OLB - D/E Commit

[GreenPuddleSplash]

Fresh hot off the presser. Mr. Evan Reese from Georgia committed to be a Green Wave for the 2017 class. Even though he is unranked, he looks the part of being able to play immediately and contribute. He is listed at 6'2", 240 pound and a 4.65 40dash. His HUDL is at the bottom of the link. Welcome Mr. Reese!

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ss ... river_home

[Aberzombie1892]

Fresh hot off the presser. Mr. Evan Reese from Georgia committed to be a Green Wave for the 2017 class. Even though he is unranked, he looks the part of being able to play immediately and contribute. He is listed at 6'2", 240 pound and a 4.65 40dash. His HUDL is at the bottom of the link. Welcome Mr. Reese!

http://www.nola.com/recruiting/index.ss ... river_home

So now we have 1 LA (CB), 2 GA (DL and OG), 2 TX (QB and WR), and 1 AL (RB) commits.

[jonathanjoseph]

I really hope Fritz knows what he's doing with this. Unrated recruit with no other offers.

[JerseyWave]

I really hope Fritz knows what he's doing with this. Unrated recruit with no other offers.

I feel the same way but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his winning track record. The Coach knows what he is doing. It is going to take winning and facility upgrades to improve the recruiting profile.

[Aberzombie1892]

I really hope Fritz knows what he's doing with this. Unrated recruit with no other offers.

I agree that his other offers from Kennesaw State, West Georgia and Charleston Southern don't quite inspire confidence, but Fritz probably has a strategy of some sort - it's just too soon to tell what it is (i.e. is he signing lightly recruited guys early while hoping that they will stick with us once they get better offers, is he just signing bodies and then plans to kick them out if we get better commits down the road, is he signing players with relatively high GPAs on the hope that they will stay eligible, is he recruiting quick athletes even if they don't fit the traditional mold, etc.).

[GreenPuddleSplash]

It looks like he had visited South Carolina too, according to Rivals. I also found this on ESPN, that he was listed on a ESPN pre-season 2015 all Savannah football list... This kid might be a diamond in the dirt.

http://pro.wsfn-am.tritonflex.com/commo ... hp?id=3781

[winwave]

We have always had people who say w/every coach well I trust him on these under the radar two stars more than the previous coach (whom they also said the same thing about). I have never said that about any of our previous coaches. When it comes to WF I do have some confidence that he has a keen eye for talent and is good at envisioning how a player will translate at this level. I base that on his log history of success at every level as he took each step up. Hopefully that's the case and we win and that enhances our recruiting even more. On top of that hopefully TD will have enhanced our facilities yet giving us another leg up in the recruiting battles.

On the academic issue I get that some might think we are going backwards on the academic issue but I think it's unfounded. The players getting kicked off have been more about discipline issues than academics. We all know the school has loosened up on the academic help. We also know a player we are recruiting, Michael Young, said the recruiting difference between Notre Dame and Tulane w/regards to him was that ND emphasized academics and Tulane only talked about football.

[jonathanjoseph]

I really hope Fritz knows what he's doing with this. Unrated recruit with no other offers.

I feel the same way but we have to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his winning track record. The Coach knows what he is doing. It is going to take winning and facility upgrades to improve the recruiting profile.

Can't blame winning/facilities if the recruiting is a step down from CJ.

[JerseyWave]

CJ's last two classes were awful.

[Aberzombie1892]

CJ's last two classes were awful.

That's true, but, to be fair, CJ's 2016 class was shaping up to be a top 60-70 class, and, given the hire of a well regarded head coach that's known for both winning and cutting edge offenses, it's not unreasonable for some Tulane to think that we should be able to land an overall class in the 70s or better (not me, but some Tulane fans). While our class on 247 has us at 89 without including 2 missing commits (so we are likely currently closer to 80), the fact that we didn't have to really beat any competitors for those commits raises the question as to whether we would be able to keep them if comparable institutions gave them offers - we are the only FBS offer for more than one of them, and we are pretty much the only non Sunbelt/CUSA offer for all of them.

[GreenPuddleSplash]

Also to be fair, CJ had a leg up in recruiting being from/already in the area unlike WF. Plus, how do we know recruiting is going towards a downward trend when the school year hasn't even started yet? Most kids typically commit during the school year, not before.

[Aberzombie1892]

True, but, given that Fritz doesn't seem interested in primarily recruiting locally (due the geographic diversity of our class), CJs local recruiting advantage is somewhat of a wash since Fritz has experience recruiting from Texas (SHSU) to Florida (while at Georgia Southern), and, since he has consistently been successful, there should in theory be some players interested in signing with a winner.

Personally, I'm not arguing that we are on a downward trend - I'm saying that some Tulane fans expected an instant positive impact on the recruiting trail, and, given who we have committed so far, I believe that it's safe to say that that has not happened.

[DfromCT]

We have always had people who say w/every coach well I trust him on these under the radar two stars more than the previous coach (whom they also said the same thing about). I have never said that about any of our previous coaches. When it comes to WF I do have some confidence that he has a keen eye for talent and is good at envisioning how a player will translate at this level. I base that on his log history of success at every level as he took each step up. Hopefully that's the case and we win and that enhances our recruiting even more. On top of that hopefully TD will have enhanced our facilities yet giving us another leg up in the recruiting battles.

I've been thinking a lot of these thoughts, especially in light of the threads that I get criticized for doubting that just because we have Coach Fritz we're going to win 6 or more games this year. The same folks that tell me I'm suffering from some syndrome or Rick Dickson-itis are bitching and moaning about his recruiting. If he's really as good a coach as most, if not all of us are thinking, then we don't need to worry that he cannot see talent where others do not, nor that using the term "triple option (out of the spread, not under center)" will kill his recruiting. Don't you think he's a bit more in tune with what recruits want to hear than those of us whom have never coached a game of football?? You can't have it both ways. Either he's a great coach, which means he knows how to recruit and then coach the talent he recruits, OR he's a good coach that is about to have his eyes opened w/r/t how good the AAC competition really is.

[GreenPuddleSplash]

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

[DfromCT]

CJ's last two classes were awful.

That's true, but, to be fair, CJ's 2016 class was shaping up to be a top 60-70 class, and, given the hire of a well regarded head coach that's known for both winning and cutting edge offenses, it's not unreasonable for some Tulane to think that we should be able to land an overall class in the 70s or better (not me, but some Tulane fans). While our class on 247 has us at 89 without including 2 missing commits (so we are likely currently closer to 80), the fact that we didn't have to really beat any competitors for those commits raises the question as to whether we would be able to keep them if comparable institutions gave them offers - we are the only FBS offer for more than one of them, and we are pretty much the only non Sunbelt/CUSA offer for all of them.

Just curious? Where did you ever see our 2016 class ranked in the 60's? I never saw it any higher than mid 80's.

[Aberzombie1892]

Just curious? Where did you ever see our 2016 class ranked in the 60's? I never saw it any higher than mid 80's.

It's been awhile, but, if I remember correctly, it was in the high 60s at one point on 247 prior to the firing of CJ. It still wasn't worth keeping CJ though. Of course, you know that you and I agree about the Fritz stuff.

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

I would certainly hope so. I believe that some of us were expecting the differences between our 2016 (#83) and 2017 classes would be similar (maybe not as big, but still) to the differences between Houston's 2015 (#92) and 2016 (#36) classes. It's hard to imagine that Fritz wouldn't be in the same ballpark as Herman, and it's not like Houston had a lot of players commit at the very end of the process.

[DfromCT]

Just curious? Where did you ever see our 2016 class ranked in the 60's? I never saw it any higher than mid 80's.

It's been awhile, but, if I remember correctly, it was in the high 60s at one point on 247 prior to the firing of CJ. It still wasn't worth keeping CJ though. Of course, you know that you and I agree about the Fritz stuff.

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

I would certainly hope so. I believe that some of us were expecting the differences between our 2016 (#83) and 2017 classes would be similar (maybe not as big, but still) to the differences between Houston's 2015 (#92) and 2016 (#36) classes. It's hard to imagine that Fritz wouldn't be in the same ballpark as Herman, and it's not like Houston had a lot of players commit at the very end of the process.

Yeah, I remember that we lost a couple of commits after the firing/hiring, but didn't think they brought us down that far. One thing that dramatically changed Houston's ranking when Herman took over was that they were ranked in the top 10 and played on New Year's day after winning a Conference championship. Now if we do all of that this year, I'd be shocked if we didn't have a top 40, if not higher ranked class in 2017. Let's see how this plays out (and again, you and I aren't expecting a top 10 ranking or conference championship, yet.)

[GreenPuddleSplash]

Well Herman did get a nice recruiting bump because the top rated Texas recruit last year lived in Houston and with all the goodwill happening during the season, they were able to lock him down and boy did that 5 star bump up their rankings. It also shows what good coaching can do. He took the same talent that Levine had that went 7-5 the previous year (+1 for their bowl win 8-5) and turned them into a 12-1 team.

[jonathanjoseph]

We have always had people who say w/every coach well I trust him on these under the radar two stars more than the previous coach (whom they also said the same thing about). I have never said that about any of our previous coaches. When it comes to WF I do have some confidence that he has a keen eye for talent and is good at envisioning how a player will translate at this level. I base that on his log history of success at every level as he took each step up. Hopefully that's the case and we win and that enhances our recruiting even more. On top of that hopefully TD will have enhanced our facilities yet giving us another leg up in the recruiting battles.

I've been thinking a lot of these thoughts, especially in light of the threads that I get criticized for doubting that just because we have Coach Fritz we're going to win 6 or more games this year. The same folks that tell me I'm suffering from some syndrome or Rick Dickson-itis are bitching and moaning about his recruiting. If he's really as good a coach as most, if not all of us are thinking, then we don't need to worry that he cannot see talent where others do not, nor that using the term "triple option (out of the spread, not under center)" will kill his recruiting. Don't you think he's a bit more in tune with what recruits want to hear than those of us whom have never coached a game of football?? You can't have it both ways. Either he's a great coach, which means he knows how to recruit and then coach the talent he recruits, OR he's a good coach that is about to have his eyes opened w/r/t how good the AAC competition really is.

Everything is not so black and white. For starters, no one has "criticized [you] for doubting that just because we have Coach Fritz we're going to win 6 or more games this year". All that's been stated is that it's a reasonable expectation.

Further, it's entirely possible that he's both a really outstanding coach and yet his approach to recruiting athletes to Tulane is also flawed. If so, he'll course correct.

[jonathanjoseph]

Just curious? Where did you ever see our 2016 class ranked in the 60's? I never saw it any higher than mid 80's.

It's been awhile, but, if I remember correctly, it was in the high 60s at one point on 247 prior to the firing of CJ. It still wasn't worth keeping CJ though. Of course, you know that you and I agree about the Fritz stuff.

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

I would certainly hope so. I believe that some of us were expecting the differences between our 2016 (#83) and 2017 classes would be similar (maybe not as big, but still) to the differences between Houston's 2015 (#92) and 2016 (#36) classes. It's hard to imagine that Fritz wouldn't be in the same ballpark as Herman, and it's not like Houston had a lot of players commit at the very end of the process.

Houston started to see a significant uptick in recruiting after they opened their 45K stadium. They didn't build small and say "well expand when we fill it." The built it, and the recruits are coming.

We built small, using Dickson Disease Strategy, and so far we're having trouble with recruiting. Yet to be determined whether there is a correlation.

[jonathanjoseph]

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

Well, 1) so far it's not better than CJ's last two and 2) that should be a given with CJ's program proving to be a failure by '14.

[winwave]

We have always had people who say w/every coach well I trust him on these under the radar two stars more than the previous coach (whom they also said the same thing about). I have never said that about any of our previous coaches. When it comes to WF I do have some confidence that he has a keen eye for talent and is good at envisioning how a player will translate at this level. I base that on his log history of success at every level as he took each step up. Hopefully that's the case and we win and that enhances our recruiting even more. On top of that hopefully TD will have enhanced our facilities yet giving us another leg up in the recruiting battles.

I've been thinking a lot of these thoughts, especially in light of the threads that I get criticized for doubting that just because we have Coach Fritz we're going to win 6 or more games this year. The same folks that tell me I'm suffering from some syndrome or Rick Dickson-itis are bitching and moaning about his recruiting. If he's really as good a coach as most, if not all of us are thinking, then we don't need to worry that he cannot see talent where others do not, nor that using the term "triple option (out of the spread, not under center)" will kill his recruiting. Don't you think he's a bit more in tune with what recruits want to hear than those of us whom have never coached a game of football?? You can't have it both ways. Either he's a great coach, which means he knows how to recruit and then coach the talent he recruits, OR he's a good coach that is about to have his eyes opened w/r/t how good the AAC competition really is.

Like I said I firmly believe in him. However none of us are perfect and I think he's making a mistake by using that terminology.

[GreenPuddleSplash]

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

Well, 1) so far it's not better than CJ's last two and 2) that should be a given with CJ's program proving to be a failure by '14.

Of course it's not better than CJ's last two yet, but I go back to my original point: school has not started yet, so it's not fair to criticize him about recruiting yet*, especially on his first real cycle of recruits.

I will double down on my wager that by the end of this recruitment cycle, WF's class will be higher ranked than CJ's last 2. I'm so confident that I'm willing to make a wager on this fact. If you're a gambling man JJ, this might seem like a wager for you to make especially if you strongly disagree.

[jonathanjoseph]

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

Well, 1) so far it's not better than CJ's last two and 2) that should be a given with CJ's program proving to be a failure by '14.

Of course it's not better than CJ's last two yet, but I go back to my original point: school has not started yet, so it's not fair to criticize him about recruiting yet*, especially on his first real cycle of recruits.

I will double down on my wager that by the end of this recruitment cycle, WF's class will be higher ranked than CJ's last 2. I'm so confident that I'm willing to make a wager on this fact. If you're a gambling man JJ, this might seem like a wager for you to make especially if you strongly disagree.

Based on what? Any position would be nothing more than guessing, but this makes 6 commits, which is at least >20% of the class. It's statistically significant enough to do be noteworthy.

[winwave]

We could very well still have that WF recruiting boost once the school year rolls around. Plus, any kid who commits during the summer can still change their mind all the way up until February. Summer just started and the fact that we are getting some verbal commits this early without anyone seeing a WF product in a TU uniform on game day is a good sign. I am also going to say it now that WF's first cycle will be better than CJs last two.

Things have really changed in the last few years w/regards to commits. Many now in fact happen in the summer. One reason is the players start getting recruited much earlier than the past and so then they have had enough of it and want to commit and focus on their senior season. The ones that flip always get everyone's attention but most usually stick.