Sunday Special: Time for MAC to step up and recruit Stark

[Hilltopper]

A really interesting take from the Canton Reps Todd Porter on Sunday.Sunday Special: Time for MAC to step up and recruit Stark

Without a doubt, Nick Riley passes the eye test. He is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback at Northwest High School.In his senior season, Riley has thrown for more than 2,000 yards with one regular-season game left and probably a nice playoff push.And not a single FBS program has offered him a scholarship. Riley has attracted plenty of lookers from the Mid-American Conference and others, but Northwest head coach Vic Whiting believes he knows one of the reasons why offers have not come in for Riley.

“Akron is a problem,” Whiting said. “If Akron doesn’t offer you, then when the other schools come in they want to know why Akron hasn’t offered yet. If Akron hasn’t offered, those other schools are holding back when they think they should be offering you.”

“Akron’s really a problem for all of Stark County,” Whiting said. “If their coaches would ever wake up and see the talent that’s in this county and start trying to play with Ohio kids instead of Florida kids, maybe they wouldn’t be 0-12, and maybe they’d get some fans in the stands.

A look at Akron’s roster shows three Stark County players on it. Two are special teams players. McKinley punter Zack Campbell, GlenOak’s Adam Steiner (long snapper) and Perry’s Ben Karam is a walk-on non-scholarship player. Steiner and Campbell were not recruited by current head coach Rob Ianello.Ianello is in the middle of his second season with the Zips. Going into Saturday’s game against Ohio University, Ianello has won two of his 18 games since taking over, including a 1-11 record last year

Green High School has 2 players who could play in the MAC. One of them(6'5" receiver) has been offered by 2 MAC programs, but Ianello has never set foot on Greens Campus. Want to put fans into the seats at the Info? Recruiting local players would be a good first step.

[ZachTheZip]

Bullsh!t. These players just want an offer as a way of dangling it in front of another school to get them to offer too. They have no intention of ever accepting an Akron scholarship offer. It's a waste of recruiting resources. The coaches in the City Series complain all the time, too, about us not offering their players who couldn't walk-on at a D-II team. And then they tell their actual FBS-worthy players that if we do offer, they shouldn't go here.

[GoZips]

Bullsh!t. These players just want an offer as a way of dangling it in front of another school to get them to offer too. They have no intention of ever accepting an Akron scholarship offer. It's a waste of recruiting resources. The coaches in the City Series complain all the time, too, about us not offering their players who couldn't walk-on at a D-II team. And then they tell their actual FBS-worthy players that if we do offer, they shouldn't go here.

There is an element of truth to your comments.A long time McKinley and Akron supporter recently told a group of us that Akronhas not been recruiting McKinley. There are several potential Zips on that team.But, no one is courting them. Probably the same at Massillon and other Stark schools. Several folks have told the Akron staff, including Ianello of the Minzinsky (spelling)kid up at Mentor. Ianello's response to me was"his younger brother is better".Really? Since when has the younger brother been starting on the varsity?We need a quality QB now. And with Braxton-Miller a true freshman, OSU doesnot need this kid. We do. OSU had him in for a visit. We have not. Lame.

[Doug Snyder]

A really interesting take from the Canton Reps Todd Porter on Sunday.Sunday Special: Time for MAC to step up and recruit Stark

Without a doubt, Nick Riley passes the eye test. He is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback at Northwest High School.In his senior season, Riley has thrown for more than 2,000 yards with one regular-season game left and probably a nice playoff push.And not a single FBS program has offered him a scholarship. Riley has attracted plenty of lookers from the Mid-American Conference and others, but Northwest head coach Vic Whiting believes he knows one of the reasons why offers have not come in for Riley.

“Akron is a problem,” Whiting said. “If Akron doesn’t offer you, then when the other schools come in they want to know why Akron hasn’t offered yet. If Akron hasn’t offered, those other schools are holding back when they think they should be offering you.”

“Akron’s really a problem for all of Stark County,” Whiting said. “If their coaches would ever wake up and see the talent that’s in this county and start trying to play with Ohio kids instead of Florida kids, maybe they wouldn’t be 0-12, and maybe they’d get some fans in the stands.

A look at Akron’s roster shows three Stark County players on it. Two are special teams players. McKinley punter Zack Campbell, GlenOak’s Adam Steiner (long snapper) and Perry’s Ben Karam is a walk-on non-scholarship player. Steiner and Campbell were not recruited by current head coach Rob Ianello.Ianello is in the middle of his second season with the Zips. Going into Saturday’s game against Ohio University, Ianello has won two of his 18 games since taking over, including a 1-11 record last year

Green High School has 2 players who could play in the MAC. One of them(6'5" receiver) has been offered by 2 MAC programs, but Ianello has never set foot on Greens Campus. Want to put fans into the seats at the Info? Recruiting local players would be a good first step.

Looks like he did not do his homework:8 Zack Campbell P Sr. 6-2 198 Canton, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS 61 Ben Karam LB So. 6-1 199 Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS 84 Rhyne Ladrach TE Jr. 6-5 247 Orrville, Ohio/Orrville HS 43 Adam Steiner LS Jr. 6-2 215 Canton, Ohio/GlenOak HS what is the N. Canton's kids name who is in trouble??should we include Torrence from Massillon as a recruit?? 75 Dylan Brumbaugh OT Fr. 6-4 286 Green, Ohio/Green HS 66 Clayton Chenault OL So. 6-2 301 Akron, Ohio/Buchtel HS 37 Seth Cunningham CB So. 6-0 184 Medina, Ohio/St. Edward HS 36 Cody Grice FB Fr. 6-0 256 Akron, Ohio/Firestone HS 18 Will Fleming TE So. 6-4 240 Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban HS 93 Connor Seeman DE Jr. 6-3 226 Copley, Ohio/Copley HS 34 Brian Wagner LB Jr. 6-0 235 Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Catholic Central HS 95 Robert Young DE So. 6-0 248 Akron, Ohio/Firestone HS http://www.gozips.com/sports/fball/2011-12/rosterSeems there are more local kids then we normally have.

[johnnyzip84]

Looks like he did not do his homework:8 Zack Campbell P Sr. 6-2 198 Canton, Ohio/Canton McKinley HS - Brookhart Recruit61 Ben Karam LB So. 6-1 199 Massillon, Ohio/Perry HS - walk-on84 Rhyne Ladrach TE Jr. 6-5 247 Orrville, Ohio/Orrville HS - Brookhart Recruit43 Adam Steiner LS Jr. 6-2 215 Canton, Ohio/GlenOak HS - Brookhart Recruitwhat is the N. Canton's kids name who is in trouble??should we include Torrence from Massillon as a recruit?? 75 Dylan Brumbaugh OT Fr. 6-4 286 Green, Ohio/Green HS - you got him on this one66 Clayton Chenault OL So. 6-2 301 Akron, Ohio/Buchtel HS - walk-on37 Seth Cunningham CB So. 6-0 184 Medina, Ohio/St. Edward HS - Brookhart Recruit (originally)36 Cody Grice FB Fr. 6-0 256 Akron, Ohio/Firestone HS - good catch18 Will Fleming TE So. 6-4 240 Akron, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban HS - Brookhart Recruit93 Connor Seeman DE Jr. 6-3 226 Copley, Ohio/Copley HS - walk-on34 Brian Wagner LB Jr. 6-0 235 Springfield, Ohio/Springfield Catholic Central HS - Brookhart Recruit (and this is the Springfield closer to Dayton)95 Robert Young DE So. 6-0 248 Akron, Ohio/Firestone HS - walk-onhttp://www.gozips.com/sports/fball/2011-12/rosterSeems there are more local kids then we normally have.

I'm not trying to be picky, but didn't think RI should get credit for the vast majority of these players. Your point that the reporter missed a couple of obvious ones is well taken.

[Captain Kangaroo]

“Akron’s really a problem for all of Stark County,” Whiting said. “If their coaches would ever wake up and see the talent that’s in this county and start trying to play with Ohio kids instead of Florida kids, maybe they wouldn’t be 0-12, and maybe they’d get some fans in the stands.

How many Florida kids on our roster? 1? How many Ohio kids? 50? I wouldn't recruit any of this coach's kids either. He seems like a jerk.

[GP1]

This coach is a jerk and is killing any chances his kids have of being recruited. Not only that, the guy should know better. Go to any high school football game and the parents and fans will believe there are 5-6 D-1A players on their team. If they are lucky, there may be one, but that's OK because they are fans and parents. A decent high school coach should know what a D-1A player looks like. He's acting like a parent. He should in fact have serious conversations with these kids parents about their abilities and what their expectations should be.Think of how stupid this logic is. Akron needs to recruit more in Stark County so the kids can get more scholarship offers. Does that sound like a good use of resources for UofA? Stupid....just plain stupid.Also, if the kids are any good, they get found and recruited. It's too easy to get information on someone because technology is so good. If every school is taking a pass on the a kid, it is because the kid doesn't have it, not because the local university isn't recruiting him.What a lot of people in NE Ohio don't want to admit is high school football around Stark Co. has fallen off quite a bit in recent years. Massillon? Every kid I knew on the team from Massillon when I was in school wasn't very good and certainly not nearly as good as they thought they were.

[johnnyzip84]

Whiting is a very good HS football coach who also happens to be somewhat of a blow-hard. I know....shocker. Vic is conveniently leaving out offensive linemen Nate Klatt, who UA offered very early in the recruiting process. WR Teddy Robb also was a preferred walk-on with the Zips. I highly doubt if Brookhart OR Ianello have been purposely neglecting Stark County.

[K92]

Let me get this straight. Other FBS schools come in to evaluate Stark County talent, but don't offer because Akron hasn't? That is priceless. I didn't realize Akron's recruiting reputation held so much sway with other schools. Give me a break.

[Blue & Gold]

Let me get this straight. Other FBS schools come in to evaluate Stark County talent, but don't offer because Akron hasn't? That is priceless. I didn't realize Akron's recruiting reputation held so much sway with other schools. Give me a break.

Well said. The man's rant is nonsense. The fact it was printed in the Rep is not surprising. There's nothing to write about down there.

[GP1]

There's nothing to write about down there.

Reality always makes for good smack. Well done!

[Doug Snyder]

I heard a few years ago that a McKinley coach was having difficulty from the parents of players because he was not lobbying hard enough for scholarships. Coaches lobby. This guy is lobbying. But the reporter is the guy who did not do his job. He did not research the data and let this guy use him. Stark county is not ignored...but maybe the small schools don't ge the attention of schools like Massillon and McKinley. But it is the same in every other county.

[Doug Snyder]

I'm not trying to be picky, but didn't think RI should get credit for the vast majority of these players. Your point that the reporter missed a couple of obvious ones is well taken.

I was not trying to defend any coach but the program in general and to expose the sloppy effort of the reporter. I believe Akron always has had difficulty recruiting locally. I do think that is changing a bit though. (through the efforts of Brookhart and Ianello and the campus and stadium upgrades)I always thought Wagner was from the local Springfield. My bad.

[Johnny Utah]

There's a video of the interview here [url="http://fridaynightohio.com/videos"]. My apologies, as I couldn't figure out how to copy the actual video.

[PB1719]

Here's an outright stud from my hometown, He's a Can't commit. He set the school's single game receiving record in his first start.He's the star player of the Minerva(Stark) Lions (10-0)I wish we would have offered him.http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football...yer/_/id/135250

[Captain Kangaroo]

Here's an outright stud from my hometown, He's a Can't commit. He set the school's single game receiving record in his first start.He's the star player of the Minerva(Stark) Lions (10-0)I wish we would have offered him.http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football...yer/_/id/135250

He had bigger offers, but is going to K.e.n.t because of his girlfriend. They break up this summer, and he'll be stuck in Portage County.

[Doug Snyder]

This coach is a jerk and is killing any chances his kids have of being recruited. Not only that, the guy should know better. Go to any high school football game and the parents and fans will believe there are 5-6 D-1A players on their team. If they are lucky, there may be one, but that's OK because they are fans and parents. A decent high school coach should know what a D-1A player looks like. He's acting like a parent. He should in fact have serious conversations with these kids parents about their abilities and what their expectations should be.Think of how stupid this logic is. Akron needs to recruit more in Stark County so the kids can get more scholarship offers. Does that sound like a good use of resources for UofA? Stupid....just plain stupid.Also, if the kids are any good, they get found and recruited. It's too easy to get information on someone because technology is so good. If every school is taking a pass on the a kid, it is because the kid doesn't have it, not because the local university isn't recruiting him.What a lot of people in NE Ohio don't want to admit is high school football around Stark Co. has fallen off quite a bit in recent years. Massillon? Every kid I knew on the team from Massillon when I was in school wasn't very good and certainly not nearly as good as they thought they were.

Could not find St Clairsville in their records. Did I get your school wrong?? Or did you play them in Jr. Varsity??http://www.massillontigers.com/pdfs/series_records.pdfWouldn't Chris Spielman have played during your time...seems about the right age. He was pretty good.

[Doug Snyder]

This would be a good starting point. All D1 schools in Stark except Massillon are in the Federal league.http://fridaynightohio.com/news/mckinleys-...ral-league-team