Big Risks Involved With Big Cat Weekend
by Jay Coulter on Jun 6, 2009 9:09 AM CDT
in Football
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Will Big Cat Weekend pay off for Chizik?
You'd be hard pressed to knock the smiles off the faces of Auburn coaches this week. Turn on the television or crank up the internet and there they stand - all smiles. The little staff that could has done it again. Big Cat Weekend on the Plains was deemed by most a rousing success.
Even Auburn's harshest critics are shaking their heads. Where does this staff come up with this stuff? Furthermore, why didn't Tommy Tuberville ever think of these things? Yeah, these are heady times for Auburn's Gene Chizik and crew. Who cares about a few secondary NCAA violations?
If the school to the north can allegedly hand out favors in Gadsden like Halloween candy, who cares if the staff orchestrated a little pep rally around Toomer's Corner? If Tennessee's Lane Kiffin is the poster child for stupid moves, then Chizik is the man with the Midas Touch.
There's only one problem. Chizik has yet to win a game or get a commitment from any of these big cats. Five-star recruits Lache Seastrunk and Marcus Lattimore are getting all the attention right now. And should just one of them actually sign on the dotted line next February, Auburn's staff will be hailed as geniuses for landing the highest ranked prep athlete in school history. Sign both of them and look out world. Right?
Last weekend's event was a high wire act. Like they say, with big risks come big rewards. Or do they? The fallout from last weekend is quietly being felt by Auburn coaches this week. They have spent much of their time taking calls from other recruits who were not invited to the event or in some cases, just ignoring them.
I talked to a four-star recruit's father yesterday who's looking for answers as to why his son was not invited. The kid has offers from virtually every big school in the country including Auburn. Phone calls to assistants Tracy Rocker and Jay Boulware have gone unanswered. Meanwhile, Alabama has pounced on the opportunity and the kid now appears to be leaning toward Bama and LSU.
With only about 24 kids invited to Big Cat Weekend, you can bet these scenarios have played out more than once this week. While new to Auburn, events like Big Cat Weekend are nothing new in the SEC. Florida has been putting on an event called, Friday Night Lights for several years now. The only difference is they invite many recruits, not just a select few.
By limiting the invitee list, Auburn has shown its hand and told everyone who they covet the most. If you were left off the invitee list how do you feel now? Chizik has clearly rolled the dice on this event and he may win big. All of those visiting seemed to be having a blast. There were video game tournaments, watermelon eating contests and the now infamous Toomer's Corner celebration. What was there not to like?
Plenty if you were left off the list.
How all of this plays out will not be known until next year. The attention span of kids is short, but memories are long. What the Auburn coaches do in the coming weeks will go a long way in minimizing the risk from last week. My first suggestion is to answer the phone.
Big Cat Weekend may prove to be the event that started it all - the turning point in the Auburn program. Count me among those who are not so sure.
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Wow.
This is actually a great read from the other side of Big Cat weekend. I didn’t think of any of these points when I was reading about all of the big names but in reality, 24 kids being there is only a drop in the bucket to the total amount of targets on the board.
No matter what happens with all of the other recruits, I am still happy to see the new coaching staff being so aggressive with trying to get these kids. Now they just have to learn from this and tweak their tactics to include the other targets too.
Same Conversation
I had this conversation with a friend yesterday as a matter of fact. Neither of us have “insider” info (as you appear to), but what about the kids that were not invited. Jay you bring up a great point. I would be none to happy to be a Super Senior candidate or even a Top Tier player and be left out. The coaching staff better have some really good answers to the recruits and their families. I am sure the silent treatment is not helping.
I bet that we lose at least a couple of players because of this. I still think that Big Cat Weekend was a good thing, but I am sure there are at least another 10 to 12 players that feel as if they should have been invited and we not.
If you are a War Damn Eagle, you can War Damn anything.
It’s a slap in the face not to be invited. If I was a potential recruit I would be pissed, but I would still go to Auburn because we have cool helmets.
WDE!!!
GET IT TOGETHER MAGIC!!!
Who Knew???????
This staff is just starting to realize the true importance of football in this state.
It goes much deeper that having to declare your allegiance at three years of age. Sports writers, heck, all journalist, TV personalities, and sports broadcasters, (did I leave anybody out?) CRAVE football news. Then there’s those of us that just can’t get enough of the team we LIVE for.
I agree they need to start looking beyond the event, and think, just how will this be percieved by the statewide press. Taking baby steps seems to thought of as a snub, at least by some.
WAR EAGLE!
First lesson of sales:
Gently take something away from someone, remove it from the table, or tell them they can’t have it, and you make them want it more. By inviting only 24, you succinctly plant the seed of exclusivity in the minds of the next 50.
Looks like someone is a big Dale Carnegie fan…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Jun 5, 2009 9:57 AM CDT reply actions
Another lesson of Sales:
Never assume. This might just be the first of several “Big Cat” weekends.
Hating Lowder since 1993.
well you can’t exactly call it BIG CAT WEEKEND if you invite a 2 star cornerback or the walk on punter.
They...
were the DJ and his assistant…
by War Eagle Atlanta on Jun 5, 2009 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Did you know...
Pat White really held it against Auburn that he was not recruited there. He talked about it in an interview his Junior year. The feeling was that he still (at the time of the interview) wanted to attend Auburn. He wanted something he couldn’t have.
I like the idea of Big Cat Weekend….get the best together…don’t water it down. If you lose some of the others then so be it. They weren’t invited for a reason.
I've seen good TEAMS beat teams with great individuals.
Auburn did recrut Pat White
to play cornerback. he actually said that he had no interest in playing for Auburn or Alabama and that he was an LSU fan as a kid.
or that’s what he said in the interview i saw before last year’s West Virginia/Auburn game. maybe he changed his story.
also apparently most people thought he was gonna play pro baseball coming out of highschool and that’s another reason he wasn’t recruited hardcore by the SEC schools.
Saban (at LSU) didn't offer Pat White as a QB either.
He wanted him as a WR I believe.
Nick Saban, the best talent evaluator ever. Almost as good as Rich Rod.
Are you being serious or sarcastic?
"When people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears their people, there is liberty" - Thomas Jefferson
by BamaReturns07 on Jun 6, 2009 4:31 PM CDT up reply actions
SERIOUS
God forbid somebody says anythind about lil nicky. Dude knee high is a great recruiter but a garbage game preparer and coach. Look at his win/loss record and compare that to the recruiting classes. That guy should be 100-10. I mean if u cant consistently win with a 5star at every position then you suck as a motivator and coach. Of course thats my opinion. WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
uh, yeah dude
lay off the crack
"When people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears their people, there is liberty" - Thomas Jefferson
by BamaReturns07 on Jun 8, 2009 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
I honestly couldn't tell
if you were being serious or not. I thought it was kinda funny.
"When people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears their people, there is liberty" - Thomas Jefferson
by BamaReturns07 on Jun 8, 2009 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
Great insights...
I haven’t read another article making these points.
Personally, I’ve worried about how bad we would look if after all these efforts, few, or even none, of these recruits commit to AU. But I guess that’s the risk half of this equation. I just wish that risk were a little more calculated.
I understand
your thoughts. I’m sure the staff understood the risks but decided to move forward even if it turned some prospects away. I believe that you have to be full in though. No one says " I kinda want to win a National Championship", “I sort of want a top recruiting class” or "I will “try” to get 5-Star(Prospect name) to come to my school "and be highly succesful at the same time. We can settle on high Values and no championships or stick our necks out and have both….why can’t we have both?
I’ve loved what these guys have done! I want to win a NC dammit!!!!!!!!!!! But I don’t want to do it the wrong way. We can have both, I believe that without doubt. I thought at one time that CTT having all of our recruits on board very soon in the year was a great thing. Now that I understand more about recruiting this has proven not to be so great. Most top rated players hold off until the last month before showing their hand.
So, let us stand by and watch the fireworks…..hopefully the will be a big show on signing day next year.
I've seen good TEAMS beat teams with great individuals.
get over the Gadsden stuff
Just because young kids turned Auburn boosters’ money down, doesn’t mean UA had to bribe them with money. Those kids were bribed with becoming a better student, player, and person—something Auburn couldn’t offer.
Show me one shred of evidence that there was wrongdoing in Gadsden instead of all this BS; otherwise, it’s just fearful delusion of a storied football past that doesn’t and will never exist down on the most delusional ‘village people’ wannabes on the prairie.
staff in control
Man some of you on here have memory loss or something. This staff knows what they want and they go out and get it. I could care less what another recruit feels about being left out. Show au that you are serious about us and you will be invited. I love how everybody said during “prowl” that au was crazy. What about the outts state kids. Now they return the favor for the outta staters and its something else. What about the recruits who got left out. I say to all, shut up, and let this staff, compiled of top20 natl recruiters go to work. Geez!!!! Auburn is not having “free trip weekend.” We invite you when you show the love. WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!!!!
In case you forgot
When tubs got fired our class was like 37 or 38 ranked. These guys came in here within a month and made it a top20 class. With some recruits at key positions that we needed. So dont give me that a recruit is mad at us bit. This is what big time recruiters do. We havent had that since i dont know when. I know this. If this staff cant get it done against saban, were done. Think about it. Who is better than the staff we have. Not chizik. Im talking about assit coaches. Its a whos who. Everybody get behind them and support this team. WAR EAGLE!!!!!!
so what does auburn do next?
They announce commitments from the guys that were already Auburn locks anyway.
That way, they dont have to go thru the same embarrassment of the 0% yeild of the “Tiger Prowl”
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