Post by Admin on Jan 10, 2014 15:24:10 GMT -6
I have been following the football program very closely the past few years to see what is wrong with it. There are a few things that I notice right away.
1. Not very much loyalty from in-state kids. I think this has a lot to do with winning and obviously we haven't done as much of that as others in the past years. But there are so many kids from Illinois that say "My dream school is Michigan or OSU" Well no kids in Michigan or OSU are dreaming of Illinois right now.
2. To piggy back off of point number 1 it also starts with the adults as well. Kids usually take after what teams their parents like and we just flat out don't have much support right now which leads to lower donations and attendance numbers.
3. Continuity. I know most people wanted Beckman gone and those who were okay with him staying wanted Banks gone. We have been recruiting for the 4-2-5 defense for several years now so I would like to see what these guys can do. Try to stick with a system. I mean look at the offense, Nate had 4 coordinators and ran 4 pretty different offenses. Decide on something and stick with it.
I personally feel Mike Thomas is doing his part to gain back the in-state loyalty. He got back the contract with 670 TheScore for radio and is working with Chicago Alum on making us a stronger brand. If kids see Illinois everywhere they look growing up it will help us out in the future. In Iowa there is never a store with Illinois gear in it. I cannot say the same about Illinois stores. But we all know what the biggest thing is- WIN AND THEY WILL COME!
Love to hear everyone's opinion on this!
1. Not very much loyalty from in-state kids. I think this has a lot to do with winning and obviously we haven't done as much of that as others in the past years. But there are so many kids from Illinois that say "My dream school is Michigan or OSU" Well no kids in Michigan or OSU are dreaming of Illinois right now.
2. To piggy back off of point number 1 it also starts with the adults as well. Kids usually take after what teams their parents like and we just flat out don't have much support right now which leads to lower donations and attendance numbers.
3. Continuity. I know most people wanted Beckman gone and those who were okay with him staying wanted Banks gone. We have been recruiting for the 4-2-5 defense for several years now so I would like to see what these guys can do. Try to stick with a system. I mean look at the offense, Nate had 4 coordinators and ran 4 pretty different offenses. Decide on something and stick with it.
I personally feel Mike Thomas is doing his part to gain back the in-state loyalty. He got back the contract with 670 TheScore for radio and is working with Chicago Alum on making us a stronger brand. If kids see Illinois everywhere they look growing up it will help us out in the future. In Iowa there is never a store with Illinois gear in it. I cannot say the same about Illinois stores. But we all know what the biggest thing is- WIN AND THEY WILL COME!
Love to hear everyone's opinion on this!
