I talked to Spiegelman, who did a podcast with Fear the Wave recently, about Tulane's recruiting success this year. He covers Texas and Louisiana specifically for Rivals. Here are excerpts of the interview:
On the difference for Tulane this year in attracting higher rated commitments:
"The biggest thing they’ve done this year, because they’ve had their foot in the ground in New Orleans now for multiple years is their effectively recruiting not only the state but obviously New Orleans. What they are doing is making Tulane an attractive option to go play right away and make noise in their home town. For these kids that have Power Five offers and could go to a Kansas, an Arkansas or an SMU, Tulane is kind of trumping them."
On Angelo Anderson and Josh Remetich:
"Angelo Anderson could go to a Tennessee or a Mississippi State or Arkansas, but he’s going to face some stiff competition and he’s going to be away from home, so Tulane did a good job of selling him on being the star in their 2020 class. And the same high octane guy to look at would be Josh Remetich from Holy Cross, top 30 or 40 on our state rankings. He could go play for Les Miles at Kansas or go to Ole Miss and Tennessee, but he chose to stay in New Orleans.
"The staff that coach Fritz has put together over the last couple of years, especially getting someone like J.J. McCleskey to just be the area recruiter in New Orleans and he's got connections all over. You saw it last year with someone like Greg Brooks (4-star CB from West Jefferson High), who at least had Tulane among his top group. You saw the signs of progress, and in 2020 it began to come together. Now it takes the right kid to turn down an SEC or a Big 12 offer to play for the AAC. So Angelo Anderson loved the idea of being the pioneer of the class and forego his SEC options and stay home.
"You could tell in the early stages of Remetich's recruitment he was kind of a homebody and wanted to stay somewhere close to home, whether that was South Alabama or Ole Miss or Mississippi State. I'm not surprised that he went with Tulane."
How high could Tulane end up:
"If they are able to hold on, when you've got guys that are 5.7, 3 stars, you are going to put yourself at an advantage over the Memphises and SMUs of the world that are competing for the AAC championship for recruiting. Could Remetich add a fourth star? Could Anderson add a fourth star? A lot will kind of hinge on their senior seasons because all eyes are going to be on these Tulane commitments all season long. There's still a long way to go in terms of the rankings, but there's a clear path where they could certainly finish up as No. 1 (in the AAC; the Wave is currently one spot behind Cincinnati nationally)."
On chance of no-star recruits being upgraded (Elijah Champaigne, Ethan Barr and Noah Taliancich are in Spiegelman's rating area):
"A hundred percent there's a chance. I'll be seeing Champaigne and Barr in the next four to six weeks. I'll be at both those schools this fall. At this point there's no rush to rate them with a senior season days away, but it's more likely than not that they are going to walk away with at least two stars and certainly be in the discussion for even the low 3-star rating."
On the difference for Tulane this year in attracting higher rated commitments:
"The biggest thing they’ve done this year, because they’ve had their foot in the ground in New Orleans now for multiple years is their effectively recruiting not only the state but obviously New Orleans. What they are doing is making Tulane an attractive option to go play right away and make noise in their home town. For these kids that have Power Five offers and could go to a Kansas, an Arkansas or an SMU, Tulane is kind of trumping them."
On Angelo Anderson and Josh Remetich:
"Angelo Anderson could go to a Tennessee or a Mississippi State or Arkansas, but he’s going to face some stiff competition and he’s going to be away from home, so Tulane did a good job of selling him on being the star in their 2020 class. And the same high octane guy to look at would be Josh Remetich from Holy Cross, top 30 or 40 on our state rankings. He could go play for Les Miles at Kansas or go to Ole Miss and Tennessee, but he chose to stay in New Orleans.
"The staff that coach Fritz has put together over the last couple of years, especially getting someone like J.J. McCleskey to just be the area recruiter in New Orleans and he's got connections all over. You saw it last year with someone like Greg Brooks (4-star CB from West Jefferson High), who at least had Tulane among his top group. You saw the signs of progress, and in 2020 it began to come together. Now it takes the right kid to turn down an SEC or a Big 12 offer to play for the AAC. So Angelo Anderson loved the idea of being the pioneer of the class and forego his SEC options and stay home.
"You could tell in the early stages of Remetich's recruitment he was kind of a homebody and wanted to stay somewhere close to home, whether that was South Alabama or Ole Miss or Mississippi State. I'm not surprised that he went with Tulane."
How high could Tulane end up:
"If they are able to hold on, when you've got guys that are 5.7, 3 stars, you are going to put yourself at an advantage over the Memphises and SMUs of the world that are competing for the AAC championship for recruiting. Could Remetich add a fourth star? Could Anderson add a fourth star? A lot will kind of hinge on their senior seasons because all eyes are going to be on these Tulane commitments all season long. There's still a long way to go in terms of the rankings, but there's a clear path where they could certainly finish up as No. 1 (in the AAC; the Wave is currently one spot behind Cincinnati nationally)."
On chance of no-star recruits being upgraded (Elijah Champaigne, Ethan Barr and Noah Taliancich are in Spiegelman's rating area):
"A hundred percent there's a chance. I'll be seeing Champaigne and Barr in the next four to six weeks. I'll be at both those schools this fall. At this point there's no rush to rate them with a senior season days away, but it's more likely than not that they are going to walk away with at least two stars and certainly be in the discussion for even the low 3-star rating."
