No way. I've been a Sun Devil fan since we moved here in the 70s, have two degrees from the school, and I would have these two in the top 50, but not the top 20. They have been saying the exact same thing about recruiting at ASU for as long as I can remember, and it just doesn't happen. Even when the school has put together outstanding football teams they can't follow it up by recruiting at the highest levels.
As for the omissions, I'd say Miami, Clemson and Texas A&M are the most glaring. Miami has an amazing recruiting base. Clemson and A&M have huge fan bases, are in good areas to recruit, and the coaches are treated as demi-gods when they win.
Agreed, ASU is a better job than UA by far and I'd hesitate to put ASU in the top 30. UCLA and Washington are better jobs in the Pac-12 for sure than the Arizona schools. The three you mentioned from OOC as well and I think you could mention other programs like Ole Miss, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Iowa, and a few others as well. If the Arizona schools were as desirable as Staples suggests them to be then for starters ASU would've accomplished more than being a mid-major powerhouse over thirty years ago and since doing almost nothing and UA would've been more than just an above average program through the 80's and 90's before hitting rock bottom last decade. Both programs also would've retained their coaches too instead of watching them go to Ohio State or USC.
The new Pac-12 deal will be nice to both state schools and certainly help but the author forgets to mention that every other conference team is getting the same increase in revenue we are and have much more program stability (Oregon State, Cal), tradition (UW, Colorado), and recruiting advantages (Stanford, UCLA) than do the Arizona schools.
We have two big disadvantages here: Gadd mentioned the first in that nobody really cares about either program unless they're winning and local recruiting base is below average at best and non-partial to the local schools.
it's possible one or both of these programs can make that jump into this elite category after all UofA Basketball is up in the top 15 but it's going to take an Olson-like coach to get there. Someone who says no to the big boys when they come calling and win big almost annually both of which we all realize is no small task.
