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

Post Signing Day staff shakeup

Todd Fitch and Ben Albert are gone. Paul Pasqualoni and Rich Gunnell are on board. With the announcement coming just a day and a half after Signing Day, you have to infer that all of this has been in the works for a while. As soon as Addazio demoted Fitch, there were rumblings he was unhappy. Despite his shortcomings as an OC, Fitch was a very good recruiter, so it was important for him to stay on until all LOIs were signed.

I am not sure why BC waited on Albert. Like Fitch, there was gossip he would be gone for weeks. Unlike Fitch, he wasn't critical to recruiting.

In their places come two familiar names. Paul Pasqualoni gave Addazio his first big break in college and has served as a long-time mentor. Hopefully he can help Addazio through this rough stretch. He's overqualified as a Defensive Line coach and should be a good local recruiter. Rich Gunnell will now be Wide Receivers coach. Since wrapping up his playing career, Gunnell spent time as a GA at BC, a DLine coach at Tufts and a Head Coach in High School. He's an unknown at this level. But the staff needs youth and someone who can connect with recruits.

The school also announced that Ricky Brown will be a recruiting coordinator/quality control coach. This is more administrative and does not count towards the NCAA ten staffer limit. I am sure Brown will be helpful, but he will not be on the road recruiting and has some limitations with player interactions.

All in all, I think Addazio upgraded. He removed an underperforming recruiter, added some youth and added a mentor/game manager. Maybe 3-9 was the turning point.

Will USC hire Ricky Brown before BC?

Remember Ricky Brown? He was less-heralded during his time at BC. Guys like Kiwi got a lot of the attention, while Brown served as a tackling machine in Spaz's old system. After BC he spent seven seasons in the NFL with Oakland and Baltimore. The past two years he's served as a GA at Southern Cal. Now as Southern Cal's new coach Clay Helton remakes his staff, he might promote Brown from a Grad Assistant to fulltime Linebackers Coach. Helton is using the Bowl time to evaluate his openings. It would be a shame to let a young alum coach join another Power 5 team when BC still has a need for a Linebacker coach.

I am not losing sleep over Ricky Brown falling through our fingers. If he has success at USC, it helps BC in the long run. But he would seem like a perfect fit at BC. NFL ties. Young and in theory would be able to connect with recruits. He's from Cincinnati, so he is familiar with one of our most critical recruiting territories. It seems like a good risk worth taking.

But this sort of speculation doesn't mean much. Brown has no professional connection to Addazio and there is that little issue of BC not having a Defensive Coordinator. If Addazio is doing things the right way, he hires a DC and then he and the DC find a good Linebackers Coach together.

I expect Addazio will move fairly quickly on a new DC. He's going to want someone in place once the quiet period ends so that he can lock in recruits. And then he'll find a Linebacker Coach. In the mean time, best of luck to Brown out in California.

Phil Steele talks ACC and other links

Here is Phil Steele previewing the Big East and the ACC.

Former Eagle Tim Bulman signed with New England.His teammate Ricky Brown is hanging on too and is now with the Ravens.

Did anyone else hear this comment from Spaz?

"We've tied Chase's hands behind his back his first two years. He's at the point now where he's ready to cross the line."

I know this sort of thing is off the cuff, but why is he saying that he's held a QB back? Am I the only one who gets frustrated by this stuff?

VCU hired BC grad Ed McLaughlin as their new AD. If and when Gene retires McLaughlin will be one of top targets to replace him.

This is from earlier in the week, but I am glad Kimble is confident. I think he could have a big season.

Emmett Cleary provides some insights into how the offense will change.

Eagles can serve as role models for Herzlich

We know that Mark Herzlich and all his fans are disappointed , but not getting drafted is not that big a deal. Now that their risk is minimized and their upside is aligned, numerous NFL teams can roll the dice with Herzlich. And he only needs to look to two recent BC linebackers as examples of free agent success. Ricky Brown -- who graduated the spring before Mark arrived -- was an extremely productive linebacker at BC. He didn't have Mark's instincts or cover skills and was of similar speed. Yet he got on with Oakland and has been a contributor and part-time starter for five seasons. Mark's former teammate Jo-Lonn Dunbar has also used free agency as an avenue to an NFL career. Now 2008 Herzlich was better than Dunbar ever was. Their SR seasons were comparable as both dealt with some nagging injuries and stacked depth chart. Dunbar had more speed than Herzlich but was not expected to be drafted. He's been a significant factor for the Saints though. Signed as an undrafted free agent, Dunbar is now a starter.

The lockout creates a bit of an unknown that wouldn't have occurred as a draftee, but there is nothing Mark can do about that now. He now just has to stay focused and find the right situation for him.

The only thing he could have done differently through this process was to avoid the media spotlight. But if Mark truly has on-camera ambitions after football, then speaking on air this past week was a great audition and a chance to promote Mark Herzlich the brand/personality.

I am disappointed but not surprised by this weekend. But I don't doubt Mark. He'll be in the NFL next year and in a few years few of us will even care about his Draft weekend.