It seemed like coach AT was doing well recruiting. But I guess losing games loses recruits. (don't blame em—would you rather be on ABC in the afternoon or Pac-12 at 10pm?)
Wilcox and this staff just feel like they are dead in the water. Under performing on the field and in recruiting. It just feels like a death spiral and he doesn’t have a Tosh type situation to blame for this recruiting class falling apart.
The speed in which the bottom fell out on Wilcox is astounding, with really no end in sight. He doesn’t attract game changing talent, and while his first few defenses were solid, he did in fact inherit NFL-caliber talent (Ashtyn, Bynum, Hawkins, Weav).
Lots of coaches can be successful with NFL talent.
Strongly disagree. Weaver was a DL under Dykes, it was Wilcox and staff that identified Weaver's potential and moved him to ILB and created ~ through coaching ~ an NFL player. Who was his coach at ILB??? Sirmon. So, it was neither GA or TDR.
The hard on peeps have for GA / TDR is fascinating. Tell me one player that they recruited? Both GA and TDR left the cupboard bare ~ and that holds as double if not triple for GA ~ he brought in NO ONE!!
All due respect, GEAT, but Weaver, tho a helluva college player, is the 1 guy that is NOT in the NFL, & while I’ll give you Wilcox identifying him as an LB, my point was more to the secondary, of which GA was responsible for coaching…Hawkins, Bynum, Davis. There’s no disagreement that the cupboard is bare, as you’re seeing now, but then again, that’s on Wilcox too…he’s in year 5.
Wilcox inherited NFL caliber talent on D…that’s a fact.
I agree wholeheartedly tho that Sirmon is better suited as a LB coach.
That's an undersandable decision. Iowa has two losing seasons in the last 20 years, routinely churns out 8-9-win seasons, and went to the Rose Bowl recently. From a football standpoint, they're a far superior choice to the current Cal program, which increasingly appears to be in disarray.
Jon Wilner wrote a great article a few years ago when Dykes was the head coach and he was getting almost all of his players from out of state (mostly Texas). Wilner pointed out that Cal needed to do a better job recruiting players from California and not out of state because those are the first players (like Demetrius Robertson) that tend to jump ship as soon as there is an issue (lack of playing time, not on TV enough, etc.). Golden is absolutely right about a young kid wanting to play for a program with an upward trajectory AND that is close to home. While it hurts to lose these players and alums tend to take it personally (how could ANYONE not want to go to Cal?), we shouldn't be surprised when a kid from Ohio or anywhere else in the mid-west changes his mind and stays closer to home.
Nah see this type of narrative needs to end. Have you been to a gameday anywhere in the midwest? The experience beats the hell out of anything I’ve ever seen at cal. Kinnick is routinely full and I’m sure Iowa city is a great college town. Memorial looks and sounds like a library most gamedays. Recruits notice this and I honestly can’t blame more of them for staying away. Cal has plenty more to offer from an academic standpoint, but if you want a shot at the nfl, why would you come to cal given the current state of the program?
Meh...I have seen multiple games in-person at Penn State & Wisconsin (and Notre Dame next September) and totally agree - the gameday atmosphere at these schools is awesome - Cal really can't compete. And I love seeing the players/fans waving at the kids in the U of I hospital overlooking Kinnick, too...it's a truly touching tradition - just awesome. And this kid's from Ohio, so a B10 team definitely makes sense. And there is no shortage of programs all over the country that have a better gameday atmosphere than Cal.
But Iowa, while having a solid year, is nonetheless mired in a potentially devastating racial bias scandal that could seriously tarnish Ferentz' legacy there. Plus, there is more to a school than just gameday atmosphere...and the cultural experience and aesthetic beauty of the Bay Area is second to none. Also, especially with the NFL Scouting combine, you can get drafted from ANY school, not just the good teams. If you're an NFL player, the scouts usually find you, whether you're in Tuscaloosa, Berkeley or Iowa City.
This is true, the scouts will certainly find the talent. But that talent has to be developed, and sadly, my confidence in this coaching staff’s ability to do so is currently cratering.
Completely agree. Not only do they fail to develop them, they actually lost one of the most talented ones to other programs, where the kid has taken off.
Makai Polk was the player that had the best chance to breakout and be an elite playmaker at the WR position...and the El Cerrito, CA native is now in Starkville, MS, putting up big #’s for the idiot pirate and will play on Sundays.
This had been in the rumor mill for several weeks, no surprise. And now we have no QB or RB in this cycle. That is some really bad juju. Cal should have several ~ 4 to 6, maybe 8 ~ scholarships available for this year. The only way to salvage this class, IMO, is to pluck at least 4-6 experienced players off of the portal at the end of the season. Cuz the only kids (high school seniors) left on the board that Cal can attract at this late stage are 2 - low 3* players. Getting 4 - 8 of them would exasperate an already weak position. Gawd I hope Cal doesn't throw schollies away in the next 2 months (early signing in December).
Probably better to take our lumps recruiting wise now and work the transfer portal or maybe the JC ranks, which occasionally produce overlooked gems. CJ Anderson, Jordan K, Aaron Rodgers, to name a few. Brandon Aiyuk also was a JC transfer that ASU nabbed.
afraid to compete
The team itself isn't competing so....
Fuck.
It seemed like coach AT was doing well recruiting. But I guess losing games loses recruits. (don't blame em—would you rather be on ABC in the afternoon or Pac-12 at 10pm?)
Two, don’t forget last recruiting class, in which we didn’t land a RB.
The Wilcox ship is sinking fast now.
Somehow we have to win the Oregon game...
Have we tried scoring more points than them?
I was sure to mention that in the article already because it's troubling.
Yeah, you didn’t, I admit I didn’t read to the very end of this article.
Did*
Imploding
We're probably OK with Milner succeeding Garbers. That is if he doesn't enter the portal.
Wilcox and this staff just feel like they are dead in the water. Under performing on the field and in recruiting. It just feels like a death spiral and he doesn’t have a Tosh type situation to blame for this recruiting class falling apart.
The speed in which the bottom fell out on Wilcox is astounding, with really no end in sight. He doesn’t attract game changing talent, and while his first few defenses were solid, he did in fact inherit NFL-caliber talent (Ashtyn, Bynum, Hawkins, Weav).
Lots of coaches can be successful with NFL talent.
But did he inherit NFL talent or coach up players to become NFL-caliber?
Well, if the last two seasons are any indication, it was likely more inheritance than coaching, w/ GA & TDR probably more responsible.
Strongly disagree. Weaver was a DL under Dykes, it was Wilcox and staff that identified Weaver's potential and moved him to ILB and created ~ through coaching ~ an NFL player. Who was his coach at ILB??? Sirmon. So, it was neither GA or TDR.
The hard on peeps have for GA / TDR is fascinating. Tell me one player that they recruited? Both GA and TDR left the cupboard bare ~ and that holds as double if not triple for GA ~ he brought in NO ONE!!
All due respect, GEAT, but Weaver, tho a helluva college player, is the 1 guy that is NOT in the NFL, & while I’ll give you Wilcox identifying him as an LB, my point was more to the secondary, of which GA was responsible for coaching…Hawkins, Bynum, Davis. There’s no disagreement that the cupboard is bare, as you’re seeing now, but then again, that’s on Wilcox too…he’s in year 5.
Wilcox inherited NFL caliber talent on D…that’s a fact.
I agree wholeheartedly tho that Sirmon is better suited as a LB coach.
As much as I want Weaver to succeed, I haven't seen him playing on Sundays in the regulator season.
the former, bc with his own recruits he has not shown he can do the latter
That's an undersandable decision. Iowa has two losing seasons in the last 20 years, routinely churns out 8-9-win seasons, and went to the Rose Bowl recently. From a football standpoint, they're a far superior choice to the current Cal program, which increasingly appears to be in disarray.
Sure, all that is well & good, but it’s still Iowa.
Yeah but the kid also lives in Ohio, which is much closer to Iowa so it is easier for his family and friends to attend his games.
Or even watch games on tv. Our games will be 10pm game start in Ohio.
Good point about watching the games at a decent start time.
Jon Wilner wrote a great article a few years ago when Dykes was the head coach and he was getting almost all of his players from out of state (mostly Texas). Wilner pointed out that Cal needed to do a better job recruiting players from California and not out of state because those are the first players (like Demetrius Robertson) that tend to jump ship as soon as there is an issue (lack of playing time, not on TV enough, etc.). Golden is absolutely right about a young kid wanting to play for a program with an upward trajectory AND that is close to home. While it hurts to lose these players and alums tend to take it personally (how could ANYONE not want to go to Cal?), we shouldn't be surprised when a kid from Ohio or anywhere else in the mid-west changes his mind and stays closer to home.
Nah see this type of narrative needs to end. Have you been to a gameday anywhere in the midwest? The experience beats the hell out of anything I’ve ever seen at cal. Kinnick is routinely full and I’m sure Iowa city is a great college town. Memorial looks and sounds like a library most gamedays. Recruits notice this and I honestly can’t blame more of them for staying away. Cal has plenty more to offer from an academic standpoint, but if you want a shot at the nfl, why would you come to cal given the current state of the program?
Meh...I have seen multiple games in-person at Penn State & Wisconsin (and Notre Dame next September) and totally agree - the gameday atmosphere at these schools is awesome - Cal really can't compete. And I love seeing the players/fans waving at the kids in the U of I hospital overlooking Kinnick, too...it's a truly touching tradition - just awesome. And this kid's from Ohio, so a B10 team definitely makes sense. And there is no shortage of programs all over the country that have a better gameday atmosphere than Cal.
But Iowa, while having a solid year, is nonetheless mired in a potentially devastating racial bias scandal that could seriously tarnish Ferentz' legacy there. Plus, there is more to a school than just gameday atmosphere...and the cultural experience and aesthetic beauty of the Bay Area is second to none. Also, especially with the NFL Scouting combine, you can get drafted from ANY school, not just the good teams. If you're an NFL player, the scouts usually find you, whether you're in Tuscaloosa, Berkeley or Iowa City.
This is true, the scouts will certainly find the talent. But that talent has to be developed, and sadly, my confidence in this coaching staff’s ability to do so is currently cratering.
Completely agree. Not only do they fail to develop them, they actually lost one of the most talented ones to other programs, where the kid has taken off.
Makai Polk was the player that had the best chance to breakout and be an elite playmaker at the WR position...and the El Cerrito, CA native is now in Starkville, MS, putting up big #’s for the idiot pirate and will play on Sundays.
Ugh yup.
When it rains, it pours....I will be playing poker this Friday night because I can't stand to watch this season get any uglier. Ugghhh......
Hope you flop the nut straight
This had been in the rumor mill for several weeks, no surprise. And now we have no QB or RB in this cycle. That is some really bad juju. Cal should have several ~ 4 to 6, maybe 8 ~ scholarships available for this year. The only way to salvage this class, IMO, is to pluck at least 4-6 experienced players off of the portal at the end of the season. Cuz the only kids (high school seniors) left on the board that Cal can attract at this late stage are 2 - low 3* players. Getting 4 - 8 of them would exasperate an already weak position. Gawd I hope Cal doesn't throw schollies away in the next 2 months (early signing in December).
Probably better to take our lumps recruiting wise now and work the transfer portal or maybe the JC ranks, which occasionally produce overlooked gems. CJ Anderson, Jordan K, Aaron Rodgers, to name a few. Brandon Aiyuk also was a JC transfer that ASU nabbed.
And Kuony Deng.
Good point on 2/3* guys...not to say they can't develop into players, but not sure Wilcox is going to have that kind of time....
I'm starting to re-think my definition of "commitment".....
I'm sad......
recruiting is the lifeblood of a program...does that mean Cal has no blood? This doesn't seem ideal.
We have a walk-on (Rutchena) playing more snaps at LB than the schollie guys, that does not bode well for the "coaching up" mantra.
I don’t know where you got that info but by all accounts Rutchena is a scholarship player.
I read it somewhere last week, may not have been accurate, though. Thanks for clearing it up.
Yup. Scholly kid who greyshirted.