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Recruiting Texas

krom

Club Member
Club Member
What is the importance of recruiting Texas to have success in the P12? There are a lot fans who seem to think that recruiting TX hard is vital. This seems to be old thinking carried over from the BigXII. NewMac himself stated that there are over 1000 schools in CA and that it was much more important to hit that state hard rather than TX. I think he has his priorities straight and I am happy he has established connections in CA due to his camps. Hopefully he can do the same in CO to keep whatever talent there is from leaving. Don't get me wrong, I think it is still good to recruit TX to spot fill areas of need but I don't think it is as vital to the success of the program as it once was. And in keeping with NewMac's reasoning, I don't think too many kids will be attracted to leaving the state for a program in a conference that has no presence there anymore. A quick look at the current commitment list of the P12 schools yielded the following numbers of TX recruits:

CU: 3
USC: 1
UO: 1
UCLA: 2
Cal: 2
Stanford: 0
UW: 2
OSU: 1
WSU: 3
ASU: 3
UA: 0
UU: 3
 
Good point. I think that HCMM stated that kids growing up in CA watch the Pac 12 and kids growing up in TX grow up watching the Big 12. So might as well spend most of your time in CA.

I'd personally be fine with getting most all of our players from the PAC 12 region. I wish we had more recruiting success in AZ and UT considering how close they are.
 
I'd hate to have Texas be too big a distraction. MikeMac has all those Cali contacts...he needs to continue to nurture those and compete for in-state kids.
 
Getting a few from Texas is important to CU recruiting. Our ability to recruit there gives us an advantage in the Pac-12. HCMM better be aware of that because if we rely on out-recruiting everyone else in CA we are in some trouble. We should focus there. We should build up our pipelines in CA. Maybe we'll eventually get to being where we want. But as it stands now, we're the Pac-12 program that is worst-positioned in CA (historical ties and geography).
 
Getting a few from Texas is important to CU recruiting. Our ability to recruit there gives us an advantage in the Pac-12. HCMM better be aware of that because if we rely on out-recruiting everyone else in CA we are in some trouble. We should focus there. We should build up our pipelines in CA. Maybe we'll eventually get to being where we want. But as it stands now, we're the Pac-12 program that is worst-positioned in CA (historical ties and geography).
I think he does get that - he seemed excited about what jeffcoat could do in texas. Certainly made it a point.
 
Doesn't CU get a lot of students, in general, from Texas? I'm not sure how that would affect recruiting if true. Colorado is a popular vacation spot for Texans and is fairly easy to get to compared to the California schools.
 
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Getting a few from Texas is important to CU recruiting. Our ability to recruit there gives us an advantage in the Pac-12. HCMM better be aware of that because if we rely on out-recruiting everyone else in CA we are in some trouble. We should focus there. We should build up our pipelines in CA. Maybe we'll eventually get to being where we want. But as it stands now, we're the Pac-12 program that is worst-positioned in CA (historical ties and geography).

Last year we pulled 7 kids from TX however this year we have no more than any other P12 school, so I am not so sure that we have better ability or advantage to recruit TX.
 
We are different from all the other PAC schools except Utah in that we are further away from California, it is a bigger move for kids to come here. At the same time we are closer to Texas than the other PAC schools. Most Texas kids parents can come to Boulder with one long day of driving, the coastal school can't offer that.

Bottom line is it doesn't matter if we do most of our recruiting in Alberta Canada and Rhode Island, what does matter is that we get kids who are good enough to allow us to compete successfully in the PAC. The last staff (or more correctly the last two staffs) didn't do that and it was a part of why we have been as bad as we have been.

California and Texas are both huge sources of talent but also are very heavily recruited by lots of schools. Coach Mac may with justification decide that he wants to focus on California simply because that is where he has his contacts established, where he has had prior recruiting success, and where he thinks he can get the highest return on his investment of recruiting time and effort.

In the long run I don't see us being highly successfull without getting some key players from a place like Texas but for right now with short time available he has to concentrate his time where he can get the guys who can help him at least make the first step in turning this ship around.
 
Last year we pulled 7 kids from TX however this year we have no more than any other P12 school, so I am not so sure that we have better ability or advantage to recruit TX.

Well, remember we're only bringing in about a dozen kids in this cycle. Having 25% of our current commit list from Texas isn't bad.
 
Well, remember we're only bringing in about a dozen kids in this cycle. Having 25% of our current commit list from Texas isn't bad.

How much of that had to do with Kanavis who is liked and respected in HS FB circles in and around the Houston area and was stepping up as one of the best recruiters on the former staff. Who do they have or will they have who can fill that role in Texas.
 
Despite what little-hawk said about availability of cheap airline tickets to CO, spending four years in school at boulder ain't the same as visiting once or twice a year. Combined with the proximity to Denver, I think we will always be able to appeal to a percentage of kids from anywhere. Texans vacay in CO for a reason: it's not tx!!
 
Remember that since the state of CO does not provide a wealth of talent year in and year out, we have to nationally recruit. It was this way when Original Mac built the program in the Big 8 and has reamined the same all the way until now. OrigMac built on the back of locking down what talent was in Colorado then going to Cali and TX to fill in the rest - the states were much closer than the other talent hotbeds of FL and the Southeast, so in a sense he stayed close.

And with TX being closer than CA, we were able to pull kids from there due to proximity - then the formation of the Big 12 helped further in that we could recruit to "Mom and Dad dont have to travel every game because they'll still see you on TV for every game." Meanwhile, we still pulled from Cali - so much talent there USC and fUCLA couldn't take it all.

The other thing we benefitted from HUGELY was the fact that U$C, fUCLA, UT, and aTm were in a huge down cycle at the time and we had the name - so we were able to get kids from both states we'd be lucky to get now. Plus the formation of the new SWC (Big 12) keeps more TX kids at home now.

In the end, I think TunaMac (is that the winning nickname?) has the right philosophy to vault CA over TX (where it was probably even before) due to his previous contacts AND the advent of the P12 network. However, you can't completely turn your back on Texas, because there are good to great kids who DO want to leave there and we can provide an attractive option. If we don't continue to keep a watchful eye on the state, we are cutting off our nose to spite our own face.

The one focus that remains the same as always is the desire/need to lock down whatever top talent is in CO - you don't do that, it all over but the shouting (witness the last 7 years.) I think HCMM/TunaMac has the right vision for recruiting in the areas he wants to target. Fortunately he has three **** hot guys to choose from for his staff to focus on Texas. As Jeffcoat is already tabbed to come, it's unfortunate as Kanavis and Kennedy appear to be on the outside looking in - no need for three guys to cover Texas now. 2 maybe, but not 3.
 
CA, CO, TX, AZ in order of importance. Maybe wander into NV, OR, WA, HI every so often for some guys, but the majority of our classes should come from those 4 states with most of them being CA. Embree basically admitted failure when it became known that he was putting CA on the back burner to concentrate on TX, not a recipe for success in the P12.
 
Focus on staff strengths in CA and TX, but evaluate CO talent early and thoroughly. We need to be open to talent from coast to coast. The Speedy Stewarts of Ohio and Kordell Stewarts of Louisiana can be program changers.
 
We are different from all the other PAC schools except Utah in that we are further away from California, it is a bigger move for kids to come here. At the same time we are closer to Texas than the other PAC schools. Most Texas kids parents can come to Boulder with one long day of driving, the coastal school can't offer that.

Bottom line is it doesn't matter if we do most of our recruiting in Alberta Canada and Rhode Island, what does matter is that we get kids who are good enough to allow us to compete successfully in the PAC. The last staff (or more correctly the last two staffs) didn't do that and it was a part of why we have been as bad as we have been.

California and Texas are both huge sources of talent but also are very heavily recruited by lots of schools. Coach Mac may with justification decide that he wants to focus on California simply because that is where he has his contacts established, where he has had prior recruiting success, and where he thinks he can get the highest return on his investment of recruiting time and effort.

In the long run I don't see us being highly successfull without getting some key players from a place like Texas but for right now with short time available he has to concentrate his time where he can get the guys who can help him at least make the first step in turning this ship around.
This^ and they can fly up for a weekend ski trip with their son...
 
Once we get to the point where we are in on the tier 1 and 2 recruits, I think we could maybe focus on Cali. Right now we are not even in that ball park. It seems to me that the 3s and 4s in Texas are stronger and more plentiful than those 3rd and 4th tier kids in Cali.
 
I just think Texas plays a different brand of football than the rest of the nation. If I had to choose a player with the same ranking, sight unseen, one from texas and one from california. I'd choose the one from Texas.
 
This discussion comes up all of the time and I always am shocked that anyone would think that we should not recruit Texas. :sucks:


Recruiting has to be done on a strategic level and without going through building a strategic plan it is obvious to most that you want the top talent then you have to go to where the top Talent is residing. Part of the strategy has to be to have contacts and strong connections in those locations. Players are committing so early now that you really have to be on them going into their Junior year. Since no one has unlimited resources you have to expend your resources where you have a high probability of success. Texas turns out hundreds of players every year that go to Div 1 schools. Why do you think that Oregon is down there picking up 3 or 4 every year.

CU has to focus on California, Texas and Colorado - top tier no particular order. That is going to give you 80% plus of your recruits. You then look at Hawaii, Washington, Arizona and Louisiana. After that you have to be opportunistic...a 4 star in Iowa who really likes CU.

The other day someone was saying that CU should lock down Wyoming and Montana - yep. I could go on and on but I think I will go slam my head against the wall instead.
  • :bang:
 
This discussion comes up all of the time and I always am shocked that anyone would think that we should not recruit Texas. :sucks:


Recruiting has to be done on a strategic level and without going through building a strategic plan it is obvious to most that you want the top talent then you have to go to where the top Talent is residing. Part of the strategy has to be to have contacts and strong connections in those locations. Players are committing so early now that you really have to be on them going into their Junior year. Since no one has unlimited resources you have to expend your resources where you have a high probability of success. Texas turns out hundreds of players every year that go to Div 1 schools. Why do you think that Oregon is down there picking up 3 or 4 every year.

CU has to focus on California, Texas and Colorado - top tier no particular order. That is going to give you 80% plus of your recruits. You then look at Hawaii, Washington, Arizona and Louisiana. After that you have to be opportunistic...a 4 star in Iowa who really likes CU.

The other day someone was saying that CU should lock down Wyoming and Montana - yep. I could go on and on but I think I will go slam my head against the wall instead.
  • :bang:

Who said we should not recruit TX? I am questioning its importance in the P12 as opposed to the Big12.

"Don't get me wrong, I think it is still good to recruit TX to spot fill areas of need but I don't think it is as vital to the success of the program as it once was."
 
Who said we should not recruit TX? I am questioning its importance in the P12 as opposed to the Big12.

"Don't get me wrong, I think it is still good to recruit TX to spot fill areas of need but I don't think it is as vital to the success of the program as it once was."

In my opinion you are wrong. You either make it a priority or you do not. And in the short term CU has to find talent where ever you can because the cupboard is close to bare. You act like we have so much talent knocking at the door that we can ignore recruiting a talent-rich area where CU has done well in the past.

Historically Texas is 3rd in number of recruits signed by CU right behind Colorado and California. Just like it would be very wrong to not recruit California when we were in the Big 12. CU has effectively recruited California even when we were in the Big 12 and should now be able recruit Texas effectively even though we are in the PAC 12.

Hawkins started ignoring Texas recruiting and has been downhill since then.
 
In my opinion you are wrong. You either make it a priority or you do not. And in the short term CU has to find talent where ever you can because the cupboard is close to bare. You act like we have so much talent knocking at the door that we can ignore recruiting a talent-rich area where CU has done well in the past.

Historically Texas is 3rd in number of recruits signed by CU right behind Colorado and California. Just like it would be very wrong to not recruit California when we were in the Big 12. CU has effectively recruited California even when we were in the Big 12 and should now be able recruit Texas effectively even though we are in the PAC 12.

Hawkins started ignoring Texas recruiting and has been downhill since then.

Where did I state that we have enough talent knocking at our door that we can ignore TX?

It seems that in the new conference recruiting TX is as not vital to have success as it was in the Big12. 0-3 recruits per school would indicate that it certainly is not an area in which P12 schools make a top priority. I agree with you that we lack talent and should not ignore TX or anywhere for that matter.
 
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CA has to be the focus. It's not just about the talent we get. It's also about the talent our conference rivals don't get. When we sign a CA player who had multiple offers, we likely forced our direct competitors to move to a Plan B. That's really big, because the competitive advantage is amplified (win for us / loss for them).

On top of that, though, TX has to be our 3rd most important state for recruiting. The 5 +/- signees we can bring in every year from Texas bring a different culture to the program that helps make CU what it is. We're not midwest/southwest and we're also not west coast. We're a mix of that. It fits CU and differentiates us. That can be a major advantage. We have to be what we are, not re-invent ourselves as if we're a west coast program.
 
There are lots of CU grads in Texas - DFW and Houston area. It would be a strategic mistake for the program to ignore those fan bases. To succeed at CU - you always had to do recruiting well in three states - TX - CO- CA
 
Give or take, the CU roster should be:

40% CA
20% CO
20% TX
20% Other (with a focus on P12 geography)
 
Where did I state that we have enough talent knocking at our door that we can ignore TX?

It seems that in the new conference recruiting TX is as not vital to have success as it was in the Big12. 0-3 recruits per school would indicate that it certainly is not an area in which P12 schools make a top priority. I agree with you that we lack talent and should not ignore TX or anywhere for that matter.

It really does not make any difference what the other conference schools are doing. You are generalizing a lot regarding other schools - you may only take a few out of a state but that does not mean it is not a priority. USC and UCLA can find over 50 4 star players in their backyard. Ditto for Cal and Stanford. Plus USC, Oregon, and Stanford are schools that Recruit nationally. USC is like Notre Dame - they can get into the home of almost any 4 or 5 star recruit by name recognition. If you don't think Texas is a priority for Oregon then you are sadly mistaken. Oregon has been taking 3-4 Texas recruits every year over the last few years and usually at the skill positions. That is a long way to go to recruit.
 
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