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69MG · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject:

^^ You go where the athletes are. You can't teach speed and we have had pretty good luck with FL skill players in the past.

cox'n · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:53 pm Post subject:

Actually, you can teach speed. Sure you need some natural ability, but proper training can dramatically increase speed. Victor Cruz seems to be a great example of that.

Jackman · Senior Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 1974

Florida recruiting has its place, but the best Minutemen who've gone on to play in the NFL have come from New England, New York or New Jersey. AFAIK, the only Florida recruit we've ever had make it to the NFL is Jeremy Cain, and he's a long snapper. Not exactly a speed position. The only other southern recruit I can think of who went to the NFL is Brandon London from Richmond, which is just barely the south. Tyler Holmes (also from Virginia) might be the third. Cruz, Ihedigbo, Vlad, Jeromy Miles, Jeremy Horne, Matt Lawrence, and John Griffin are from the Northeast, as were past greats Greg Landry, Milt Morin and Marcel Shipp. As are our other best NFL prospects this year, Igwenagu and Talley.

Missing from our list of NFL players are any CBs. That's where we may need help from outside the Northeast. Kids up here with CB speed concentrate on offensive positions, and we've got enough high schools per capita that they can all start rather than get switched to CB. Whenever analysts point out the speed advantage of a southern team over a northern team, the example is usually a southern offense beating a northern defense at the corners.

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject:

Richmond surely isn't Birmingham, AL, but I wouldn't call it "just barely the south".

If we can open up recruiting streams in FL, why wouldn't we?? I want UMASS to be able to recruit nationwide, and I believe that should be the goal.
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Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

CrooksisRhyming · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject:

Coach has done exactly what he said - he has been recruiting the hell out of New England and the Northeast and he is dipping into Florida. We have two reported staffers right now from Florida, therefore: 1) they already have connections, and 2) they likely haven't formed those connections up here yet. Why not let them do what they can right now?

I will never have a problem recruiting Florida, so long as that's not the end game - and that's not what it is right now. UMass has a lot of needs and scholarships to fill during these next few years, and until we're at a point were we pick and choose the best football players within 300 miles, it never hurts to have the Florida option.
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"Wherever I go, I’ll never be bashful about being from UMass, baby.” -Victor Cruz

Floyd · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:09 pm Post subject:

Crooks, keep the recruiting info coming. You have become my source for UMass football recruiting with your plethora of knowledge Laughing

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CrooksisRhyming · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:21 pm Post subject:

I'm just pumped about all of this.

More recruiting information coming out today:

Big County Preps, a website that covers high school football in the Tampa Bay area is reporting that UMass has offered Haiden Nagel, a Linebacker from Sickles High School in (gasp) Tampa.

http://bigcountypreps.com/180/umass-offer-for-6-2225-sickles-lb/#.T0bWL3LC5e5

In case you were curious about the validity of this site, turns out that Allen Suber follows these guys on Twitter.
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"Wherever I go, I’ll never be bashful about being from UMass, baby.” -Victor Cruz

69MG · Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:53 pm Post subject:

DrG · Hall of Fame Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 2171 Location: MA

Any FBS program would be crazy not to recruit in FL. There is unbelievable talent there even after Florida, Miami, FSU and the SEC are done.

lane one · Junior Joined: 17 Aug 2003 Posts: 674

Just barely in the South? Richmond was the capital of the south.

UMass'96 · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:47 am Post subject:

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:21 am Post subject:

Any place that considers the Civil War to be "The War of Northern Aggression" is not "just barely the south", in my book. Very Happy

_________________
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

UMass'96 · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:35 am Post subject:

^
^

IV, you ever lived anywhere other than Massachusetts? And when I say "live" I mean for at least a year.
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InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:53 am Post subject:

Nope, MA all the way. I've been to Richmond many times, though, and I have many close friends who live permanently down there.
_________________
Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades

gosox22 · Junior Joined: 07 Mar 2005 Posts: 679 Location: Quincy, MA

Also, 0ne of the best running backs in UMass history was from Florida, Steve Baylark.