Hey guys I took the time to type this up because I know there are a lot of you that aren't going to get on itunes to download the podcast. Vince was very candid about the coaches' thoughts on last season, the upcoming season, and recruiting so I thought it was something that everyone here needed to see. Plenty of talking points in here so enjoy!
Alright Vince after that let's talk about this day. Overall you seem pretty happy with what you got?
Very very happy than last year we really kept this class together it kind of reminds me of the 2014 class.
What's the difference in keeping something like this together? Like last year you guys lost 3-4 guys in the last week. What's the difference?
I think and I'm just being honest maybe I got a little complacent. With these kids you can't waste a day because as soon as you waste a day somebody is in there. Then there's getting everyone on campus. Dan Berezowitz had a good point. Every kid that I lost to Ohio St and to Michigan St three of them had only been on campus twice. If we get kids from Ohio on campus more than twice they pretty much are all going to stay firm.
What is it about being on campus?
Well you know even about the Michigan deal with me I swear the people in the community here. These parents come and they stay downtown at the HIlton and they go out and go to the mall and they say how nice the people are here so I think that's the big part.
It is nice and I've been to college towns all over the country and there is a good mix. It's a college town but it also has other stuff to do. So it's not a big city but it's not a small town it's a good mix?
Yes and one of my recruiting pitches is that there's something fun to do for every age group here. When I tell the parents I say look, I see people in their 60's enjoying life, being out, and hanging out it's good to see.
That's not true in other college towns the older people don't have anything to do.
No because you know what I don't know what it is but you know even when I'm in Ohio a lot I don't see a lot of it. When you go in Malone's and different places you see different age groups. Most people have their different places for different age groups. Here I'm just telling you It's all in together.
Alright before we get to this class I want to talk a little bit about last year. What I like about you is that you're Mr. Optimistic and I usually talk to you before every year and you go that you feel good about it. You felt really good about the team last year. You started out really well but there there were some tough losses. The Florida loss was tough, the Auburn loss was tough, Vandy obviously, Louisville. You could make a case that you should've won all four of those games and it didn't happen. It's a whole different outlook if you did How do you look at last year?
First of all you know me I saw what's on my mind. So with the fans I don't blame them for the way they felt but it's kind of in hindsight because the way I've looked at it from recruiting from 2013 up until now. 2013 I honestly thought we might win 2-3 games. 2014 I thought we'd win 4-5. This year I actually thought and said that I thought we would win 6 but we have a chance to win probably 7-8 if things go right. I felt that way just because of the way Stoops is building this program. Going into fall camp I really felt pretty good. We had some depth and guys were making plays and just a play here and a play there. Florida we were a dropped pass from winning that game. Auburn if the QB scrambles and get's that first down we're going to win that game
Well let me play devil's advocate though. You could say thought that's true but you almost lost to Eastern?
But that's football that's what I'm trying to say. I'm going to be honest with you we could have easily won 8 or we couldn't been 3-9 but the one thing that I like about us is and I'm always going to be honest is that if you bring CJ Conrad on here. You bring CJ on here and bring one of the kids that we already have committed like Tate Leavitt. They will tell you that pound for pound what I thought our record would be. I told CJ that 2015 would be when we would win 5-7. I said that 2016 would be our year because I felt that this would be 95% our roster
OK so going into that I think 2016 is going to be your best team but It's a tough schedule. I mean you guys have, it might be the toughest schedule you've had since you've been here. You have to go to Bama, then the toss up games a lot of them are on the road. So you've got to go to Florida, you've got to go to Tennessee, you've got to go to Louisville. Well Tennessee might not be a toss-up but you've got these home games. Georgia is a tough game, Miss St. is at home that's a tough game. Do you see what I'm saying it's a tough schedule?
Ok so let me ask you this. It's a tough schedule so if we win 7 games this year then we would be looked at as, they'd want to put a statue up for Stoops or something. So my point is going into our fourth year and I know our coaching staff and I know our players. It ain't like like when we go to Florida we're like Ohhhh (like they're scared) or when we play at South Carolina, or at Miss St. those are games that we could've won. Then Vandy there was no excuse for that, no excuse. We should've won that game we are, I feel that we are above Vandy. We have out-recruited them we have better players and so we should've won that game. The Louisville game we should've went up 28 to nothing and they were ready to fold but I look back at 2014 when we lost 44-42. Clint Hurtt told me this, he said, he was their main recruiter and is now in the pros. He said Vince, this may be the last year that they get you guys because all of those Florida guys that I recruited are gone. He said and he told me this. This was after this past game we had them and we let them off the hook and that's our fault.
Alright Vince after that let's talk about this day. Overall you seem pretty happy with what you got?
Very very happy than last year we really kept this class together it kind of reminds me of the 2014 class.
What's the difference in keeping something like this together? Like last year you guys lost 3-4 guys in the last week. What's the difference?
I think and I'm just being honest maybe I got a little complacent. With these kids you can't waste a day because as soon as you waste a day somebody is in there. Then there's getting everyone on campus. Dan Berezowitz had a good point. Every kid that I lost to Ohio St and to Michigan St three of them had only been on campus twice. If we get kids from Ohio on campus more than twice they pretty much are all going to stay firm.
What is it about being on campus?
Well you know even about the Michigan deal with me I swear the people in the community here. These parents come and they stay downtown at the HIlton and they go out and go to the mall and they say how nice the people are here so I think that's the big part.
It is nice and I've been to college towns all over the country and there is a good mix. It's a college town but it also has other stuff to do. So it's not a big city but it's not a small town it's a good mix?
Yes and one of my recruiting pitches is that there's something fun to do for every age group here. When I tell the parents I say look, I see people in their 60's enjoying life, being out, and hanging out it's good to see.
That's not true in other college towns the older people don't have anything to do.
No because you know what I don't know what it is but you know even when I'm in Ohio a lot I don't see a lot of it. When you go in Malone's and different places you see different age groups. Most people have their different places for different age groups. Here I'm just telling you It's all in together.
Alright before we get to this class I want to talk a little bit about last year. What I like about you is that you're Mr. Optimistic and I usually talk to you before every year and you go that you feel good about it. You felt really good about the team last year. You started out really well but there there were some tough losses. The Florida loss was tough, the Auburn loss was tough, Vandy obviously, Louisville. You could make a case that you should've won all four of those games and it didn't happen. It's a whole different outlook if you did How do you look at last year?
First of all you know me I saw what's on my mind. So with the fans I don't blame them for the way they felt but it's kind of in hindsight because the way I've looked at it from recruiting from 2013 up until now. 2013 I honestly thought we might win 2-3 games. 2014 I thought we'd win 4-5. This year I actually thought and said that I thought we would win 6 but we have a chance to win probably 7-8 if things go right. I felt that way just because of the way Stoops is building this program. Going into fall camp I really felt pretty good. We had some depth and guys were making plays and just a play here and a play there. Florida we were a dropped pass from winning that game. Auburn if the QB scrambles and get's that first down we're going to win that game
Well let me play devil's advocate though. You could say thought that's true but you almost lost to Eastern?
But that's football that's what I'm trying to say. I'm going to be honest with you we could have easily won 8 or we couldn't been 3-9 but the one thing that I like about us is and I'm always going to be honest is that if you bring CJ Conrad on here. You bring CJ on here and bring one of the kids that we already have committed like Tate Leavitt. They will tell you that pound for pound what I thought our record would be. I told CJ that 2015 would be when we would win 5-7. I said that 2016 would be our year because I felt that this would be 95% our roster
OK so going into that I think 2016 is going to be your best team but It's a tough schedule. I mean you guys have, it might be the toughest schedule you've had since you've been here. You have to go to Bama, then the toss up games a lot of them are on the road. So you've got to go to Florida, you've got to go to Tennessee, you've got to go to Louisville. Well Tennessee might not be a toss-up but you've got these home games. Georgia is a tough game, Miss St. is at home that's a tough game. Do you see what I'm saying it's a tough schedule?
Ok so let me ask you this. It's a tough schedule so if we win 7 games this year then we would be looked at as, they'd want to put a statue up for Stoops or something. So my point is going into our fourth year and I know our coaching staff and I know our players. It ain't like like when we go to Florida we're like Ohhhh (like they're scared) or when we play at South Carolina, or at Miss St. those are games that we could've won. Then Vandy there was no excuse for that, no excuse. We should've won that game we are, I feel that we are above Vandy. We have out-recruited them we have better players and so we should've won that game. The Louisville game we should've went up 28 to nothing and they were ready to fold but I look back at 2014 when we lost 44-42. Clint Hurtt told me this, he said, he was their main recruiter and is now in the pros. He said Vince, this may be the last year that they get you guys because all of those Florida guys that I recruited are gone. He said and he told me this. This was after this past game we had them and we let them off the hook and that's our fault.
