Dominick Bragalone RB

[RichHParticipant]

+1 ,Yup.

[LehighGuyParticipant]

Todd, i’m trying to change and be positive :). The comp does matter IMO. Kid looks fast. I just didnt see any RB moves. Straight ahead runner that ran thru arm tackles of kids smaller than him, they didnt even try to tackle him. LU offers schollies now, along with a great education. We can recruit with some of the smaller FBS programs with education the trumping factor. Dont have to reach that far on a kid anymore although sleepers are out there. He looks like the Leigh kid but not better. With this kids stats, FBS programs did look at him and passed, along with most PL teams.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by  LehighGuy.

[toddcuddParticipant]

Good to hear, LG! But I honestly did get a chuckle when I read that line. My first reaction was, “yeah, and i hate beer!”

I think the discussion here is good and healthy, in general. I’m also a “half-full” guy by nature, so I’m inclined to react to negative comments more strongly than I should. I honestly don’t know enough to contribute much to reviewing recruits, but I like following along and weighing in anyway. I’m sure that there’s so much more about all these kids that we’ll never know and see; I’ll tend to believe (hope?) that the guys getting paid to do it are good at it. Now, if too many don’t work out, I think we absolutely should scream and complain here. In some indirect way, I’m hopeful that conversation here lands on the right ears, sometimes.

Indirectly related: I stumbled across an article yesterday that I shared with LFN and HoopsNation about the recruiting process at Stanford and Duke. I think there’s a good bit in it that’s relevant to LU recruiting, and I’d like to think that we can pursue a similar approach. Despite my disdain for Duke, I like the article:

High Academic Recruiting

I also recognize that there are big differences. We don’t have the same name recognition as Duke or Stanford, of course. And the FCS thing will hurt us in many cases, I think. I recently saw a response on twitter, to the commitment announcement of one of our favorite recruits, that essentially said “I can’t believe Player X didn’t go Division 1!”. It made my blood boil, but it’s a bias that is real.

[RichHParticipant]

I am by nature a glass half full guy.Having gone thru the up and downs of LU football, I know how fast and long the downs can last. Much like the sword of Damocles.
Bragalone is a crap shoot coming from an A program. Will he be able to adjust up.I have seen it both ways here. Some yrs back we recruited a RB from a s,all squad in NJ. Lots of hype. Picked as top recruit in league. Eventually was a solid back but never a star. Then we get a Ron Jean.
The D1 comment by some is really annoying. But,usually from ppl not very knowledgable about college ball. Following prospects,clear kids do know that PL is D1.

[lfnadminKeymaster]

You have to remember that not every kid out of high school is going to come fully formed athletically like (just to take an example from all these 30 for 30’s I’ve been watching) Maurice Clarett. They are clay that needs to be formed and taught how to play a D-I game.

Barket was a hard-nosed Schuykill Haven kid who loved to ball and had a motor that never stopped. Great Lehigh kid who would have probably gone to a bigger program had he been taller and a tiny but bigger. But injuries caught up to him by junior and senior years. It happens. I’m just glad he came here, had a great time playing, and got his degree. The press loved him.

I’d be very happy getting another Barket.

• This reply was modified 10 years ago by  lfnadmin. Reason: Barket wasn't a Konkrete Kid

[TMHParticipant]

Slight correction: Zach did not come from Northampton which is a AAAA program (Konkrete Kids). He attended Schuykill Haven HS which are the Hurricane, an A school. Pius X from Roseto is also a class A school. Stambaugh, Martucci and Rath all got overlooked by the bigger programs. I’m glad they decided to come to Lehigh.

[MillerParticipant]

Nothing wrong with A high school guys. They are not their because of their talent, but enrollment, so do not hold it against them. Many, all over make the jump to FBS and FCS so if we think he is similar to Barket, get the guy. Remember, numbers are good, but desire and heart are great. One of the best RBs I saw play in college was a single A guy named Thomas Jones from Virginia.

[LehighGuyParticipant]

I agree Miller…. BUT his comp was horrible! I need to see some moves though. Class A in PA is suspect.

[Go Lehigh TU OwlParticipant]

LG,

He still received very good coaching and was the center piece of a dominating team. The fact he had a historic season puts his talents in relative terms imo. Had he been just “very good” then it might be easier to question his abilities. But, Dom put together a season of historic proportions like Barket. There’s no question that Zach was a D1 football player imo.

McCloskey was arguably the best player on the field during the Single A Final. He’ll be a tremendous asset to the B&W imo…

[RichHParticipant]

Agree on Bragalone,owl. Hope McCloskey goes to RB. Either way tho,he is a superior player who can contribute on either side of the ball.

[jimk72Participant]

As the discussion on this thread continues in the small school versus big school vein, I offer two of my favorite central Pennsylvania high school football programs: Mount Carmel (AA) and Southern Columbia (A just moved to AA). They have both consistently sent kids to successful careers in FBS and FCS. Anyone familiar with high school football in that area (southern Anthracite region northwest of Pottsville) will know the names beginning with Jazz Diminick and his six sons. And the competition in that area has never been big school.

[RichHParticipant]

Pennsylvania A class may be small schools overall as strong or stronger competition than many States.

[ngineerParticipant]

My sense is that he represents the ‘rugged’ back we haven’t had since Barket (and he was injury prone). Correct that he is in the “Colgate mold” or RBs. Looking forward to him.

[RichHParticipant]

Brown in the same mold. Back injury ended his career.
Caveat….we dont even have him yet

[TMHParticipant]

I don’t quite get it. If we recruited a RB who runs a 4.46 and benches 450 and happens to play for a AAAA school and put up very good stats, LG might actually crack a smile :-). Put the same kid in a single school and have him put up unworldly numbers and now I’m not sure.
I’m glad Pat decided to pursue Robert Hamlin in wrestling even though he happened to live in Vermont.

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