Reader Thoughts: Recruiting Trajectories and Holistic Changes

I think I could just post your thoughts and questions at this point without my own commentary, and people would love them. We’ve gotten some awesome emails this year, and they’ve helped shape the way we think about this OSU team as well as the Pokes’ future. Thank you for sending them, and please keep ’em coming.

Hey, just my opinion but here is a possible reason the defense has looked worse in the K-State loss. When your offense isn’t building a decent lead in the Big 12 and especially against teams like K-State, then they are allowed to play their brand of ball. Chew clock, limit possession.

Then when you’re not moving the ball well you’re keeping your D on the field longer and wearing down a tired group already. I know SS doesn’t play defense, but when your offense is moving and humming it can do a lot for defense. Not to mention just the momentum.

The defense used to always know that no matter what, Mason would keep them in the game. This defense doesn’t have that security. Couple that with young players learning on the run and you have this result. I think when we get a better offense (specifically QB) in then we will see a change in the defense. You guys have any thoughts? -Derrick S.

This is a good take and plays into my theory that a QB change isn’t solely statistics-based. It’s about what a new, fresh face can do for you holistically. That sounds stupid and ethereal — and I of course could be wrong — but I definitely think there’s something to the idea that teams experience momentum within games and a lot of that has to do with confidence.

Possibly related: OSU currently ranks 10th (of 10) in the Big 12 (and 113th in the country) in time of possession in conference games. Not a stat any defense loves. At 25:34 minutes of possession time, they’re about four minutes under their normal number of (29) and almost two minutes under their number in 2014 (27:13 minutes).

Love your blog, love your podcasts!

I have a ton of respect for Gundy, and he has done more for OSU football than any other coach. That being said I don’t think he would of been as successful as he is without T Boone/Holder hounding his ass.

Gundy is comfortable, he has been there for 10+ years, has a lifetime contract and just seems to lost his fire in the belly.

I agree, this team lacks fire, it’s obvious. But it starts at the top, Gundy has lost his edge, very much like Mack Brown at Texas in his later days. I know Gundy preaches calmness and staying in control … So to me that means no one is getting frustrated, no one is getting fired up about losing and unfortunately I think that starts at the top.

I hope I am wrong but I think we are starting to see the beginning of the end of the Gundy era. -Paul M.

It’s an interesting take. Is this simply how he’s always been or is this a new development? The argument that this is how he’s always been is pretty easy to make. I pulled some quotes from 2014 that sound exactly like his quotes this season, and nobody would have argued from 2015-17 that Gundy was a bad coach. Losing exacerbates perceived weaknesses.

The other point here is that people cry “Oklahoma State has even underperformed when they’ve had elite talent!” Come on. The truth is that they’ve outperformed their talent because they’ve gotten amazing QB play. The problem is that when they have amazing QB play it feels like they have amazing play all over the field. That’s just not true. Their recruiting is averuj, maybe below averuj. It kind of stinks, but they’s masked the stench with five seasons of Mason Rudolph and Brandon Weeden.

I don’t really think Gundy is any more complacent in 2018 than he was in 2015 or 2013 or 2010. I think he’s the same, but when you don’t have a QB to cover up a multitude of crootin weaknesses then it starts to produce poor optics. The real complacency has happened on the recruiting trail.

I talked to somebody close to OSU football this week who raved about Gundy’s attention to detail and ability to run the program but chuckled at his recruiting efforts. They aren’t good, and even though I respect the work-life balance we’re seeing the result of poor recruiting on the field this year.

After the ISU loss and now the KSU loss I decided to compare football and basketball recruiting rankings at OSU since 2010. One would think since OSU football has been vastly superior than OSU basketball in that time, it would be much better at recruiting. However, it has not.

Football average: 34
Basketball average: 42

Now, at this point it is not that close, but if you remove the three worst years it gets more interesting. This obviously helps basketball out the most since they had the three worst seasons of them all. It is also seems fair to basketball since the 54, 86, 58 consisted of two coaching changes within a year.

Now football is an average of 31. Basketball is an average of 32.

That is shockingly close. Football should be top 30 each year, considering the winning ways and should not be out-recruited by the Baylors, ISUs, and Techs of the world. The coach making almost 5 million is getting recruited on an equal level by coaches making around 1 million to 2.2 million and no success to brag about.

I have not even mentioned the trend football is on. Since that 27th-ranked class in 2014 the classes have ranked near or in the 40s. That is not a positive trend, and it is showing on the field.

Somebody who has had as much success as Gundy and gets paid as much as he does should be doing better, but as his pay has increased his recruiting rankings have suffered. -Kyle C.

In 2019 Oklahoma State is being out-recruited by Kentucky, Boston College and Indiana right now. In football, not basketball.

Welcome to this side. Mike Holder will show you to your seat.