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Interesting comments from BOB regarding recruiting, etc.

  • I met Bill O'Brien at the Coaches Caravan event in NYC tonight. They held a private cocktail hour for a small group of people before the main event, and this is where I got to spend a little time with him. I found some things interesting..

    1) He was completely unaware that two of his recruits were not rated (Cothran and Nelson), he literally was asking who wasnt rated because he had no idea
    2) When someone else mentioned those two guys, he had very good things to say (dont want to repeat as he's not permitted to openly comment), but it was clear he was very high on those guys
    3) He made it absolutely clear that stars don't matter to him, he doesnt think very highly of recruiting services or about other's opinions.. it was very refreshing to hear, they know how to evaluate talent and I think we are in good hands here
    4) He is very down to earth, not a big ego at all, and clearly wants to make PSU a top 5 program once again
    5) He commented on the playoff situation and said it sounds like it's going that way, and they want to consider down the road being able to have Penn State host a playoff game as the home team in Beaver Stadium in late December with a snowy game
    6) He feels good where they stand with a few prospects and knows they are in battles, expect to win some and lose some, but mostly wants to make sure he gets the right kind of kids
    7) Spoke about how he's preaching team, and how he wants everyone to do what's best for team, not the individual, eg. Bill Belton did not want to switch from slot, but was told it was best for team, and eventually came around to do what was best, Cadogan same thing from TE to tackle, same with few other guys
    8) Wants to host a high profile Kickoff Classic type game starting in 2015/2016 in the Meadowlands, programs like USC, Bama etc. top tier programs
    9) Wants to play Pitt, thinks its important for in state rivalries, talked about GT and Georgia back in the day
    10) Truly came away blown away and impressed even more after spending some time with him, think he is real deal and we are in solid hands. I truly think they are targeting talent they want and don't fret it if some service doesn't rate him highly or you think they aren't the best option. I think this early in the game they are only going after great kids that are high on their board, even if Scout, Rivals, ESPN, 247 havent rated them yet..

    Anyway..thought I'd share as I found very insightful..

    NYC LION ●

  • Perfect! Just what I wanted to hear..especially the "star" system..I trust who the coaches perceive as talented young men..that means they have a strong faith in their beliefs and grading of talents. Thanks for the great update.

    mr intensity26349

  • Awesome stuff! Thanks for sharing

    rummel49 ●

  • It seems the staff has been knocking it out of the park in player evaluation if you count the guys they were on before they really blew up:

    - Anzalone
    - D. Johnson
    - Nelson
    - Douglas
    - The WR in San Diego
    - Rankin
    - C. Clement
    - Others I can't remember right now

    "Penn State has taken a lot of punches in the last six months and it's time to punch back" - BOB

    Ehoffman ●

  • Awesome post NYC. Thank you for the insight.

    WeRPennSt

  • Good post, thanks for the info.

    PSU17 ●

  • Great post, thanks for sharing. The more I hear the more I think this is PSU's coach for the next decade or more...

    Nittanynole

  • Great writeup! Thanks!

    I'm somewhat surprised Belton did not want moved to RB. He looks so natural at RB and believe he has a lot brighter future at RB than at slot. The kid can play and after watching him in wildcat last year and in BW game this year, I think we have the potential to have one of the best RB corp in the Big Ten. I have also been high on Lynch, but I think it will be nice to redshirt him.

    You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game, life or football-the margin for error is so small. -Pacino

    tmaluchnik ●

  • Ehoffman said...

    It seems the staff has been knocking it out of the park in player evaluation if you count the guys they were on before they really blew up:

    - Anzalone - D. Johnson - Nelson - Douglas - The WR in San Diego - Rankin - C. Clement - Others I can't remember right now

    Paul Harris

    You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game, life or football-the margin for error is so small. -Pacino

    tmaluchnik ●

  • +1 Appreciate you taking the time to pass your info along. I guess NYC LION is hi roller :)

    helpdesk

  • I know that the jury is still out so bear with me. BOB kind of reminds of Pete Carroll except without all the baggage.

    signature image

    #DicedPineapples I have one upvote left, and I am not afraid to use it!!!

    CKpsu5220 ●

  • CKpsu5220 said...

    I know that the jury is still out so bear with me. BOB kind of reminds of Pete Carroll except without all the baggage.

    He actually reminds me of an anti-carroll. Bob strikes me as a no nonsense, straight forward guy. Carroll was the opposite of that. I sure hope he wins like Carroll though.

    PSU17 ●

  • PSU17 said...

    He actually reminds me of an anti-carroll. Bob strikes me as a no nonsense, straight forward guy. Carroll was the opposite of that. I sure hope he wins like Carroll though.

    I agree to a degree that is why I said without the baggage. He is like Carroll in the sense that he will be an aggressive recruiter and playcaller etc. That is what I liked about Carroll. He had a pair. They both are passionate about football and want to win. Though Pete was win at all costs, while BOB will be success with honor pt.2

    signature image

    #DicedPineapples I have one upvote left, and I am not afraid to use it!!!

    CKpsu5220 ●

  • While it may not be as important as it once was due to less PA talent and the decline of the Pitt program, I agree with O'Brien that the Pitt Penn State game was at one time very important in the state for recruiting. It benefited both programs. As a western PA guy, I would like to see it revised, but I have to admit that it would probably benefit Pitt more than PSU at this point in time.

    realoldman

  • Thanks for the summary. Great stuff in there. Coaches don't use stars when evaluating a kid. What is happening now is some coaches/sites are starting to use it as a PR tool for their classes.

    "One man didn't build this program and one man sure as hell cannot tear it down."

    LaJollaLion ●

  • I agree, I don't think most staffs use the services to make their decisions, but I do feel that most staffs look at the services as another source of info. It is clear that BOB has not looked at one of these, nor will he. And that is a good thing.

    I'm glad you guys liked the comments. I hear stuff from time to time, but tend not to post too much, mostly out of worry of who is looking at these boards.

    NYC LION ●

  • realoldman said...

    While it may not be as important as it once was due to less PA talent and the decline of the Pitt program, I agree with O'Brien that the Pitt Penn State game was at one time very important in the state for recruiting. It benefited both programs. As a western PA guy, I would like to see it revised, but I have to admit that it would probably benefit Pitt more than PSU at this point in time.

    It most certainly would benefit Pitt in a far greater way. The elephant in the room that no one seems to want to acknowledge is that we may already be playing the second best program in the state on a yearly basis. I, for one, think Temple is every bit as good as Pitt is these days. And, we don't have to buy Temple season tickets every other year just to see one game with them.

    "I believe in what Coach Paterno set forth.”- Garrett Sickels "A bowl game ain't nothing but a vacation."- Gerald Hodges

    fortheglory94 ●

  • mr. intensity said...

    Perfect! Just what I wanted to hear..especially the "star" system..I trust who the coaches perceive as talented young men..that means they have a strong faith in their beliefs and grading of talents. Thanks for the great update.

    I can only echo this.

    Stars make us feel good, but, I like the idea of recruiting the right players for the O and D that we want to run.

    mad4psu ●

  • fortheglory94 said...

    It most certainly would benefit Pitt in a far greater way. The elephant in the room that no one seems to want to acknowledge is that we may already be playing the second best program in the state on a yearly basis. I, for one, think Temple is every bit as good as Pitt is these days. And, we don't have to buy Temple season tickets every other year just to see one game with them.

    Yea, Pitt did not do themselves any favor with this game by utilizing that particular ticket strategy.

    realoldman

  • Nittanynole said...

    Great post, thanks for sharing. The more I hear the more I think this is PSU's coach for the next decade or more...

    I think so as well. My only concern is with that success you might see the NFL come calling, and since he's already been there I'm not sure COB would turn down the opportunity.

    stigs007 ●

  • stigs007 said...

    I think so as well. My only concern is with that success you might see the NFL come calling, and since he's already been there I'm not sure COB would turn down the opportunity.

    That's fine, I hope that happens.

    You want winners and people that achieve great things. There's a reason people weren't after members of our former staff and it's because of results.

    I want coaches that are winners - coaches that are hungry - coaches that want to win. Not old boys club guys and nepotism running rampant where you can go 8-4 and just tell everyone it's fine.

    FireJayPa

  • stigs007 said...

    I think so as well. My only concern is with that success you might see the NFL come calling, and since he's already been there I'm not sure COB would turn down the opportunity.

    I think we all need to get used to the phrase staff turnover. It's going to happen a lot now with a new regime in town and some guys being from the NFL already, others are seasoned veterans at the college level, and others are just beginning their coaching careers and are only a few years in. I agree with FireJayPa. We want coaches who are winners and know how to develop talent and win games. Those two things will help this program thrive and bigger opportunities will come for the coaches too.

    signature image

    PSUjosh11 ●

  • PSUjosh11 said...

    I think we all need to get used to the phrase staff turnover. It's going to happen a lot now with a new regime in town and some guys being from the NFL already, others are seasoned veterans at the college level, and others are just beginning their coaching careers and are only a few years in. I agree with FireJayPa. We want coaches who are winners and know how to develop talent and win games. Those two things will help this program thrive and bigger opportunities will come for the coaches too.

    I second and would like to add that the key is opening up the checkbook to keep the best here. If OB wins big, we should pay him accordingly and that will definitely help keep him here. I am not concerned that we won't pay big if needed.

    Lion_in_CBus ●

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