13 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

Baltimore Sun: Edsall wants football practice at Dunbar to be springboard for Terps brand
http://www.baltimore...,5634740.column

[Oriole85]

Even though I've criticized them for "outsourcing" home games, I like these moves. Maryland should be doing everything in it's power to spread the brand around the state(and region) and retain in-state(and local) players.

[BSLZackKiesel]

This is really going to help recruiting. Hopefully they can get Dunbar QB Will Crest (4-star dual-threat 2014 recruit) out there and talk up the Terps to him. He'd be a huge get.

[BSLMikeLowe]

It's a good idea, although I wonder if this could lead to other schools in the region that can afford to holding their own practices at high schools in MD. Schools like Penn St, Ohio St or Michigan have the money, and the incentive with UM joining the Big Ten, to want to establish their own presence in the area. And let's face it, while there has been some improvement, UM still is not getting a large percentage of in-state Div 1 recruits....so the opportunity would still seem ripe for other schools to come in and show off their brand. And as far as I know, the NCAA does not currently have any rules that would prohibit it.

[Oriole85]

It's a good idea, although I wonder if this could lead to other schools in the region that can afford to holding their own practices at high schools in MD. Schools like Penn St, Ohio St or Michigan have the money, and the incentive with UM joining the Big Ten, to want to establish their own presence in the area. And let's face it, while there has been some improvement, UM still is not getting a large percentage of in-state Div 1 recruits....so the opportunity would still seem ripe for other schools to come in and show off their brand. And as far as I know, the NCAA does not currently have any rules that would prohibit it.

So Ohio State and Michigan would travel to Maryland to hold scrimmages?

[BSLMikeLowe]

So Ohio State and Michigan would travel to Maryland to hold scrimmages?

Why not? If they're recruiting a couple kids from somewhere like Gilman, it would make quite an impression for them to show up and have a practice there. And would go a long way to establishing a pipeline for future players. Not saying they'd come to MD every year, but maybe every two or three. It's not like either of those programs need to worry about building their brand in their home state like UM does, so why not hold one or two scrimmages each spring in other states where you recruit?

[Oriole85]

Why not? If they're recruiting a couple kids from somewhere like Gilman, it would make quite an impression for them to show up and have a practice there. And would go a long way to establishing a pipeline for future players. Not saying they'd come to MD every year, but maybe every two or three. It's not like either of those programs need to worry about building their brand in their home state like UM does, so why not hold one or two scrimmages each spring in other states where you recruit?

You bring the entire travel squad? It would be pretty unprecedented -- I can't recall a squad doing it. I could see Penn State doing it with their proximity. I just don't see schools that are 500 miles away spending a weekend here. And while those schools are brand names, you still have plenty of competition between schools for players. They're bound by the depth chart, scholarships, etc so while there's no draft per se, it's hard for a school to have a monopoly on players.

I don't think it's against the rules -- there's a limit on practice time, but nothing I know of, of traveling to other states or long-distances to hold practices -- but unless these schools plan on having tons of recruits the DMV, not sure how much sense it makes.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I don't recall it happening either, but wouldn't be shocked if it already has happened somewhere. The practice-time thing would be the biggest issue I think, since I'm guessing the time spent travelling counts against that. Of course that would mean the Terps just burnt 2 hours to get up and back from Baltimore, and will burn 2 more travelling next weekend to Frederick.

I brought up Ohio St because with Urban Meyer there now it sounds like the sort of thing that would be in his recruiting playbook. They have already recruited the DMV a bit in recent years. And again, it's not like UM has the area on lockdown....the opportunity is there for someone who wants to try and take it.

[DJ MC]

I think that if another team tried that, especially a Big Ten team with Maryland going into that conference, the university will demand that the conference prevent it, and the Big Ten would do so.

It's one thing for Maryland to go to Baltimore or Penn State to go to Pittsburgh or Ohio State to go to Cleveland, but it's another thing to travel such a long distance with your team. The conference, let alone the NCAA, won't want to see colleges having "spring training" in the football factories of western Pennsylvania, or Texas, or Miami, or California.

I can see a limit on the distance being set.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Yeah, I don't see other squads holding practice in other states anytime soon. The NCAA would put a cap on that for sure. Because then you hit a fine line to where you're not explicably paying recruits to come to your school, but you're putting together elaborate trips to other states to visit recruits, speak to them, and practice in front of them. That's over the top, and would be squashed.

[Oriole85]

Yeah, I don't see other squads holding practice in other states anytime soon. The NCAA would put a cap on that for sure. Because then you hit a fine line to where you're not explicably paying recruits to come to your school, but you're putting together elaborate trips to other states to visit recruits, speak to them, and practice in front of them. That's over the top, and would be squashed.

While the NCAA might get involved, the Big Ten I think would step in first in this case. Sure they would be powerless if let's say USC was holding practices at McDonough, but if Michigan and Ohio State was doing it, they'd have pull. There are reasons I think it hasn't been done. Unless you are heavily recruiting an area, it's a bad use of resources. And on another level, it's rubbing other schools in the conference the wrong way.

[DJ MC]

While the NCAA might get involved, the Big Ten I think would step in first in this case. Sure they would be powerless if let's say USC was holding practices at McDonough, but if Michigan and Ohio State was doing it, they'd have pull. There are reasons I think it hasn't been done. Unless you are heavily recruiting an area, it's a bad use of resources. And on another level, it's rubbing other schools in the conference the wrong way.

Right. It doesn't happen already because it doesn't make sense recruiting-wise. Even when Mike Locksley was recruiting every DC player to Illinois, it still wouldn't have made much sense for them to hold practice in the District. Even with Maryland, it's less about specific recruiting than it is showing the program off in Baltimore and getting some extra attention among all of the schools.

I do think the Big Ten would have some power in the scenario you mentioned, though. They would go to the NCAA and say, "If you want any support at all from our conference when the Miami thing blows up in your face, you are going to stop this."

[BSLMikeLowe]

Right. It doesn't happen already because it doesn't make sense recruiting-wise. Even when Mike Locksley was recruiting every DC player to Illinois, it still wouldn't have made much sense for them to hold practice in the District. Even with Maryland, it's less about specific recruiting than it is showing the program off in Baltimore and getting some extra attention among all of the schools.

I do think the Big Ten would have some power in the scenario you mentioned, though. They would go to the NCAA and say, "If you want any support at all from our conference when the Miami thing blows up in your face, you are going to stop this."

Just for the record though, recruiting was one of the primary things Edsall talked about as to why they're doing it. This quote wasn't in the article linked above, but a different Sun article.

"Hopefully [young people] come and they see it, get mom and dad to bring them back to a game, and they grow up with Maryland on their mind," Edsall said. "So when they become recruitable student athletes as seniors and we're recruiting them, you hope that because they've developed this affinity for the University of Maryland that they'll end up being here and being part of the program."

As for the Big Ten or NCAA getting involved, I think if it reaches that point, then this sort of practice ends altogether....whether it is within your home state or not. I only brought the possibility of other schools trying this in MD up because, as I mentioned, it's totally something I could see Urban Meyer do sometime.

[DJ MC]

Just for the record though, recruiting was one of the primary things Edsall talked about as to why they're doing it. This quote wasn't in the article linked above, but a different Sun article.

I meant recruiting specific players as opposed to just making your team known in the area. Sorry I wasn't clear.