observation

[wardamnpjm 0]

O.K.,I would like to make a little observation and before I start please know that this thread is not a sky is falling thread by any stretch of the means. Now that that is out of the way I will get to the point.  I have read on several message boards that some of the parents of Auburns top tailback targets for 2010 (and some that we offered who now have little to no interest in us)have parents who are just not feeling Auburn,or don’t know much about Auburn or don’t feel like Auburn is the right fit,etc….etc….. HUH???? I realize that some kids control their own destiny and their parents just help them along(which is what a parent should do)but for any parent to say Auburn is not a good fit for their son at the tailback spot…..BLOWS MY MIND!!!! I mean if you are a highly sought after Linebacker and Penn State offers you a scholly,you have to at least pay attention …right? If you are a high profile RB with dreams of playing on Sunday(I would guess 99% do)and the team that has put more tailbacks in the league in the last 20 years than ANY other college wants you,I think I would start to pay a LOT of attention.

I wonder if these parents or kids know that:

1.There have been 245 Auburn players drafted into theNFL, with 15 earning 30 All-Pro honors, 27 making Pro Bowl appearances, and 23 playing in the Super Bowl.

Or

The Dow Jones College-Football Success Index ranked Auburn as the eighth best program in the nation, with the second highest Draft Value which indicate "that a school's players perform better than NFL scouts seem to expect".Auburn is tied (with Miami) for second most Top 5 NFL Draft picks this decade, and The Plains have produced 25 first round draft picks overall.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/retro-collegefootball0608.html

or (and most importantly)

Auburn has several former running backs currently playing Running back in the NFL (see below). They carry on a long legacy of top NFL backs from Auburn such as Tucker Frederickson, William Andrews, Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, Rudi Johnson, Stephen Davis, James Bostic, Brandon Jacobs, Lionel James, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Heath Evans, Ben Tate, Tommie Ageee, and Bo Jackson. Over the years 19877-2008, there have been 15 Tiger running backs drafted into the NFL, with several more successfully signing as undrafted free-agents.

And (last but not least)

Here is a list of current RB’s AU has put in the league who are playing today:

Ronnie Brown/Miami Dolphins

Tristan Davis/Miami Dolphins

Heath Evans/New Orleans Saints

Kenny Irons/Bengals(During the second quarter of the Bengals first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. On July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list.

Brandon Jacobs/New York Giants

Rudi Johnson/Detroit Lions

Ben Tate/Houston texans

Carnell Williams/Tampa Bay Bucs

Tony Richardson/Jets

With all this being said I cannot for the life of me figure why any recruit or their parents for that matter would not consider Auburn for their son as a RB. I know that education and being comfortable,distance from home,and fanhood are other variables to consider(and are all impotant as well) but in the end you would think Auburn would have those things. I know we will get our fair share of great backs this year and I am not worried but IMO if they have done their research at all they would all(RB’S) be knocking down the door to get in . Maybe I am just biased.

Maybe some of you guys could help me out on this one!

[312234 0]

You make a valid point.

[fourthvision 0]

I don't get it either AU tradition speaks for itself, but at the end it comes down to one being an Auburn man or not. Not everyone fits the mold or wants to. Not being "elitist" (funny how that word is used) but a player has to want to become part of a fanbase and be a proud alumni of the school of their choice in addition to giving 100% on the field.

JMO

[texastiger09 0]

can't argue with that!  

[BIG poppy58 2]

They believe that with Auburn goin to Malzahn's spread it is the typical spread with no running backs gettin big numbers, which is false I would say typical teams run a 60-40 run pass and the typical Malzahn spread is closer to 65-35 maybe Stat can help us with this.Just like weeman in the SEC media days he tells all that the spread does not prepare you for the NFL they act like its a gimmicky offense which is false.But we heard how Mullen from Miss. St rebuted that in sayin he has put more Qb's in the NFL that weeman has his whole carear.So they buy into the lies and continually buy into a program that does not get them to the NFL

[NoNC4Tubs 0]

There's more to picking a college than football.

There's academic reasons that come into play. There is that matter of where your friends are going to school that some like to factor in as well. Closeness to home is another consideration. The overall "feel" of the campus goes a long way in a prospect's decision. No single school has the combination of all of those things that is going to appeal to ALL prospective recruits.

That is what makes the selection process so difficult and important........and what makes it a great experience when you pick the right one!

[bird36 5]

Most of the recruits who commit and later sign with Auburn site the "Family Atmosphere" as a reason.  The coaches job is to honestly present life as an Auburn Football player.  It is up to the player and family to decide if they want to spend  4 or 5 years at Auburn.  Everyone is different and has to go where they feel comfortable.  

[wardamnpjm 0]

They believe that with Auburn goin to Malzahn's spread it is the typical spread with no running backs gettin big numbers, which is false I would say typical teams run a 60-40 run pass and the typical Malzahn spread is closer to 65-35 maybe Stat can help us with this.Just like weeman in the SEC media days he tells all that the spread does not prepare you for the NFL they act like its a gimmicky offense which is false.But we heard how Mullen from Miss. St rebuted that in sayin he has put more Qb's in the NFL that weeman has his whole carear.So they buy into the lies and continually buy into a program that does not get them to the NFL

I agree,and this is something I had not really considered.Although wee-man is one to talk.If you click on the link above about NFL prospects and how each school prepares them. Auburn beats LSU and Bama,so lil Nicky is just spouting his BS as usuall.If I am not mistaken the NFL is begining to move more towards the spread somewhat.Miami does ok with the wildcat and several spread players went in the first round,Tebow comes to mind.

[DJ_Hatch 0]

O.K.,I would like to make a little observation and before I start please know that this thread is not a sky is falling thread by any stretch of the means. Now that that is out of the way I will get to the point.  I have read on several message boards that some of the parents of Auburns top tailback targets for 2010 (and some that we offered who now have little to no interest in us)have parents who are just not feeling Auburn,or don’t know much about Auburn or don’t feel like Auburn is the right fit,etc….etc….. HUH???? I realize that some kids control their own destiny and their parents just help them along(which is what a parent should do)but for any parent to say Auburn is not a good fit for their son at the tailback spot…..BLOWS MY MIND!!!! I mean if you are a highly sought after Linebacker and Penn State offers you a scholly,you have to at least pay attention …right? If you are a high profile RB with dreams of playing on Sunday(I would guess 99% do)and the team that has put more tailbacks in the league in the last 20 years than ANY other college wants you,I think I would start to pay a LOT of attention.

I wonder if these parents or kids know that:

1.There have been 245 Auburn players drafted into theNFL, with 15 earning 30 All-Pro honors, 27 making Pro Bowl appearances, and 23 playing in the Super Bowl.

Or

The Dow Jones College-Football Success Index ranked Auburn as the eighth best program in the nation, with the second highest Draft Value which indicate "that a school's players perform better than NFL scouts seem to expect".Auburn is tied (with Miami) for second most Top 5 NFL Draft picks this decade, and The Plains have produced 25 first round draft picks overall.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/retro-collegefootball0608.html

or (and most importantly)

Auburn has several former running backs currently playing Running back in the NFL (see below). They carry on a long legacy of top NFL backs from Auburn such as Tucker Frederickson, William Andrews, Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, Rudi Johnson, Stephen Davis, James Bostic, Brandon Jacobs, Lionel James, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Heath Evans, Ben Tate, Tommie Ageee, and Bo Jackson. Over the years 19877-2008, there have been 15 Tiger running backs drafted into the NFL, with several more successfully signing as undrafted free-agents.

And (last but not least)

Here is a list of current RB’s AU has put in the league who are playing today:

Ronnie Brown/Miami Dolphins

Tristan Davis/Miami Dolphins

Heath Evans/New Orleans Saints

Kenny Irons/Bengals(During the second quarter of the Bengals first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. On July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list.

Brandon Jacobs/New York Giants

Rudi Johnson/Detroit Lions

Ben Tate/Houston texans

Carnell Williams/Tampa Bay Bucs

With all this being said I cannot for the life of me figure why any recruit or their parents for that matter would not consider Auburn for their son as a RB. I know that education and being comfortable,distance from home,and fanhood are other variables to consider(and are all impotant as well) but in the end you would think Auburn would have those things. I know we will get our fair share of great backs this year and I am not worried but IMO if they have done their research at all they would all(RB’S) be knocking down the door to get in . Maybe I am just biased.

Maybe some of you guys could help me out on this one!

You forgot about 16-YEAR NFL VET, Tony Richardson, who is starting his third season with the Jets this year!!  

[wardamnpjm 0]

O.K.,I would like to make a little observation and before I start please know that this thread is not a sky is falling thread by any stretch of the means. Now that that is out of the way I will get to the point.  I have read on several message boards that some of the parents of Auburns top tailback targets for 2010 (and some that we offered who now have little to no interest in us)have parents who are just not feeling Auburn,or don’t know much about Auburn or don’t feel like Auburn is the right fit,etc….etc….. HUH???? I realize that some kids control their own destiny and their parents just help them along(which is what a parent should do)but for any parent to say Auburn is not a good fit for their son at the tailback spot…..BLOWS MY MIND!!!! I mean if you are a highly sought after Linebacker and Penn State offers you a scholly,you have to at least pay attention …right? If you are a high profile RB with dreams of playing on Sunday(I would guess 99% do)and the team that has put more tailbacks in the league in the last 20 years than ANY other college wants you,I think I would start to pay a LOT of attention.

I wonder if these parents or kids know that:

1.There have been 245 Auburn players drafted into theNFL, with 15 earning 30 All-Pro honors, 27 making Pro Bowl appearances, and 23 playing in the Super Bowl.

Or

The Dow Jones College-Football Success Index ranked Auburn as the eighth best program in the nation, with the second highest Draft Value which indicate "that a school's players perform better than NFL scouts seem to expect".Auburn is tied (with Miami) for second most Top 5 NFL Draft picks this decade, and The Plains have produced 25 first round draft picks overall.

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/retro-collegefootball0608.html

or (and most importantly)

Auburn has several former running backs currently playing Running back in the NFL (see below). They carry on a long legacy of top NFL backs from Auburn such as Tucker Frederickson, William Andrews, Joe Cribbs, James Brooks, Rudi Johnson, Stephen Davis, James Bostic, Brandon Jacobs, Lionel James, Brent Fullwood, Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, Heath Evans, Ben Tate, Tommie Ageee, and Bo Jackson. Over the years 19877-2008, there have been 15 Tiger running backs drafted into the NFL, with several more successfully signing as undrafted free-agents.

And (last but not least)

Here is a list of current RB’s AU has put in the league who are playing today:

Ronnie Brown/Miami Dolphins

Tristan Davis/Miami Dolphins

Heath Evans/New Orleans Saints

Kenny Irons/Bengals(During the second quarter of the Bengals first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. On July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list.

Brandon Jacobs/New York Giants

Rudi Johnson/Detroit Lions

Ben Tate/Houston texans

Carnell Williams/Tampa Bay Bucs

With all this being said I cannot for the life of me figure why any recruit or their parents for that matter would not consider Auburn for their son as a RB. I know that education and being comfortable,distance from home,and fanhood are other variables to consider(and are all impotant as well) but in the end you would think Auburn would have those things. I know we will get our fair share of great backs this year and I am not worried but IMO if they have done their research at all they would all(RB’S) be knocking down the door to get in . Maybe I am just biased.

Maybe some of you guys could help me out on this one!

You forgot about 16-YEAR NFL VET, Tony Richardson, who is starting his third season with the Jets this year!!  

Doh!!! Thanks DJ fixed! See there are so many RB's in the league one just can't keep up with them all LOL!

[Rickys Rants 0]

My guess is these situations are a case of 'different strokes for different folks'......not everyone is going to fall in love with 'the loveliest village on the plains', and our small town 'family' atmosphere.......I would much rather have a player who WANTS to be an Auburn Tiger, and bleeds orange and blue, instead of a RB who just views us as his best chance to get to the NFL........just sayin'

[WarEagle10 77]

If a RB decides he wants to go to another school, I wish him the best. Bottom line, if he wants to get to the NFL at the RB position, and decides to play elsewhere, it's his loss. Going back to the very early 80's,(William Andrews) if you were a starting RB for Auburn, you played in the NFL. The few that didn't have solid NFL career's had them cut short because of injuries. We are known as RB U for a reason!

[autiger44 0]

I don't think enough people know Auburn for its great runningbacks besides Bo Jackson and more recent ones like Carnell and Ronnie.

[DunderMifflin 60]

My feeling on the kid from Columbus is that it may just not be a 'fit'.

My feeling on Blakely is that he loves AU but grew up UF.  How hard Florida goes after him might determine whether he ends up with AU or not.

And my feeling on all RBs looking at AU is that they see Dyer (Best back in the country last year according to some  - one of the top 2 acccording to almost everybody) coming in this year and question how much playing time will be available.  The truth is we need RBs...bad.  If Dontae Aycock was progressing and looked to be ready to step in we would be in better shape - but he is no longer with us.  We need backs.  Period.  Hopefully guys figure this out in the end and quit listening to rival coaches, fans and website administrators about where AU stands.

[jcm81 2]

Malzhan's offense cannot put RBs in the NFL ... someone just forgot to tell Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Ben Tate.  Malzhan has been a coordinator since 2006.  Let's look at his RBs stats.

2006

McFadden - 1647 yds

Jones - 1168 yds

2007

Tarrion Adams - 1225 yds

2008

Adams - 1523 yds

2009

Tate - 1362 yds

[walker77 0]

Observation:

AU does not offer a degree in every area of study. Some of these kids and parents actually are smart enough to see long-term and go where they will get the education they want. Nobody plays sports forever.

Also, the kids who grow up in major metro areas may not be as attracted to the small, college town environment such as Auburn offers...

AU is not the right fit for everyone.

[NCTiger 0]

wardamnpjm

We are all a bit bias, but we did not luck into becoming RBU. Regardless of our HC & staff Auburn continues to turn out NFL RBs. I think TB was the only HC we had that did not embrace our RBU tradition. Steven Davis should have an HT, but that is another story. Your legit concern does not mean the sky is falling (as you pointed out), you lack faith in our staff or you are any less orange & blue for having this concern. You should not be verbally stoned for bringing it up as many of us share it. There could be a silent commit or two, but we only know what is reported. In the next 30 days we may feel very different on this topic and I hope so.

Walker77

You hit the nail on the head. We can't make a big city life loving RB like Auburn unless they are looking for something different. If you want to live in a little city with most people being around the same age.........come on down. Many of us thrived on this when we were in school at Auburn along with the family vibe and everything else AU offers. FSU has a pretty campus, but what does Tallahasse offer ? FSU was getting just about anybody they wanted because of consistent winning and consistently being in the NC mix. Our staff obviously makes a difference and we will be more successful getting big city seekers to Auburn as when we start locking down championships. We have one stud in Dyer to help us and we need help.

War Eagle !

[stryker 0]

Great point! Those stats should be given to every RB recruit and their parents. Excellent post!!!

[bird36 5]

J. Rose quote:     

“It’s just a family environment and everything they have said has turned out to be true,” said Rose. “I’m ready to roll with Auburn."

Auburn is not for everyone. But enough big time players will love her as we do to put together teams to win the SEC and more. 

[WarEagle10 77]

wardamnpjm

We are all a bit bias, but we did not luck into becoming RBU. Regardless of our HC & staff Auburn continues to turn out NFL RBs. I think TB was the only HC we had that did not embrace our RBU tradition. Steven Davis should have an HT, but that is another story. Your legit concern does not mean the sky is falling (as you pointed out), you lack faith in our staff or you are any less orange & blue for having this concern. You should not be verbally stoned for bringing it up as many of us share it. There could be a silent commit or two, but we only know what is reported. In the next 30 days we may feel very different on this topic and I hope so.

Walker77

You hit the nail on the head. We can't make a big city life loving RB like Auburn unless they are looking for something different. If you want to live in a little city with most people being around the same age.........come on down. Many of us thrived on this when we were in school at Auburn along with the family vibe and everything else AU offers. FSU has a pretty campus, but what does Tallahasse offer ? FSU was getting just about anybody they wanted because of consistent winning and consistently being in the NC mix. Our staff obviously makes a difference and we will be more successful getting big city seekers to Auburn as when we start locking down championships. We have one stud in Dyer to help us and we need help.

War Eagle !

I grew up with several 'Noles. That's not the only reason they were getting talent. My best friend was a 4 year starter for them as a punter. He was even in on the "payroll".