Recruiting, 2014

[asutrnr81]

We have the same number of WRs in the NFL as App State--1.

Excellent degree, brand new academic and athletic facilities, big school, big city with a lot of cultural and culinary offerings, four major sports teams, tons of internship and job opportunities if he does not make the NFL.

Templetown is not in the projects.

Our football facility recently underwent a $10M expansion. We opened up a $60M athletic facility than is used for campus recreation and houses our men's and women's basketball practice facilities, which are used by all visiting NBA teams in town to play the Sixers. We have an $140M science center opening this summer. We just announced an $190M library.

Our attendance is not great, but our student section grows every year, and school pride has really risen over the last few years. The key for us is to get alums back and to get unaffiliated fans to buy in. As far as the stadium goes, we are very likely going to announce plans for a 30K-34K on campus stadium in the coming months.

We have been historically bad, thanks to 100 years of administrative incompetence. We have a new president and athletic director, who are all in on major college football. Duke is historically awful too and they did pretty well this year. Just because we've been bad most of our history doesn't mean we're unable to turn it around.

We have 3 scholarship underclassmen WRs returning, one of whom is mostly going to be used on special teams. Fitzpatrick is a senior, our top WR Robby Anderson is a junior, and our #3 WR John Christopher is a junior. We currently have 4 committed who will definitely play WR, one of whom may not qualify. One of our commits who is listed at WR on Rivals is likely to play safety.

Welcome to the "Cabin". I give you rep points for bringing the facts! (Often missed on most sites, but refreshing when they do!)

[asutrnr81]

Is this financial mess that Temple is about to enter because they were kicked out of the Big East a few years ago because they wouldn't spend any money for football or athletic improvements and the Big East kicked them out. Joined the MAC for awhile until the Big East just had to have them back because of a shortage of members.

I'm not sure what financial mess you're referring to. We are fine as it stands.

400 million (your numbers) may not be a mess in Philly but it is in the High Country!

[asutrnr81]

Two landmarks in the last week!

1000+ posts!

with the 23K views from lost thread and the 86K+ views on this thread we passed the 110K mark.....

Wonder if we can get to 90K views on this thread before tomorrow night at 11:59?

[AppGrad78]

Hey guys: I have a rather unusual request. For the next few hours, until our signing class is formally announced, can we hold off on posting new commitments. In these last few hours, it'll be more helpful if we let Firemoose or either of our two pay sites make the commitment announcements. PM me if you have questions.

[EastHallApp]

Found this article with a little more info on Armstrong. Apparently he had an offer from Ball State as well as assorted area FCS schools: http://ballstate.scout.com/2/1367966.html

[JHG]

Is this financial mess that Temple is about to enter because they were kicked out of the Big East a few years ago because they wouldn't spend any money for football or athletic improvements and the Big East kicked them out. Joined the MAC for awhile until the Big East just had to have them back because of a shortage of members.

I'm not sure what financial mess you're referring to. We are fine as it stands.

400 million (your numbers) may not be a mess in Philly but it is in the High Country!

That's only part of it. We're undergoing $1.2B in campus renovations through 2020, not including the hopefully soon-to-be-announced on campus football stadium. If you really think we'll be in $1.2B in debt, you are sorely mistaken. It's no different than projects at any other university; a mix of state money, University money, private donations, loans/bonds, etc.

[SpeedkingATL]

Found this article with a little more info on Armstrong. Apparently he had an offer from Ball State as well as assorted area FCS schools: http://ballstate.scout.com/2/1367966.html

Nice to win one from that ole kneecapper Pete Lembo!

[Rekdiver]

Well you better not raise student fees to make these improvements because Appalachians faculty will call for the resignation of your administration. Or could it be that Temples faculty is more enlightened?

[WVAPPeer]

Hey guys: I have a rather unusual request. For the next few hours, until our signing class is formally announced, can we hold off on posting new commitments. In these last few hours, it'll be more helpful if we let Firemoose or either of our two pay sites make the commitment announcements. PM me if you have questions.

Yes - thank you !!!

[eggers76]

Here is a nice little article defining what a "preferred walk-on" is.

http://www.footballscoop.com/news/12456 ... ed-walk-on

[hapapp]

I know we all want to see the best possible class enroll at App State. As many have pointed out, getting the players to Boone is just half the battle. This article on Va Tech's woes the last two years demonstrates that what's on paper doesn't always pan out. Tech has routinely had a top 25 class each year and even some within the top 20 but while recent classes score out well they haven't produced on the field.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/colleges/ ... b2370.html

[GoApps70]

Hey guys: I have a rather unusual request. For the next few hours, until our signing class is formally announced, can we hold off on posting new commitments. In these last few hours, it'll be more helpful if we let Firemoose or either of our two pay sites make the commitment announcements. PM me if you have questions.

Totally agree. Wouldn't want anyone to get any information unless they pay for it. Cannot believe anyone would expect to have any free information on their team.

[asutrnr81]

Hey guys: I have a rather unusual request. For the next few hours, until our signing class is formally announced, can we hold off on posting new commitments. In these last few hours, it'll be more helpful if we let Firemoose or either of our two pay sites make the commitment announcements. PM me if you have questions.

Yes - thank you !!!

Good Luck!

[firemoose]

NM

[firemoose]

OK Everybody. This very long process is nearly over and by tomorrow evening we'll know most of our 2014 class. Just to give everyone an idea of how long a process this has been I have made nearly 700 revisions to the Main 2014 Recruiting Page as of right now. By tomorrow night I wouldn't be surprised if it's near 800. And that's only that one page and does not include all the player pages that have been built. We are in a new era of App sports and recruiting, especially football, will never be the same. No rest for the weary as we already have 25 offers for 2015 and 7 for 2016. I'll be working on those pages and publishing them in a few days.

Just thought I would let everyone know what to expect tomorrow. I'm not going to start a separate Signing Day thread but will be posting updates in this thread as NLI's come in. I would like to keep it all in one place because even after tomorrow we'll still have a few more to add plus the PWO's that we come across. Also, for selfish reasons, I want to see how close we can come to 100K views without using the 23,000 views from the lost thread. We've already passed 100K but we're approaching 90,000 tonight without using those views. I'm just interested to see how close we can come.

I'll be working closely with John and Mike at 24/7 and the coaching staff to post as quickly as possible as each letter comes in. I will also be updating the Main Page and moving Commits to the Signed NLI section so I might be a few minutes behind on a player or two. Please feel free to to add to the posts and I'll be right behind with the full information.

Our first player (Chandler Greer) is set to sign at 8:00 am. Shaedon Meadors is not set to decide until 3:45 pm. It's going to be a long day, especially since we won't know for sure about our highest rated commit until nearly 4:00. We'll be on it all day and will do our best to keep everyone up to date and happy. Good Luck to Us All.

[Rekdiver]

quit being a jerk 70

[asutrnr81]

OK Everybody. This very long process is nearly over and by tomorrow evening we'll know most of our 2014 class. Just to give everyone an idea of how long a process this has been I have made nearly 700 revisions to the Main 2014 Recruiting Page as of right now.

Just thought I would let everyone know what to expect tomorrow. I'm not going to start a separate Signing Day thread but will be posting updates in this thread as NLI's come in. I would like to keep it all in one place because even after tomorrow we'll still have a few more to add plus the PWO's that we come across. Also, for selfish reasons, I want to see how close we can come to 100K views without using the 23,000 views from the lost thread. We've already passed 100K but we're approaching 90,000 tonight without using those views. I'm just interested to see how close we can come.

FM...we are all grateful for the APPsolute dedication you have shown to this process. It is a tribute to your love of ASU and want to see our programs succeed! I want to extend the most humble thank you! YOU ROCK MAN! To YOSEF! (had to go old school just a little bit in tribute to color change!)

[AppinATL]

Amen, and I second that. You've done one heck off a job. First class reporting and I can't even begin to grasp the amount of work you have put in. We all hope for the best for tomorrow, but whatever the outcome, THANK YOU!

[AppGrad78]

While we're waiting for the big ball to drop, below is a story by The Associated Press about social media and recruiting.

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer

Recruiting is the lifeline of college coaches and with teenagers using social media like Twitter to communicate, some football staffs have pushed the boundaries of NCAA regulations to reach top high school recruits.
National Signing Day is Wednesday and the stakes are high.
The NCAA allows schools to confirm they're recruiting a specific unsigned prospect, but coaches can't comment on that recruit's athletic ability, how he'd contribute to their team or the likelihood that prospect might commit to a particular school.
Some coaches and staffers are bending the rules, tweeting thinly veiled references to prospects without naming them.
J.R. Sandlin was working as a recruiting analyst at Notre Dame on Dec. 17 when he tweeted, “The DT from KY calling me out. Just wait my man! Just wait! We want you here! Need u to be Irish!” One day later, Sandlin tweeted that “what I like about ‘THE’ 2014 DT from KY is the explosive power he can generate from his lower body. Truly impressive. The guy is a BEAST!” He didn't name a prospect, but the only defensive tackle from Kentucky being recruited by Notre Dame was Matt Elam of John Hardin High School in Elizabethtown.
The Twitter feed of five-star running back prospect Leonard Fournette of St. Augustine High in New Orleans is filled with references to “Buga Nation.” Fournette was still uncommitted on Dec. 18 when LSU coach Les Miles tweeted “Geaux Buga Nation!!!” Miles’ message received 782 retweets, including one from Fournette himself. Two weeks later, Fournette committed to LSU.
NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn said the NCAA rules on what a coach says to or about a recruit also apply to social media.
“It doesn't matter if you're doing it when you talk to a reporter or are on social media,” Osburn said. “It's the same rule.”
Jen Vining-Smith, Notre Dame's assistant athletic director for compliance, said she got several calls from compliance officers at other universities regarding Sandlin's Dec. 18 tweet about the Kentucky prospect. Vining-Smith told Sandlin she could defend the tweet, but she didn't want him tweeting so “pointedly” again.
“I do think it pushes right up to the line. ... You can't make it that identifiable,” Vining-Smith said.
Miles was reminded by LSU administration officials to use caution when taking to Twitter to discuss recruiting. He was not admonished, however, because officials determined that Miles had tweeted a phrase which was not a direct reference to Fournette, as opposed to using a publicly known nickname, for example.
“Coach Miles understands that social media gives him the forum to promote his program to tens of thousands of people at any given time,” LSU athletic department spokesman Michael Bonnette said in an email to The Associated Press. “He's careful and mindful of the rules when it comes to using social media as a recruiting tool, but he's savvy enough to understand the impact that it can have.”
Coaches can tweet to their heart's content to let fans know that “someone” has verbally committed to their school without actually mentioning the recruit by name. And they're doing it all over the country, whether it's Tennessee's Butch Jones tweeting “(hash)BrickByBrick” or Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin tweeting “(hash)Yessir!”
Some coaches, like Alabama's Nick Saban, doesn't use Twitter as a part of his recruiting tactics. But not everyone can afford to take the approach by Saban, who consistently lands top recruiting classes.
Tennessee compliance director Todd Dooley has heard of a coach attempting to contact a recruit via direct message — allowed by NCAA rules — and inadvertently put the note on his actual Twitter feed instead.
Dooley said he doesn't mind if Tennessee's coaches tweet about what places they're visiting on recruiting trips, but he asks them to avoid saying a specific school “or anything that would narrow it down to people being able to identify a specific recruit.”
Vining-Smith gives Notre Dame's coaches similar advice.
“If they're going to Texas and if they say, ‘I'm heading to Dallas to find some talent’ or whatever, well that's fine because there are plenty of people in Dallas they could be going to see,” Vining-Smith said. "And my opinion on that is even if we're recruiting one kid from Dallas, I'm still OK with it because Dallas is a big city and there are lots of kids there that have the talent to play at Notre Dame.
“If they're going to Santa Claus, Ind., and there's one high school in that town and they say ‘Heading to Santa Claus, Ind.,’ I have a different perspective on that. They're specifically saying where they're going and more importantly, it's a little bit more direct as to who they're probably going to see.”
Compliance officers are policing one another in an informal checks-and-balances effort.
They often call one another about tweets that might have crossed a line. Then it's up to each school's compliance officer to determine whether the tweet can be defended or needs to be reported.
“In the grand scheme of things, if someone called the NCAA to report a violation about Twitter, they would be like, ‘Are you serious? Call us about something about extra benefits or cars being given. Call the schools, because that's how this process is supposed to work,’ ” Vining-Smith said. “You're really supposed to call each other out.”
Mike Farrell, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said he doesn't think the NCAA should allow any sort of interaction between coaches and recruits on Twitter, even by direct messaging. He said prospects sometimes use Twitter to play out the recruiting process and get more followers.
“I've seen kids after they commit to a school, lose thousands of followers and they're crestfallen because of it,” Farrell said.
Then again, sometimes a tweet doesn't have much of an impact at all.
Shortly after Sandlin tweeted about a “DT from KY,” Elam dropped Notre Dame from consideration. Elam announced Thursday he had chosen Kentucky over Alabama.
Naturally, not long after Elam made his pick, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops tweeted, “Great Day for the State of Kentucky and the BBN (Big Blue Nation)!!!”
__

AP writer Tom Coyne of South Bend, Ind., and AP sports writer Brett Martel of Baton Rouge, La., contributed to this report.

[asu66]

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave.." Why do I think more rules are on the way from our "friends" in the NCAA? Rules yes, but no enforcement, unless they single out SUNY-Stonybrook or someone else way down the totem pole.