Texas recruiting notes 2019

[sushihorn 3249]

36 minutes ago, golfclap said:

No need to rush or reach at this point, if one of the guys fits the scheme and need that's fine but the transfer market will heat up after spring practices. I imagine we will see several more talented RBs hit the portal once depth charts fluctuate and new coaching personalities move in to their roles during spring workouts. (Watson decided on Texas in May of last year). 

 

Zackly.  RB is one of the positions where true freshman have always been able to come in and have an immediate impact.  No reason to rush when an experienced player could come in on the same timeline.

[Horndog 2300]

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

Any report stating Jimbo Fisher backed off is as accurate as saying A&M backed off the SEC West title.

Well, they sorta did.

[LTtxfan 50007]

Nm

•  

Edited February 1, 2019 by LTtxfan

[Katfid54 9005]

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13435]

2 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

No they don’t you racist piece of shit.

[jdhorn92 1598]

1 hour ago, BigVegasHorn26 said:

Anyone know why the family moved to Florida from Hallsville?

Gators coming in the dog door or snagging walkers off the jog trail, giant sink holes doubling as bank robber tunnel and massive amounts of transplanted  jort wearing suckeye fans...man who wouldn't want to move on down to Florida.

[Red Five 41749]

Well well well katfid. Finally showing your true colors.

[Hank Scorpio 17924]

It's pretty disgusting that in 2019 someone still thinks all running backs look the same. 

[South Austin 53228]

11 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

[Butch Had Not 3061]

@LTtxfan

I love that our grad school isn't easy to get into and that will work in our favor over many other programs. If you are forward thinking enough to want to play and earn your masters degree, you are smart enough to know the value in where you to choose to go. It should be a no brainer to choose us over aggy, ou, or whoever with exceptions of course. These types aren't mental midgets and will almost always be good culture guys. 

Why don't we hear about aggy landing grad transfers? That's rhetorical of course. 

[Katfid54 9005]

Fuck you guys.

[sushihorn 3249]

9 minutes ago, Butch Had Not said:

@LTtxfan

I love that our grad school isn't easy to get into and that will work in our favor over many other programs. If you are forward thinking enough to want to play and earn your masters degree, you are smart enough to know the value in where you to choose to go. It should be a no brainer to choose us over aggy, ou, or whoever with exceptions of course. These types aren't mental midgets and will almost always be good culture guys. 

Why don't we hear about aggy landing grad transfers? That's rhetorical of course. 

It MAY limit the candidate pool somewhat.  The 2 we got last year were from Rice and Cal.  The one being talked about most this year is from Georgia Tech.

[bEastTexas 497]

7 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Fuck you guys.

What do you mean “you guys”?

[Katfid54 9005]

2 minutes ago, bEastTexas said:

What do you mean “you guys”?

Hispanics.

[henrygandorf 29227]

this thread has taken a turn for the hilarious.

[Machinator 32103]

Scipio Tex: Building A Backer Part I: The Big 12's Best

Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to project from high school to college. The position requires agility, short area quickness, recognition, instincts, physicality and the ability to "play fast" (which is about the head as much as the legs). Those traits are then paired with technical and fundamental requirements that sometimes even gifted athletes can never quite master. Some linebackers are born, some are manufactured, but as offenses and rules change, the position itself is being redefined.

That evaluative difficulty has only compounded as the Big 12's creative spread offenses have evolved from just flinging it around to multiple attacks that target both scheme and personnel. They force big linebackers into significant coverage responsibilities, punish the guessers and stunters for bad reads in the run game with option football, RPOs and various counters and force spread-busting mini-backers into the box and ask them to take on a lead blocker. 

Portions of the recruiting industry and a lot of fans have lagged in recognizing this fundamental shift. Not to mention more than a few coaching staffs. The Do-Everything freak high school linebacker (Derrick Johnson, Malik Jefferson) is a rare commodity even for a team that can recruit like Texas. The Big 12 teams who don't understand how to identify athletes with traits that they can develop into the job will have the deficient linebacking product to show for it.

Can we learn anything from looking at the backgrounds of the Big 12's best 2018 LBs? For an objective perspective, I'll use the coach's 1st and 2nd team All-Big 12 teams. Then I'll add another few linebackers who I think deserve mention as the league's best.

Warning: recruiting star chasers are going to have some thinking to do. The dozen linebackers listed are all former 2 and 3 stars.

1st Team All Big 12 Linebackers
Average Recruiting Ranking - .839, low 3 star 

David Long Jr. - 5-11, 220. WVU. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is one of the smallest starting linebackers in the Big 12. Good blitzer (19 tackles for loss, 8 sacks) and ball pursuer (9 tackles per game). The Ohio native was an undersized mid 3 star coming out of HS.

Joe Dineen - 6-2, 235. KU. The Big 12's leading tackler for two years running was a two way starter as a 200 pound high school dual threat QB and safety. Good HS basketball player.

Dakota Allen - 6-1, 235. TT. Arguably the most complete LB in the Big 12 from a run-stopping and coverage standpoint. A mid 3 star out of Humble, TX. Put on good weight late.

2nd Team All Big 12 Linebacker
Average Recruiting Ranking - N/A. Gary Johnson was unranked out of HS. If we assign him a 2 star, they average .830. Is that good?

Gary Johnson - 6-0, 225, Texas. A former unranked high school wide receiver who ran a 10.6 100 meters at 190 pounds. Unknown until an Alabama analyst discovered his JUCO film and his recruitment blew up.

Kenneth Murray - 6-2, 235, Oklahoma. A 3 star (.877) from Missouri City. A lot of folks thought Texas should have recruited him harder.

Clay Johnston - 6-1, 225, Baylor. Low 3 star. Runs well and shows good recognition. Mike LB. He was a 200 pound high school senior who ran for 1000+ yards when pressed into action at RB as a two way player at Abilene Wylie. Dominant HS LB, but passed over by big programs for size and athleticism concerns. The latter unfounded and probably based on stereotyping. Check out his HUDL. He's athletic.

Note: These six All Big 12 linebackers weighed an average of 207 pounds as high school seniors. Three of them saw significant work on offense. Gary Johnson played wide receiver, Dineen was primarily an option QB and Clay Johnston saw significant action as a running back. Interesting, huh?

Here are the remaining linebackers that I would consider among the league's best. 

Average 24/7 Star Rating: .832. Low 3 star. 

Marcel Spears, 6-1, 215, Iowa State. Part of a very good ISU trio. Instinctive and tremendous in coverage. Was a 200 pound high school senior and low 3 star. Former high school wrestler and 2nd in state in shot.

Willie Harvey, 6-0, 220, Iowa State. Optimistically listed as a 6 footer. Excellent quickness. A former 2 star from Florida who was 1st team 5A All-State, but had size concerns.

Mike Rose, 6-3, 225, Iowa State. Skinny true freshman who had a terrific debut season at Mike LB. Was a 205 high school senior and played safety until moving to LB as a HS senior. Former two-time all district basketball player. Mid 3 star recruit from Ohio whose other best offer was Ball State.

Justin Phillips, 6-0, 225, OSU. Standout performer at Pearland. Houston Chronicle DPOY. Also played basketball and ran track. Low 3 star due to size concerns.

Calvin Bundage. 6-2, 215, OSU. 190 pound safety in high school. Highest ranked 3 star of this group (.877).

Ty Summers, 6-2, 235, TCU. Had to play DE this year due to injuries, but later switched back to LB where had earned All-Conference honors previously. Former 2 star. Physical and nifty high school option QB who actually had really good film at SA Reagan and ran a 10.7 100 meters, but best other offer was Rice. Ran for 1773 yards and 31 TDs as a senior. Patterson saw the obvious projection and it paid off.

Note: These linebackers averaged about 205 pounds as high school seniors. They're not NFL ready, guys! Half of them were position switches (late career move from S to LB) and Summers - like Joe Dineen -was a standout running QB.

These dozen represent the Big 12's best linebackers. I'm guessing you already discerned the commonalities and they include:

1. Undersized coming out of HS. All of them.
2. All move well on HS film and often have other indicators of fluidity (basketball) or explosiveness (track).
3. Significant number of position switchers or two way players from more skillful positions.
4. Dominant HS play and significant accolades that didn't marry to marginal offer list.
5. Some JUCO late blooming.
6. Some were off of the traditional recruiting analyst trail.
7. Film shows instincts and physicality despite lack of size.

Does that mean Texas should only recruit big two star option quarterbacks from Alaska JUCO and convert them all to linebacker? No. But it does mean we need to think hard about the actual requirements of the position vs some Platonic ideal of linebacking that far too many folks cling to still. 

Never trade speed and quickness for size; nor instincts for "looks the part."

[Modessit 5667]

Thoughts and prayers for Derrian Brown.

So when does FCB's story about how this affects our class ranking come out?

Fuck Chip Brown.

[totallynotabuttpirate 5484]

Just now, Modessit said:

Thoughts and prayers for Derrian Brown.

So when does FCB's story about how this affects our class ranking come out?

Fuck Chip Brown.

Soon. He's been co-writing it with Zach Smith. 

[irishtexan 11712]

56 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

[henrygandorf 29227]

21 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Scipio Tex: Building A Backer Part I: The Big 12's Best

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to project from high school to college. The position requires agility, short area quickness, recognition, instincts, physicality and the ability to "play fast" (which is about the head as much as the legs). Those traits are then paired with technical and fundamental requirements that sometimes even gifted athletes can never quite master. Some linebackers are born, some are manufactured, but as offenses and rules change, the position itself is being redefined.

That evaluative difficulty has only compounded as the Big 12's creative spread offenses have evolved from just flinging it around to multiple attacks that target both scheme and personnel. They force big linebackers into significant coverage responsibilities, punish the guessers and stunters for bad reads in the run game with option football, RPOs and various counters and force spread-busting mini-backers into the box and ask them to take on a lead blocker. 

Portions of the recruiting industry and a lot of fans have lagged in recognizing this fundamental shift. Not to mention more than a few coaching staffs. The Do-Everything freak high school linebacker (Derrick Johnson, Malik Jefferson) is a rare commodity even for a team that can recruit like Texas. The Big 12 teams who don't understand how to identify athletes with traits that they can develop into the job will have the deficient linebacking product to show for it.

Can we learn anything from looking at the backgrounds of the Big 12's best 2018 LBs? For an objective perspective, I'll use the coach's 1st and 2nd team All-Big 12 teams. Then I'll add another few linebackers who I think deserve mention as the league's best.

Warning: recruiting star chasers are going to have some thinking to do. The dozen linebackers listed are all former 2 and 3 stars.

1st Team All Big 12 Linebackers
Average Recruiting Ranking - .839, low 3 star 

David Long Jr. - 5-11, 220. WVU. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is one of the smallest starting linebackers in the Big 12. Good blitzer (19 tackles for loss, 8 sacks) and ball pursuer (9 tackles per game). The Ohio native was an undersized mid 3 star coming out of HS.

Joe Dineen - 6-2, 235. KU. The Big 12's leading tackler for two years running was a two way starter as a 200 pound high school dual threat QB and safety. Good HS basketball player.

Dakota Allen - 6-1, 235. TT. Arguably the most complete LB in the Big 12 from a run-stopping and coverage standpoint. A mid 3 star out of Humble, TX. Put on good weight late.

2nd Team All Big 12 Linebacker
Average Recruiting Ranking - N/A. Gary Johnson was unranked out of HS. If we assign him a 2 star, they average .830. Is that good?

Gary Johnson - 6-0, 225, Texas. A former unranked high school wide receiver who ran a 10.6 100 meters at 190 pounds. Unknown until an Alabama analyst discovered his JUCO film and his recruitment blew up.

Kenneth Murray - 6-2, 235, Oklahoma. A 3 star (.877) from Missouri City. A lot of folks thought Texas should have recruited him harder.

Clay Johnston - 6-1, 225, Baylor. Low 3 star. Runs well and shows good recognition. Mike LB. He was a 200 pound high school senior who ran for 1000+ yards when pressed into action at RB as a two way player at Abilene Wylie. Dominant HS LB, but passed over by big programs for size and athleticism concerns. The latter unfounded and probably based on stereotyping. Check out his HUDL. He's athletic.

Note: These six All Big 12 linebackers weighed an average of 207 pounds as high school seniors. Three of them saw significant work on offense. Gary Johnson played wide receiver, Dineen was primarily an option QB and Clay Johnston saw significant action as a running back. Interesting, huh?

Here are the remaining linebackers that I would consider among the league's best. 

Average 24/7 Star Rating: .832. Low 3 star. 

Marcel Spears, 6-1, 215, Iowa State. Part of a very good ISU trio. Instinctive and tremendous in coverage. Was a 200 pound high school senior and low 3 star. Former high school wrestler and 2nd in state in shot.

Willie Harvey, 6-0, 220, Iowa State. Optimistically listed as a 6 footer. Excellent quickness. A former 2 star from Florida who was 1st team 5A All-State, but had size concerns.

Mike Rose, 6-3, 225, Iowa State. Skinny true freshman who had a terrific debut season at Mike LB. Was a 205 high school senior and played safety until moving to LB as a HS senior. Former two-time all district basketball player. Mid 3 star recruit from Ohio whose other best offer was Ball State.

Justin Phillips, 6-0, 225, OSU. Standout performer at Pearland. Houston Chronicle DPOY. Also played basketball and ran track. Low 3 star due to size concerns.

Calvin Bundage. 6-2, 215, OSU. 190 pound safety in high school. Highest ranked 3 star of this group (.877).

Ty Summers, 6-2, 235, TCU. Had to play DE this year due to injuries, but later switched back to LB where had earned All-Conference honors previously. Former 2 star. Physical and nifty high school option QB who actually had really good film at SA Reagan and ran a 10.7 100 meters, but best other offer was Rice. Ran for 1773 yards and 31 TDs as a senior. Patterson saw the obvious projection and it paid off.

Note: These linebackers averaged about 205 pounds as high school seniors. They're not NFL ready, guys! Half of them were position switches (late career move from S to LB) and Summers - like Joe Dineen -was a standout running QB.

These dozen represent the Big 12's best linebackers. I'm guessing you already discerned the commonalities and they include:

1. Undersized coming out of HS. All of them.
2. All move well on HS film and often have other indicators of fluidity (basketball) or explosiveness (track).
3. Significant number of position switchers or two way players from more skillful positions.
4. Dominant HS play and significant accolades that didn't marry to marginal offer list.
5. Some JUCO late blooming.
6. Some were off of the traditional recruiting analyst trail.
7. Film shows instincts and physicality despite lack of size.

Does that mean Texas should only recruit big two star option quarterbacks from Alaska JUCO and convert them all to linebacker? No. But it does mean we need to think hard about the actual requirements of the position vs some Platonic ideal of linebacking that far too many folks cling to still. 

Never trade speed and quickness for size; nor instincts for "looks the part."

 

interesting stuff.  i would love to see (from scipio, or anyone) the top 12-15 lb prospects from the b12 footprint over the same time period ('15-'17), and see how the "prototypical" lb recruits stacked up.  it could partly be an anomaly, but i think the point is well taken - get athletes to come, and sort it out later.  guys who weigh 185-205 in high school, who show college level athleticism and instincts, could very well be qualified to play 3-4 different positions at the next level.  helps to have coaches who know what they're doing.

if i recall correctly, brian urlacher played like 4 positions in high school at ~200 pounds, and none of them were lb.

[Burt Macklin 19230]

1 hour ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

 

1 hour ago, Casual Encounter said:

No they don’t you racist piece of shit.

 

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Well well well katfid. Finally showing your true colors.

 

34 minutes ago, bEastTexas said:

What do you mean “you guys”?

More like KKKatfid, amirite?

[Katfid54 9005]

4 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

1 hour ago, Casual Encounter said:

No they don’t you racist piece of shit.

 

1 hour ago, Red Five said:

Well well well katfid. Finally showing your true colors.

 

39 minutes ago, bEastTexas said:

What do you mean “you guys”?

More like KKKatfid, amirite?

[golfclap 6903]

3 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

guys who weigh 185-205 in high school, who show college level athleticism and instincts, could very well be qualified to play 3-4 different positions at the next level. 

See here example: TCU. 

Patterson has made a living off of this athletic profile. 6' to 6'2" --  185-220. bonus points for option QBs. 

[futureman 22704]

1 hour ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

[JBJ 3828]

28 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Scipio Tex: Building A Backer Part I: The Big 12's Best

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Linebacker is one of the hardest positions to project from high school to college. The position requires agility, short area quickness, recognition, instincts, physicality and the ability to "play fast" (which is about the head as much as the legs). Those traits are then paired with technical and fundamental requirements that sometimes even gifted athletes can never quite master. Some linebackers are born, some are manufactured, but as offenses and rules change, the position itself is being redefined.

That evaluative difficulty has only compounded as the Big 12's creative spread offenses have evolved from just flinging it around to multiple attacks that target both scheme and personnel. They force big linebackers into significant coverage responsibilities, punish the guessers and stunters for bad reads in the run game with option football, RPOs and various counters and force spread-busting mini-backers into the box and ask them to take on a lead blocker. 

Portions of the recruiting industry and a lot of fans have lagged in recognizing this fundamental shift. Not to mention more than a few coaching staffs. The Do-Everything freak high school linebacker (Derrick Johnson, Malik Jefferson) is a rare commodity even for a team that can recruit like Texas. The Big 12 teams who don't understand how to identify athletes with traits that they can develop into the job will have the deficient linebacking product to show for it.

Can we learn anything from looking at the backgrounds of the Big 12's best 2018 LBs? For an objective perspective, I'll use the coach's 1st and 2nd team All-Big 12 teams. Then I'll add another few linebackers who I think deserve mention as the league's best.

Warning: recruiting star chasers are going to have some thinking to do. The dozen linebackers listed are all former 2 and 3 stars.

1st Team All Big 12 Linebackers
Average Recruiting Ranking - .839, low 3 star 

David Long Jr. - 5-11, 220. WVU. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year is one of the smallest starting linebackers in the Big 12. Good blitzer (19 tackles for loss, 8 sacks) and ball pursuer (9 tackles per game). The Ohio native was an undersized mid 3 star coming out of HS.

Joe Dineen - 6-2, 235. KU. The Big 12's leading tackler for two years running was a two way starter as a 200 pound high school dual threat QB and safety. Good HS basketball player.

Dakota Allen - 6-1, 235. TT. Arguably the most complete LB in the Big 12 from a run-stopping and coverage standpoint. A mid 3 star out of Humble, TX. Put on good weight late.

2nd Team All Big 12 Linebacker
Average Recruiting Ranking - N/A. Gary Johnson was unranked out of HS. If we assign him a 2 star, they average .830. Is that good?

Gary Johnson - 6-0, 225, Texas. A former unranked high school wide receiver who ran a 10.6 100 meters at 190 pounds. Unknown until an Alabama analyst discovered his JUCO film and his recruitment blew up.

Kenneth Murray - 6-2, 235, Oklahoma. A 3 star (.877) from Missouri City. A lot of folks thought Texas should have recruited him harder.

Clay Johnston - 6-1, 225, Baylor. Low 3 star. Runs well and shows good recognition. Mike LB. He was a 200 pound high school senior who ran for 1000+ yards when pressed into action at RB as a two way player at Abilene Wylie. Dominant HS LB, but passed over by big programs for size and athleticism concerns. The latter unfounded and probably based on stereotyping. Check out his HUDL. He's athletic.

Note: These six All Big 12 linebackers weighed an average of 207 pounds as high school seniors. Three of them saw significant work on offense. Gary Johnson played wide receiver, Dineen was primarily an option QB and Clay Johnston saw significant action as a running back. Interesting, huh?

Here are the remaining linebackers that I would consider among the league's best. 

Average 24/7 Star Rating: .832. Low 3 star. 

Marcel Spears, 6-1, 215, Iowa State. Part of a very good ISU trio. Instinctive and tremendous in coverage. Was a 200 pound high school senior and low 3 star. Former high school wrestler and 2nd in state in shot.

Willie Harvey, 6-0, 220, Iowa State. Optimistically listed as a 6 footer. Excellent quickness. A former 2 star from Florida who was 1st team 5A All-State, but had size concerns.

Mike Rose, 6-3, 225, Iowa State. Skinny true freshman who had a terrific debut season at Mike LB. Was a 205 high school senior and played safety until moving to LB as a HS senior. Former two-time all district basketball player. Mid 3 star recruit from Ohio whose other best offer was Ball State.

Justin Phillips, 6-0, 225, OSU. Standout performer at Pearland. Houston Chronicle DPOY. Also played basketball and ran track. Low 3 star due to size concerns.

Calvin Bundage. 6-2, 215, OSU. 190 pound safety in high school. Highest ranked 3 star of this group (.877).

Ty Summers, 6-2, 235, TCU. Had to play DE this year due to injuries, but later switched back to LB where had earned All-Conference honors previously. Former 2 star. Physical and nifty high school option QB who actually had really good film at SA Reagan and ran a 10.7 100 meters, but best other offer was Rice. Ran for 1773 yards and 31 TDs as a senior. Patterson saw the obvious projection and it paid off.

Note: These linebackers averaged about 205 pounds as high school seniors. They're not NFL ready, guys! Half of them were position switches (late career move from S to LB) and Summers - like Joe Dineen -was a standout running QB.

These dozen represent the Big 12's best linebackers. I'm guessing you already discerned the commonalities and they include:

1. Undersized coming out of HS. All of them.
2. All move well on HS film and often have other indicators of fluidity (basketball) or explosiveness (track).
3. Significant number of position switchers or two way players from more skillful positions.
4. Dominant HS play and significant accolades that didn't marry to marginal offer list.
5. Some JUCO late blooming.
6. Some were off of the traditional recruiting analyst trail.
7. Film shows instincts and physicality despite lack of size.

Does that mean Texas should only recruit big two star option quarterbacks from Alaska JUCO and convert them all to linebacker? No. But it does mean we need to think hard about the actual requirements of the position vs some Platonic ideal of linebacking that far too many folks cling to still. 

Never trade speed and quickness for size; nor instincts for "looks the part."

 

The services are real slow to adapt to what a LB should look like in the modern game.

The days of guys specifically built to plug an inside gap are slowly fading.  LB is becoming an agility-driven position that needs to have a versatile athlete.

[sushihorn 3249]

2 minutes ago, JBJ said:

The services are real slow to adapt to what a LB should look like in the modern game.

The days of guys specifically built to plug an inside gap are slowly fading.  LB is becoming an agility-driven position that needs to have a versatile athlete.

Spread offenses are driving the hybridization of defense to deal with it.  There are still traditional players required at some positions: NT and MLB for example.  But we now see hybrid DE/LBs filling in the edge of 4-man fronts.  We've got hybrid LB/S in the box (dime) safety and often nickel back/SLB position as well.  Even NTs have gotten smaller in order to apply pressure against the pass.  10 years ago Bama started a 360+ lb slow run stopper at the nose.  This year the position was filled by a 295 lb athlete.

[SaucyJack 3520]

51 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Hispanics.

[Katfid54 9005]

9 minutes ago, JBJ said:

The services are real slow to adapt to what a LB should look like in the modern game.

The days of guys specifically built to plug an inside gap are slowly fading.  LB is becoming an agility-driven position that needs to have a versatile athlete.

I mean... a year ago, Malik Jefferson was the Big XII defensive player of the year, so there's quite a bit of cherry-picking going on here by Scipio.

In 2016, the best LB in the Big XII was Elijah Lee, who was a three-star recruit, but a linebacker all the way. 

Next year, Kenneth Murray will probably be in the running, too.  Again, he was a high three-star, but no one ever questioned that he was a LB all the way.

[henrygandorf 29227]

1 minute ago, Katfid54 said:

I mean... a year ago, Malik Jefferson was the Big XII defensive player of the year, so there's quite a bit of cherry-picking going on here by Scipio.

In 2016, the best LB in the Big XII was Elijah Lee, who was a three-star recruit, but a linebacker all the way. 

Next year, Kenneth Murray will probably be in the running, too.  Again, he was a high three-star, but no one ever questioned that he was a LB all the way.

i was thinking about malik as well.  maybe my memory is specific and selective too, but it seems like when we've gotten high end bluechip lbs, they have been solid to very good, but maybe haven't progressed while on the 40.  hicks certainly had flashes, but he's an nfl star now and didn't seem to take over games in college.  even way back to aaron harris - who i was so excited to get - seemed to stay steady and solid but never turned into a superstar.  i was sure he'd be a monster, but seemed to already be developed physically and within his game.

[Sgt. Slaughter 2902]

3 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i was thinking about malik as well.  maybe my memory is specific and selective too, but it seems like when we've gotten high end bluechip lbs, they have been solid to very good, but maybe haven't progressed while on the 40.  hicks certainly had flashes, but he's an nfl star now and didn't seem to take over games in college.  even way back to aaron harris - who i was so excited to get - seemed to stay steady and solid but never turned into a superstar.  i was sure he'd be a monster, but seemed to already be developed physically and within his game.

Hicks had a tough time staying healthy, which has translated to his career in the NFL. 

Edited February 1, 2019 by Sgt. Slaughter

[NorLa Horns 1458]

1 hour ago, Katfid54 said:

Fuck you guys.

Racist and a potty mouth.  Sister mary elephant wouldnt approve. 

[Katfid54 9005]

1 minute ago, henrygandorf said:

i was thinking about malik as well.  maybe my memory is specific and selective too, but it seems like when we've gotten high end bluechip lbs, they have been solid to very good, but maybe haven't progressed while on the 40.  hicks certainly had flashes, but he's an nfl star now and didn't seem to take over games in college.  even way back to aaron harris - who i was so excited to get - seemed to stay steady and solid but never turned into a superstar.  i was sure he'd be a monster, but seemed to already be developed physically and within his game.

Hicks had bad injury luck, but he was fantastic in 2014 in Charlie's first year.

Edmond was pretty solid that year, too.

[Katfid54 9005]

Real talk, though, do you guys not think Taj Griffin and Tre Watson look alike?

[Machinator 32103]

4 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i was thinking about malik as well.  maybe my memory is specific and selective too, but it seems like when we've gotten high end bluechip lbs, they have been solid to very good, but maybe haven't progressed while on the 40.  hicks certainly had flashes, but he's an nfl star now and didn't seem to take over games in college.  even way back to aaron harris - who i was so excited to get - seemed to stay steady and solid but never turned into a superstar.  i was sure he'd be a monster, but seemed to already be developed physically and within his game.

I don't think the problem is with chasing highly rated LBs, per se, as it is the traits that tend to push their ratings up - the first-off-the-bus types like Wheeler and Dele.

[Scholz 12309]

Racial blindness talk not going away.

But then again, we've got 79 more pages to go in 6 days.  Carry on.

[Katfid54 9005]

I also expect that the Big XII will revert more closely to the traditional college football "mean" in terms of defensive/offensive schemes.  With both Kliff and Holgo gone, KU and KSU both going with way more traditional offensive-styles, and oSu continuing to move toward a more traditional power/spread attack, there's going to be a LOT less air raid offense in the Big XII over the next 3-5 years.

Because of that, there are still going to be places on rosters (and needs) for guys like Wheeler and Dele.

[Sgt. Slaughter 2902]

5 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Real talk, though, do you guys not think Taj Griffin and Tre Watson look alike?

 

In case you couldn’t tell, these are reactions from 3 different people.

Edited February 1, 2019 by Sgt. Slaughter

[sushihorn 3249]

3 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Real talk, though, do you guys not think Taj Griffin and Tre Watson look alike?

1,000 pages here we come.  Thanks Katfid

[texifornia 59017]

11 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Real talk, though, do you guys not think Taj Griffin and Tre Watson look alike?

Yeah kinda. But it's fun calling you a turboracist. So there's that.

[irishtexan 11712]

16 minutes ago, Katfid54 said:

Edmond was pretty solid that year, too.

He's the guy I would add to the "Players You Thought Were Wasted Talent/Surfire Stars on the 40 Acres" thread on the football board. I thought that dude was going to wreck shop here and be an absolute superstar.

[Auto Driller 2567]

What are the chances of us actually landing Lakia Henry? 10%? Seems like he’s favoring the SEC schools. Last visit and all that though...

[totallynotabuttpirate 5484]

2 minutes ago, Auto Driller said:

What are the chances of us actually landing Lakia Henry? 10%? Seems like he’s favoring the SEC schools. Last visit and all that though...

Not good, unless we're willing to: 

[texifornia 59017]

3 minutes ago, Auto Driller said:

What are the chances of us actually landing Lakia Henry? 10%? Seems like he’s favoring the SEC schools. Last visit and all that though...

Higher. We asked for the last visit and he moved his other ones to accommodate.

[SydneyCarton 49510]

4 minutes ago, Auto Driller said:

What are the chances of us actually landing Lakia Henry? 10%? Seems like he’s favoring the SEC schools. Last visit and all that though...

I dont know. What are the chances Lakia actually wants to qualify and step on a football field next season? 

[Tex Pete 21489]

Pro tip: if you don’t follow recruiting most of the year but still want to find out what’s happening at the end of the cycle, stick to lurking. You sound dumb. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

You know, I took another look, and I think we may have all been a bit hard on Katfid. The resemblance is kinda eerie.

[Scholz 12309]

Katfid right now. 

 

[crash_davis 23470]

2 hours ago, Katfid54 said:

Is Taj Griffin just Tre Watson with a green tie, pretending he can get another year of eligibility?  Holy shit they look a lot alike:

so racist.

[sushihorn 3249]

2 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

It's pretty disgusting that in 2019 someone still thinks all running backs look the same. 

You can see there might be some confusion here.  Their headbands look EXACTLY the same...

[Gardner Barnes 1579]

The services are real slow to adapt to what a LB should look like in the modern game.
The days of guys specifically built to plug an inside gap are slowly fading.  LB is becoming an agility-driven position that needs to have a versatile athlete.

What you posted could be summed up in one word: athleticism.

Even with camps and sparq ratings the services door a poor job of evaluating athleticism.

As an aside - my daughter is a high level VB player (humble brag) but a MAJOR hit to her national ranking is that she is a single sport player. Universities are becoming more and more aware of the value of the multi- sport athlete across all sports.