2015 jerseys

Skeptic

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ClydeBrick said:
If that is the case then GT is probably wasting a scholly on him because unless he is a starter as a Freshman, he probably won't be at GT long enough to impact the program. With the way the NCAA requires progress now, a GT SA has to be focused on academics. If you don't care about your academics, there is no place to hide at GT like you can at other schools. ...
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I didn't read Sidewalk Jacket's comment the same way. That you do not need a "GT degree" does not mean one does not care about academics ... just technical/science programs. Tech is not one-size-fits-all I would guess. And don't you think it is slightly dismissive to suggest that by going to "other schools" one is trying to skate by? I doubt seriously that the new Bback Skov thinks he skated at Stanford. Lots of good football players have zero interest in the skills GT features, and that is neither a knock on them or on Tech. But maybe I am misreading your comment, too.
 
dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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UgaBlows said:
That is exactly what i was thinking.....not GT material
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I'm sure there's a great deal of investigation into the character of kids that happens before they get an offer. It's surprising to me that a kid that passes muster for an offer has this kind of attitude. Maybe somebody didn't do their homework. I mean, a kid who puts education first or at the very least on an equal footing with football are the kids we typically go after and for good reason as those are the types of kids who can survive the academics. Those type of kids are gonna have "cool unis" waaaaaaaaaaaay down the list.
 

Skeptic

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dressedcheeseside said:
I'm sure there's a great deal of investigation into the character of kids before they are offered. It's surprising that a kid that passes muster for an offer has this kind of attitude. Maybe somebody didn't do their homework. I mean, a kid who puts education first or at the very least on an equal footing with football are the kids we typically go after and for good reason as those are the types of kids who can survive the academics. Those type of kids are gonna have "cool unis" waaaaaaaaaaaay down the list.
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But one has to admit it hasn't hurt Oregon's recruiting in the slightest.
 
Ash

Ash

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Why are we one of a few P5 teams that wear Russel again? Did we have a AD that locked us into a long contract or something?

I personally couldn't care less who makes our gear. I am an Adidas man but the brand of uniforms never crossed my mind as being important until someone else brought it up.
 
ClydeBrick

ClydeBrick

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Skeptic said:
I didn't read Sidewalk Jacket's comment the same way. That you do not need a "GT degree" does not mean one does not care about academics ... just technical/science programs. Tech is not one-size-fits-all I would guess. And don't you think it is slightly dismissive to suggest that by going to "other schools" one is trying to skate by? I doubt seriously that the new Bback Skov thinks he skated at Stanford. Lots of good football players have zero interest in the skills GT features, and that is neither a knock on them or on Tech. But maybe I am misreading your comment, too.
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I agree, GT is certainly not a school with broad appeal to potential students. Thus, if a SA's heart is not in what ever his degree is, he will not be focused on it. At GT, you will not last if you are not focused, and GT does not have a degree program where you can hide from challenging classes. Which is not in and of itself dismissive of other schools, it is simply a fact.

To Sidewalk's point, if a SA has a desire to have a post-graduate life that is not football centric nor something that a GT degree will be beneficial in, then why would the SA consider going to GT? The academic work at GT will provide for a greater challenge to remain in school - for no good reason, regardless of which supplier makes the uniforms GT wears. That same SA will still have to remain academically eligible at any school - even at a school that has a less challenging program.
 
TechCubed

TechCubed

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If you're interested in the actual numbers, here's a good site that lists every school's contract that is public.

In summary, the Russell deal runs through 2017-18 and includes $1.3 million in equipment and apparel each year plus $900k in cash (increases to $950k for final two years. That cash figure is important to the budget, given the department's well-documented tight finances.

Things that I have a hard time believing:
-- We can get the same deal with another apparel company. It's comparing apples to oranges as newer deals are bigger, but take a look at UVA -- they get $1.575 million in gear (for a larger athletic program) and only $200k in cash.

-- We'd make up the money with sales. Our fan base is not going magically increase with a new deal, and folks that balk at buying tickets are going to suddenly drop serious money on (not cheap) apparel?

-- GT can raise the money to get out of the deal. There are plenty of worthwhile areas that are already underfunded, doubt there's much interest among those who can move the needle to address the Russell deal. Not meaning to put anyone down, but this is a message board issue.

Is it a problem in recruiting? Yes, but the degree varies. Shoe companies are influential in basketball via their proxies (see RCJr transfer). In other sports, there are definitely kids where it will matter, but the aspect of getting a lot of free stuff often trumps the brand. It's a misnomer to say that the kids only get Russell stuff. There are various opportunities to receive gifts during tournaments, championships and events, etc. For example, the ACC Championship game gives out UA apparel to both teams.

The good news is there's more competition in the marketplace. If the football program continues to raise its profile, GT will be a good position to receive competitive bids when the Russell deal is up.

Personally, I prefer Nike apparel and have a good bit of GT stuff. It's out there and not hard to purchase. Switching to them wouldn't suddenly make me buy more. Russell has definitely improved their selection and quality in recent years.
 
Whiskey_Clear

Whiskey_Clear

Banned
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10,486
Wow. To those that think we should switch in order to be more pleasing to potential recruits.....should we pick Nike, UA, or Adidas? Because different kids prefer different brands. Maybe we should survey all potential recruits every year to determine the most popular (almost certainly gonna come down to Nike or UA for the foreseeable future). Then we can just sign one year contracts with that supplier.:rolleyes:

I feel pretty comfortable presuming CPJ will influence a change if he believes either of the two things stipulated by many....that Russell unis are noticeably (hell maybe even marginally) inferior, OR that using Russell hurts us in recruiting. Time will tell I guess.

Rant over. Continue uni whining at your pleasure.
 
Northeast Stinger

Northeast Stinger

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JorgeJonas said:
I would add that anyone who rushed a fraternity or sorority likely made choices on which to pledge based on what they thought would be cool about it.
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Never thought about it but I wonder if anyone ever chose one fraternity over another because he didn't like the particular Greek letters, you know, like preferring a phi over an omega, or preferring a delta over a chi? Never thought about someone liking certain design characteristics so much that it would trump an organization's history, relationships and future networking options. I also wonder if some fraternities are deemed cooler because the jersey is green instead of blue, or burgundy instead of yellow. But then, I was never in a fraternity so I don't know if "how cool" the jersey is would make a difference or not to someone pledging. Thanks for making me think about this and what this might mean for guys choosing schools based on football uniforms.
 
Northeast Stinger

Northeast Stinger

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Skeptic said:
But one has to admit it hasn't hurt Oregon's recruiting in the slightest.
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Oregon is the outlier when it comes to football uniforms. They get by with "crazy." They get by with perpetually new, perpetually changing. They get by with never repeating the same color combination. That is there brand. And it works for them. Any other school that tries that ends up looking like Maryland.
 
DTGT

DTGT

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Regarding the recruits that pick somewhere else due to the uniform supplier...

Let's imagine that you have several job offers and that they are all guaranteed 5 year contracts; however, one of them requires that every day you show up to work, you must wear a particular brand wool suit and all their accessories (socks, underwear, etc... AND lets just say that this brand has a well deserved reputation as being cheaply made, itchy, stiff, heavy, hot, and poorly fit.

I can't say I would really fault them for not wanting to wear it for 5 YEARS. This is fabric that is in intimate contact with their skin and they have to wear it for 5 YEARS. This would not be acceptable in an employment situation.

It is beyond me that some on this forum can fault some recruits for not agreeing to these work conditions. I would not agree to those terms, unless I was desperate. Some people don't care about the way their clothes feel and some do care. Do you really think we should arbitrarily shrink the recruitment pool further?
 
dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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DTGT said:
Regarding the recruits that pick somewhere else due to the uniform supplier...

Let's imagine that you have several job offers and that they are all guaranteed 5 year contracts; however, one of them requires that every day you show up to work, you must wear a particular brand wool suit and all their accessories (socks, underwear, etc... AND lets just say that this brand has a well deserved reputation as being cheaply made, itchy, stiff, heavy, hot, and poorly fit.

I can't say I would really fault them for not wanting to wear it for 5 YEARS. This is fabric that is in intimate contact with their skin and they have to wear it for 5 YEARS. This would not be acceptable in an employment situation.

It is beyond me that some on this forum can fault some recruits for not agreeing to these work conditions. I would not agree to those terms, unless I was desperate. Some people don't care about the way their clothes feel and some do care. Do you really think we should arbitrarily shrink the recruitment pool further?
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The problem with most analogies is that they are far from analogous.

a·nal·o·gous
əˈnaləɡəs/
adjective
  1. comparable in certain respects, typically in a way that makes clearer the nature of the things compared.
 
SidewalkJacket

SidewalkJacket

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TheSilasSonRising said:
Specifics, please, on how it has hurt recruiting.

Specifis, please, what players have made fun of them.

Thanks
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Should have said (as others in this thread have) that it doesn't help. And it would be nice (as others in this thread have said) to not have to wonder what effect our apparel has, but rather to have it be a non-factor.

Hey, if I've got kids I coached who are now at Tech who say that, you'll just have to take my word for it. And if I have friends from previous staffs who knock it, as well, you'll just have to take my word for it.
 
Lexjacket

Lexjacket

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I heard from a player's Dad, who told me during pregame warm-ups at the Orange Bowl the Tech players were being taunted by the Miss. State players for wearing the Russell brand. I think Miss. State wore Nike.
 
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