NDSIOUXFAN1

I couldn't agree with you more! I know of 5 kids across the state of Minnesota that have received little or no contact from UND but are being contacted by nearly all MVFC schools. Yet we have made offers to kids of equal or lesser talent (IMO) across the entire country. If you can't get the recruits in your own backyard, how can you get them to come from AZ, FL or CA? In my 30 years of following the program, I have never questioned a entire coaching staff as much as this one. Sorry for venting, but after watching the game Saturday, we need a change and we need it fast.

I was not totally in favor of this staff being changed until Saturday........ it is time to move on so that the new staff at least has a chance to recruit and attempt to fix the problem. If you don't make a change now, you handcuff the next staff.

After watching part of the game vs MSU (couldn't stand to watch the entire game), I sure hope we have some solid recruits coming to improve our chances on both sides of the ball. I just looked at the final stats and they are pathetic. 8-21 for 85 yards passing 250 yards total offense Defense gave up 586 yards and 63 points. It will be hard to compete with that team to the south if we are getting beat in every aspect of the game by a middle tier team on our home turf..... it is scary to think what NDSU would do to us.

So you want to hire a current D-1 coach? What is wrong with a successful D-2 or D-3 coach? I promise you this, there are high school coaches that are far better than some or many D-1 coaches. Some choose family over traveling from state to state coaching, trying to work their way up the coaching ranks and dealing with continually looking for their next job. Remember that every coach starts somewhere and few start at the D-1 level. If you want to build a strong program, you need to find a guy that has done it and wants to do it again at the next level, not a cast off from a upper level program. On top of that, you need to also find a coach that is familiar with and has relationships within the 5 state area. Getting some big name coach from Florida or Texas and doesn't know the area will struggle to recruit talent in his own backyard.

Who wouldn't be amazed. Back to back national champs (soon to be 3 in a row), packed stadium, ESPN Gameday and watching them destroy their opponent. I would say our chance of getting Wilkie or any other kid who has interest from NDSU is very slim. 58 offers and zero verbal commits doesn't look very good to other recruits.

I would guess that we are going to have a tougher time getting kids to commit early when many kids also have offers or interest from other and more successful programs. Some may also be hesitant with the current coaching situation.

I'm not talking about those rare kids that haven't been diagnosed (which is rare these days). I am talking about recruiting kids in that aren't on the fringe of scraping by to get into college and then struggle to stay eligible. Those kids hurt your program by dropping out, failing school and waste a scholarship that could have been given to someone else. That is how you create holes in a recruiting class and a team.

I really hope that you're not the type of fan that only cares about the athletic program verses caring about the athletes and how they become productive in the future. If I am narrow minded because I look at 18 to 23 year old kids as more than a statistic, then I guess I am narrow minded.

That is not narrow minded.If an athlete is not willing to put in the effort to study and maintain eligibility in high school what would make you think he would do it in college. If you're struggling in college to maintain your eligibility then maybe it would be a good idea to focus on your schooling rather than athletics. Remember they are student / athletes and since few go on to play professionally they should worry much more about getting a degree.

Would hockey be the#1 sport if Ralph had spent that money on the football program?

If they aren't smart enough to put in the effort they are not intelligent.

The problem I keep seeing in this thread and others ....... excuses. People keep coming up with reasons we aren't competitive, but other programs have transitioned and continue success. I understand we may have stolen a few from other schools, but they have gotten MANY more athletes that we wanted and couldn't land. As for the comment on a player "keeping his grades up", that is part of recruiting. You not only recruit talent, but kids that are smart enough to manage school and football. If they aren't smart enough to stay eligible, they probably aren't smart enough to do their job on the field either. We need to quit looking back at 2001 and 2003 and focus on success every year. I am tired of talking about a championship 10 years ago when our neighbors to the south are winning them at the next level.

Some coaches understand how to recruit and others don't.It is fairly obvious what Muss has been doing and how poorly he and his staff have gone about it. If we want to be in the top 10 D-1AA teams, we need to find a coach that knows how to get players to fit our scheme, not scheme with the players we have. My biggest disappointment is that our AD hasn't figured out our staff is lost in the recruiting process.

Once again, the problem begins with recruiting the right players to fit your offense or defense. We have obviously had misses on certain players or positions and it doesn't take more than 1-2 years of poor recruiting (bad judgement on players) to create holes in a team. There are plenty of knowledgeable coaches that can scheme against any opponent and make your head spin with X's and O's, but the exceptional college coaches are also great sales people. They know how to get a kid excited about the school, the program, their position coach and the vision of winning a national championship. They understand how to relate to both kids and parents, communicate appropriately in person, by phone, letter or social media. That is exactly how a coaching staff builds a program. It takes 3-6 years to turn a average program into a contender, but it only takes 1-2 years to turn a successful program into something average.

I would bet any amount of money the staff is out watching recruits Friday.

I think my point may have been missed by using Nick Saben as a example. My point is, in order to have a successful program, you need to be able to recruit great players at every position. If there has been a failure by this regime, it has been in the recruitment of athletes that can develop and compete in this conference and for a national title. I know that they have missed on players out of Minnesota that went on to have success at MVFC schools, but were never offered by us. Don't get me wrong, we have recruited in good talent, just not enough.

Before I finished reading this thread, I was wondering what kind of impact this would have on a recruit that may read it. I rarely feel that a coaching change will improve a team, but at the college level it all comes down to recruiting. Every coach looks like a genius when he has better players than the guy across the field from him (i.e.Phil Jackson). If our staff has under performed, it has been in the recruiting process. UND has the facilities, a great campus, tons of tradition in multiple sports and has proven in the past that they can compete at a high level. I don't believe Nick Saben knows anymore about football than his counter parts, but I do believe he and many of the top level programs at any level are extremely good recruiters.

I know this kids has been mentioned in the past, which is why his name caught my attention as I was surfing the Star Tribune website. As one of our "players of interest", is there a reason we haven't offered Connor Wilkie? According to the MN Football Hub, he has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards in 3 games with 11 TD's. If anyone has any insight on this, I would love to hear it. I also notice a couple of RB's that are putting up some stats that should get attention from us as well. Nick Leach (6'2 210lbs) and Tahi Nomane (5'11 208 lbs) each have 600 yards rushing in 3 games. Does anyone know if we are pursuing these 3?

I don't know about anyone else, but after watching yesterdays game, I am seriously questioning the coaching staff in every possible way. Not only are they getting it handed to them, but they don't seem to be making progress, nor are they bringing in the talent in key positions to take the next step. How is it a school like SDSU has success and stays very competitive in the MVFC, while utilizing mediocre facilities and we continue to struggle with average programs and never seem to get better? Does anyone know if this staff understands the recruiting process, who they need and have a realistic chance of getting, how to secure those players early, which are highest priority and how to go about finding the best student/athlete for that position? Don't get me wrong, we have some very solid players, but if you want to compete with upper level D-IAA schools across the country (or 70 miles south), you better figure out a way to steal a few recruits each year. Sorry for my rant, just SUPER frustrated.

Does he have any eligibility left? After the performance on Saturday, maybe we could get him and his son?

Since this entire post is a quitters mentality, quit following the football program, watch hockey and follow the team to the south............ if it can "never" happen

He might be able to transition into another position, but as a QB, he would never make it.

I have to agree with you on this one. If we don't offer him and B1G schools or even NDSU offer, I would probably not even answer a call from UND. It does probably hurt you more in this case, but hopefully we can be his 1st offer if he doesn't have anything on the table at this point.

Calling him "raw" is a understatement. His mechanics are completely unsound, his footwork is terrible, his eyes don't stay down field (even though he is running for his life) and his decision to run backwards rather than get rid of the ball would get him in serious trouble at the college level. If we offer this kid, I will lose all confidence in our ability to find talent.

Let me see..... Would it be easier to recruit a player who had a parent attend school and play where you are trying to recruit them to? Yeah, probably not a advantage. GEEZ!