HB Arnett really down about this recruiting class

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Why should we expect that BYU should be the default choice for top-notch LDS athletes? Face it, if we're going head-to-head against USC, it's no contest if all that recruit is interested in is how good the football program is.

Why should BYU (in a terrible conference, with an abominable TV contract) attract top LDS recruits?

Holmoe, are you listening? You still think BYUTV is a great option for TV coverage for BYU sports?

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Why should BYU (in a terrible conference, with an abominable TV contract) attract top LDS recruits?

Holmoe, are you listening? You still think BYUTV is a great option for TV coverage for BYU sports?

BYU's conference affiliation and TV contract still wouldn't bridge the gap between us and the USCs of the world.

To argue otherwise just shows you're smoking grass from the 50 yardline of LES.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

BYU's conference affiliation and TV contract still wouldn't bridge the gap between us and the USCs of the world.

Thanks Tom. Keep thinking ultra-small.

Fundamentally Tom thinks that the MTN on satellite is a wonderful win for BYU. That's why I don't respect Tom. He is a small thinker.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Thanks Tom. Keep thinking ultra-small.

Fundamentally Tom thinks that the MTN on satellite is a wonderful win for BYU. That's why I don't respect Tom. He is a small thinker.

You don't know what Tom thinks, you've just built Tom into a strawman of monumental proportions.

[TheSizzle36]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

He says Mendenhall pulled an O-fer when it came to the best LDS athletes available:

Kavienga
Kevin Prince
Hamani Stevens
Max Tuiti-Mariner
Simi Kuli
Lyn Katoa
David Kruger

He says you have a problem when your star in your class is a kicker and then your coach says he doesn't have to worry about stars because he has 22 wins in the last two seasons. But he doesn't mention that he is 3-6 against BCS.

BYU is 12-20 against BCS teams, most of which are not even the better ones in their leagues.

Yes, it sucks to have missed out on some of those guys, but BYU has consistently missed out on some of the top LDS recruits... look at guys like Sean Saulisberry, Haloti Ngata, Erik Ainge, the D-Lineman now at Tennessee, Havili and so forth. Losing Kavenga sucks, but it's life. HB didn't mention guys like Holt, Sorenson, Chambers (or does he not count because he isn't LDS?) who can make an impact.

IMO, you don't need all 25 guys to be studs to win. Yeah, it sure helps, but there are only 22 starters on a football team, and if you have really good players, they play significant minutes for 4 years. The good players play 3 years, and you try to fill in the gaps with guys who play 2. If you get 7 legit players in each class, you should be fine. If you can get more than that, obviously you want to, great, but if not, you can survive.

Holt, Afutiti, Chambers, Daniel Sorenson, Shilo Te'o, Jake Murphy, Sete Pohahau and Michael Alisa all look like guys who IMO can come in and play. I think there are a few other guys who are have nice upside, like Bol, Yeck and Bruner. There are also some other JC guys who could potentially make an impact and crack the 2 deep.

While it would have been nice to land a few of the recruits HB mentioned, I think Kavenga is the one that really stings, if only because he committed and backed out. Stevens is the only other one that I felt like we had a realistic shot at, and he would have been a nice add too, but not a class wrecker. Kruger was a Ute and I don't think BYU had much of a shot, BYU quit recruiting Prince (though I can't remember why). I guess what I'm saying is I'm not sure how heavily BYU went after those other guys, maybe they had no interest in BYU, or maybe it was mutual. I really don't know. However, I don't think this is as bad of a class as HB is making it out to be. Yes, it would have been better had we landed Kavenga and Stevens, but it's not the end of the world.

[TheSizzle36]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Fundamentally Tom thinks that the MTN on satellite is a wonderful win for BYU.

Where we stand right now, I think most BYU fans would agree...

[Indy Coug]

BYU already has two 4-star commits for 2009. That said, the Scout.com 2009 recruit rankings only cover the 4 and 5 star athletes and are extremely preliminary.

http://byu.scout.com/a.z?s=338&p=9&c=8&yr=2009

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

You don't know what Tom thinks, you've just built Tom into a strawman of monumental proportions.

Yes I do know, because he has emailed me.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by TheSizzle36

Where we stand right now, I think most BYU fans would agree...

This is like in the 3rd day of the siege of the Alamo, someone discovers 3 unopened boxes of chocolates.

Yeah, it's a great thing. But it isn't the larger picture.

[Spaz]

On Recruiting:

-The class we signed was very good. Could it have been better? Sure, but to assume BYU automatically should be the front-runner for all LDS athletes is the height of arrogance. A 5-star athlete who's grown up a USC fan will likely choose USC if given the chance. LDS or not.

-These things tend to be cyclical. Last year, we got a good percentage of the top LDS talent we went after. This year, it just so happened that most of them were less interested in BYU. It happens, and it's nothing worth worrying over.


On the TV package:

-I, for one, am glad that the MWC powers-that-be are looking for ways to get better TV coverage. Satellite distribution is a definite step up from where we are.

-Many people like to compare the TV coverage we have now to what the ideal ESPN coverage would have been. You're lying to yourselves and the rest of us. The ESPN coverage would have been far from ideal. Think WAC, with basketball coverage existing solely on 'ESPN U' or 'ESPN 360' or whatever the hell else they come up with.

-The current coverage is certainly not ideal, and I'll be unhappy about it until the MTN is on satellite. I'm in the minority where I get the Mtn, but I don't get Versus or CSTV. When the Mtn is on satellite, I'll switch to DirecTV & improve more than just my sports coverage.

-The biggest mistake made with the TV deal was with 'local coverage'...basically a plan to sell broadcasting rights to local TV stations like KJZZ or KSL.