Recruiting

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The FB recruits left at half time. I was able to talk to some of them prior to the game. One was a 6'5" 280# OG from Cincinnati another was about the same size (a little bigger) played Strong Guard (LG) on offense in Lafayette, IN. We have some big and talented kids coming.
 

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I know it's difficult to say at this point, but based on what you're hearing how do you think this class will grade out? Will it be another strong class?

This years class will be very good. I don't think it will be #7 in the country again, but that's ok.

Remember, we had a VERY good recruiting class last year. We are going to get better, no doubt about it.

It is just hard to win with all freshmen and a few good upperclassmen (Everett, Millington, Patrick, Byrne, and Burke). Seriously, I think those were the only upperclassmen that did much.

We have a bunch of very good Freshmen and Sophomores coming back for next year.

Think about this.............. Those freshmen that we played last year have never had an off-season at the college level. They are now going through a collegiate strength and conditioning program.

I'm jacked for next year!
 
This is very weird. It's January 14th, and I find myself getting excited for football season. This is the board for Indiana State University, right?:krazy:

Seriously, I hope we can land another solid recruiting class. Syd, is Schmidtke going to play next year???
 
I think it's up to Schmidke if he's going to play next year. He apparently has to commit not only to keeping out of trouble, but to staying academically eligible. Hopefully he'll see the light. I'm sure going in to the Spring, Roberts will be 1st team.

I heard nothing but positives for the recruiting class that was in last weekend. Sounds like the team is starting to turn the corner.
 
I forgot to include in my last post congratulations to the 28 football players named to the AD's Honor Roll for the fall. This includes 12 of last years' recruits, many of whom were key starters. Another indication that the coaches are recruiting the right type of kids.

Special congratulations to Koby Kramer and Dan Millington, who both achieved a perfect 4.0 for the fall!
 
I think it's up to Schmidke if he's going to play next year. He apparently has to commit not only to keeping out of trouble, but to staying academically eligible. Hopefully he'll see the light. I'm sure going in to the Spring, Roberts will be 1st team.

I heard nothing but positives for the recruiting class that was in last weekend. Sounds like the team is starting to turn the corner.

New Fan,

Calvin is still in school here. He is good, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, he has problems making the right choices. With only thoughts of the kid's life and not the ISU football team, I hope and pray that he can get on the right track. I applaud Coach Miles for taking the actions that he did last year in regards to Calvin's situation.

That being said............ I think that Calvin, Ryan Roberts, and Matt Seliger are all capable of being efficient at the QB position. However, it all starts with the guys on the O-Line. Look for the O-line to improve quite a bit. Remember that we were starting 3 freshmen on the O-Line at times last year.

I think the Defense is going to be pretty solid. If you watched the games last year, the Defense steadily improved as the year went on. Again, we were starting quite a few Freshmen on D. The D-line should be decent........ DE Daniel Millington is very good! He pretty much gets double-teamed every play, which is okay. Freshman Rod Hardy had a very good year at DT. Look for a transfer to play the other DT position. The other DE will be Jr Brandon Pence or RS-FR Jordan Bright (6'8").

The LB crew should be pretty good. Remember last year everybody was hype about Freshman Aaron Archie being a starting LB............... Well, he will probably be one of the starting LBs this year as a RS-FR. Santino Davis (JUCO) will probably step into one of the LB spots. CJ Cook will also be a candate for a starting LB spot.

Don't forget about some notable Freshmen that played in the defensive backfield. Alex Sewall was rediculously good for a Freshman. He was the conference All-Newcomer runner-up. The guy that won the All-Newcomer award was a Juco transfer. Alex is very good and experienced now for the next 3 years.

Some other notable Freshman that are now getting to go through a collegiate weight lifting program for the first time and already have college experience............. Offense - OL Evan Borchers, Bichey........ RB - Brock Lough, Taylor Johnson, Reece Craig........ TE - Alex Jones.........Defense - DB - Julian Easterly, Larry Carter, Alex Sewall......... DL - Rod Hardy, Nate Williams........ LB - CJ Cook..... I'm forgetting to mention some players that I should be mentioning, but I'm doing this off the top of my head.

Go Trees!
 

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Syd,

What do you know about the new incoming QB, Matt King? He has some gaudy stats, but, again, played for a very small school probably against other small schools. Even though Roberts is an excellent athlete and should be on the field somewhere, we need major development at that position--the # of carries and yds per carry were not good, nor was the passing. The ball security was great, and his athleticism combined with more experience may help him, but it's such an important position --to get consistent production is a must to compete in the MVFC.

Hopefully Archie's rehab is going well. He is very active, and would be a huge help. It'll be interesting at LB next year. Toward the end of the year, CJ Cook was playing great, and he has the size we need at that position. Is Q. Scott coming back? If so, with Cook, Archie, Davis, Scott there is some good talent, and depth also.
 
This is very weird. It's January 14th, and I find myself getting excited for football season. This is the board for Indiana State University, right?:krazy:

Seriously, I hope we can land another solid recruiting class. Syd, is Schmidtke going to play next year???

You're not alone! Increased fan support, interest, fan talk is good for the program. We're just doing our part! :sycamores:
 
I hope that Schmidtke can get his head on straight and figure out what a tremendous opportunity he has been given. Not only a chance at a free education to make something of himself, but the chance to lead a football program out of the dark ages and into the light! To me, football is sort of like basketball - it all starts with a great point guard, or in this case, a great quarterback. Teams of our level don't get QB's with Calvin's pedigree very often, so I'm am very hopeful that he gets it going. A great QB can cover up a lot of deficiencies. I would like to think he could be a great QB at Indiana State.

There's so many awesome players that Miles has brought in. I can't wait to see what surprises he's able to pull out of his hat with this class.
 
Syd,

What do you know about the new incoming QB, Matt King? He has some gaudy stats, but, again, played for a very small school probably against other small schools. Even though Roberts is an excellent athlete and should be on the field somewhere, we need major development at that position--the # of carries and yds per carry were not good, nor was the passing. The ball security was great, and his athleticism combined with more experience may help him, but it's such an important position --to get consistent production is a must to compete in the MVFC.

New Fan,

Matt King is very good, for sure. However, I think he will probably redshirt. Hey, if I'm wrong and he comes in and is the best QB we have, that's good. My gut-feeling says he will be redshirting. I think this because I don't think that he will be any farther along than Roberts, Seliger, or Travis Johnson. Matt King will be good eventually. As you mentioned, his stats were rediculous. He was throwing to an athletic. 6'5" receiver (who ISU may try to get) and the DBs at the school they were playing are probably like 5'5". That being said, he knows how to find the endzone and doesn't really know how to lose.

As far as the LBs, I actually don't think that Q Scott was on the roster at the end of last year. I may be wrong............

Go Trees!
 
[
New Fan,

Matt King is very good, for sure. However, I think he will probably redshirt. Hey, if I'm wrong and he comes in and is the best QB we have, that's good. My gut-feeling says he will be redshirting. I think this because I don't think that he will be any farther along than Roberts, Seliger, or Travis Johnson. Matt King will be good eventually. As you mentioned, his stats were rediculous. He was throwing to an athletic. 6'5" receiver (who ISU may try to get) and the DBs at the school they were playing are probably like 5'5". That being said, he knows how to find the endzone and doesn't really know how to lose.

As far as the LBs, I actually don't think that Q Scott was on the roster at the end of last year. I may be wrong............

Go Trees![/QUOTE]
 

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Sydcamore,

I don't think I've ever hidden my personal desire to see Calvin Schmidtke be our quarterback. I think I know how good he can be. However, if he can't keep his head on straight, we may never see that.

Since you obviously know lots more than me about football (serious remark there, no cynicism at all...) tell me - can we really win in the MVFC with Roberts or Seliger as our QB? The couple of games I saw Roberts play he just looked slow. Of course, he was going without much work at QB at that point. What do you honestly think?

As I've said, I think the "quantum leap" thing begins with a great QB. Without Schmidtke, do we have a QB who can take us to the next level - seriously???

Thanks for your thoughts!

:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:
 
I'm not Syd, but I'll weigh in on this also. First, Roberts is most certainly NOT slow. However, I agree he looked "slow" at times last year because his thought process running the offense was not there (mainly due to him getting thrown into the mix and having very limited experience). That being said, I think he can win some games, but he's not going to get us to the point of competing in the top tier in the MVFC. He is althletic, but an average runner, and below average to average passer. Better suited at a different position in my humble opinion.

I saw an article on the Rivals site yesterday that Jake Christianson is leaving Iowa, and as a redshirt Junior, his best option would be to move to an FCS program--now that would be a steal, a QB with over a years' starting experience in the Big 10.

Syd, Q was still there at the end but suspended for the last 2 because of an internal incident. I thought he was still at school, unlike Middlebrooks and Dowdell, who are now enrolled at a DII school, and he was doing the conditioning.
 
Indy,

You probably think Roberts looked slow because he was trying to run with 15lbs of S*** in his pants all the time. He never had an opportunity to do anything.

That being said, Schmidtke has the best all around skills. If he gets his head on straight, we will be okay with him. I actually think our QBs are okay. The success of the offense is all about the Offensive Line.

An example................. Steve Young looked terrible when he played for the Tampa Bay Bucs. Then he went to San Fransico and became a Hall of Famer. Did his skill set change? Maybe a little bit, but he was playing behind a much better line in SF.

I think we have a very good set of RBs. I believe our struggles start with the OL and the WRs. Obviously, Coach Miles is addressing these issues. Heck, he may even be calling the plays next year.

I disagree with what you say about things starting with a great QB. If you look at the teams that are good in the MVC, they all have something in common.......... Good Offensive Lines and Running Backs. Even when Kurt Warner was at UNI, they were a great running team. Why was Southern Illinois so good a few years back? Brandon Jacobs and other great RBs.

Do we need to be solid at the QB position? Yes! However, success starts in the trenches. I know that sounds cliche, but it's SO TRUE!

March On!
 
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Indy,
I disagree with what you say about things starting with a great QB. If you look at the teams that are good in the MVC, they all have something in common.......... Good Offensive Lines and Running Backs. Even when Kurt Warner was at UNI, they were a great running team. Why was Southern Illinois so good a few years back? Brandon Jacobs and other great RBs.

Do we need to be solid at the QB position? Yes! However, success starts in the trenches. I know that sounds cliche, but it's SO TRUE!

March On!

Syd, I totally agree with your opinion here. I guess I was forgetting that someone has to "plow the road" for QB's and RB's, and it's the big guys up front that do it. I'm even forgetting my history here, as I vividly remember Doug Williams winning a Super Bowl MVP award as a very average quarterback, mostly because he had an O-line that wouldn't let anyone within 10 yards of him. I probably could have looked good with that set up. OK, maybe that's going a bit far...:naughty:

I really appreciate your insight, and that of the other fans on this board who are more knowledgeable than me. I can look at a game and see what looks bad or good, but I sure can't get much farther than that. Please post as often as you all can to keep us "casual" fans satiated. (That, by the way, is a $5 word...:bigsmile:)

Here's to continued improvement and a competitive football team at ISU once again!!!
 
as for the comment about jake christensen from iowa....his father played quarterback at eastern illinois back in the 1980s....and he was pretty darn good....he was the QB at eiu before sean payton....so if he does go to a i-aa school, i wouldn't be too surprised if he ended up at eiu....just because of that connection....now, the sycamores have had a couple of christensen's play in the 1990s but i am not sure if they are any relation to jake....
 

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I was recently talking to some people close to the ISU football program. For the first time in a long time, we are having to turn recruits down. By that I mean......... There are good high-school players calling ISU coaches but the coaches are having to turn them down because they already have enough potential signees. HUH???????

During the West-era and even in the during the latter part of the T-McGuire era, we would basically let anybody be on the team. A couple of years ago, we ended the season with like 50 players. The coaches are now concerned about having too many players.

Good High-School players want to come here

I know some names of some kids coming to ISU, but to be fair to both ISU and the kids, I am not going to mention their names unless they have publicly announced their intentions to come here. Haha, Sorry! We will all know all of the kids names soon enough!

Go Tree!
 
Wabash Valley High School FB players

I want to address something else.................. Please feel free to call me an idiot if you disagree.

I live in Terre Haute and I talk to quite a few high school coaches and fans. I always hear them say that ISU should go after "so and so" from Terre Haute South, TH North, West Vigo, Rockville, Northview, South Vermillion, or other local schools. I hear people that are mad because ISU passes on a kid that ends up at Franklin or Wabash. We cannot be competing with those schools for kids. Last year we had a tremendous recruiting class and we were competing with schools like Navy, Miami OH, Ball State, EIU, SIU, Central Michigan, etc. We are not Division III, SO QUIT THINKING DIII KIDS CAN PLAY HERE!

I'm here to tell you that there are probably 2 or maybe 3 players within 10 counties of Vigo county that have the ability to play here. In the past 5 or 6 years, we were getting 10-15 kids from the local areas. The people that say these things have obviously not seen Div I-AA football. Maybe they have been to some ISU home games recently, but we are at the bottom of our conference.

I would love to have the opportunity to take these people to see Northern Iowa play Illinois State. I can gaurantee you that when they get back from watching a game like that, their opinion will change. They will then understand why Miles and his staff are recruiting Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnatti, and Western Pennsylvania. Yes, we are the Wabash Valley's team, but that does not mean we have to get all of our players from the Wabash Valley. It is important to get the few players around here that are good enough, but we will not be successfull by heavily recruiting kids from this area.

I hope I am not ruffling any feathers. Please share your thoughts.
 
If I recall correctly, back when we were good (mid-80's) we were loaded up with players from Pennsylvania. There's a moral in there somewhere...

Syd, you hit the nail on the head. Well said!!!

:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:
 
Syd,

Idiot?? No, you're just telling it like it is. Going from the smaller schools or schools that play in conferences that are not real strong to playing in the MVFC is a HUGE difference. The very top players from the area--sure recruit them. But focus on the cities you mention. If we could get a bigger pipeline of kids from Chicago, Ohio, or western Pennsylvania that would be great. Look at the kids on our roster from the Chicago area--Byrne, Burke, Gates, Sewall. All of them were lighly recruited, but all were key guys last year. I'd like to see more of them. The schools and the football class they play in (8A with school enrollments 3500-4000) mean they are playing tough competition almost every week.
 
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