Our #1 Recruiting Problem

[ArcherSPS]

Is the city of Starkville. I was in Tuscaloosa on Saturday and I noticed how perfect the town flows with the campus (in that "Strip" area). We simply just aren't blessed with that like other towns are (Oxford, Auburn, Tuscaloosa, etc) I am completely wrong in thinking that? They have nice looking streets near their campus where as we look like Kubal with HWY 182 and 12.

Recruits are usually coming in from GTR and all they see is a Microtel, farmland, abandoned fireworks store, and an abandoned Waffle House. Something needs to change soon.

 

[121Josey]

Why can't State have nice things too? I see your point, but Oxford ain't beautiful.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

Really? That's it? Seems like we are trying to recruit petty people who think they need Wal-Mart closer to campus or something.

 

[futaba.79]

you don't think we have enough sense............

to make sure they come in on the hwy 12 bypass? Since they usually stay at the Hilton Garden, I'm pretty sure we do. I can make Starkville look like a hell-hole or a charming southern town. I do it all the time. You can do that with any town.

 

[RocketDawg]

Honestly, I've never seen anything particularly attractive about Tuscaloosa. I think it's just because you're not used to the place. I don't even think Alabama's campus is pretty. I've never really been to Oxford, just to the stadium a couple of times. The part I saw didn't look good at all, so I assume I didn't see the town.

 

[barely]

The waffle house is abandoned? WTF? Seriously, Starkville has always been our biggest opponent, hwy 12 looks like a 3 mile long flea market. No building codes what to speak of, and the alcohol/students/drinking population has always been viewed as pure evil by the old folks that ran it for so long. But its getting better, slowly. Its light years ahead of where it was in the late 90s, but I would love to see an area set aside for nothing but entertainment. Those cotton fields across from the softball stadium would be a great place for bars, shops, and eateries....its within walking distance to all of the sporting venues.

 

[RocketDawg]

They should get a Hooter's and/or a Twin Peaks.

 

[ArcherSPS]

The area around campus looks really good. Take your Maroon and White glasses off for a second.

 

[ArcherSPS]

You can immediately tell when you're off campus. Look at other campuses and you can see what I mean.

 

[57stratdawg]

Agreed. Starkville is the biggest issue with MSU.

Have you been down 182 lately? 12 isn't far ahead.

 

[WrapItDog]

When the recruit is from Noxapater the city lights of Starkvegas are spectacular**

 

[horshack.sixpack]

There's nothing "perfect" about Tuscaloosa. Most of it looks like crap. Oxford is about the same other than campus and the square. Our campus and Cotton District are comparable. Use any of the new roads to enter campus and it's fine. Hwy 12 is an eyesore of course.

 

[ArcherSPS]

Around the campuses is what I'm implying. It's pretty clear what areas I'm referring to.

 

[mstateglfr]

Recruits are usually coming in from GTR and all they see is a Microtel, farmland, abandoned fireworks store, and an abandoned Waffle House.

When did the WaffuleHoufe close? That needs to be open to make the entrance off 182 beautiful again!

 

[121Josey]

The area around campus looks really good. Take your Maroon and White glasses off for a second.

I've been through Oxford about 500 times in my life from either Hwy 6 or 7. You been there, what, 5 times? You need to put on some glasses.

 

[WayboDawg]

I agree completely. Starkville is every bit as "charming" as any of the other SEC small towns including Oxford. Just stick to the nice parts like the Cotton District, and the strip and thats pretty much the same amount of fancy as Oxford's Square or Toomer's Corner at Auburn. Our main problem is years of bad perception due to our identity as an agriculture college, and the stereotypes that surround Mississippi. The only difference between Starkville and Oxford is all the years of good press for them, and bad press for us. You can probably thank the Clarion Ledger for that.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Don't go out 12 past Strange Brew and don't go out 182. Otherwise I think we are pretty good when leaving campus.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

Starkville has grown leaps and bounds over the past 10 years.

It's getting there. University Drive is a beautiful way to enter the campus from the City. I can remember about 15 years ago when it was not.

Russell Street is becoming that way as we speak. 182 and 12 need major work but it will come. The first step was rejected by a bunch of small brained business owners on Highway 12. Keep investing in Starkville and things will happen faster. Investors are what is needed to buy up old properties and turn them into something that looks good.

 

[WutheringDawg]

The problem is access and flow

In oxford every road flows neatly into the square. I feel like I have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the bars in Starkville. And when I find them I would have to wait 2 hours to get a beer. The cotton district is nice but it just aint there yet.

 

[onewoof]

#1 Recruiting problem is the flow of the city and the drive from GTR? Probably true for the metrosexual recruits, just like the history of our uniform colors.

Our #1 recruiting problem is competing against other recruiters for 2 deep quality linemen, most notably Alabama. I think we can cover the bases elsewhere enough to be competitive.

And for the record, the city of Auburn and Tuscaloosa aren't anything to be proud of, and I have been to both recently. Oxford square is nice but like most things in Oxford (grove, campus, girls, etc) is WAY oversold.

 

[maroonmania]

It's getting there. University Drive is a beautiful way to enter the campus from the City. I can remember about 15 years ago when it was not.

Russell Street is becoming that way as we speak. 182 and 12 need major work but it will come. The first step was rejected by a bunch of small brained business owners on Highway 12. Keep investing in Starkville and things will happen faster. Investors are what is needed to buy up old properties and turn them into something that looks good.

Agreed, if Starkville is still bad now then it was Afghanistan back in my days there in the 80s. There has been tremendous improvement with Starkville over the last 20 years and it is way more attractive to students than it used to be. Yes, there is still plenty of room for improvement but MSU can't control everything the city of Starkville does or does not do.

 

[CoastDawg18]

The town quality is Mullen's fault!!**

 

[Shmuley]

Our #1 recruiting problem is not doing it right. Period. The ncaa has no ability to stop what auburn, the blacks and Tennessee are doing and what Bama and LUS have perfected, yet we have scared women menstruating over themselves out of fear while our Yankee settles for 17n **** classes.

 

[dawgstudent]

LSU - you can easily tell.

Ole Miss - you can easily tell.

To me - University Drive is one of the prettier college streets in America until you get to the cemetery. It screams college life and

 

[johnson86-1]

In oxford every road flows neatly into the square. I feel like I have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the bars in Starkville. And when I find them I would have to wait 2 hours to get a beer. The cotton district is nice but it just aint there yet.

Not every road, but a huge percentage of their traffic comes in on hwy 6 and then takes one of three exits onto campus, two of which immediately enter campus and one which goes down a nice street to the square, where you can turn and get to campus without seeing a bad area. Anybody that comes on their campus down jackson from hwy 6 or down university from 7 will see a normal, po-dunk college town in the south. A small town, dominated by the university, with some pretty ugly areas and some more picturesque areas. People that come off hwy six onto the lamar, taylor, or coliseum exits and don't go anywhere but campus and the square will think Oxford is beautiful.

For a long time, you pretty much had to go through **** to get onto MSU's campus, and it left people with terrible impressions. Even now, a lot of traffic comes through not nice areas.

 

[GhostOfJackie]

Our #1 recruiting problem is not doing it right. Period. The ncaa has no ability to stop what auburn, the blacks and Tennessee are doing and what Bama and LUS have perfected, yet we have scared women menstruating over themselves out of fear while our Yankee settles for 17n **** classes.

Out of fairness, #47 is only 3 behind UAB and only 4 behind ACC powerhouse Wake Forrest. We need to be leading these "salt of the earth grinders" to the juicy jumbo section like we used to. That's our #1 recruiting problem.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

It's mainly layout. Starkville has parts that look as nice as Oxford square and Oxford has parts that look like Hwy 12. The difference is that everything flows better in Oxford and Tuscaloosa. The main roads out of campus take you right to the square, whereas to get to downtown Starkville you have to take a road that no one but students and alums know about. The main roads out of our campus drop you on the worst looking part of Hwy 12 or back to 182.

 

[KeyserSoze1999]

So should we go with CT Pa Town or SoDoSoPa?

 

[horshack.sixpack]

I like the square in Oxford, but nothing about getting into or out of it would I describe as "flowing neatly". Maybe you meant proximity and not actual traffic flow or else I must be missing something...

 

[horshack.sixpack]

We just self-declared another violation thanks to this post. Congrats!***

 

[thatsbaseball]

You should have seen it when Bob Tyler and Jackie Sherrill were bringing in damn good recruiting classes. If it`s bad now back then it was a real **** hole. My point...Starkville may not be the ultimate college town and may not be a great recruiting tool but it damn sure ain`t our "#1" recruiting problem.

 

[LandArchDawg]

Das Racist!**

--->

the blacks and Tennessee

 

[WayboDawg]

I seriously thought the same thing for a minute. Haha. I was like "is he talking about HBCU Tennessee State University or something?"

 

[8dog]

What entrance to campus did Sherrill, Howland, and Stans use?

 

[Drebin]

Not every road, but a huge percentage of their traffic comes in on hwy 6 and then takes one of three exits onto campus, two of which immediately enter campus and one which goes down a nice street to the square, where you can turn and get to campus without seeing a bad area. Anybody that comes on their campus down jackson from hwy 6 or down university from 7 will see a normal, po-dunk college town in the south. A small town, dominated by the university, with some pretty ugly areas and some more picturesque areas. People that come off hwy six onto the lamar, taylor, or coliseum exits and don't go anywhere but campus and the square will think Oxford is beautiful.

For a long time, you pretty much had to go through **** to get onto MSU's campus, and it left people with terrible impressions. Even now, a lot of traffic comes through not nice areas.

Driving in Lamar off hwy 6, Oxford looks like **** too. Like someone else said, there are paths you can take to make the experience beautiful or ******. It's the same at every university town I know.

 

[RocketDawg]

I agree completely. Starkville is every bit as "charming" as any of the other SEC small towns including Oxford. Just stick to the nice parts like the Cotton District, and the strip and thats pretty much the same amount of fancy as Oxford's Square or Toomer's Corner at Auburn. Our main problem is years of bad perception due to our identity as an agriculture college, and the stereotypes that surround Mississippi. The only difference between Starkville and Oxford is all the years of good press for them, and bad press for us. You can probably thank the Clarion Ledger for that.

Not sure that's the case. It may be true of the poor self image some have for Starkville and MSU, but I don't think it's true across the country. Nobody outside Mississippi reads the Clarion Ledger.

 

[RocketDawg]

From the east, most likely 182 and turn into campus by the Highway Patrol Station. The new entrance farther up 182 wasn't there then, nor was the new portion of 82 (which is very nice, by the way). From the west, I assume Highway 25, and 25 from the south?

 

[Palos verdes]

The Cotton District is charming, but it is tiny tiny. Looks like they'd want to develop a couple of more blocks to expand. Other than the district, Starkville ranges from nice to ******' ugly, and scenery can change a lot, from street to street.

It would help a bunch if they would just simply tear down and haul off old dilapidated buildings and properties that haven't changed in 30-40+ years. That would clean up the ugly stretches, and make them more attractive to businesses and developers.

 

[Mstate]

The cotton district has potential someone needs to buy up that old gas station and turn it into a bar or apartments. Preferably needs to be a bar because the cotton district is wayyyy to packed on gameday/big weekends

 

[ArcherSPS]

This man gets what I'm saying.