Darrell Gill Jr. in the portal

[javadoc]

 

[ImperialOrange]

No shot JRS can comeback right? Hes gone?

Believe his eligibility is spent

 

[RMH44]

Ok. I think most RBs probably are - however, he was our bell cow back and was probably the best offensive player we had before the offense had no QB. My opinion.

He is a true sophomore and can get better - was a big recruit. And we are supposed to just be ok with it? Sorry.

Wow, T. Hill showed more in his brief minutes than Willis. As I said in another thread, Willis is an average RB with horrible hands, a terrible blocker and has a piss poor attitude. Other than that, he's could have been our savior.

 

[richmondcuse03]

I tend to think Gills departure is likely a reflection about what Fran stands to spend in portal vs pay g returning players…hate to lose our guys but this likely a net positive for us

That's my understanding plus the money we've allocated to other WRs (Calvin being one but there are others). I also think we learned our lesson not to be cheap on the DL/OL.

The reality is it's a business now and it sucks to lose guys who were high quality players and young men. Gill is the type of guy you want to root for and it's sad to see him leave. But you have to manage the roster like a professional team with a soft cap. Where do you allocate money based on needs and how it's valued by other teams. I don't blame any player who looks to leave just like I don't judge coaching staffs for deciding to spend the money elsewhere.

Hard to judge the portal for any team when it's just one sided right now. I'll wait and analyze things once we see who we bring in. I'm optimistic based on what I was told but of course, nothing is final till guys are on campus and suiting up.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Gill is solid but let’s not overreact here. Part of our love for him is the fact he’s spent his whole career with us. He is not on a single draft board for his class, he is more than replaceable

His not being on draft boards is probably why he's leaving. He was behind 3 upper classmen with McCord here, looked primed to breakthrough last year and BOOM... Steve's leg failed.

Not sure why folks undersell his big yardage games vs lower schools, star players are supposed to put up numbers and run away from those DBs. We've had far too many other players that didn't do so in the past. We probably should have been more concerned that we didn't have an RB hit 70 yards rushing against that same Colgate defense.

His sideline catch, and back corner TD catch vs Clemson were both nfl caliber catches against DBs that are on draft boards. His 500 and 5 last season would've been 1,000+ and 10 if we had a QB for the final 8 games.

Gill, Cook, and Villari were all set for 800+ yard seasons until Steve went down.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I tend to think Gills departure is likely a reflection about what Fran stands to spend in portal vs pay g returning players…hate to lose our guys but this likely a net positive for us

That doesn't sit well with me in Gill's case. He's a proven player.

 

[JuiceMeUp]

His not being on draft boards is probably why he's leaving. He was behind 3 upper classmen with McCord here, looked primed to breakthrough last year and BOOM... Steve's leg failed.

Not sure why folks undersell his big yardage games vs lower schools, star players are supposed to put up numbers and run away from those DBs. We've had far too many other players that didn't do so in the past. We probably should have been more concerned that we didn't have an RB hit 70 yards rushing against that same Colgate defense.

His sideline catch, and back corner TD catch vs Clemson were both nfl caliber catches against DBs that are on draft boards. His 500 and 5 last season would've been 1,000+ and 10 if we had a QB for the final 8 games.

Gill, Cook, and Villari were all set for 800+ yard seasons until Steve went down.

No I get it believe me. Part of this is betting on himself he’s got one more year to put out tape to make the NFL and I’m sure the last 8 games of this year weighed on his conscience heavily. As others mentioned he can probably make more $ elsewhere too.

But my point was he is not irreplaceable by any means and we have bigger needs regardless. I’d rather spend that $ to strengthen the 2 deep than keep a guy who is very likely a UDFA at a position where you’ll have two former 5 stars playing already anyways (Calvin and Cook). And it looks like our GM thinks the same.

 

[PhatOrange]

Difference is those teams you mention also haven’t been good for years. G tech is on and off but mostly bad

You can't move the goalposts dude. Poor to mediocre teams will always have their best players looking around.

Here's a portal tracker. Go see the numbers.

 

[007]

That's my understanding plus the money we've allocated to other WRs (Calvin being one but there are others). I also think we learned our lesson not to be cheap on the DL/OL.

The reality is it's a business now and it sucks to lose guys who were high quality players and young men. Gill is the type of guy you want to root for and it's sad to see him leave. But you have to manage the roster like a professional team with a soft cap. Where do you allocate money based on needs and how it's valued by other teams. I don't blame any player who looks to leave just like I don't judge coaching staffs for deciding to spend the money elsewhere.

Hard to judge the portal for any team when it's just one sided right now. I'll wait and analyze things once we see who we bring in. I'm optimistic based on what I was told but of course, nothing is final till guys are on campus and suiting up.

It is very much a business and needs to be managed that way. Fran's learning curve and ability to adapt relative to the CEO aspect of being a HC will go a long way toward determining his fate. His ability to recruit and build relationships is an innate trait. It is significant and adds to the bottom line.

But...his decision making around the allocation of resources is something he is learning on the fly.

He has already shifted from having a staff of mostly recruiters to (hopefully) a staff of X's and O's guys who can scheme and coach up the talent they do have. That is seemingly a much better use of resources given his ability to cover the recruiting part.

Spending on the DL, OL, and QB seems like the "smart" move, even at the cost of losing players like Gill, Willis, and those yet to declare.

 

[Fan Always]

It’s sad to me what college football has become with the portal and the NIL. Maybe limits need to be set on how much these players can get? I don’t know what the answer is but what is happening right now is crazy!

 

[PAcuse]

My biggest concern is I wanna know where let’s say $20-22 million of the money is going ($13 for revenue sharing, I’d estimate $7-9 from outside donors) idk exactly how much last year team got nil wise but that wasn’t worth the price we paid.

I would guess NIL was on the low side last year due to misses in the portal and some of the players leaving in the 2nd window but yes last years performance does not match the money put out for sure.

 

[bigmike]

I am enjoying this thread a great deal with its combination of portal madness, feelings about players leaving the program, allocation of resources, and boomer pearl clutching - of which I am one.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

It is very much a business and needs to be managed that way.

It is, and there are businesses with a talent strategy that is develop and retain, and there are businesses with a talent strategy that they will always pay more for external talent and believe they can only get answers from outside.

In my work, I don't like that second case.

 

[AZOrange]

That doesn't sit well with me in Gill's case. He's a proven player.

As RC alluded to we need to spend money in other areas. The OL and DL need the most attention. Have to commit there and rely on a pretty deep WR room

 

[IthacaMatt]

I agree IM.

I'm just wating for the dust to fall and when it's September I'll root for Syracuse but to be honest this whole free agent thing is wearing thin. I don't blame the players for leaving and I would probably do the same thing depending on circumstances. I'm starting to lose interest in this whole college football thing.

Yeah, the sports with the most roster continuity now are the NBA and European soccer. That's how you grow a connection with a team, by watching the players over time, watching them improve, and watching your team develop chemistry and get better.

 

[IthacaMatt]

It’s very likely that Angeli doesn’t even know when he’ll be ready. It might not be until summer. So — and I’m just guessing.— he may want to go with a situation that’s a bit more certain, particularly if he’s going to make more money.

Precisely! Football players are frequently rushed back from injury too soon, because of the importance of having a training camp before the season starts. This is why so many football players get re-injured the season they come back, because they haven't been given proper time to heal because of the tactical demands of the football calendar.

Daniel Jones is a great example. Tore his ACL, came back for the next training camp, wasn't fully fit, and then tore his achilles. Notice how basketball players take 12-18 months to come back from an ACL, not 8 months like football. There's a reason for that. They are paying NBA players a lot more money per season than most NFL guys get, so the NFL guys are seen as more disposable. "This train is leaving when pre-season camp starts, whether you're ready or not."

 

[IthacaMatt]

People please. He is pushing these players out. He's telling them behind Door #1 is less NIL money and behind Door #2 is less playing time. After a historically bad offensive season there is no Door #3 with a prize of more NIL and playing time. This isn't some conspiracy.

How many pressers do we have to listen to Fran say he is honest and upfront with these guys telling them what their options are and what's best for Fran and The S is not what's best for them. The player meetings are clearly happening.

If you think every single one of them is Fran's decision, I think you're mistaken.

 

[IthacaMatt]

These takes on the NFL are weird. Yes the game takes forever and I completely get that. But compared to college, if a player I like gets drafted by an NFL team, that player will be on the team for at least the next 4-6 years.

Only certain positions. Most RBs only have a 3 year career or so, on average.

 

[GHLF]

I agree but I think some kids may be leaving because they saw their coach quit on the season. Give Fran his credit for 10-3, recruiting wins, swagger, sayings etc ...but he quit this year and that stink takes a lot of wins to wash off.

This board is literally a cesspool of misinformation, factually incorrect erroneous information based upon personal and subjective speculation. I remember saying when we were three and one, somewhere around there if this season goes south there will be haters galore coming out of the woodwork, even more so than previous coaches. Yet with the same mistakes. I will say no more and that is what stinks, I wish people could smell themselves, like seriously foul. Haters will always hate and I will get lots of dislikes. I would much rather be the positive student centric, big picture oriented view concerning why Syracuse is an amazing place. The the pervading pessimism and negative mindsets literally are destructive. Not only for the individual, I trust not the university and our mission. It might be a character issue on my part so I apologize but I seriously have a problem with ridiculously pessimistic people who prejudge with little cerebellar capacity. Let alone goodness and heart. People who judge on multiple levels and yet accuse others of doing that when it is fiction. I have honestly asked to just remove myself, certainly not where I come from but just here. My issue though, big SU homer from back in the day here. I see what happens for good and I will stay there, I am a product of that fruit and I truly love it, go Orange!!!!

 

[sdhall01]

This is the first one that hurts. He was a blast to watch, it’ll be sad watching him tear it up elsewhere.

 

[anomander]

How are you going to be a program that is centered on player development via high school recruiting if you lose your would be star players as soon as their upperclassmen?

People are shrugging off Willis like it’s no big deal, but he was a true sophomore who was successful when we had a QB who could make a forward pass. Gill would have been a #1 WR. You can’t lose your #1 RB and #1 WR and just say that’s portal life. As Fran said his interpretation of the portal is swapping 2’s. That’s not what’s happening now. This roster right now is pure trash with very few established players.

I said it years ago and would consistently get hammered. They are going to have a tough time competing in this new portal era because we will consistently lose the would be upperclassmen who would be our leaders. If you don’t have the money, you’re not going to win. We can’t get established stars out of the portal. They will get guys with potential, or younger guys, which doesn’t replace those who produced as younger guys when they’re entering their junior and senior seasons.

This is a total rebuild. Lost our entire WR room. How did Fran not know White was a psychopath? I’m sure that has some to do with it, combined with not wanting to risk another year where Steve gets hurt, or is not ready to play, with the QB’s we currently have backing him up. This better be a monster portal class or next season will be a disaster.

This is a really tough spot. College football is going down the road of college hoops. Getting to the point where it’s a new roster every year and makes it tough to buy in.

 

[anomander]

I’m not sure anything changed. I was told before the season ended he was likely gone.

He certainly played the last couple games like he was already gone.

 

[GHLF]

How are you going to be a program that is centered on player development via high school recruiting if you lose your would be star players as soon as their upperclassmen?

People are shrugging off Willis like it’s no big deal, but he was a true sophomore who was successful when we had a QB who could make a forward pass. Gill would have been a #1 WR. You can’t lose your #1 RB and #1 WR and just say that’s portal life. As Fran said his interpretation of the portal is swapping 2’s. That’s not what’s happening now. This roster right now is pure trash with very few established players.

I said it years ago and would consistently get hammered. They are going to have a tough time competing in this new portal era because we will consistently lose the would be upperclassmen who would be our leaders. If you don’t have the money, you’re not going to win. We can’t get established stars out of the portal. They will get guys with potential, or younger guys, which doesn’t replace those who produced as younger guys when they’re entering their junior and senior seasons.

This is a total rebuild. Lost our entire WR room. How did Fran not know White was a psychopath? I’m sure that has some to do with it, combined with not wanting to risk another year where Steve gets hurt, or is not ready to play, with the QB’s we currently have backing him up. This better be a monster portal class or next season will be a disaster.

This is a really tough spot. College football is going down the road of college hoops. Getting to the point where it’s a new roster every year and makes it tough to buy in.

I very much agree that's why we have to so very student centric in order to. Which I honestly think we can, we however need to have very creative mindsets from a micro to a macro approach in relation to NIL. I truly believe this coach has learned about some adjustments he needs to make within program development and culture as well as practice habits. The one thing I trust he cannot change and will get even stronger is true, genuine, empathetic goodness conveyed to the players and students who are involved in Syracuse athletics. It has to count for something otherwise I truly believe it is going to disintegrate And people who truly the overarching purpose of college athletics will lose interest and they're going to say I'm done. I trust Fran will not lose the goodness of that vision and remember as he stated he was so blessed to come here but it has to more than the game itself and certainly money it has to why this place is special and what we would love to do concerning empowerment of our student athletes of all kinds and socioeconomic stratus. Don't lose the heart when there are so many forces attempting to do so. Your post makes massive sense for sure. By the way I think we are going to be able to attract skilled players for sure However the trenches is where it's going to be at. I trust our new DC will get creative in the mold of Scott Shaffer and Tony White. It can be done

 

[Archbold44]

No shot JRS can comeback right? Hes gone?

How are you going to be a program that is centered on player development via high school recruiting if you lose your would be star players as soon as their upperclassmen?

People are shrugging off Willis like it’s no big deal, but he was a true sophomore who was successful when we had a QB who could make a forward pass. Gill would have been a #1 WR. You can’t lose your #1 RB and #1 WR and just say that’s portal life. As Fran said his interpretation of the portal is swapping 2’s. That’s not what’s happening now. This roster right now is pure trash with very few established players.

I said it years ago and would consistently get hammered. They are going to have a tough time competing in this new portal era because we will consistently lose the would be upperclassmen who would be our leaders. If you don’t have the money, you’re not going to win. We can’t get established stars out of the portal. They will get guys with potential, or younger guys, which doesn’t replace those who produced as younger guys when they’re entering their junior and senior seasons.

This is a total rebuild. Lost our entire WR room. How did Fran not know White was a psychopath? I’m sure that has some to do with it, combined with not wanting to risk another year where Steve gets hurt, or is not ready to play, with the QB’s we currently have backing him up. This better be a monster portal class or next season will be a disaster.

This is a really tough spot. College football is going down the road of college hoops. Getting to the point where it’s a new roster every year and makes it tough to buy in.

The one silver lining is that maybe we are looking for a RB that can be more of a receiving threat/dump off threat. If so, then Willis is not as crucial a retention. If we were to morph into a more running-based offense, then I think we would want to keep Willis and add another RB to fill that versatile role.

And then, from WR, if we have Angeli back and at full strength, then I think he can get the ball to everyone--raising the sea level for all ships (or some saying like that). With the right QB, all receivers move up in performance. In that case, then we don't necessarily need Gill either if he can do better elsewhere. But, in Gill's case, I would think he would be one we would want to keep if he was close to budget.

The concern is that, at Syracuse, I think we need coordinators who can adjust to the roster each year depending on the good and bad of the portal results. If we don't get the beefy OL, maybe we need to use quicker/mobile OL somehow. And so on. Whatever the ingredients, find a way to make a good soup. I have some legit concerns about Nixon in that regard (well, maybe not legit since that suggests it is not subjective, but you know what I mean).

It's great if Angeli is 100%... but what are the odds that any QB#2 is going to be at his level? Will an adequate WR room be enough to help a lesser QB?

 

[richmondcuse03]

How are you going to be a program that is centered on player development via high school recruiting if you lose your would be star players as soon as their upperclassmen?

People are shrugging off Willis like it’s no big deal, but he was a true sophomore who was successful when we had a QB who could make a forward pass. Gill would have been a #1 WR. You can’t lose your #1 RB and #1 WR and just say that’s portal life. As Fran said his interpretation of the portal is swapping 2’s. That’s not what’s happening now. This roster right now is pure trash with very few established players.

I said it years ago and would consistently get hammered. They are going to have a tough time competing in this new portal era because we will consistently lose the would be upperclassmen who would be our leaders. If you don’t have the money, you’re not going to win. We can’t get established stars out of the portal. They will get guys with potential, or younger guys, which doesn’t replace those who produced as younger guys when they’re entering their junior and senior seasons.

This is a total rebuild. Lost our entire WR room. How did Fran not know White was a psychopath? I’m sure that has some to do with it, combined with not wanting to risk another year where Steve gets hurt, or is not ready to play, with the QB’s we currently have backing him up. This better be a monster portal class or next season will be a disaster.

This is a really tough spot. College football is going down the road of college hoops. Getting to the point where it’s a new roster every year and makes it tough to buy in.

I wanted Willis to take a step forward but sadly he did not this year. Unclear if he will moving forward. But you can put him in a different box than Gill and others because he wanted to stay. Everyone rips on DART but there’s a reason Willis isn’t here.

We weren’t paying Gill like he was a number one. You can disagree with that decision but is what it is.

Also we haven’t lost the entire WR room. We lost one proven guy and two others with potential in Ross and Hornsby. JRS graduates but was often hurt.

We bring back Cook, Russell, Williams, Boobie, and several other true freshman with potential. We honestly had too many WRs on the roster and needed to thin it out. Again you can disagree with who is staying but I think there are several freshman who can be the deep threat Gill was. And we’re paying Calvin to be a star.