I think you’ll see about 4-6 for the Bama and Ole Miss games.
Why NO visitors and why ONLY 4-6 in big games vs AL & OM? Makes NO sense to me. CBB has proven he is a M-F coach AND a Saturday coach…the only area he seems to be lacking in is RECRUITING… I just don’t get not bringing in kids for officials… SMH!
Four to six is a big number for officials during the season. You get more than that and it’s hard to show proper attention because the coaches are busy with with the game that weekend and on Sunday they’re focused on next week’s games.
Also when you have 19 commitments, the pool of kids for filling the remaining spots is less.
After the season is when you have bigger numbers because you have more time to spend with the kids.
I guess we go contrary to other SEC schools. The rest bring in large numbers during the season AND after. 4-6 may be satisfactory in light of the current # of commitments, but I think it is shy of what it needs to be…again, he can coach, but recruiting leaves something to be desired…
Is there a list of the possible/probable visitors for the OM & AL games?
Richard, I was trying to remember all the unofficial visitors you have mentioned for this weekend. Are you working on a list? Bumpers, Noland…
Now I know why I only visit here very infrequently, lol.
I would think we may have 19 commits right now but I’m going to guess that 4-5 of those commits will not be apart of the 2017 class. There are some kids you just don’t turn down if they want to come. If we can just get too a 10 win season back to a big time bowl game, this staff could do miracles.
Bielema is the best recruiting head coach at Arkansas since Broyles.
Name another coach that has gone into states like Texas and Florida and gotten the kids the big schools wanted? None since Broyles. He’s done that while rebuilding from a very tough situation. It will get better as the win column goes up.
I don’t rate him based on how he compares to his predecessors, I rate him based on how he fares vs his peers. We drag in the 10-12 range in the SEC in recruiting… Granted, he makes up for the lack of recruiting by coaching them up!..Great coach; mediocre/average recruiter - at best…
I think this is the best recruiting staff overall that Arkansas has had in the 35 years I have been covering Arkansas football.
I stand by that.
To think you could go from 3-9, 4-8 and begin to recruit at a top 10 level nationally is a bit of a reach no matter who the coach would have been.
As for not many official visitors coming in during weeks, every coach that has been here has made note that the fact that XNA has very few direct flights - and certainly just a couple on Saturday mornings - certainly hampers bringing in official visitors for Saturday afternoon games.
Especially when you consider the fact that most kids are playing on Friday nights.
There are times when a kid isn’t playing on a Friday night and that allows for that prospect to come in on Friday and stay through the Saturday game and then leave on Friday.
But there is more to it than just wanting a kid to come visit for a big game.
Just so happens I have a column about that subject - one that will be up Saturday morning.
Thanks Dudley. Looking forward to your column…they are always great reads!!! WPS
What metric are you using to make this statement?
Same question. By what metric do you use to make this statement?
I posted this on 1.29.16 on the old board and just added the numbers from 2016 -
I have read that CBB has assembled a staff that is the best in recruiting that this school has ever seen. I decided to look to see if the numbers to back this up.
I used scout.com and went back as far as I could (2002).
From 2002-2007 - The Nutt Era - we averaged 28.33 nationally and 8.17 in the SEC. Low of 23 and a high of 34.
From 2008-2012 - The Petrino Era - we averaged 24 nationally and 8 in the SEC. Low of 17 and a high of 37.
From 2013-2015 - The Bielema Era - we averaged 30 nationally and 11 in the SEC. Low of 21 and a high of 33
Well, Hog, that’s because you used Scout. Their anti-Arkansas bias is pronounced and always was. All the other services constantly report better numbers for us than Scout does or did. Consider the source.
So you are telling me that the numbers will show the CBB is significantly a better recruiter than CBP and HDN if I use a different service?
The question isn’t if Scout is biased, since we are arguing all Arkansas coaches and staffs. Scout being biased is not the issue.
So using Rivals:
CBB: 2013-2016 Nat’l rank 28.0 (range 25-32), SEC rank 11.5
CBP: 2008-2012 Nat’l rank 32.8 (range 16-52), SEC rank 10.2
HDN: 2003-2007* Nat’s rank 35.2 (range 24-60), SEC rank 10.2
*Rivals did not rank 2002
So, it appears that Scout spoke better to the idea that CBB is the best recruiter per available data nationally, but not in SEC rank. Tell me more about their “anti-Arkansas bias.”
Column from Feb.
National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rated Arkansas’ 2016 class one of the best in the nation and believes the classes will only get better as the Hogs improve in the win column.
Prospects in the 2016 class have watched Arkansas go 4-8, 3-9, 7-6 and 8-5 during their four years in high school. While recruits have noticed the progress Coach Bret Bielema and his staff have made, a breakout season with 10 to 11 wins will help recruiting go to another level.
“It’s already starting to take a different level,” Lemming said. “They’re in the SEC and a high profile team, but if they can beat Alabama or a one of the super teams in a big game, recruiting will take off.”
Bielema is the only coach since Frank Broyles that’s shown the ability to consistently beat out elite programs for recruits. He’s done it each of his four classes. The Hogs beat out programs like Ohio State, Florida State, Miami, Michigan and others in Bielema’s first recruiting class.
The Hogs beat schools like Alabama, UCLA, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, Miami and LSU in 2014. In 2015, the Razorbacks secured signatures from prospects with offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Notre Dame, Florida, Georgia, Texas and others.
Bielema is also the first coach since Broyles that’s been able to go into the backyard of major schools ink recruits they coveted. The list includes Oklahoma, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Texas and Louisiana. He’s also done that in all four of his recruiting classes.
This year’s class is an example. The Hogs beat out Texas and Texas A&M for running back Devwah Whaley of Beaumont, (Texas) Central and LSU for defensive lineman Briston Guidry of Metairie (La.) Rummel.
The 2015 class saw Arkansas beat out Florida for linebacker-defensive end Derrick Graham Wauchula, Florida, Florida State, Florida and Miami for offensive lineman Jalen Merrick from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Texas offered offensive lineman Zach Rogers of Carrollton, (Texas) Hebron, but the Hogs signed him. Tight end Austin Cantrell of Roland, Oklahoma turned down Oklahoma to sign with Arkansas.
Assuming this information is correct, why have we not seen the increase in recruiting rankings?
And before someone chimes in stating that “recruiting rankings are overrated yada yada yada” I would agree, but I am using this as a barometer. Another way would be to use W-L’s and we know that CBB is far behind in winning percentage as the two previous coaches.