Honestly, our recruiting is about as good as it can be with all things considered. Our facilities are not that great, our football program has no prestige, we do not carry big home crowds or lucrative TV deals, and we are named freakin Middle Tennessee State University. There's just nothing about our program that's going to make a kid say "Man, I've gotta sign there!"
That's just the cold hard truth.
Stockstill is doing about as best as he can with what we've got and what he's been given. Sure, I could nitpick here and there, especially a few years ago when we had real problems with our OL and OL depth. There has been roster mismanagement at times from a numbers perspective, but overall I would say we've got what we paid for (Stockstill's salary is somewhat of a bargain when you look around the league now).
I'm really just trying to learn to enjoy it now. One day at a time, one game at a time, one season at a time, and hope and pray for the best. It is frustrating that some of our coaches are dinosaurs and appear to be eating for free. I do have to give Tommy West credit for bringing in that stud linebacker, but ironically it sounds like it was more of an accidental find than anything. Seems like he should have been in contact with the kid and his family from the get-go. I would like to see more young blood assistant, up and comers, with lots of hunger and passion like Coach Royston who has done an amazing job since being elevated (he will be poached soon).
It's a hard sell and a hard build here at MT. That's just the cold hard truth.