'25 Portal Thread

[Orange_Crush]

Does the fact that Nico and fam met with coaches to determine how the situations at WR and OL will be addressed not raise any red flags for you?

Sounds like QB1 questioning these things did more to push Matthews out the door than any negative postings by randos on a message board did.

Your red flags are assumptions that we won't be able to replace them. IF Nico was thinking of leaving out of worry about the WR replacements, and he's confirmed that he's not leaving, then what should logic tell you about the perception from inside the program that they feel confident in replacing the group?

So... Again... What point? And at what point do you accept logic and stop trying to convince us to join in the handwringing?

 

[MarcoVol]

Kind of depends on if it’s a guy that is decisively better. But there will be people that raise hell regardless. It’s all some people know.

Haha right but also how would anyone who sees the players only 12x per year know if another player is decisively better?

 

[VolGee4]

Do we know that for sure? Not trying to be contrary, just asking.

How did we know last year? Then, got better.

There was no path to Webb and Leacock getting more reps with the guys coming in.

 

[InVOLuntary]

What if we kept the forum on topic?

What fun is that?

 

[KPT_VFL]

“What’s done is done”

That don’t sound no ways good.

That means someone will pay top dollars and he we will leave understandably. This was blatant mismanagement by the staff.

 

[KB5252]

Not really. Matthews is the only one.

People just want to make it different.

It's the exact opposite. We ran off our lost experience to start our promising young players. If we do lose MM it would be the equivalent of losing most of your experience and Boo in that scenario.

 

[KB5252]

What fun is that?

It isn't..........

 

[DaddyChad]

“Too much smoke”. From who?

Again, all the same stuff was said about DB room literally last year.

“Martinez can’t develop”

“Martinez can’t coach”

“Martinez can’t recruit”

“No db will want to play for Martinez”

And guess what…we upgraded.

I agree with you for the most part. We didn’t really have anyone leave that we were scrambling to keep though at DB. I think most of those guys were encouraged to leave. Matthews is different. I don’t advocate for firing a position coach bc of one guy. But if that guy is a talented guy that was going to start and you have underdevelopment at the position it’s a question worth at least asking. Also we’ve had guys like Bru and Squirrel that seemed to regress, could be attributed to injuries though.

Just saying it’s worth looking at.

 

[KB5252]

How did we know last year? Then, got better.

There was no path to Webb and Leacock getting more reps with the guys coming in.

I was talking more specifically about Squirrel. He's the only one with real experience.

 

[VolGee4]

It's the exact opposite. We ran off our lost experience to start our promising young players. If we do lose MM it would be the equivalent of losing most of your experience and Boo in that scenario.

Nimrod, Webb, Leacock, and Squirrel had the experience.

We also brought in JMcCoy, JThomas, and the transfer from Temple. We knew Rickey Gibson was ready.

 

[DaddyChad]

It's the exact opposite. We ran off our lost experience to start our promising young players. If we do lose MM it would be the equivalent of losing most of your experience and Boo in that scenario.

Matthews wasn’t healthy at the beginning of the year. He played in ten games. Would’ve played in more but he screwed up a few opportunities. He looked like he was ready to start by the end of the year though.

I’m not sure how you start freshmen and win ten games in this conference.

 

[VolGee4]

I was talking more specifically about Squirrel. He's the only one with real experience.

Sounded like Squirrel wanted more that they wouldn’t pay. Most of the fanbase wanted him gone too.

 

[Jackcrevol]

After flipping out about losing a five star. Rhis thing has dragged out and gotten ugly.

It is close to no longer being worth it. Gotta try to retain Matthews, but as soon as his butt landed back in Georgia, he was comfortable.

Companies spend big money on researching psychology of negotiation. He is comfortable, in his element, with all the cards.

Its a low probability win for us. On one hand we get him back, and we over spend. And get a guy back that, may be there for the wrong reasons.

We are a damn good program. We dont need to grovel. Go find the best players.

 

[DaddyChad]

Sounded like Squirrel wanted more that they wouldn’t pay. Most of the fanbase wanted him gone too.

Sounded like they reduced his NIL package. Idk if he gets to the league after college. He has a young family. Played through injury. Hard to really be pissed at the guy, he needed to make what he could now.

 

[KB5252]

Nimrod, Webb, Leacock, and Squirrel had the experience.

We also brought in JMcCoy, JThomas, and the transfer from Temple. We knew Rickey Gibson was ready.

Agree, but it doesn't change the fact that losing MM would be the equivalent of losing Boo from last year's class. McCoy was a hit, Thomas was up and down.

 

[MarcoVol]

Agree, but it doesn't change the fact that losing MM would be the equivalent of losing Boo from last year's class. McCoy was a hit, Thomas was up and down.

Not equivalent. Boo has already produced on the field.

 

[MrVolton]

“Too much smoke”. From who?

Again, all the same stuff was said about DB room literally last year.

“Martinez can’t develop”

“Martinez can’t coach”

“Martinez can’t recruit”

“No db will want to play for Martinez”

And guess what…we upgraded.

Listen close. Sounds like Ramon is saying even NFL scouts are questioning the WR development.

You all acting like there are no red flags there are just whistling past the graveyard.

Anyhow, I’m hoping Huepel fixes it ASAP.

 

[DaddyChad]

What if Matthews goes in portal and we don't get Branch

Dooley, Pruitt, Jones still won’t be our head coach then.

We’ve lived through worse.

 

[MrVolton]

WIth all due respect, your ability to ignore logic doesn't make me worry too much about what you think. You claimed that we can't retain, and used an example of the most important player on the team, that we retained. Your logic was that we're losing an entire position group, so you don't trust the staff's abilities to get quality replacements. When given an example of the EXACT SAME thing happening last year, while flipping a mediocre position group into a strength of the defense, you shrug if off and basically just retort, "Yah, but I think..."

It wasn't so much a question, as a baseless accusation toward the staff. Your stubborn position (and refusal to let facts answer it) basically proves it as such.

It is handwringing. And your stubborn position indicates a desire to keep doing it. But like I said, you're free to do so. Just expect those of us who are sick and tired of it to point and call it out.

Logically, there are a lot of reasons why this year’s situation at WR and last year at DB are different.

Ignoring all the smoke around the WR issues is whistling past the graveyard.

Anyhow, I hope Huepel fixes it ASAP. I do think he has done a great job here.

 

[NighthawkVol]

What if Matthews goes in portal and we don't get Branch

Then Vol fans will freak out. Which they’re gonna do anyway.

 

[KB5252]

Matthews wasn’t healthy at the beginning of the year. He played in ten games. Would’ve played in more but he screwed up a few opportunities. He looked like he was ready to start by the end of the year though.

I’m not sure how you start freshmen and win ten games in this conference.

My point is losing him and the others would mean you have a wr room full of people that aren't familiar with this offense, their QB and each other. It's far from ideal.

Maybe they can bring in the help needed from the portal if that does happen. But my point is that it's extremely concerning that's needed from a playoff team with an established staff........ I can't help but feel this is a symptom of underlying issues.



Maybe it is happening to other playoff caliber teams...... And I'm just not aware.

 

[Orange_Crush]

It's the exact opposite. We ran off our lost experience to start our promising young players. If we do lose MM it would be the equivalent of losing most of your experience and Boo in that scenario.

I kind of get what you're saying, but how would we have lost Boo last year? It's hard to compare two situations, one of which could never have happened.

The fact of the matter is that we lost a very mediocre position group this year. We are yet to lose MM, so the EMP comment was on topic; it's all hypothetical.

You are comparing something that could never have happened to something that hasn't happened?

 

[RiseToTheTop]

Imagine being Nico and taking a look at this OL and group of WRs (if you can call it that)

 

[Orange_Crush]

Agree, but it doesn't change the fact that losing MM would be the equivalent of losing Boo from last year's class. McCoy was a hit, Thomas was up and down.

Again, you're comparing something that could never have happened to something that hasn't happened. It doesn't seem very productive, nor conducive to making an argument that will draw others to your viewpoint.

 

[KB5252]

Then Vol fans will freak out. Which they’re gonna do anyway.

And deservedly so. Should that happen, losing your best young wr prospect at a position of critical need at this point is a red flag.