AJHawkfan
Wanna make $14 the hard way?
I thought this was a pretty good synopsis of the various recruiting gurus out there.
Mods, if this is better suited somewhere else, please move it to the..... other place.....
February 3, 2005
And now we present an exclusive interview with one of the nation's leading football recruiting analysts: Hugh Jablowhard, a.k.a. "Hot Air."
Q. So who has the best recruiting class?
A. It's a very close race. Michigan is certainly a leader. Right now the Wolverines are tied with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida State and USC. And Texas. Can't count out Texas.
Q. Hmmm. Sounds like you're trying to generate interest in every part of the country. And with more interest, you stand to make more money, don't you?
A. I hadn't thought of it that way. It's just a very close race. But please visit my pay-only Web site, hotairrecruiting.com, for frequent updates.
Q. How do you get to be an expert on all these players?
A. I watch film.
Q. There are at least 60 major-college programs. Let's figure they each signed, on average, 22 players. That means they signed 1,320 players. That's a lot of film. Do you rank all the players?
A. Yes, of course.
Q. So who's the worst?
A. Hard to say. This year, we had a 47-way tie for 1,274th place.
Q. It must be tough to decide if, say, a defensive tackle from a small school in Maryland is better than a cornerback from a powerhouse in L.A., keeping in mind that the defensive tackle might switch to offense, and the cornerback had an injured ankle as a senior.
A. That's not a question.
Q. You're right. Try this: Who the hell are you?
A. I am a recruiting expert. I have examined every class in the country. I admit that I grade rather harshly, but I believe fans deserve an honest assessment. Each class falls into a category: Outstanding, Excellent, Really Great, Pretty Damn Good or Quite Impressive.
Q. Those all sound awfully nice. Coincidentally, nobody will follow this stuff if you say, "These guys will win three games in four years and get their coach fired. Man, they suck." Is that why you throw around superlatives with every breath?
A. Well, each class has upside. Or maybe it fills needs. Sometimes, it fills the need for upside.
Q. Huh?
A. Exactly.
Q. What does "upside" mean, anyway?
A. Yes. Upside is the ability of a player to do something someday, probably somewhere.
Q. Got it. For example: Some day, somewhere, I might hit you "upside" the head. Now let's look at the local picture. What do you think of Michigan State's recruiting class?
A. I love this class. Lots of upside. It's in a group with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue in the upper half of the Big Ten.
Q. How can you have seven schools in the upper half of the Big Ten?
A. And Iowa.
Q. What do you think of Michigan signee Mister Simpson?
A. Wonderful kid, very polite. When I met him, I said, "Hello, Sir." He said, "Please -- call me Mister Simpson."
Q. College is not just about football. It's a time to grow as a person and take risks. When we look back in five years, which class probably will have the most felony convictions?
A. It's a very close race. Please visit my Web site, hotairrecruiting.com, for frequent updates.
Q. I noticed that most of your top players made decisions late in the recruiting process.
A. The best players usually wait.
Q. Is that it? Or do you just rank higher the players who wait, knowing that there will be more interest if "top players" are undecided?
A. I hadn't thought of that. But please --
Q. Yes, I know: visit the Web site. I also noticed you rank the best players, the best classes, the best players at each position, and the best classes in each conference. Aren't all these rankings a cheap ploy to make it seem like there are clear winners?
A. There are good reasons for the rankings. Let me give you my top five. ...
Q. No, that's OK. Just tell me one more thing: Who is the biggest winner in all of this?
A. That's easy.
Me.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
Copyright © 2005 Detroit Free Press Inc.
Mods, if this is better suited somewhere else, please move it to the..... other place.....
February 3, 2005
And now we present an exclusive interview with one of the nation's leading football recruiting analysts: Hugh Jablowhard, a.k.a. "Hot Air."
Q. So who has the best recruiting class?
A. It's a very close race. Michigan is certainly a leader. Right now the Wolverines are tied with Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida State and USC. And Texas. Can't count out Texas.
Q. Hmmm. Sounds like you're trying to generate interest in every part of the country. And with more interest, you stand to make more money, don't you?
A. I hadn't thought of it that way. It's just a very close race. But please visit my pay-only Web site, hotairrecruiting.com, for frequent updates.
Q. How do you get to be an expert on all these players?
A. I watch film.
Q. There are at least 60 major-college programs. Let's figure they each signed, on average, 22 players. That means they signed 1,320 players. That's a lot of film. Do you rank all the players?
A. Yes, of course.
Q. So who's the worst?
A. Hard to say. This year, we had a 47-way tie for 1,274th place.
Q. It must be tough to decide if, say, a defensive tackle from a small school in Maryland is better than a cornerback from a powerhouse in L.A., keeping in mind that the defensive tackle might switch to offense, and the cornerback had an injured ankle as a senior.
A. That's not a question.
Q. You're right. Try this: Who the hell are you?
A. I am a recruiting expert. I have examined every class in the country. I admit that I grade rather harshly, but I believe fans deserve an honest assessment. Each class falls into a category: Outstanding, Excellent, Really Great, Pretty Damn Good or Quite Impressive.
Q. Those all sound awfully nice. Coincidentally, nobody will follow this stuff if you say, "These guys will win three games in four years and get their coach fired. Man, they suck." Is that why you throw around superlatives with every breath?
A. Well, each class has upside. Or maybe it fills needs. Sometimes, it fills the need for upside.
Q. Huh?
A. Exactly.
Q. What does "upside" mean, anyway?
A. Yes. Upside is the ability of a player to do something someday, probably somewhere.
Q. Got it. For example: Some day, somewhere, I might hit you "upside" the head. Now let's look at the local picture. What do you think of Michigan State's recruiting class?
A. I love this class. Lots of upside. It's in a group with Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota and Purdue in the upper half of the Big Ten.
Q. How can you have seven schools in the upper half of the Big Ten?
A. And Iowa.
Q. What do you think of Michigan signee Mister Simpson?
A. Wonderful kid, very polite. When I met him, I said, "Hello, Sir." He said, "Please -- call me Mister Simpson."
Q. College is not just about football. It's a time to grow as a person and take risks. When we look back in five years, which class probably will have the most felony convictions?
A. It's a very close race. Please visit my Web site, hotairrecruiting.com, for frequent updates.
Q. I noticed that most of your top players made decisions late in the recruiting process.
A. The best players usually wait.
Q. Is that it? Or do you just rank higher the players who wait, knowing that there will be more interest if "top players" are undecided?
A. I hadn't thought of that. But please --
Q. Yes, I know: visit the Web site. I also noticed you rank the best players, the best classes, the best players at each position, and the best classes in each conference. Aren't all these rankings a cheap ploy to make it seem like there are clear winners?
A. There are good reasons for the rankings. Let me give you my top five. ...
Q. No, that's OK. Just tell me one more thing: Who is the biggest winner in all of this?
A. That's easy.
Me.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
Copyright © 2005 Detroit Free Press Inc.