2015 Football Recruiting

[IndyValpo]

We have been able to establish that we either have low 50's, mid 50's, low 60's, 67 or 68 returnees from last year.  Does Valpo have a Sports Information Department?

[vu72]

We have been able to establish that we either have low 50's, mid 50's, low 60's, 67 or 68 returnees from last year.  Does Valpo have a Sports Information Department?

This would be your guy:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/athletics/staff/6343/brad-collignon/#.VSU1pvnF9y8

I suspect it is a difficult, moving target with non-scholarship guys deciding about academic and financial issues all the time.

[VULB#62]

I also believe that officially football is in the offseason and the focus of the SID is on in-season sports: BB, SB, T&F, Golf and Tennis.  The SID office is thin in terms of staffing as well.  Finally, unlike the guy he replaced, I think Coach C is not a promotional kind of guy.  Therefore, he doesn't think in those terms, so things like up-to-date rosters during spring ball are not as important to him as getting practices and conditioning programs and recruiting squared away. That's where his attention to detail is placed and his staff follows suit. Regarding the in-season two-deep, I wonder if the sloppiness is a little bit by design -- especially if a player is slowed by injury.

So we'll get a occasional Tweet and there will be minimal coverage of the Spring game/scrimmage and that's about it.  This year because of depth issues I wouldn't be surprised if we return to the Carlson method of O vs. D and points allotted by play category.

[IndyValpo]

I also believe that officially football is in the offseason and the focus of the SID is on in-season sports: BB, SB, T&F, Golf and Tennis.  The SID office is thin in terms of staffing as well.  Finally, unlike the guy he replaced, I think Coach C is not a promotional kind of guy.  Therefore, he doesn't think in those terms, so things like up-to-date rosters during spring ball are not as important to him as getting practices and conditioning programs and recruiting squared away. That's where his attention to detail is placed and his staff follows suit. Regarding the in-season two-deep, I wonder if the sloppiness is a little bit by design -- especially if a player is slowed by injury.

So we'll get a occasional Tweet and there will be minimal coverage of the Spring game/scrimmage and that's about it.  This year because of depth issues I wouldn't be surprised if we return to the Carlson method of O vs. D and points allotted by play category.

Since the answer to any situation where we produce substandard information is that the department is thin, perhaps we should hire some additional help.

[VULB#62]

I'm sure Aaron is all for it   

[historyman]

Since the answer to any situation where we produce substandard information is that the department is thin, perhaps we should hire some additional help.

I'm sure Aaron is all for it

I'm sure Aaron is for it and I'm doubly sure the board of directors is not for more hiring in an area that they most likely believe is a drain on finances and does not have a return.

Did anyone not give to the "Proud to be Valpo" fund drive simply because they can't get the sports info that they desire about the football team? It's not rocket science (although it may be too much math) to deem that the numbers of people that desire this info don't pay for extra help in the sports info department.

[valpopal]

Update: Brad has posted on twitter some information about the spring game next week. Details include that there are 54 players in uniform for spring game with only Hall (high ankle sprain) and Etzler (foot) unlikely to play due to injury. Expectations are that there will be 95 players at summer camp since incoming freshmen will number in the 40s. Clarke, Stokes, and Staal have looked good at the QB position in practice. Spring game format will differ from last year's draft method since there are fewer players. Most likely offense vs defense with modified scoring. Brad will be posting a full report in coming days and Todd Ickow will conduct a video interview with Coach C in the week before the game.

[VU2624]

To make it easier on everyone:

https://twitter.com/bradcollignon/with_replies

[VU2624]

I also believe that officially football is in the offseason and the focus of the SID is on in-season sports: BB, SB, T&F, Golf and Tennis.  The SID office is thin in terms of staffing as well.  Finally, unlike the guy he replaced, I think Coach C is not a promotional kind of guy.  Therefore, he doesn't think in those terms, so things like up-to-date rosters during spring ball are not as important to him as getting practices and conditioning programs and recruiting squared away. That's where his attention to detail is placed and his staff follows suit. Regarding the in-season two-deep, I wonder if the sloppiness is a little bit by design -- especially if a player is slowed by injury.

So we'll get a occasional Tweet and there will be minimal coverage of the Spring game/scrimmage and that's about it.  This year because of depth issues I wouldn't be surprised if we return to the Carlson method of O vs. D and points allotted by play category.

Since the answer to any situation where we produce substandard information is that the department is thin, perhaps we should hire some additional help.

What a concept! My experience trying to interact with SID has not been all that great.

On a non related note, might not be a bad idea to tell your DBs not to headhunt in practice. This is particularly true when the squad has only 3 or 4 WRs in the first place and one other is already out. But that's just me.

[valpopal]

Coach Cecchini previews the Spring Game and talks recruiting in video interview with Todd: http://youtu.be/gO_ebMk-Hdg

[VULB#62]

Coach Cecchini previews the Spring Game and talks recruiting in video interview with Todd: http://youtu.be/gO_ebMk-Hdg

Nice 11:30 interview. Nothing that we didn't already know but good to hear from the coach. Sounds like the secondary has really jelled behind a pretty experienced front 7. Interesting that the running backs weren't given more emphasis. But some of the freshman running backs who saw action in the backfield in the fall are now seeing WR time. I can't make the spring game but I hope someone can swing by and provide an account of who looks good and how the game went

[VULB#62]

The football program took two of the three incentive grants during Proud to be Valpo. Amazing what 4 wins in a season after 4 years and only 3 wins will do in terms of support. Sort of indicates that people were just waiting for FB to turn it around. No guarantees that they will even win as many as last year but the support is there.

[VULB#62]

Spring Game Rosters are posted on the VU Athletics site.

Brown - offense - 31 players, 5 will not play (injured - including Conner Smith and Brandon Hall)  7 have not played for VU before and 2 of whom were redshirted.
Gold - defense - 30 players, 6 will not play (injured - including Cody Cotton and JJ Nunez) 8 have DNPs after their names, 2 of whom were redshirted

[IndyValpo]

This level of football always has turnover. Obviously we have lost some players. The biggest appears to be Pennington a fullback who played a role for us last year. The others were mostly further down the depth chart. I thought TE Gajda and LB Eppinger had potential to play.

[VU2624]

Spring Game Rosters are posted on the VU Athletics site.

Brown - offense - 31 players, 5 will not play (injured - including Conner Smith and Brandon Hall)  7 have not played for VU before and 2 of whom were redshirted.
Gold - defense - 30 players, 6 will not play (injured - including Cody Cotton and JJ Nunez) 8 have DNPs after their names, 2 of whom were redshirted

J. Morgan is banged up as well. Don't think he'll see any time today.

[VU2624]

In general, with limited options at WR for the scrimmage, we'll probably see much more multiple TE sets than we would in a game. Particularly 4 wr sets.

[valpopal]

The sunny and warm weather was great for today's Brown & Gold game, and the attitude among the participants was equally bright. Coaches and players appeared upbeat in my conversations with them, and there were a number of recruits in attendance enjoying themselves as well. I photographed the game and will have more images later, but here are three representative pictures. The first shows Kellan Hughes with an acrobatic interception for the Gold team. The second displays Frank Catrine on a long touchdown run after a pass reception with coach Cecchini looking on behind him. The third shows the players and various recruits addressed by Coach Cecchini following the game.

[VULB#62]

Couple of questions Pal:

Who won -- B or G?

How did the QBs look?  Rushing attack?

Did we come out of it without any injuries?

[valpochgo]

Brown (offense) won the game by a wide margin but the scoring system was heavily slanted towards offense as defense could only get 7 points for a turnover and the offense never really went down field until the last drive and it ended (top picture above with Kellen) with an INT.

I thought the QBs and RBs looked decent.....  Play calling was great for a real game but rather boring for a scrimmage where it was just the offense vs. the defense. I couldn't tell if one QB stood out vs another as all seemed to manage the "underneath" offense scheme very well.  I did think the RBs did a nice job and ran hard......

I saw a lineman limp off the field once but I think he came back into the game.

Defense overall played flat to me.....  Offense seemed to have more energy.  They had over 20 freshman recruits visiting and overall they looked much bigger than I expected and some looked very athletic also.

[VU2624]

The "score" meant nothing.

The offense went down the field at least a few times. A couple of WR screens went 50 yards or so and the RBs looked pretty good. Hopefully Hall makes it back to make it the three headed monster. In general, at least a couple of the WRs seemed capable of stepping into the shoes of the departed but depth will be an issue there. The DB play, mentioned by Coach C. in the preview I wouldn't say showed up. There was a fair amount of space. The INT was on what was essentially a hail mary at the end of the game. The OL was spotty. Didn't start off too well in pass protection but seemed to improve as time went on and there were some holes for the backs. DL looks like a strength. The QBs got the ball out of their hands quicker than they have in practice and I thought all three looked good and capable.

[valpopal]

I would echo the thoughts already offered by others. The modified format did not reveal much about the players, and the play calling wasn't meant for dramatic viewing. I can report that there didn't seem to be any bad injuries during the game. I observed two players with twisted ankles and one with a bruised hip. All were treated and seemed okay. The two players dealing with serious injuries, Hall and Etzler, got around the sidelines on scooters, but I was told both are expected to be healthy by fall. I stood with the group of recruits for a while, and they all seemed eager to get on the field themselves. Here is a link with a gallery of additional photos from the game: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157652031842012/

[VULB#62]

Thanks all and great photos (as always)  Pal!

[VULB#62]

Regarding the recruits:I can't help but believe that these HS kids have got to be impressed by the size, speed and maturity of the guys who are out on the field. If I were 18 and were there, I'd be thinking: Whooa, I better get my body (and attitude) in shape for another level of football. Even at our level, the speed of the game is so different than what they are used to.

BTW I really liked Coach C's positive take on the whole process. It's easy to see why the kids respond to him and his staff.

[vumsb]

Thanks all and great photos (as always)  Pal!

Yes, thanks. Your photos are always great and the players appreciate seeing them!


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[valpopal]

Thanks all and great photos (as always)  Pal!

Yes, thanks. Your photos are always great and the players appreciate seeing them!


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Thanks to both of you for the kind words. I am always pleased by the responses and encouragement I get for my photos from the coaches, players, and family members.