Recruiting Football Talk VII

[Devo182]

Son: "Daddy, what were the 1950s like?"


Dad:

 

[Orange_Crush]

Agree - good post. If VN posters would go back and look at what they posted when it was happening they would all have to acknowledge it. Stood out like a sore thumb. "Why do they keep throwing the bubble, why do they never throw over the middle, why do they forget the TE's, why not throw to the RBs, why, why?"

The answer was Joe. He did not have good vision, anticipation and timing. He did not throw intermediate routes well because he apparently could not anticipate the holes and windows for the throws. The targeted receiver had to be open first and then he would throw. Throwing guys open was not his thing. Heup and Joey could not fix it for all of the route tree and in-game situations. It is the same problem he had from UM to us.

Some guys cannot "see" a target that is in open air. They need a tangible target like a player. The former is how a guy like Brock Purdy can step in and succeed immediately. He has barely NFL minimum velocity, but his vision, anticipation and timing with the routes is off the charts good.

From what I can tell Nico in his limited action has all of that. He just needs playing time and to build chemistry with receivers. This point is probably why Heup chose to RS him.

Nico's success in 7x7 football will have prepared him well in these areas. I truly believe a RS freshman Nico will outshine a senior Milton.

 

[Devo182]

Ideally, give Milton the first couple of drives then nico for the rest of the game

Are we expecting to be up 21-0 by Q2? Then I'd agree.

If Milton plays, then I suspect we'll pull away by halftime and then we'll see Nico. The other instance is if JM doesn't play at all.

I don't see Milton coming all the way for 2 drives and we put it all on the freshman in a ~3 pt kind of game. Otherwise Heupel would have done that weeks ago...jmo

I'm guessing the hope is we go in and blow them away off the bat and get Nico 3 quarters of "clean up duty" in what's already a blowout. Have to remember Iowa is the worst offense in P5...so there's som flexibility in "blowout" lmao

 

[Ten_Titans]

Hubbs is saying you'll see Nico early.

Lol, yeah okay. If Joe is playing, we might Nico if there is a blowout. Per our usual arrangement.

 

[Devo182]

Agree - good post. If VN posters would go back and look at what they posted when it was happening they would all have to acknowledge it. Stood out like a sore thumb. "Why do they keep throwing the bubble, why do they never throw over the middle, why do they forget the TE's, why not throw to the RBs, why, why?"

To be fair, folks were complaining about all that under HH too.

Even the #1 offense in the entire nation wasn't optimal enough for many of our couch coaches.

 

[rikberry31]

Thornton was just coming into his own when he got injured, why would he leave?

The incoming freshmen, the addition of Brazzell, and the possibility of adding another to go with a crowded room. Maybe he will light it up in the spring, who knows.

 

[rikberry31]

I'm here for it. We suck at zone. With a strong pass rush and improved LB play, man is a great way to go.

We'll have the players to do it.

 

[jakez4ut]

for those of you old enough to remember, what Deion and CU football have done to recruiting is equivalent to what Ross Perot did as a presidential candidate.

knew he couldn't win, but he could ruin someone else chances of doing so.

lol.

 

[Devo182]

Throw Vandy out…..

Aren't they a founding member?

They're also in core SEC territory. They're SEC blood, like it or not.

I'd 100x keep Vandy over these frauds from Texas. Wannabe rogue programs that set leagues ablaze before jumping onto the next boat. They're pirates.

Send Tx, OU, Tamu, Mizzou packing. Maybe take Arky with you. Bring back SEWANEE And throw in GT or an up-and-coming Georgia program while we're at it - UGA has had zero in-state competition for too long...in the densest talent state in the country.

 

[VolNRaleighNC]

for those of you old enough to remember, what Deion and CU football have done to recruiting is equivalent to what Ross Perot did as a presidential candidate.

knew he couldn't win, but he could ruin someone else chances of doing so.

lol.

 

[therickbol]

Are we expecting to be up 21-0 by Q2? Then I'd agree.

If Milton plays, then I suspect we'll pull away by halftime and then we'll see Nico. The other instance is if JM doesn't play at all.

I don't see Milton coming all the way for 2 drives and we put it all on the freshman in a ~3 pt kind of game. Otherwise Heupel would have done that weeks ago...jmo

I'm guessing the hope is we go in and blow them away off the bat and get Nico 3 quarters of "clean up duty" in what's already a blowout. Have to remember Iowa is the worst offense in P5...so there's som flexibility in "blowout" lmao

Once Milton has UT up 3-0 we can go ahead and start subbing. Game would be out of reach for Iowa offense at that point.

 

[rikberry31]

I will maintain that I think Milton needed to see it open in the middle of the field vs Hooker who would start to throw before guys got out of their breaks, which seems to be what Heupel is looking for. My hope is Nico becomes a better version of Hendon.

You will. Nico has almost as strong an arm as Joe and he is more accurate than Hooker was.

 

[VolNash17]

Going up 3-0 on Iowa is like a 17 point lead in theory

 

[jakez4ut]

Going up 3-0 on Iowa is like a 17 point lead in theory

lol...i want to see that theory.....

 

[JT3]

He only threw for one 300yd game and it was against………. Vanderbilt. A lot of it was definitely on Joe.

Like I said before, Joe definitely deserves his fair share of the blame pie. I'm just not giving him vast majority of it like everyone else.

 

[SweetasSoda]

for those of you old enough to remember, what Deion and CU football have done to recruiting is equivalent to what Ross Perot did as a presidential candidate.

knew he couldn't win, but he could ruin someone else chances of doing so.

lol.

 

[itsme]

You will. Nico has almost as strong an arm as Joe and he is more accurate than Hooker was.

We don't know for fact either of these points
-Joe may have the strongest arm that college football has ever seen. So doubtful on that point for Nico
-Hendon was one of the highest completion throwers in Tennessee history. 68% and 69% in back to back seasons. That will be tough to beat as well. I do know we will find out at the beginning of the year next year though.

 

[GVol1966]

Transfer portal is not a dating site…

It kind of is….

 

[Vfl2407]

for those of you old enough to remember, what Deion and CU football have done to recruiting is equivalent to what Ross Perot did as a presidential candidate.

knew he couldn't win, but he could ruin someone else chances of doing so.

lol.

You see now….right here in these here charts that I drew up here in my basement…now you see here… right next to my enormous ears …see here now.

 

[rikberry31]

yeah, i'm not sure how much i believe this "rejected" stuff.

it's not about TV markets anymore, streaming and internet access has made that almost irrelevant. it's about eyeballs. who wants to watch FSU vs any current SEC team?

everyone. that's who.

For the most part I agree. But there is more to it than TV revenue. You are correct in that TV markets are not about TV stations anymore, anyone can stream anything. Match ups do make money that is true but markets are also about fanbases. A fanbase will follow it's team and rival fanbases will tune in as well. More eyeballs does mean more money and it is also large in exposure to future potential athletes and potential new fans. The top teams will always get exposure.
If the SEC were to expand into the NC and VA region a whole new bunch of fans would see Vandy, Kentucky, Ark, Ole Miss, Miss St., aTm, and Tennessee on a regular basis whereas now the see them rarely.

 

[rikberry31]

We don't know for fact either of these points
-Joe may have the strongest arm that college football has ever seen. So doubtful on that point for Nico
-Hendon was one of the highest completion throwers in Tennessee history. 68% and 69% in back to back seasons. That will be tough to beat as well. I do know we will find out at the beginning of the year next year though.

I sat there and watched them both warm up side by side for six games, watched Hooker for two years. No doubt Nico has a cannon and he knows where it's going. Make no mistake the kid is a freak athlete and something special.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

lmao

Commenting on the lack of DL talent in the class is being negative? Or is it just a truthful observation? I love ya, man, but you pick some weird things to get upset about.

No...you are getting sucked into the abyss...all you have done all week is gripe about who the staff DIDN’T get..how about actually just trying to get excited for the guys we did get.

You keep griping about DL, which I assume you mean just DT...hell man we just signed another freaking George Pearce style heat seeking missile DE, and another with great potential...yet you are freaking out about DT, which is important yes, but nowhere near the big deal you are making out of it....you can get really good to solid players elsewhere(portal), and a DT takes awhile to develop physically anyway...so why freaking out about it?

 

[volfanhill]

I’ve always liked Musk, but even before the last couple years I always thought he was a unique blend of brilliance and “wtf are you talking about Elon?” . Mostly brilliance, of course. To be fair to him though, he now owns the very platform that allows people to have a voice that reaches far more people it can in any other capacity. It only makes sense that his voice is also reaching more people than it ever used to which in return means more coverage, more publicity and yeah, more spotlight.

He's a welfare queen. Almost $3 billion dollars in gov assistance

 

[jakez4ut]

For the most part I agree. But there is more to it than TV revenue. You are correct in that TV markets are not about TV stations anymore, anyone can stream anything. Match ups do make money that is true but markets are also about fanbases. A fanbase will follow it's team and rival fanbases will tune in as well. More eyeballs does mean more money and it is also large in exposure to future potential athletes and potential new fans. The top teams will always get exposure.
If the SEC were to expand into the NC and VA region a whole new bunch of fans would see Vandy, Kentucky, Ark, Ole Miss, Miss St., aTm, and Tennessee on a regular basis whereas now the see them rarely.

There's really not though. Tv revenue drives everything and nobody is doing anything for free, especially Sankey and University presidents.

The other member institutions wouldn't approve adding anybody unless Thier cut stays the same or gets bigger. So if Disney isn't coming up with more money for more members... it isn't happening.

Nothing else....

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

I am going to go be productive, but my final thoughts on this cycle are these.

Heup is a relational HC. He is loyal to both coaches and players invested in his program and vision. Maybe sometimes to a fault, but it builds trust and minimizes drama. Pope, Alec, and Milton are all potential examples of this, both good and bad. Where Heupel does get aggressive is in his play, and to that end he has more than shown a willingness to retool or rethink. Look no further than our rushing attack this year when Joe and receivers struggled. The A&M victory may be one of his best, because it fit his style least. All of this to say, Heupel is methodical and thoughtful.

That methodology has meant we don't go all in unless there is a direct relation to the strategic vision.

Those have been:
QB (Nico & Merklinger), Play Makers (Matthews & Staley), Protection (Covid Seniors & Warren) & Disrupters (Pearce & Ross)

That strategic vision also looks not just at one aspect of recruiting but balancing all three. Look no further than the DB room these last few weeks. A DB room that many maligned he managed to upgrade in one portal rotation. He did so by making the hard choices many say he is incapable of and recruiting portal guys many said he was incapable of landing.

In conclusion Heupel is playing chess and many of us are looking at checkers. It is natural because for most of us it is not our job, our greatest strength, or we just don't have the same vision of success.

I do not know if Heupel will win it all here, but like Fulmer he is doing it his way. Fulmer had many flaws, but he was true to himself, and he was also loyal to a fault. He was relational, and he was passionate about line play and recruiting. They may be completely different individuals, but if we stop picking apart the flaws we might start to see some really fun similarities.

It is a new world, we have some advantages and disadvantages in this new dynamic, but IMO Heup is bringing new life and new ideas that just might see us to the top.

And...Philip was never anywhere near the elite X and O guy that Heupel is....that is where similarities end and that is why I believe with all my heart that Heupel is the one.

Like I said the other day...he took a roster full of rejects and role players and all he needed was a QB with talent that he could develop and somehow miraculously fashioned a true NC contender out of it one year removed from a rotten 4 win team that then proceeded to lose over half of it's best talent to transfer...I don't understand how that absolute FACT has been forgotten so quickly....it blows my mind.

The Idiot Margin in here bitch, pissing and moaning loudly, and I can't wait to see what he does with (no offense to Hendon) the best QB talent he has ever had to work with in his career.