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  • or maybe he had something to offer before

    getnastyblazers made an interesting comment in another thread in reference to Coach Dean's recruiting: "or maybe he had something to offer before." The comment was made in response to a UWG fan referring to Dean's staff as "non recruiting". Let's explore that notion.

    Dean was on Hatcher's staff that built the 2004 championship team. He took over a team in 2007 that won another championship. He was able to recruit players to VSU with two national championship trophies to show them. He kept that going and brought home another championship in 2012.

    At UWG, he took over from Will Hall, who while having an impressive record at UWG, he didn't bring home the big one.

    At UWG, he can offer an impressive stadium, but that's the only area in which UWG is superior to VSU.

    Has Dean lost his ability to recruit, or is it just harder to recruit to UWG?

  • #2

    First off, recognize that it takes more than talent to win a championship (reference Terry Bowden's teams at North Alabama if you want to see what I'm talking about. Had more talented transfers and misfits on his teams, but no one that they played had anywhere near the talent that they were fielding. Still, Bowden's UNA teams never played for a championship. It just takes more than talent to win a championship.

    Maybe the biggest thing that's required to win a championship is to set aside personal goals and personal glory and focus on the goals and glory of the team. Bowden is a "me" focused guy. He fielded "me" focused teams. I tend to believe Hall had the same tendencies. And that won't win championships.

    Besides being able to get players to play for the "we" Dean also built his teams from the ground up. He built the foundation of his team by using his strong relationships with high school coaches to recruit and then develop high school kids. Dean would fill the gaps with transfers (while I perceive (right or wrong) that Will Hall and Terry Bowden tried to lay the foundation of their teams with transfers).

    David Dean is the ultimate "we" guy. The championship years were mentioned, but also remember that we also played for another championship in 2002 (lost by a TD to a great GVSU team). That was the first trip to the 'ship, and Dean was part of that as well. That's 4 trips that Dean was the common denominator on (along with our strength coach). He recruited the players that played in the 2002 game and then those that won the 2004, 2007 and 2012 championships. He also recruited many of the players on the 2018 championship squad ( in fact there are still players that Dean recruited on the team this year).

    So David Dean hasn't mysteriously lost his ability to recruit. And I don't care what colors Dean is wearing this weekend, he's foundational in what's going on at Valdosta State right now.

    But he's going to build his teams in the high schools.

    Transfers don't have the relationships within a team to pull together. In fact often, because they're there for themselves, they'll pull a team apart (reference Bowden's teams). Dean's not going to have that.

    If you can put a team full of "me" folks under pressure during a game they don't react well (they fall apart instead of pulling together). Dean's not going to have that.

    That's a lot of chatter to say that Dean isn't about building the foundation of a great team in one or two years through wholesale transfers. He's interested in re-building the team through recruiting and developing high school players and then filling gaps with carefully chosen transfers (there were a lot of "high profile" transfers that were turned away at VSU because Dean and the AD didn't want to poison the culture that is Valdosta State football. Some of them played at other schools in the GSC).

    So for the UWG fans that are concerned, remember that when Dean went to UWG in late January 2017 he had a week before signing day to try to salvage the recruiting class. To try to get Hall's recruiting class to re-think Hall's leaving and still come to UWG. That's a tall mountain, no matter who you are.

    So Dean had full effect recruiting last year ('18) and now this year. The kids this year are raw potential, but for the most part won't help you this year. Most of those redshirt freshmen and true sophmores that were recruited from high schools won't be developed yet. They're a year or two away from playing.

    So yes, Dean knows how to build it. Yes, Dean and his staff have deep relationships around the state (and surrounding states) with high school coaches. Yes, it takes time to build it from the ground up after having Hall there (and while Hall at least put UWG on the map, remember that his methodology never won UWG a NC).

    Dean's tried and true, He's proven. He's recruiting players from the same places today that he was recruiting champions from at VSU. He'll get y'all there.

    Pardon the ramble but I have a ton of respect for David Dean and those I know on his staff.

    Y'all be patient (Rome wasn't built in a day...).

    Last edited by Fan_the_Flame; 10-20-2019, 08:53 PM.

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    • #3
      Dean should be recruiting those same high schools for players at UWG. He should still have those relationships.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Rational Observer View Post
        Dean should be recruiting those same high schools for players at UWG. He should still have those relationships.
        He does (and he and his staff are).

        Remember, post VSU he was seeing the same high school coaches while he was recruiting for Ga Southern. It's not like he stopped recruiting and is now trying to start back.

        BTW, he is the only college head coach in the state of Georgia that can show recruits 3 NC rings that he was a huge factor in. That'll get recruits attention.

        There's a curve to develop high schoolers to play at the college level. It's not measured in days or weeks (it takes a couple of years). I think last year reflected the back end of Hall's recruiting classes. Now it'll take a couple of years for Dean to get his teams where they need to be. Then the UWG faithful will be in position to soar.
        Last edited by Fan_the_Flame; 10-20-2019, 09:03 PM.

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        • #5

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          • #6
            I've been told by more than one member of Hatcher's staff at VSU that Dean was a huge driving force behind building the program with Hatcher. Hatcher hasn't exactly lit it up without Dean. While the 2007 team would have won the championship with either Hatcher or Dean coaching it, Dean did win the 2012 championship team on his own, and he might very well have gotten another one in 2014 if it hadn't been for injuries to key players (Jake Medlock for instance).

            He may have done less with more at times, but he was a significant part of bringing three trophies to VSU.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Fan_the_Flame View Post
              BTW, he is the only college head coach in the state of Georgia that can show recruits 3 NC rings that he was a huge factor in. That'll get recruits attention.
              Which is why it baffled me when he would poor mouth some years in recruiting. I remember him complaining after one of the championship years about how the staff was behind in recruiting due to the long playoff run.

              What other coach could plunk a championship down in front of recruits that year?

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Rational Observer View Post
                getnastyblazers made an interesting comment in another thread in reference to Coach Dean's recruiting: "or maybe he had something to offer before." The comment was made in response to a UWG fan referring to Dean's staff as "non recruiting". Let's explore that notion.

                Dean was on Hatcher's staff that built the 2004 championship team. He took over a team in 2007 that won another championship. He was able to recruit players to VSU with two national championship trophies to show them. He kept that going and brought home another championship in 2012.

                At UWG, he took over from Will Hall, who while having an impressive record at UWG, he didn't bring home the big one.

                At UWG, he can offer an impressive stadium, but that's the only area in which UWG is superior to VSU.

                Has Dean lost his ability to recruit, or is it just harder to recruit to UWG?
                Go Blazers, Braves , Falcons, Hawks and Jackets!

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                • #9

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                  • #10
                    There are people at UWG that will tell you Dean had longed for the UWG job and that he applied for it when they hired Will Hall. I don't know whether or not that is true. While Hall has gone on an "upward" path, at the time, his resume didn't compare to Dean's.

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                    • #11
                      If he "longed" for the job, then why would he apply for the VSU job as soon as it came open again? That makes no sense. And if VSU is so proud of his accomplishments and he is the amazing recruiter and coach many make him out to be, then why didn't VSU hire him back at first chance? He went to UWG because he didn't have a choice. He had just been fired from Georgia Southern and needed a job. There are people at UWG that will tell you he does very little to nothing in the community and they aren't happy with him.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by BlazerChampion316 View Post
                        If he "longed" for the job, then why would he apply for the VSU job as soon as it came open again? That makes no sense. And if VSU is so proud of his accomplishments and he is the amazing recruiter and coach many make him out to be, then why didn't VSU hire him back at first chance? He went to UWG because he didn't have a choice. He had just been fired from Georgia Southern and needed a job. There are people at UWG that will tell you he does very little to nothing in the community and they aren't happy with him.
                        I didn't say that he did. Please see the, "I don't know whether or not it's true." in my post. That's simply what the UWG people were claiming. Perhaps they were simply trying talk smack to VSU people by claiming their coach wanted to leave for them but was rejected.

                        As for why VSU didn't hire him back, word was that VSU made no counteroffer to keep him for leaving for Georgia Southern. Furthermore, why would you hire a coach who had recently bolted?

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Rational Observer View Post

                          Which is why it baffled me when he would poor mouth some years in recruiting. I remember him complaining after one of the championship years about how the staff was behind in recruiting due to the long playoff run.

                          What other coach could plunk a championship down in front of recruits that year?
                          All your competitors are out wowing recruits and telling them they're all that and that they're the final piece of the championship puzzle at their school. Meanwhile VSU (and everyone else in the playoffs) is studying film of next weeks opponents and trying to get a "W" so they can keep going.

                          It is nice when you get back from Florence or Dallas to be able to take the remaining recruits to the trophy case and show them the rings and the trophies. But it's a remnant.

                          Many have already fallen prey to the all that/last piece conversation. .

                          It's a pretty tough balancing act and a legitimate problem for the teams in a championship run.

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                          • #14
                            For me as a person of age gaining knowledge from listening and arguing many years with others. One thing I learned is how to read between the lines. There are always two sides of the story. I tend to believe this story is true. A post was made by Rational Observer, Dean applied for the HC job when Will Hall accepted the position. Again reading between the lines, Why leave a program for no reason, Where championships are reality (3) and make lateral move and start all over again. Ain't happening!

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Rational Observer View Post

                              There are people at UWG that will tell you Dean had longed for the UWG job and that he applied for it when they hired Will Hall. I don't know whether or not that is true. While Hall has gone on an "upward" path, at the time, his resume didn't compare to Dean's.
                              Why leave a program for no reason, Where championships are reality (3) and make lateral move and start all over again. Ain't happening!

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