A Sea Of Red

Recruiting update and some notes around summer league and scheduling.

https://risewithus5.blogspot.com/2023/0 ... l?spref=tw

Draft recap

https://risewithus5.blogspot.com/2023/0 ... r.html?m=1

Roster additions

https://risewithus5.blogspot.com/2023/0 ... w.html?m=1

Great content and coverage. This is a solid class with some high-ceiling pieces, and it will be interesting to see who comes out ahead at SS once we're close to conference play.

2024 schedule was released yesterday. Don't think we play any SEC teams, which is surprising.

https://risewithus5.blogspot.com/2023/1 ... 0.html?m=1


Signing class

jinxy wrote: ↑November 7th, 2023, 11:36 pm https://risewithus5.blogspot.com/2023/1 ... 0.html?m=1


Signing class

jinxy, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one on this board that knows there are sports other than football and basketball. Thanks for sharing the signing list.

Well it’s FOOTBALL and BASKETBALL season(s) soooo…..

It seemed that Jackson lost 2 of his assistant coaches from last year. Based on the roster, this team will struggle this year unless the pitching comes to play this year.

I really like Jackson and everything he’s done for us but I’m a little bit worried too.
Worried about this season and the overall direction of the program moving into a tougher conference.

The pitching coach he brought in over the summer had a lot of success at Campbell. There's no reason to believe the pitching staff won't be a strength for us against in a year or two. This year may be another rough season but I think Jackson will right the ship.

He absolutely deserves the opportunity to right the ship with what he has done.

Poor recruiting is his problem. After last school year, he had opportunities to recruit very good high school age players but offered very low scholarships and missed out on those players. My son played for Pro5 Academy last year, an elite high school baseball program. There are a bunch of these academies around the country, especially in the east coast. There were kids there that would have loved to attend LU. They like the school and facility. But Jackson low ball the scholarship. Offering 10%-15% in scholarships. Instead, those players elected to go to P5 schools or top level JUCO. Their families are Christians and would have loved it at LU. However, he they needed financial support because college is expensive and Jackson did not want to give more.

Im not sure what his scholarship strategy is but you aren't allowed to be offered less than 25% at the D1 level. Most coaches lowball high schoolers so they can give more money to the guys they think will actually contribute right away. It's a more effective strategy than handing out scholarships evenly across the board.

The 10-15% came directly from the kids’ mouth. I’m sure he was saving the scholarship money to players he believed will help the program. BUT, what kind of team has he had the last couple of years and also this upcoming season? It is a matter of his discretion to the players he sees. If he continues ti fail this season, then I question his ability to recognize real talents. Remember, he lost 2 assistant coaches. Who really did the recruiting in the last few years? I do not believe Jackson has that ability to bring in the better players. He is no different than Coach Green from the women’s basketball. They both did fine during the lower level conferences but this year is now CUSA. We shall see.

ECC29 wrote:The 10-15% came directly from the kids’ mouth. I’m sure he was saving the scholarship money to players he believed will help the program. BUT, what kind of team has he had the last couple of years and also this upcoming season? It is a matter of his discretion to the players he sees. If he continues ti fail this season, then I question his ability to recognize real talents. Remember, he lost 2 assistant coaches. Who really did the recruiting in the last few years? I do not believe Jackson has that ability to bring in the better players. He is no different than Coach Green from the women’s basketball. They both did fine during the lower level conferences but this year is now CUSA. We shall see.

He lost the previous pitching coach (last two, actually) to a top-tier NCAA baseball program, hired an outstanding replacement (probably the best available option), and fielded a very nice high school recruiting class (Jack Frankel is easily one of the highest-rated recruits to commit to LU). The starting rotation has the potential to be strong, and I'd hope the additions of Sweatt/some other plug-and-play INF will bring a little more consistency to the lineup. Last season notwithstanding, he's had success here and I'd like to see him get some time to turn it back around.

Scholarships are tough in baseball anyways with the scholly cap so low. NIL can effectively eliminate that cap at big-time programs, which is only going to make it tougher for schools outside of that bubble.

Prognosticating pre-season college baseball is the hardest of all collegiate sports. It takes so many arms to make, or break a team. The development on the offensive side can be light years y/y based on the weight training and cage work these kids put in. the 2021 squad didn't look like much on paper coming into the season but wound up being a 40 win team and a good showing in the regionals.
Jackson is well respected, for good reason.

ECC29 wrote: ↑January 9th, 2024, 1:56 pm The 10-15% came directly from the kids’ mouth. I’m sure he was saving the scholarship money to players he believed will help the program. BUT, what kind of team has he had the last couple of years and also this upcoming season? It is a matter of his discretion to the players he sees. If he continues ti fail this season, then I question his ability to recognize real talents. Remember, he lost 2 assistant coaches. Who really did the recruiting in the last few years? I do not believe Jackson has that ability to bring in the better players. He is no different than Coach Green from the women’s basketball. They both did fine during the lower level conferences but this year is now CUSA. We shall see.

I believe that's what you were told I'm just telling you it would be against NCAA rules for him to offer a baseball scholarship less than 25%. The only other scenario I can think of is Jackson wanting them as walk ons and found another way to get them some scholarship money that didn't come from the baseball teams budget. Regardless he's a good coach and I'm not worried about the trajectory of the baseball program.

I just spoke with my son. There was a pitcher Jackson offered him 20%. Then, University of George offered him 80%. Another position player Jackson offered for 20%, then received 80% from Duke. These players played for the Canes National team and played for Pro5 Academy. They deserve real scholarships. Not some money Jackson pulled in and ask them to be a walk on. That is ridiculous! I am telling you, I question his recruiting ability.

Sorry, 60% for Duke.

Jackson is a great person for the program and the way he reps the school. Whatever the perceived issue, it could all be solved with NIL money. Open your wallets and shut your pie hole.

Sorry, I thought the last sentence was funny. I am kidding ............................................... mostly.

I met Jackson. He is a decent person just like Coach Green with the WBB. However, both have fallen short in recruiting the better level players for their program. It’s nothing personal, it’s just business. LU needs a baseball coach that can bring in the better players for the program. LU baseball is playing in the G5 level. This is not the Bug South or ASUN. If the program is to rise to the next level, the team needs to bring in next level players. Passing on players that get recruited by Georgia tells me something about Jackson. I also watched enough of their games when Jackson made bad decisions by keeping pitchers way too long in the game and cost them games and many other in-game poor decisions. That’s just my view. Like I said, they need a coach that can recruit upper level players.

ECC29 wrote: ↑January 9th, 2024, 6:03 pm I just spoke with my son. There was a pitcher Jackson offered him 20%. Then, University of George offered him 80%. Another position player Jackson offered for 20%, then received 80% from Duke. These players played for the Canes National team and played for Pro5 Academy. They deserve real scholarships. Not some money Jackson pulled in and ask them to be a walk on. That is ridiculous! I am telling you, I question his recruiting ability.

So Jackson is breaking NCAA rules?

A D1 player on scholarship must receive a minimum scholarship of 25% of the total cost of attendance

SOURCE

Those kids were not kidding. They were my son’s teammates. They visited LU that summer and then came to the Academy that fall together as a team. Those kids talk to each other about their offers. That’s what they said. They even had a catcher that Auburn originally offered 50% and then changed the offer to 15%. Of course he did not take but got a full ride to Radford. He took Radford. They had an outfielder that was offered 60% to NC State, then NC State dropped the offer to 15% during the fall. He received a much higher offer from VCU. He took that. These coaches do these kind of stuff. I don’t know what the NCAA rules these days. But this is coming from several of those kids.

Maybe there is some kind of technicality they are using to get around the rule?? Because it hasn't changed. Or this is another AF1 situation