I just got around to listening to the pod, and I really enjoyed it.
About the OKG thing. I suspect that Coach Petersen's early experiences at the UW with Naijiel Hale, Darren Gardenhire, Marcus Peters, Lavon Washington, and Drew Lewis, and even Kentrell Love (whose Twitter currently says, "I need $") have made him even less likely to take risks on guys who don't fit his OKG profile.
It's a risk-management thing. For every JoJo Mathis, there was a Lavon Washington. While his program could change the lives of a lot of guys, he still wouldn't be able to reach many kids too. The risk-reward calculus just isn't there, in his mind.
If that's his thinking, I agree with it.
I'm not saying that the UW should focus recruiting resources on three- and two-star guys who work hard and want to be developed. I'm not saying the UW can win a championship with Boise State rosters. I am saying, however, that the UW should continue to screen out guys who don't take coaching and don't handle adversity well.
Jimmy Lake's recent interview boiled down his recruiting criteria into three points:
- Toughness and physicality
- Takes coaching
- Handles adversity
That's it. Nothing about academics. Nothing about a preference for dudes who are into deferred gratification. I'm fine with that.
It's not a perfect process. No process is. But it fits Coach Petersen, allowing him to be authentic with recruits and their parents.
Rather than take greater risks that could endanger the culture and result in more attrition, I'd prefer to let his recruiting strategy play out with the caliber of recruits who are now committing. LIPO.
