[quote=“4ever niner, post:20, topic:31025”]Here’s the rub. I’m not sure I accept the premise that the announcement about joining CUSA would have all that much effect on our 2013/14
recruiting. We’d have to have told FBS level athletes that they were going to have to wait 2 seasons to play at that level. Maybe some would and maybe some wouldn’t go along with that. At any rate, I’m going to wait until we actually play five seasons of FBS to start passing judgments.[/quote]
This… actually the first class was told you just get to practice for a year (redshirt) and then play two years of FCS and then you can play two years of FBS if you are still around. Not exactly an easy sales pitch. Incredibly we still came up with some quality players out of those first two classes. Unless we just crap the bed (which could happen) this year I expect Lambert to be given more time. I have high expectations for 2018. I like the way our team is coming together for that year and beyond.
Good post, 2018 is the year start-up comes off the program. I will be disappointed if we take a major step back this year, but that is possible with the DL. If we can somehow get average play from them and don’t make poor strategic choices in the resulting close games it could be another step forward.
Forgot to mention that we were playing for absolutely nothing our first three years. Weren’t going to be invited to FCS playoffs and not bowl eligible. Last year was the first year we were eligible for anything. Again not an easy sales pitch. This is why you see our recruiting improving. We are finally playing for a conference championship and bowl. Don’t get me wrong we still need an expanded stadium. Not thrilled with our offensive play calling either but I am willing to be patient for one more year.
I hate to keep moving the goalposts for our staff, but logically, you guys are right. We are the only program in D1 history that had to sell every single one its first 4 classes on, at least at some point, playing for absolutely nothing. While others knew they’d be making the transition at some point, we started our program transitioning. That excuse is running dry though. Thank goodness. I also think we learned why nobody else had done it, as I really think it stunted our growth. We really never had a choice though. Hopefully it’s all worth it in a couple years.
[quote=“FSL Owner, post:23, topic:31025”]Forgot to mention that we were playing for absolutely nothing our first three years. Weren’t going to be invited to FCS playoffs and not bowl eligible. Last year was the first year we were eligible for anything. Again not an easy sales pitch. This is why you see our recruiting improving. We are finally playing for a conference championship and bowl. Don’t get me wrong we still need an expanded stadium. Not thrilled with our offensive play calling either but I am willing to be patient for one more year.[/quote]that’s the thing though, our d line recruiting doesn’t really seem to have improved. It was an area of huge need and we couldn’t convince any quality jucos or grad transfers that we were a good choice? I mean we could have been bowl eligible last year with a few better coaching decisions and IMO, we improved everywhere except d line.
Shouldn’t have been an impossible sale IMO.
I’m just afraid we end up squandering another year because one of glaring weakness in a team I think is otherwise talented enough to go to a bowl game.
show me the recruits anxious to go play for nothing and I’ll digress. If recruiting takes a hit at Penn State, Miami and USC when they aren’t playing for anything, you can bet it’s going to affect Charlotte as well. Arguing the contrary is asinine. It’s not an excuse, it’s common sense. It’s like talking someone into a sales job with either no commission or commission in 2-3 years. Most people would rather go with an option that has immediate return.
As far as the Dline goes, at this level, it’s going to be challenging to convince a kid to come play behind a Larry Ogunjobi. And I thought our DL class this year was better than it had been. I think Larry and Brandon moving on was no small part of that. It’s not impossible, but that’s one of the struggles of G5 football. When you hit a recruiting homerun, it’s hard to convince a kid to sit the bench at a non P5 school. Watch Last chance U. See what the kids say about UAB.
Even saying all that though, didn’t we sign several solid DL prospects and move them to OL? Eugene German in particular comes to mind. That’s also part of the issue coming to sit the bench at a G5 school. You’ve gotta get your talent on the field. That’s why some kids don’t want to come to non “playing from day 1” situations.
I hate excuses, but we still need to live in the realm of reality.
Signing on to play for Charlotte meant playing for something in 2 athletic years assuming a red shirt. It also meant training to make the next level. This whole playing for nothing is a statement that is just patently false. Playing intermural football is playing for nothing. The realm of reality is we don’t recruit that well and we sure as hell don’t coach well.
And literally everywhere else they were playing for something in year one while also training to make the next level.[/quote]
A recruit who signs on the play for Brad Lambert should know he doesn’t play freshman or sophomore’s anyway.
And literally everywhere else they were playing for something in year one while also training to make the next level.[/quote]
A recruit who signs on the play for Brad Lambert should know he doesn’t play freshman or sophomore’s anyway.[/quote]
DeLuka and Washington may differ on your assessment.
[quote=“4ever niner, post:20, topic:31025”]Here’s the rub. I’m not sure I accept the premise that the announcement about joining CUSA would have all that much effect on our 2013/14
recruiting. We’d have to have told FBS level athletes that they were going to have to wait 2 seasons to play at that level. Maybe some would and maybe some wouldn’t go along with that. At any rate, I’m going to wait until we actually play five seasons of FBS to start passing judgments.[/quote]
I agree with this. We had the first class on campus when we got into CUSA. Most of them graduated in 17 (Larry, Johnson, Perry, Covington, Duke etc). The 2013 class were. mostly recruited when we got into CUSA. It’s not like recruits thought “Charlotte’s going FBS, let’s go there”.
We still hadn’t played a game, and the schools we were recruiting against used that, and the fact they we wouldn’t be bowl eligible until 2017 against us.
We have improved everywhere on the field except DLine (we don’t a have a replacement for Duke either). I don’t know why it’s been so though to get them, but it does seem to be a position that other schools have a problem with as well (MTSU folks are doing the same whining we are).
I feel like the recruiting has gotten better, and Lambert gets a pass from mevthis season, but 2018 has alaways been the date that I’ve considered the training wheels are off. If we don’t preform then, I’ve got no problem with the staff being dismissed.