Does Playing In the Big 12 Influence Nebraska's Ability to Recruit In Texas?

by Jon Johnston on May 13, 2010 7:00 AM CDT in Conference Realignment

One of the negatives that's been mentioned regarding a potential Nebraska move to the Big 10 is the possibility that it would hurt recruiting players out of Texas. The fear is that if Nebraska is no longer playing a regular schedule in Texas, they simply won't have the visibility that Big 12 conference play has provided.

The idea is conjecture without first answering the question - has the Big 12 affected our ability to recruit in Texas? In other words, has Nebraska picked up more recruits in Texas since they've been playing a Big 12 schedule?

Below is the list of Texas players on Nebraska's roster from 1980-2010.

Click on the picture for a larger image.

I wanted to a ways back into the Osborne years to establish a clear history, to establish enough data points that showed whether or not Osborne made Texas a focus of his recruiting. From 1987-1991 you see somewhat of a jump with a high point in 1989 as 16 players were plucked from Texas.

What you don't see is a huge jump when the Big 12 conference came into existence, which is a surprise if you believe that playing in Texas affected our ability to recruit there. You see a huge jump, much higher than any of the Osborne years, in 2008 and Husker fans are familiar with what happened in 2008 - Bo Pelini came to Lincoln. In 2010 there are more players from Texas on the roster than in the past. The need to go back through ever year in Nebraska's history is doubtful, but just in case, I checked a few years in Devaney era (at a time at which rosters weren't limited and there was no cap on the number of scholarships you could give). Here's some spot checks from the early 70s:

1970 - 2
1971 - 1
1973 - 1

You can conclude the following from this (short) exercise:

- The greatest Nebraska teams, the Osborne teams in the 90s, didn't have that many Texas players.

- The Big 12 didn't cause a whole gob of Texas players to come to Nebraska. The Big 12 started play in 1996, and while you see a uptick in 2003, it doesn't match the high point of 16 Osborne had in 1989.

- The huge increase in the number of Texas players on the roster occurred when Bo Pelini became head coach, not just because Nebraska is playing in the Big 12. The coaches have clearly made an effort to recruit out of Texas, and it's paid off.

Recruiting is based largely on the relationships that a coaching staff establishes with high school coaches and players. There are so many more games on TV and so much more coverage of the sport (and of course, there's the internet) that it's nearly impossible to have a good football program and not get the attention of a young man who might want to play for your school.

Will Nebraska lose recruits if they move to the Big 10 conference? Not by looking at this they won't.

Discuss!

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 1 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

You analysis has one significant shortcomming...

The Texas schools really made 2 significant jumps. One to the Big XII, but one in leaving the SWC. In the later years of the SWC, the state of Texas hemmoraged players to everybody. For instance, look at the rosters of the Big Ten bigs, there was Texas players everything in the early to mid 1990’s The Big XII really stopped much of that bleeding . But I do think that the Texas schools leaving the SWC and going the Big XII has definitely hurt recruiting in Texas for non-conference schools. For instance, Michigan, who was pretty even keel for the last 20 years vs. Nebraska’s 10 year swoon.

This is the the No. of Michigan players from Texas around of the time of the Big XII formation at 10 years later.

1993 – 6
94 – 5
95 – 8
96 – 11
97 – 9

2003 – 1
04 – 1
05 – 1
06 – 3
07 – 4

And many of the players in the 1990s were big contributors, like the LB Irons from Michigan. And I have a hunch we would see a similar pattern to schools like Iowa, OSU, etc. So yeah, I think the formation of the Big XII stemmed the tide of quality recruits out of Texas to places like the Big Ten, Pac 10, and the SEC, to Nebraska’s benefit (or at least, to maintain Nebraska talent level). So yeah, it will have an effect, we are a bit naive to think otherwise, esp of Nebraska abandons the conference.

Regrading building relationships, sure relationships are great, but its not like Nebraska corners the market in relationship building. Conference affiliation gets the foot in the door. If not via direct means, but because media in places like Dallas and Houston will cover stories regarding Nebraska because of the Big XII.

And what is interesting for Missou is that they are even more dependent on Texas recruits that Nebraska. Now this may not outweigh the benefits of moving, TV revenue and exposure are very important, but I think a move to the Big Ten will be more difficult for programs like Missou and Neb than the public/media thinks. But if the worst case scenario happens and Nebraska and Missou end up in 7-5 or 8-4 purgatory by joining the Big Ten, while TV money is great with the Big Ten network, overall the programs would suffer. Or not reach potential in missou’s case.

by meatybob on May 13, 2010 7:49 AM CDT reply actions

Was that the Big XII leading to Texas recruits staying home?

Or Mack Brown being hired in Austin?

by Husker Mike on May 13, 2010 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

I think you have perfectly stated

what makes Big Ten fans so nervous about Mizzou, except we’re not even so certain that they bring as much as advertised on the TV side of things.

Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.

by Kyle McCann't on May 16, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions

Appreciation among reservations

As someone w/ this being one my primary reservations about leaving the Big 12, I appreciate your attempt to provide some factual content to the argument. That said, let me get the discussion rolling with some reservations:

- “Osborne’s greatest teams did not have that many Texas players.” You’ve proven this true, but this is ultimately irrelevant to anyone w/ reservations with removing recruiting ties to the state of TX. The amount of D-1 players coming out of TX are far exceeding that of surrounding midwestern states in today’s landscape of college football, and just because Osborne was capable of building a power w/o those resources 15 years ago does not (necessarily) make that the model for success going forward.

- “There are so many more games on TV and so much more coverage of the sport…” but at minimum we’ll have to expend more resources (coaches’ recruiting visits travel, if nothing else) to just have the possibility of sustaining relationships in the state.

I think the Big Ten brings several (primarily revenue-based) appealing options to the table for the program. But I also don’t think it’s debatable that we’ll have our work cut out for us competing with the rest of the Big Ten schools over a more-finite recruiting resource pool. But to be fair, maybe picking up the 2nd tier recruits out of TX is not our program’s answer to building a sustainable national power either…

by dodge_buck_night on May 13, 2010 1:03 PM CDT reply actions

data is misleading

To use the amount of Texas natives on the team for every year is misleading. By counting the total number of players, you are including non scholarship walk-ons, many of who never see the field. Also, this doesn’t really take into factor how many of these Texas natives were actually successful. It doesn’t matter if they were from Texas if they ended up leaving the team or never actually producing, kids from other states do the same thing.

Let’s take a look at the 2008 roster.

P. Witt, QB – Left team.
W. Henry, WR – has yet to produce.
K. Spano, QB – Injury has hurt chances.
C. Gilleylen, WR – has had flashes, but nothing consistent.
C. Osborne, DB – In the mix.
A. Blue, DB – Injury has hurt chances.
L. Ward, RB – Buried in depth chart.
J. Williams, DE – Has potential.
S. Sullivan, DB – Left Team.
Q. Castille, RB – Dismissed.
A. Kunalic, K – Kickoff specialist.
S. Osborne, WR – Buried in depth.
M. Mendoza, RB – Buried in depth, switched positions, still buried.
D. Pillen, DE – Walkon, left team.
C. Glenn, RB/LB – Injury and had discipline issues.
B. Thompson, OL – Buried in depth.

Out of all of those, I’d say Adi is the only one who has had a successful career at Lincoln. (Glenn sat out for the end of his senior year for breaking team rules).

People are trying to say that Texas is some fountian of youth for recruiting but really, it’s just a huge state with lots of HS football.

by soulsuckinjerks on May 13, 2010 1:16 PM CDT reply actions

Bizarre Validation...

You could also point to true frosh impacts from Cody Green, Rex Burkhead, or Dontrayveous Robinson as pretty pertinent examples of a better high school product coming out of that state.

And the point is definitely that its “a huge state with lots of HS football.” Hence the greater resource of available talent, which is why we’d want to maintain a presence there. And there is something to be said that the product in TX is stronger, too (or at least Sports Illustrated seems to think, as of 12/7/09: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1163421/index.htm).

by dodge_buck_night on May 13, 2010 2:30 PM CDT up reply actions

And one could point to Taylor Martinez and Roy Helu as better products coming out of California.

The presence will never leave as long as the coaches keep it. Recruiting connections are made between the college coaches and high school coaches. A school can have a pipeline to any state as long as they focus on it. Nebraska didn’t start recruiting Louisiana hard till Bo and his recruiting connections came.

by soulsuckinjerks on May 14, 2010 12:24 AM CDT up reply actions

Where one day closes another opens.

We may lose some kids but we open up huge new markets in several states. Kids want to play for a team with exposure for many reasons such personal marketing and promotion, and also so their friends and families can watch them play if not live then on TV. If we move to the B10+ we’ll be able to sell to recruits the idea that they’ll be “seen”. We will get screwed again if we stick with Texas, if not now in the future.

by The Voice of Treason on May 13, 2010 1:20 PM CDT reply actions

nu recruiting texas players

i agree with some of the above threads, nu never did recruit a ton of players out of texas until bo and company started… i know for fact a couple of the assisstant coaches have great contacts in the state of texas, which has help nu immesnly to recruit texas…osborn era, a few came from texas, osborn was able to recurit california, florida, and the new jersy area, which you don,t see much anymore….

by Ronald Sondergaard on May 13, 2010 3:25 PM CDT reply actions

This year, 3 from California, 2 from Florida, and yes, 5 from Texas

We’re a national program, and we recruit nationally. We pulled those five Florida and California players even though the only time we’ll travel to those states is to play UCLA in 2012.

Keep in mind that college football may be due for a seismic shift. If the Big Ten expands to 16, the SEC will likely follow suit. And the Big XII likely won’t exist in anything resembling it’s current form.

A Big Ten based Nebraska might actually be able to recruit better in Texas because we’ll be able to offer the opportunity to play in one of the two or three premier conferences in the nation, compared to the leftovers of the now mid-major Big XII. We just don’t know what form college football is going to take in the next few years.

by Husker Mike on May 13, 2010 9:21 PM CDT reply actions

Texas/Nebraska

Why does it say Larry Jacobsen in parentheses for 1971? He was from Sioux Falls, S.D.

Of course not being in the Big 12 will affect Nebraska’s recruiting in Texas. They won’t have the contacts down there.
I hope the Big 12 stays alive; don’t want to go to the Big 10. However, if it’s between that and nothing, I’d go for it.

by Joel Thornton on May 13, 2010 11:13 PM CDT reply actions

Why would we lose contacts by moving to the Big 10? Our school isn’t physically moving anywhere nor is it radically changing our coaching staff. Like I said above, college coaches recruit through high school coaches. If they have a good relationship with the HS coach, that coach will talk up our program. Like Husker Mike said, “we’re a national program” and recruit as such.

by soulsuckinjerks on May 14, 2010 12:30 AM CDT up reply actions

that....

is incorrect. You’re right, Larry Jacobson was from South Dakota. I’ll remove that. I received an email earlier, either from Larry, or someone claiming to be Larry, I get a fair amount of weird emails, and I should have known better.

Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com

by Jon Johnston on May 14, 2010 12:40 AM CDT up reply actions

nu to big 10

personally, i would like to see nu bolt for the pac 10…i know it would be some distance to play, but playing some the big 10 schools is not exactly close….the pac 10 with nu and colorado, wow…make my day

by Ronald Sondergaard on May 16, 2010 7:42 AM CDT reply actions

Huh?

i know it would be some distance to play, but playing some the big 10 schools is not exactly close

Other than CU, there isn’t a single Pac 10 trip that is closer (by a wide margin) than State College, PA. The difference would be that if the Big Ten expansion were to play out the way it’s been projected, the majority of NU’s conference road trips would be relatively close (Iowa, MN, WI, Mizzou). The PSU/RU/tOSU trips would be of the every-few-years variety, whereas every Pac 10 roady outside the years the Huskers play in Boulder would be of the 2000 mile variety.

You may prefer that arrangement based on competition, attractiveness of away games, revenue potential, etc. and I really couldn’t argue with much of it, but to make the case that the distance is in some way a wash is kind of weird.

Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.

by Kyle McCann't on May 16, 2010 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions

Something the chart doesn't show us...

…and we may never truly know, is how many kids did we have on the team from TX, compared to the number of kids we recruited from TX?

I.e. in ‘94-’95, we added one player to go from 6 to 7. Was that the only Texas player we wanted, or was he one of five that we were trying to get. Versus from ‘09-’10, we add 6 to go from 21 to 27. Were they the only 6, or were they 6 of 25?

To me, that would be the real test of whether or not the Big 12 Membership has really given us a benefit to recruiting in Texas. If Osborne got every player from TX he wanted, but he only wanted one or two a year…whereas now we’re looking at 20 kids hoping to get 5…you can’t exactly say that “Membership has it’s privileges”.

by Wolvie on May 16, 2010 5:30 PM CDT reply actions