Recruiting Football Talk VIII

[Batman1948]

We made Ryan Day look like a freaking genius.

We're pretty good at that. We've made backup QB's look like all Americans too

 

[crazyguy]

I want to give ol' Herbie Herbstreit a hats off.

I didn't listen to the announcers post game, so I hope Herbie didn't cancel what I'm about to say. But I thought Herbie during the game did a great job of resisting Fowler and the replay "analyst" throwing him "alley oops" to snark on the Vols. He did a great job of staying even-handed in a game where it was tempting not to bother. I was glad to see that.

That’s because he is well aware of how crazy that fan base is. His son is on that team as well. I think he’s the best out there.

 

[crazyguy]

I don’t know how that Ohio State team lost to Michigan

The same way that we lost to Arkansas. Teams drop an egg at time. There were many years we were better than UF and they stomped us.

 

[JacketVol]

I was not impressed with their stadium at all. It pales in comparison to Neyland and we probably faced a tougher environment at Arkansas than Columbus. The fans around us were cool, but walking home we dealt with similar ignorance.

Just curious because hearing a lot of this but no examples. What were they doing?

 

[crazyguy]

Just keep in mind that all our loses were on the road this year. Gotta learn how to win on the road.

That’s maturity and a winning mindset.

 

[MrVolton]

That has little to do with him.

We haven't recruited average top-3 since maybe the peak 90s. We're talking 30 years ago. Even then it would go #1, #25, #4. It was erratic. We're not surrounded by elite talent like some and don't have a billionaire booster interested in sports.

I mean if you just want a "do less with more" recruiting bulldog, we can go back to Pruitt.

We're closing the gap on UGA, Bama more than we have ever in the past. Heupel, once again, proved he does more with less. Took a 33% playoff team and beat the odds, handily. Took #15 up to finish #7.

Let's see how we do in the next few years with not only ~top 10 talent for the first time under Heupel, but multiple continuous 5* QBs.

We're just scratching the surface.

Agree that Huepel is doing great and moving us in the right direction. But whether or not he makes some necessary changes will say a lot about his ceiling going forward, and I hope he makes those changes. The window of opportunity will only be open so long.

He needs to upgrade some coaching staff and hit the portal hard or a repeat of this season will be the ceiling next year.

 

[Batman1948]

It was his coordinators that beat ours tonight mostly and then some of it was on talent gap. But a good coach can mostly overcome that and our coordinators didn’t come close.

Three head coaches on that team---that's a lot of game knowledge

 

[Jackcrevol]

Both of those OLs were playing backups as they had starters injured.

Patchwork describes playing scrubs.

Their 'scrubs' are four and five stars.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Our OL. Coop is worth his money. Not sure anyone else is. Heard may have been a freshman AA at LSU, but it feels like he's been doggin' it here. Karic is average at best. I feel like Spraggins and Campbell have regressed, not improved. Some will probably disagree (Marco), but I feel like Elarbee is a liability.

he def is

 

[MrVolton]

Three head coaches on that team---that's a lot of game knowledge

Seems like we need to go out and acquire some more game knowledge then too. Like ASAP.

 

[Jackcrevol]

I kind of feel like I'm not gonna see another football championship in my lifetime. SEC or National. Call me soft as hell if you want for saying that, but I've survived some **** in my life. I'm not so sure I have many years left. I felt fortunate to see us win the CWS. I would love to see us win March Madness. But one more Football National title is at the top of my wish list. I just don't see how it's going to happen at this pace when the gulf between us and the truly elite programs seems so wide.

I just dont understand it. We have multitudes of millions to build buildings. Where's the beef?

 

[csprig9]

The “2025 Roster is Concerning” thread in the FF is beyond depressing. Heupel, Boyd, Plowman, & White have to know that last night needs to be a wake up call to improve and fast. If Heupel goes 8-4 or God forbid 7-5, it’s going to get ugly,

Addition by subtraction….
Thankful for what the seniors did but glad to see the young talent come on

 

[drvenner]

It’s an incremental climb and eventually we’ll break through. We didn’t win the CWS our first 6 or so trips to Omaha. It’s all about getting in the arena enough to give yourself a chance.

As long as we don't take more than little steps back from time to time. '23 was a small step back because we lost Hendon. Hopefully, next year continues the upward trajectory .

 

[tyonthefly93]

Guys, I’m not a Debbie downer… but elite WR’s want to run more routes than screen, 2-3 yard hitch, 10-15 yard dig, slant, and go routes.

I love Heup, but the creativity of Golesh is what’s missing.

Edit: I’m talking about the transfer portal stuff… I would prefer to be proven wrong on all accounts (lol), so please come on down Tristan Keys. And prove me wrong Travis Smith.

 

[headhunter15]

We aren’t going 7-5 or 8-4 next year

What you thinking?

 

[mr.checkerboards]

We aren’t going 7-5 or 8-4 next year

10-2 drop Bama and UGA


Florida is a toss up

 

[csprig9]

Anyone expecting more than 9-3 just likes to be upset

Why’s thay
We just went 10-2 and made playoffs with bad RT, RG, LG, slow LBS , slow WRS and slow as hell safeties

Personally think we upgrade by subtraction and then through portal. Hell we already got a G that’s better then what we have now coming in next year and honestly Dave sanders is probably better then anything we saw at RT this year

 

[Orange.]

I kind of feel like I'm not gonna see another football championship in my lifetime. SEC or National. Call me soft as hell if you want for saying that, but I've survived some **** in my life. I'm not so sure I have many years left. I felt fortunate to see us win the CWS. I would love to see us win March Madness. But one more Football National title is at the top of my wish list. I just don't see how it's going to happen at this pace when the gulf between us and the truly elite programs seems so wide.

I hope your health improves, Weez. Here’s to that!

 

[Volnut]

Let him go. I'm out on him.

That’s what I say. You pay these guys big bucks to come in and they don’t produce then have a sit down and say you need to hit the portal again.

 

[Aesius]

Guys, I’m not a Debbie downer… but elite WR’s want to run more routes than screen, 2-3 yard hitch, 10-15 yard dig, slant, and go routes.

I love Heup, but the creativity of Golesh is what’s missing.

I don’t understand how or why Heupel’s offense now has so few wrinkles. It’s not like Heup is helpless without an experienced OC. He IS an experienced OC with a hell of a track record. He has to be signing off on this playbook and these play calls. Did he fall in love with winning games on the ground and with defense last year or something? It’s just bizarre.

I know it’s not all playcalling and people have pointed out the plays are there. But there’s still so little creativity it seem.

 

[Batman1948]

replace Pope and Ellerbe. Hope this game bugs Josh. He hates to lose. Let’s go find some playmakers.

Nico showed me a hell of a lot of grit tonight. I will ride with that dude

No doubt that he's one tuff dude. That hit that split his helmet should tell us all we need to know. He didn't back down.

 

[tyonthefly93]

I don’t understand how or why Heupel’s offense now has so few wrinkles. It’s not like Heup is helpless without an experienced OC. He IS an experienced OC with a hell of a track record. He has to be signing off on this playbook and these play calls. Did he fall in love with winning games on the ground and with defense last year or something? It’s just bizarre.

Really bizarre. We were at the game and I told my dad this morning, I could have almost guessed what was coming every play.

 

[Batman1948]

We need to recruit the best big and fast back in America. Give me big and fast over small and fast. You can have both but we need Jamal Lewis-Travis Henry type runner. We got to get top level talent and develop it. Players got to work on improving and live in the strength and conditioning facility to get stronger quicker. Heupel has brought us a long way, but it is that next step. In a lot of ways the whipping we took tonight was just like that 42-17 whipping we took by Nebraska in 1997. They put the ball down and we got whipped. Whipped physically and in quickness. If we want to take the next step start working out now. GBO

Our big backs are jumping ship this year

 

[vol9799]

Is it they are coaching them up or is it because of the schedule? I like seeing 30-9 but look at the losses and who they are to, teams with better talent and better coaches except for Pitt and USCe and Fla at the time.

Let me get this straight, were 4-2 against Bama and UF the last three years and you are suggesting the only thing that's changed from Doofus, Botch and Cornbread is the schedule??

We don't have an '89, '90, '95, '98, '99 or '01 roster where we are as talented as anyone else in the country, but we are light years better than we have been in the last 2 decades.

Just gotta take another step!

 

[Devo182]

Anyone expecting more than 9-3 just likes to be upset

Imo we'll start out higher than we did this year, around 10th.

9.5 wins predicted. Up from last year.


I'd say 10-2 is as likely as 9-3. Our trajectory continues to trend upward and an experienced Nico will help a lot. Banks has the defense locked in as an annual top-25 scoring defense.