Don't forget Vincent Jackson @ Northern Colorado. The guy just put up 200 receiving yards on everyone in college. And played on their BB team if I remember correctly.

Cal Poly has so much going for it, there will always be an opportunity to turn things around. Awesome college town/environment, great academics, engaged alumni, local support for the program, athlete-friendly admissions, and geographic location that's ideal for SoCal talent.... that's such a great foundation to build on.

Things may have changed, but I believe that Davis does not use admission by exception for athletes. I believe Stanford is the only other school in the same boat, while admission by exception is commonplace at Cal, UCLA, Cal Poly, etc.

Accurate that they both left to UCLA, but from my understanding there circumstances outside of playing time.

I don't remember many "higher profile" recruits washing out during the Biggs D1 years due to lack of early playing time (there weren't that many in the first place). Seems like high-profile recruits washing out was a much bigger issue in the Gould era (when the staff had turned over and there was no D2 mindset favoring older players).

Not exactly true - you had James Amos and John Faletoese (as good of DE/DT as we've ever had) and playmakers like Bakari Grant, Chris Carter in the end of the Biggs era.

Something definitely happened to our recruiting in the late 2000s.

To me, the starkest contrasts were:
(1) O Line through 2006 (monsters like the Lekkerkerkers, Elliott Vallejo, Marc Manfredda) that consistently outsized opponents and forced their will, vs. the last Biggs years/Gould era where we were undersized at every position across the line and had no swagger
(2) Clutch play & leadership at QB with guys like JT and Jon Grant (moderate talent but smart, gutsy field generals that stepped up under pressure) vs. talented guys that either got thrown into the fire too early, lacked leadership skills, and/or folded under pressure.

Seems like moving away from the triple-option could be brutal in terms of OLine composition. How is CP planning to handle?

Am I understanding correctly that the new WAC football conference will be all-FCS?

*Edit* saw the other thread answering my question.

That's a lot of dudes spurning FBS offers!

I'm not sure if class size matters whether seniors leave or not... the NCAA stated that there will be roster size/scholarship limit exceptions for the Fall 2021 season. That said, I guess funding is another question.

Our deal with Adidas is a recruiting asset and I'm glad we're getting the most from it. Flashy gear may not appeal to everyone, but if it sways a recruit or two each year, then I can tolerate the grey uniform experiment.

the NCAA decided to grant all 2020 Fall athletes a 5th year of eligibility, regardless of whether they play in 2020 or not (in addition to redshirt). They also determined that their scholarships won't count against scholarship limits. So essentially we'll have an extra scholarship allowance trailing for the next 4 years (above the current 63).

I guess that raises two further questions: (1) how do we budget for the extra scholarships and (2) will they waive team size limits, similar to the scholarship limits?

I imagine that guys who don't get meaningful playing time will probably call it quits when they graduate. And those who are meaningful contributors will be pumped to get 1-2 years of free grad school. It will probably all work itself out without roster cuts or "mortgaging" our future freshman cohorts.

Yes, they are. Tough scenario for funding extra scholarships but Flushman will make it happen.

Big West conference canceled Fall Sports yesterday. Hard to imagine the Ags only fielding one sport in the Fall... although that could be the highest profit quarter in UC Davis Athletics history.

My anecdotal experience was, neither the Ellerson nor Biggs administrations had much of a systematized recruiting operation. We didn't go head-to-head as much as you might think (very different systems & player admissions standards). When we did compete for recruits, it was by force of will and influenced by extraneous factors (like location, Cal Poly's playoff runs, UCD's D1 transition/new stadium/Stanford win) versus anything repeatable like marketing, early engagement, thorough scouting, campus visits, etc.

we're here to talk about Aggie Football

"UCD funds their athletic programs primarily through alumni donations" - incorrect. UC Davis is unique in that over half of the Athletics budget is derived from student fees. If the Sac Bee is to be trusted, only ~3.5% of funding comes from contributions

James Amos and John Faletoese. They made up one hell of a unit together 2005-07.

My, this is another big class. There's gonna be a ton of competition. I love it.