'16 CA LB Caleb Kelly (Oklahoma Verbal)

[greyhammer90]

Time for old Tom Loy to dish on the details haha.

 

[NDVirginia19]

I'm cool with a kid picking wherever he feels is best.

But how do you praise academics then choose a school like Oklahoma?

That's insulting.

Because he wants the easy way out with a communications degree from an easy public school I guess. Academics is important, maybe its important to him that he gets an easy pass through classes and is on a morally loose leash. Who knows

 

[jason_h537]

“I think he’s really cool,” said Kelly. “I only knew him for the last few months, but we really developed a strong bond. I could really see myself playing for him. Honestly, if I went out there and visited a lot earlier than my official visit, we probably would have connected even more and who knows what would have happened. I just didn’t think it worked out right now and this wasn’t the right time for me to be there.”

That is how I see this. He came way too late, there was too much grown to make up but I was hoping him or mom would see the benefit of a ND degree.

Oh well, he seems like a good dude so I wish him the best. Still a solid class.

 

[NDPhilly]

He gets beat like Joe s and tackles like Redfield, bullet dodged.

lol

 

[Booslum31]

Bummer -- that was the first time I've heard him speak. Seems like a cool dude.

Yeah big bummer. I wish him well...good kid.

 

[FWIrish4]

Curious to hear the reasoning for the decision considering it was a pretty tight race.

Assuming Fresno -> OU connection had a big part but curious to hear specifics.

 

[dang227]

Can never figure out the whole "pipeline" and why kids can't think on their own. Why feel the need to go to a school just because former teammates are there? Be your own man. A whole different level but I could have cared less where my HS teammates were going. I wanted to go where I felt was the best fit and create my own path.

 

[NDShark]

Academics!!!!!!

F 'em

 

[Cali_domer]

Curious to hear the reasoning for the decision considering it was a pretty tight race.

Assuming Fresno -> OU connection had a big part but curious to hear specifics.

BVG played a large role it seems

 

[MNIrishman]

Well, if he wants a 50/50 shot at ruining his future, he made the right choice.

OU football notebook: Oklahoma football graduation rates last in Big 12 | NewsOK.com

 

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

100000000 dollars says you wouldn't have thought, said or posted this if he picked ND

I already said it quite a few pages ago when he was a supposed ND lean lol. A check will suffice

 

[Irishman77]

Bilal better be for real and bring it like a madman

 

[NDBoiler]

Can never figure out the whole "pipeline" and why kids can't think on their own. Why feel the need to go to a school just because former teammates are there? Be your own man. A whole different level but I could have cared less where my HS teammates were going. I wanted to go where I felt was the best fit and create my own path.

Simple - not everyone is like you or thinks like you. Plus, they're just what you said they are - kids. They're not always going to view things the same way someone who is older and has more life experience would.

 

[Classic Irish]

I'm cool with a kid picking wherever he feels is best.

But how do you praise academics then choose a school like Oklahoma?

That's insulting.

Cue the posts trashing this notion---posts which essentially imply that all schools are the same: "Maybe he will go to Oklahoma and intends to work hard in the classroom and get a meaningful degree." Yeah, sure, it makes no difference where you go to school.

 

[MNIrishman]

Cue the posts trashing this notion---posts which essentially imply that all schools are the same: "Maybe he will go to Oklahoma and intends to work hard in the classroom and get a meaningful degree." Yeah, sure, it makes no difference where you go to school.

Haha, no difference at all unless you want the piece of paper at the end instead of being chewed up and thrown out like yesterday's garbage. Oklahoma is so bad for players they really ought to be shut down until they can come up with a plan for how to actually educate a player every now and then.

 

[rocket66]

Posted it in the BVG thread, but I absolutely hate that Mark Stoops was able to come in and talk him back into OU. Our staff knocked it out of the park, but our big miss seems to be BVG. We need a rockstar DC that can build relationships and recruit similar to what Sanford brings for the offense. Just sucks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NDBoiler]

Cue the posts trashing this notion---posts which essentially imply that all schools are the same: "Maybe he will go to Oklahoma and intends to work hard in the classroom and get a meaningful degree." Yeah, sure, it makes no difference where you go to school.

I think it makes a difference, but not as much as you are implying. You CAN get a degree from a Big 12 school or Big 10 school for example and still do very well for yourself. Plus who knows what he wanted to major in, maybe it wasn't offered at ND. If I was 5 star recruit who wanted to study Aeronautical Engineering, I'd sure as heck consider Purdue pretty seriously. Believe it or not, other schools besides ND can still give you a good education and help you set yourself up for success. Averages are just that, averages. Doesn't mean everyone is going to fall exactly on it, some may do worse, yet others may do better.

Bottom line, who gives a fuck? Why does an 18yr old's college choice who none of us know have to dampen our lives to any great extent? Life's too short and there's much more important stuff other than that to dwell on.

 

[NDdomer2]

What I don't understand about these Fresno kids and Oklahoma is if you are going to choose a lesser degree, graduation rate, etc, why one so far away from home? Do they plan on living in OK after college? I can't imagine a OU degree holding much weight back in Cali vs the UCLA, USC, Cal Berks of the employee base.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

That is how I see this. He came way too late, there was too much grown to make up but I was hoping him or mom would see the benefit of a ND degree.



Oh well, he seems like a good dude so I wish him the best. Still a solid class.

Where have you been?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IrishLion]

Good luck Caleb.

I think you guys are reaching too hard if you're going to start the whole "if he really cared about academics..." thing up.

From the young man's own comments, it truly seems like his relationships with OU were too much for ND to overcome, even with the [excellent] late push put on by the ND staff. He just discovered the joys of ND a bit too late, and never got comfortable enough to pull the trigger for the Irish. Can't fault him for that.

 

[dang227]

I wouldn't want to play for BVG either

 

[rocket66]

Good luck Caleb.

I think you guys are reaching too hard if you're going to start the whole "if he really cared about academics..." thing up.

From the young man's own comments, it truly seems like his relationships with OU were too much for ND to overcome, even with the [excellent] late push put on by the ND staff. He just discovered the joys of ND a bit too late, and never got comfortable enough to pull the trigger for the Irish. Can't fault him for that.

This isn't exactly correct. He was quoted in Loy's update as all-in for ND but changed his mind when Mark Stoops came back for another in-home. By not having a good recruiter at DC, ND lost this recruit. It's unfortunate because the rest of the staff did a great job securing him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ohara831]

Losing this one hurts

 

[ColinKSU]

Fresno is such a waste of time, energy and money. ND will never get anyone out of that place.

 

[IrishLion]

This isn't exactly correct. He was quoted in Loy's update as all-in for ND but changed his mind when Mark Stoops came back for another in-home. By not having a good recruiter at DC, ND lost this recruit. It's unfortunate because the rest of the staff did a great job securing him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You say it's because our DC isn't a good recruiter, since Stoops flipped him back.

I would argue that Stoops flipping him back was indicative of the relationships he built at OU, moreso than what our own DC brings to the table. If his relationship with ND had gone back a bit further, perhaps Stoops wouldn't have been able to turn the tide again.

Our ideas and takeaways aren't mutually exclusive, either. It is likely a combination of both.

I just think the old "academic" discussion doesn't really play a role here at all, which was my main point lol.

 

[stlnd01]

Can never figure out the whole "pipeline" and why kids can't think on their own. Why feel the need to go to a school just because former teammates are there? Be your own man. A whole different level but I could have cared less where my HS teammates were going. I wanted to go where I felt was the best fit and create my own path.

I don't know that it's so much about "thinking on your own" or not as it is about relationships. Experienced adults who you trust - your high school coaches - connect you early on with people they trust - college coaches - presumably for good reason. And you build a relationship. You get comfortable with a coaching staff and the idea of a particular school. Other fellow alums (former teammates) who can vouch for the place - especially one as far as Norman is from Fresno - are gravy.
Doesn't mean you don't look around, in most cases. There are a lot of fish in the sea for a top recruit and they ought to drop other lines. But those relationships - as we saw here with Kelly - carry a lot of weight. You feel like you fit. And maybe you even really do.

 

[irishff1014]

Lets face it if you go to any school in the country sign up for real classes put your nose in the book and bust your ass you can get a very good education. With that said i believe most recruits say the right things about academics but don't follow that up with the walk.

I think Kelly can do well with his education at OU but he has to put in the effort.

 

[NCND]

Lets face it if you go to any school in the country sign up for real classes put your nose in the book and bust your ass you can get a very good education. With that said i believe most recruits say the right things about academics but don't follow that up with the walk.

I think Kelly can do well with his education at OU but he has to put in the effort.

+1. Sucks but good luck at OU.

 

[MNIrishman]

I don't know that it's so much about "thinking on your own" or not as it is about relationships. Experienced adults who you trust - your high school coaches - connect you early on with people they trust - college coaches - presumably for good reason. And you build a relationship. You get comfortable with a coaching staff and the idea of a particular school. Other fellow alums (former teammates) who can vouch for the place - especially one as far as Norman is from Fresno - are gravy.
Doesn't mean you don't look around, in most cases. There are a lot of fish in the sea for a top recruit and they ought to drop other lines. But those relationships - as we saw here with Kelly - carry a lot of weight. You feel like you fit. And maybe you even really do.

"Yeah man, OU was really great for me as a player. I'll tell you all about it for a spot on your couch and a hot meal."

Just because you CAN get a meaningful degree from a place and you have connections there, doesn't mean you will. OU probably offers plenty of opportunity to its students, but there's a serious issue when fewer than half of football players ever wind up with a degree----and that's without going into relative degree value, what people are majoring in, and racial disparities in graduation rate. Our coaches didn't fail. Caleb Kelly's mentors, coaches, and advisors did by sending him to a place where he is statistically more likely wasting time than improving his future.

 

[NDgradstudent]

I don't know that it's so much about "thinking on your own" or not as it is about relationships. Experienced adults who you trust - your high school coaches - connect you early on with people they trust - college coaches - presumably for good reason. And you build a relationship. You get comfortable with a coaching staff and the idea of a particular school. Other fellow alums (former teammates) who can vouch for the place - especially one as far as Norman is from Fresno - are gravy.
Doesn't mean you don't look around, in most cases. There are a lot of fish in the sea for a top recruit and they ought to drop other lines. But those relationships - as we saw here with Kelly - carry a lot of weight. You feel like you fit. And maybe you even really do.

There's a chance you won't get robbed if you move into Detroit, what's your point? Life is playing the percentages, and as MNIrishman has emphasized, the graduation rates speak for themselves.

I don't think expecting a student to graduate is asking that much. You don't need to be a Rhodes Scholar to graduate from ND, much less OU. The fact that their graduation rate is so low means that it is insulting to pretend that academics are even a part of your decision. OU has a great football tradition but they do not bother about the 'student' part. At all.