Fresno State Recruiting: Does the Pat Hill Mantra Help Recruiting?

“Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime.” It’s a mantra that Fresno State fans have gotten used to since Pat Hill took over the head coaching duties at Fresno State.

Over the years, the mantra has gained Fresno State national attention and through the first few it gained them even more respect because they were winning those games. But, over the last few years, the Bulldogs are doing everything but winning those games.

The debate has run rampant through California’s central valley over the past several years about whether Pat Hill should back off that mantra. Regardless of who’s right and who’s wrong, Hill refuses to lower the schedule and play teams that might get them a few non-conference wins.

Instead, Hill is sending his Bulldogs into Hattiesburg, MS to face the University of Mississippi of the SEC, arguably the toughest conference in college football today. And that comes one week after Fresno will see the University of Cincinnati visit Bulldog Stadium for the very first time.

In 2011, Fresno State has two Big XII teams on the schedule, and both games will be on the road. Those two teams will be the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Colorado Buffaloes, two teams that are on their way up. That is especially true with Nebraska which could very well be a national championship contender by then.

But if you thought the Bulldogs were coming to home to relax, you’d be dead wrong. They come home and welcome in Ole Miss the very next weekend.

While I respect Pat Hill for his ambition and attempting to keep his team on the map, none of the previous 10 years have resulted in a conference championship with exception being the shared title back in 1999.

So how much is too much? Is Pat Hill overloading his team or is this helping come recruiting time? Is Fresno State receiving more interest from recruits because of the teams that they play?

Maybe this past weekend was the answer to that question as the Bulldogs landed three verbal commitments from recruits that made their official visits to the school last week.

Defensive end Tyeler Davison, quarterback Greg Watson, and cornerback Derron Smith all verbally committed to the school—arguably the biggest recruiting weekend for this program in recent memory.

Smith, the 5′11″ 164-pound athlete from Banning High School, is perhaps the biggest of those three as he was being recruited by the likes of Nebraska and San Diego State along with WAC schools San Jose State, Nevada, and New Mexico State.

So, with the answer to the "does it help recruiting?" question looking like a resounding yes, it only brings up yet another question.

With the team playing games in Mississippi, Colorado and Nebraska in the coming years, could the Bulldogs be in line to steal recruits away from the Big XII and the SEC?

Only time, and Fresno State’s performance in those games, will provide us with the answer. For now, Pat Hill remains both a hero and a heel in the city of Fresno. But whether you love him or hate him, you at least have to respect his ambition for this program.