I've seen some people clamoring for Alabama, LSU, etc. type 4-5 star recruits and saying that we should stop recruiting Mississippi as much. I think that would be a fatal mistake for MSU football. You look at our last two players that were picked in the first round and Johnthan Banks who may be selected this year in the first round- all are from Mississippi. Tyler Russell is on the verge of becoming possibly our best QB ever, and Chad Bumphis holds many of our WR records. Both are from Mississippi. Many of the players that we revere at MSU- Smoot, Moulds, Kent Hull, Cooks, etc. are from Mississippi. If you look at Alabama and LSU's roster, while yes, they do recruit nationally some, they still get a good bit of players from their home state. We are in Mississippi, and we need to continue to get players from Mississippi that want to play for and represent their state. Also, it's going to be very difficult to get the true elite players in Texas, Florida, and California away from their in state schools. I'm not saying it can't be done- we are getting Cord Sandberg from Florida after all, but I don't think we can hang our hat on it. Even the RB that we got a commitment from today has ties to Mississippi.
One of the good things that Ron Polk did for MSU baseball was increase the quality of coaching in Mississippi and doing things to promote baseball in Mississippi, and over the years Mississippi has become a very good state for producing baseball talent for its size. We need to do the same for high school football in Mississippi. We need to encourage the MHSAA to change the rules and allow football to start sooner in the public schools. The private schools have 4th grade teams. The public schools should start in 6th grade if not sooner. I think that would help immensely, as well as maybe adding a week of two a days, and promoting football clinics for in state coaches. Another good thing would be for MSU to have a "free combine" for students that can't afford to go to camps and they could get instruction there as well.
The problems that we currently have with our weaknesses are not because we recruit Mississippi heavily, but because we have not quite managed the roster very well going back to Croom. His last class had two o-linemen in it and no legit outside WR, and that's why we paid dearly last year for it, and why we have no deep threat now. The fact that Croom had classes where he didn't recruit a QB are why Dan had only Tyson Lee, a walk-on and Chris Relf to start out with. Those holes also force us to rely more heavily on JUCO players to fill those holes than we should. I know the inevitable- "well Dan has been here for FOUR years and that's long enough to have a WR" comments are coming- but the reality is if you do not have a player at a position, you have to rely either on JUCO's or freshmen/sophomores, or even worse- walk-ons to fill the gaps. Dan knows that and his classes have been a lot more balanced in general. Even if you get JUCO players, you still have to give them time to develop and adjust to the SEC like Pernell McPhee did a lot of times.
Every single year, we should get a QB, 5 OL, 3 WR (2 WR 1 slot), 1 TE, 1-2 RB, 4 DL, 3-4 LB, 4 DB's. That leaves 3-5 for best available or JUCO players. ST players- (K, P, KO specialist, LS), and then also FB's should always be walk-ons. One thing I like about the player that committed to us this weekend is he is very mature for his age, you can tell he has a very good work ethic, and he is a good student. We need to focus on getting players like that- and we do have some on our team right now- because a lot of times those are the players that typically succeed in football as in become star players.
One of the good things that Ron Polk did for MSU baseball was increase the quality of coaching in Mississippi and doing things to promote baseball in Mississippi, and over the years Mississippi has become a very good state for producing baseball talent for its size. We need to do the same for high school football in Mississippi. We need to encourage the MHSAA to change the rules and allow football to start sooner in the public schools. The private schools have 4th grade teams. The public schools should start in 6th grade if not sooner. I think that would help immensely, as well as maybe adding a week of two a days, and promoting football clinics for in state coaches. Another good thing would be for MSU to have a "free combine" for students that can't afford to go to camps and they could get instruction there as well.
The problems that we currently have with our weaknesses are not because we recruit Mississippi heavily, but because we have not quite managed the roster very well going back to Croom. His last class had two o-linemen in it and no legit outside WR, and that's why we paid dearly last year for it, and why we have no deep threat now. The fact that Croom had classes where he didn't recruit a QB are why Dan had only Tyson Lee, a walk-on and Chris Relf to start out with. Those holes also force us to rely more heavily on JUCO players to fill those holes than we should. I know the inevitable- "well Dan has been here for FOUR years and that's long enough to have a WR" comments are coming- but the reality is if you do not have a player at a position, you have to rely either on JUCO's or freshmen/sophomores, or even worse- walk-ons to fill the gaps. Dan knows that and his classes have been a lot more balanced in general. Even if you get JUCO players, you still have to give them time to develop and adjust to the SEC like Pernell McPhee did a lot of times.
Every single year, we should get a QB, 5 OL, 3 WR (2 WR 1 slot), 1 TE, 1-2 RB, 4 DL, 3-4 LB, 4 DB's. That leaves 3-5 for best available or JUCO players. ST players- (K, P, KO specialist, LS), and then also FB's should always be walk-ons. One thing I like about the player that committed to us this weekend is he is very mature for his age, you can tell he has a very good work ethic, and he is a good student. We need to focus on getting players like that- and we do have some on our team right now- because a lot of times those are the players that typically succeed in football as in become star players.
