The Daily Recap: Day 4 June 18th

The Daily Recap: June 18th, Day 4

Everything Going on in the Open Period of College Volleyball Recruiting

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With 16 total commits, I won’t do a Top 10 list until tomorrow, but I will comment on many of them.

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Lauren Forelli Outside AZ Rev PPV 275 to Michigan State

Big in so many ways. No other first-year coach is signing PPVs 250+. Kelsay has three now. No other first-year coach is winning head-to-head recruiting battles vs. established coaches and programs; again, Kelsay has done it 3x. Forelli represents much more than just the solid player that Michigan State landed; it was the W it meant for the program. It shows what top prospects already think of Kelsay and Michigan State as a brand, which is essential.

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Brynn Stephens Outside TAV PPV 268 to SMU

Interesting, but I guess not surprising. It makes sense; it’s 15 minutes from her house. They have $, and they now have several Dallas athletes and will probably add more. This is a great pickup by SMU. I credit them for doing what other schools have not been able to do, which is keeping local talent at home. Dallas will always have some of the best talent in America, so SMU keeping some of it home is a big W.

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Makenna Corrie AZ Rev Setter PPV 182 to Utah

This was an off-the-radar sign for me. I had a few names down for Utah, and Makenna wasn’t one of them, but the more I checked around and the more film I watched later on, the more I liked this, and the more undervalued she may be. Physically, having run an offense with multiple weapons, she has had to keep happy. Also, she has had a couple of years sitting in many of the most competitive matches, so she has been in some pressure spots.

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Ashlyn Quiri Outside AZ Sky PPV 214 to Florida State

This is a big sign for FSU as it gets an athlete from the other side of the country to come to the ACC. She may not be day 1 plug-and-play ready, but she has high-ceiling multi-sport talent. FSU is looking to upgrade and add more athletes. This is one.

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Questioning Blue Bloods:

I know there was rumbling on the “Genius Boards” yesterday when the latest commit from a Blue Blood program was announced. First, for the 10,000th time, people, we are in a new age of volleyball and recruiting. So, from a salary cap standpoint, the days of 18 players with PPVs of 270+ on a roster are no longer impossible.

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The best programs will be the ones that can manage and find great mixes of talent and under-valued talent. Also, veteran transfers that want to come to a top program to try and win a championship in their final year, for less $, just like in pro sports.

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So, if you are going to jump a coach or program because a kid doesn’t have enough stars or a high enough ranking, first off, you are subscribing to the wrong website, and second, you don’t understand how volleyball and volleyball recruiting have to work now. Every program has to do things differently, and every year, they will have a different plan.

For example, a team taking back-to-back classes of 4 and 5 prospects would most likely have to take a smaller class next year. I’m just saying, try to understand what your favorite staff member is doing. Don’t just run to the “Genius Board” and rip someone because a ranking wasn’t high enough on a recruit. They might know exactly what they are doing.

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Impressive Early Classes: We predicted some schools pre-Open Period that we thought had some SMOKE entering the June 15 era. Here is who has the early SMOKE now that we are in it, minus the teams that have it every year.

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1. Michigan State (we have discussed)
2. Creighton: I don’t know if I have a Crystal Ball somewhere, but I wrote for Blue Jay Nation, a couple weeks ago, I feel like Creighton VB is still going to be Midwest roots, but now has the ability to go add a big gun from Texas or Florida when they want to. Well, Allie Hudgins, Reagan Walraff, and Ruthie Robinson (Dallas, Omaha, Sioux Falls)
3. Oregon: Really like the first two prospects of the new Duck Regime #QuackQuack
4. Pepperdine: Two commits, Boyd and Wahlin; I love both, and their Select Camp was packed with talent. I think they will add one or two more with a PPV of 170+, with all the Cali talent still on the board.
5. It’s hard to go just 5 because I really like what Auburn and Bama have done (see, I’m trying to start a June Rivalry for those two also), and I like Mizzou.

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Auburn getting Cromer will be a steal down the road. She continues to improve and is undervalued.

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Bama has the local prospect that is so big that it’s a wildcard for the class, but I love the feistiness that Bronson could bring to the program and Setter if she continues to train and push herself the next few years. If she plays with a chip, I love the sign for them.

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Mizzou, first off, Agnello was my sleeper outside for the group. The “working women’s scholarship” is not fancy, but she just goes to work, gets results, and does everything well. Great culture and locker room fit, just love that pickup. Then they add a setter about someone I have heard NOTHING but positives about, Lucky Fasavalu from Cali. The only thing is her height, and it is what it is. I love watching her run her offense; her demeanor on the court is perfect. So I love Mizzou’s class thus far.

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So, here are just a few thoughts from me after Wednesday’s happenings. I love the talent that is still thinking and evaluating their options. There is so much more to talk about, and I’m enjoying learning about so many more athletes that I didn’t get to know earlier.  

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I'm working on a couple of other feature articles coming up and breaking down some of the classes that are done already. I appreciate the nice words I’ve received from people over the last few days; it means a lot. Happy Volley, everyone.