We are different... Thankfully

[ruready07]

I wish our coaches and fans would embrace how different our program is from everyone else. I wish we would sell how although our fans are as passionate as they come, we aren't the type who hinge their whole life on the games. College football isn't the only thing happening and the only place we can go out and see other humans. We need to embrace that. Stop trying to sell the recruits on how we are similar to these other schools and start highlighting the differences. In the tri-state area we have a huge population of people working their ass off every day to just make it. They wake up on saturdays and go to work - not spend their whole week preparing for a tailgate.

Do we have the guts to tell these recruits that its actually corny and pathetic how much fans from these other programs worship them? College football is great, but its also gets pretty weird out there. Im happy we are a little more sophisticated than others when it comes to how we treat this game. And it isn't that we don't care, because we all know how NJ treats its football - but we are men about it.

Highlight the differences! We aren't some of these other programs, and I am thankful for that.

 

[miketd1]

What differences are you suggesting we highlight?

 

[Ty Webb]

 

[miketd1]

 

[cjrugger]

In the tri-state area we have a huge population of people working their ass off every day to just make it. They wake up on saturdays and go to work - not spend their whole week preparing for a tailgate.

That's your sales pitch?

 

[mktman]

That's your sales pitch?

That might be the most depressing thing I have read this year. I am actually bummed out after reading that.

 

[PSU_Nut]

Wow didn't know NJ was the only place people work hard. I never new it was the only place that had other entertainment options. Perhaps Jersey should publicize more because the rest of the country is not aware.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

I never new it was the only place that had other entertainment options.

To be fair, it is the only entertainment option in State College.

 

[RickDaglessMD]

Do we have the guts to tell these recruits that its actually corny and pathetic how much fans from these other programs worship them? College football is great, but its also gets pretty weird out there. Im happy we are a little more sophisticated than others when it comes to how we treat this game. And it isn't that we don't care, because we all know how NJ treats its football - but we are men about it.

Not for anything, but you do realize that this is a message board where many members have spent the last eight months living and dying over every recruit we miss out on, and trying to glean hidden clues from the Twitter accounts of 16 and 17 year olds?

I don't think we're all that different.

 

[PSU_Nut]

To be fair, it is the only entertainment option in State College.

No there are other entertainment options. Just because it a small town doesn't mean their are not other activities. There are concerts, shows, festivals, outdoor activities. Just because they are not on the scale. Secondly you are also making the false assumption that only people from the area attend game. In fact the vast majority are from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

 

[miketd1]

Nut: Rutgers is competing with several pro franchises and world class entertainment options -- the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell and everything in-between including Broadway musicals, acclaimed orchestras, the ballet, Michelin star dining options, priceless art collections & museums, Atlantic City, etc. That's in addition to everything Happy Valley can possibly offer (hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.).

 

[PSU_Nut]

Nut: Rutgers is competing with several pro franchises and world class entertainment options -- the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell and everything in-between including Broadway musicals, acclaimed orchestras, the ballet, Michelin star dining options, priceless art collections & museums, Atlantic City, etc. That's in addition to everything Happy Valley can possibly offer (hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, etc.).

How often do you visit the liberty bell or the statue of liberty? Like I said most Penn State fans are within driving distance of similar things. There NFL teams in those areas. You always bring up market size so while there are more entrainment options there are also far more population to draw from.

 

[miketd1]

How often do you visit the liberty bell or the statue of liberty? Like I said most Penn State fans are within driving distance of similar things. You always bring up market size so while there are more entrainment options there are also far more population to draw from.

I think your comment is out of scope. We are comparing the number of potential Rutgers game attendees vs. PSU's counterpart -- not the overall regional population of NJ metro vs. central PA.

That said, the opposite is true: PSU has far more population (built-in fanbase) to draw from. And with fewer entertainment options.

I don't know how you can even make your argument -- we're just going to have to disagree here.

 

[JPhoboken]

No there are other entertainment options. Just because it a small town doesn't mean their are not other activities. There are concerts, shows, festivals, outdoor activities. Just because they are not on the scale. Secondly you are also making the false assumption that only people from the area attend game. In fact the vast majority are from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

He meant major sporting entertainment. Every town has music, festivals and outdoor activities.

I don't think anybody is trying to insult you when they say towns like Happy Valley and even towns like Lincoln, NE have strong followings for University Athletics because they don't have other major sports teams. They both have tradition of great football, so that helps as well. We understand that people come from other towns in Pa, just like not everybody who goes to Rutgers Football games is from New Brunswick or piscataway.

I probably would be living in a small town somewhere if It weren't for my significant other who likes living in a urban area and likes to be close to NYC. I would love to get on my atv, head into the mountains, do some hunting and fishing...........Ah, the Huskers lifestyle is sounding better and better.

 

[DJ Spanky]

To be fair, it is the only entertainment option in State College.

No there are other entertainment options.

Yep. Here are a few:

 

[RUBlueLot]

I spend all week preparing for a tailgate. I wake up three hours earlier on game day then I do for work.

And there are still many people who beat me to the lot.

 

[koleszar]

Been to Penn State quite a few times. Unless there was a huge building project I was unaware of there really is nothing out there. Just one cow field after another. Not aware what our resident Penn St. fan is talking about. Face it you guys live for college athletics, just like my uncle did. Because there is nothing else except Steeler football and there is nothing wrong with that. But don't act like your some cultural hub cause you aren't.

 

[bac2therac]

the OP is trying to hard....yep come to Rutgers where we care more about APR scores and good men than winning games...oh wait a minute

 

[Section118]

No there are other entertainment options. Just because it a small town doesn't mean their are not other activities. There are concerts, shows, festivals, outdoor activities. Just because they are not on the scale. Secondly you are also making the false assumption that only people from the area attend game. In fact the vast majority are from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

What the hell are "outdoor activities"? Could you describe these fascinating "outdoor activities" ?

 

[zappaa]

Hunting, fishing, golfing, hiking, biking, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, photography, rock climbing, skiing, sailing, horseback riding, model airplane flying, softball, touch football, soccer, tag, kick the can, hide and seek, man hunt, archery, tree climbing, wiffle ball, tennis, lawn bowling, croquet, picnic, barbecue.

 

[BrunswickBob]

This angle that people take, that PSU draws a huge crowd for games because there is nothing else to do there, is ridiculous.

The vast majority of people in the stadium on game day are coming from the Philadelphia or New York metropolitan areas. They make the 4 hour trek to see the football team they are passionate about, and then head back to their neighborhoods which they share with Rutgers fans.

If you don't realize that now, you will when you see the traffic you're sitting in on September 19th en route to State College.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Both sides of the argument are stupid...

 

[miketd1]

Getting back on-topic...

I agree with the spirit of the OP -- to highlight differences. However what differences should we highlight? I posited the question and the OP never responded.

I ask because there are really only two areas where Rutgers is comparatively strong: 1.) location and 2.) academics/culture. In most other aspects (facilities, "juice"/"stain", tradition, fan/community/media support, etc.) we are comparatively deficient to other programs.

So let's talk about location for a minute. Based on our recruiting results, I would say location wasn't a deciding factor for most top NJ recruits (hence, most flew the coop). And if it is, all they have to do is sign with a Big Ten East team and they're assured at least 2 games played in front of their family and friends. If they go to PSU or MD, it's even less of an issue and they are much more heavily invested in their athletic programs. And you can make the argument (and many have) that some kids just want to get out of Jersey regardless.

Now let's talk about academics/culture. The Rutgers football program deserves a lot of credit for fielding teams year in and year out that achieve in the classroom as much as on the field. Most "football factories" cannot make that claim and it is a very strong recruiting advantage we have over these schools. For a recruit who values their education, we are blazing a very strong reputation. However, if you're a blue-chipper with good grades, you're likely also considering Notre Dame, Stanford, Michigan, Duke, and UCLA. As much as Rutgers has to offer, those schools are just on another level. I haven't analyzed the kids that left NJ for these schools, but my guess is if they had an offer from one of those schools, that's who they eventually ended up with.

Location & culture seem to have been strong factors with 4-star kids we've landed. Our typical 4-star kid tends to be 1.) a regional guy who 2.) considered other strong academic institutions with solid football programs. Based on the offer lists we are/were competing primarily with Boston College, Connecticut, Maryland, and Virginia for these kids. And now Michigan and Penn St. have games in Piscataway every other year.

Here's a list of every 4-star (Rivals, plus Darius Hamilton) and their offer list (again, per Rivals) since 2006:

Kenny Britt (Illinois, Minnesota, N. Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia)
Kordell Young (Boston Coll., Illinois, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia)
Manny Abreu (Florida, Boston Coll., Florida State, Michigan)
Anthony Davis (Miami-FL, Notre Dame, Ohio St., USC)
Mason Robinson (Boston Coll., Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Virginia)
Art Forst (Boston Coll., Duke, Florida, Maryland, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia)
Keith Stroud (Connecticut, Iowa, Mississippi, NC State, Oregon, Purdue, Toledo)
Scott Vallone (Boston Coll., Connecticut, Duke, Maryland, Minnesota, NC State, Syracuse, Virginia)
Isaac Holmes (Florida, Maryland, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Virgina)
Logan Ryan (Boston Coll., Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan St., Northwestern, Purdue, Virginia, West Virginia)
Tom Savage (Florida St., Georgia, Louisville, Miami-FL, Michigan, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Virgina)
De'Antwan Williams (Boston Coll., Illinois, Marshall, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Virginia, West Virginia)
Brandon Coleman (Boston Coll., Connecticut, Maryland, Notre Dame, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Virgina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia)
Rashad Knight (Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, West Virginia)
Savon Huggins (Auburn, Florida, Florida St., Georgia, Miami-FL, Michigan, Michigan St., N. Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Stanford, Tennessee, USC, Wisconsin)
Djewany Mera (Cent. Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Florida Intl., Louisville, South Florida, UCF)
Miles Shuler (too long to list)
Marquise Wright (Cincinnati, Florida St., Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan St., N. Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia)
Leonte Carroo (Boston Coll., California, Illinois, Maryland, Miami-FL, Michigan, N. Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio (not state), Pittsburgh, UCF, Virginia, Wisconsin)
JJ Denman (Boston coll., Connecticut, Duke, Illinois, Miami-FL, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi St., N. Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Purdue, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, West Virginia)
Darius Hamilton (too many to list)
Quanzell Lambert (Alabama... & the rest)
Chris Muller (Boston Coll., Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Michigan St., Notre Dame, Penn St., Pittsburgh, Purdue, South Carolina, Temple, Virginia, West Virginia)
Nadir Barnwell (Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan St., N. Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn St., Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia)
NONE in 2014(!)
Marquis Ford (too many to list)

 

[beaced]

Yep. Here are a few:

 

[beaced]

Spanky,you are definitely the MAN.

 

[Arizona Knight]

USC is about a driver and 7-iron from Downtown LA. Bad argument.

 

[KevH]

That's your sales pitch?

LOL! Just what I was thinking. No offense, but if that's how you're gonna sell it, you might as well pick one of our rivals and join their recruiting staff. When you're trying to sell somebody, the first thing you need to do is find out what their wants/needs are. Then, in your value proposition, you have to convince them that your product fills that need best. If you can show me enough high caliber 17 year old athletes who don't like to be treated like a rock star, you may be onto something. The only differences you need to highlight are the ones that go above and beyond what the competition has to offer... again, assuming that those differences actually matter to the "customer".

 

[RUsmrtrthna5thgrdr]

Wow, whats really sad is I think the OP is serious... Hell desperate times call for desperate measures and the truth is unless recruiting changes in a major way with the division we play in, it's gonna be a loooooooong road for us.

Hey I'm all for us getting better recruits, but nothing's gonna change unless we give them a reason to come here, right now we aren't doing that

 

[mildone]

Yep. Here are a few:

Oh hell yeah! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!