[NU Sports] Talent

[Jonathan Hodges]

I agree that you can't make up for talent.  The fact is that Northwestern
doesn't have the depth of talent when compared to most other schools in the
conference, although I would argue that the 'Cats have a good amount of
talent and are certainly competitive in the conference.

While I would imagine gameday atmosphere is important to recruits, I would
argue it seems to be of minimal importance to most of them.  And I can
certainly say that building building brand new facilities on campus (or
wherever since there is no room on campus) would NOT suddenly increase
attendance on its own or increase the talent level of NU recruits.

Yes, a few more students may roll out of bed and into the game and a few
more people may decide to attend a game on campus, but a new facility is not
the solution to NU attendance woes (discounting the fact that it's not
feasible, not affordable, and doesn't make any sense).  It may also attract
a recruit or two, but overall, NU's facilities are on par with other FBS/I-A
institutions (NU doesn't really compare to the traditional "football
factories" who have way more money and resources than NU, and NU could never
compete with them in a "battle of the Joneses" since they can just keep
expanding/improving).

I would like a new stadium, sure, and who wouldn't?  But using these two
items as reasoning to get one is just plain incorrect.

I'll leave the attendance issue alone for now, we've talked that issue to
death multiple times (even though it's the biggest issue affecting NU
football right now).

While NU could always use more talent on the team, I think Fitz is taking
the best approach to recruiting right now.  He's bringing in guys that fit
the program and not sacrificing NU academic standards.  Yes, there are some
guys who have to be developed in college, since NU can't just bring in class
after class of "5-star" guys.  He has arguably upgraded the talent level and
is now competing (and winning) against some BCS conference foes (e.g. MSU
and Nebraska).  And it's no accident that this team doesn't make headlines
for the wrong reasons nearly as often as many other schools, while almost
routinely placing members on academic/service teams within the conference
and nationally.  Oh, and he has this year's team in the hunt for a third
consecutive year of bowl eligibility for the first time ever at NU.

I, too, would support a drive to build a new stadium (although the idea is
outlandish considering the financial and physical constraints of NU), but I
think it's fairly clear that isn't going to happen anytime soon.  And using
a recruiting argument to support a stadium just doesn't work.

Jonathan

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Dennis W. Brandt <tbng at comcast.net> wrote:

> <I was of the understanding that our style of spread offense could be
> adjusted to compensate for lesser talent.
>
> Just how does one compensate for lesser talent?  If the other guy is
> faster, he'll run you down.  If he's stronger, he'll over power you.  If
> he's more agile, he'll make moves you can't stop or respond in time to
> yours.  A given offense may minimize talent differences, but it cannot
> overcome them.  NU's football talent has improved, but it is still, on the
> whole, of average caliber.  To attract talent, we must build a quality,
> on-campus stadium and supporting facilities that will wow a kid on a campus
> visit, which is what Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan do every year.
>  (It will be interesting to see how Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota
> progress over the next few seasons now that they are playing in new or
> updated faclilities.  We may not like the results, but they will be
> interesting.)  New facilities will not be enough on their own, but
> recruiting top talent will remain a nearly insurmountable obstacle as long
> as we play in ancient, however-renovated, off-campus Dyche before crowds of
> 25,000, half of whom are rooting for the other team.  This will be a slow
> and often painful building process, and we cannot afford back-sliding
> seasons as this year's is in danger of becoming. But any goal of short of
> putting us into annual contention for the Big Ten title is a waste of time
> and money.  I am eager to hear the long-range goals of the incoming
> administration.
>
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