I have two degrees from UK myself, and received a good education, IMO. But academics are a bit off topic for this board, I have no idea about Hudson individually, but 90% of the top kids P5 teams are recruiting are majoring in football, you have to believe in the Easter Bunny to suggest otherwise.
Bryan Hudson
- Thread starter gobigblue812
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I have two degrees from UK myself, and received a good education, IMO. But academics are a bit off topic for this board, I have no idea about Hudson individually, but 90% of the top kids P5 teams are recruiting are majoring in football, you have to believe in the Easter Bunny to suggest otherwise.
I don’t debate how those numbers strike people. UK has a mission that differs from Tech. I would suggest that once you get past the very top schools, the difference between 133 and 69 is not as significant as you may think.
I don’t know how your post is relevant to my post, but I know education was a key issue for Hudson.
I hold a couple of degrees from UK and 1 other degree from another school. I got a good education at UK, and it has served me well. But, academically, VA Tech is a better school. I doubt that is very important with regard to the crux of this thread. VA Tech is in a beautiful part of Virginia, with easy access to fascinating urban areas including DC, 1 of the world’s truly great cities. VA Tech a great school and a great location. VA Tech’s football program is a LOT better than some of our low-information fans here think. And if Hudson wants to go to school there, good luck to the young man. I don’t have the slightest concern about that, or about the direction of UK’s football program either.
To Caveman's point, US News, nor anyone else, can measure the relative quality of the actual classroom instruction and the rigor of the curriculum. If you look at the criteria most ratings use, none involve trying to measure how well a university trains students in the field of study, because that is basically impossible to do. Ratings are based more on other statistics, such as acceptance rates, average ACT or SAT scores of the students attending, percent of students who graduate in 4 years, etc. None of it objectively measures if one school's academics are more rigorous than another's, or if their professors are teaching at a higher level. I like looking at the rankings and always want to see improvement for UK and the other school I attended, but I don't put much stock in them as having much validity.
The only "glaring" problem our program has is the same problem we've faced for 50 years and that is we are trying to climb the ladder in the toughest conference in America not to mention fighting good programs all around us in other conferences for players to keep climbing the ladder.
We've fixed every other problem we've had in being behind in facilities etc. Now t's just the reality of battling against tough competition to move up and it's such a relentless battle and one that I for one am somewhat amazed that we've been able to
The only "glaring" problem we have today is the same glaring problem we've had for 50 years. Trying to climb the ladder in a sport we've been behind in since Bear left. And fighting a relentless fight to win and attract the talent it takes to move up in the toughest conference, not to mention regional foes for that talent. Its sort of like asking why hasn't Tennessee done better in basketball except even that situation is easier than ours in football because they have more basketball talent to pull from there and it only takes one or two athletes in basketball to have something special.
Everybody wants to lay blame as to why we're not there yet and its really not anybody's fault anymore (we have all the resources we could ask for), it's just a real hard thing to do and I for one am sort of amazed we've maintained where we are with some real hope to move up further soon. Because college football arms and talent race is relentless.
I know it's "only" his sixth year , but not one of the HS kids he has recruited has been drafted or invited to the combine. Does that say a little something? I'm assuming that may start trending upward after this season...probably 3-5 off this team will fit into one of those categories. We'll see.
Then makes his decision even more odd....
1. Va Tech isn't a really any different an education than UK.
2. If you're moreso about education...then Stanford, Vandy, Duke, Northwestern possibly, etc..but not Va Tech.
3. If you want a better football program...I think Va Tech is solidly a better program than UK but nothing compared to the Bama, Ohio St, Florida, etc..of the worlds that he could have gone to.
It's just an odd decision all the way around and very deflating as a UK fan that we whiffed on a kid 20 miles away from campus and in the trenches where we usually don't compare up to our competition.
Quite a bit more! Over a two year period that's there the difference between A 9-10 win season and a major bowl upgrade and at least a top ranking...big difference! Rather simple.
I don’t find it odd. I don’t find it deflating. It’s one kid making a decision about his future. I wish him good luck.
It’s not one kid, it’s most. I never highlighted him specifically, I stated that we can’t lose kids like this-like him, highly ranked kids in our own back yard. We have to get the kids that can contribute elsewhere to stay home and play for us.
By the way, we currently have 10 scholly players on the team from KY. If you estimate there are 2-4 high P5 recruits in the state annually, that is a pretty fair number that land at UK. But, the ONLY way UK makes an impact on the field is to better its out-of-state recruiting. Not the other way around. So, the emphasis attempted to be placed on this issue is hyperbolic.
Agree with increasing the number of highly regarded recruits no matter where they come from. Also, need to keep the best players in the state home.
Yes a VERY little something since the vast majority of those players that didn't transfer or give up football are still on the team. Stoops' first class, the 2013 class was primarily Joker recruits plus whatever Stoops could scramble to get in the last two months before signing day. Don't you think Allen, Jones, Snell and Paschal are NFL caliber players?
I raised these issues a few times the last few years. It's a legit concern especially given the increase in talent in state.
Caveman comes out of the woodwork anytime someone (rightly) brings up this point. He's obviously not objective about this topic and takes it personally.
Yes it's concerning. Yes changes need made. In state recruits are the cheapest to recruit and have the usual built in advantage of being both close to home and fans of the school
7 win seasons with no NFL players? That seems to counter the complaints about coaching acumen. How DO they do it?
I marvel at your objectivity. LOL
And, by my post count (not a proud moment), I doubt I spend much time in the local woodwork.
I do think hyperbolic criticism deserves a response. I have yet to see anyone make a damages claim, as might be expressed in litigation. What are you and your ilk claiming has been the harm in us only having 10 really good Kentucky players on our team? Can you point to a cause and effect, without engaging in rank speculation?
HS football in the state is growing-not necessarily the number of kids in the sport, but the level of athletes throughout the state. Certainly not on par with Ohio, Texas, Florida and other traditional player rich states, but at a respectable level in pockets throughout the state. Can’t miss on all these players-not saying we should get all of them, maybe 1/2 that we are in on. UK has to become a place they can move on from and contribute at the next level-perception and in some cases reality says otherwise. When we put some kids in the league this could change maybe. Who knows?
This is a “feelings” issue for those who are concerned. People feel that great damage is done whenever a kid, who we cannot control and who has earned the right to make his own decision, decides to go to another school. Those concerned posters also cannot really express what causes a kid to choose another school, because they don’t know. If they were hearing UK has a PR problem, that would be different. But, that is not the case. We know our staff has some really good recruiters, because we see the fruit of their efforts. So, all they can say is “we must get these kids!” It’s silly.
Players raised in the state of Kentucky, as a whole, are less prepared than those from states that put out dozens of Division 1 prospects. Before getting all up in the back allow me to explain. It's simple really. It's all about population numbers, demographics and practicing/playing against higher quality competition on a weekly, and in many cases, daily basis.
While Kentucky kids are talented in their own right, they just can't duplicate those factors I mentioned and are thus at a disadvantage from the jump. Therefore, in most cases, to guage a more accurate rating between players from Florida, Georgia, Texas et. al versus our home grown boys you need to subtract a half point or even a full point from the Kentucky kids rating. That's not to discount the exception such as Couch or Damien Harris but this holds true in most cases.
It’s not one kid-it’s several, most in the state. It’s not just one year, it’s several, most.
No, it's still true to date and pointing out an exception or two doesn't refute that fact. Besides, I never said kids from Kentucky couldn't produce at a high level.
As for keeping kids in state, what's your solution. Bribery, kidnapping, blackmail?
I'm fairly certain our coaches are working their collective tails off to keep the instate players they think are legit from leaving the state. Problem is, these are young kids with a mind of their own and a multitude of influences in their lives. Sometimes you get 'em, sometimes you don't. No more difficult to comprehend than that.
Actually, kids like Young, Jackson, Middleton, Robinson, Wolfe and others have shown they can play at the highest levels. I understand your doom and gloom recruiting narrative is not supported by acknowledging their skills, but they have proven they can play. (The out-of-State kids have also shown they can play)
They can. Which is why it's alarming we're batting ofer on kids last year and this coming year (so far).
It isn't doom and gloom as our recruiting is better than ever. But it could be even better if we keep elite talent here every year
Care to address the question at hand or just blather on about nothing. How do you propose to keep them here that has not been done, within the rules?
I agree, that was what I was saying. Maybe the kid wants an engineering degree or something of the sort.
The insinuation is that the best recruiting staff in the modern history of the program somehow did not do their jobs. It’s nonsensical. It is also a perspective that UK has a finite population of recruits and these five kids are musts, or the class will suck. Again, not based in fact and nonsensical.
It’s troll bait and they may not even know it.
Where did you read anything remotely close to what you wrote? You’ve read and projected your own spin to every point of view that differs from your own. I will say it’s been fun getting under your skin. You shouldn’t let the truth get to you like this..man up, own it and move on...
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Can't force any kid to come. So your argument doesn't make sense.
Recruit them like any other. Allocate resources towards recruiting them (time and money) and especially building relationships with coaches around the state.
It's easy to see where our assets are allocated. Ohio and the south. Great I totally agree with that. But allocating a small amount of resources towards in state kids pay exponentially because it doesn't require much.
Invite coaches to clinics, kids to camps, etc.
In state coaches/kids just haven't been given any attention and it shows.
Also three straight state major in state recruits flopped here (arguably four if you count timmons). So we probably need to earn some trust back and I think with the in state kids currently on the team we have that chance.
Well of course, you are 100% right. And the coaches that manage to get em, are successful. And the ones that don't get em . . . aren't. No more difficult to comprehend than that. You agree right?
Hell, any of us can identify the best players in the state of Kentucky and offer a scholarship. But recruiting them successfully and signing them is what the coaches are getting paid astronomical amounts of money to do. Right?
Again, this is the perspective of there being a finite recruitable class for UK that evidently does not exist for others. It’s just not a fact. UK, like every other school in the nation, will offer many schollies that won’t end with commitments. To exaggerate the import of a few recruits is (1) demeaning to the awesome recruits UK lands by beating out other top programs and (2) serves no productive end. It’s a fictional harbinger of doom.
BTW, anyone who pays attention knew that Hudson was always a long shot for UK. His high school coach months ago was preparing UK fans for this decision (saying Schlarman and UK did a great job, but that if Hudson goes elsewhere UK will land an OLineman as good - he did not say that kid would come from Kentucky 
). To pretend that UK should have landed Hudson is fake news.
). To pretend that UK should have landed Hudson is fake news.
