Why can't UK do what Houston is doing? I understand UK plays in the SEC, but Houston could easily compete for the SEC East. Why can't UK do the same? I can't believe the players Houston has were any higher rated than UK's players. It seems to me we have comparable QBs and WR talent and probably better RB talent. Let's use them like Houston uses theirs.
Houston...Why not UK?
- Thread starter maysvilleky
- Start date
Plain and simple...they hire good coaches.
I never trust player rankings we have all sen May players be rated a 5 star and end up a bust. Plus in my personal opinion a 5* out of Texas or Florida seem to be better that a 5* out of Ohio as to me it seems those guys down south play better competition than player up north.
After having watched college football over the years and the SEC in general, I would say more often than not that the best 10 players in Kentucky every year would not be in the top 75 in Florida. Good coaching and not playing in the SEC helps schools like that tremendously. In state rivals and an SEC schedule like Kentucky has leaves one to wonder if it would be different with any coach.
Maybe some of the posters who preach "it's anything and everything but the coaching" could chime in on this one?
Texas has like 20 times the recruits than the state of ky does
It's called an elite QB.. You hit the jackpot with an elite QB and you'll have a good team during that time frame.
There was this stat from Houston/UC game a couple weeks ago. Of the 43 scholarship players their coach has brought to UH in his 2 years there, 24 of them have come from a 25 mile radius of UH's campus. That one hell of a recruiting base that UK does not have.
This, and they pulled a uavel, in that they've played in weak conferences and have slowly built a powerhouse. They've flirted with success before, but the real success has come now that they've hired a good football coach. So, in summary - (1) talent rich recruiting pool relative to the college (2) pulled a uavel (3) recently hired an excellent coach to elevate them to new heights
If it's "Texas" then why doesn't UT, TT, or T a&m consistently challenge for the National Championship? Those teams should be able to out recruit Houston in their own state? I think it has to be the style of play and the freedom that those players feel to make plays. They have an identity...they know what it is...and they are good at it. UK could do the same. I DO NOT understand why we consistently think we have to be a smashmouth FB team to win in the SEC. USE the PASS to set up the RUN. Don't try to be balanced or run first just because we think we have to play tough. That's my whole position on why can't UK be like Houston?
If Houston joins one of the big conferences, look for them to get even better. If they keep their current HC, they will be a force for many years.
But the last couple years UK has out recruited Houston according to the rankings but we all know who would win head to head so all this better recruits and talent pool talk is insignificant.
Texas Recruiting. The coach at TCU said he doesn't need a helicopter or air plane. He can throw a rock and hit most of his recruits. The average UK fan or KY High School football observer doesn't realize the intensity of Texas HS football and the shear size of the recruiting pool in the large TX Metro areas. Yes coaching matters but you still have to have the athletes to compete.
I see a lot of people talking about being able to recruit close to the school. That helps to some extent, but it's mostly coaching. Just take a look at the basketball program. The majority of those kids are not from Kentucky. It's all about coaching.
Major Applewhite is an offensive master when he has talent.
I will continue to throw his name out there as an up and coming head coach.
Houston has had a nice run of coaches with Briles, Sumlin and Herman. They have 46 players on their roster from Houston and surrounding areas. If you add Texas, A&M, TCU and Baylor, that number grows to 130. If you throw in all of the other Houston area players playing D1 football, the number probably exceeds 200.
If they get in the Big 12, that is going to be a program to be reckoned with.
Good point. So many people keep saying that we can't win without an experienced head coach but Herman kind of rebuts that argument... as do many others.
Didn't know he was coaching there. Interesting. I remember him from back in the day and it sounds he knows his stuff. I would definitely put him on a HC list.
Why are we asking why can't we do what Houston is doing? Our rival is doing the same thing 80 miles down the road. I'm not worried about Houston.
It's called Mark stoops. It's called bad hires by the AD. But most of all. It's called Mark stoops.
1. Better coaches
2. Better recruits/players due to geographical area
3. Weaker conference. Yes, they'd do well in the SEC East but not dominate like they are now week in and week out.
2. Better recruits/players due to geographical area
3. Weaker conference. Yes, they'd do well in the SEC East but not dominate like they are now week in and week out.
If Barney would have hired Petrino when we had the chance , this discussion wouldn't be going on as we speak ! UK would be winning Football games !
That's bogus excuse. If you have 20 times the recruits, then you have 20x the schools recruiting them as well. Louisville, Nashville, Cincinnati, St Louis, Indianapolis, are all close enough to Lexington. And, as close as a lot of those cities in Texas are to Houston. That's a lame excuse and always has been.
Great recruiting base, but mostly great coaching. Houston is full of great athletes who are extremely well coached. Herman took a wide receiver and converted him into a Heisman candidate QB. Herman is starting to get some of those big time Houston kids that would normally go to Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, or Alabama. If they get into the Big 12, he might just stay there and build one hell of a program. Very, very different situation from U.K., but there is no reason that U.K. can't built a winner. No reason.
So we've OUT recruited them the last couple years and you guys keep saying theyre successful and we're not because of their recruiting. Message board logic at its best.
Recruiting doesn't matter when the coaches can't develop the talent. That, and 3 star Texas kids are better than 4 star Ohio kids.