Former Commits Thread (CBJ Tenure Only)

#27
#27
I knew a Greg Miclisse reference was eventually coming, haha. Props Volunteer Kirby. For the record, it appears he never signed anywhere despite all the offers he claimed. He was rated #1183 in the 2014 class composite.

I added several decommits from the 2014 and 2015 class. Thanks everyone for contributing. I think there may still be some more but we have a pretty comprehensive list now.

I currently have 4 decommits so far in 2017, 11 from 2016 (5 of which appear to have been recruited over, 3 of which I suspected were but did not include), 5 from 2015 (all appear to have been recruited over), and 10 in 2014 (7 appear to have been recruited over).

We average one player a year that has been recruited over that I wasn't favorable of how the staff handled (Tim Hart 2016, Marques Ford 2015, Kevin Mouhon 2014) -- not that my opinion matters. I still hope the staff improves its timing of when they let some recruits know they should look elsewhere (January & February is much too late IMO). I also think averaging 5-7 recruits a year that are dropped is much too high. I know everyone says it happens everywhere but I doubt any school is that high from 2014-2016. I only follow UT so I cannot say definitively that 5-7 is higher than anywhere else.

Of the decommits we may have encouraged to look elsewhere or simply not tried to retain, the only one that I think could have been a true difference maker at UT given our current roster is Cory Thomas. We need HS DTs with good size and he fits the mold. I think we lost two solid DEs in 2015 but I also think we had an excellent DE haul that year (Kyle Phillips and Darrell Taylor should both develop into stars once their time comes). The other 2015 DE signee (early commit Andrew Butcher that the staff remained loyal to) has an uphill battle to earn playing time and probably lacks the natural build/size to grow into DT.

Overall, the staff has done an exceptional job of culling out the recruits who are less likely to contribute. It's still too early to really grade this ability with certainty, but early signs look very positive. I think picking up John Kelly over Kendall Bussey may be one example in the future that we can really point to as demonstrating their evaluation skill. Time will tell.

I still question why the staff takes so many borderline/questionable commits early but its obvious the staff intends to fill up the class early to create a scarcity of remaining spots in hopes that higher sought players pull the trigger sooner. While I'm not overly fond of this strategy, it certainly worked in 2014 and 2015.

I still think the staff should demonstrate more patience with recruiting and let spots fill as they may. Future leadership capabilities are often demonstrated by players who commit and peer recruit relatively early (before their senior year I suppose). Not every player is willing to do this. If I were a coach, I would keep this in mind when determining playing time if two players were of similar skill set. For example, if Nigel Warrior and Maliek Gray end up having comparable skill set, I would be more inclined to put Gray in the game. That's just an example, as I think Warrior will prove to be solid player and no one will care that he waited to NSD instead of peer recruiting for us. Some kids truly don't know where they want to go until late. Still, I think players who commit early and stay committed (assuming no turnover in staff) demonstrate future leadership qualities. That said, a good portion of the highly sought out players will always wait until late. It's just human nature when you have a multitude of options to choose from with an important decision (think of highly attractive women, wealthy men, and celebrities when it comes to marriage/monogamy -- I know, terrible example lol).
 
#28
#28
So you would play one player over another because of when they committed? Please tell me I read that wrong.
 
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#29
#29
Bring_Back_Dooley said:
My thoughts too. Overall, I can't really argue with any of CBJ's "drops".

I'm still interested to see if this staff's tendency to take a lot of 3* early, and thus fill-up the available slots except for a few "big names", has come back to bite us when, in January, more "big names" want to commit than we have spots for. I think this situation is even more tenuous if UT has the type of season predicted, and our hands are tied because of the 3* deluge on OCD. Time will tell.
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I agree with this 100%. I recall how close we came to getting DE Prince Tega (a highly rated, high ceiling 2015 DE from Nigeria who suffered a horrific leg injury two weeks before NSD) but the thought was he chose Auburn partly bc UT did not have a spot for him. This might not be the best example bc we had two excellent DE signees that class but it definitely was a scenario of having a late surge with a highly rated prospect that we simply did not have the room to include. I bet there are better examples but this is the one I recall.
 
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#30
#30
bignewt said:
So you would play one player over another because of when they committed? Please tell me I read that wrong.
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If they were equal players, absolutely. I don't think "equal" players ever occurs, however, as player skill sets are always different. Therefore it's a meaningless hypothetical. Leadership without a doubt comes into play when coaches determine playing time. In that regard, what I stated isn't as asinine as you may think. Peer recruiting is pivotal for every signing class of every team and a player who sacrifices the red carpet treatment he might experience from extending his recruitment in order to help bring in the best class his team can is without a doubt demonstrating future leadership capabilities. It may also have a tendency to result in an entitlement mindset too, on the flip side. Perhaps Vic Wharton exemplifies the potential negative side of peer recruiting when it doesn't lead to immediate playing time.

I guess I understand where you come from in hinting that the timing of a commitment should not be factored into playing time at all. I still think it demonstrates leadership capabilities, which is pivotal to have on the field. Therefore, it should probably be factored in, albeit in perhaps an indirect manner.
 
#31
#31
Kameel Jackson was at Coach Up near Duncanville Texas. I don't know if he is still there but I think that he is. He was in the CFL for a short time though.
 
#35
#35
junder13 said:
2014
4) GA LB Kevin Mouhon (#399) - signed w/ Cinci...had a solid freshman season last year with 18 tackles in 10 games

8) MS DE Cory Thomas (#562) - signed with Ms St; redshirted last year and now a DT...redshirted in 2014, had 3 tackles (including a sack) and an INT last year

10) TX WR Kameel Jackson (#118 JUCO) – not sure what became of him…suppose he entered the real world...played at Grand Valley State in 2014, had 3 catches for 73 yards & a TD
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Interesting info, OP; appreciate the time you put into pulling this together.
 
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#36
#36
junder13 said:
I agree with this 100%. I recall how close we came to getting DE Prince Tega (a highly rated, high ceiling 2015 DE from Nigeria who suffered a horrific leg injury two weeks before NSD) but the thought was he chose Auburn partly bc UT did not have a spot for him. This might not be the best example bc we had two excellent DE signees that class but it definitely was a scenario of having a late surge with a highly rated prospect that we simply did not have the room to include. I bet there are better examples but this is the one I recall.
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i am probably wrong on parts of this but I remember Prince Tega changed classes as well. went from 2016 to 2015. and I was thinking the break also happened during mid season. and the way I am remembering it we didn't have all of our DEs in at the point he was blowing up. Definitely didn't have Phillips at least, so there was room.
 
#37
#37
any way you someone could do the same thing with a transfer list? lots of of people left the first two classes, could be interesting to see.
 
#39
#39
Sad to see that about Dews. Hopefully he can get his act together.
 
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