Cruitin'

[oxfordrebel22]

The network is and has been, in full prime time operation! We're not a fear to them; Bama is and with the rif between Saban and Freshwater, they will choose a lot more "wisely" on who they chase after this go around. They take one from Bama while Saban is there, get ready. I expect they'll probably get Jackson and you'll hear it from the mountaintop that Fresh is the man. That's fine! Let it go. We didn't get into that ring due to "other" things that we didn't want to participate with (see L. Tunsil's recruitment). We know how that will pan out.

We've got a great class and looks like we should have up to 21 early enrollees, should everything pan out grade wise. That's incredible!!! We had 12 last year. That's extra practicing for these newbies and trust me, it helps!!

So what about the rings “you did get into?” Like Leo Lewis, Jeffrey Simmons, etc.? What was the difference?

By the way, I couldn’t care less how much State, Alabama or Ole Miss pay a player. I’m all for it. Good for the player and his family! I’m just curious what’s different about McKinley Jackson’s recruitment than Lewis or Simmons, because all 3 got/are getting paid. Same as Laremy Tunsil.

 

[BobFromBoogerChitter]

That you, Yancy?

No, just someone close to the situation.

Why do you think other schools are pushing him to sign in February?

Answer, because they're waiting to see chances of him qualifying

It's not real hard to figure out.

 

[Drebin]

No, just someone close to the situation.

Why do you think other schools are pushing him to sign in February?

Answer, because they're waiting to see chances of him qualifying

It's not real hard to figure out.

This is a pretty feeble, pathetic troll attempt.

 

[Shmuley]

If Bama holds Tim Smith, MackJack could end up in Oxford, but unlikely.

 

[Drebin]

So what about the rings “you did get into?” Like Leo Lewis, Jeffrey Simmons, etc.? What was the difference?

By the way, I couldn’t care less how much State, Alabama or Ole Miss pay a player. I’m all for it. Good for the player and his family! I’m just curious what’s different about McKinley Jackson’s recruitment than Lewis or Simmons, because all 3 got/are getting paid. Same as Laremy Tunsil.

We got into "rings" with Leo Lewis and Jeffrey Simmons? Who knew? All i see are NCAA reports and Ole Miss conspiracy theories.

 

[BobFromBoogerChitter]

This is a pretty feeble, pathetic troll attempt.

Just because I'm telling you something you don't want to here, it's a troll attempt?

 

[OliveBranchDAWG]

I don't follow recruiting, so I'm genuinely asking. Why is us writing off Oxford High "just how it works" when they don't have to do the same for Starkville High?

Highly recruited Oxford area kids have never really given us much of a chance, unless you consider Derek Pegues (South Panola). But you can say the same about Starkville kids going to OM, outside of AJ Brown of course.

It does seem like we have to fight harder lately to keep Starkville area kids here though.

But if you look at the last two highly rated kids to come out of Oxford: Brandon Turnage last year went to Bama, and they’re saying Jeremiah Pegues is expected to go to Auburn. So I guess it’s not just a MSU problem

 

[OliveBranchDAWG]

That's the thing about recruiting. Anything can be said at this point and there's no definitive proof either way.

My take is that we have 0 outside WR's committed from the high school ranks. Heath in the only guy coming that is expected to make an impact next year. Huge hole on our roster.

We only have 2 OL committed and one is a pretty big reach. Need at least 1 more guy and really 2. What about all that class balance we hear about?

1 HS LB committed and he was under evaluation for a long time. 1 Juco DL from California that is a weird signee in my opinion. Another scholarship signee on a transfer kicker.

After tomorrow, we should have 21 signed and will focus on filling the remaining 4-5 spots with at least 2 OL:
Marcus Henderson
Khalil Benson
Jalen St John
Robert Scott
Quantavous Leslie

All of these players are expected to sign in February. So hopefully we can sign at least two

As for LB, it’s definitely a concern. Hopefully Gay & Thompson come back so we can have another year to recruit & develop that position

 

[paindonthurt_]

If Malik Heath is an elite talent, why shouldn’t Mullen recruit him?

 

[Drebin]

Just because I'm telling you something you don't want to here, it's a troll attempt?

1. What you're telling us isn't true.
2. That you're saying what you're saying the day before signing day is a huge red flag.
3. Schools aren't telling him to wait until February so they can see if he will qualify. That's stupid. Schools are telling him to wait until February so they can spend the next two months trying to flip him.

These are the reasons I said it was a troll attempt. And it's feeble. Good troll jobs are transparent and have a hint of truth to them.

 

[BobFromBoogerChitter]

1. What you're telling us isn't true.
2. That you're saying what you're saying the day before signing day is a huge red flag.
3. Schools aren't telling him to wait until February so they can see if he will qualify. That's stupid. Schools are telling him to wait until February so they can spend the next two months trying to flip him.

These are the reasons I said it was a troll attempt. And it's feeble. Good troll jobs are transparent and have a hint of truth to them.

Ok if you say so.

But you’re wrong.

 

[maroonmania]

If Malik Heath is an elite talent, why shouldn’t Mullen recruit him?

Not sure Malik would be considered elite on a national level, though he is supposed to be very good, but its just more lazy Dan Mullen recruiting. To be honest, Florida probably has 10 Malik Heaths within a 200 mile radius of Gainesville. But going after those players would mean having to develop new relationships which Mullen and co. are too lazy to want to do. So they just go back to a guy they have already recruited for years and have the existing relationship with. The good news is we have about run the cycle of recruits that Mullen was recruiting when he was still at MSU. After that I doubt we have to worry much about him because it will be more trouble for him to come back to MS and develop a relationship than just work the guys in Florida and Georgia.

 

[The Situation]

Not sure Malik would be considered elite on a national level, though he is supposed to be very good, but its just more lazy Dan Mullen recruiting. To be honest, Florida probably has 10 Malik Heaths within a 200 mile radius of Gainesville. But going after those players would mean having to develop new relationships which Mullen and co. are too lazy to want to do. So they just go back to a guy they have already recruited for years and have the existing relationship with. The good news is we have about run the cycle of recruits that Mullen was recruiting when he was still at MSU. After that I doubt we have to worry much about him because it will be more trouble for him to come back to MS and develop a relationship than just work the guys in Florida and Georgia.

You said better than I ever could.

 

[The Situation]

After tomorrow, we should have 21 signed and will focus on filling the remaining 4-5 spots with at least 2 OL:
Marcus Henderson
Khalil Benson
Jalen St John
Robert Scott
Quantavous Leslie

All of these players are expected to sign in February. So hopefully we can sign at least two

As for LB, it’s definitely a concern. Hopefully Gay & Thompson come back so we can have another year to recruit & develop that position

Some of our DEs could also play LB. That hybrid athlete is what Mississippi produces a good amount of over time.

 

[philduckworth]

Ok if you say so.

But you’re wrong.

Apparently Forbes has the necessary ACT so that's one hurdle down.

 

[maroonmania]

With that user name and 28 posts, I would consider most everything you say to likely be a troll attempt.

 

[paindonthurt_]

So, if 2 options are similar and you already have a strong relationship with one, It would be stupid not to continue recruiting that one.
He might also be recruiting a local Florida guy but he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t continue to recruit Malik.

 

[NTDawg]

This is a pretty feeble, pathetic troll attempt.

So now we know the real reason JoMo called out Bob

 

[BigDog72.sixpack]

So what about the rings “you did get into?” Like Leo Lewis, Jeffrey Simmons, etc.? What was the difference?

By the way, I couldn’t care less how much State, Alabama or Ole Miss pay a player. I’m all for it. Good for the player and his family! I’m just curious what’s different about McKinley Jackson’s recruitment than Lewis or Simmons, because all 3 got/are getting paid. Same as Laremy Tunsil.

Big difference with those guys is they weren't Bama or Georgia bound. Simmons was pursued by Bama, but not until the end. You pulled Kimdeche and Tunsil(day before signing day) out of Georgia's backyard after going 5-7 I believe. That was your mistake. Plus you took a couple of Saban's boys and that just ain't gonna fly in this conference. I told my Rebel buddy that they needed to get their helmet on because judgement day is coming when they signed that class. He quoted that the Reb's were bigger than Bama back in 1950 something and blah, blah, blah. I said Bama and Georgia run this conference and you just pissed in their cornflakes. And we now see where it got them.

 

[The Situation]

Big difference with those guys is they weren't Bama or Georgia bound. Simmons was pursued by Bama, but not until the end. You pulled Kimdeche and Tunsil(day before signing day) out of Georgia's backyard after going 5-7 I believe. That was your mistake. Plus you took a couple of Saban's boys and that just ain't gonna fly in this conference. I told my Rebel buddy that they needed to get their helmet on because judgement day is coming when they signed that class. He quoted that the Reb's were bigger than Bama back in 1950 something and blah, blah, blah. I said Bama and Georgia run this conference and you just pissed in their cornflakes. And we now see where it got them.

That is exactly what got them. If they had let Tunsil go, Freeze would probably still be their coach today.

 

[oxfordrebel22]

Big difference with those guys is they weren't Bama or Georgia bound. Simmons was pursued by Bama, but not until the end. You pulled Kimdeche and Tunsil(day before signing day) out of Georgia's backyard after going 5-7 I believe. That was your mistake. Plus you took a couple of Saban's boys and that just ain't gonna fly in this conference. I told my Rebel buddy that they needed to get their helmet on because judgement day is coming when they signed that class. He quoted that the Reb's were bigger than Bama back in 1950 something and blah, blah, blah. I said Bama and Georgia run this conference and you just pissed in their cornflakes. And we now see where it got them.

Nkemdiche was coming to Ole Miss for weeks, and it wasn’t a secret. We had went 7-6, but who’s counting? The Tunsil did get Ole Miss in trouble, but not because of some conspiracy because “they didn’t know their place”. It got them in trouble because they spurned a vindictive step-father. Freeze’s dumbass tweet drew unnecessary attention to the program, which of course had raised eyebrows by signing a Top 5 class, already. Did Ole Miss “cheat” to sign some of those players? Hellllll yes. Were they rampantly cheating at some unheard of level like so many MSU fans like to say? No. If they were, the NCAA would have hammered them. Truth was, Freeze didn’t keep his circle very tight, and he didn’t realize how to insulate himself from a lot of it, like experienced coaches do. So, when he took a holier than thou attitude with Mike Sheridan, it got personal.

Alabama recruited Jeffrey Simmons until the end. They had an offer on the table. Ole Miss had an offer on the table. State came over the top late, mainly because of the perception of Mullen’s recruiting was very negative leading up to signing day. And guess what? Y’all got a damn BARGAIN. He was a monster.

It’s just funny to me when people want to point to Tunsil or Nkemdiche and say Ole Miss got in trouble for going head to head with Bama or Georgia. That’s basically saying that as a fanbase we have no right to compete with the blue bloods. We have enough disadvantages without conceding every goood player they want to them, too. Alabama wanted Jeffrey Simmons and Chris Jones, badly. Several schools wanted Leo Lewis, Nathan Pickering, etc etc etc. Leo Lewis admitted on record that 3 schools, including State, paid him. Which is funny as hell because it means he milked the system. Good for him! But when OM signs a good player everyone clutches their pearls and takes some weird moral high horse that implies their beloved school would never participate in such shenanigans, all while cheering on players that most definitely got paid, and should have.

 

[The Situation]

Nkemdiche was coming to Ole Miss for weeks, and it wasn’t a secret. We had went 7-6, but who’s counting? The Tunsil did get Ole Miss in trouble, but not because of some conspiracy because “they didn’t know their place”. It got them in trouble because they spurned a vindictive step-father. Freeze’s dumbass tweet drew unnecessary attention to the program, which of course had raised eyebrows by signing a Top 5 class, already. Did Ole Miss “cheat” to sign some of those players? Hellllll yes. Were they rampantly cheating at some unheard of level like so many MSU fans like to say? No. If they were, the NCAA would have hammered them. Truth was, Freeze didn’t keep his circle very tight, and he didn’t realize how to insulate himself from a lot of it, like experienced coaches do. So, when he took a holier than thou attitude with Mike Sheridan, it got personal.

Alabama recruited Jeffrey Simmons until the end. They had an offer on the table. Ole Miss had an offer on the table. State came over the top late, mainly because of the perception of Mullen’s recruiting was very negative leading up to signing day. And guess what? Y’all got a damn BARGAIN. He was a monster.

It’s just funny to me when people want to point to Tunsil or Nkemdiche and say Ole Miss got in trouble for going head to head with Bama or Georgia. That’s basically saying that as a fanbase we have no right to compete with the blue bloods. We have enough disadvantages without conceding every goood player they want to them, too. Alabama wanted Jeffrey Simmons and Chris Jones, badly. Several schools wanted Leo Lewis, Nathan Pickering, etc etc etc. Leo Lewis admitted on record that 3 schools, including State, paid him. Which is funny as hell because it means he milked the system. Good for him! But when OM signs a good player everyone clutches their pearls and takes some weird moral high horse that implies their beloved school would never participate in such shenanigans, all while cheering on players that most definitely got paid, and should have.

Again, you bought out Tunsil when it had been an Alabama/Georgia fight for a year. None of the rest were questioned. Without him you probably sign a top 10 class still and nobody bats an eye. Kimdeechee could be explained. Treadwell could be explained. Tunsil couldn’t. It’s really that simple, brah.

Stop listening to the fanatic fringe around here. We have some, like Drebin, who say Freeze was not a good coach.

 

[HamSammich]

How come no one is mentioning Treadwell? This dude NEVER STEPPED FOOT ON YOUR CAMPUS, yet signed on national signing day?

If that doesn’t raise a red flag I don’t know what to tell you bud.

Fact is, Ole Miss got SLOPPY. No other way to put it. You thought your d*%# was bigger than it was and then the NCAA showed you what a big d*%# looked like. They made you take it and then made you say thank you.

 

[The Situation]

How come no one is mentioning Treadwell? This dude NEVER STEPPED FOOT ON YOUR CAMPUS, yet signed on national signing day?

If that doesn’t raise a red flag I don’t know what to tell you bud.

Fact is, Ole Miss got SLOPPY. No other way to put it. You thought your d*%# was bigger than it was and then the NCAA showed you what a big d*%# looked like. They made you take it and then made you say thank you.

I can't believe ya'll have me in here defending Ole Miss. Paidwell was all over their campus before NSD, pics of girls/money/whatever. He had a friend that was already on the team - that's how they got him

All high level recruits get paid, that's just a part of it.

You are right that they got sloppy - over Tunsil. He had absolutely no ties to Ole Miss whatsoever and was not even considering them.

 

[oxfordrebel22]

How come no one is mentioning Treadwell? This dude NEVER STEPPED FOOT ON YOUR CAMPUS, yet signed on national signing day?

If that doesn’t raise a red flag I don’t know what to tell you bud.

Fact is, Ole Miss got SLOPPY. No other way to put it. You thought your d*%# was bigger than it was and then the NCAA showed you what a big d*%# looked like. They made you take it and then made you say thank you.

Probably because that’s not true. Not even remotely.

 

[The Situation]

So, if 2 options are similar and you already have a strong relationship with one, It would be stupid not to continue recruiting that one.
He might also be recruiting a local Florida guy but he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t continue to recruit Malik.

That's not the point. We've explained the point - thoroughly. It's about Mullen being a dick when he really doesn't have to be. Don't give me that crap about "doing his job", there are unwritten rules in all walks of life and if you don't follow them, you get labeled a dickhead. That is Mullen. You can choose how you do your job.

 

[oxfordrebel22]

I can't believe ya'll have me in here defending Ole Miss. Paidwell was all over their campus before NSD, pics of girls/money/whatever. He had a friend that was already on the team - that's how they got him

All high level recruits get paid, that's just a part of it.

You are right that they got sloppy - over Tunsil. He had absolutely no ties to Ole Miss whatsoever and was not even considering them.

You’re being extremely reasonable, and I appreciate that. I don’t want to belabor the point, because we both mostly agree, and it honestly doesn’t matter at this point. But, the people who cover Ole Miss had been talking about how hard Ole Miss was recruiting Tunsil for a year. Georgia and Alabama media basically laughed at the notion of OM having a shot, because honestly, similar to how another poster has said - OM had never went up against the blue bloods before. Tunsil mentioned OM in every interview he did, but it was always just glossed over. About a week before NSD the Alabama and Georgia media began to read the writing on the wall, and started spinning this narrative that OM had come in like a thief in the night. It just wasn’t true. OM was also the only school willing to give up two scholarships for Tunsil and gave his brother, Alex Weber, a scholarship, despite him having no G5 or P5 offers. He was worth it.. Ole Miss absolutely paid Tunsil, but the NCAA never could actually prove it. The 2nd NOA was served after the Tunsil draft night fiasco, when Sheridan got Tunsil’s scorned stepfather to start feeding him information. It was a crazy ordeal. That’s when Leo Lewis and others started getting unfairly drug in, because the NCAA was out for blood. They knew things had happened, but they were having trouble proving it.

Does any of this change anything? Nope. It’s really just my long winded way of saying that neither one of our programs should be small minded enough to think we can’t recruit elite players because Alabama or Georgia wants them. Just don’t be sloppy with who is involved in the process, don’t have a vindictive stepfather who wants to destroy a kids dreams because he’s been cut out of the pie, don’t have a holier than thou Coach publicly challenge the NCAA and other schools when everyone knows everyone cheats, and don’t piss the SEC Commissioner off by sitting on a fake pedestal and him basically refuse to back you, and don’t put yourself in a situation where the NCAA decides to give unprecedented immunity to rival players and coaches. If you can avoid those simple pitfalls, State can go recruit against anyone they want. Just know that, historically, you’ll have to offer a little more than Alabama and Georgia because, of you know, traditions and stuff.

 

[The Situation]

You’re being extremely reasonable, and I appreciate that. I don’t want to belabor the point, because we both mostly agree, and it honestly doesn’t matter at this point. But, the people who cover Ole Miss had been talking about how hard Ole Miss was recruiting Tunsil for a year. Georgia and Alabama media basically laughed at the notion of OM having a shot, because honestly, similar to how another poster has said - OM had never went up against the blue bloods before. Tunsil mentioned OM in every interview he did, but it was always just glossed over. About a week before NSD the Alabama and Georgia media began to read the writing on the wall, and started spinning this narrative that OM had come in like a thief in the night. It just wasn’t true. OM was also the only school willing to give up two scholarships for Tunsil and gave his brother, Alex Weber, a scholarship, despite him having no G5 or P5 offers. He was worth it.. Ole Miss absolutely paid Tunsil, but the NCAA never could actually prove it. The 2nd NOA was served after the Tunsil draft night fiasco, when Sheridan got Tunsil’s scorned stepfather to start feeding him information. It was a crazy ordeal. That’s when Leo Lewis and others started getting unfairly drug in, because the NCAA was out for blood. They knew things had happened, but they were having trouble proving it.

Does any of this change anything? Nope. It’s really just my long winded way of saying that neither one of our programs should be small minded enough to think we can’t recruit elite players because Alabama or Georgia wants them. Just don’t be sloppy with who is involved in the process, don’t have a vindictive stepfather who wants to destroy a kids dreams because he’s been cut out of the pie, don’t have a holier than thou Coach publicly challenge the NCAA and other schools when everyone knows everyone cheats, and don’t piss the SEC Commissioner off by sitting on a fake pedestal and him basically refuse to back you, and don’t put yourself in a situation where the NCAA decides to give unprecedented immunity to rival players and coaches. If you can avoid those simple pitfalls, State can go recruit against anyone they want. Just know that, historically, you’ll have to offer a little more than Alabama and Georgia because, of you know, traditions and stuff.

I enjoy strategies, and both Freeze and Mullen had good ones, and ultimately to me that's what led to both programs being legit. I liked how Freeze identified about 10 guys he thought he could get because they had ties with a few of them. He also realized that Ole Miss' mantra is getting a few flashy guys in-state and then going out of state for the rest, the name played well, and he stuck to the strengths. Mullen on the other hand knew that MSU played best in MS (but not always with the super high rated guys) and that he could find great players in Alabama and Louisiana that weren't the in-state school's top choice. Obviously they both could have done some things better, Freeze pretty much quit recruiting defensive linemen and linebackers, and Mullen gave up on a few top players way too easily. He also didn't use JUCOs the way I felt they should have been used.

Moorhead is doing what I think he needs to do on the trail. Kiffin will probably do the same. I also figured that when Luke started the Mississippi Made stuff, he would fail, that would play better at MSU. Ultimately it did.

 

[oxfordrebel22]

I enjoy strategies, and both Freeze and Mullen had good ones, and ultimately to me that's what led to both programs being legit. I liked how Freeze identified about 10 guys he thought he could get because they had ties with a few of them. He also realized that Ole Miss' mantra is getting a few flashy guys in-state and then going out of state for the rest, the name played well, and he stuck to the strengths. Mullen on the other hand knew that MSU played best in MS (but not always with the super high rated guys) and that he could find great players in Alabama and Louisiana that weren't the in-state school's top choice. Obviously they both could have done some things better, Freeze pretty much quit recruiting defensive linemen and linebackers, and Mullen gave up on a few top players way too easily. He also didn't use JUCOs the way I felt they should have been used.

Moorhead is doing what I think he needs to do on the trail. Kiffin will probably do the same. I also figured that when Luke started the Mississippi Made stuff, he would fail, that would play better at MSU. Ultimately it did.

Spot on. Great analysis. Freeze’s strategy worked well early, but then he became enamored wth chasing stars. It was like the 2013 class was crystal meth for him, and he kept chasing that signing day high from then on. Which was great for you guys. While Freeze was out chasing 4 and 5 stars that were either A) not going to sign with Ole Miss or B) overrated and not highly recruited by big time programs, but would help elevate a signing class ranking, needs be damned, State was able to rack up on talented MS kids that Ole Miss didn’t invest enough time in, and it helped State to build a lot of quality depth. And the NCAA cloud really hurt Freeze, too. Obviously.

Mullen and his staff were very good talent evaluators. He came damn close to building a championship caliber program at State. And I still think he goes 10-3 or 11-2 with the 2018 team, but I digress. Like you said, what held him back was he wouldn’t spend very much time recruiting elite players. It was almost like he didn’t believe State could get them, and that hurt him. Nutt did the same thing at Ole Miss, he’s just not 25% of the coach Mullen is.

Moorhead seems to be recruiting well. He’s sticking to the process that has proven to work, but went out of state to go find his QB. And he found a damn good one, too.

I’m of course excited to watch how Kiffin and staff recruit. He’s clearly trying to establish an elite recruiting staff, which is what it will take. But, I hope he doesn’t fall into the Freeze trap and neglect MS. This early signing day class for OM is going to be very average, barring a surprise or two. And, so far, the only surprise has been a bad one (Hayes to Kentucky). We won’t really be able to fully evaluate Kiffin’s recruiting ability at OM, until February 2021.

The great news for State fans is that even if Moorhead doesn’t work out, they’ll have a VERY attractive job, because the coach will be inheriting a roster that’s made up of 4-5 straight very solid recruiting classes and a QB room with a lot of talent in it.