Mission Kids

[blackfootbengal]

I like talking about recruiting and recruiting Mission Kids is part of recruiting in Southeast Idaho, even more important when you have had two years in a roll with low numbers of seniors. Getting your foot in the door on a talented kid is always a good thing, problem Idaho kids unlike Montana kids are loyal to themselves rather than the state, thus the reason most Montana kids go to a school in Montana, Idaho kids will leave the state for a perceived gain. There are exceptions, but they are rare. Benefits of a mission kid; mature when they come in, less chance of blow up. Problem; priorities change, football is less important than moving on. Personally I don't see anymore LDS kids leaving early than any other player, some do, some don't. Mission kids are somewhat more risky coming back though. As I said priorities change, additionally they are fair game when they come back so other teams will jump on them. Utah makes a living on stealing BYU mission kids. Most ISU coaches embrace recruiting mission kids, Kramer for example recruited three or four every year. We should have four coming in for 2018, two wideouts, one Oline, One LB, if you have done your homework and stayed in contact as much as possible you know what you have to recruit the present year. Your have a mature kid you redshirt that will be ready to play in a year. As with any kid there is always a risk, you can minimize this by being diligent in maintaining your contact with both parents and player.

 

[Bengals]

I also like to talk recruiting as it is a major factor to the long term success of any program. Eastern Idaho and Northern Utah should be one of our top priorities in recruiting. There are always a number of players in that area that could help our program. And most likely a large percentage of those players will be mission kids, so it is part of our recruiting reality. The key is to master how and who to recruit. This also requires some longer term roster planning with players not arriving on campus for two years. I did not say E. Idaho / N. Utah were the only priorities as with this incoming class I thought the coaches did a great job of getting a number of quality kids outside of this area. Also, bottom line we have to start winning, increase game attendance, improve facilities etc... before we can recruit at a top FCS level.