If you don't want to be young - Don't Be.

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
Missouri State went 1-10 in 2019 and fired their football coach after the season. The Bears were odd ducks in 2020-2021 in that they played both the 2020 fall (going 0-3) and the 2021 spring (going 5-1 to reach the playoffs). Even though MSU returned the QB that led them to the playoffs in the spring (Jaden Johnson), they chose to bring in a 5th-year player (Jason Shelley) that had previously started games at QB for both Utah and Utah St. Shelley won the starting position and he led the Bear to a 21 pt. win yesterday. He was part of massive recruiting class that included 12 transfers from 4-year schools along with 7 junior college players.

I know I discussed Johnson/Shelly already in my pregame post but I'm repeatedly hearing about our "young team". If the problem is going to be repeated then I'm going to repeat the solution. Being young is a choice. It's a choice you make in the process known as the relentless pursuit of recruiting.
 

Virginia Redbird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 26, 2017
Messages
2,581
Location
Chesapeake, Virginia
Missouri State went 1-10 in 2019 and fired their football coach after the season. The Bears were odd ducks in 2020-2021 in that they played both the 2020 fall (going 0-3) and the 2021 spring (going 5-1 to reach the playoffs). Even though MSU returned the QB that led them to the playoffs in the spring (Jaden Johnson), they chose to bring in a 5th-year player (Jason Shelley) that had previously started games at QB for both Utah and Utah St. Shelley won the starting position and he led the Bear to a 21 pt. win yesterday. He was part of massive recruiting class that included 12 transfers from 4-year schools along with 7 junior college players.

I know I discussed Johnson/Shelly already in my pregame post but I'm repeatedly hearing about our "young team". If the problem is going to be repeated then I'm going to repeat the solution. Being young is a choice. It's a choice you make in the process known as the relentless pursuit of recruiting.
Yep, put pretty simply but I think correctly.
 

cubird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 19, 2017
Messages
2,350
Yes, but Spack said he does not believe you can build a program that way. Old school may change his mind after this year? Probably not....
 

MadBird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Messages
4,730
Location
Madison, Wisconsin
Well, not thinking thru all of this, but my first reaction is, MO State hasn't "built" anything at this point. Did jack squat in fall 2020, caught lightning in a bottle in last spring's "asterisk season". Looking pretty good so far this year. Maybe a foundation is being laid this year, maybe not. Time will tell. Petrino may still be there or may ride the tide out of town. And then they start over.
 

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
Yes, but Spack said he does not believe you can build a program that way. Old school may change his mind after this year? Probably not....
I listened to the Brock Spack show Thursday and Coach Spack brought up this very question himself. He didn't answer it but just the fact that he brought it up shows that he's reconsidering the situation.

It's just all out free agency now with the transfer portal. I see disadvantages and advantages. The FBS will poach some of our best players, we know that. But we only have a handful of players they want and they won't get them all. Meanwhile the FBS has a ton of players that FCS schools would be interested in. FBS players look for different things. They've had the big stadiums and the big crowds but they also watched a lot of games from the sidelines and it's getting late in their careers. They want to impress pro scouts and they want to go somewhere where they feel confident they're going to play. We have spots available.
 

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
Well, not thinking thru all of this, but my first reaction is, MO State hasn't "built" anything at this point. Did jack squat in fall 2020, caught lightning in a bottle in last spring
Are we really allowed to trash another program after a 21 point loss? lol

Yeah, I get your point. Yesterday was one game, but even if we widen our focus it's hard to say we're headed in the right direction and MSU isn't.

In calendar years 2019 and 2020 MSU was 1 -13. In calendar year 2021 MSU is 8-3. They've beaten N. Iowa, SIU, Cent. Ark and Illinois St. Teams that used to kick dirt in their face. If Petrino left tomorrow I think MSU fans would say it was a good hire and they would look for another one like him.

Our program is 31-27 since 2015. We're 3-6 in our last 9 games. Our "lightning in a bottle" period was 2014-2015 when we went 25-5. We all know that FBS transfer Tre Roberson was a huge part of that. In 2014 he had two FBS transfer offensive tackles in front of him. I'm not really asking Coach Spack to do something he hasn't done before.
 

MadBird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Messages
4,730
Location
Madison, Wisconsin
Are we really allowed to trash another program after a 21 point loss? lol

Yeah, I get your point. Yesterday was one game, but even if we widen our focus it's hard to say we're headed in the right direction and MSU isn't.

In calendar years 2019 and 2020 MSU was 1 -13. In calendar year 2021 MSU is 8-3. They've beaten N. Iowa, SIU, Cent. Ark and Illinois St. Teams that used to kick dirt in their face. If Petrino left tomorrow I think MSU fans would say it was a good hire and they would look for another one like him.

Our program is 31-27 since 2015. We're 3-6 in our last 9 games. Our "lightning in a bottle" period was 2014-2015 when we went 25-5. We all know that FBS transfer Tre Roberson was a huge part of that. In 2014 he had two FBS transfer offensive tackles in front of him. I'm not really asking Coach Spack to do something he hasn't done before.
Well, come on, I didn't "trash" their program, I just said one-half a season, or one short spring season and half a fall season, is not a "built program". They've got a good thing going this fall, let's see where it goes from here.

We've got an FBS transfer from Minnesota on the DL, but he doesn't play (injured? not up to par?). We've got an FBS transfer from Notre Dame at WR, but he doesn't play. We've got an FBS transfer from New Mexico on the DL, but gets in just now and then. We've got an FBS transfer from Iowa on the DL who was a major contributor but is injured now. We've got an FBS transfer from Tennessee who's a big time contributor at LB. We've got an FBS transfer at place-kicker who's a major contributor. So, you know, he may not have come up with the right combo at this point, but Spack hasn't totally turned his back on the portal.
 

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
We've got an FBS transfer from Minnesota on the DL, but he doesn't play (injured? not up to par?). We've got an FBS transfer from Notre Dame at WR, but he doesn't play. We've got an FBS transfer from New Mexico on the DL, but gets in just now and then. We've got an FBS transfer from Iowa on the DL who was a major contributor but is injured now. We've got an FBS transfer from Tennessee who's a big time contributor at LB. We've got an FBS transfer at place-kicker who's a major contributor. So, you know, he may not have come up with the right combo at this point, but Spack hasn't totally turned his back on the portal.
Sounds like a start but how about the most important position on the field?
 

Virginia Redbird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 26, 2017
Messages
2,581
Location
Chesapeake, Virginia
On a more serious note, the college football landscape has changed so much in the past couple of years, coaches have to change as well. With the freedom to move around at will by the players, building through only recruiting and developing your own players is going to be difficult. Your best-developed players will jump and you need to be able to fill those voids which are probably going to come through the portal. It is just the new reality. Whether we like it or not that is where things are at.
 
Top Bottom