Rhule absolutely nails it—you recruit kids that want to be there, period.
This philosophy doesn’t really matter when you get the kid, but it certainly helps for continuity.
Keisei wasn’t a freshman, but he wanted to be here and stay here. Gary, BW, Mast, Griesel, etc. all wanted to be here and it showed in how hard they play.
Looking at the beginning of the year, we were pretty fortunate thinking we wouldn’t have to play most of the teams in the bottom half of the league. Oh how the tables have turned since then.
now you’re left with games against teams like Iowa that are Q4 home games. Sucks.
Essegian isn’t a specialist. He’s an all around player. Tough to do anything well with an injured back.
Assuming he’s 100% to begin next season we just got an absolute steal and a definite contender to start at the 2. Either way, if healthy, I expect a huge contribution, and we’ll have him for a couple years.