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[takethepoints]

Tech recruiting itself. For elite talent. That would be a major paradigm shift. It would mean we will suddenly compete for top guys with uga and help keep Bama, Clem, UF, FSU, Tenn, Aub etc our of metro Atl.

I like what you are drinking....actually I think you may be smoking something.

Injecting would be more likely.

 

[smokey_wasp]

What you say about the Atlanta and metro high schools is correct; they have become more stringent. Problem = since the 1990s, Tech has upped its game as well. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I'm guessing that 50 - 60% of the students at Tech in 1990 couldn't get in today. Or, to put it another way, every advance in the academic standing and requirements by Georgia's high schools has been matched and then some by similar advances at Tech.

I agree that if Coach could hand pick recruits from the metro area, we'd be in high clover. But he can't. Really. He can't. I'm sure that we can pick up that few extra difference makers that Inside is talking about above and that will make it easier for us to win. But, as you point out, we will never recruit like the usual suspects. Having "elite kids" look at Tech is all very well and we will get some of them, especially if we are careful about how we recruit. But, again, I think you are being way, way too sanguine about the skies opening up because we have a new coaching staff.

If it is that hard to get elite athletes into Tech academically, why did CPJ offer the majority of top recruits in metro Atlanta and the state of GA as well? Surely he wouldn't have offered them if they couldn't qualify or if he didn't think they could stay eligible. Imagine, for a moment that you are overstating the challenge. Then, maybe the high hopes won't seem so unreasonable.

 

[Techster]

What you say about the Atlanta and metro high schools is correct; they have become more stringent. Problem = since the 1990s, Tech has upped its game as well. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I'm guessing that 50 - 60% of the students at Tech in 1990 couldn't get in today. Or, to put it another way, every advance in the academic standing and requirements by Georgia's high schools has been matched and then some by similar advances at Tech.

I agree that if Coach could hand pick recruits from the metro area, we'd be in high clover. But he can't. Really. He can't. I'm sure that we can pick up that few extra difference makers that Inside is talking about above and that will make it easier for us to win. But, as you point out, we will never recruit like the usual suspects. Having "elite kids" look at Tech is all very well and we will get some of them, especially if we are careful about how we recruit. But, again, I think you are being way, way too sanguine about the skies opening up because we have a new coaching staff.

GT has become more stringent for the general student population. Let's be real here, GT would probably have to drop down to NAIA if we could only field SAs that had to qualify with the same credentials as the general student population. GT athletics is allowed A LOT of leeway versus the general student population. GT can't sign just anyone, and there are minimums, but we're being disingenuous if we're using general student population criteria when talking about our recruits. CPJ was allowed as many exceptions as he wanted, though he was smart enough to know if kids couldn't pass classes, then it would be self defeating. As former SAs pointed out on this board, GT classes are manageable as long as the SA is willing to put in the work. GT has a LOT of resources that helps the SAs toward their degrees. There was an OL who has since graduated with his business degree that we signed with a 2.9 GPA.

I think you misinterpreted what I wrote. I'm not intimating that CGC gets to cherry pick without restrictions, what I mean is if CGC COULD pick out the guys that qualify and are in the elite range that are in GA, then GT would be a playoff contender. It was counter to your post that there is not enough elite talent in GA...but clearly MANY colleges have benefited from the explosion of elite talent developing from GA EXCEPT GT.

This is what I'll say, and I've said it for years: One day GT will hire a HC that "gets it" and can leverage all the great things about GT and Atlanta, and he will bring in a system that attracts elite talent instead of repelling them. When that happens, a LOT of fans will be surprised at just how much talent we've missed out on in the last decade. Other coaches, media, and even recruits have said MANY times that GT is a sleeping giant. CGC seems to be hitting all the right notes so far...but he still needs to prove it more on the field, and in the upcoming years in terms of recruiting.

You don't have to believe it, and you can choose to take a wait and see approach, but I for one am tired of all the negativity that GT fans have adopted over the last few years regarding GT's recruiting ceiling because of academics and whatever reasons they want to believe. IMO, our recruiting ceiling was lowered over the last decade and some fans lowered their expectations with it. There are plenty of recruits just in the Metro Atlanta area that are qualified to play for GT...it's our staff's job to find them and convince them that GT is the school for them. Unfortunately, we were not very good in doing that the last decade.

 

[Animal02]

If it is that hard to get elite athletes into Tech academically, why did CPJ offer the majority of top recruits in metro Atlanta and the state of GA as well? Surely he wouldn't have offered them if they couldn't qualify or if he didn't think they could stay eligible. Imagine, for a moment that you are overstating the challenge. Then, maybe the high hopes won't seem so unreasonable.

Same old tired misdirection argument.
It is NOT a matter of getting admitted.
The primary issue are 1) The limited number of degree programs and the requirement for calculus. 2) The recruit actually wanting to "play school"
Those have been and remain the limiting factors regarding recruiting.
Changing the head coach has not changed that.
Increasing the staff budget will help find a few more needles in the haystack.
Kids that have NFL ingrained in their head or whispered in their ear will be looking for turf management and parks and recs degree programs that they can coast through,

 

[Techster]

Injecting would be more likely.

I'll take all the positive press and renewed enthusiasm GT has gotten since the CGC hire has occured. If it involves me INJECTING it in the form of cherry coke, so be it. I refuse to be negative nancies like you and a few others.

But carry on with holding on to the past and your depressing POV. I prefer enjoying all the good stuff GT has gotten lately.

 

[Animal02]

GT has become more stringent for the general student population. Let's be real here, GT would probably have to drop down to NAIA if we could only field SAs that had to qualify with the same credentials as the general student population. GT athletics is allowed A LOT of leeway versus the general student population. GT can't sign just anyone, and there are minimums, but we're being disingenuous if we're using general student population criteria when talking about our recruits. CPJ was allowed as many exceptions as he wanted, though he was smart enough to know if kids couldn't pass classes, then it would be self defeating. As former SAs pointed out on this board, GT classes are manageable as long as the SA is willing to put in the work. GT has a LOT of resources that helps the SAs toward their degrees. There was an OL who has since graduated with his business degree that we signed with a 2.9 GPA.

I think you misinterpreted what I wrote. I'm not intimating that CGC gets to cherry pick without restrictions, what I mean is if CGC COULD pick out the guys that qualify and are in the elite range that are in GA, then GT would be a playoff contender. It was counter to your post that there is not enough elite talent in GA...but clearly MANY colleges have benefited from the explosion of elite talent developing from GA EXCEPT GT.

This is what I'll say, and I've said it for years: One day GT will hire a HC that "gets it" and can leverage all the great things about GT and Atlanta, and he will bring in a system that attracts elite talent instead of repelling them. When that happens, a LOT of fans will be surprised at just how much talent we've missed out on in the last decade. Other coaches, media, and even recruits have said MANY times that GT is a sleeping giant. CGC seems to be hitting all the right notes so far...but he still needs to prove it more on the field, and in the upcoming years in terms of recruiting.

You don't have to believe it, and you can choose to take a wait and see approach, but I for one am tired of all the negativity that GT fans have adopted over the last few years regarding GT's recruiting ceiling because of academics and whatever reasons they want to believe. IMO, our recruiting ceiling was lowered over the last decade and some fans lowered their expectations with it. There are plenty of recruits just in the Metro Atlanta area that are qualified to play for GT...it's our staff's job to find them and convince them that GT is the school for them. Unfortunately, we were not very good in doing that the last decade.

Qualifying and wanting to major (as well as put in the effort to advance toward a degree) in one of Tech's limited offerings is by far the biggest roadblock.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Same old tired misdirection argument.
It is NOT a matter of getting admitted.
The primary issue are 1) The limited number of degree programs and the requirement for calculus. 2) The recruit actually wanting to "play school"
Those have been and remain the limiting factors regarding recruiting.
Changing the head coach has not changed that.
Increasing the staff budget will help find a few more needles in the haystack.
Kids that have NFL ingrained in their head or whispered in their ear will be looking for turf management and parks and recs degree programs that they can coast through,

Well, that is an entirely different argument than what I was responding to, and a valid one. I would definitely like to see some additional majors, though I do think the business degree will be attractive enough to a lot of the recruits we are going after.

 

[Animal02]

Well, that is an entirely different argument than what I was responding to, and a valid one. I would definitely like to see some additional majors, though I do think the business degree will be attractive to a lot of the recruits we are gling after.

It may be attractive to a few.....but they still will want to "play school" The vast majority of kids told they will make the NFL will be looking for turf management, parks and recs, etc degrees to coast.

 

[Techster]

Qualifying and wanting to major (as well as put in the effort to advance toward a degree) in one of Tech's limited offerings is by far the biggest roadblock.

This will hurt some feelings, but let me put it this way:

There are more kids that are qualified and willing to do the work that GT requires than there were kids that wanted to play in the previous system. Some on here can't seem to accept that, and would rather place the blame on academics and tougher classes, but that's not the biggest reason we've been losing our share of elite recruits the last decade.

Interpret that however you want, but a certain 4 star RB that's expected to sign this week is the perfect example of that. He was committed to another school then he literally did a 180 about GT when CGC and Patenaude's new system came in...even though he has a brother that's on the team, even though the first coach to "believe" in his greatness was Andy McCollum (he tweeted about that when CAM was let go), even though he wants his parents to come watch him and his brother play at the same place.

 

[Animal02]

I agree we can do slightly better in Atlanta and environs. Problem = the secondary schools in the Atlanta public school system and the metro are simply not up to the task of delivering a large number of quality athletes that will qualify academically for Tech on a regular basis. This was one of the main reasons why Ross had such success on the flats. He used his and O'Leary's New York/New Jersey connections to bring in quality football players who could make a difference for us and get admitted. They were real straightforward about this, btw; I heard O'Leary say that the main reason he liked to recruit up North was that the high schools were better and they could get the athletes into Tech. Add in the occasional Florida/NC/Ohio star and mix in the Georgia athletes who could get in and bingo!

But that was then and this is now. The problem of trying to find 4 (and maybe 5) star athletes who can a) get in and b) want to come to Tech is the reason I keep harping on recruiting infrastructure and, though less then some others, national recruiting. I think the "old mindset" you mention is, in part, the recognition of the continuing - and it is - difficulty caused by Tech's curriculum and admission standards. Some here (I'm not saying you) seem to think that this can be wished away by "relentless recruiting" or that the Hill and the BoR are going to change things so that Tech can win more football games. To say that they are living in a fools paradise is to be generous. I think Coach and his assistants can do better in recruiting - I said in another thread that I expect them to get us to VT level directly - but I think you are being way, way to sanguine about our prospects going forward.

Hope I'm wrong and you're right, of course. That'd be awesome.

CPJ made the same mistake when hired......thinking that he could concentrate on the SE and compete for recruits. The ONLY way Tech is going to advance significantly in the recruiting game will be going at least semi nationally.

 

[Animal02]

This will hurt some feelings, but let me put it this way:

There are more kids that are qualified and willing to do the work that GT requires than there were kids that wanted to play in the previous system. Some on here can't seem to accept that, and would rather place the blame on academics and tougher classes, but that's not the biggest reason we've been losing our share of elite recruits the last decade.

Interpret that however you want, but a certain 4 star RB that's expected to sign this week is the perfect example of that. He was committed to another school then he literally did a 180 about GT when CGC and Patenaude's new system came in...even though he has a brother that's on the team, even though the first coach to "believe" in his greatness was Andy McCollum (he tweeted about that when CAM was let go), even though he wants his parents to come watch him and his brother play at the same place.

We may pick off one or two here and there.......but that vast majority of kids that are looking to the NFL do NOT want to major in engineering or business, nor do they want to "Play school" while waiting for their chance that the big league.

 

[smathis30]

With so many 4.0 students failing to get in....and uga opening an engineering school....I wonder why Tech can’t expand it’s enrollment. Is the campus capacity maxed out?

Tech is landlocked with the explosion in midtown. They can definitely renovate older buildings and dorms to be taller, issue is that off campus housing is cheaper, so there really isn’t a need to do it. Renovating costs money and college is already rediculously expensive, and the desire to not raise costs to keep techs ROi and best selling point alive.

 

[Techster]

We may pick off one or two here and there.......but that vast majority of kids that are looking to the NFL do NOT want to major in engineering or business, nor do they want to "Play school" while waiting for their chance that the big league.

No point in really arguing this anymore. It's playing out in real life now with a coach and staff that was put together for optimal recruiting returns. We can continue this discussion in 2-3 years and see which of us was accurate.

 

[Animal02]

Tech is landlocked with the explosion in midtown. They can definitely renovate older buildings and dorms to be taller, issue is that off campus housing is cheaper, so there really isn’t a need to do it. Renovating costs money and college is already rediculously expensive, and the desire to not raise costs to keep techs ROi and best selling point alive.

The trend in housing is private dorms.....I have done construction monitoring and property inspections on several. You would not believe the amenities they offer (and the prices they charge)
Tech is at a point, if they are not careful of losing the "campus" feel and becoming an strictly urban college if the continue to pave and develop what little green space they have left.....as well as if they go vertical.
They should have been buying property in Home Park all these years when it hit the market.....like they did all the property south of 10th street back in the 80's

 

[smokey_wasp]

I think we should all be willing to admit that we don't know with certainty what holds us back in terms of recruiting. I'm just saying, what might it mean for our recruiting if some of our favorite excuses are wrong? The thing I keep coming back to is that this staff knows better than any of us what it takes and they seem extremely confident. Collins recruited here. Key, Coleman, Choice and Burton were SA's. Who am I to second-guess?

 

[Techster]

I think we should all be willing to admit that we don't know with certainty what holds us back in terms of recruiting. I'm just saying, what might it mean for our recruiting if some of our favorite excuses are wrong? The thing I keep coming back to is that this staff knows better than any of us what it takes and they seem extremely confident. Collins recruited here. Key, Coleman, Choice and Burton were SA's. Who am I to second-guess?

I'm just glad TStan hired a coach and that coach put together a staff that's specifically built for recruiting. Why? Because either a LOT of narrative are about to be proven wrong, or a LOT of narratives are about to be proven correct. We'll see in 2-3 years...

 

[Animal02]

No point in really arguing this anymore. It's playing out in real life now with a coach and staff that was put together for optimal recruiting returns. We can continue this discussion in 2-3 years and see which of us was accurate.

As to your RB recruit.......same observation could be make regarding the "old" system regarding a QB and Bama.

 

[smathis30]

The trend in housing is private dorms.....I have done construction monitoring and property inspections on several. You would not believe the amenities they offer (and the prices they charge)
Tech is at a point, if they are not careful of losing the "campus" feel and becoming an strictly urban college if the continue to pave and develop what little green space they have left.....as well as if they go vertical.
They should have been buying property in Home Park all these years when it hit the market.....like they did all the property south of 10th street back in the 80's

Issue is to create a dorm or building they essentially have to purchase a block at a time. Real estate lottery doesn’t work out that we’ll when almost all of those a rental properties and you have to buy 16 at once

 

[Animal02]

I think we should all be willing to admit that we don't know with certainty what holds us back in terms of recruiting. I'm just saying, what might it mean for our recruiting if some of our favorite excuses are wrong? The thing I keep coming back to is that this staff knows better than any of us what it takes and they seem extremely confident. Collins recruited here. Key, Coleman, Choice and Burton were SA's. Who am I to second-guess?

Anyone that cannot acknowledge the limitations that Tech has WRT recruiting is living in a fantasy world. (Hell, Bobby Dodd knew that half a century ago.....and that was before the APR) That does not mean that they cannot it cannot be overcome to some degree........but thinking the floodgates will open simply because of a new coach and "hype" is silly. Telling kids to switch their desired major in order to play football will turn off more than it will turn on. Been there, done that.

 

[Animal02]

Issue is to create a dorm or building they essentially have to purchase a block at a time. Real estate lottery doesn’t work out that we’ll when almost all of those a rental properties and you have to buy 16 at once

That is exactly what they did in the 80's.......they bought them.....if they were decent, they rented them, usually to organization, the bad ones they bulldozed. (I had to move out of a house because Tech purchased it midway through the year....it was a major pain BTW) Almost all the property between State and the 41 to the west, and 8th and 10th was single family residential in the early 80's.