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Somehow we all understand the pitch, "help turn UC around" yet we're baffled by the likely pitch the UK staff is giving - "you can be the one to help us break out." These aren't that dissimilar.

Look at UK's recruiting and it's quite frankly not that bad relative to its peers in the SEC. They're pulling enough quality kids to be able to compete - assuming they can get some equally quality coaching to overcome their still existing talent divide. I highly doubt it. UF is upcoming, I still think the Vols, UGA, and maybe USCe are ahead of them. Vandy is recruiting better, and maybe their coaching is better. So, if you're UK, you're looking up at a good number of teams. It's unlikely, but not impossible they do some good in conference. I also think a bowl game is in the cards. Their staff is likely going to be around for a cpl more years at a minimum.

There are apparently some unspoken issues surround Peters, so him coming to UC was a very real possibility. To discount that isn't quite in line with how things were looking. We lost out on him, and that's too bad. He looks a physically imposing dude, who in time could develop in to a good defensive player.



mc

(07-05-2017 10:38 AM)marcuscan Wrote:  Somehow we all understand the pitch, "help turn UC around" yet we're baffled by the likely pitch the UK staff is giving - "you can be the one to help us break out." These aren't that dissimilar.

I feel as though the pitch is a bit different given that most of these local kids saw UC ranked in the top 10 in the BCS polls and heading to the Orange/Sugar Bowls during their formative years while UK was winning as many games as we were losing in those seasons, but point taken. I just don't understand the idea of going to a school with a losing culture literally built from a century long history of craptasm...but that's a personal choice and one that many have shown to not align with my own perspective and recruiting cycle while I was going through it.

Most of the kids being recruited by UC have only known The UC Fighting Tubberville's and the AAC since they were heading into the 7th or 8th grade. That's if they knew UC at all.

2008 and 2009 the recruits were likely in the 3rd or 4th grade. When I was in 3rd grade I swore Jelly Jones was a sure fire hall of famer.

We are recruiting on what it is today and where it's heading.

(07-05-2017 11:38 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most of the kids being recruited by UC have only known The UC Fighting Tubberville's and the AAC since they were heading into the 7th or 8th grade. That's if they knew UC at all.

2008 and 2009 the recruits were likely in the 3rd or 4th grade. When I was in 3rd grade I swore Jelly Jones was a sure fire hall of famer.

We are recruiting on what it is today and where it's heading.

Partly, but from experience... I didn't become an avid, for life, UC fan when I was in 7th or 8th grade. It was 1st-3rd grade where my undying love for all things UC developed and I don't think I'm unique. The experience early on drives a lot for later. Certainly players in high school now have to look at the last few years but I have to believe that the attachment they may have developed in those formative years could be relevant for many.

Besides Hawkins perhaps, we are not recruiting kids who were diehard UC fans when they were itty-bitties. You normally only get that hook at a young age when dad or an older family member is into it.

You can recruit on past success a couple of years from those special seasons but when you are talking 3 coaches and getting close to a decade in between, it is part of the story but its not going to change many minds.

(07-05-2017 11:38 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most of the kids being recruited by UC have only known The UC Fighting Tubberville's and the AAC since they were heading into the 7th or 8th grade. That's if they knew UC at all.

2008 and 2009 the recruits were likely in the 3rd or 4th grade. When I was in 3rd grade I swore Jelly Jones was a sure fire hall of famer.

We are recruiting on what it is today and where it's heading.

Disagree. Strongly.

The vast majority of the kids (esp the Ohio kids) that have committed to UC have very specifically cited the BK years as their memories of UC. All of them state some iteration of, "I want to get us back to where we were".

I've never bought the line that UC was ruined by "he who shall not be named" for this very specific reason. These kids that are signing up with UC are like the first generation of recruits i recall who speak very lovingly of having grown up as UC football fans. For them, the last few years simply represent a bump in the road. Overwhelmingly, their memories of UC are us being a successful program, and highlighted by those BCS bowl years.



mc

Overwhelmingly, those kids never attended a single UC game until they were recruited...if they attended a game at all. If you think these 17 year old kids throughout Ohio were all huge UC fans from 2008, more power to you. Its all part of saying the right things. UC is recruiting on this staff and what is going on on campus today. 2008 is a history book lesson for these kids.

(07-05-2017 12:00 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Overwhelmingly, those kids never attended a single UC game until they were recruited...if they attended a game at all. If you think these 17 year old kids throughout Ohio were all huge UC fans from 2008, more power to you. Its all part of saying the right things. UC is recruiting on this staff and what is going on on campus today. 2008 is a history book lesson for these kids.

Oh, I in no way think that statewide these kids had any affinity for UC in their younger years...just that the Cincinnati natives were MUCH more cognizant of UC and saw them as a power-ish program when they were just getting into sports, which would have an impact from a relevance standpoint when getting in the door...then it's on the current staff to finish off.

(07-05-2017 12:00 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Overwhelmingly, those kids never attended a single UC game until they were recruited...if they attended a game at all. If you think these 17 year old kids throughout Ohio were all huge UC fans from 2008, more power to you. Its all part of saying the right things. UC is recruiting on this staff and what is going on on campus today. 2008 is a history book lesson for these kids.

Again, these are direct quotes. Bear in mind that kids like Whyle, Vann, Bacevich, Hicks, and Hawkins are Cincy natives. It's not at all far fetched that what they said about wanting to revive the program to its heights isnt just "saying the right things." Notice I didn't say all the recruits have said this, so it's not simply toting the party line.

Besides, every sports team i like to this day I discovered before I was even 10. These kids been playing ball since before that. Whyle very specifically said he always grew up a UC fan and playing for the Bearcats was his dream. He only questioned whether or not they would recruit him. Nevermind Hawkins, who b/c of his legacy nature it would be expected that he feels the same. These are the kids that are the cornerstone of the class. The genius of CLF's class building strategy has been to secure hometown kids who can sing the praises of the program, and have enough fondness for the program's history to relay on to the others who have no context of our potential



mc

On another note....looks like Antwuan Johnson is being forecasted to come to UC by a Bucknuts guy, as well as by a national guy.

http://247sports.com/player/antwuan-johnson-77697

Top 50 state of ohio guy. Would be a solid pickup. I'm assuming Coach Freeman is working hard on this one.



mc

xavier peters#1?‏ @xavierpeters22 59m59 minutes ago
I still have to sit down and think about some things #life


and apparently he took down UK commit out of his twitter bio. So who knows whats up if anything

(07-05-2017 02:34 PM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  xavier peters#1?‏ @xavierpeters22 59m59 minutes ago
I still have to sit down and think about some things #life


and apparently he took down UK commit out of his twitter bio. So who knows whats up if anything

I seen that as well. That's a very intriguing development. Maybe he talked to his coach, parents, or somebody that told him to take a bit more time.

(07-05-2017 02:46 PM)TheOptimisticCoach Wrote:  

(07-05-2017 02:34 PM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  xavier peters#1?‏ @xavierpeters22 59m59 minutes ago
I still have to sit down and think about some things #life


and apparently he took down UK commit out of his twitter bio. So who knows whats up if anything

I seen that as well. That's a very intriguing development. Maybe he talked to his coach, parents, or somebody that told him to take a bit more time.

Larry Cox wasnt able to cash the check

(06-28-2017 12:10 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(06-28-2017 12:04 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Just came here to post about Antwuan Johnsons tweet. Nice work Bearcatman. There needs to be an easier way to quote tweets.

A lot of people have brought that up to GTS...unfortunately this site and twitter are run on two different code languages so it makes it extremely hard without going to a third party and generating images of the tweets themselves.

Tweet quotes will be a thing in Aurora.

(07-05-2017 02:34 PM)Bearcat2012 Wrote:  xavier peters#1?‏ @xavierpeters22 59m59 minutes ago
I still have to sit down and think about some things #life


and apparently he took down UK commit out of his twitter bio. So who knows whats up if anything

I have zero idea what it is exactly, but apparently there's some sort of issue that clouds his recruitment. I've seen this 'issue' thingy presented as a solid reason why he could end up at UC. Again, I have no idea what it is. Perhaps someone here in the know could share. Whatever it is....maybe it reared its head here....?



mc

UK fans are one of a kind...


UK Brady‏ @TIPTIPBRADY 3m3 minutes ago
Replying to @xavierpeters22
RIP, 4 star LB Xavier Peters being a Kentucky football commit.
July 4, 2017 -- July 5, 2017
Never Forget.
#GoneTooSoon

He may be on the fence if his family/friends want him to stay at home. Wouldn't be the first time this has happened.

Some explanation/speculation:

https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/updated...h-kentucky

(07-05-2017 03:26 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(06-28-2017 12:10 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(06-28-2017 12:04 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  Just came here to post about Antwuan Johnsons tweet. Nice work Bearcatman. There needs to be an easier way to quote tweets.

A lot of people have brought that up to GTS...unfortunately this site and twitter are run on two different code languages so it makes it extremely hard without going to a third party and generating images of the tweets themselves.

Tweet quotes will be a thing in Aurora.

Nice...thanks for the update!

Ever since the whole Odyssey of Alex Smith back in '09 I feel like every Lakota player has had just a completely f'ed up recruitment.