KSU Makes it Rain on Dem JUCOS
Let's be clear, I'm not saying that Ron Prince pays his recruits but do you have any guesses as to which school has the largest recruiting budget in the Big 12?
Not Texas.
Nope, Nebraska ranks second.
Over the last fiscal year your biggest spender in the Big 12 was Kansas State at $1.32 million (for all sports), a total that ranked 5th in the nation.
Seems like a lot for 18 JUCOs and Michael Beasley doesn't it?
It is a lot. Of the top 15 spenders listed in The Chronicle of Higher Education's study, only Syracuse finished lower in the Director's Cup rankings than Kansas State.
As Tim Griffin notes on his Big 12 blog for ESPN, the hefty price tag is partially a matter of location. It's not cheap to get in and out of Manhattan and the same reason probably explains why Nebraska outspends every other team in the conference except for the Wildcats.
But NU has Omaha to serve as a nearby airport for commercial flights and no in state competition for recruits. Kansas State can't say that, but, still, fifth in the country? That represents a major commitment to athletics. But is this a championship strategy or an exit strategy for Ron Prince?
That was the question being asked nationwide when the head coach announced that his 2008 class included 18 JUCOs. According to Phil Steele, the Wildcats top 13 recruits coming in to the fall are all JUCOs and he also lists 11 total starters for 2008 as former junior college players.
You won't find much support for that strategy in Nebraska following the Callahan era. Sure our top two DBs--Murillo and Asante--were JUCO players, as was Purify, but it's tough not to think of Kenny Wilson whose career as a Cornhusker thus far, through some tremendous bad luck, has been reduced to one YouTube highlight from a practice. JUCOs will always seem like a stop gap solution at best. A necessary evil or a way to supplement a class not build one.
But KSU is unique on the recruiting trial for one more reason: They have the second fewest Texas recruits of any team in the conference. Overall, nearly half of all the players in the Big 12 (45.4%) hail from the Lone Star State, but only Colorado (5.9%) can claim fewer Texans than KSU (10.3%). Nebraska isn't much better off at 12.5% but from day one Bo Pelini has emphasized the importance of recruiting Texas and his 09 class certainly reflects that commitment (66.6% Texan to date). In fact, if you want a quick and easy reason for the rise of KU and Mizzou in the north, this chart provides a good starting point.
So what is the strategy at Kansas State? That's almost as hard to assess as their prospects for 2009 but it's certainly an original approach. Don't be afraid to raid the JUCO ranks or ignore Texas and spend a lot of money doing it.
That's not how most schools do it but I'll give them points for originality. As the copy store clerk from Jerry Maguire told a crazy Tom Cruise:
"That's how you become great, man, hang your balls out there."
Looking ahead to 2009, Prince has certainly achieved that.
8/6/2008
Nice of you to answer your own question in regards to where the money goes. But you ignore where the biggest increase of the recruiting budget has gone. It’s Frank Martin’s near stranglehold of two of the nations premier AAU squads(D.C. and Miami). It’s also in team travel as the football team plays Miami, UCLA, Louisville and others in the non-conference (games that historically been at home against cupcakes), and the basketball team in now playing in elite tournaments.
Omaha, NE
8/6/2008
I would assume that travel costs for away games don’t come out of the recruiting budget.
8/6/2008
Director’s Cup rankings? Hahahahaha! K-State doesn’t compete in but the minimum number of D1 sports. Comparing their Director’s Cup ranking with, say Texas’, is like comparing Dwayne Wade to Shaq O’neill. Stupid homer blog, man.
8/6/2008
Berf: I don’t think the post had much to do about the Director’s Cup rankings as it had to do with K-State and how they went about recruiting. The way I look at it is take pride in the fact that you at least managed to slip past Syracuse. That and the fact that you support a squad that uses the power cat for their logo.
8/6/2008
SHOW ME THE MONEY! sorry i had to you metioned jerry maguire
8/6/2008
Are you kidding me with dissin’ the powercat. What the he** is a corn husker. And what about the old Bugeaters mascot. Wow, those were proud days.
Chicago, IL
8/6/2008
Actually Powercat, our best mascot ever was the Mankilling Mastadons. I’m serious. Look it up.
Will the Power Towels be making a return appearance this year? Gosh I hope so.
8/6/2008
I did just that, Jason. And there seems to be some dissention in the literature. It seems that “mankilling mastodons” was actually how an eastern sportswriter referred to the Husker’s after Pitt lost to them in the 1910’s. I can’t find an actual reference to a time period where that was the offical nickname/mascot. Can you elucidate?
8/6/2008
Somehow I think that some of this K-State hating has something to do with Eric Crouch’s non-call of having his helmet turned around 180 degrees. I like that theory better than hating K-State for having an old man “out-coach” them for a stretch with a team that was considered by many, one of the NCAA’s worst teams ever, previously. No…wait…could it be that Josh Freeman deal gone sour? God forbid that a team with so much adversity, throughout the years, would beat a sound team like Nebraska, ever. Whatever it is is just plain silly. Get over yourselves, it’s not like Appalachan St. took you down.
8/6/2008
So many references in such a little comment. But really Kansas state out of almost any team besides “I state” and Baylor you have probably have no room to talk about football. Win some national championships then we can talk. Jason was just offering comedic relief. Oh you didn’t answer the question about the power towel cause i dont know about you but I love to see another video.
Kansas City, MO
8/7/2008
OU7, it’s all that and so much more. There’s nothing that says I have to be nice or like the fans of every team out there. It’s easy to say get over it, but very difficult to actually do it. I just don’t like them, and I’m not going to try. I will review Wildcat fans on a case by case basis, because I do have some KSU friends, but I don’t give them the benefit of the doubt.
8/7/2008
I’ll answer the Power Towel video comment. It was never used, and it’s no more embarrassing than your worthless tunnel walk video last year or that gawd-awful Bo Pelini Polka.
As far as “don’t talk until you win a national championship”...uh, OK. Put those national championship trophies out on the field and see if they do you any good. They’re nice to look at and make for fond memories, but they sure didn’t close those gaping holes USC busted open in your d-line.
8/7/2008
We still beat you even our worst football year in 40 years nuff said.
8/7/2008
All you sensitive Pussy-kitties need to get a grip! Heaven forbid someone of intelligence write an article questioning your recruiting strategy by using facts.
8/7/2008
Ok Tom, have it your way,if KSU should beat Nebraska this year,I promise to be the first one to call you out. Frankly, you’d deserve that. I’ve looked at this blog for about 2 years now and I don’t recall a BRN person ever telling a rival fan that “you suck”. Congrats on that! That’s alright though. It’s only natural(I guess)to feel that way towards someone that knocks you down and takes your “milk money”. So much for “trying to be nice”.
8/8/2008
Yeah, Kyle, and we smacked you around in 2004, our worst season since Bill Snyder became coach. Is that “nuff said”?
Kansas City, MO
8/11/2008
Ok, I was having a little bit of a bad week and I took it out unnecessarily on K State fans. It’s no excuse, but I am sorry about it. I usually said lots of stupid things on doombob.com and nobody noticed, but this is a different market. I hadn’t realized that BRN was held to higher standards until I did something that could jeopardize their reputation. Don’t expect to see me do something that dumb again. I won’t promise there will be other things I do that are ridiculous, but not that bad any more. We all know the internet never forgets. Just ask someone around here about Mangino and fat jokes.
8/12/2008
You gotta like a guy who admits he’s had a bad week. It’s all good, Tom.