TE Nick Groeniger, 6'5" 250 lbs out of a JUCO in California. My first nickname for the guy is Sunshine.

http://www.redandblackattack.com/2009/3/...the-2009-r

Dude wont find many waves , palm trees or world class swim programs in DeKalb County.

Hopefully he has been on campus and really wants to be here in frigid corn country come January 2010.

Welcome Nick.

.... Were finding schollies available....... 8 of Kills 32 recruits are JCs (25%) ....... He has 3 years to play 2..... Third JC taken that arrives in fall........ 2nd unheralded JC to sign after the BIG DATE.....

Kill better get his recruiting act organized and fast .....

.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/End...18&start=4

Quote:Groeniger,a 2007 Aliso Niguel High grad, maintained a 3.60 GPA while at Saddleback and was also a Scholar-Baller this season. Groeniger averaged 17.7 yards per reception and caught two touchdown passes.

huh, what act?
___
Kill is his own man. He knows what he is doing and does it well.

JK definately relying more on JUCO route to fill gaps than did Novak who preferred not having players less than four or five years to build a barren program from bottom up.

JerryK has an edge not needing to start from the very bottom up. He wants to win NOW.

(03-26-2009 11:13 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  .... Were finding schollies available....... 8 of Kills 32 recruits are JCs (25%) ....... He has 3 years to play 2..... Third JC taken that arrives in fall........ 2nd unheralded JC to sign after the BIG DATE.....

Kill better get his recruiting act organized and fast .....

.

Where do you get 8? I count only six on scholarship and one JUCO walk-on for this '09 class. Or are you counting last year's recruiting class as well?

I felt like we needed a JUCO TE in this class just in case one of our top 2 went down again. This guy seems to at least look the part at 6'5 250, I do wonder about guys who sign way after signing day, why did everyone else pass?

I'm hoping there is a reasonable explanation for it.

Several years ago I attended workshops in Cederburg , WI re: the recuiting process.

Boiled down to simplest five principles, this is what I remember most.

1. It's an inexact science - like economics and that alone says a great deal about what makes sense and doesn't.

2. Think of the entire population of HS and JC football players all starting out inside a funnel or sifter - each with
their physical, mental and character pluses or minuses. {Risks are great as hedge funds - I added THAT one}

3. Sometimes what flows thru will be what's expected and other times there will be surprises for coaches - both
good and otherwise. Coaches rely less on services and more on their connections to evaluate talent.

4. At any given moment the stock of one player may rise or fall relative to others available and how
each of those recruits fits a team's needs is a moving target.

5. there are no guarantees in a cut throat business - period.

(03-26-2009 11:32 AM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

(03-26-2009 11:13 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  .... Were finding schollies available....... 8 of Kills 32 recruits are JCs (25%) ....... He has 3 years to play 2..... Third JC taken that arrives in fall........ 2nd unheralded JC to sign after the BIG DATE.....

Kill better get his recruiting act organized and fast .....

.

Where do you get 8? I count only six on scholarship and one JUCO walk-on for this '09 class. Or are you counting last year's recruiting class as well?

My count is based on the players he recruited & signed from last years class and this years class.

***********************************

Cybes said "Coaches rely less on services and more on their connections to evaluate talent. "

I agree with that assessment. Recruiting is significantly based on connections/relationships. That is why it is important to be in on certain schools. i.e.... St. Rita...Napervilles...certain Chicago Public schools....Morgan Park.... Hubbard..... It s/b obvious we have a Kansas JC recruiter who knows people. A guy who knows the Gulf Coast ....New Orleans east thru Pensacola.

The JCs we recruit s/b OUTSTANDING!... OUTSTANDING! By that I mean BIG TIME JOCK..... like Chris Smith. We should NOT be recruiting Jcs to fill out a class. To have experienced backups. If you need an OT go GET him don't wait, but don't reach for a JC. He has to be ready to start. Be organized. Have a realistic understanding of the signability of the guys you bring in for visits.

.

The NIU offense has SCREAMING NEED for a tight end, especially given the skill set of Chandler Harnish at quarterback and the type of offense that Kill seems to want to run. Hopefully this juco can step in and become Harnish's favorite outlet valve in the offense.

From the Chronicle: TE Schpler

"At Thursday’s spring football practice at Huskie Stadium, the second one of the season for NIU, Schepler got more of a chance to show off his hands and route running, which he spent time working on during the offseason.

“After looking at it last year, there were some areas that we just moved left or right and we could have been in that window,” Schepler said. “I think after looking at the film last year we might be more of an option this year.”

Still without a scholarship, at least for now, the walk-on sophomore spent his offseason doing one of the only things a potential receiver can do to improve his hands – playing catch."

Whats up with that? No scholarship? They sign a TE from Cali and Schepler has no paper? Based on performance why not money @ mid year? Has there been a commitment to Schepler for a scholly? Is there still a question in the staffs mind if Schepler is "good enough" ?

In Kill and Staff I Trust.

O5 , personally I like using the Juco route to fill holes / special teams, so your kickers, punters, holders, snappers and then back ups where you are thin. I don't think looking for an oustanding talent at the Juco level is really worth your time. Sure there are a few out there, but your resources can be put to better use finding a great player for 5 years.

They are already developed to the point they can play if need be and are more reliable as a bench guy then any freshman you might pick up would be. At the same time they won't take up a scholarship for 5 years. Coming from a Juco I think they are more likely to accept that role player position too. They'll be happy to go play on kick off team or on the line for field goal attempts, b/c playing special teams or grabbing a few plays off the bench when someone is tired at NIU is a lot better then playing for a Juco team.

(03-27-2009 09:53 AM)cyberdawg Wrote:  In Kill and Staff I Trust.

.. They sign a TE who caught -7- passes in JC and have NOT signed a player who appears ready to contribute AGAIN in 2009. In this you trust???

I have no idea what the exact situation is w/ Schepler, (thats why the questions) but if he is not offered money... HE WILL PLAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE...... and play well.

(03-27-2009 12:10 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote:  O5 , personally I like using the Juco route to fill holes / special teams, so your kickers, punters, holders, snappers and then back ups where you are thin. I don't think looking for an oustanding talent at the Juco level is really worth your time. Sure there are a few out there, but your resources can be put to better use finding a great player for 5 years.

They are already developed to the point they can play if need be and are more reliable as a bench guy then any freshman you might pick up would be. At the same time they won't take up a scholarship for 5 years. Coming from a Juco I think they are more likely to accept that role player position too. They'll be happy to go play on kick off team or on the line for field goal attempts, b/c playing special teams or grabbing a few plays off the bench when someone is tired at NIU is a lot better then playing for a Juco team.

.... You must be kidding, right? Happy to play on special teams???? Are you serious??? If anything the JCs are a PAIN IN THE *** if not playing. They are older, more experienced, a little less disciplined, and have limited time left... THEY WANT TO PLAY NOW.

They usually recruit Jcs different.....they normally do not get the same BS about how great the academic programs are blah blah blah..... You tell the JC...." You are going to start .... We need you to play right now Charlie just graduated...... Come here you won't sit behind an All American.." .. When a JC was recruited the coach drove right thru the middle of campus and pointed to the buildings as they were past... Theres the B school//// Student Center and that was it...

There is outstanding talent available in JC and we have been on the receiving end lately... Chase Carter..... this Chris Smith is a BIG TIME JOCK...they are out there and you have to get to them EARLY...

There is outstanding talent available in JC and we have been on the receiving end lately... Chase Carter..... this Chris Smith is a BIG TIME JOCK...they are out there and you have to get to them EARLY...


Kyle Jenkins will have a big year in a Huskie uniform this year also. 19.5 sacks at Harper last year. NIU would have a tough time finding a talent like that coming out of HS.

Not all HS recruits or JUCOs are alike.

Each one has particular hot buttons and needs to sell to in order to determine if there is a general fit before signing him on the dotted line.

For example #1 - Not all quality TEs available may be looking MOSTLY at playing next season IF the school does NOT offer a degree program of interest to him. NOT every TE in HS or JUCO , for example , wants a degree in business , engineering, communications or other majors offered by NIU.

For example #2 - Some recruits may prefer playing near home for various reasons {serious girlfriend, family to afford traveling to watch him pay etc} while others want to move far away and seek experiences very different than from his locale.

Fitting all the puzzle pieces together with each recruit is what coaches are expected and needing to do to increase likelihood the player will stay on board, be successful and fill the programs' short and long term needs.

Again, there are NO guarantees that any of the science and art of recruiting will lead to the results anticipated.

Finally not all "skill position" players grow on trees. Most of the more talented ones are snapped up sooner than later. I trust in JerryK if a TE was a Huskie team position needing a JUCO, he made the best possible effort to find the best match available for NIU. At the very least NickG can push the guy ahead of him.

How much will he contribute and how good can NickG or any JUCO become in two short seasons is somewhat of a crap shoot. Maybe the TE postition at his JR College was one where his potential & skills were not fully utilized in the offense and he flew under many radars. Why not simply wish him well and hope for the best?

At the moment all I'm hoping is the weather the past two days was not enuff to give him pause to wonder if this is almost April, what the Hell is it like here in January.

Going the JUCO route is often a sign a head coach is losing the battle in recruiting. I don't think that is the case with Jerry Kill, at least not yet.

Brandon Jacobs of SIU who helped blow up NIU and plays with NY Giants started his college career in KS at a community college before eventually transferring from Auburn to SIU.

There is no one single stereotype about JUCOs or coaches in situations who recruit them.

I avoid making many generalizations about players , their backgrounds and about those who recruit and coach them.

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:  Going the JUCO route is often a sign a head coach is losing the battle in recruiting. I don't think that is the case with Jerry Kill, at least not yet.

I think Kill will even admit, and he did to a point at his early press conference when he announced the class, that he lost on recruiting this year.

Kill is in his second year and now he MUST recruit and coach better. I think he's a poor coach/person but that's a personal opinion and I think he deserves the chance to improve and change my opinion of him.

All of that said, I think what I think, and he has to bring it this year in recruiting.

We are all entitled to our opinions for that is all they are - opinions.

Novak saw enuff in Kill to recommend him as his successor.

He has been a winner everywhere he has coached.
No coach , athlete, employee or fan is without flaws or error free.
That is my opinion.

In Kill I Trust to recruit quality student athletes to play for the NIU Huskies.

I think the late pick up shows that Kill thinks our tight end depth is poor. Cunningham and Shepler must be all we have

what about Edem?? Werent people raving about how quick this kid was and how he could be a passing threat? I know he redshirted last year but wonder if anybody has seen this kid practice or heard anything recently...

(03-26-2009 10:51 AM)rabidawg900 Wrote:  TE Nick Groeniger, 6'5" 250 lbs out of a JUCO in California. My first nickname for the guy is Sunshine.

http://www.redandblackattack.com/2009/3/...the-2009-r

Good stuff Rabid. We are thin at tight end. He's a welcome addition. I finally had a chance to interview Nick (Sunshine as you call him) today and have a story on him. Here is his profile

http://northernillinois.scout.com/a.z?s=...id=3748520

(03-30-2009 09:57 AM)NIUHuskie4life Wrote:  what about Edem?? Werent people raving about how quick this kid was and how he could be a passing threat? I know he redshirted last year but wonder if anybody has seen this kid practice or heard anything recently...

DITTO- We have 6 TEs currently on roster, but the coverage is either on Cunningham or Schlper. Are the rest of the TEs not practising at all ? How about progress report on Becker or Edem or Marks.. etc?

(04-05-2009 10:19 AM)msphusky Wrote:  

(03-30-2009 09:57 AM)NIUHuskie4life Wrote:  what about Edem?? Werent people raving about how quick this kid was and how he could be a passing threat? I know he redshirted last year but wonder if anybody has seen this kid practice or heard anything recently...

DITTO- We have 6 TEs currently on roster, but the coverage is either on Cunningham or Schlper. Are the rest of the TEs not practising at all ? How about progress report on Becker or Edem or Marks.. etc?

The only tight ends I noticed doing anything at yesterday's scrimmage were Schepler and Beckner.

A little background on Cali JUCO TE from Saddleback College, Nick "Sunshine" Groeniger...
...One of the reasons Nick signed late with NIU is the fact that not too many JUCO TE's were coveted during the early signing period in December. Only a handful of FBS teams were buying at that time and only half those were from BCS schools.
Another prevalent trend that's happening at many schools both on the HS level and the College level is the proliferation of "spread" offenses. Many employ "tweener" WR/TE (ie: 6'2-6'4 & 210-220)to fill the role of a bigger slot receiver or hybrid TE. The days of the true "hand down" TE offenses often referred to as "pro or west coast" offenses are diminishing.
The idea of recruiting JUCOs for an immediate position need definitely applies this year for JUCO TEs. If teams don't have immediate TE needs, they would prefer to recruit HS players that can fill either a TE or DE position depending on his development early on as an underclassman (like a 2 for 1 recruitment hedging).
He commited early to FCS University of North Dakota, but decided to wait it out for late spring attention. This is also a trend with many good JUCO players unsigned in early February. Many circumstances occur during spring practice and/or academic term at D1 schools and JUCOs could potentially fill an immediate void. Once film was sent out in late January, recruitment started to heat up with 6 or 7 schools in earnest. The word from many of the coaches who came calling was, "why wasn't this guys signed earlier?"
Saddleback College fits the trend in that they operated in spread personnel and often attacked with fly motion with multiple RB/Wing formations. Nick was used primarily in inside run blocking, roll out protection, play action boot and multiple TE goaline schemes. He didn't have many touches, but the one's he did have were critical back-breaking conversion down catches and big plays for good yardage in mixed downs by use of play action. His run blocking is very solid. Nick is comfortable being physical from a hand down position or from any movement in an H-Back attack. His athleticsm and hands are what's going to surprise many and the potential of becoming a 25+ catch TE is certainly attainable this season.
But perhaps the best thing NIU is getting is the quality of individual and character of Nick Groeniger. His 3.6 gpa speaks for itself. His solid work ethic on and off the field may be more associated with a midwest blue collar player rather than the laid back blonde surfer dude from the OC. He comes from good people and will no doubt provide immediate leadership, maturity, and experience playing against top shelf teams and players in SoCal JUCO football. His personality and humility will earn him respect from teammates and will certainly fit in right away.
Nick looks forward to competing this summer and fall for PT and learning from Coach Kill. He loves being a Huskie and will battle hard to get NIU to the top of the MAC. You Huskie faithful will be pleased with this JUCO addition.

(03-30-2009 07:57 AM)TheNEWguy Wrote:  

(03-29-2009 09:27 PM)Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote:  Going the JUCO route is often a sign a head coach is losing the battle in recruiting. I don't think that is the case with Jerry Kill, at least not yet.

I think Kill will even admit, and he did to a point at his early press conference when he announced the class, that he lost on recruiting this year.

Kill is in his second year and now he MUST recruit and coach better. I think he's a poor coach/person but that's a personal opinion and I think he deserves the chance to improve and change my opinion of him.

All of that said, I think what I think, and he has to bring it this year in recruiting.

If this is your analysis of Coach Kill that took over a team that won two games, won six and had a bowl bid in his first year……

I would like to see your analysis of Coach Patton’s third recruiting class and the start of his third year…….


............................................................GO HUSKIES......................................................

hhhhhhmmmm......????????????..............

LVD joins in april 2009 and obviously knows alot about Nick ......

Hi coach.

Do you root for MN State U Screaming Eagles or is it really the Saddleback Gauchos?

(04-13-2009 10:18 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  hhhhhhmmmm......????????????..............

LVD joins in april 2009 and obviously knows alot about Nick ......

Hi coach.

Do you root for MN State U Screaming Eagles or is it really the Saddleback Gauchos?

After many loyal years with Coach Hayden Fox, Dauber and I decided to part ways with him after he decided to give up coaching college football and enter the world of coaching men's pairs figure skating. Dauber and I made our way out to California where we immediately started to train draft eligible NAIA football players for the minor league arena football combine. Because of the poor economy and lack of superstar talent in the NAIA ranks, I decided to take a part time volunteer position (actually I have to pay for my own coaches apparel, so technically I lose $$ coaching there) as the back up PAT/FG holders coach at Saddleback College. I do it for the love of the gridiron and for the discounted admissions to all HS football games in our local area.

(04-13-2009 11:09 PM)LutherVanDam Wrote:  

(04-13-2009 10:18 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  hhhhhhmmmm......????????????..............

LVD joins in april 2009 and obviously knows alot about Nick ......

Hi coach.

Do you root for MN State U Screaming Eagles or is it really the Saddleback Gauchos?

After many loyal years with Coach Hayden Fox, Dauber and I decided to part ways with him after he decided to give up coaching college football and enter the world of coaching men's pairs figure skating. Dauber and I made our way out to California where we immediately started to train draft eligible NAIA football players for the minor league arena football combine. Because of the poor economy and lack of superstar talent in the NAIA ranks, I decided to take a part time volunteer position (actually I have to pay for my own coaches apparel, so technically I lose $$ coaching there) as the back up PAT/FG holders coach at Saddleback College. I do it for the love of the gridiron and for the discounted admissions to all HS football games in our local area.

Wit and sarcasm is not wanted around here.

(04-14-2009 09:29 AM)klake87 Wrote:  

(04-13-2009 11:09 PM)LutherVanDam Wrote:  

(04-13-2009 10:18 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  hhhhhhmmmm......????????????..............

LVD joins in april 2009 and obviously knows alot about Nick ......

Hi coach.

Do you root for MN State U Screaming Eagles or is it really the Saddleback Gauchos?

After many loyal years with Coach Hayden Fox, Dauber and I decided to part ways with him after he decided to give up coaching college football and enter the world of coaching men's pairs figure skating. Dauber and I made our way out to California where we immediately started to train draft eligible NAIA football players for the minor league arena football combine. Because of the poor economy and lack of superstar talent in the NAIA ranks, I decided to take a part time volunteer position (actually I have to pay for my own coaches apparel, so technically I lose $$ coaching there) as the back up PAT/FG holders coach at Saddleback College. I do it for the love of the gridiron and for the discounted admissions to all HS football games in our local area.

Wit and sarcasm is not wanted around here.

Yes sir Deputy Fife...

If LVD isn't Dogfan then I'm really cybes' missing twin or alter ego.

(04-14-2009 01:02 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  If LVD isn't Dogfan then I'm really cybes' missing twin or alter ego.

Nope, sorry, it ain't me, babe. I need no alter ego or other board identity. I am as unique as they come (so to speak).

I have a feeling that LVD is someone else we all know and love on this board. Now, go play with your alter ego, Cybes!

do YOU have an evil twin?

(04-14-2009 02:19 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  do YOU have an evil twin?

There is not enough room on this planet for two of me. Besides, I am my own evil twin.

(04-14-2009 03:59 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(04-14-2009 02:19 PM)cyberdawg Wrote:  do YOU have an evil twin?

There is not enough room on this planet for two of me. Besides, I am my own evil twin.

It must be very crowded in your head. So many personalities.