Thursday, January 05, 2017

Can Ricky Brown reignite BC's recruiting in Cincy?

BC has always recruited the Midwest Catholic schools. TOB continued that tradition, but also put an emphasis on his hometown of Cincinnati. It made sense. There is a strong group of Catholic schools there and he knew the territory. Once he added other Cincy staffers like Dana Bible and Don Horton, it made that much more sense to focus on the area. And it paid off. Every year BC found quality recruits who were overlooked by Ohio State and Notre Dame and got them to come to Boston. Even after TOB left, Jags and Spaz kept hitting the area. While BC still has some Cincinnati guys on the roster, it has been less a point of emphasis. Maybe that will change now the another BC-Cincinnati guy Ricky Brown is on the staff.

On the current roster, only two guys remain from the Cincinnati area -- Ben Glines and Truman Gutapfel. With Gutaphel set to graduate, it will be down to just Glines. During the peak TOB days, we would average about five or six guys from the area and have multiple starters. BC still recruits Ohio, but our current roster has more guys from the Columbus and Cleveland areas, than in the southwest portion of the state.

I know in the big picture it doesn't matter where the guys come from. We just need people who can play. But when you have a successful niche and a quiet pipeline, it seems shortsighted to walk away from it. Also it seems natural to let Brown try to recruit his hometown. I don't know if he will have the same network TOB had, but Brown's own story: "I'm an Ohio kid who went to BC and became an NFL veteran" is compelling. It will always sell better at a St. Xavier kid than it will to some recruit who doesn't know Brown and can't relate to his experience.

I couldn't find a comprehensive list of BC players from Southwest Ohio since TOB came on board, but I did find all the guys from the area who made all conference teams (below). It would be nice to add a few more to the list.

Former All ACC Players

  • Pat Ross 
  • Dejuan Tribble 
  • Alex Albright 
  • Clif Ramsey 
  • Matt Tennant 
  • Luke Kuechly 
  • Steven Daniels

15 comments:

JBQ said...

Brown can talk to these kids till he is blue or maroon in the face. The problem is the whispering going on in regard to the head coach. Why do you think that Washington jumped ship? He will be telling these same kids that UC is the place to go and that the Dazzler doesn't know what he is doing which he doesn't. TOB gave off good vibes as an honorable ex USMC. Mom wanted her son to rub shoulders with the red headed one with the oh-rah mentality. If you don't think that the three black players who left at the end of last year are telling "sour tales", then you are living in a dream world. The same holds true of the lousy treatment of Al Skinner. BC has some shoring up to do in the black community. Just because Ricky Brown is brought in as an Al Sharpton "token", doesn't remove the impression that BC is not somewhere that a black athlete should go. Addazio is Italian and very vindictive. Just ask Christian Suntrup.

Knucklehead said...

Ha, JBQ. Ricky Brown is white as fuck.

Knucklehead said...

ATL,
Are you kidding me with this post?

The coach in waiting who really was a "BC guy"(ultimate shit stick Jags used to use that line) just jumped ship, in the biggest case of collusion against BC since Richard Blumenthal and the state of CT v. Boston College, to the University of Cinci. What is Ricky Brown going to do in the Cinci-area ATL? . . . Probably not much more than what everyone expects, which is not much.

Jesus this post could on the Onion.

always sunny in cleveland said...

No, Ricky can relate to St. X (biggest Ohio division state champions), Moeller, Elder or LaSalle (Division II state champions) kids and parents. I'm sure he can relate to kids, parents at St. Ignatius or Walsh farther north as well. If Ohio St., Michigan, ND or perhaps Michigan St.or Penn State don't push hard, UC will be hard-pressed to beat out BC, unless the kids want to be engineers.

always sunny in cleveland said...

I just took a look at his bio, noting he played football and ran track at Elder. He will have a big presence in recruiting the Catholic League there.

CT said...

JBQ loses posting privileges.

That post is par for the course on here. Ha. Unbelievable.

But not really.

Go Suntrup!

Prescription refill needed.

JBQ said...

@CT: Arrogance has its privileges. @Knucklehead: Your mama should have washed out your mouth with soap a long time ago.

CT said...

Arrogance? Come on. This one is on you. Bark less. Wag more.

Tell us about the three black players you know so well. As well as Ricky Brown.

curranac said...

Even Tom O'Brien didn't start recruiting cincinnati kids to NC State. The pipeline to the heights is unique and brown should be well-positioned to reignite it. UC is not a power 5 school, so the kids that will go there should be a dufferent talent level. Ricky Brown doesn't save our program but it is still a good promotion.

Knucklehead said...

She did but it only made it worse. Dad tried to.

JBQ said...

@CT: God Bless.

Geezer eagle said...

Knucklehead, you provide much needed comic relief to this site. I really appreciate your epic bouts with the Mod Man.

JS Ca said...

Tim Moorman was my teammate and kicker for us in the late '70s. He went to Moellar and has been their kicking coach the last 17 years.
Btw I coach at Don Bosco Prep with Greg Toal.

Geezer eagle said...

I would give my left nutt to see BC get a competent kicking coach. At least half the high schools in the country have better kickers than we have in the Daz era.

mod34b said...

GE - we did have uber kicker Nate Freese a few years ago.....one of the best in the country.

i'd like to see him hired as the kicking coach....