uhwarriors wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 11:51 amOn one hand I'll agree with you. On the other I won't. In particular with AJ Bianco and Kona Moore, these are pretty high level recruits that were below the radar because they didn't have a junior year and no video due to Covid. I'm pretty sure they'll go elsewhere now and the minimal pipeline to St. Louis might be severed completely. Don't count on the bounce backs. Like I said, the coconut wireless is burning up. I know for a fact local families are talking as we speak (write) and this transcends high school affiliations.bigislandkurt wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 11:42 am Local recruiting?
All the best local recruits have been going away for years! UH competes for what is left in the barrel after all other schools swoop in. Because we are UH, yes, we have to recruit locally. We have to "offer" the biggest and baddest in our backyard. But truths be told, these players will simply not choose UH. Shoot, if Al and NIko Noga played in this day and age, they'd be playing for Oregon and Alabama respectively.
No matter what, we will still depend on California recruits and a few from Texas, Florida and Samoa. There will always be a few boomerang players who transfer home as well as some JUCO diamonds in the rough who just might want a shot in paradise. I personally hope TG is able to get a few more Texans out this way.
I'm not sold on the whole local recruits thing. The game has changed and all the best players usually leave the state anyway.
TG has not actively recruited nor signed a Cali HS recruit in his 2020 and 2021 Signing Classes. TG possibly has realized his error by now maybe trying to actively recruit 2022 Cali HS and JC prospects.kapakahi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:29 pmkapakahi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 4:18 pmStill concerned that there might not be any Cali HS signees under Coach Graham for a second straight recruiting class for UH....maybe even no Cali JC signees either...,.which would only help strengthen the MWC Cali programs (Fresno State, San Jose State, San Diego State)....as well as the other non-Cali MWC programs (who all also actively recruit the Cali HS & JC programs)....in recruiting those Cali prospects who aren't heavily recruited by the Pac-12 programs.kapakahi wrote: ↑Tue Feb 25, 2020 9:05 am
UH's 2020 Signing Class is the first time since the 90's (or possibly earlier) that there have been no Cali HS signees (only Cali JC signees). Hopefully some 2021 offers are made to some Cali HS prospects (though none made thus far).....in addition to the offers already made to Texas HS prospects.
Considering that UH regularly plays at least 2 regular season MWC away games in Cali (where plenty of Hawaii transplants attend) & neighboring Nevada whereas regular season away games in either TX or LA are not typically scheduled, JMHO that it would be prudent for Coach Graham to maintain active recruiting connections with the Cali HS (particularly SoCal HS) programs.....to continue to compete for some of the same Cali HS prospects in recruiting against the other MWC Cali programs (Fresno State, San Jose State, San Diego State) who recruit predominantly in Cali (though FSU & SDSU both also actively recruit in TX as well as get transfer portal players)....especially for this 2021 Recruiting Class (since there are some top SoCal HS prospects still available - some who are recent de-commitments from Pac-12 programs and are now being recruited by the MWC Cali programs.bigislandkurt wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 12:48 pm
I like what a I see. Given TG's lineage, I trust we will see signees from the fertile football grounds of Texas and Louisiana. I'm sure we still got strong connections in Cali too. I trust the coaches to bring in recruits that will help us win. Winning cures (mostly) all.While it's a positive that both TX & LA are becoming new recruiting pipelines for UH, hopefully UH will also continue to recruit Cali (especially SoCal) high schools (and not just JCs)…..since this past 2020 Signing Class did not include any Cali HS signees (being that DE Gabriel Iniguez was a Rolo greyshirt recruit) for the 1st time since back in the mid-90's (when von Appen was the HC).bigislandkurt wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 9:35 am
Cali will always be a prime recruiting ground for UH. I got no problem however, if our Texas presence is not greatly enhanced TG. I am absolutely good with that! Louisiana appears to be in the mix too! Again, I am good with that! Coach is a Texan, and he certainly speaks and understands the “regional language.”
Hopefully Graham continues to actively recruit Cali (or at least SoCal) high schools (and not just JCs)....and comes to realize that 10 productive starters (Jared Smart, Melquise Stovall, Miles Reed, Solo Vaipulu, Gene Pryor, Justus Tavai, Khoury Bethley, Quentin Frazier, Eugene Ford, Michael Washington) are all Cali HS products.….with Abe Elimimian & Victor Santa Cruz both definitely have Cali recruiting connections....especially with the local 2021 HS recruiting class generally considered to be a down-year (in terms of overall quality & quantity)....and since this staff also does not seem to have any recruiting ties with Amerika Samoa, Arizona, Nevada nor Utah.
TG also has not actively recruited nor signed an American Samoa HS recruit in his 2020 and 2021 Signing Classes....not counting Blessman's younger brother Maurice who signed with UH in the 2020 Early Signing Period with Rolo and also not counting Mililani HS LB Sonny Semeatu who signed in 2021. Will have to wait and see if any American Samoa HS recruit gets signed by TG in this 2022 Signing Class....given that American Samoa has been shutdown throughout the pandemic with no personal recruiting access by any programs.
For this particular 2022 Signing Class, most P5 programs have not been able to personally assess the top 2022 (nor 2023) local HS prospects as in typical years for several pandemic-related reasons (2020 local HS season cancelled; no 2020 and 2021 local football camps; limited 2020 and 2021 Cali football camps; 2021 local HS season not allowing fans (ILH) or being delayed (all the other leagues including the OIA). Instead, they are mostly relying on second-hand information from their local recruiting connections. The top 2022 and 2023 local HS prospects who have got offers from P5 programs either transferred to mainland HS programs, attended the mainland camps, and/or have paid out-of-pocket to take unofficial visits.
Accordingly (and ironically) because of the local pandemic restrictions, this 2022 Signing Class presented UH with its best opportunity (compared to most typical years) to successfully recruit those top 2022 local HS prospects who have remained under-the-radar (like Cordeiro & Muasau did previously).