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Arktards - Question about your recruiting
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:19 am
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:19 am
Looking at a map, Ftown doesn't seem that much further from Dallas than Norman is. How does Oklahoma recruit that area so much better? Lack of effort from Arkansas coaches?
4
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:21 am to AUCE05
Yeah because right now a talented Dallas recruit with options from both schools is going to sit there and think “yeah Arkansas is where I want to be screw Oklahoma”.
This post was edited on 9/8/19 at 9:23 am
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:21 am to AUCE05
More tied to "lack of hope".
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:24 am to AUCE05
On the list of concerns at the moment, recruiting is a little ways down the list. That’s really the best thing the coaching staff has done since they’ve been here. Sad but true.
Posted on 9/8/19 at 9:28 am to piggilicious
I am just trying to understand the recruiting issue. On paper, UA is a better school, location, etc. But I will admit to being an outdoors guy.
Posted on 9/8/19 at 10:36 am to AUCE05
Fayetteville is probably 2 hours further from Dallas than Norman
Posted on 9/8/19 at 10:39 am to AUCE05
Because we’re Arkansas and nothing good will ever happen to us. We are cursed as a program and a state and should commit mass suicide
Posted on 9/8/19 at 10:47 am to ArmyHogs
Much like Nebraska, Arkansas’s time is in the past. They’ll have to hope to hit a homerun coaching hire. They have 2 strikes already.
Posted on 9/8/19 at 10:48 am to Mr Sausage
We could hire nick Saban and still suck. Some programs only exist to sing the blues and be doormats. We are one of those programs
Posted on 9/8/19 at 11:11 am to ArmyHogs
TL; DR - Arkansas will always have a talent disadvantage vs. most SEC teams.
You have to understand something about Arkansas; and in particular - Northwest Arkansas. We have several factors the uniquely put us behind the 8-ball in terms of recruiting.
1) NWA diversity. Although it is getting better, the average high school up here is about 70% white; 27% hispanic (not big football culture) and 3% all other. In layman’s terms, we have no hometown pipeline for recruiting like a Baton Rouge, Dallas, Atlanta, etc. every few years or so we may get one local kid from NWA - but rare.
2) Arkansas geographics and demographics - our best Arkansas homegrown talent historically has come from cities/towns 3-5 hours away from Northwest Arkansas. These are the “poorer” demographics but truth be told our best talent. Even in good years, we only get about 4-6 Arkansan commits. Our best years as a program we’re in the 60s when all/most players were white. We just do not have a pipeline into dedicated pool of stellar athletes.
#3 As a result of #1 and #2, Arkansas has historically been an average program. Can over achieve with a good coach (Petrino) or can under achieve with bad coach (Bielema). Either way, our talent stays pretty consistent in the top 25-50 range.
So, taking #1 and #2 into account; it is imperative that the coaching must be above average in order to contend for anything at Arkansas. Whoever the Arkansas coach is (ie even a hypothetical Urban Meyer), they will always be playing with inferior talent vs. most of the SEC programs. I’m pretty sure our best recruiting year from a Rivals/247 perspective was probably still about 8th in the SEC. Not trying to be racist, but I’m pretty sure we have the most white kids on our team outside Vanderbilt. It is not fun watching a slow white linebacker try to catch up to an average SEC ball carrier.
You have to understand something about Arkansas; and in particular - Northwest Arkansas. We have several factors the uniquely put us behind the 8-ball in terms of recruiting.
1) NWA diversity. Although it is getting better, the average high school up here is about 70% white; 27% hispanic (not big football culture) and 3% all other. In layman’s terms, we have no hometown pipeline for recruiting like a Baton Rouge, Dallas, Atlanta, etc. every few years or so we may get one local kid from NWA - but rare.
2) Arkansas geographics and demographics - our best Arkansas homegrown talent historically has come from cities/towns 3-5 hours away from Northwest Arkansas. These are the “poorer” demographics but truth be told our best talent. Even in good years, we only get about 4-6 Arkansan commits. Our best years as a program we’re in the 60s when all/most players were white. We just do not have a pipeline into dedicated pool of stellar athletes.
#3 As a result of #1 and #2, Arkansas has historically been an average program. Can over achieve with a good coach (Petrino) or can under achieve with bad coach (Bielema). Either way, our talent stays pretty consistent in the top 25-50 range.
So, taking #1 and #2 into account; it is imperative that the coaching must be above average in order to contend for anything at Arkansas. Whoever the Arkansas coach is (ie even a hypothetical Urban Meyer), they will always be playing with inferior talent vs. most of the SEC programs. I’m pretty sure our best recruiting year from a Rivals/247 perspective was probably still about 8th in the SEC. Not trying to be racist, but I’m pretty sure we have the most white kids on our team outside Vanderbilt. It is not fun watching a slow white linebacker try to catch up to an average SEC ball carrier.
Posted on 9/8/19 at 11:23 am to GoHoGsGo06
Spot on, man.
Another alarming trend, that's continuing to get worse is that the smaller Arkansas towns that used to produce D-I black talent is continuing to worsen, as far as talent level.
We have a problem with a small state population and the demographics that are better athletes seem to get less and less interested in football.
Another alarming trend, that's continuing to get worse is that the smaller Arkansas towns that used to produce D-I black talent is continuing to worsen, as far as talent level.
We have a problem with a small state population and the demographics that are better athletes seem to get less and less interested in football.
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