There's a difference between "the sky is falling" over-reaction and an honest appraisal of our recruiting.
Taking an honest look, I would say the following:
1. CU is not recruiting to the level of other Pac-12 programs.
2. CU is also not pulling any guys that are making our conference rivals go to a "Plan B" in their recruiting.
3. Despite that, on film it does look like this class is an upgrade to team athleticism.
4. I also think we can give some benefit of the doubt on the recruiting because:
a. We're fans. We look for the positive. (i.e., stars only matter when your team's landing top guys. :smile2
b. The MacIntyre recruiting strategy worked with Cutcliffe at Duke and in his own San Jose State program.
c. We have evidence that this staff is hard working, diligent and organized in recruiting.
d. Last year's unheralded late additions to the recruiting class looked pretty damn good once they hit the field.
There's a lot of room to question things. If I was a fan of a different Pac-12 program, I wouldn't respect CU's class. I wouldn't know it as intimately, though, and that's where our hope lies. We're having to trust that a hard-working staff with a good track record on talent evaluations and program building is finding us the guys that usually get passed on by BCS programs and end up being star players at MWC programs.
That's a lot to ask of a staff. Odds are that you can't build a program that way.
So the people who are frustrated are much closer to reality than the sunshine pumpers.
I just ask that we are all very careful not to create a negative environment on our recruiting board. For instance, the OP in a thread I removed that ripped on the official visitors. Awful timing and title since it called out the visitors while they were visiting. If our board has any influence on recruits and their families, a thread with this tone only makes a difficult job harder for our coaches right now.
Let's not call out individual players and recruits in this way.
However, objective criticism (need more speed, size, more competitive offer lists, better star ratings, etc.) and even subjective criticism (i.e., "there's nothing jumping out at me that gets me excited about CU football") is fair game.
I can't totally describe what I'm saying so that it lays down concrete rules for everyone. I think the best way to get at what I'm saying regarding the recruiting forum is to lay out how I see its purpose: inform Buff fans on recruiting with the understanding that a "positive board" that increases excitement is better for Allbuffs traffic & community than a "negative board" people view as a place to air out and bitch. For me personally, I'm only interested in volunteering my time on Allbuffs if I believe that my efforts are a positive force for CU athletics & the fan community.
Anyway, just try to find a way to keep it real without ****ting on the individual players/recruits or making it look like the coaches don't have the support of CU fans.
Taking an honest look, I would say the following:
1. CU is not recruiting to the level of other Pac-12 programs.
2. CU is also not pulling any guys that are making our conference rivals go to a "Plan B" in their recruiting.
3. Despite that, on film it does look like this class is an upgrade to team athleticism.
4. I also think we can give some benefit of the doubt on the recruiting because:
a. We're fans. We look for the positive. (i.e., stars only matter when your team's landing top guys. :smile2
b. The MacIntyre recruiting strategy worked with Cutcliffe at Duke and in his own San Jose State program.
c. We have evidence that this staff is hard working, diligent and organized in recruiting.
d. Last year's unheralded late additions to the recruiting class looked pretty damn good once they hit the field.
There's a lot of room to question things. If I was a fan of a different Pac-12 program, I wouldn't respect CU's class. I wouldn't know it as intimately, though, and that's where our hope lies. We're having to trust that a hard-working staff with a good track record on talent evaluations and program building is finding us the guys that usually get passed on by BCS programs and end up being star players at MWC programs.
That's a lot to ask of a staff. Odds are that you can't build a program that way.
So the people who are frustrated are much closer to reality than the sunshine pumpers.
I just ask that we are all very careful not to create a negative environment on our recruiting board. For instance, the OP in a thread I removed that ripped on the official visitors. Awful timing and title since it called out the visitors while they were visiting. If our board has any influence on recruits and their families, a thread with this tone only makes a difficult job harder for our coaches right now.
Let's not call out individual players and recruits in this way.
However, objective criticism (need more speed, size, more competitive offer lists, better star ratings, etc.) and even subjective criticism (i.e., "there's nothing jumping out at me that gets me excited about CU football") is fair game.
I can't totally describe what I'm saying so that it lays down concrete rules for everyone. I think the best way to get at what I'm saying regarding the recruiting forum is to lay out how I see its purpose: inform Buff fans on recruiting with the understanding that a "positive board" that increases excitement is better for Allbuffs traffic & community than a "negative board" people view as a place to air out and bitch. For me personally, I'm only interested in volunteering my time on Allbuffs if I believe that my efforts are a positive force for CU athletics & the fan community.
Anyway, just try to find a way to keep it real without ****ting on the individual players/recruits or making it look like the coaches don't have the support of CU fans.