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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

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Thoughts to ponder as signing day approaches… :-/


We need to have something to tell these UCF leaning recruits. At this point in time, what can FAU offer them that will sway them away from UCF/Bowl/C-USA?

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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

I was hoping UCF would pull this one out especially after they tied the score with less than a minute left in regulation. It looks like neither team could stop the other. It was an exciting game to watch with all the yardage and scoring.

FAU - THE REAL SLEEPING GIANT
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

With the season both USF and UCF had it should make things a little harder on the recruiters, especially with their new conference affiliations. However, one thing that we had last year and I don't know about next year, but we did have great exposure on the National stage with seven games being televised - that in itself speak volume and our continued agressive OC schedule should hopefully bring some balance to the equation.

How, it actually effects recruiting I'm not sure, but the young guys do like to play big time opponent, especially on TV. USF & UCF still hold an advantage with a better conference opponents they have for home games, If we can establish some Rivalries within our conference that should help bring some excitement for us, again that does take time to develope and I think that has already started with MTSU & FIU and UNT maybe on the back burner.

I just hope we can continue to build on the foundation that has been set with each and every recruiting season which has brought better talent through Owl Nation. The coaching staff have done a great job of having the young guy over achieve every season and I think that will be a trend that will continue.

I feel we are at the same stage as last year going into the off-season and Spring practice, we still have many questions as far as far as where we are as a team. What should we expect from this team next year, they have shown the potential to be a good team and I do believe that the growing pain should put them slightly ahead from the previous year.

Let the coaches continue to find that magic recruiting touch and bring home the best class yet.

Go Ows!!
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

It was a good game illinoisowl. I was rooting for UCF from a college football standpoint. Suport for the state.


Good post Bytor. I also thought about the OOC games as a selling point for the recruits. They(recruits) still like the big name games and the TV exposure from these games.
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

It was a great game. You have to feel awful for the kicker from UCF. Not only does he nail a 47 yarder with two minutes in regulation to bring the score to within 7 but then he kicks a great onside kick (or good bounce anyway) and finally he shanks his last kick ever as a collegiate player.

As far as recruiting goes, UCF has a lot going for it right now. A new stadium "Planned" out and moving forward. Great season this year, very good coach and a pretty good fan base, when theyre winning anyway. It's gonna be tough to sway the leaners this year.

Do you all think that the 17/18 year old High School Seniors are mature enough to look at the big picture when they are looking at colleges? Great record and a bowl game vs. bad record, no bowl and the chance to build something.
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.


TeamBeer said

Do you all think that the 17/18 year old High School Seniors are mature enough to look at the big picture when they are looking at colleges? Great record and a bowl game vs. bad record, no bowl and the chance to build something.

Key word here is "mature". Some are very mature w/leadership qualities at that age while others are "followers" who look for instant gratification. All teams have them. Maturity shows through when they look at the bigger picture and accept the things as a goal. The others? Who knows. FAU can still sell the program as one which is up and coming. The record last year will not deter the true athlete who understand the game. They do understand the transition which take place regarding graduations. The bowl situation is still there but it's the New Orleans bowl. Still a little TV time on national stage.

UCF's year/Bowl appearance is where FAU will be in a few years. I'm sure that will be the angle which the FAU recruiters coach will take.
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

Thoughts about recruiting-

1. FAU should be fine. You're in Florida and will be competing in the Sun Belt. The florida talent alone should give you a chance to finish in the top 4 within a few years.

2. Don't look so much at "stars" or expert sites, because usually they're not expert at all. Our running back this year is a true freshman and ran for over 1000 yards. He is going to be a premeire college running back, yet he wasn't recruited by anyone else but UCF. Why? His HS coach stuck him at CB his senior year, but UCF saw him his JUNIOR year as a RB. That's where experienced recruiting coaches come in handy. For Smith to be THAT good as a frshman is just nuts.

3. The schools' dedidcation to their football program goes a LONG way in drawing recruits. We landed guys last year that were big time recruits just based off the fact that our administration is doing everything it possibly can to make UCF a perennial top 25 team. With a new stadium, new fieldhouse, new practice field, new weightroom, George O'Leary…..a recruit can't help but be excited about that and want to be apart of that. If FAU just shows that it's willing to go "gung ho" into football, recruits will notice.

4. JUCO's. They're nice to fill some holes, but making a recruiting class of them is not good for a program. This year we had freshman starting all over the place, and it hurt us especially on defense. But because of that we now have a tremendous base set for the future. I don't know if FAU takes alot of JUCO's, but I'd prefer to stay away.

Just remember that this is Florida, and we have more talent in this state than 3-4 states combined in the midwest have. Every school is going to get impact players that can help their program.

Good luck!
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

Knightfan16 very well said and I couldn't agree more. This state is full of talent and a kid like Smith that kind of falls off the Radar then is picked up is amazing. To much hype on how many stars a kid has instead of talent and heart. There are a ton of kids like Smith in this state. Congratulations to the Knight on one hell of a season.
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

Thanks for the props knightfan16. Some of us know about the "star" system. When they see that a big school is after a certain player, then all the rating PUBLICATIONS jump on the bandwagon. Most have never seen the player in a real live game situation. "If school BIG SCHOOL is after him he must be good" is the main theme in ratings.
The other side of that system is when the players are being recruited by a smaller school, then there must be something wrong with the player. Why? Because the big school don't want him!!

Again, congrats on a great year by UCF.
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OK. UCF looked good in Hawaii BOWL game.

Three comments on recruiting and competing with UCF and USF for signees.

1) One thing that shouldn't be overlooked is the potential for a big time recruit to draw other players in after he commits. It happens all of the time where one player commits and then starts calling all of the other good players that he knows about in order to get them on the same boat. Hopefully FAU will have a few early commits that help in the recruiting process.

2) I think USF and UCF really jumped ahead of FAU this year. It is going to take some more time for FAU to build a consistent recruiting base. Also, FAU doesn't need to worry to much about competing with the in-state schools. The out of state programs are the ones that snatch up a whole lot of talent. There are a lot of good MAC teams that are pulling talent from the state of Florida.

3) Finally, FAU shouldn't focus solely on Florida talent. I know it has been said many times on this board, coach needs to expand beyond the south Florida region.

If FAU does the above-mentioned things and has a little luck fall their way, the program should be able to catch up to USF and UCF by the time the incoming class graduates. GO OWLS!!!

2017 and 2019 Conference USA Champions
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