Squirrel YAC

[WillisWG]

 

[vol94fan]

Squirrel will be fine. Still one of our most dangerous receivers. I haven't noticed him going down except when necessary to catch the ball. He had a drop against Kent but that doesn't happen often. He may be our best all-around receiver.

 

[VolDave53]

So what is his YAC?

Yak=



Yack=



YAC=

 

[vol94]

That's weird, haven't seen his YAC posted or compared to anyone. If you're going to come on here and **** on one of your own art least post the damn stat you're complaining about. Lazy.

I didn’t interpret OP ***about his own. I took it as the said player does not have much yards after the catch though he has the ability.

Maybe I’m wrong w the content of post.

 

[IndianaVol]

Thing I've noticed about Squirrel is he gets targeted a lot as that "let's keep them honest about the deep ball" and the throws he catches are very deep, very long passes where he is running to catch up to the ball and he has to stretch to get that catch.

Would like to see what he does with a pass like the one thrown to Brazell on the long TD Saturday where it was a long hang time ball where it came in more vertical than horizontal.

 

[griffdog14]

yeah this is really tough. no idea why catching that ball sent him to the turf

 

[adam.vol]

Just being real, no idea why he fell to the ground on that deep ball vs NC State after rewatch. Should have caught it in stride and scored a tuddy.

Also being real: Last year we were really hoping someone could replace Hyatt and Squirrel looked like the closest match, but we just didn’t have a replacement for Hyatt. Hopefully Matthews or Brazzel can fill that void.

 

[HarderKnox59]

He is who he is. IMO he’s a reliable receiver who runs the right routes, catches the ball, and plays hard - but he’s not going to make many spectacular plays. He doesn’t run away from people and he doesn’t break tackles, but most of the time he does what we need him to do.

That isn’t a knock on him. Only so many guys can be elite, do-it-all types.

Supposed to be the second fastest on the team with Lewis being the first. Although I saw Lewis pulled down from behind Saturday night with nothing but green and checker board in front of him. Makes you wonder

 

[Sarms58]

Squirrel 3 games, 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 108 YDS, 21.60 AVG, 45 Long, YAC 25 YDS js

25% of his yardage is yac…before I can say that’s good or bad, id need to see the data…where does he rank on the team? Where does our team rank vs other teams?

 

[WillisWG]

Also being real: Last year we were really hoping someone could replace Hyatt and Squirrel looked like the closest match, but we just didn’t have a replacement for Hyatt. Hopefully Matthews or Brazzel can fill that void.

Squirrel caught 67 last year same # as Hyatt did in 2022. Trying saying we just didn't have a replacement for Hooker, that seems more appropriate to me.

 

[VolsnRavens]

As a Ravens fan, he reminds me of Hollywood Brown. Every single time he caught the ball, he fall down or run out of bounds. So glad we got rid of him.

Still rooting for SW while he's here! He's got some serious talent, but I see him not getting drafted or not lasting long in the NFL. Too small.

 

[pimo1]

Catching a ball in stride is about timing. As pointed out on the catch people are talking about where he fell he was trying to catch up to the ball (it was overthrown). He is rarely catching balls in stride he is laying out for them that's not on him perse that's about ball placement. In other words timing.. as the year goes on Nico will get better timing with his individual WR's. That is a thing that takes a while for QB's to get, really its a thing you only get from repetition. The pick meant for Bru against NC state in the first half was the same story. Nico threw a good ball but expected Bru to be in a different spot 2 more steps and instead of an INT its instead a hospital catch (as Bru roadgrades the DB).

 

[WillisWG]

25% of his yardage is yac…before I can say that’s good or bad, id need to see the data…where does he rank on the team? Where does our team rank vs other teams?

PFF Data Study: Yards after the catch figures largely determined by factors before the catch

Yards after the catch is determined by a variety of factors — not just what the receiver does with the ball in their hands. Now-Carolina Panthers wideout Robby Anderson is one example of a player who saw an uptick in YAC after switching environments.

www.pff.com

I don't know of many CFB YAC studies there are a few but here is a study by PFF on NFL YAC, note the NFL YAC

Before joining the Carolina Panthers in free agency after the 2019 season, New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson would have been considered hardly adept at producing after the catch.

After all, he averaged only 3.5 yards with the ball in his hands, trailing the league average of 4.4 yards by a healthy margin. But a new environment did wonders for Anderson's production in that regard. He notched 5.0 yards after the catch (YAC) per reception in 2020 with Carolina.

Sampson likely has the best YAC on the team just based on the route tree for RBs,

Citrus Bowl stats below

3 Targets 3 Reception 39 YDS Long 18 YAC 25. In 4 games Nico has targeted SQ 10 times and SQ has 8 Receptions, 147 YDS, 45 Long, YAC 55YDS.

 

[WillisWG]

Interest read.

Traditionally, Yards After Catch (YAC) is measured by taking the difference between the yards gained and the air yards of a completed pass. In other words, how many yards did the receiver create after the catch was made? Without context, YAC suffers from similar deficiencies as Completion Percentage -- yards gained after the catch is often a product of the dynamics of the play rather than an all-encompassing measure of a receiver's elusiveness. For example, a receiver with more blockers than defenders in their path should be expected to gain more yards after the catch than if there are more defenders than blockers.

Next Gen Stats: Intro to Expected Yards After Catch

Alvin Kamara, Deebo Samuel, Chase Claypool headline top 10 YAC monsters

 

[marcusluvsvols]

Dude makes a lot of diving catches. His catch vs NCState was one. Against Alabama LY he was great in the first half. They doubled him in the 2nd.

In the first half vs Bama last year, Squirrel had 9 catches on 9 targets for over 100yards IIRC. He was our entire passing game.

Nobody else could beat Bamas defensive backs and get open. We were still in the game at halftime...they adjusted and doubled squirrel with safety help and we got blown out in the 2nd half.

Squirrel has the best hands on the team by a MILE and in the video linked in here last week, EVERY teammate guessed Squirrel when asked "who is the fastest player on the team?" The kid is listed at 165lbs and 5ft10inches. As someone who played 4A HS football at those exact measurements (safety), I don't know that Squirrel is actually that tall nor weighs that much. What I do know, is he has a big brass set of balls because he is unafraid to catch balls over the middle, on crossing routes, screens etc where he KNOWS he is likely to get his clock cleaned by guys much, much bigger than him. Dude has the heart of a lion...and we are damn lucky to have him. He led our team in receptions AND receiving yards last season...and is a leader on our team. You guys criticizing him need to get a life IMO.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

The problem with squirrels, even flying squirrels, is they can't really fly, and without extraordinary aerial buoyancy or powered flight, gravity is a force you cannot deny.

Goodness, I just love assisting my fellow Vols fans.

 

[first time caller]

Squirrel 3 games, 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 108 YDS, 21.60 AVG, 45 Long, YAC 30 YDS js

Citrus Bowl stats below

3 Targets 3 Reception 39 YDS Long 18 YAC 25. In 4 games Nico has targeted SQ 10 times and he has 8 Receptions, 147 YDS, 45 Long, YAC 55YDS.

Edited: 2024 YAC he has 30...my bad

So, he led the team in YAC?

 

[iVolSoHard]

As a Ravens fan, he reminds me of Hollywood Brown. Every single time he caught the ball, he fall down or run out of bounds. So glad we got rid of him.

Still rooting for SW while he's here! He's got some serious talent, but I see him not getting drafted or not lasting long in the NFL. Too small.

That would be an interesting conversation if he elected to come back next year as a senior with the young talent that we have behind him.

Looking forward to seeing how much we actually rotate our WR's this year against the SEC schedule, especially against the big boys.

 

[adam.vol]

Squirrel caught 67 last year same # as Hyatt did in 2022. Trying saying we just didn't have a replacement for Hooker, that seems more appropriate to me.

Hyatt’s impressive stat was the number of TD receptions. Squirrel has got to stay on his feet more and produce yards after catch.

Not saying Squrrel isn’t good. I’m saying he’s not doing what Hyatt did for us, so far.

 

[WillisWG]

So, he led the team in YAC?

Sampson does

UTC


NCST


Kent State

 

[WillisWG]

Hyatt’s impressive stat was the number of TD receptions. Squirrel has got to stay on his feet more and produce yards after catch.

Not saying Squirrel isn’t good. I’m saying he’s not doing what Hyatt did for us, so far.

So you don't believe Hyatt benefited by having Hooker as QB1? Would Hyatt been as successful if JMIII was his QB1? You're not comparing apples to apples. Perception vs reality...reality is SW is producing YAC, is it at the level of Hyatt did in 22 no but then again none of our WRs are producing at that level. In 4 games Nico has targeted SQ 10 times and he has 8 Receptions, 147 YDS 45 Long, YAC 55YDS, he's producing, so quit quibbling over the fact.

 

[WillisWG]

Do your own math.
2023
Virginia


AP

Florida

UTSA

USC

TAMU

Alabama

Kentucky

 

[vol94fan]

In the first half vs Bama last year, Squirrel had 9 catches on 9 targets for over 100yards IIRC. He was our entire passing game.

Nobody else could beat Bamas defensive backs and get open. We were still in the game at halftime...they adjusted and doubled squirrel with safety help and we got blown out in the 2nd half.

Squirrel has the best hands on the team by a MILE and in the video linked in here last week, EVERY teammate guessed Squirrel when asked "who is the fastest player on the team?" The kid is listed at 165lbs and 5ft10inches. As someone who played 4A HS football at those exact measurements (safety), I don't know that Squirrel is actually that tall nor weighs that much. What I do know, is he has a big brass set of balls because he is unafraid to catch balls over the middle, on crossing routes, screens etc where he KNOWS he is likely to get his clock cleaned by guys much, much bigger than him. Dude has the heart of a lion...and we are damn lucky to have him. He led our team in receptions AND receiving yards last season...and is a leader on our team. You guys criticizing him need to get a life IMO.

This

 

[Brave Volunteer]

No reason this shouldn't have been 6 instead of 1st and goal at the 2.

 

[WillisWG]

2023 con't
Missouri

Georgia

Vandy

Iowa