I am saying the vast majority of P5 recruiting operations look pretty similar. It does not explain the current struggles.
There are a lot of different approaches to recruiting that are working at least acceptably well at different schools.
Using pretty girls is common but not universal as is lying through your teeth promising playing time and other things you can't deliver.
It is clear that the school isn't going to accept the football program pushing the line in the way that some of our competitors do nor are they going to compromise certain standards in terms of the players that are brought in and kept.
That means that we aren't going to be Baylor, Penn State, or any of a number of other schools out there.
The fact is though that there are plenty of schools who don't go far beyond the CU standards and are at least reasonably successful without cheating, without selling out, without going win at all cost.
Unfortunately that takes a staff that is committed to winning on the recruiting trail, that makes recruiting quality players a top priority and acts on it.
Tucker and some of his staff had that mentality, What have we seen from the KD staff that says they believe and act the same?
Staffs that recruit well live and breath it. They are on airplanes, on social media, on the phone, visiting high schools. Dead period, no problem, we won't see recruits face to face but that doesn't mean we can be out working high school coaches.
It has taken a while to get them where they are but what does Iowa State have to offer that CU doesn't or couldn't, how about Iowa? Why should we be losing recruits to Cal or Arizona State or schools in Texas not called UT or aTm?
There is a route for CU to regain respectability. That route though requires a staff that lives and breathes recruiting. Do they have to be great position coaches? That would be nice but no. We might even lose a game or two a year by being outcoached. Much better than getting run over 5-6 times a year by teams with a big enough talent advantage that the coaching doesn't matter in the end.
I am frustrated and agree with
@leftybuff , I will always love CU football but my why should I remain dedicated when they aren't. I'll enjoy it but I'm not going to worry about it as much.
Not going to games/buying merch only perpetuates the cycle of mediocrity.
No, when the money keeps flowing in regardless of the product on the field it tells them that the product doesn't matter and they can continue put garbage out there.
The money from ticket sales, merchandise, athletic donations, etc. is something they budget for and expect to have to use. When it doesn't come in as expected it at least makes them ask the question why, and hopefully they will realize that the fans aren't going to keep buying a bad product.