WR Williams to Baylor .

[bdgan]

Again, it's not about what Rivals thinks. It's what Franklin and his staff have on their recruiting board. And reportedly Outten ran for the staff and did a fantastic time. They also were impressed with his other workout performance. And yes, it was reported that among the WR's that PSU was actively going after, those they had contact with and that had mutual interest, that Outten was their #1 target.

Saying that there may be better WR's out there somewhere is a given. But doesn't make much sense to talk about some 5 star on the west coast that committed to USC the summer before his junior year and say PSU lost out on that player.

I'm not just talking about the west coast. PSU offered several higher rated WRs that committed elsewhere. One example would be Quincy Porter who is from NJ but committed to OSU. Even Lex Cyrus from Harrisburg committed to South Carolina (although that could still change). I think it's wrong to suggest that Outten was PSU's #1 choice. He might be the #1 choice at this point considering who they still had a realistic chance of getting.

I've read that Outten has great speed which is something has been missing.

 

[bdgan]

Yep. And look at Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell. He was drafted #22 (IIRC) in last year's NFL draft. Rivals had him as a two star kid. Others had him as high as a low three star. He had few offers and chose Toledo.

​

There are always kids that fly under the radar just like there are always highly rated kids that don't live up to expectations. I'd take another Deon Butler in a heart beat but I think the odds are better with higher rated kids.

Look at PSU's current roster:
Allar 5*
Singleton 5*
Sutton 5*
Shelton 4*
Allen 4*
Carter 4*
Winston 4*
Durant 4*

These kids all came from the 6th rated class of 2022. I don't think it's a coincidence that PSU is currently ranked in the top 10.

 

[Obliviax]

There are always kids that fly under the radar just like there are always highly rated kids that don't live up to expectations. I'd take another Deon Butler in a heart beat but I think the odds are better with higher rated kids.

Look at PSU's current roster:
Allar 5*
Singleton 5*
Sutton 5*
Shelton 4*
Allen 4*
Carter 4*
Winston 4*
Durant 4*

These kids all came from the 6th rated class of 2022. I don't think it's a coincidence that PSU is currently ranked in the top 10.

I certainly think, directionally, the rankings have merit. But the rankings are often driven by the teams. Basically, it is a kabuki dance where more offers get more stars and more stars mean more offers. Look at Dom DeLuca. He is going to be a starter and contributor but was off the radar as a 6 foot 190 lb Safety coming out of high school.

The bottom line is that the staff knows what they are doing. They see a ton of film and do a ton of scouting. They know far more than we ever will

 

[voltz99]

I don’t trust any article written by anyone about how much NIL money colleges have. It was obvious for years that teams in the south were paying kids before this even existed so it’s not hard to believe that other people are still supporting teams without dumping money into an NL collective.

Here’s what I know about Baylor, one of my fellow basketball coaches said that both their men’s and women’s teams have been offering their players money for quite some time. He attended the coaching clinic where people associated with the program basically said that they feel they are Able to compete to get any player that they want.

Therefore, I would not surprise me if the football team started to see similar benefits.

12 players vs 85+

 

[GregInPitt]

I'm not just talking about the west coast. PSU offered several higher rated WRs that committed elsewhere. One example would be Quincy Porter who is from NJ but committed to OSU. Even Lex Cyrus from Harrisburg committed to South Carolina (although that could still change). I think it's wrong to suggest that Outten was PSU's #1 choice. He might be the #1 choice at this point considering who they still had a realistic chance of getting.

I've read that Outten has great speed which is something has been missing.

Yes, PSU seemed very high on Porter. But it seems that Porter wasn't real high on PSU during his recruitment. Some players just have their minds made up before the process begins, other just want to get away, others are just going to past playoff teams, ...... There are issues that Franklin and his staff obviously can't overcome.

But "higher rated". By who?

Not higher rated by Franklin, and that's what counts.

Justin Shorter was a 5 star, yes recruited by PSU and played a couple pretty unproductive years at PSU. But his PSU career paled in comparison to the 2 Star (rated by the experts you like to quote) Allen Robinson.

So if the coaches believe that Outten is their top rated WR on their 2025 class WR board that seems to be what matters more than what some experts (paid about 1% of what Franklin is paid for their "expert" opinions) believe.......

 

[voltz99]

kids don't pick schools they've never visited or mentioned, ever, unless *something* happened. You can call it guessing, but what is there to like about a school you didn't visit? Best phone call ever? His friend?

I'm not bitching about NIL. I'm acknowledging that it's obvious that the most likely scenario here is NIL played a part. You would have to be intentionally obtuse and deflecting to not acknowledge a kid committing to a school he's never visited is weird.

Again, if this was a school he visited, your what ifs would hold weight. When the first mention of Baylor in his recruitment was a Baylor-related twitter page claiming "a NIL offer was made and now Baylor is in the mix", why argue?

Psu has had multiple players commit without visiting. Definitely Amani O, Koa farmer and others.

 

[voltz99]

His friend convinced him to go and they had NIL but I don't think significantly more than us. Difference is he wanted to play with his friend and Baylor a lot closer to him.

The issue is we cannot recruit WRs at the level we get other position guys. Cyrus is a 90 and in-state. Not good enough for a OSU to swoop him up or Bama or Georgia or Oregon. Tailor made for us and we drop the ball (like that pun?!). We had to have the same amount of NIL as South Carolina. The Maryland kid liked our NIL and he is the same rating as Cyrus.

This years wr class is ranked ahead of DTs, rbs, QB and safetys.

 

[voltz99]

Here are some curious facts to ponder
Largest alumni organization PSU
Most alumni CEOs PSU
Top 20 Universities by Endowments (PSU NOT ON LIST)
Top 20 Universities by millionaire graduates (PSU NOT ON LIST)
OHIO STATE AND OREGON NOT ON THOSE LISTS EITHER.
Yet OHIO STATE and OREGON killing PSU in NIL.

OREGON has one Sugar Daddy. Not OHIO STATE.

🤔

I think unless you are top 5 in NIL Bankrolls you are going to lose more recruiting battles to the cherry pickers of the football world. PSU betting on NCAA action to clean up the mess seems as stupid as the impotent NCAA is period.

Endowments are irrelevant. Let us know when Harvard, Yale, Penn, or MIT sign a 5*

 

[heckmans]

Yep. And look at Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell. He was drafted #22 (IIRC) in last year's NFL draft. Rivals had him as a two star kid. Others had him as high as a low three star. He had few offers and chose Toledo.

​

Just as a reminder, star ratings predict the probability of a kid contributing at the college level. Nothing more. Many two star kids will contribute and many will blossom into NFL players, but as a percentage of overall 2* kids, the number is very small.

Despite all the assertions that stars are meaningless, or that you trust the coaches, it is indisputable that the star ratings, as a whole are incredibly accurate. The teams with the highest average star ratings over time perform the best over time. It's indisputable.

 

[Obliviax]

Just as a reminder, star ratings predict the probability of a kid contributing at the college level. Nothing more. Many two star kids will contribute and many will blossom into NFL players, but as a percentage of overall 2* kids, the number is very small.

Despite all the assertions that stars are meaningless, or that you trust the coaches, it is indisputable that the star ratings, as a whole are incredibly accurate. The teams with the highest average star ratings over time perform the best over time. It's indisputable.

i would argue that they are directionally accurate. Meaning, the move four and five stars you get versus the other teams, the better off you are. But tons of four and five star kids never play. I'll trust the staff over the stars.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Most kids are recruited and committed long before the end of their senior season. If you look beyond the ratings you'll see that Outten's offer list isn't very good except for Georgia. Of course Georgia is a big name so they must have seen some potential.

Yes, I know. Long before relevant information is not known. That is why the rating services update the ratings. I thought that was obvious to everyone.

 

[SR108]

There are always kids that fly under the radar just like there are always highly rated kids that don't live up to expectations. I'd take another Deon Butler in a heart beat but I think the odds are better with higher rated kids.

Look at PSU's current roster:
Allar 5*
Singleton 5*
Sutton 5*
Shelton 4*
Allen 4*
Carter 4*
Winston 4*
Durant 4*

These kids all came from the 6th rated class of 2022. I don't think it's a coincidence that PSU is currently ranked in the top 10.

Development is more important than stars IMO. I believe Poz and Lee were both three stars but had an excellent linebacker coach at the time. Ron Vanderlinden.

 

[indynittany]

The courts have decided that NIL is a protected right for these “students.”

That's fine, but it doesn't mean the schools should be involved.

If a kid gets a commercial with his hometown Tesla dealer, good for him/her. If another kid wins the Heisman and lands a national commercial with Subway, that's really cool. Well deserved!

The way the system is set up now legalizes the kind of booster activity that has historically been considered unethical. It ensures the rich will get richer and the poor will have to find other ways to cheat in order to compete.

 

[bison13]

12 players vs 85+

The well has enough oil to cover 85

 

[voltz99]

The well has enough oil to cover 85

Some wells do and some do not. Some schools don't even have both sports. Others are only big time in one sport.

You brought up southern schools. Many of the schools in the south probably have half as many sports as psu.