Georgia Tech’s Inability to Land In-State Talent is Becoming Problematic

[SolicitorJacket]

As mentioned above, part of our problem in state is the fact that UGA and the swag horde drive the narrative. A 4 or 5 star in state is likely to know or have more day to day contact from a UGA fan. That means that someone that is known and maybe trusted is likely to give them an earful of "Tech Sucks". If the team is bad or mediocre they focus on that. If not then it doesn't matter because Tech is no fun and there are a total of 3 women on campus. Although it is untrue, we have a hard time overcoming that because they are likely not to get an opposing view other than the coach recruiting them.

This is magnified because UGA has a vested interest in keeping its red and black thumb on Tech athletics. Their biggest nightmare is waking up one morning to find themselves the second best program in the state, despite all their advantages. While you may hear Dwags bemoaning talent leaving the state, they would rather all those escaping 4 or 5 stars go to Bama or Clemson than to stay home and risk the script being flipped in Georgia.

 

[SteamWhistle]

Most recruiting websites don't look at film, they look at How a kid does at a camp, and how many offers they have.

 

[alentrekin]

Most recruiting websites don't look at film, they look at How a kid does at a camp, and how many offers they have.

The write-ups on ESPN's insider recruiting (Scout, I think?) are pretty detailed for the top 500 or so. They definitely have watched film on those guys.

 

[jacketup]

Right, I just brought up Stanford because its the worthless school a lot of people bring up to say that Tech should be able to recruit like. And I mean 'worthless school' because 90% of their football players major in worthless crap we don't offer and shouldn't ever offer. Hell, like half the team lists their major as 'Undeclared'. Other degree paths include garbage like Communication and Media Studies. There is Stanford-the-main-school, and then there is Stanford-for-the-football-team that is probably worse quality than a rural community college.

You mean they have a garbage major like Literature, Media and Communications? So does GT! Do they have majors like History, Science and Technology?

Some Tech fans are clueless that GT has a Liberal Arts School with Liberal Arts majors.

 

[ATL1]

My take.
The article is right. No excuses. You a D1 power 5 program of only two in state. Recruit better.

I Understand the issues surrounded by that but no excuses. Get it done.

 

[4shotB]

You hit some major points here. We all know we have tons of challenges and we don't get hardly any resources compared to everyone else. So its stupid to expect to be top 25 each year if we get similar resources to programs around #100. So I think what we need to do is craft a plan and set goals (to your point), and then list out what we need to do to get there and what it will cost. And then also set forth a fundraising plan to get there and ask for it. And for those of us who do care (which is a much smaller subset compared to other schools) we will have to decide if we're willing to pay more than our fair share, which is what it will take to accomplish those goals.

the

I agree with the premise here and believe this would be a major turning point in increasing the numbers of alums "who do care" as you say. One of the biggest issues I (and several other GT alums that I associate with) have had with the GTAA is their lack of marketing and outreach, which has implied both indifference and an acceptance of the status quo. A well crafted 5 to 10 year strategic plan presented to the GT community that identifies barriers to improvement and achievable ways to overcome them would, imo, be the biggest achievement and indicator of effective leadership at the top level than almost anything that has been done since Dr. Homer Rice left. The silence that has come from that body has always gave me an uneasy feeling that our AA more or less dabbled at sports and was constrained by the way we have always done things.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

You mean they have a garbage major like Literature, Media and Communications? So does GT! Do they have majors like History, Science and Technology?

Some Tech fans are clueless that GT has a Liberal Arts School with Liberal Arts majors.

Nope, but Grade A+ job of putting words in my mouth.

 

[forensicbuzz]

You mean they have a garbage major like Literature, Media and Communications? So does GT! Do they have majors like History, Science and Technology?

Some Tech fans are clueless that GT has a Liberal Arts School with Liberal Arts majors.

A Liberal Arts school where they receive a Bachelor of Science degree. Slightly different academic requirements.

And just to make sure you don't think I'm STEM-biased, my wife has a MS Phys from GT and Ph.D. Public Policy from GT. She was also in the HST program for a while before moving over to PP. My sister-in-law has a BS in LCC, MS & Ph.D. in Public Policy from GT. These programs, although not traditional STEM programs, are not your typical Liberal Arts programs.

 

[takethepoints]

Nope, but Grade A+ job of putting words in my mouth.

Yep. One of the things Tech could do is make the liberal arts majors more visible. There is little recognition of the liberal arts at Tech and there is no question at all that they are treated as an afterthought by the school itself.

This makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm a political scientist by trade (retired, but still in there plugging, off and on). If there was ever a time when quantitative methods are taking the lead in the liberal arts it's right now. Shoot, even the English programs are embracing things like content analysis and machine learning. These kinds of things are not, you know, unknown at Tech. Indeed, Tech should be in the forefront on this kind of thing as well as other sophistaciated qualitative techniques in the liberal arts. If MIT can do it - they have a world renowned liberal arts program - Tech can do it. Indeed, from what people there tell me, they are doing it but nobody much is paying attention.

So, yes, we could do more to let interested young people know that they can come to Tech, study English (i.e. Literature, Media, and Communications), and get a kick-rear degree in the subject that leads to all kinds of opportunities after college. More liberal arts majors would help, but it isn't really necessary; we just need to make the invisible visible.

 

[northgajacket]

Most recruiting websites don't look at film, they look at How a kid does at a camp, and how many offers they have.

Which is ridiculous, because performance at a camp is not the same as a game scenario.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

My take.
The article is right. No excuses. You a D1 power 5 program of only two in state. Recruit better.

I Understand the issues surrounded by that but no excuses. Get it done.

Um... did you happen to see AE's post on pg 2. I think it's apropos to yours:

"Just do it," "Just win," and "Just be a top 20 program" are not strategies but goals.

Once you establish your goals, your strategies for reaching those goals must account for circumstances.

If you insist on labelling any discussion of circumstances as "excuse making," then you are treating the goal as if it were a strategy.

It's like a coach calling the play from the sideline, "Score a TD," and then complaining about missed blocks. When the players respond that they didn't know who to block without a specific play, he says, "Stop making excuses."

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Yep. One of the things Tech could do is make the liberal arts majors more visible. There is little recognition of the liberal arts at Tech and there is no question at all that they are treated as an afterthought by the school itself.

This makes absolutely no sense at all. I'm a political scientist by trade (retired, but still in there plugging, off and on). If there was ever a time when quantitative methods are taking the lead in the liberal arts it's right now. Shoot, even the English programs are embracing things like content analysis and machine learning. These kinds of things are not, you know, unknown at Tech. Indeed, Tech should be in the forefront on this kind of thing as well as other sophistaciated qualitative techniques in the liberal arts. If MIT can do it - they have a world renowned liberal arts program - Tech can do it. Indeed, from what people there tell me, they are doing it but nobody much is paying attention.

So, yes, we could do more to let interested young people know that they can come to Tech, study English (i.e. Literature, Media, and Communications), and get a kick-rear degree in the subject that leads to all kinds of opportunities after college. More liberal arts majors would help, but it isn't really necessary; we just need to make the invisible visible.

In addition to highlighting our Liberal Arts degrees, GT could easily introduce programs that merge technology and sports. There are a lot of ways to do this and it's a real need, not a fabricated one for the sole sake of attracting SA's.

 

[GTFLETCH]

My take.
The article is right. No excuses. You a D1 power 5 program of only two in state. Recruit better.

I Understand the issues surrounded by that but no excuses. Get it done.

I agree with your point of get it done...
THAT is where the rub is... what does get it done look like.. I say they have been since 2014.. It depends in who you ask and what the measuring stick is...

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

In addition to highlighting our Liberal Arts degrees, GT could easily introduce programs that merge technology and sports. There are a lot of ways to do this and it's a real need, not a fabricated one for the sole sake of attracting SA's.

Homer Rice tried that and, despite the Hill's approval, it was vetoed by the BOR.

 

[northgajacket]

The thing is: uga is not much better in terms of keeping in-state talent.

DeShaun Watson (Gainesville) went to Clemson
Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville) is committed to Clemson
Vic Beasley (Adairsville) went to Clemson
Cam Newton (College Park) went to Florida then Auburn
Robert Nkemdiche (Grayson) went to Ole Miss
Carl Lawson ( Milton) went to Auburn
Ben Troupe ( Augusta) went to Florida

Those are few off the top of my head in terms of highly rated prospects going elsewhere.

Has uga gotten some great prospects in-state? Yes

But what I always notice is there big time recruits come from out of state ( A.J. Green, Stafford, Aaron Murray) and the not as highly touted players seem to be form in-state while the more highly touted recruits from GA go elsewhere.

 

[4shotB]

The thing is: uga is not much better in terms of keeping in-state talent.

DeShaun Watson (Gainesville) went to Clemson
Trevor Lawrence (Cartersville) is committed to Clemson
Vic Beasley (Adairsville) went to Clemson
Cam Newton (College Park) went to Florida then Auburn
Robert Nkemdiche (Grayson) went to Ole Miss
Carl Lawson ( Milton) went to Auburn
Ben Troupe ( Augusta) went to Florida

Those are few off the top of my head in terms of highly rated prospects going elsewhere.

Has uga gotten some great prospects in-state? Yes

But what I always notice is there big time recruits come from out of state ( A.J. Green, Stafford, Aaron Murray) and the not as highly touted players seem to be form in-state while the more highly touted recruits from GA go elsewhere.

The schools you have mentioned above have a recent history of competing for NC's (excluding Mississippi). That's a strong selling point..look at the recruiting classes that Bama and OSU sign every year.

 

[g0lftime]

The regular high school students that go to GT are the smart kids. That probably intimidates some potential athletes into not thinking they can also make it through plus the UGA kids put us down as nerds. It is hard to overcome peer pressure.

 

[northgajacket]

The schools you have mentioned above have a recent history of competing for NC's (excluding Mississippi). That's a strong selling point..look at the recruiting classes that Bama and OSU sign every year.

true.. but the media here acts like uga is in contention every year. I was just making a point that uga has trouble as well. They rely on out-of-state talent ( like getting players from Florida).

 

[A Love Supreme]

This article will look stupid when we win the ACC and go to the playoff in a few years.

 

[TheTechGuy]

Could have written an article on how we stole 2 of Louisiana's* best recruits from LSU and 2 of Tennessee's best this year from major programs, all 4 of which were 4 stars on rivals...but it wouldn't get as many clicks.

*Lousiana has the most NFL players per capita.