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WOAT Signing Day in Recent Memory?

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OzarCaneSaw said:
Great class considering the size of the negativity cloud hanging over the program. We can't have fans on message boards and twitter spouting negative nonsense and expect Coach G to turn the corner. We've got no one to blame for this NSD failure but ourselves. We've got to stop the negativity or we'll be in the exact same position next year.
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You're right. It's my fault we give up 500 + yards of offense to every Div 1 school.
 
With our stadium situation I expect this will be the natural trend, to lose guys down the stretch. I always prefer big picture to obsession with this variable and that variable. We're in a great area considering the recruiting base and the weather and an attractive campus location in Coral Gables. But once kids visit other campuses that don't make a sacrifice in any area, let alone something as vital and beneficial as an on-campus stadium, we're going to be like the speed horse that staggers toward the wire.

Greed is indeed good. Golden needs as much early margin for error as possible. He'll undoubtedly be criticized as not a good closer but I think it's merely residue of situational impact. He'd be a great closer elsewhere, i.e. where the stadium situation is normal.
 
Awsi Dooger said:
With our stadium situation I expect this will be the natural trend, to lose guys down the stretch. I always prefer big picture to obsession with this variable and that variable. We're in a great area considering the recruiting base and the weather and an attractive campus location in Coral Gables. But once kids visit other campuses that don't make a sacrifice in any area, let alone something as vital and beneficial as an on-campus stadium, we're going to be like the speed horse that staggers toward the wire.

Greed is indeed good. Golden needs as much early margin for error as possible. He'll undoubtedly be criticized as not a good closer but I think it's merely residue of situational impact. He'd be a great closer elsewhere, i.e. where the stadium situation is normal.
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Miami didn't lose guys down the stretch because of the stadium situation. What an absurd excuse.
 
Hard to get excited for this class. On its face, it looks like a fine class, but it does lack in high end local talent. And, the high end talent we did get, gets me excited until I remember who is coaching the team.

I also can't get over how many local talents that aren't the A+ players that we continue to let slip through the cracks without giving a strong effort to recruit while taking players from other states. No Sean White, Isaiah McKenzie, JoJo Robinson, Juwon Dowels, ****y Flowers, Nigel Bethel, Brandon Powell, CJ Worton, Michael Johnson, Al Harris Jr., John Battle, Edgar Cerenord, etc.

Couple that with no Dalvin Cook, Sony Michel, Ermon Lane, Treon Harris, Travonte Valentine, Travis Rudolph, Johnnie Dixon, JC Jackson, Khairi Clark, Chris Lammons, Richard Yeargin, Ravian Pierce...

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kmwcane said:
Awsi Dooger said:
With our stadium situation I expect this will be the natural trend, to lose guys down the stretch. I always prefer big picture to obsession with this variable and that variable. We're in a great area considering the recruiting base and the weather and an attractive campus location in Coral Gables. But once kids visit other campuses that don't make a sacrifice in any area, let alone something as vital and beneficial as an on-campus stadium, we're going to be like the speed horse that staggers toward the wire.

Greed is indeed good. Golden needs as much early margin for error as possible. He'll undoubtedly be criticized as not a good closer but I think it's merely residue of situational impact. He'd be a great closer elsewhere, i.e. where the stadium situation is normal.
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Miami didn't lose guys down the stretch because of the stadium situation. What an absurd excuse.
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Every time a kid mentions 'gameday atmosphere' as a factor in his decision, we are at a disadvantage. Not all kids are like that, but a lot of them are. They go to UGA, Clemson, TN, L$U...they see in real life what they've been watching on TV on Saturdays growing up, and some of them are in awe. They go to a UM game, and they see a half empty stadium. We can't offer gameday atmosphere or a college town community that breathes and sleeps football, where the players are huge fish in a small pond. We used to be able to sell 'preparing you for the NFL', but now every school can sell that, especially those same schools with the 'gameday atmosphere'. What we're left with is the 30-for-30, a great education, and a few kids who want to rep their hometown school. That's the reality of Miami football in 2014.
 
2010 signing day wasn't that bad. Everyone was amped about possibly getting Seantrel and Latwan. It was what happened later on that was awful. This was definitely the most boring NSD I can remember.
 
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mapcane said:
I'd say so, no? We don't land one, not even one, kid who wasn't already committed, and in the process lose out on three great prospects (JC, VT, and Treon). Heading into today, I've never been less excited for a signing day since I started following this stuff closely, and my sentiments were justified. What a snooze-fest and overall horrible last two months.

But, alas, the cloud is gone, so we're good in 2015!
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In whose memory? I remember worse, perhaps the '85 signing day...or was it '86.

Actually, I think it was the '87 signing day, when we lost two coveted recruits at the last minute: Frank Harley and Mel Agee, both apparently at the last minute, after our assistant Hubbard Alexander thought he had them locked up. The story has it that an Illinois assistant, and later our DL coach, the late Bob Karmelowicz might have induced them to sign with the Illini using some "extra benefits." Agee, allegedly, also received some money from an agent while still at UI, according to a 2010 article in SI. I believe, by then, Agee was deceased, having died from a heart attack some years before.

Or it might have been the year we lost coveted recruit, Eric Metcalf, to Texas. Our staff knew he wanted to attend Miami, but then, I heard,there were some inducements directed to his family. I don't know if it was true, but our then AD, Sam Jankovich, was furious and stated publicly that the IRS should audit the families of these recruits who were receiving unreported income. I sometimes wish they would. God knows how much of this stuff goes on.

Lookiing back over the history I'm familiar with--and that I remember--we had some very disappointing signing days in the '80's and '90's. Some of our most disappointing classes and signing days came right after we won a NC or had a great team that competed for one. Examples might be the '86 and '87 classes; the '90 class. One year, one of the best Texas recruiting gurus told me that a lot of top talent seemed to be shying away from UM because of fears over not getting playing time.

Also, keep in mind, a program doesn't necessarily recruit kids the gurus like--it recruits based on its needs and how it perceives prospects filling those needs.
 
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mapcane said:
I'd say so, no? We don't land one, not even one, kid who wasn't already committed, and in the process lose out on three great prospects (JC, VT, and Treon). Heading into today, I've never been less excited for a signing day since I started following this stuff closely, and my sentiments were justified. What a snooze-fest and overall horrible last two months.

But, alas, the cloud is gone, so we're good in 2015!
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Good lord, Miami had about 30 commitments for months. Ice's kid was never coming, and daddy is now Muschamp's problem so he better keep Treon happy. Jackson was committed to Florida for a very long time.
 
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