Inside NU - Pat Fitzgerald Signing Day Press ConferenceRoll Damn 'Catshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52532/insidenu_fav.png2015-02-04T17:31:36-06:00http://www.insidenu.com/rss/stream/77402982015-02-04T17:31:36-06:002015-02-04T17:31:36-06:00Fitz is ready to play Bingo<iframe src="https://vine.co/v/OFgn7VzJMr9/embed/simple" width="600" height="600"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Pat Fitzgerald, avid reader of Inside NU, is ready to <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7975885/pat-fitzgerald-signing-day-press-conference-bingo" target="new">play some Bingo.</a> Here's how he opened his press conference.</p></p>
<p><p>You can already pencil in one space for next year's Bingo... "Bingo".</p></p></div>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7982107/fitz-is-ready-to-play-bingoHenry Bushnell2015-02-04T17:11:55-06:002015-02-04T17:11:55-06:00Fitz explains why his recruiting policy is sound
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<p>Fitzgerald doesn't like when recruits who have committed to Northwestern check out other schools after already giving him their word. However, Fitzgerald nabbed two players in the past week who had already been previously committed to other schools.</p> <p>The past two recruiting cycles for Northwestern have shed light upon a unique policy of Pat Fitzgerald's: A commitment is a commitment, and any sniffing around or visiting other schools is equivalent to a de-commitment.</p>
<p>The most prominent example of the policy was this past summer, when <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2014/7/28/5946593/andrew-and-david-dowell-de-commit-from-northwestern">four-star twins Andrew and David Dowell de-committed</a> after it was first reported that they were "checking out" other schools. Fitzgerald wants players who are 100-percent committed to Northwestern on and off the field.</p>
<p>But this past week, after Fitzgerald lost two former class of 2015 commits, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/2/7967845/grant-perry-de-commits-from-northwestern-michigan">Grant Perry</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/1/31/7957307/zach-allen-decommits-from-northwestern-commits-to-boston-college">Zach Allen</a>, to other schools, his response seemingly contradicted his own policy. To fill the two vacated spots, he went after--and eventually got-- two players that had already committed elsewhere. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/3/7970295/duke-commit-flynn-nagel-switches-to-northwestern">Flynn Nagel</a> had been a Duke commit since June, and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/2/7964863/montre-hartage-2015-northwestern-football-recruiting-profiles/in/7706296">Montre Hartage</a> had given his pledge to Georgia Southern. Both are now officially Wildcats.</p>
<p>So doesn't that seem hypocritical?</p>
<p>As Fitzgerald <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7979655/pat-fitzgeralds-signing-day-press-conference-video">explained Wednesday</a>, it's not. First, he spoke about the present day recruiting climate:</p>
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<p>"If we take a commitment, we know that to some schools, that means ‘oh, now we just know that Northwestern is our opponent in recruiting,' and they're going to recruit them every day. And there's other schools that say, ‘hey, you committed to Northwestern, we're not going to recruit anymore.' So you have to expect to recruit guys all the way until that e-mail comes in."</p>
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<p>Then he explained his policy on players who have committed to Northwestern re-opening their recruitment:</p>
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<p>"What I tell guys is, I don't think you should commit to a school until you're 100-percent ready. And when you do, then you should. It's like getting engaged. And then if you decide that you want to open up your recruiting, that's fine. Then I'll make the decision on whether or not we want to continue to recruit you. If we do, then we do, and if we don't, we don't.</p>
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<p>Then, finally, he detailed the process of recruiting a player who has committed elsewhere, like he did with Flynn Nagel:</p>
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<p>"We reach out first and foremost to their high school coach, and say, ‘we may have something come available.' Then we reach out to their families and say, ‘if we have something become available, would you be interested?' If the answer is no, then we move on. If the answer is yes, then the next step is, you have to reach out to [the school you're committed to] and tell them you're opening up your recruiting. And then I'll reach out to the other coach, and let him know that we've decided to recruit their guy."</p>
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<p>It's a bit of a slippery slope, but the key is that, on the issue of de-commitments, Fitzgerald's problem isn't with other coaches recruiting his players. "You have to recruit all the way to signing day," he said. "There's no doubt about that." Instead, the problem is with the players, the emptiness of a commitment nowadays, and with the system.</p>
<p>That's why Fitzgerald doesn't see anything wrong with recruiting players like Nagel. He was also sure to mention that everything is "up front" and "above the table."</p>
<p>"I don’t think I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth," Fitzgerald said. "There’s no hidden agenda. If the young man and his family want to look at Northwestern, it’s my job to recruit those guys. If they don’t, then we move on and find guys that want to. I feel pretty comfortable with what we do."</p>
<p>So while on the surface, Fitzgerald's swoop for Nagel might seem a bit hypocritical given past comments, that's not the case.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7980163/pat-fitzgerald-explains-why-his-recruiting-policy-isnt-hypocriticalHenry Bushnell2015-02-04T13:42:06-06:002015-02-04T13:42:06-06:00VIDEO: Pat Fitzgerald's Signing Day presser
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<p>Pat Fitzgerald was in a jovial mood today at Ditka's in downtown Chicago. He spoke about his recruiting class, recruiting policy, the recruiting system in general, and Northwestern's impending quarterback competition.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7979655/pat-fitzgeralds-signing-day-press-conference-videoHenry Bushnell2015-02-04T13:41:08-06:002015-02-04T13:41:08-06:00Northwestern's QB competition is wide open
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<p>Junior Zack Oliver, redshirt sophomore Matt Alviti and redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson will battle for the starting position.</p> <p>If we're to take Pat Fitzgerald's comments at today's Signing Day press conference as fact, there is no clear favorite to take over the starting quarterback position heading into spring practice. Though he didn't name names (but did say "we have three guys who will compete"), it will be Zack Oliver, Matt Alviti, and Clayton Thorson that battle to replace Trevor Siemian, whose Northwestern career ended with a torn ACL against Purdue.</p>
<p>Fitz said that each QB will get equal reps in practice until "one, or two" guys separate themselves. It's interesting to note that Fitzgerald made an effort to say that two guys might emerge from the pack, suggesting that there has been some thought about using the two-quarterback system that was the cornerstone of some of OC Mick McCall's best units a few years ago.</p>
<p>It was Oliver who filled in for Siemian after his injury, and started the season-finale against Illinois that would have sent Northwestern to a bowl with a win. That outing was a catastrophe, particularly the first half, which saw Oliver turn the ball over four times and pass for 9 yards. He finished with five turnovers and Northwestern couldn't overcome the disastrous start and Illinois gained bowl eligibility with a comfortable 47-33 win at Ryan Field.</p>
<p>Alviti also saw some playing time last year, but it was mostly in option sets that really limited him to a running threat. He completed 2 of his 4 passing attempts last year and his one rushing touchdown came during that memorable upset of Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Thorson redshirted, but InsideNU writers who have observed practice and talked with people in the program, and writers from other outlets, expect him to ultimately win the job.</p>
<p>In terms of talent, quarterback is one of Northwestern's best positions. Both Alviti and Thorson were four-star recruits who were ranked in ESPN's Top 300 recruits and both turned down more established programs to come to Evanston (Alviti spurned Notre Dame, while Thorson chose Northwestern over Ole Miss).</p>
<p>This quarterback race will surely be one of the main stories during this offseason, and we'll be sure to keep you posted when we learn anything. But all signs point to this competition being a tight and lengthy one, and we might not know who the starter is until the fall.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7979459/northwestern-quarterback-competition-is-wide-openDaniel Rapaport2015-02-04T12:39:45-06:002015-02-04T12:39:45-06:005 big things from Fitz's press conference
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<p>We learned a lot of interesting things at Ditka's.</p> <p>Pat Fitzgerald held his annual National Signing Day press conference at Ditka's in Chicago on Wednesday, officially announcing the new class of 20 Wildcats that will be joining the Northwestern football team in 2015. You can learn more about <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/1/29/7942255/northwestern-national-signing-day-2015-recruit-profiles">the class of 2015 here</a> and see <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7976369/northwestern-2015-recruiting-class-map">where they all came from</a>, but here are the five biggest topics from Fitz's press conference.</p>
<h3>1. A softening stance on commitments?</h3>
<p>Fitzgerald has long held a strong policy against verbally committed players looking into other schools. He sees a verbal commitment as an engagement, and he has said before that he will drop a player's offer if they look around at other schools while committed. However, some questioned that policy last year when highly-regarded recruit Jordan Thomas visited Oklahoma while still technically a Northwestern commit. NU did not drop Thomas' offer, though he ended up signing with the Sooners.</p>
<p>After that, Fitzgerald said that there never was a policy and that they're going to treat every situation differently. This year, NU picked up a few recruits toward the end of the cycle who were committed to other schools, and that drew criticism from some, who thought it was hypocritical to recruit kids who were committed, but not want his commits to look around. Fitzgerald defended his stance:</p>
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<p>On recruiting commits, Fitz said: "I have no problem with what we do. I don't think I'm speaking out of both sides of my mouth."</p>
— Wildcat Digest (@NU247) <a href="https://twitter.com/NU247/status/563032725515681792">February 4, 2015</a>
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<h3>2. Fitz wants to change the recruiting process</h3>
<p>Northwestern has prided itself on not having a lot of decommits in the past, but that has started to change, as the Wildcats lost four commitments this year, to bring the two-year total of decommits to eight. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it means NU is recruiting players that other big-time programs want, but it's hard on the coaching staff, which can find itself in a bind close to signing day.</p>
<p>Fitz wants to change the whole system and get rid of signing day all together:</p>
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<p>Fitz on the recruiting/NLI process: "It's an antiquated system."</p>
— Inside NU (@insidenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/insidenu/status/563030443684270080">February 4, 2015</a>
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<p>Fitz wants to change the system to make "scholarship offers more credible." Doesn't like how schools and players can back out.</p>
— Inside NU (@insidenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/insidenu/status/563030284237832193">February 4, 2015</a>
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<h3>3. Northwestern will (probably) start offering kids money to play football</h3>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/8/8/5984363/obannon-trial-ruling-result-ncaa-players" target="_blank">The Ed O'Bannon case that ended this summer</a> partially took down the NCAA's defense of amateurism and changed the rule that players can receive no compensation from schools in the recruiting process. Pending appeal, the court mandated that the NCAA can no longer cap compensation at $0, and now must set a minimum cap of $5,000 per year to be put in a trust fund for after a player's eligibility ends. As of now, that will start with next year's class.</p>
<p>Schools don't necessarily need to pay this money, but those that don't will obviously be hurt in recruiting. Northwestern has been against "professionalizing" athletes, but it appears the Wildcats will pay up (if an entire class of 20 redshirts, that's $500,000 per class, which is easily within any Big Ten school's budget).</p>
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<p>Fitz says he'll offer whatever he can financially tol make the student-athlete experience better. That means $5,000 under O'Bannon ruling.</p>
— Inside NU (@insidenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/insidenu/status/563029082414522370">February 4, 2015</a>
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<p>NU will also offer cost of attendance scholarships, and the school has generally been a leader in promoting student-athlete welfare. So the desire to both help athletes and win is no surprise.</p>
<h4>4. Who will play right away? Who knows</h4>
<p>Fitz probably has some sort of idea of who will be ready right away, but a lot of that also depends on who spends the most time getting ready in the weight room this summer. NU redshirts a lot of players, but Fitz said it's all about physical and emotional readiness.</p>
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<p>Fitz says he doesn't decide who redshirts, but the kids do. Says they have to get ready for Big Ten play both "physically and emotionally."</p>
— Inside NU (@insidenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/insidenu/status/563032287840075779">February 4, 2015</a>
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<p>My uneducated guess? We see wide receiver/return man Jelani Roberts and possibly another receiver and a defender.</p>
<h3>5. Quarterback battle</h3>
<p>It can't all be recruiting! Fitz talked at length about the quarterback competition. It looks like senior Zack Oliver, sophomore Matt Alviti and redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson are all on equal footing right now. Our guess is Thorson wins the job.</p>
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<p>Fitz on QB situation: "We've got three guys who are going to compete." Says they'll all get equal reps until 1, or 2, separate themselves.</p>
— Inside NU (@insidenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/insidenu/status/563034181463441409">February 4, 2015</a>
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https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7978781/5-most-noteworthy-things-from-pat-fitzgeralds-signing-day-pressKevin Trahan2015-02-04T11:17:02-06:002015-02-04T11:17:02-06:00Follow/watch Fitz's Signing Day press conference
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<p>Pat Fitzgerald will be discussing Northwestern's new class of football players at his Signing Day press conference at Ditka's in Chicago, starting around 11:30 am CT. Here's how you can follow along:</p>
<p><b>Livestream:</b> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.btn2go.com/game/northwestern-signing-day-press-conference-02042015">BTN2GO</a> (free)<br><b>Twitter:</b> Follow us at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twitter.com/insidenu">@insidenu</a>. Our timeline is embedded here too:</p>
<p><a data-widget-id="563023087093166080" href="https://twitter.com/insidenu" class="twitter-timeline">Tweets by @insidenu</a>
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<p><b>Internet:</b> We will be constantly updating <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7976257/pat-fitzgerald-signing-day-press-conference" target="_blank">this stream</a> with notes and quotes.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7978285/how-to-follow-and-watch-pat-fitzgeralds-signing-day-press-conferenceKevin Trahan2015-02-04T06:10:02-06:002015-02-04T06:10:02-06:00PAT FITZGERALD PRESS CONFERENCE BINGO: SO CLOSE
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<p>Pat Fitzgerald's press conference just got a whole lot more interesting...</p> <p>Back in January, Iowa's SB Nation site Black Heart Gold Pants faced the prospect of a Kirk Ferentz press conference that they expected to be "completely devoid of any news." So what to do? <a href="http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2015/1/14/7543643/kirk-ferentz-press-conference-bingo-and-open-thread" target="_blank">Play Bingo, of course!</a></p>
<p>So naturally, we had to poach the idea. We all know Pat Fitzgerald has his go-to phrases and manerisms, so let's have some fun with them:</p>
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<img alt="BINGO" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wEbWhzeauNcYVewQIPulPw6tHiE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3373046/10967917_1018788271470087_312505004_n.0.jpg">
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<p>Follow the press conference, and when you get Bingo, tweet at us, comment on our Facebook posts, blow up the comments of this article, etc. First person to do so wins... <strike>a million dollars</strike> absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>UPDATE NO. 1: Fitz, an avid Inside NU reader, opened up his press conference with, "Thanks Paul, I guess we can all play Bingo now."</p>
<p>UPDATE: We were a "Wildcat Way" away from DOUBLE BINGO! But we just missed out.</p>
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<img alt="Bingo results" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WYLddxfu0jZsypEW28zsWJcs2-I=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3374858/B9BNo5bIgAAMCr3.0.jpg">
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<p>Maybe next year... Or next press conference.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7975885/pat-fitzgerald-signing-day-press-conference-bingoHenry BushnellJosh RosenblatBen Goren2015-02-04T06:00:03-06:002015-02-04T06:00:03-06:00Ask your Northwestern Signing Day questions here
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<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>National Signing Day is usually pretty crazy, and recruiting is ALWAYS crazy. We're here to answer questions.</p> <p>Today is National Signing Day! That means we sit at our computers and watch YouTube highlights of a bunch of high school kids, hoping they stick with their word that they'll commit to our favorite school.</p>
<p>This year, barring any unexpected changes (which, as we've seen, do happen), <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/1/29/7942255/northwestern-national-signing-day-2015-recruit-profiles" target="_blank">Northwestern will sign these 20 players</a> on Wednesday. It's a solid class, with a lot of help at wide receiver, a lot of help in the secondary and no true quarterback.</p>
<p>You can see more about how this class is rated <a href="http://northwestern.247sports.com/Season/2015-Football/Commits" target="_blank">over at 247 Sports</a>, and we'll have live coverage from Pat Fitzgerald's press conference at 11:30 CT, along with posts of all the official signatures that arrive at the Nicolet Football Building throughout the day. However, we're sure to miss out on some things that you're dying to have answered. You can use this thread to debate about football and recruiting and to ask us questions. We'll be monitoring it throughout the day.</p>
<p>Enjoy Signing Day and ask away!</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/2/4/7975751/northwestern-signing-day-open-thread-answering-your-questionsKevin Trahan