QB Recruit Lobs Molotov Cocktail on Conference-Realignment Fire
We sure did enjoy hearing this on Friday, then warning folks we’re just lobbing unsubstantiated, rumor-based grenades into the already smoldering realignment fire that is JMU these days. And a big thanks to WHSV Harrisonburg’s own @WHSVdstoltzfus for ferreting out this story from a local NJ rag known as MyCentralJersey.com long before it got picked up by a few Virginia papers this weekend. Pretty sure the kid thought, “ahh, it’s just the local paper, no one will read this” if he thought at all before giving his interview.
Anyways, in the story found here new JMU QB commit Rob Nittolo says “[JMU]’s really up and coming and they’re moving to Conference USA soon.”
This is becoming impossible.
There are just so many levels on which to enjoy this little nugget. First, the one thing that’s safe to assume is that we know what’s being sold on the recruiting trail. Of course, you’ll find more truth at a White House press briefing than you will from a recruiter so it SHOULD go without saying that this third-hand information is utterly and completely unreliable.
Plus, there’s the fact that our young, and hopefully future stud, QB, went on to say “I just really love the coaches and the whole staff…the new coaches I really like…” Although it’s nice to know new Coach Everett Withers is already doing double duty for the Dukes in addition to finishing his time with tOSU in the Orange Bowl, it’s also amusing to read about “the whole staff” since at this time that includes exactly no one.
So we’ve established this little story means exactly zilch in reality, that the CUSA word may even have been sold by a soon-to-be former coach on his way out the door with nothing to lose, and that our new recruit either wasn’t coached well in what to go public with or still believes in Santa. But even while we laugh at the story, it’s nice to hear JMU referred to by a recruit as “up and coming.” We couldn’t agree more. Also, we can all hope where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Time will tell.
Am I the only Alum that thinks moving to FBS (and potentially C-USA) a bad idea?
89 Grad, I am an alum and a football alum at JMU and I agree that is a bad idea.
Playing Elon, Albany and losing to Stony Brook is even worse. Staying put is falling behind. FCS is about to become Division 3.
I’m an alum, and I agree with Bob.
Playing Stony Brook and Albany is bad. Even if we make the playoffs.
Beating UVGay and ODU is good. Even if we go to the Bic Stick Ink Pens Bowl.
We are in the same position East Carolina was in 10 or 15 years ago. A B-list (or C-list now that ODU moved up) Virginia school who can’t compete with our older brothers. In 2014, ECU beat UNC and NC State. THAT is where JMU needs to go– in another 10 years, we need to be beating ODU, Tech and UVGay every year rather than Albany and Stony Brook.
It boils down to M-O-N-E-Y. Whether that is through C-USA TV money, Bowl money, increased Alumni giving or simply an increase in student applications…all of the above will NOT come from playing Rhode Island on Madizone.
That’s the bottom line.
I just can’t get excited about playing in an irrelevant bowl around Christmas…and that’s likely out best hope. Look at the MAC’s Northern Ilinois…they were undefeated until the conference championship game and wound up in a worthless Dec. 26 bowl game. Do you know anyone who watched the Poinsettia Bowl?
There are way too many bowl games now and I don’t even bother to watch most of them anymore and I am a HUGE college football fan.
Here is a Virginian Pilot column about ODU and discussing these same type of issues vs. still being alive in an FCS playoff. Interesting discussion.
http://hamptonroads.com/2013/12/odus-trade-one-crowns-exhibitions
I am also an alumni and I am torn on the issue, but I think going FBS is the right call. Going FBS would be great for the football program- more recognition, more applicants, more money, more scholarships, etc. However, there are some down-sides for the university as a whole – specifically risking the loss of identity that makes JMU what it is when the school is opened up to so many more students and then placed under a spotlight.
One big issue and a deciding factor is recruiting. JMU is the first loser in the recruitment competetion in the state of Virginia now, followed by Richmond and William and Mary. Top recruits in the state go to Tech, UVA, and now, ODU. Or, they head to North Carolina to play at UNC, App State, NC State, ECU, etc. If JMU wants to stay competetive in football, they need decent athletes, and they need to win over the regional recruits.
Going FBS will help JMU in a lot of ways. They just need to make sure when then go that route, they keep the university the way it is, continue to be as selective with the student body as they already are to maintain academic standards, and keep the Harrisonburg community the way it is.
For the record I am against it. It’ll cost me more money to go to games and we’ll end up with a worse record (ask any UVa fan). I may be crazy, but I actually like watching my team win games. I also love the playoff format rather than the sponsor-of-the-year bowl on 12/26 being the best we can hope for.
I’m with Bob and 2004 Duke. JMU has sat around and analyzed themselves to death and done nothing but fall behind other universities in athletics. Our men’s basketball program could have gone to the A-10 when Lefty was here. Now other schools in CAA have moved on to bigger and better conferences and JMU as usual is stuck standing and staring like idiots.
Mixed emotions for me on this. I like the CAA and its competitiveness. Nevertheless, its seems fairly obvious after the stadium expansion and the recently released study that the genie is out of the bottle in terms of JMU making the decision to move up to the FBS. I seem to recall the study mentioning CUSA as a likely place to go. It will be bad in the short run given we’ll be getting our butts kicked for awhile, but maybe in the long run it will be better in terms of recruiting, which hopefully leads to being competitive at the FBS level. Hopefully the tailgating experience will not be bad in either the short or long run!
I think it is relevant to think about WHERE JMU would be right now had we gone to the A-10 in 1994.
This move isn’t about the next 5 years, it is about the next 50. It is a big decision.
“Look at the MAC’s Northern Ilinois…they were undefeated until the conference championship game and wound up in a worthless Dec. 26 bowl game. Do you know anyone who watched the Poinsettia Bowl?”
Anybody who knows more than what ESPN force feeds down your throat about College Football actually thought the Poinsettia Bowl was a good match up. I enjoyed the game myself. People hate on these bowls as being meaningless not realizing that all but maybe 1 bowl crushes every FCS playoff game.
JMU is no longer a regional school with under 15k undergrads and a cute little stadium in the Shenendoah Valley. A lot of money is being invested in growing the University’s profile and moving to FBS is a crucial step in this. FCS at this stage of the game is a total waste for JMU. Staying put is absolutely falling behind at this stage of the game.
EDIT (I’m at work so I don’t have much time): All bowl games generally crush the FCS playoffs in viewers.
I make it a point to watch all 35 college Bowl Games … not!
For most of these corporate-sponsored events, the stands are pretty empty, and the games are pretty boring. More importantly, however, the players, the coaches, and the Universities enjoy the exposure. It is an opportunity for the kids to travel to exotic places and represent their schools.
FBS seems inevitable but, as ehh mentioned, let’s not change the basic nature of our beloved JMU and the Harrisonburg community.
If the DUKES don’t go FBS you will lose the interest of many alums who are consistent supporters of the program. We need to BE THE CHANGE if we want to be recognized as a national university. Staying as is will make us even more irrelevant when like institutions move on to greener pastures.
Be the change.. ha you have to be kidding. Are you going to be the person heading to Toledo to watch JMU play in the Weed Eater bowl for $90 a ticket against some crap 6-6 squad. Because if your not don’t ask to make the move. I will travel all over the country for a playoff game. I will not travel to D.C. to see a bowl game. By the way what other men’s sports team are you going to kill when the lose those additional scholarships to make the jump.
A couple of people have hit the nail on the head:
JMU is not a small women’s college (admitting men since 1972) nestled in a sleepy mountain town.
JMU, if you think about it, is probably the 3rd or 4th major school in Virginia. There is UVA, Tech, ODU and JMU. Every other school in the commonwealth is either small-fry (liberty, richmond) or bush-league (Mason, VCU). There is a reason everyone wants to go to JMU and the admissions office is swamped with applications (I read somewhere that our applications exceed Tech’s). I absolutely LOVE the playoffs, and I think Bowls are stupid, but JMU has got to walk through the open door and take its place on the national stage. NOTHING pisses me off like telling someone I went to JMU and have them say “where is that?”. Going to the Liquid Plummer BS Bowl isn’t going to change the culture of our school. If you WIN GAMES, everyone will pack the purple palace. JMU students are not MAC students (thank god). I want to walk in to my local walmart and have purple and gold crap everywhere. I’m sick of seeing that damn maroon Turkey put on everything from cheap rugs to bedroom shoes. I want Lowes to sell purple and gold toilet seats. I WANT to pay Richmond $100K to come to the ‘burg and get beat by 50 points. I even want kids from places like Kansas to say “Dad… I really, REALLY want to go to JMU. I knwo its out-of-state, but if I can get in, can I please go?”
While I agree that it wold be nice to see JMU compete with and even beat up on other VA schools, I just don’t think it will happen anytime soon. In reality that is all I care about. I want my team to be good and compete for a championship ever year. Joining the mac or conference USA will only result in JMU competing in the Beef O Brady’s bowl against ECU or the like. That’s not enough. I’d rather have a chance at a championship every year rather than what we’ll get from here on out.
LD – you’re my boy Blue! But just need to pick a nit there. JMU can’t drop anymore men’s sports, they’re already at the NCAA minimum from the previous culling. They could add a women’s team, but if you read the Carr Report you’ll see they don’t have to as they’re already women-heavy on Title IX compliance and the add’l fb schollies won’t effect them. Besides, I’m guessing you of all people agree that the “other sports,” bless their hearts, can be content going wherever fb and hoops take them and say thank you.
I am surprised to see the amount of support for FCS at this point. GMU & VCU have left the CAA for what they perceive to be more big time basketball. App and ODU have left FCS for what they perceive to be more big time football. Do the FCS supporters honestly see our peer group being W&M and Richmond? Are you happy playing Central Conn. and St. Francis?
I can say that I have supported JMU football for thirty years and usually make 9 or 10 games each season. While I truly enjoyed the FCS playoffs and some great games during our run from 2004-2008, what I am seeing now is a different product. FCS is becoming more watered down and the talent level is dropping in the CAA.
For those our you wishing to hang on to what we have, I am afraid you just can’t do it. FCS is changing and so is the talent level. My guess is the next big news will be a reduction in scholarships at the FCS level as smaller schools try to afford the high cost of college football.
Going FBS is not an effort by the administration to keep pace with UVA and VT. It is an effort to stay with peer schools like App and ODU. The CAA has been great but the time has come for us to move with our peers to the next level. For those of you against it, you are simply turning a blind eye to the economics of college football and what is happening at peer institutions.
Just saw this: Ohio State is not even in the top 25 in total defense. Not sure what that means.
It means that there were at least 25 teams with better defenses. You seriously don’t understand how lists work? Just kidding. The Buckeye D definitely struggled this year, but none of us really understand what that says about Withers or how it relates to him as a head coach. I’m choosing the glass half full approach and staying optimistic his player friendly reputation, relative success at places other than OSU, and other factors will prove to be more relevant than any weaknesses the Buckeye D showed this year.