Posted by pdanao on 9/2/2010 11:48:00 AM (view original):
I've got a couple of other questions regarding the new recruit generation:
(1) Are there more players with high-high potential? In recent recruiting at a mid-major and a low-major, it feels Iike I've seen more low-ranked players that seem to have very high ceilings on potential (e.g. "no reason NOT to expect HUGE improvement", "sky's the limit", etc.). These players are low ranked and have low baselines and wouldn't appear exceptional unless you got their scouting report.
(2) Has it become easier to redshirt guys? Previously, getting guys to accept RS wasn't easy. This time around, I gave three guys RS without any CV or HV and they took them.
This is based on a very small sample, but IF there are more low ranked players that have high-high potential in key categories and IF it has become easier to redshirt guys (to help them achieve that potential), then it would help to keep mid-majors more competitive by allowing them to find the diamonds in the rough and develop them to be competitive with those players with higher starting values (or building teams with complementary players that while not able to compete star for star, compete much better as a team). This would especially be true if some of those players with super high starting values are leaving after their FR and SO years.
Also, what has been the impact on recruiting battles? Very often, you would see A+ prestige programs able to put together awesome unchallenged classes because there were enough elite recruits to go around. Now, with the dawn of the super-recruit are there more battles between the super programs that allow mid-majors to either pick up good players that aren't in the 800s, but in the 650s (which is now a pretty decent player) or even poach from higher prestige programs that have overextended themselves trying to win the next Kevin Durant?
If nothing else, it would be helpful to understand all of the potential dimensions of what's going on rather than just relying on the gap in baseline starting values as the only data point for the discussion.
pd - I thought those were great ?'s and some talking points slipped in with them. Thought I'd take a shot at them
1 - high - high are there more of them? this might be really an ignorant answer, I think hi-hi has more impact than before the change, such that guys are gaining 15-20 points in a season under some circumstances, I don't recall such players existing prior to this latest change, at least in my practice gym, at least not since the players on steroids era?
2 - easier to redshirt - seble would have to answer that, I have not seen that to be the case, but I always have had decent luck redshirting
3 - your 3rd point was if this, and if that, then it would help mid majors be more competitive, esp if elite programs lose all their players after their frosh and soph seasons. Sort of a fair amount of if's, but your point has been made often by those in support of the engine. I will throw something back at you to think about, one if involved - A+ coaches got there because they can recruit, if lots of talented hi - hi guys start beating them, they will be on them.
From my own standpoint, I have always recruited some development type guys as a A/A+ coach, there is no doubt, there are some guys around like you describe, I just am not convinced that the A/A+ schools are going to overlook them.
4 - recruiting battles - there are more, yep, but again, the A/A+ coaches have been thru the recruiting wars for many, many seasons, most A+ coaches had to get to their school in an era when prestige did not float, so essentially they had to make the elite 8 or final 4 2 out of 3 years with a C prestige school to get to the BCS, several of my top BCS jobs were gotten after taking a low built in prestige BCS school to the tourny 5 or 6 years in a row. So sure, the elite player mentality will cause more battles, I'm just not convinced the misery will be limited to the A+/A coaches. I think it will get spread around and hurt everyone a little bit, elites, mid level BCS's, and top notch mid majors - since there are not enough recruits to go around, everyone looking for top players will suffer some in that regard, in my opinion.
by the way, I have now had 3 d2 coaches complain on BCS CC's about d1 coaches going after d2 players, in tark, I did a sort on hi pot guys for my 12th spot, all 4 guys I highlighted were already being recruited by a d2 coach, this is an A+ BCS school looking to poach from a d2 school, so the misery may not exactly be limited to d1 even, let alone 'elite' schools.