EKU fires Dean Hood

[Wireman]

That Kentucky loss did him in. The Cats are coach killers.

[Drunk Johnny]

In any college football program, unless you are a super elite team that the coach walks through the door and get a five star recruit to sign up, it is critical to build from as much home grown talent as possible, and add pieces to the team from the outside. Not sure if EKU recently just couldn't find the talent in state, but it seems like they were not looking much in their back yard. Yes you cannot have a team just full of home grown players, but having a majority of your team from out of state, they don't have that home sense of pride. Character, not characters build programs. Plus talent.

[hoopsr1]

Nobody will get the "job" done the way the administration wants to have it until there are major facility upgrades for football and basketball. There is talk of the new stands, offices, weight lifting building to be raised on the old visitors side of the football field. However, just like everything else that's being promised at EKU there isn't much coming to fruition. Of course, unless you're a coach and then you'll lose your job.

[truthbtold]

Hedger is on scholarship at one of the TN OVC schools, Ross is on scholarship at Eastern Illinois and Olmstead on full scholarship at D2 Findlay, but had less competitive offers from Tennessee Martin, Eastern Illinois and 2 Patriot League schools. Deaton is 6'4" LB with 4.6 40 speed.

 

Deaton was recuited at D2 and D1 but had academic issues that I bet were not nearly as bad as some of Hoods Florida imports!

 

Sounds like you a bitter with Hood for whatever reason. Just because you think he should have looked at a certain player doesn't mean the kid was a right fit for the program or position.

[kypride]

Within 200 miles of Richmond there are 8 metro areas that have good football players, not to mention the people in between.

Indianapolis

Columbus

Cincinnati

Louisville

Lexington

Knoxville

Nashville

Chattanooga

If an FCS staff spends the appropriate amount of time and energy developing relationships and mining those areas they can win some more games.

[AverageJoesGym]

In any college football program, unless you are a super elite team that the coach walks through the door and get a five star recruit to sign up, it is critical to build from as much home grown talent as possible, and add pieces to the team from the outside. Not sure if EKU recently just couldn't find the talent in state, but it seems like they were not looking much in their back yard. Yes you cannot have a team just full of home grown players, but having a majority of your team from out of state, they don't have that home sense of pride. Character, not characters build programs. Plus talent.

 

 

They had 33 Kentucky kids on their roster this season. How many more should they have had? At least 14 of those players were contributors on offense, defense or special teams. There is no way that EKU, or any of the D-I schools in Kentucky, can build a successful program having a majority of Kentucky players. Well, you might if you got ALL of the D-I recruits in the state and you played in the Sunbelt or OVC.

[Drunk Johnny]

I stated that you cannot build a team completely out of home state talent. But 33 out of 100 players or more is not very much. Like a said, unless you are the Alabama's or Notre Dame's of the world, you need to "win" your state with talent, and add on to it from other football "hotbeds", i.e. Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan.

[AverageJoesGym]

I stated that you cannot build a team completely out of home state talent. But 33 out of 100 players or more is not very much. Like a said, unless you are the Alabama's or Notre Dame's of the world, you need to "win" your state with talent, and add on to it from other football "hotbeds", i.e. Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan.

 

 

Just how many D-I players do you think that there are each season in Kentucky? If they built a roster of over 50% Kentucky players they would not be very competitive unless the other D-I schools quit recruiting any Kentucky kids. There's a reason that NONE of the D-I schools in Kentucky have more than half of their roster from Kentucky.

 

There is plenty of talent on the EKU roster. A bad break against UT-Martin and a game played in the snow with a wind chill temperature of 16 degrees is likely the difference in EKU being in the playoffs for a second year in a row and looking for a new coach.

[Downhill Thunder]

Nobody will get the "job" done the way the administration wants to have it until there are major facility upgrades for football and basketball. There is talk of the new stands, offices, weight lifting building to be raised on the old visitors side of the football field. However, just like everything else that's being promised at EKU there isn't much coming to fruition. Of course, unless you're a coach and then you'll lose your job.

 

 

Apparently you haven't been to campus in a while? You mentioned the new football facility on the old visitor sidelines, they are currently under construction with the new football facility with new stands above the building. All I have seen are renderings of the new facility but it should turn out extremely nice.

[NKY Bandit]

Apparently you haven't been to campus in a while? You mentioned the new football facility on the old visitor sidelines, they are currently under construction with the new football facility with new stands above the building. All I have seen are renderings of the new facility but it should turn out extremely nice.

 

That construction will be great if it happens. Was put on hold after the Colonels were bypassed for the move to FBS this spring.

[Downhill Thunder]

Interesting. Three weeks ago there was equipment on-site and the excavating was under way. Old stands were already gone with construction fence around the area. If it's been that way all season, what does that say bout the commitment from the admin towards the football program? Recruits aren't being told it has been put on hold.

[Nathaniel Bryan]

I stated that you cannot build a team completely out of home state talent. But 33 out of 100 players or more is not very much. Like a said, unless you are the Alabama's or Notre Dame's of the world, you need to "win" your state with talent, and add on to it from other football "hotbeds", i.e. Florida, Texas, Ohio, Michigan.

 

EKU will never win this state in recruiting, no matter the new coach.

 

At best, EKU is fourth behind Louisville, Kentucky and WKU. That's assuming it can sway WKY kids from Murray, Southern Illinois and SEMO and NKY kids from the Ohio area schools.

 

How many FCS kids from Kentucky (who did NOT start at FBS and transfer down) are out there that EKU whiffed on who would be immediate upgrades? There can't be that many.

 

And I doubt all those Thomas More kids could hack it consistently on the FCS level. If so, they would be undefeated on their level and not getting beat by teams on their level.

 

I heard many WKU supporters say it was harder to recruit when they were I-AA. Winning the title barely moved the needle, in terms of better recruiting or ticket sales. When they were still I-AA, I was told by several WKU folks that fringe kids would ignore WKU while holding out hope for Louisville, UK, etc. You were basically serving as a "plan B" or "backup plan" or "landing spot" when it came to recruiting.

[NKY Bandit]

Interesting. Three weeks ago there was equipment on-site and the excavating was under way. Old stands were already gone with construction fence around the area. If it's been that way all season, what does that say bout the commitment from the admin towards the football program? Recruits aren't being told it has been put on hold.

 

Visitor stands have been down for a while. Nothing going on excavation wise as of senior night. Was told boosters had pulled the plug on the $ when the move to FBS didn't work out.

[The sarge]

Can't say I am sad to see that staff go. I had first hand dealing with their recruiting practices and did not care for them. I hope that they bring a good coach in and get into an FBS Conference. I would like them to do well because it is good for the state!

[justme2018]

EKU will be the same until they upgrade facilities, find more $ for recruiting and paying assistant coaches! Like someone said earlier RK isn't walking back thru that door. I'm not sure RK could win at EKU now like he did.

As for Coach Hood, I've been lucky enough to know him for 16 years and I'm the better man for it. I've been honored to have played for him at one point, and remained close to him. He is a great coach and even better person. It's been really cool having a mentor like him in Richmond to see and talk to from time to time. He will bounce back to a DC at a big school if he chooses to and I'll support him and his family like always. Unfortunately, it's the business and things happen, hope I'm wrong for EKU players sake, but 3/4/5 years down the road they will look back on this as a mistake.