We Need A QB From The Portal

#101
#101
SpaceCoastVol said:
So what we need is another QB then because if Nico doesn't fit this system by now he isn't going to next year.

I did really well in grade school with the whole square peg and round hole test. And then there is something about silk purse and pig's ear. None of this is rocket surgery. I'll take a 3 star that fits the system over a 5 star that doesn't. i.e. Tom Brady/Ryan Leaf say hi.
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Perhaps Heupel should adjust his scheme to fit his personnel like actual good coaches do
 
#103
#103
BallerVol121 said:
Won the most games as a freshman QB in UT history. No Oline and WRs that aren’t even considered average in our conference. Horrible take.
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Nico dressed out as a freshman during the 2023 season. He won 1 game as a freshman.

Manning went 11-1 his second year. Nico went 10-3 in his second year. I’m surprised you’re here and don’t know this.
 
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#104
#104
Carl Pickens said:
Did you see any receivers open?
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I saw them open. The ball made it all the way to the defensive line and got batted down over and over.

When it didn’t get batted down, the receiver ran out of real estate before Nico let the ball go. I don’t know how I can explain it any simpler than this: It’s college playoffs football and passing windows are small. Nico needs to get good. Championship contenders can’t hope to face a defense that plays as lost as TN was last night.
.
 
#106
#106
BallerVol121 said:
Won the most games as a freshman QB in UT history. No Oline and WRs that aren’t even considered average in our conference. Horrible take.
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This….BUT! The fact that we do have receivers and an offensive line year 4 is troubling. Heupel was hired because of offense and two unproductive years is telling. This play book is so generic it’s scary.
 
#107
#107
adam.vol said:
Nico dressed out as a freshman during the 2023 season. He won 1 game as a freshman.

Manning went 11-1 his second year. Nico went 10-3 in his second year. I’m surprised you’re here and don’t know this.
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I'll actually agree with this. Peyton didn't play a full season his true freshman year. He started the year as co 3rd string with Brandon Stewart then Jerry Coquille starter got knocked out for season Todd Helton back up played one game then decided to drop football for fulltime baseball then Stewart and Manning went a big part up to the middle season rotating until Peyton won the job and Stewart transferred to A&M. So Peyton's 2nd year was kind of like being a RS Freshman in todays rules since now you can play in 5 games as a true and still RS as Nico did. So Nico has played in 18 games at UT.
 
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#108
#108
loosecannon said:
It is just odd that out of the 8 remaining teams over half the starters are transfers. Correlation without causation probably
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Quinn Ewers, recruited to be the 2023/24 starter at Ohio State, is currently the starting QB at Texas. He didn't want to wait until CJ Stroud had moved on to the NFL to get his shot at starting so he packed up and left for Austin. Some QBs transfer because the head coach has retired (Julian Sayin) or departed (Riley Leonard), wanted a change of scenery (Dillon Gabriel, Kyle McCord), or have been informed another player would be the starting QB (Will Howard). The revolving door will continue as long as the transfer portal and NIL exist in their current incarnation.
 
#112
#112
dwc13 said:
Ohio State alum here. I watched several Tennessee games this season. IMHO, Nico Iamaleava isn't the problem going forward. That kid has heart and he's a competitor, attributes that can't be taught. He's a tough, shifty runner as he proved multiple times last night. He'll have had multiple games of starting experience by the beginning of the 2025 season, so the game should slow down. The CFP game experience should accelerate his development. Next season, he should be better & quicker at going through progressions. He'll be a more vocal leader. What he needs are difference makers at WR and better pass protection from the OL. Ohio State has elite WRs -- 2, possibly 4 future 1st round picks on the current roster. Will Howard just had to make sure he threw the ball on time/target and allowed the WRs to do their thing. Tennessee needs a few such players, which will really open up things on offense. WRs need to help out the QB by getting separation -- something that can be taught. Ohio State's Co-OC/WR coach Brian Hartline is the best in the business at developing WRs. Also, the Buckeyes weren't at all concerned with getting beat on deep passes last night; you need that threat to keep the opposing safeties honest. An elite TE (Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren) can help, too.
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Howard is accurate, Nico is not and not just because he is always under pressure, many times he doesn't see a wide open receiver and when he does he over throws him 20 yards.
 
#113
#113
Alto1 said:
I think Nico is going to ok.
While I understand not as much game experience, even though he did start the bowl game, he a had a lot more experience than a true freshman. Practice does definitely matter learning the system.
Nico needs competition imo.
Iron sharpens Iron.
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Alot depends on pieces around him. I get sick of people say Johnny Manziel did it but ignore the fact that the whole season Mike Evans made miraculous catches. That Bama game they show clips of Johnny Football scrambling around but he chucks it up Brett Favre style but Mike Evans makes the grab. Nico doesn't have that yet. Maybe if Mike Matthews stays he gets there. Bama QBS had multiples like Ohio State does. Then the ultimate thing is O Line protection. Last night he showed he can be elusive out of necessity. We need to give him time where he isn't running 8 yards in the backfield trying to avoid a sack to turn upfield for a 7-8 yard gain. Sooner or later there hits will take him out.
 
#114
#114
Tnphil said:
We bad need QB competition....That I do know. Got to have others push each other.
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Merklinger and now MacIntyre will be available in the spring. Faizon is on the horizon if he keeps his commitment. But you are spot on. We need an open and honest competition with no preference shown. And it would help if we had some talent at WR for them to throw to.
 
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#120
#120
dwc13 said:
Quinn Ewers, recruited to be the 2023/24 starter at Ohio State, is currently the starting QB at Texas. He didn't want to wait until CJ Stroud had moved on to the NFL to get his shot at starting so he packed up and left for Austin. Some QBs transfer because the head coach has retired (Julian Sayin) or departed (Riley Leonard), wanted a change of scenery (Dillon Gabriel, Kyle McCord), or have been informed another player would be the starting QB (Will Howard). The revolving door will continue as long as the transfer portal and NIL exist in their current incarnation.
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All very true. With this transfer portal being the Wild West, it just makes me wonder how the transfer portal will change the QB landscape in CFB in general. Is it just going to be a bidding war where the ultra wealthy just buy who they want and the rest are just farm teams? Not saying UT is in that spot but I can see the landscape as a whole going that way
 
#121
#121
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
The Ohio State secondary has spent all year practicing against Jeremiah Smith, Egbuka, and Tate. I don't think our receivers could show them much they couldn't handle or hadn't seen.

Iron sharpens iron.
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That may be true but Ohio State's secondary got torched by Oregon & Dillon Gabriel back in October. Still have to get pressure on the opposing QB and hit him throughout the game, even if sacks remain elusive. Buckeyes rushed 4 that game and hardly ever got any pressure on Gabriel. He had @5+ seconds per pass play to find an open receiver. Hard to ask DBs to cover WRs for that long.

Ohio State was able to apply pressure last night and when the pass rushers didn't get home, they still managed to knock down several passes. Tough night for Nico Iamaleava but he competed the entire game and will learn from the experience and get better.
 
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#122
#122
Carl Pickens said:
Did you see any receivers open?
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I did. Rewatched tonight (as much as I could stomach) on sky cast and we had several golden opportunities for a pass to Thornton that never were made. A few others to Squirrel and Brazzel. It seemed like he locked on Bru a lot and waited too long to see if Bru would get separation, and by then he was toast.

Not to say that it’s all Nico’s fault. His OLine played with zero fire and zero heart last night. Maybe the worst I’ve seen since the Dooley (who didn’t feel like recruiting OLine) years. It was that bad. The talent gap is overblown. OSU’s OLine was also terrible by their own admission and we somehow didn’t take advantage of that by pressuring the QB. When we did, we actually saw some things happen but it was few and far in between. Why we chose instead to give Howard all the time in the world with elite WR’s absolutely blows my mind
 
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#123
#123
Tnphil said:
We bad need QB competition....That I do know. Got to have others push each other.
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I totally agree with that. At least have competition for starting position. However, I am please to this point, realizing that this is Nico's first year as a starter. I do think we are going to have to have more pass plays that don't take so long to develop, like short slants and use the middle of the field much more than we do.
 
#124
#124
Nico is 11-3 as a starting Freshman with two losses to national championship contenders. Seems like some of ya'll have forgotten the Jarred Guarantano years. Let's see how it plays out.
 
#125
#125
DooleyOrangePants said:
I did. Rewatched tonight (as much as I could stomach) on sky cast and we had several golden opportunities for a pass to Thornton that never were made. A few others to Squirrel and Brazzel. It seemed like he locked on Bru a lot and waited too long to see if Bru would get separation, and by then he was toast.

Not to say that it’s all Nico’s fault. His OLine played with zero fire and zero heart last night. Maybe the worst I’ve seen since the Dooley (who didn’t feel like recruiting OLine) years. It was that bad. The talent gap is overblown. OSU’s OLine was also terrible by their own admission and we somehow didn’t take advantage of that by pressuring the QB. When we did, we actually saw some things happen but it was few and far in between. Why we chose instead to give Howard all the time in the world with elite WR’s absolutely blows my mind
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I totally agree, if you cant pressure with 4 bring more in and take your chances.
 
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