JMU to the Orange Bowl!

[CAA Flagship]

UD certainly won't be impacted as much as JMU.
Here's the thing. It is a very fertile area. Also a very dense area. From a recruiting standpoint, getting in-state kids is crucial to the athletic budget for state schools that offer cheaper in-state tuition rates like Virginia. Then factor in recruiting expenses such as travel (for coaches and player official visits). Then there are the slew of tickets available for unofficial visits. We think we can easily win the off-the-field battle of recruiting-related expense control.

To see the impact we had on JMU, you can go to their website and view past rosters. Going back several years to when they won the NC, they were carrying somewhere between 28-33 players from the 757 area code. This year they had 8. A high percentage of the kids from this area are non-lineman. But if you think about JMU's offense the last couple of years, you can see they are lacking quality skill position players.

What does all of this mean? It means that we have no excuse for not becoming a top 20 FCS program. Factoring in the great fan support we have had, everything a coach can ask for in a program is here at Old Dominion. A lot of people have compared us to Coastal Carolina, but we have far more to work with than they have. Time will tell, and it will take a few more years until we become normal in our personnel rotations. For the next two years, we are relying heavily on our first two recruiting classes. These are the players that signed without seeing the rebuilt stadium or knowing how many fans would be in attendance. The players we are bringing in this year will be the ones that will provide the true measuring stick for our program.

[bandl]

This shit cracks me up.

Let's wait a few years, after the losing seasons pile up, and THEN let's see how this new NFL-quality team from SEVA is doing.

[State Line Liquors]

What does all of this mean? It means that we have no excuse for not becoming a top 20 FCS program. Factoring in the great fan support we have had, everything a coach can ask for in a program is here at Old Dominion.

Fair expectation.

Welcome to, and that you for becoming a contributing member of, the meat grinder.

If recruiting expenses outside the local area are a major concern (and I suspect they aren't), you're in the wrong business. That would be like spending the money on a 50 foot Sea Ray and not being able to afford the price difference between the $3 or the $4/gallon gas for the engine on a few nice runs a year.

[CAA Flagship]

What does all of this mean? It means that we have no excuse for not becoming a top 20 FCS program. Factoring in the great fan support we have had, everything a coach can ask for in a program is here at Old Dominion.

Fair expectation.

Welcome to, and that you for becoming a contributing member of, the meat grinder.

If recruiting expenses outside the local area are a major concern (and I suspect they aren't), you're in the wrong business. That would be like spending the money on a 50 foot Sea Ray and not being able to afford the price difference between the $3 or the $4/gallon gas for the engine on a few nice runs a year.

Agreed. But we all know that every penny counts. Expanding our stadium by 1000 seats would bring in $140K-150K. That's the equivalent of the cost of travel expenses for two road games by air. And it's also the equivalent of the difference of maybe 10 to 12 in-state scholarships vs. out-of-state scholarships. It's a sizable amount and is a major factor of recruitment.

[BDKJMU]

UD certainly won't be impacted as much as JMU.
Here's the thing. It is a very fertile area. Also a very dense area. From a recruiting standpoint, getting in-state kids is crucial to the athletic budget for state schools that offer cheaper in-state tuition rates like Virginia. Then factor in recruiting expenses such as travel (for coaches and player official visits). Then there are the slew of tickets available for unofficial visits. We think we can easily win the off-the-field battle of recruiting-related expense control.

To see the impact we had on JMU, you can go to their website and view past rosters. Going back several years to when they won the NC, they were carrying somewhere between 28-33 players from the 757 area code. This year they had 8. A high percentage of the kids from this area are non-lineman. But if you think about JMU's offense the last couple of years, you can see they are lacking quality skill position players.

What does all of this mean? It means that we have no excuse for not becoming a top 20 FCS program. Factoring in the great fan support we have had, everything a coach can ask for in a program is here at Old Dominion. A lot of people have compared us to Coastal Carolina, but we have far more to work with than they have. Time will tell, and it will take a few more years until we become normal in our personnel rotations. For the next two years, we are relying heavily on our first two recruiting classes. These are the players that signed without seeing the rebuilt stadium or knowing how many fans would be in attendance. The players we are bringing in this year will be the ones that will provide the true measuring stick for our program.

Looking at the JMU website, which has the rosters from 06' and forward, with 07' being the last year before ODU had any recruits, JMU had from the Tidewater on its roster:
06' 26
07' 25

I doubt JMU ever had 28-33 from Tidewater on its roster. Certainly not over 30 as you claim.

And the problem with the JMU offense the last 2 years wasn't a lack of "skill position" players Its was issues at QB(09') and OL (last season) (and some would argue QB last season also).

[CAA Flagship]

Looking at the JMU website, which has the rosters from 06' and forward, with 07' being the last year before ODU had any recruits, JMU had from the Tidewater on its roster:
06' 26
07' 25

I doubt JMU ever had 28-33 from Tidewater on its roster. Certainly not over 30 as you claim.

And the problem with the JMU offense the last 2 years wasn't a lack of "skill position" players Its was issues at QB(09') and OL (last season) (and some would argue QB last season also).

I included areas like Williamsburg (which is 757) and Gloucester (within a 60 minute drive). I looked at that over a year ago but I remember including those areas.
OK. I understand that bad QB play will "hide" good receivers. And a good passing attack helps the running game. And you need a good line to do both. Circle of life thing. But sometimes a QB looks bad because of a lack of good receivers and running backs. Just saying it is too difficult to tell.

[BDKJMU]

Looking at the JMU website, which has the rosters from 06' and forward, with 07' being the last year before ODU had any recruits, JMU had from the Tidewater on its roster:
06' 26
07' 25

I doubt JMU ever had 28-33 from Tidewater on its roster. Certainly not over 30 as you claim.

And the problem with the JMU offense the last 2 years wasn't a lack of "skill position" players Its was issues at QB(09') and OL (last season) (and some would argue QB last season also).

I included areas like Williamsburg (which is 757) and Gloucester (within a 60 minute drive). I looked at that over a year ago but I remember including those areas.

I included Williamsburg and Gloucester too. I have the NC game program from 04' and it shows the 56 from the travel team, 14 from Tidewater. Extrapolate that to a 90ish man roster, and it would be 22-23 guys.

Bottom line is 04', 06, and 07', 3 of the last 4 years before ODU began to sign recruits, JMU had in the ballpark of 2 doz Tidewater players, not 28-33 as you claim.

Sure, of the 90 or however many players ODU had on its roster for this past season, most would otherwise be playing at another school. Its reasonable to say 15 or so of them would otherwise be at JMU. But others would otherwise be at Hampton, Norfolk State, W&M, UR (all of whom are closer), Liberty, VMI, Towson, UD, the NC schools (ASU, Elon, WCU, Garner Webb), some on I-A rosters, some on Div II, some wouldn't be playing anywhere, etc, etc. Anytime you start up a new program its going to take recruits that would otherwise go to fellow schools at its level in the same state and from surrounding states. GST is drawing many recruits that would otherwise go to So-Con and Big South schools.

The only aspect of JMU's recruting right now I'm concerned with is OL, and it has nothing to do with ODU.

BTW, JMU 2010 class got the top player from the Tidewater area who went I-AA in 3 star Simmons:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/virginiapreps/f ... /rank-2319" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
who had offers from WVU (according to Scout) + UConn, Duke, Marshall, and Toldeo.Simmons redshirted this season. If he stays healthy he'll be an impact freshman. I see 2 Rivals top 30 that signed with JMU. Don't see any that signed with any other I-AA, including ODU.

[CAA Flagship]

The JMU website only goes back to the 2006-07 roster. But I count 28 players within a 60 minute drive from our campus (that doesn't include the kid from Mathews but does include Franklin & Yorktown). I am sure I counted more from the previous years when it was still available on the website, but we are splitting hairs now. I'm sure the shift went to Northern VA which is filled with talent too. We have had very little success there thus far. But that area is a lot closer to JMU than SE VA which helps JMU. Your coaches have a better shot at seeing Friday night games in NOVA vs. SEVA.

[BDKJMU]

The JMU website only goes back to the 2006-07 roster. But I count 28 players within a 60 minute drive from our campus (that doesn't include the kid from Mathews but does include Franklin & Yorktown). I am sure I counted more from the previous years when it was still available on the website, but we are splitting hairs now. I'm sure the shift went to Northern VA which is filled with talent too. We have had very little success there thus far. But that area is a lot closer to JMU than SE VA which helps JMU. Your coaches have a better shot at seeing Friday night games in NOVA vs. SEVA.

Dude, 60 min/60 miles from Norfolk is practically all the way to the eastern Richmond area, the Eastern shore of VA, and even into Southside. You're counting some guys that AREN'T in the Tidewater area.

[BDKJMU]

Just got the TV on and had a call from my buddy that JMU had 2 mentions during the pre game, one ESPN, and one another network. Then I just heard right before the national anthem Mark May talk about how VT was on a mission since their "embarrassing loss to James Madison".

Every time I've watched VT or Boise or heard them talked about, ESPN or other networks, which is about every week, I've heard JMU mentioned. Who would've thunk that the I-AA that received the most national pub (by far) this season would be a 6-5 team.

[Skjellyfetti]

EWU probably has gotten more publicity this year.

[CrunchGriz]

EWU probably has gotten more publicity this year.

And then Stanford makes all the VT hype go poof in 30 dominant minutes.

The ACC is about thaaaaaaaat much better than the CAA -- maybe.

[CAA Flagship]

The JMU website only goes back to the 2006-07 roster. But I count 28 players within a 60 minute drive from our campus (that doesn't include the kid from Mathews but does include Franklin & Yorktown). I am sure I counted more from the previous years when it was still available on the website, but we are splitting hairs now. I'm sure the shift went to Northern VA which is filled with talent too. We have had very little success there thus far. But that area is a lot closer to JMU than SE VA which helps JMU. Your coaches have a better shot at seeing Friday night games in NOVA vs. SEVA.

Dude, 60 min/60 miles from Norfolk is practically all the way to the eastern Richmond area, the Eastern shore of VA, and even into Southside. You're counting some guys that AREN'T in the Tidewater area.

From the roster, I went as far as Williamsburg/Yorktown to the north and Franklin to the west. You said you included Williamsburg too. This area is referred to as Hampton Roads or 757. Williamsburg is a 45-50 minute drive from campus. If you look at the 06-07 roster, the area I referred to includes players shown from Hampton, Va. Beach, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, Franklin, Yorktown, Newport News, Portsmouth, and Norfolk. Mathews is a bit of a stretch, so if you don't count that kid, it is at least 27 players (I get a different number everytime I count it ).

[BDKJMU]

Final count according to a thread going on over on the CAAZone was 6. I wasn't in front of the TV till 08:15, so I missed the 1st 4.
1. 6:09 was the 1st time.
2. Lou Holtz mentions VT lost to Boise and JMU.
3. Was before 7:30 showing including 2 showings of highlights of JMU's victory over the VT.
4. Mike Tiricio in the opening broadcast at 8:03.
5. Mark May mentions VT's "embarrassing loss to JMU" right before the national anthem.
6. 13:50 in the 3rd by Mike Tirico.

[BDKJMU]

I think this slams the door in the notion that Boise if they hadn't lost to Nevada deserved a shot at the title, or that they still deserved a BCS game. Boise barely beating VT tells you that Boise was overrated.

[Skjellyfetti]

Final count according to a thread going on over on the CAAZone was 6. I wasn't in front of the TV till 08:15, so I missed the 1st 4.
1. 6:09 was the 1st time.
2. Lou Holtz mentions VT lost to Boise and JMU.
3. Was before 7:30 showing including 2 showings of highlights of JMU's victory over the VT.
4. Mike Tiricio in the opening broadcast at 8:03.
5. Mark May mentions VT's "embarrassing loss to JMU" right before the national anthem.
6. 13:50 in the 3rd by Mike Tirico.

Wow, dude.



Will be interesting to see who finishes the season higher: 2007 Michigan... or 2010 Virginia Tech.