom Savage was one top 150 recruit. But that is nothing like what Flood has cooking these days. Rashon Gary the #2 recruit in the nation is tight with the whole RU staff who he has known since 8th grade, Guarantano the 13th best QB in the nation, Dwayne Haskins the #2 QB in his class, Ahmir Mitchell the 14th best WR in the nation and one of the top athletes has RU at the top of his list right now, Ted Field is the 20th best guard in the nation according to Rivals, Kurt Taylor of 2017 is supposedly going to be the best RB in his class and he loves RU already, and the list could go on and on with all the 4 star recruits showing RU love right now like Quayshon ALexander, Jordan Ellison, etc.
While I am obviously not making any promises here, I think it is pretty obvious that Flood is getting a high quantity of quality kids on campus these days compared to the past.

 

[RUBOB72]

nick614 ...see your mother let you out of the cellar in order to troll the Rutgers board...good for you.

 

[jmg75]

Originally posted by Knight Shift:
Is this the climate you are referring to?

Knight Shift,

Consorting with the Cowboys was bad enough, but for me, familiarizing with the Fighting Frenchies is worse than despicable. This may be the worst thing he has done as governor.

 

[Knight Shift]

Originally posted by jmg75:

Originally posted by Knight Shift:
Is this the climate you are referring to?

Knight Shift,

Consorting with the Cowboys was bad enough, but for me, familiarizing with the Fighting Frenchies is worse than despicable. This may be the worst thing he has done as governor.

Ehh, my post was somewhat in jest. But I challenge you to produce a picture of Gov. Christie with the Scarlet Knight or even at a game. When was the last time he attended a Rutgers football game? Maybe I missed it, but the last time I can find is during his Nov. 2013 campaign. Didn't Gov. Corzine regularly attend games?

 

[yesrutgers01]

Being nice in the recruiting game gets you NOTHING in the B1G. He has gotten ONLY ONE 4 star NJ player in the past three years and NO top 10 NJ RECRUITS! NONE!
He's NOT GETTING IT DONE! On a different note Julie gets it! She told me that the last time I spoke to her.

Kidding guys- Flood is the man.

 

[rutgersfan1766]

T&3 amount of hype the 2016 class is getting I expect nothing but 5 stars ... Having 4 three stars is ridiculous how else do you expect to finish #1 in the Rivals recruiting rankings?
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[SC1221]

Originally posted by ClassOf02:

Originally posted by MikeRU1766:
I was always under the impression that Flood tried to stop Kiy Hester from visiting other schools and this caused Hester to become upset and choose to go elsewhere. Also, since Hester was such a vocal leader of that class once he left, other chose to leave as well and the floodgates opened (no pun intended).
But I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of this as well as the poor on the field performance as well for that key period of time.

Pretty much my thought as well. But wasn't it really Adonis Jennings more than Kiy Hester? Maybe I got lost in the decommits last year.

No that as Hester. With Jennings the staff supposedly told him that after him they were done with recruiting wr's and then they recruited other wr's and that ticked him off.