he's the #2 underclassmen according to NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap2000000367412/0ap2000000367387
http://www.nfl.com/photos/0ap2000000367412/0ap2000000367387
Y'all enjoy McKinney this year...
- Thread starter dawgstudent
- Start date
A perfect example of what good recruiting actually is.
Scout had him as a two star and he wasn't higher than three anywhere else. I mean... he only ended up with 66 tackles his senior year, which doesn't really seem to stick out for someone you are recruiting to play line backer in the SEC. Thank goodness somebody on our staff realized his play at line backer suffered greatly because he was also the starting quarterback. They saw five star talent that was just gassed on the defensive side of the ball and realized his potential when he would only be playing one position.
Scout had him as a two star and he wasn't higher than three anywhere else. I mean... he only ended up with 66 tackles his senior year, which doesn't really seem to stick out for someone you are recruiting to play line backer in the SEC. Thank goodness somebody on our staff realized his play at line backer suffered greatly because he was also the starting quarterback. They saw five star talent that was just gassed on the defensive side of the ball and realized his potential when he would only be playing one position.
Oh yeah, dude is gone after this year if he doesn't get hurt. He was the talk of last year's ProDay.
How do you know this part in bold?
MSU signed seven two stars that year and ended up w/ the 45th ranked class. I doubt the staff had a four star lb w/ a good offer sheet that they rejected so they could take BM. Seems more likely he was the second or third choice at his position and just panned out. If so, it was a good choice to take him over the sea of 2 stars they could have signed, but I don't buy the super-human recruiting ability to spot first rounders among the crowd. Its a nice thought though. Kind of like OM fans w/ Patrick Willis.
MSU signed seven two stars that year and ended up w/ the 45th ranked class. I doubt the staff had a four star lb w/ a good offer sheet that they rejected so they could take BM. Seems more likely he was the second or third choice at his position and just panned out. If so, it was a good choice to take him over the sea of 2 stars they could have signed, but I don't buy the super-human recruiting ability to spot first rounders among the crowd. Its a nice thought though. Kind of like OM fans w/ Patrick Willis.
I see what you're saying, but he committed the third week of September.
Calhoun, yes, but it seems like they knew what they had in McKinney.
Edited: THIRD week of September
Last edited:
Heard Mullen talking about it on a radio interview a while back.
He said something along the lines of whatever assistant came back to him and said he found him his starting linebacker. His stats don't jump out at you, but starts at QB and runs a lot (700 yds his senior year I think). Basically, the coach told him that if he only played linebacker every school in the country would be after him. And it just confirms to me that coaches don't give a rat's *** about what some jack offs with a website rate a guy.
He said something along the lines of whatever assistant came back to him and said he found him his starting linebacker. His stats don't jump out at you, but starts at QB and runs a lot (700 yds his senior year I think). Basically, the coach told him that if he only played linebacker every school in the country would be after him. And it just confirms to me that coaches don't give a rat's *** about what some jack offs with a website rate a guy.
You think that we accepted a commitment from our "second or third choice" at his position on Sept 16 -- 4.5 months before signing day?
The more current example is Dez Harris -- who we took July 20, 2012 without him having a single other offer(that he never got) and stuck with him after he tore his ACL. He was the only LB that we really chased in the 2013 cycle other than Myles Jack. Remember his name....
seven two stars you say..........
well 5 of the 7 can play. McKinney, Preston Smith, Calhoun, Market, Malone. At least two, maybe three, will get their shot at the pros. That's more than luck, that's having an eye for talent. That's not letting websites dictate who you pursue.
well 5 of the 7 can play. McKinney, Preston Smith, Calhoun, Market, Malone. At least two, maybe three, will get their shot at the pros. That's more than luck, that's having an eye for talent. That's not letting websites dictate who you pursue.
Harris is going to be an animal. He has to be one of the most hyped names this staff has floated over the last few years - behind maybe Chris Jones. They love the kid's athleticism at LB.
Yep. You can see that he's a total athletic freak on the first drive of the spring game. Can't wait to see he and Beniquez at SLB this year!
Any update on Deshon Cooper's chances of enrolling? I think it's safe to say our LB spot will be just fine over the foreseeable future.
It's not that much of a stretch when you consider that so many of the top recruits in the country get offers from Alabama, LSU, SoCal, OLE MISS, etc and NOT MSU. And to say that MSU wouldn't reject a four star prospect to make room for BM is reading too much into it. It's kinda like asking: "Are you still 17ing your sister?" He was evaluated and developed. And?
It also helps that he was 6'4" with a frame to pack on muscle. Maintaining his speed was important as well. Sometimes you get these guys and they are huge flops, and sometimes they blow up. As mentioned, similar to Willis (came in at 205) and I would add Peria Jerry (was a LB in HS). I'm sure others can think of more.
What's always been funny to me was how much the "experts" on bulldog junction complained about us offering a 2-star, that in their expert opinion wouldn't amount to anything. I brought up the fact that he was starting QB and LB... not exactly a walk in the park, and that maybe there was something they couldn't see during a game because he never got a break.
I was told no - his offer was a real headscratcher. Just another reason I'll never pay for news from recruiting sites. They don't have a clue.
I was told no - his offer was a real headscratcher. Just another reason I'll never pay for news from recruiting sites. They don't have a clue.
I'd be interested in a comparison
How many 2 stars have blown up under Mullen and how many 4-5 stars have flopped at UM in the same time frame. I think there could be a lot to be extrapolated from that: how well are MS kids evaluated, how well the recruiting services evaluate talent, perhaps even asking why a 4-5 star kid with offers to BAMA/LSU/ et al would go to Ole Miss/State particularly if they are from out of state.
But one thing is for certain by now, Mullen has a track record of finding good talent that has been over looked. You can't deny that. Well, you could but you'd be an idiot.
How many 2 stars have blown up under Mullen and how many 4-5 stars have flopped at UM in the same time frame. I think there could be a lot to be extrapolated from that: how well are MS kids evaluated, how well the recruiting services evaluate talent, perhaps even asking why a 4-5 star kid with offers to BAMA/LSU/ et al would go to Ole Miss/State particularly if they are from out of state.
But one thing is for certain by now, Mullen has a track record of finding good talent that has been over looked. You can't deny that. Well, you could but you'd be an idiot.
I'm sure they were looking at others too, but McKinney was definitely high on the board. The coaches loved him. He looked like a man among boys at Rosa Fort.
It comes down to what Mullen said right when he got to State. He's going to recruit MS because he believes there's enough talent here to build a successful program. He said he'll be in every high school in the state and then reach out to a 5 hour radius and that's exactly what he's done. There's 57 kids from MS on the current roster. 15 and 9 from LA and AL if I remember correctly in the media guide. He's proven he can build a program, we'll see if it can be championship quality. You do have to have the ability to get a guy that's elite from far away every now and then or consistently once a year and I think Mullen has done that as well.
Wasn't it Calhoun that Mullen got angry at his staff for finding him so late in the recruiting process? I think he could be big time this year. We may have to worry about him leaving especially if Calhoun has a break out year.
Wasn't it Calhoun that Mullen got angry at his staff for finding him so late in the recruiting process? I think he could be big time this year. We may have to worry about him leaving especially if Calhoun has a break out year.
He was personally at Morton to see Quay and the principal pulled him aside and basically said "Calhoun is better." It's a bizarre story.
The signing day thread on Nafoom about him should be printed out and given to every freshmen every single year.