Recruiting Wars......or Coaching Failure?
by Twothphry on Dec 29, 2010 5:46 PM PST
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PrintGot a chance to discuss UCLA football with my son the sports writer at Christmas. My son writes for MaxPrepSports.com and was the prep sports editor for the Oakland Tribune. He's seen a lot of prep sports over the last fifteen years. Although a Wisconsin grad (we have no J-School) he grew up watching Bruin football from section 28.
We always have a lively discussion about football and lately recruiting. Wisconsin is very similar to UCLA in that it's an acedemic school that views football as an extra. The Badgers' goal every year is to vie for the Big 10 title, shoot for the Rose Bowl, play in a decent bowl game, and every so often sniff the scent of the BCS Championship.
This year's discussion centered around what is wrong with UCLA. David grew up in the Inland Empire, knows the area, spent a lot of time in the OC. and knows the power schools for football recruiting in the LA area. His major contention during our discussion is that UCLA is drastically doing something wrong either in recruiting or coaching to be so bad.
UCLA is in a hot bed of high school foorball. There are the traditional football powerhouses that crank out recruits, i.e. Mater Dei, Bishop Amant, Servite, Long Beach Poly etc. There are also hundreds of other high schools that churn out league MVP's, All-League players and other good prospects.
The fact that UCLA can't come up with twenty or so athletes a year and play decent football is baffling. I know that some schools have a pipeline to SUC but there should be enough decent players at other schools. I lived in the Inland Empire for 20 years. During that time Fo-Hi was a power house as was Eisenhower in Fontana. The population of the area has grown as has the number of high school football players. Look at the number of schools in the OC.
CRN has made tremendous inroads in recruiting but the fact remains, we can't put 22 players out on the field that can win more than 4 or 5 games a year. We both found it unbelievable, that we can't find enough Pac !0 caliber players to win football games. We can't find a decent QB who can throw the ball and make plays. Even freakin' Wazzu has a better QB than we do.
What are we doing wrong?
Maybe we are doing things right recruiting wise but our coaching sucks! Maybe we are getting decent talent but our coaches can't recognize talent when it hits them in the face. Obviously our recently departed DC and Wide Receivers coach couldn't cut the mustard but what about the rest of the staff?
For 3 years we have had trouble at QB. Injuries have plagues us but still have we not had any decent talent to work with? I remember CRN and CNC recruited Kevin Craft to be our insurance policy. They recruited Richard Brehaut out of Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga, my old home town and then treated him like dirt. I hope they don't screw up this kid out of Arizona.
UCLA can return to being a force in the Pac 12 but it will take something that is now missing. What's it going to take? Better recruiting or better coaching? Whatever it is, something is so wrong that we can't win more football games than we lose. Something is so wrong that we can't find 20+ players in all of So Cal, LA County, Inland Empire or the OC, or the whole freaking country that can play fooball and help us win more than 4 games a year.
We need to fix that something or we will bottom dwellers in the new Pac 12 for years to come!
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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I Think that "Something" Is Bad Coaching & Bad Luck. Twothprhy are you new to this site?
Over the last two years I"ve been reading many posts and comments by a large variety of people. They have hashed and rehashed what they think is wrong. Twothprhy, I believe if you would have been seeing this material your article would have a different slant to it.
I have watched in disgust in many losing efforts how the Bruin players seemed to lack many of the basiic skills to perform adequately. In football I played over a half century ago mostly at defensive end and linebacker and just loved it. I looked for any posible opportunity to make that interception. I was possessed. Two important skills I was taught was when to turn around and intercept the ball and how to anticipate getting a deflected pass or fumble. I can’t believe how many times I have watched the UCLA pass defenders run down the field and never turn around. They just rarely looked back for the ball. What happens, no possible chance for an interception, no chance to recover a fumble and they get hit with pass interference. Even the announcers made comments about this. Why don’t they look back for the ball? Is it bad coaching or bad players. Man, if it is both we have a very sorry situation.
Today we have tape and more tape of each game. Sometimes I am not so certain that after a loss the assistant coaches point out the bad plays to the team or player and discuss how the player can improve. I see game after game with the same mistakes. Why does this continue? Obviously someone needs to critigue the assistant coaches and check to see if they are doing their jobs. Whose responsibility is that? Yep, the head coach, and if the head coach isn’t doing his job who does he answer to?
I mentioned earlier under the subject about bad luck. Certainly UCLA has had its share of bad luck with injuries to the quarterbacks. Someone once told me that good luck is a product of practice, practice, practice. From practice, practice, practice you get the instinctive skill to use when the opportunity arises. Why do I mention this? Because UCLA has had a bad history with respect to quarterbacks getting injured. I remember reading on this website how each week this or that quarterback took 90% of the reps. It seems very obvious that the backup quarterbacks just aren’t being groomed fast enough. There is no competition. Not enough of game day like practice for the backups. So, no practice, practice practice, NO GOOD LUCK.
Concur..and add something..
“Certainly UCLA has had its share of bad luck with injuries to the quarterbacks..”
Your comments are worthwhile and insightful. Like you, I loved to play football some 40 years ago 50; also DE and LB. I was taught the same things as well. One of the things I was taught in the early phases of any FB season — the several padless weeks devoted to getting in shape — was that a well-prepared team was a conditioned team. The HS FB coach in my sophomore year was one of those guys who came in and turned a program around; we went from 1-7 the previous year to 6-2 with essentially the same personnel.
He had an “unofficial” camp in the late Summer and he ran us ragged then and the first few weeks. He told us that it was to (1) be a tougher team than our opponents in the fourth quarter — and he added (2) that a better-conditioned team would be a less-injured team. On the basis my next three years with him, that seemed to be our experience.
I cannot remember UCLA teams so fraught with critical injuries as the last years of Dorrell’s and all of Neuheisel’s. I may be talking through my hat because I cannot substantiate this assertion with facts, but the run of QB injuries almost defies coincidence.
Rusty, Twothphry has been around here for some time now.
I’m actually glad he brought it up, because with the end of Football and the approach of Regular season Conference games with basketball, it seems BN has turned its attention away from Football.
I for one have found it hard to focus on Basketball because I am still seething about the way our Football season went, and ended. It is very appropriate that we should keep the focus on the poor job Rick has done as the CEO of our Football Program.
Rusty, i believe the proverb you are looking for is, “Luck is what happens when hard work meets opportunity.” And, I can’t agree with you more. I recently ran into a UCLA grad and former football player at my gym and we had a long discussion about the state of UCLA Football. He seemed confused that I should want Bullough out. But, the fact is when our guys make the most routine mistakes that even I with only one year of high school football can spot, you know you’re in trouble. With the luck we’ve had, it would appear our coach’s mantra is “Work harder not smarter.”
As for recruiting, I think between Dorrell and 3 years of Rick, No recruit in Southern California wants to come to UCLA. I think they have completely killed the brand. If our guys had beat SC any of the last 3 years, or even played inspired ball, many of these kids could get excited about playing for the Powder Keg Blue and Gold. But, honestly as things stand, if I had a nephew coming of age that was being highly recruited, I could not recommend UCLA. I would have to recommend somewhere else. And, that is a damning testimony to the damage that has been done by our last 3 Head Coaches.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
I was thinking the same thing
I would have a really hard time telling a NFL bound player to come to UCLA.
If you remember the article about Tony Steward telling of how Brett Hundley was in his ear telling of all the great things about UCLA, I had to think, “Like what??.” Is Tony an academic at heart? Did Brett speak of our brilliant professors, our diversity, our research capabilities, our graduate programs, or perhaps our international academic brand? Or was it the beaches, the mountains, and the city?
The only positives that I can speak of football-wise is the current (coached down)talent on the roster. But every other high end football school has high level talent, they just use it.
Clearly I am frustrated from CRN’s tenure at UCLA, but our problems boil down to a few inherent issues.
1. UCLA doesn’t have a good football culture.
The students aren’t into the team as a whole. This is because A. They are often of a lower income bracket than those at private institutions such as SC, and are focused individuals who can’t risk their academic success. B. The team commutes to its stadium. C. It is not a traditional college in the country that has nothing besides football. Most real cities lack awesome football. The powers like your Floridas, Michigans, OhioSt, Alabamas, LSU, Texas, etc do not come from cities.
Our gameday suffers because of the above. We don’t have great excitement, or students that care enough. Its incredible that a school of this size in such a huge city can’t draw a stronger and more passionate crowd.
I have attended schools that go nuts on game day. Students voluntarily build college letters on their houses, and know what they are doing every saturday during the fall. They pregame, and they WALK to the stadium, party to party.
This lack of football culture will always hurt our football team. It bothers me every saturday on campus. I’m done, this is getting frustrating.
Completely disagree
This argument is absurd, no offense intended. How is the football culture going to change without players like Tony Steward? These are the guys that will help turn it around, with or without Rick. We’re not just going to MAGICALLY be a pac-12 title team with the same personnel. We need good players in order to get to the top, but we also need good coaching. What do you think people told Rahim Moore and Akeem Ayers? They’ve seen no more success in westwood than Tony Steward has, yet they’re NFL bound. If a player is good enough, his team is not going to keep him out of the NFL. Part of our problem is our players’ work ethic, or lack thereof.
My frustration makes me harsh..
but I’m not saying that we don’t NEED players like Tony to change our culture.
I am saying that if Tony were a friend of mine, or in my family, I would have a hard time telling him that UCLA would be the best choice football school for him to choose. We have coaching issues, and lack a strong football culture, which both would hamper his college career.
For someone who thinks so highly of UCLA as an institution, I thought this was a very telling think to say of the state of our football program, which is why I thought it was an interesting thing for Mexibruin to say.
That is all.
Lets face it, if we didn’t have a top ranked medical school, we would have not landed Brett Hundley. I love a scholar-athlete, but the top players won’t all share Brett’s values.
We have a few things working against us such as culture and stadium, but of course they arent things that winning wouldn’t cure.
Also
A team won’t necessarily keep you out of the NFL, but it can hurt you.
If the team has little TV coverage.
If the team lacks strong coaches to develop under.
If a skilled position player can’t put numbers up because he can’t get the ball in his hands or has a weak line.
..Perhaps its not a surprise NFL bound Rahim Moore and Akeem Ayers are both defensive players who can stand out despite the players around them. They, as well as Brian Price were not top 150 recruits, but found a way to stand out and excel in our defense. Of course these are rarities.
On the other hand top 10 ranked quarterbacks like Nick Crissman and Richard Brehaut failed to develop.
Our niche is 3 star athletes who want a great education and to play football. A winning tradition or a great salesman in CRN is whats needed to improve our football culture.
What are you talking about?
Rahim Moore was one of the top 2 recruits at his position. Brian Price was top 10 at his position, likewise Akeem Ayers. These guys weren’t scrub 2-star athletes. Moore and Price were 5-star recruits, Akeem was 4-star. Your argument there is quite weak.
There will never be a lack of exposure at UCLA.
Your last statement about our “niche” is also off the mark, considering the number of players UCLA has in the NFL.
As for a “winning tradition”…umm…UCLA football didn’t start in 2000. I’m pretty sure we did our fair share of winning in the decades prior.
Results on the field is what this program needs. Winning becomes contagious and addictive.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Yep
You would think we were Cal St. Fullerton or something the way people are talking around here. We have consistently recruited better than half of the Pac 10 even in down years, and in the past 3 years have been in the top 2. We are bringing in the players; they are just not producing on the field. That is coaching. Period.
How do you change a Brand?
Everybody will admit that we need better players and better coaching. How do we go about doing that? It’s the chicken or the egg dilemma. CRN has been doing his darnest to get better players to Westwood. For the most part we have increased the quality of our recruits but we still lack a game breaking player. We don’t have a game breaking QB ,running back or receiver.. Until we start recruiting game breakers we will continue to be medicore at best.
What do we have to offer that game breaking kid? All the amenities that turn him a soft, lack luster player as in the past. We need to offer something as an incentive to attract this caliber of player.
We have shown in the past that we as a school, are not committed to make the type of investment in facilities and coaching that is necessary to attract quality players. How we managed under Donahue to have winning seasons is a mystery. I guess that was then and this is now!
I fear we are headed down a path that will lead to futility. We seem to be committed to blow out a coach every five years and never address the root of the problem. To re-brand we must commit the necessary resources and hire a name coach that will come in and change the entire culture. That means a coach that is controversal. One that isn’t nice and cutesy with the media. We need to hire an ass kicking, fire breathing coach that will come in to Westwood and recruit 25 players a year who want to beat the shit out of the player acroos the line of scrimmage from him.
A coach once told my son when he played hockey, “You are the first player I ever coached that hates losing more than I do!” That’s the kind of players we need.
I fear we’ll never change our brand for the many reasons we have discussed here on BN. Everybody wants a brand change except the powers to be. Until that happend sit back and enjoy 4-8 seasons cause that’s what we are going to get.
Talent
We are as stocked with talent next season as any team in the PAC 10. The struggles this season fall on the coaching as will any next season.
While there is no doubt some luck in injuries, the number we have seen under CRN hints at issues in the strength and conditioning program.
I dont buy that we missed on all of these 4-5 star recruits and lack the gamebreakers. Carroll, Barr and Presley had their choice of schools at WR/TE. Jones, James, and Franklin were all 4-5 star recruits as well, Jones was the Gatorade player of the year ahead of stud HB Marcus Lattimore. Brehaut was a 4-star recruit as well.
The defense is littered with even more high end recruits at every level, there is no way a school can just grab the overrated high schoolers at the level we are.
We are struggling with scheme and development under CRN on both sides of the ball. It is vital that we find a creative DC who can use the immense potential we have at every level. Id like to see an offense on their heels for a change reactibg to what we are doing.
I agree....
It starts with talent that is coached up. It time to see coaching win games with the great talent we possess.
Passion for a team. What is the recipe to create it and keep it?
ArchiBruin, your comment, “We don’t have great excitement, or students that care enough. Its incredible that a school of this size in such a huge city can’t draw a stronger and more passionate crowd.” To a certain degree that is true. I thought you needed a winning team to maintain that Rah, Rah, type loyalty. During the past week my wife was upset that she couldn’t find a Raiders outfit as a Christmas gift for our grandson who was under one year old. I asked my wife why the Raiders, get him an outfit from a local team like UCLA. In a stern voice my wife said that is what your son and daughter-in-law want, they couldn’t find any Raiders outfit where they live in Orange county.
I called my son and said why do you want a Raiders oufit. They are losers. They haven’t won in years and they left L.A. and went back to Oakland. My son said, “DAD you just don’t understand.” I remarked , “YES I do, I am a Bruin fan.”
Well, at least my team hasn’t left Los Angeles.
Interesting point
Sometimes I feel like we are victims of our own intelligence. (Let me explain before you label me an elitist ass haha) Bruin students and Alums tend to be very proactive and intense scholars and workers. We are a state school with a high ranking and a low cost that attracts intelligent motivated people from on average lower income families than your SCs and Stanfords, who are less willing to risk their education on entertainment.
Lets not forget, sports are entertainment, and for many UCLA types, are not top priority. We invest money in Nanosystems Institutes and Medical centers, not coaching salaries and sports training complexes. We at times end up at Powell on Saturdays.
Our majority is not the painted up shirtless wasted moose who’s frat name was ‘MEAT’ or ‘RAGE.’ Often these are the people who visually define a team’s culture, who make signs and put chicks on their shoulders behind espn commentators, who find 5 friends and paint the name of a recruit on their chests when they know he will be visiting campus.
The thing is there CAN be a good balance of academic attitude and sports obsession. It happens at the Universities of Michigan and Florida. They have awesome fans and smart students, though they also live in the middle of nowhere. They also can walk to their stadiums and have houses off campus to preparty on the way to the stadiums, whereas we have apartments, small frats, and a commute to the stadium. (It is much harder to spontaneously walk into an apartment party than it is to walk into a house party where everyone is out drinking in the front lawn. I know this sounds simplistic but it heavily impacts the feeling of Westwood Village.)
I grew up a Jets fan, which I could argue has been as rough a road to follow as a Raiders fan, and at times stood in the stands and watched people around me going nuts cheering. But I often would be silent, staring at each play, and would think to myself, ‘even though these people around me LOOK like fans and I do not, I am sure I know a hell of a lot more about this team than they do.’ I cared more than I cared to care at times, but I wasn’t a great contributor to the ‘Hoo Rah’ culture of the team. Sometimes I just thought cheering was stupid and would get mad when people were loud when our quarterback was on the field, trying to yell commands to his team.
..Maybe people like me are the problem with UCLA football. Ha.
That’s all, just a thought.
We do need to win, but even tough gutsy ball will bring the fans back.
Plenty of teams, (lets say the Utah Jazz) are known for their tough competitive play, yet seemingly go nowhere in the post season. There fans are still commited because their team plays with fire and passion.
The dissapointment with out teams is not just a question of wins and losses. It is how completely passionless they look from the coaches on down to the players. It is clear to me that Rick does not believe in his guys. Otherwise, why the ultra conservative play calling? Why else would guys like Milton Knox get no playing time then leave out of frustration? Rick has asked us to fill up our passion bucket, while rationing his own passion out like a miser.
Go big, or go home, Rick.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Great Point!
One of the things that came up in the discussion between myself and my son was what happens down on the sidelines. My son was discussing what actually goes on on the sidelines during a game.
He was discussing how the coaches have to have faith in their players to do what they ask of them during the heat of a game. The coaches have to believe in their players.
If a coach, either OC or DC, doesn’t believe in a player than they dumb things down or don’t ask that player to play. Look what happened to Jetski in the second half of the SUC game as an example.
I think our problem on offense, besides the OL, is that CRN and CNC don’t trust our offense. CNC dosn’t trust RB to be QB and it shows in play calling. The one game that Chow took the reins off RB he tore up the field and lit up the score board. Too bad Chucky lost the gave for us.
I really think that CNC has to go. He’s holding back our offense. With the talent we have we should be racking up points by the carload.
Totally agree +1
My son, the sports writer, is a Wisconsin grad so I’m familiar with their passion. Wisconsin is one of the top ten public universities in the USA, as is UCLA. The Badgers have great acedemics and insane fans. They do have a few things UCLA doesn’t possess.
They have an on campus stadium that fills up an hour before the game. Students and alums all wake to the stadium enmasse. Besides the Packers and Brewers the Badgers are the only other team in the entire state. Their fanbase is the entire state of Wisconsin. You can drive throughout the state and see barns painted red & white with Bucky Badger on the side. Has anybody seen this in So. Cal?
I see
too many houses with their mustard and ketchup flags hanging from their homes. I live in South Orange County. I would like to see more recruiting of OC football players. $c gets a lot of the best players from the OC. Why doesn’t UCLA? We go after kids from other states and that is fine,too, but let’s look in our own backyard.
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