In-state recruiting approach nets Louisiana top Sun Belt class

LSU, UNO, Loyola, ULL, ULM, Louisiana Tech, Southeastern, Delgado, Northwestern, McNeese, Nicholls St., Southern, Grambling, Centenary, Dilliard, Xavier, etc.
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cajunfanatico
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The University of Louisiana signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference this 2019 recruiting cycle, highlighted by the 17 prospects Billy Napier and his staff found hailing from in-state.

A rigorous, meticulous and comprehensive approach on the trail certainly paid off.

“We went through every high school football player in the state and turned over every rock and I like the players we got,” Napier told 247Sports on Wednesday evening.

When you do what Napier and company did, you find guys like Kentwood (La.) High’s Kendall Wilkerson who 247Sports ranked as a four-star recruit. A 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive tackle that can literally do a backflip. “He’s an SEC player all the way,” Napier said.

O'Cyrus Torrence comes from one of the oldest and smallest towns in Louisiana in Greensburg. A 6-foot-5, 313-pound sleeper living in the middle of nowhere with his grandmother and without a cell phone. “This guy is a freak,” said Napier who’s seen few of those during his days at Alabama among other stops. “Has grades, just an incredible kid. He’s going to be a National Football League player.”

How about Quintlan Cobb who hails 45 minutes down the road at Kaplan (La.) High, a 6-foot-4 1/2, 314-pound future defensive tackle that played running back and tight end for his rural small town team. The only camp he attended was Louisiana’s. “They’d throw him fade touchdowns in the red zone,” Napier said of the game film. “He’s a big fish in a little pond.”

Perhaps the program’s biggest recruiting win came from one of the most explosive players in the country in Brandon Legendre who committed to Louisiana over offers from the likes of TCU and Notre Dame after Napier and his staff showed him 33 different ways they get the Z receiver the ball in their offense. The 5-foot-9 Legendre scored 66 touchdowns over his last two prep seasons and has ran 10.6 in the 100m dash with plans of trimming that down to 10.3 as a senior. He’ll walk in rocked up and ready to contribute.

“We’re basically committed to recruiting six hours away on in,” Napier said. “That math would tells us there’s about 700 Division-I players just in that area. Having recruited this state for a handful of years while at Alabama I have a good feel for the area and what’s surrounding. It’s a great footprint and certainly I thought we did a good job really this year evaluating and taking the right ones. In my opinion we got about five guys that can for sure play (in the SEC). I do think we stole a few and we beat some Power Five teams head to head for some guys. A lot of guys with the measurables we would look for at the places I worked in the past but maybe an unfinished product. Having them in camp, watching them play, we think they’re huge gets at this place.”

Read more:

https://247sports.com/college/louisiana ... ssion=true


ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
DfromCT
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Your signature says it all. I don't understand the purpose of this post?
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cajunfanatico
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DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:06 pm Your signature says it all. I don't understand the purpose of this post?
Pretty simple Dave, lemme explain.

This particular section of GoTula.Net is for posts about Those Other Louisiana Schools. I assume it's probably focused on athletics, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, yesterday closed the official signing period for 2019 football recruiting. Pretty sure that's news today, because I notice on the main forum there was a thread about that very topic Tulane's signing class.

Since the Cajuns had probably their best signing class ever, and since this is a forum where posters post stories (athletics-related I assume) about Those Other Louisiana Schools, and since I'm a member here in good standing, I figured I'd post a story from 247Sports about how the Cajun program did yesterday. No. 70 something in the nation, No, 1 in the Sunbelt, and No, 8 amongst the G5's if I'm correct..

BTW, there were a number of our signees who were also offered by Tulane, but chose the Cajuns instead. That wasn't supposed to ever happen according to Wave755, but somehow it idid. One kid, an instate recruit, was upgraded to a 4 star by 247 I beleive it was. I haven't looked at the specifics of the Wave recruiting class yet,, did you guys steal any of our recruits? Competition for the best players in the state is really fierce these days.

Anyway, Dave, that's how we got here and I thank you for your continued interest in Cajun athletics.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
DfromCT
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I appreciate many of the things you bring to this board, CF. I would never call you a troll. But posting about how great a recruiting class your UL-L had when nobody is discussing UL-L football recruiting is, in my book, trying to rub in our face a very slightly higher recruiting ranking than Tulane's class.

And if you got a true 4 star recruit, it would probably be the first in SunBelt history. Roughly 10-12 go to G5 schools each year, and very few and far between are those that go to bottom 1/3 of the D1.

Frankly, I would bet that half of your recruits never see the field were they to go to Tulane. CJ tried to recruit mostly in-state players and many never took the field, leaving due to academic failure before playing a down. The state of Louisiana has a great number of D1 talented players PER CAPITA. Other states, with better public education, have more D1 talent period. Just because you can play ball and come from Louisiana doesn't mean you're prepared to cut it even with Tulane's athletic friendly programs in place.

Re-read your own signature. Nobody gives a flying fuck about UL-L recruiting and the Sunbelt Conference. Seriously, if the Sunbelt stopped playing football (or all sports for that matter) how many that visit this forum would give a damn?
Last edited by DfromCT on Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
" If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day.." Jimmy V
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DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 8:32 pm I appreciate many of the things you bring to this board, CF. I would never call you a troll. But posting about how great a recruiting class your UL-L had when nobody is discussing UL-L football recruiting is, in my book, trying to rub in our face a very slightly higher recruiting ranking than Tulane's class.

Frankly, I would bet that half of your recruits never see the field were they to go to Tulane. CJ tried to recruit mostly in-state players and many never took the field, leaving due to academic failure before playing a down. The state of Louisiana has a great number of D1 talented players PER CAPITA. Other states, with better public education, have more D1 talent period. Just because you can play ball and come from Louisiana doesn't mean you're prepared to cut it even with Tulane's athletic friendly programs in place.

Re-read your own signature. Nobody gives a flying fuck about UL-L recruiting and the Sunbelt Conference. Seriously, if the Sunbelt stopped playing football (or all sports for that matter) how many that visit this forum would give a damn?

Jesus Dave, I honestly don't understand you.

I thought you were kidding with your first response, but apparetnly you're not. My response was obviously tongue-in-cheek heavily seasoned with sarcasm.

Dave, if you don't give a flying fuck about UL-L recruiting and the Sunbelt Conference, then why do you come to this particular section of the site?

Why do you open a thread that is very clearly labeled about UL-L recruiting and the Sunbelt if you don't give a flying fuck about UL-L recruiting and the Sunbelt?

Why do you read the thread and then comment if you don't give a flying fuck?

Why do you keep responding and continue to tell me you don't give a flying fuck?

My sigline is there because you guys make me chuckle sometimes. No one gives a flying fuck about UL-L or the Sunbelt but you'll offer a coaching job to a UL-L head coach, or hire one from a Sunbelt school, or wring your hands when Tulane ranks fourth in the state in a recruiting class.

I'd never call you a liar Dave, but your actions don't seem to match your words. Or is this about something else? Did Tulane really have such a dismal signing class that you're that sensitive about this subject and feel the need to go off on me? Something else bad happening in your life? I certainly hope not.

Again, I have as much right to post here as you. I didn't violate any rules, not even close. I'm not out of line in any way, shape, or form.

I just happen to be proud that our staff keeps exceeding expectations and posted a story (where it's supposed to be posted) about it to see if anyone was interested in discussing how well we did. You obviously were, though you keep telling me you're not.

And just for the record, I've never once claimed that UL-L academic standards are anywhere near Tulane's so I don't know why you're going on about that unless you're trying to make excuses for something else. BTW, on that particular subject, one thing I will note is that Napier has emphasized recuriting kids of good character, good family backgrounds and who have done well in the class room because, as he says, nobody wins when they use up a scholarship and never see the field............regardless of whether it's at UL-L or Tulane. Seriously doubt you'll see any locker-room problems with this staff.

Now, perhaps it's time you give it a rest and stop pounding my ass for absolutely nothing.

Good evening.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
DfromCT
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WOW, calm down CF. I didn't tell you that you have no right to post, I told you that I felt your post was coming off as rubbing our noses in a slightly higher rated recruiting class.

All of the rest of your post about Napier's class and character are drivel here. Seriously.

And I read the thread because it comes up where I land on my bookmark: Active topics. Not those limited to the Other Louisiana Schools part of this board.

I'll admit that I posted after spend two hours for the second day in a dentist chair. But your response tells me it's time for you to take a chill pill.

And you were equally proud of Hud, until it was shown he only succeeded by cheating.

I've defended you here for a long time, and still consider you a friend. I just don't understand why you had to come here and post this drivel.

Good evening.
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DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:47 pm WOW, calm down CF. I didn't tell you that you have no right to post, I told you that I felt your post was coming off as rubbing our noses in a slightly higher rated recruiting class.
Rubbing your noses in a "slightly higher" LOL rated recruiting class would have been posting my thread on the Wave Huddle. THAT would have been in your face, not posting it here.
DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:47 pm
All of the rest of your post about Napier's class and character are drivel here. Seriously.
Then don't read it Dave. I obviously don't consider it drivel. Having said that, we're a competitor and it's probably a good idea to watch what your compeitition is doing, no? Otherwise, just bury your head in the sand and tell yourself everything is fine.
DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:47 pm
And I read the thread because it comes up where I land on my bookmark: Active topics. Not those limited to the Other Louisiana Schools part of this board.
That's odd. I'm not following how it comes up on your Active Topics since the mod finally reconfigured the site, again, so that posts here wouldn't show up under active topics.
DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 9:47 pm
I'll admit that I posted after spend two hours for the second day in a dentist chair. But your response tells me it's time for you to take a chill pill.

And you were equally proud of Hud, until it was shown he only succeeded by cheating.

I've defended you here for a long time, and still consider you a friend. I just don't understand why you had to come here and post this drivel.

Good evening.
You have defended me, many times, and I appreciate it and have told you so. That's why I don't understand why you were such a dick last night, insulting me. The Cajuns signed their best class EVER.......second in the state of Louisiana and 8th amongst the G5's. That's after some Cajun fans were concerned that our loss to Tulane would be a setback recruiting-wise. Obviously it wasn't. As I said before, a number of our signed recruits had offers from TULANE which I believe proves what I said, that Napier is also recruiting kids who do well in the classroom. Also some of those who signed chose the Cajuns over such names as Michigan State, Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame, Arizona State and Texas Tech, just to name a few. To me, that's significant, not drivel.

Now, just to prove that your assertion that no one here gives a flying fuck about UL-L recruiting or the Sunbelt, I provide the following evidence:
Bicoastalwave wrote: Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:20 am
Our average star rating per player is ahead ULL, but behind LTech. We need to rectify this, and two more bowl games in a row should do it ( $8-10m a year from a new aac tv deal won’t hurt either).
RobertM320 wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 7:38 am
If you look at Troy, who had 23 commits, with a rating of .8179, they're ranked at #78, which is around where we would have been had we signed 23-24 players.
anEngineer wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:47 pm
This is all ridiculous. This recruiting scoring eventually gets to EXTREMELY insignificant digits. The difference between a half star is pretty meaningless. These are humans, not machines. LSU is obviously the highest and these other 3 are about the same. The important thing is did you get the players you need to make your team better. If you need a linebacker and the highest available is a quarter star lower rating than an available wide receiver, you take the linebacker.
Wave755 wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 11:40 am
Rivals for average recruit rating shows the following:

LSU 3.64
La Tech 2.5
Tulane 2.3
ULALA 2.17
tpstulane wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:09 am
4th in the state is bad.
winwave wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:18 am Hell even being third is bad.
winwave wrote: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:34 am

Here's the rankings:

Per 247 -

94th overall
8th in AAC
4th in the state

Per Rivals -

88th overall
8th in AAC
3rd in the state
You may not give a flying fuck Dave, but some Tulane fans obviously do. Also, your assertion that no one was discussing this topic (UL-L recruiting) is also bullshit as evidenced by the direct quotes I provided.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
cajunfanatico
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DfromCT wrote: Fri Feb 08, 2019 8:32 pm
And if you got a true 4 star recruit, it would probably be the first in SunBelt history. Roughly 10-12 go to G5 schools each year, and very few and far between are those that go to bottom 1/3 of the D1.
Just so you know I do my best to not talk out of my ass, here's the link on the kid that was upgraded to 4 stars by 247 Sports. He's a 3 star composite and was one of a number of Tulane offers that went to the Cajuns.

https://247sports.com/player/kendall-wi ... -46050410/
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
DfromCT
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CF: If you don't post "out of your ass" as you say, please click on active topics and see where your thread lands.
" If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day.." Jimmy V
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