Teams with 5 and 4 star players are dominating the college bowl season. Hoping Sooners can close well with the 2016 recruiting season. Right now we are loaded with 3 stars. Just saying.
Stars Matter
- Thread starter PryorFan
- Start date
Like I have been saying for the last 4-5 years, there's a fascination with this conference from an offensive perspective. OU doesn't have much of an issue getting quality skill position players on offense, but these offenses do not develop good defenses. This is a spread formation, pass first mentality conference. I've been calling it a flag football conference for years since TCU, Baylor, W. Virginia coming in. Other schools have to follow. Until things change, dominating defenses, and dominating O'lines will not have a chance against the very top level teams in the other power five conferences. It's all done through recruiting. You can't sprinkle in a Marcus Walker (who by the way was a project) with a bunch of 3 level D-lineman and linebackers.Our O-line is littered with 2 and 3 star talent. You can get away with that internally, within the conference. Clemson loses Shaq Lawson and plugs in a freshman probably just as good as anyone we currently have on our roster at that position. For the most part, the high level 4 and 5 star D-line and O-line prospects won't come to this conference. Yea, there's one here, one there, but nothing consistant. There's not much development in these schemes. Kids, i'm sure, are told this in their recruiting process. Look at the OSU/Ole Miss outcome. Same song and dance. OU may get back to the playoffs next year, it will be the same result, more than likely. It is what it is until this conference changes.
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I agree. The top OL, DL and LB recruits don't come to the Big 12. Regardless of the reason is immaterial. I think it's due to the pass happy offensives that are in the conference. If it's not, then I would like to hear why OU can't attract players like that anymore. Some one please explain it to me. If it's because the state of Oklahoma doesn't produce that many great players like one poster has suggested, the Sooners are screwed. Oklahoma isn't likely to expand its territory. Also, the teams with the best recruits shut down our high scoring offense most of the time. And none of those type teams are members of the Big 12 because they can't attract the 4-5 stars either....except Texas (once upon a time ).
LOL....OU has put some great OL's in the pro's over the past few years. I think Georgia is the only team better, maybe Bama, but we sure don't suck.........
You can call it a spread offense but the run the ball, 350 yards against us. the qb was something 9/22 for 136 yards late in the 3rd quarter of the game.
Im not worried about the OL/DL, we had several freshman playing on both sides. 18-19 yr old boys were going against 21-22 year old men. We have several 4 star players that were redshirted or didnt play much, 2 LB's Deberry and Mcginnis (I think), Overton and the kid from Canada, were all 4 star players. OU will repeat as Big 12 Champs and will make the playoffs again next season.
Our middle linebackers were (are) way to small. Would have liked to see Lindley on the field more the other night, 6'2 260 put him in the middle and let him take on the blocks of the OL. Our middle lbs cant fight off blocks and try to use speed to get around them and its gets them out of position. Bring in a new LB coach and DC and things will be a whole lot different IMO
Very good point on the fact that we, and actually most of the better linemen and LBs in the B12, brush past blocks. DL often take on a shoulder and them run around, and the backers avoid much of the contact. It creates huge lanes on read plays because the QB simply takes the areas vacated by the runaround and jams off or goes. That approach also provides poor tackling angles for safeties even if they were good tacklers.
I admit I'm gonna have to start changing my views on recruiting rankings and the "star power" in recruiting classes. Maybe its because for many years, Bob's staff had a reputation for finding these 2star or 3star kids and turning them into great players that formed my opinion that recruiting rankings and stars didn't really matter. And sure, there are countless stories of 2star or 3star kids that turn into tremendous players. And who knows, maybe it's because over the years, recruiting has become a more exact science than it was 10-15 years ago. But I think I"m going to have to change my tune and admit that OU does need to land more of these 4star and 5star kids if they want to seriously compete for another national title.
Here is a good article I posted in another thread the other day.
http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...sses-are-necessary-for-national-titles-020515
Here is a good article I posted in another thread the other day.
http://www.foxsports.com/college-fo...sses-are-necessary-for-national-titles-020515
"Ole Miss' spread beat Bama and Ohio State beat them with the spread last year."
Ohio State doesn't really run a "spread." It's more of a power-read option mixed in with the power game the primary. Watch their main weapon - Zeke Elliott - sometimes. He's not exactly a little knat dancing around looking for holes (he's 225 - 230 lbs). He hits the line quick and hard. Plus, yes they beat Bama last year but if you rewatch the game they somewhat controlled the line of scrimmage. So I guess it really goes right back to dominating OL/DL play for a championship run.
Ohio State doesn't really run a "spread." It's more of a power-read option mixed in with the power game the primary. Watch their main weapon - Zeke Elliott - sometimes. He's not exactly a little knat dancing around looking for holes (he's 225 - 230 lbs). He hits the line quick and hard. Plus, yes they beat Bama last year but if you rewatch the game they somewhat controlled the line of scrimmage. So I guess it really goes right back to dominating OL/DL play for a championship run.
Exactly. Historically, the team that controls the line of scrimmage wins the vast majority of the time. This is especially true in championship games. If Perine and Mixon were running behind a big, strong 4 - 5 star OL they would almost be unstoppable. Evidently, signing elite OL recruits is very, very difficult. Same goes for DL 4-5 star recruits.
I agree with a lot that is said in this thread, however, look at what Bayler did to North Carolina. They all but abandoned the pass and rushed for about 600 yards. That has to be one powerful o-line. I guess someone in this conference is getting some elite o-linemen.
Everybody wants to blame the spread offense, but I think a large part of the reality is the we were way too late to the game in gravitating for social media to help our recruiting. until we had Montgomery on the staff for like what, a few months I don't think we even knew what the hell Twitter was when I came to recruiting. Looking at some teens, like Clemson whom I personally hate living in South Carolina, they have been on the digital bandwagon for a bunch of years and just received an award from Adobe for their digital creations. I think the younger staff people will definitely help because the old guys we had or just way too disconnected from the new way of recruiting, and that's not withstanding the lack of effort at times.
Stars don't matter. Players matter. Football is won at the line of scrimmage. As Jackie Shipp used to say, it's all about blocking and tackling.
Always has been, always will be.
Always has been, always will be.
I agree and disagree with you (if that makes any sense).
247 Sports did a 4-year composite recruiting average (averaging Scout, Rivals, ESPN and theirs) after the 2015 season and the top 3 programs in order for that 4-year period were
Alabama #1
Ohio State # 2
and FSU # 3
Does that ring a bell. All 3 of those teams have won NCs in the recent years. Yes, you're correct, players matter as does player development but it sure does help to bring in the so-called elite HS talent to work with. Those 3 teams, especially Bama and OSU, no longer use the term rebuilding when they lose a ton of talent to the NFL. They just "reload."
The spread has always been a one back offense. It essentially subs the RB for a 3rd WR or puts him in the slot and run the jets sweeps to him. The main RB is the FB left in the backfield and the better pass blocker, but it has a TE. The Big 12 teams and Texas HS teams are the extremes that make it more of a run n shoot offense. OSU uses a TE as an edge blocker and lead blocker and trapper. Urban Meyer is a top proponent of the spread, but it has always been 11 on 11 with a dual threat running QB. Baylor's offense evolved from the wishbone/veer and is nearly 70% run heavy. A QB that is a run threat is essential, but the OL/DL being the core of the team still stands true as always. The passing stats are just window dressing.
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