'14 IL ILB Nyles Morgan (Notre Dame Signee)

[Domina Nostra]

Yeah, IDK the exact ranking, but Vandy is a very strong academic school. It's not like if he goes to Vandy over ND, he's taking the easy way out.

I'm not sure I would use the US News rankings to compare the educations that athletes receive from each school.

The rankings measure all kinds of things, from endowment to facilities. What it does not tell you is whetehr the administration makes the coach send his players to classes, and whether those classes are legitimate. Schools like Michigan, USC, and UNC are excellent institutions, but they all find a way to get football players through without any issues in a way ND just does not.

I'm not sure what Vandy is like in that regard, but the fact that they are living happily in the SEC leaves me with my doubts. On the other hand, school's like Duke seem to recruit kids that can handle the classes, at least with a little help. But even Duke apparently bent its standards in the late 1990s for its basketball team (when they were awesome). Vandy probably gets more of those Duke-type kids than other Southern school (mostly because Vandy historically stunk at football historically but is a good school), but if they are committed to winning in the SEC and start recruiting normal SEC athletes, we'll see what happens.

ND really does stand out for the quality of education that it ensures that its athletes recieve. Is it it just as good as a regaular student's? Probably not, but it is not a joke.

 

[IrishLax]

I have a co-worker who played tennis at Vandy and then got her masters at Stanford. As an engineer, there are no "joke" classes but I asked her about other athletes and she said there is pretty much no way to avoid taking some real classes, but that some majors are obviously easier than others. Like at Notre Dame, some will find a sociology degree easier than a physics degree. Just kinda the nature of college. I think Vandy is relatively on the up-and-up.

Vandy graduates ~85% of their players which is solid and honestly with some of the characters ND has signed the past couple classes I wouldn't be surprised to see our graduation rate start falling into the low 90s/high 80s.

 

[beryirish]

This x100.

If he doesn't end up at ND it is because we got out recruited. Period.

I almost hope that Franklin has some baller upset filled 10-2 BCS year at Vandy so we can grab him if (when) Kelly bolts.

This better not happen...It would be extremely hard to get excited for the fall if we keep changing regimes.

 

[STLDomer]

We'd love to get Morgan, but he's shown inconsistent interest and effort in visiting ND. He'd fit and I do think he knows that deep down, but whether he wants to fit is up to him. It isn't a lack of effort on our part. He'd be great at ND.

There's a lot of "interesting advice" being thrown around a number of visible Chicagoland prospects in recent years. We have good intel on this. It's a shame, really, but I suppose it's easier and plays better to some to make ND the "villain" here.

Very interesting comments here from TJ34, particularly the second paragraph.

 

[IrishLax]

Very interesting comments here from TJ34, particularly the second paragraph.

Quite. I wonder who is doing it. High school coaches? Fitzgerald? These training programs like Core 6?

 

[STLDomer]

Quite. I wonder who is doing it. High school coaches? Fitzgerald? These training programs like Core 6?

Its definitely Core 6 IMO. Run by a bunch of Big 10 guys and seems to feed heavily away from ND and many times to OSU. Have we landed a Core 6 (aka an elite player from Chicago) player since it began in 2010 besides Collin McGovern?

 

[Sherm Sticky]

BTW...this kid is the ILB that all you fans have been asking about. He is the thumper ND needs inside.

 

[IrishLax]

Its definitely Core 6 IMO. Run by a bunch of Big 10 guys and seems to feed heavily away from ND and many times to OSU. Have we landed a Core 6 (aka an elite player from Chicago) player since it began in 2010 besides Collin McGovern?

My initial impression as well from that quote you gave. And McGovern was a ND fan, right? That Core 6 thing always seemed obscenely sketchy... very AAU-esque.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

BTW...this kid is the ILB that all you fans have been asking about. He is the thumper ND needs inside.

Which is why these recent posts are depressing. Our best shot at an elite ILB is getting ruined by a bunch of sketchy B1G fanboys in Core6.

 

[TerryTate]

Core6 is a heavy OSU & UM factory

 

[IrishLax]

Can someone explain wtf Core 6 even is? Just a training program?

 

[TerryTate]

It's a camp system and training program run by former Big 10 players

 

[STLDomer]

Can someone explain wtf Core 6 even is? Just a training program?

Training plus 7-7s. Like Jaylon was AWP.

BTW Kyle Allen is part of the Core 6 expansion to Arizona...

 

[IrishLax]

It's a camp system and training program run by former Big 10 players

Training plus 7-7s. Like Jaylon was AWP.

BTW Kyle Allen is part of the Core 6 expansion to Arizona...

Hahahahahaha holy sh*t..............

See, I'm sure you two and most others know this, but this kind of thing has long been a problem in other sports (namely AAU basketball, but it applies to soccer, lacrosse, baseball, etc. where athletes try to play year round against elite competition so they play on some sort of "club" or "travel" team when not in season for HS). So what ends up happening is that these "club" coaches and trainers and "street agents" and what have you become more and more important with more and more control over the young athletes. And everything gets pretty shady.

You never used to have this in football because HS competition is what matters. You're not suiting up in pads for the off-season. But now if they're doing year round training and 7on....

Just look at what happened with EV and his trainer. Was Kyle Allen cancelling his visit to ND a coincidence? These kinds of guys have influence when they interact daily with the kids. And I'm really not sure if there is a way to stop that cycle sans creating a competing organization that is "better" than Core 6 and will attract kids.

As an aside, what a ****ing stupid name.

 

[IrishLax]

President - Indiana
QB/Recruiting - Indiana/South Florida/Kansas State (transfer much?)
OL/Recruiting - Iowa
WR/Recruiting - Illinois
DB - Illinois(ish)

Those are the bios listed on their homepage. Two make note of choosing programs over Notre Dame: Mike Jones - Yahoo! Sports
Chris James - Yahoo! Sports

The funny part for James is that his Illinois bio lists him as choosing Illinois over MSU, Kansas, Minnesota, and NIU... yet for his Core 6 bio he makes a point of saying he chose Illinois over Notre Dame and Oregon. No recruiting profiles list an offer/interest from either. #factcheck

 

[NDWorld247]

I don't discount the influence programs like Core6 have on recruits, but a player's HS coach is usually more influential and Crete-Monee's HC is a die-hard ND fan. ND may be made to look like the villain by the Core6 jokers now, but we will be heavily promoted from August to December by someone that spends every day with him.

It's a Vandy vs ND battle IMO.

 

[stlnd01]

Hahahahahaha holy sh*t..............

See, I'm sure you two and most others know this, but this kind of thing has long been a problem in other sports (namely AAU basketball, but it applies to soccer, lacrosse, baseball, etc. where athletes try to play year round against elite competition so they play on some sort of "club" or "travel" team when not in season for HS). So what ends up happening is that these "club" coaches and trainers and "street agents" and what have you become more and more important with more and more control over the young athletes. And everything gets pretty shady.

George Dohrmann's book Play Their Hearts Out is a pretty devastating account of one AAU hoops program in California and what it did to these kids' careers.
No idea if Core 6 is similar, but it would suck to see football go in that direction. I do think the sheer number of players you need for football, and the infrastructure of even a high school program, make that sort of club thing harder. Still, you do see it with the QB gurus and the 7on7 teams and stuff.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Which is why these recent posts are depressing. Our best shot at an elite ILB is getting ruined by a bunch of sketchy B1G fanboys in Core6.

Agree 100%

 

[luckoftheirish11]

Dad is wearing an ND hat at the Opening. Hmm.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

He was wearing a Nd shirt in a pic Nyles posted the other day. His dad has always been high in ND.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

He was wearing a Nd shirt in a pic Nyles posted the other day. His dad has always been high in ND.

Pfft. What does that square know anyways? Better listen to those B1G bros from Core6. There's a conference that really knows competitive football.

 

[STLDomer]

Told ISD his interest in ND is a 7 and he probably won't OV since its so close and he's been there so many times.

Unless I'm missing something he hasn't been to ND "many times". If he was really interested he'd take an OV

 

[BeauBenken]

Told ISD his interest in ND is a 7 and he probably won't OV since its so close and he's been there so many times.

Unless I'm missing something he hasn't been to ND "many times". If he was really interested he'd take an OV

It's just so weird to think anyone could be so "meh" on ND.

 

[NDWorld247]

Told ISD his interest in ND is a 7 and he probably won't OV since its so close and he's been there so many times.

Unless I'm missing something he hasn't been to ND "many times". If he was really interested he'd take an OV

According to 24/7 he was at camp last summer and visited for the Michigan St. game. He's probably been more than twice and it just wasn't reported.

What's the difference between an OV and an unofficial besides the fact the school pays for the OV trip?

 

[IrishLax]

It's just so weird to think anyone could be so "meh" on ND.

While simultaneously being high on Vandy... and from Chicago. It's hard to imagine us as anything more than a hat on the table to keep the recruiting buzz up.

STL, I think he has been to ND at least twice for unofficials. If what he is saying is "I don't want to use an OV because I can just go there for an unofficial during the season if I want and it would be a waste of an OV" I think that does make some sense. If what he is saying is "I don't plan on visiting again" then it's a completely different connotation.

 

[STLDomer]

He never said he would take a unofficial he just said he won't take a OV. A full update is going to be posted later so we'll see what's in that

 

[IrishLax]

He never said he would take a unofficial he just said he won't take a OV. A full update is going to be posted later so we'll see what's in that

Yeah.... that's what I'm saying... his connotation about "not taking an OV" means a lot. Whether its implied he has no intent of visiting again or that because of short distance it's a waste of an OV makes a big difference. IMO, if he doesn't visit again we are pretty much out of the race.

 

[NDdomer2]

if his dad is such A fan it is not out of the realm that he went to games growing up

 

[STLDomer]

Visiting as a kid is nothing like visiting as a recruit. Look at Michigan's recruiting, Drake Harris and Malik McDowell have visited Michigan a TON of times. If he was really interested in ND he'd be visiting more often. TJ on II has pointed out that he has shown inconsistent interest in visiting ND. Him not visiting this spring or summer is a huge red flag IMO

 

[NDdomer2]

no one said its the same, wasnt the quote about him being there? not taking a lot of visits?