Dowell twins have decommitted
- Thread starter Bluemoon725
- Start date
It absolutely did. I remember a thread where many were laughing at the possibility of OSU winning the title would hurt us in recruiting, because "we don't go after the same players".
The past few seasons, Stoops and Co could pitch Midwest recruits on immediate playing time in the SEC, the undisputed best conference in college football; without them having to go far from home.
OSU winning, along with Michigan hiring Harbaugh has given the perception the Big 10 is now an elite conference; if not the elite conference. "Playing in the SEC" no longer is the selling point it was once. This will continue to hurt, unless our program shows real progress ASAP. Without real progress, combined with the above it will put the immediate brakes on the Ohio pipeline.
Oh and obviously we do go after the same players, as evidenced by the flip a few days ago.
Look the 6 game losing streak was flat out ugly (One close loss to U of L, one ok showing against Miss St. the rest were basically beatdowns-LSU, Tennesse, Georgia and Missouri).
Recruits will give a first year coach leeway in his first season (thus a 2-10 record doesnt hurt), but a second season at 5-7 with a 6 game losing streak to end the seasons creates doubt among these recruits.
Not getting 1 win out of final 6 games and getting a bowl berth hurt the program. Don't kid yourself and say it doesnt matter..
Recruits will give a first year coach leeway in his first season (thus a 2-10 record doesnt hurt), but a second season at 5-7 with a 6 game losing streak to end the seasons creates doubt among these recruits.
Not getting 1 win out of final 6 games and getting a bowl berth hurt the program. Don't kid yourself and say it doesnt matter..
Wildca...ndever, you are correct sir. Its the way we lost, especially to Georgia that puts doubt into people's mind. Shouldn't be too long before the sunshine pumpers arrive and tell us we're both full of sh@t. The same one's predicting 8 wins next season.
Blaming this on the 6 losses is ridiculous to me. The Dowell twins made their commitment in early October and they rode it through all 6 of those losses. They then waited two months before moving on. If this came right at the end of the season or right in the middle of the losing streak then we can blame that, but this came two months after the fact. Not to mention that our success this year was right around where most people predicted it to be. We feel like we underachieved, but we really didn't. So, there is another reason these guys, and others, are jumping ship. Maybe they just felt it was a better fit for them elsewhere, or maybe it is something else. I highly doubt it has anything to do with the guys getting in trouble unless they are really wanting to play with Barker, etc. and now expect those guys to be kicked off the team. Whatever the problem... it is a huge blow to our recruiting. What looked to be a very solid class is turning out to be pretty much right around where Joker was. Having 2 four star kids is great, but after pulling in 9 last season this is a huge disappointment. Marrow predicted that this would be a great month and so far that prediction has been very sour.
Playing in the SEC will always be a selling point. But right now its not the selling point it once was.
Why do you think they committed to UK initially? Why flip to the Big 10 now? We're losing Midwest recruits to the Big 10 due in large part to the perceived shift in power. I don't see any way around it.
Why do you think they committed to UK initially? Why flip to the Big 10 now? We're losing Midwest recruits to the Big 10 due in large part to the perceived shift in power. I don't see any way around it.
Winning vs losing, pure and simple. Mich St is 24-3 in the past 2 yrs(with a Rose Bowl/Cotton Bowl wins) including 15-1 in conference. UK's mired in a 6 game losing streak and hasn't won a SEC road game in forever. Dowells not interested in building, want an established winner.
I don't think Big 10 winning vs. Baylor and Bama is really all the huge. It comes down to UK is recruiting with 4 * kids/high 3 * kids and those are harder kids to hold onto. Secondly...losing 6 the way we did puts us as not being an "up-and-comer" but more of "what-they've-always-been.
This really blows and is why its' absurd a kid isn't made to sign a LOI vs. this stupid verbal system and then they leave you hanging when a better date comes to the dance and you've already moved from other possibilities.
Terrible news. No way you can spin it. All you can hope is Stoops finishes strong in the next week.
Its not just those wins in a vacuum - its the entire perception. OSU won the title; and may repeat. Michigan hired Harbaugh, who will immediately start dominating. MSU and Wisconsin have both been really successful. Penn State is on the rise, with Franklin at the helm. Indiana is performing surprisingly well.
I still think the SEC is the best. But its certainly not unreasonable to think the Big 10 is right there. Plus they currently have ALOT of momentum. Its showing in recruiting.
If a 6 game losing streak to end the season doesn't bother recruits, you can bet your sweet bippy schools trying to talk them into flipping will make good and sure they pound it into their heads. I'm sure the same goes for the tale of how the SEC wiffed and the BIG10 ruled this season, they make damn good and sure the recruits know all the details.
Programs aren't built in 3 seasons or actually 2 1/2 recruiting cycles, it took us longer than this to get rid of Joker and it will take longer to turn it around. Stoops has stated the wheels aren't falling off they were never on to begin with, for us to be panicking over losing two four star recruits in one class speaks volumes to were we have come in just a couple years folks. Before we were lucky to have one four star in any given class over several years. The commitment and resources are finally being given to the program we have had a couple really good classes, let's see how national signing day and the upcoming season pans out before throwing in the towel. What really is exciting to me is how people finally seem to want a really good football team at UK, more so than I can ever remember!! I truly believe we will be in a bowl game next season and that more than anything will help recruiting for UK and finally we need kids who truly want to be here and believe in what is happening if they aren't in it to win it then don't let the door knob hit you where the good lord split ya and that rings especially true for Harris!!
We started the season 5-1 then lose 6 straight, with 3 of them complete blow outs. We lose Damien Harris, the top player in the state, who was right in UK's backyard to Alabama, tell me why a top notch recruit at any position would want to come to UK to play FB at this time and I will listen with both ears..
Immediate playing time, brand new state of the art training facility, completely remodeled stadium, chance to play in the SEC. I know it was hard watching the end of the season especially with the way it began and the way it ended, but we were playing a back loaded schedule, plus there wasn't a lot of depth at positions that really need depth. The upcoming season we play a lot more home games, the gaytors will be in CWS this year and I believe that will be the end of their streak against us. I could be wrong wouldn't be the first time but I truly believe that we are witnessing the beginning of some very special years for UK football, patience folks for as long as the program has been historically bad it's not gonna change this quickly.
Until we find a way to quit getting our azzes kicked every year in the SEC we will continue to be what we have always been. It really gets old. I will just keep hoping for better days like I have been doing for forty years. 
Man, this class is completely falling apart. It was already well below last year's class. Now it is in serious danger of becoming a Joker type class. This is unacceptable.
Next season is going to determine whether or not this coaching staff succeeds or fails here. A winning season is absolutely critical. If we don't win at least 6-7 games this season and get to a bowl, then this coaching staff is done here. It really is that simple. Two bad recruiting classes in a row will spell doom and it will just be a matter of time until the inevitable happens. Then we'll be right back where we were when Joker left. And make no mistake, next year's class will not improve if our record is the same as it was this season. We'll just keep backsliding.
I'd like to hope that maybe the staff could work some serious magic and land us some surprise recruits in the high 3 star, 4 star range to close out the class and make up for the defectors and missed recruits. But that just doesn't appear likely. Unlike when Stoops first arrived and during his first season, the positive buzz that helped us land many of the highly touted recruits we signed is gone. Now everything minus retaining Marrow seems to be trending negative. This is just so freaking disappointing. The only way to overcome this is to win some damn games and impress recruits. But when the bottom is falling out of your recruiting class, it just makes it that much harder to do. And even worse, a class ranked where this one is now means there will be less depth and less players that can actually help you win down the road. To compete in the SEC, you at minimum need to sign top 20ish classes EVERY season. Even one gap in that process can really hurt you.
Next season is going to determine whether or not this coaching staff succeeds or fails here. A winning season is absolutely critical. If we don't win at least 6-7 games this season and get to a bowl, then this coaching staff is done here. It really is that simple. Two bad recruiting classes in a row will spell doom and it will just be a matter of time until the inevitable happens. Then we'll be right back where we were when Joker left. And make no mistake, next year's class will not improve if our record is the same as it was this season. We'll just keep backsliding.
I'd like to hope that maybe the staff could work some serious magic and land us some surprise recruits in the high 3 star, 4 star range to close out the class and make up for the defectors and missed recruits. But that just doesn't appear likely. Unlike when Stoops first arrived and during his first season, the positive buzz that helped us land many of the highly touted recruits we signed is gone. Now everything minus retaining Marrow seems to be trending negative. This is just so freaking disappointing. The only way to overcome this is to win some damn games and impress recruits. But when the bottom is falling out of your recruiting class, it just makes it that much harder to do. And even worse, a class ranked where this one is now means there will be less depth and less players that can actually help you win down the road. To compete in the SEC, you at minimum need to sign top 20ish classes EVERY season. Even one gap in that process can really hurt you.
False and misleading. I don't think the loss of Dinson hurts, because of the addition of Westry who is bigger and more ready. The loss of Hamilton is more than compensated for by the addition of Provitt, a better player. The loss of Wells might hurt at some point, but already have better linemen than Wells in this class. The loss of Stump might hurt, but I want to see the receivers we sign next week before saying that. No question, losing the Dowell brothers is a hit for the class. Don't like to see it. But to say the class is completely falling apart is just a goofy statement. Have to see how the coaches use the remaining scholarships before I can form conclusions. For now, having Conrad, Daniel, Jones, and Asafo-Adjei already enrolled is a huge plus. All 4 should be multiple year starters. Walker, Westry, Riley, Provitt, Brown, and Greenwood are outstanding players. We need more. That's for sure. But the class hasn't even signed yet. As is, this class is already better than any class we signed from 2007-2012. That's before we see the finishing pieces. Let's give our coaches a fair chance.
Yep. Sadly, all that early Stoops recruiting momentum his first year seems to have dried up and disappeared his second. This year's class may be even worse than what Joker was bringing in. Hate to say it, but UK football's future still looking bleak as always.
For this class to be as bad as any class from Joker, we'd need to lose one more 5.8 and two more 5.7, which would then bring us to one 5.8 and four 5.7 players, which would match the best Joker class. And then we'd need to fill up the remaining spots with a bunch of high two star and low three star players. Then, and only then, would this class be comparable to the best Joker class, and even then, subjectively speaking, this class would still generally have players with better offer sheets.
These two never seemed solid to me in the first place. When they committed I remember folks saying they were into it with Marrow. These two have given me the impression of the girl who's going to the prom with you until the star qb asks her. When you recruit with the best of them, decommits are going to happen, guys waiting for the best offer.
This year was going to always be a lower ranked recruiting ranking, because our needs aren't with the sexy positions. Cats needed lineman, LBs, DBs, etc. The past couple classes have been dominated by skill guys, who are naturally rated higher by these sites to sell subscriptions. As long as we our meeting our position needs we will be fine chicken little, it's not going to send us back to joker years.
This year was going to always be a lower ranked recruiting ranking, because our needs aren't with the sexy positions. Cats needed lineman, LBs, DBs, etc. The past couple classes have been dominated by skill guys, who are naturally rated higher by these sites to sell subscriptions. As long as we our meeting our position needs we will be fine chicken little, it's not going to send us back to joker years.
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