Richt, Georgia have been hurt by too many recruiting risks
Mark Richt has seen several players arrested and suspended this offseason, including former tailback Isaiah Crowell. (AP photo)
HOOVER, Ala. – Mark Richt ignored the red flags and was among the nation’s coaches who lined up around the block for Isaiah Crowell.
He already has seen seven members from his vaunted 2011 recruiting class either kicked out, flunked out or never academically qualified to begin with (“Dream Team”? Anybody?).
Arrests and suspensions likely will lead to four defensive starters missing games next season.
There is a problem again at Georgia — and it matters little that it’s a different one from the past.
Richt, to his credit, no longer responds to players’ criminal or just plain stupid actions by merely making them run stadium steps or suspending their dessert privileges. He has come a long way from enabling Odell Thurman. He suspends players. He kicks them out. He tries to make them understand that getting four or five stars stamped on your forehead by a recruiting site and the ego trip of a signing-day news conference shouldn’t be accompanied by a sense of entitlement (even if it too often does).
The problem now is that too many of the players Georgia is recruiting should be red-lined. The line of risk needs to be pulled back.
Obviously, Richt and his staff are getting a lot right. The Bulldogs are favored to win the SEC East. They’re projected to open the season as a top-10 team.
But imagine if they actually had everybody there.
“We’re not recruiting bad kids,” Richt said in a private media session with local writers Thursday at SEC Media Days. “We’re recruiting a lot of great kids. Other schools are recruiting the same guys.”
Have the negative headlines of this offseason given him reason to pay closer attention to a recruit’s personal blemishes?
“We do find out as much as we possibly can,” he said. “There are rules on how many times we can call a kid and see him in person. We try to maximize those things.”
Sorry. But losing seven of 26 kids from one recruiting class in one year screams that there’s a need for a better filter.
Richt was accurate when he said, “To say that issues aren’t happening around the country isn’t really realistic.”
But losing at least five starters (Crowell plus four on defense suspended) is significant.
Crowell, after multiple suspensions and missteps his freshman season, was bounced following his arrest on felony gun charges. Cornerback Sanders Commings is gone for two games following an arrest for domestic violence. Safety Baccari Rambo (possibly four games), cornerback Branden Smith and linebacker Alec Ogletree all reportedly tested positive for marijuana. Three other freshmen (Nick Marshall, Chris Sanders, Sanford Seay) were kicked out for their reported involvement in a campus theft.
Some of Georgia’s problems can be attributed to having a tougher drug-and-alcohol policy than other schools. But that doesn’t explain everything. The recruiting mistakes will hurt.
The we’ll-be-better-off-without-him rallying cries regarding Crowell makes for a nice locker-room speech. But it’s just not factual. He was Georgia’s best running back — by a long shot — and the Dogs’ potential issues on the offensive line don’t suggest just anybody can be productive.
This will be a team that must rely on its defense and its resolve. The Dogs’ ability to rebound from a 0-2 start with 10 consecutive wins last season said something about the character of the players who aren’t getting arrested (even if that was followed by two more losses to LSU and Michigan State). It’s a team with a solid quarterback (Aaron Murray), strong leadership and several players who bypassed the NFL draft last season to come back for another season. But the suspensions and player losses will hurt.
“There’s been more attrition the last couple of years than there has been since we’ve been at Georgia,” Richt said. “But sometimes that happens. We’ll still have plenty of guys to field a team.”
Then again, if just having enough players was the criteria, there would be celebrations in Toledo and Ole Miss. The question now is whether the Dogs’ chances for a special season have been undone before they’ve even played a game.
By Jeff Schultz
Previous SEC Media Days blogs
• Arkansas living with deserved humiliation after Petrino firing
• Muschamp getting heat but deserves some time at Florida
• Slive: SEC needs to be vigilant to avoid Penn State situation
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779 comments Add your comment
DojoGator
July 22nd, 2012
10:22 pm
Please keep Mark Richt, we love him at Univ of Flo.
GovBluto
July 22nd, 2012
10:34 pm
Jeff,
To be clear, are you suggesting UGA peel back recruitment of highly coveted, and often entitled recruits, and start focusing on more 3 stars, like say Boise State does?
If so, I agree. And Boise’s 3 star character guys beat our team full of 4 and 5 stars.
I think it would end the arrests, suspensions, and team chemistry cancers, and help us get off to a fast start each year, we’ll be lucky to be 2-2 again after the first 4 games with all the guys out.
I’ve had enough, I’m sick of it, and it’s time to go to the Boise State plan. We know it works, they beat us up one side of the field, down the other, all day long. Even though we had a rsoter full of top 10 recruiting classes.
GovBluto
July 22nd, 2012
11:03 pm
Winthrop Intelligence did a study of thousands of recruits, and found there was NO CORRELATION between teams with 3 or more star recruits and winning percentage.
In other words, recruit:
1) character first
2) fit to system next
3) avoid 4 and 5 star recruits who are being heavily pursued by everyone and with sense of entitlement
rICHT’S SYSTEM IS broken.
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
5:02 am
Talented players can be over-achievers, too.
Jarvis Jones is a perfect example.
On this day Penn State loses scholarships for years into the future, compare that with our 16-Scholarships under the 85-man limit we have self-imposed upon ourselves 2012 – our best chance with this favorable schedule.
2-19 current 4-Year Won / Lost Record – same record as Georgie tek & So Miss
# 32 in the nation Won / Lost Record – current 4-Years
__________________________________________
The answer obviously isn’t recruit 3-star players only.
__________________________________________
The answer is that you have to Motivate, Organize, Plan, and Control your recruits 3-stars or 4-stars. This is what we’ve been missing. That and lack of Discipline.
________
Discipline
________
Definition for Discipline way down the list at # 3 on the definition is that it’s ALSO sometimes punishment. Hardly is Discipline defined as ONLY punishment. If you don’t know that, after you go look the word up, you’re a pencil-neck who never did earn a letter in any sport ever, and you will never come in here to discuss the topic as if you are erudite on the point. Discipline on the field, means areas such as not penalties, playing in control, following the game plan assuming your coach can dream one up twice in 4 years, listening to your coach, having respect for your teammates and coaching staff, feeling like being a letterman at Georgia means something that you’re proud to be a part of, working hard every down, GATA, giving it your all, trying to represent the game and to be worthy of fan admiration.
Discipline off the field we all know what that is too. All except pencil-neck nothings who never competed in sports and have no concept of collegiate sports. You go to early practice with your teammates or running with them. You go to breakfast together and share. You study. You go to classes. You get out of classes and go to formal practices. You go to dinner and share. And, you study again. You might spent a few hours in there making some cash. I did all these items, every single day on our campus. I got ahead on the weekends. I got more hours too and had the time of my life. I talk to these friends of mine every day all these days since. What did you do ? You don’t know anything about Discipline.
Obviously, we have made all kinds of serious mistakes 2012 off the field. We have players recruited the coach bragged to all of us would ALL be here. 2 flunked-out before they ever stepped foot on campus. Transfers. Quit the team. Quit the team and several have un-quit the team. That’s not good news, either. Not at either point. It shows the kinds of issues we face as a team, doesn’t it ? Hit a girl and all the fans come in here and said No, he did not. Excuse me, he plead Guilty. He is out 2 games for it.
What about the 3 top-rated recruits who stole from their teammates over $ 500 cash and other valuables ? You think that is Discipline ? What do you really know about the word Discipline ? Or, our players and most importantly our coaching staff – as demonstrated by them ? Do any of the coaching staff even call the Police ? Chief of Police said they received no even phone call. We covered that all up. Well, you believe they handled that correctly all you want; for my monies I support this team with which are considerable, we tried to cover it up, and made it worse.
Better to have the 3 arrests than be side-stepping it every time it comes up. These are our heroes, some of our best players. What do our fans in here say on that ? That Mark Richt is going to let them come back. The better ones of them, anyway. That your idea of Discipline ? Tell them you want to be their friends ? That you protected and covered-up for them ? That they get off Scott-Free – except everyone knows exactly who and what they did, don’t we ?
Getting Vance Cuff, then a 22-year old senior to loan you his driver’s licenses because he looks and has the exact same build as you ?
That Discipline ?
Tweeting to Boise State going to Dome to kick some butt.
That Discipline ?
Punishment is what you have to resort to sometimes to attempt to instill some Discipline in the players as a last resort; but it is most assuredly not discipline.
Discipline is wanting to do right when no one is looking. Discipline is all on the team pulling in the same direction all with our oars in the water.
We don’t have any Discipline, on or off the field and have not had all 12 years now. And, it has come to the head now with our 2-19 sorry record the current 4-year period. The answer however is not since with the nation’s # 1 talent base for 12 years leading the nation in NFL Draft Picks we are only 3-13 against teams making the top 10, that we should recruit the same lack of talent Georgie tek has. The answer is that the fans have to get behind their team and demand the team fix this mess on the off the field of no discipline and harsh punishment all we know about discipline.
Jimmy Crack
July 23rd, 2012
7:27 am
“Mark Richt ignored the red flags and was among the nation’s coaches who lined up around the block for Isaiah Crowell.”
That is like saying…
“Jeff Schultz ignored the red flags and was among the nation’s journalists who were mum on steroid use in Major League Baseball.”
Pul-LEASE. Guilt by large block association hasn’t played well since the McCarthy era. Dozens of colleges would have taken a flyer on Crowell because of his talent, despite the risks, especially after reading glowing reports by sports writers JUST LIKE YOU, Jeff.
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
7:41 am
Yours :
___________________________
dis·ci·pline [dis-uh-plin] Show IPA noun, verb, dis·ci·plined, dis·ci·plin·ing.
noun :
1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.
2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.
______________________________________________
Far better definitions exist than this, sir. And, you know it.
______________________________________________
dis·ci·pline (ds-pln) n.
1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.
tr.v. dis·ci·plined, dis·ci·plin·ing, dis·ci·plines
1. To train by instruction and practice, especially to teach self-control to.
2. To teach to obey rules or accept authority. See Synonyms at teach.
_______________________
Yes, the 3rd definition of Discipline is Punishment. It is not the primary definition; and it is not even the secondary definition of Discipline. You must instill self-control, self-accountability. And, in this case of collegiate football players, this is in 4 areas : (1) acting in a manner acceptable to the group you are a part of (2) doing your School Work and (3) maintaining your Personal Health (4) Spiritually.
If you let a player off, act as his friend, forgive the player – you cannot possibly have discipline. The other players will see it as soft, disregard your statements to the contrary to your actual actions, and fail to have respect for you as an authority. You countermand everything you ever say letting a player off, act as his friend, forgive the player. Now, you can resort to punishment of the player; but that is because you have failed as the authority to have a comprehensive set of non-conflicting signals to the players.
1. Are you satisfied with 4 losses a season ?
2. Do you dream up excuses yourself for every single short-coming of the team ?
3. Do you ever hit an issue head-on, and state, 4 losses a season is unacceptable ?
4. Do you allow your Starting Tailback on national TV at the Dome to turn his back on you as Head Football Coach at UGA, and just walk away ? Did you put him back into the game ? Did you sit him down to start the next game ? Did you take him by the hand, and walk him to the tunnel and tell the assistant to hold him there until his parent or guardian show up and tell them that he is off the team until he can demonstrate his own self-control and self-acknowledgement that he is not and you are, the authority figure.
5. Before the Florida game on Thursday night did you go out driving around and get high with every running back on the team ? Did you purposely tell everyone on every blog by telling all your teammates and friends who wanted to show how important they are, by telling everyone you said you failed the NCAA Drug Test Thursday night before Florida ? Did you as Head Football Coach, confront said tailback who then ran for 18 rushes for 81 yards vs Florida as the Starting Tailback, after you heard or most assuredly should have heard that you stated according to every report internally and externally that you failed the NCAA Drug Test Thursday night, and ask Isaiah Crowell, did you fail the NCAA Drug Test Thursday night Isaiah Crowell, sir ? Did you do drugs ? We all know who those are who do drugs and those who do not. They do not hide that. You might not confront it. But, this is the opportunity to teach Discipline by asking him to admit Thursday night and suspend him on the spot for it. You’ve already told him to not do drugs. To not fail NCAA Drug Tests. Surely to heaven above, you have said this to them, all – for heavens’ sake, right ? Instead, you let him run wild against a good Florida defense 18 carries for 81 yards. Then, fall back on the sample B. How did that make you look Mark Richt ?
I am not picking on Isaiah Crowell. I know that he needed to be taught discipline, and never was. Maybe the next place he will be. I can hope. Getting him away from Cootie would be a big help in that regard, and you failed miserably at that too Mark Richt – bringing him here to flunk-out when no one would give him a Scholarship. I specifically recall in recruiting that many coaches absolutely refused to give Cootie a scholarship. You choose to ignore these points. This doesn’t make you a better fan of our shared football team : It makes you a far worse fan. Get used to that concept. It’s not new. You’re not the solution, back them up no matter what they do or say. I am. Demand that they do it correctly. Accept 1 win over a Top 10; don’t ask for a NC. If they had 1 win over any team after 2005 who made the top 10, that would be 1-7. I would call for more than that. If they get 1 this season, I will accept that. I will demand it AGAIN 2013 when we do play a schedule and do play Alabama and do not have anyone left on defense.
Jimmy Crack
July 23rd, 2012
7:52 am
Geez, what a bag of wind, Thomas, or a mad man, perhaps.
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
8:22 am
You’re just full of excuses Jimmy Crack. That is all you ever post. You repeat the same excuses and have no concept of discipline. You have a firm grip on punishment and make nothing but excuses there too – such as everyone does this. Everyone doesn’t have 68 signed scholarship recruits on their campuses to play a 14-game season. In fact, no one does but us.
DojoGator
July 23rd, 2012
8:50 am
Here at Univ of flo, we love Coach Richt, and hope UGA keeps him a long time.
NextHerschel
July 23rd, 2012
9:00 am
Herschel got 5.27 yards per carry and averaged a td every 20 carries.
Knowshon Moreno beat that, so did Ealey.
Not hard to find the next Herschel Walker.
There are plenty of backs who can beat 5.27, and a 1 to 20 td to carry ratio.
NextHerschel
July 23rd, 2012
9:04 am
Montee ball scored 33 td’s, had 6.3 ypc, and a 9 to 1 td to carry ratio.
Blew Herschel Walker away.
NextHerschel
July 23rd, 2012
9:05 am
81 guys averaged better than Walker’s career 5.27 yard per carry average, in 2011.
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
9:33 am
10 Signed Recruit Lost Scholarships per year Penn State, non-self-imposed
We have 16 Signed Recruit Lost Scholarships 2012 – our best chance
Jimmy Crack
July 23rd, 2012
9:58 am
A big blowing blustery bag of wind.
Thomas, it is obvious with your lengthy daily ramblings, all spouting the same BS, that you are inconsolably obsessed with UGA and Coach Richt.
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
10:02 am
And, it is clear from your off-topic personal Flame slam posts on me, that you have no grasp of our 16 Lost Scholarships 2012 to just 10 imposed by Mark Emmert on Penn State just now. Grow up. Talk the topic. You are side-stepping the issue that because of a lack of discipline, we have lost 16 signed scholarship recruits this best chance for us. And, you sir repeat yourself. What am I to do ? Come up with a different point, when my point remains spot-on
NextHerschel
July 23rd, 2012
10:15 am
Alabama had 3 running backs that averaged better than Herschel Walker’s career 5.27 yards per carry.
LSU also had 3 better than 5.27 ypc.
Florida had 2 last year better than 5.27.
Not very hard to do in the SEC.
Brainiac(Dawg For Life) / (CMR fan for life)
July 23rd, 2012
10:37 am
@ Next Herschel:
You are dumber that dirt1
Your parents must be very proud!!!
When you show me ONE GUY that carried the ball as many times per game as Herschel did and held the National rushing record for MANY years although he played only 3 years then I could possibly give your drivel some creditability!!!!
You mention that several others had better yards per carry than HC. How many carries per game did they have?? Sitting on the sideline resting while sharing the RB load with 2 or 3 team mates is Very common
but you know that or your Single Digit IQ is holding you back!!
Brainiac(Dawg For Life) / (CMR fan for life)
July 23rd, 2012
10:39 am
Make that “HW” rather than “HC”…………………………
Brainiac(Dawg For Life) / (CMR fan for life)
July 23rd, 2012
10:43 am
Duma$$ Brown couldn’t find his rear end with both hands in his hip pockets!!!!!!!!!!!!
Andy
July 23rd, 2012
7:19 pm
kerryb since you know so much about all the runners and sponsers funneling all that money out why don’t you tell us all about if your so much in the loop of whats going on let us in on it. Maybe you could clue Richt in on how to do it and he could field a decent team. All the time I hear about UGA high standard and they are the richest school in the SEC.Turns out Alabama is # 1 with its sports program taking in 124 million dollars Fla is # 2. with 123 million dollars I believe Ga was # 6 with 97 million dollars. until this information came out Georgia was bragging about being this richest program in the SEC. Same way with all the smartest football players that turn out Vandy was 1st Fla was 2nd and Ga and Bama was tied for 3rd. You spout off about all kind of stuff and have no proof to back it up what so ever. Some one called UGA the ND of the south Ga fans thought that was such a compliment that half of them peed in their pants. If some one call Bama the ND of the south Bama fans would be insulted
Thomas Brown
July 23rd, 2012
10:42 pm
Not # 6 ? Huh ?
5 SEC schools net revenues of over $100 million:
# 1 Alabama ($124,498,616)
# 2 Florida ($123,514,257)
# 3 LSU ($107,259,352)
# 4 Tennessee ($104,368,992)
# 5 Auburn ($103,982,441).
____________________________________________________________
Only Vandie Missy St have fewer wins over teams making Top 10 all 11 yrs
____________________________________________________________
# 6 SEC Coach win% vs Top 5 time of game all 11 yrs
# 6 SEC Coach win% vs teams making Top 25 all 11 yrs
# 55 nationally bowl record win % at 7-4 all 11 years
# 52 Average NCAA Total Offense all 11 years
# 37 coach Mark Richt Score Touchdowns all 11 years
# 52 coach on Converting 3rd Down all 11 years
__________________________________________________________
HERE IS THE ACTUAL LIST
Winning percentage head-to-head SEC coaches during Mark Richt era :
__________________________________________________________
92.41 win % Chris Petersen Boise State 2001 present winning record vs Mark Richt
85.00 win % Chip Kelly Oregon 2001 to present
80.65 win % Les Miles SEC 1 national championship winning record vs Mark Richt
83.62 win % Pete Carroll Southern California 1 national championship not vacated
84.62 win % David Shaw Stanford 2001 to present
82.81 win % Jim Tressel 1 national championship during Mark Richt era head to head
81.25 win % Ur ban Mey er SEC 2 national championships win record vs Mark Richt
80.41 win % Bob Stoops Oklahoma 2001 to present 1 previous national championship
80.28 win % Mack Brown Texas 2001 to present 1 national championship
80.00 win % Larry Coker 2 schools 1 national championship on Mark Richt’s watch
79.83 win % Nick Saban SEC Mark Richt era 3 NC winning record vs Mark Richt
78.99 win % Gary Patterson TCU 2001 to present
78.57 win % Dave Doeren Northern Illinois 2001 to present
76.92 win % Dana Holgorsen West Virginia 2001 to present
76.92 win % Hugh Freeze Ole Miss 2001 to present
75.95 win % Bret Bielema Wisconsin 2001 to present
75.00 win % Gene Chizik SEC one national championship on Mark Richt’s watch
74.91 win % Joe Paterno until some of the wins are vacated cover-up
74.83 win % Frank Beamer Virginia Tech 2001 to present
74.26 win % Bobby Petrino Arkansas Mark Richt era head-to-head
73.61 win % Mark Richt 0 national championships beat 1 AP Poll Top 10 after 2005
Richt apologists wish to limit the list, somehow removing coaches from this list who head-to-head during Mark Richt era, these are the results on the field in the Mark Richt era, head-to-head. Get over it. I am sorry to inform Mark Richt is # 6 coach in win percentage of just SEC coaches head-to-head in the Mark Richt era, isn’t he ?
DojoGator
July 23rd, 2012
10:55 pm
We Gators support Mark Richt. Don’t give up on him.
Thomas Brown
July 24th, 2012
6:01 am
There is no winner here, Bobby Bowden included. The victims still face years of civil suits against State College. The 513,000 alumni are in shock.
As for the football team, reduction from 25 to 15 widely reported as 40 lost signed scholarship recruits 2013 to 2017 really isn’t the tip of the iceberg. It’s really 20 a season, since the limit it set at 2 higher than a FCS gets of 63. Instead of 85, they have only 65 to work with, 4 fewer than we have for 2012.
Penn State’s recruiting has been widely a bust anyway, with only the 2010 signing class among even the top 25 for many years now. 2010 JoePa signed 20 kids average 3.75. That was # 10 class 2010. 2011 and 2012 were not Top 25 and while 2013 stands at # 22, they cannot sign the number they already have commitments for.
I count 77 on scholarship today, not sure why so low and of the 77 19 are seniors. That leaves 58 then for 2013. If they added the 15 maximum the NCAA will allow in 2013, that would still leave them with 73. Problem is that they cannot sign the even 15, you see ? If they did, 73 is 8 higher than the 65 maximum Penn State can have 2014-2017.
More will be explained by the 513,000 alumni over the coming months, but right now, what I see is that they cannot sign anywhere near the after sanctions 15 maximum of the 25 maximum each year the NCAA allows others.
By my count, they can sign not 15 but only 8 for 2013.
Happy Valley is the 2nd largest stadium to only Michigan’s Big House. This is a University which stretches across the entire state and has online courses attended by 5,000 worldwide. US News and World Report has the undergraduate program at # 45. UGA is 62. Georgie tek is # 36.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/page+4
The profound effect on the poor little victims is not well-served by the $ 5 million dollar Penn State payment to JoePa at retirement. And, they have every intention of keeping the Library named for him, as is. The JoePa family continues to waste the $ 5 million trying to say he did not cover-up what he himself said during the end of his life I wish I had done more. He negotiated the $ 5 million for his family the day after his Grand Jury testimony last year.
College football has a long way to go to meet the standards of civility in simply even calling the Police for crimes.
Thomas Brown
July 24th, 2012
6:49 am
We’re now the # 10 all-time college football program in wins. Penn State drops 8 places from # 5 to # 13, barely ahead of Auburn at # 14.
DojoGator
July 24th, 2012
9:22 am
All in Gainesville Florida think UGA should never fire Mark Richt.
Jborodawg
July 24th, 2012
11:38 am
Would someone please provide the definition of ‘discipline’ …and CMR’s record against teams with winning records?
catlady
July 24th, 2012
2:54 pm
It seems obvious that Richt needs to recruit very good players who are also at least average students and who have never been in any kind of trouble. Because we all KNOW that going to a major college and playing sports and having the fans cheer you can make even a straight and narrow genius waiver. You can’t recruit those who are already weak in the second and third characteristics. They simply won’t hold up.
Saving souls is the job of the Salvation Army and the churches. Let them recruit the sketchy candidates. Georgia has to start getting it right. It isn’t a charity.
Jborodawg
July 25th, 2012
8:20 am
UGA places league-leading 128 on SEC spring honor roll
7:22 pm July 12, 2012, by Tim Tucker
“…Georgia led the SEC in representatives on the conference’s spring-sports academic honor roll, which was announced by the league office this week. Georgia had 128 student-athletes on the list, more than any other school….”
Jimboga
July 28th, 2012
6:36 pm
UGA should use more care in selecting recruits. When you recruit a thug, you get a thug.