Class of 2020 OT James Pogorelc (VA) Offered

[AAM62]

First off, I don't think this is all on the OL.

They are certainly part of the problem, but I think the loss of Strickland really hurt us. He did a great job calling out blocking assignments and was by far our best RB picking up blitzes. Our RBs this year are really struggling to effectively block anyone. I see a lot of confusion out there on passing plays, from the RBs and the OL too.

Part of it is the opposition. We have been matched up against some teams that are really good at pass rushing.

Part of it is injuries. Sam Heckel was by far the best center on the roster and when he got hurt, we got a big downgrade there moving Servais to fill in. And then we took a double hit because Servais was by far our best OT. Duerig got hurt early too. Had he stayed healthy, he might have been able to fill in at center so we could have left Servais at OT.

Gabe Horan was, in my mind, going to be one of our best OTs in a long while. Losing him was a big loss for this year and beyond. Liam O'Sullivan should be a junior this year. He could have been a good player. Sam Clausman should be a senior. Colin Byrne should be a senior. It is a shame he wasn't around for his final year of eligibility; he might have finally returned to a starting role at center again.

Part of it is our WRs, who I think are generally small, not super fast, not very strong and not very physical. I think our scheme remains very good but we need big, physical WRs who can get open, win 50-50 balls against tight coverage and block.

Part of it is with our QB, who is not experienced, has had to face extreme duress most of the season and I think has been affected by the constant pressure he faces from defenses. He is definitely missing some open receivers. He has been extremely relucant to run, even when defenses have been clearly ignoring him as a threat to run. When you establish yourself as a running threat on passing plays, it opens things up for the passing game. We saw that all the time with Eric was here and we saw it when Clayton came in last week. TD's habit of stepping back a step or two to buy time just as he should be delivering the ball is also not a good thing.

Part of it is our offense. We don't have effective responses when we get blitzed, even against all out blitzes. There needs to be a hot route on all passing plays and we need to get better using it. It is not good teams continue to blitz us relentlessly and we have no answer.

And yes, we haven't done great recruiting OL, especially tackles. We aren't getting the numbers we need and there is too much attrition at this position.

When Dino was hired, I expected to see us become much more successful recruiting players for his dynamic offensive scheme, and struggle to get players to sign up to play on the defensive side of the ball, where his teams had not been as successful.

That never happened. In fact, the opposite happened. We have had very good success recruiting on the defensive side of the ball and only decent success recruiting players for the SU offense.

I remain kind of mystified as to why this is the case. I think at least part of this is because our best recruiters are on the defensive side of the ball.

I think you can question development as well. I don't see our OL getting measurably better any longer from year to year. Take last off season.

How did Adams, who desperately needs to lose 30 pounds, not lose any weight and how did Servais, who has had trouble getting overpowered for years, lose 25 pounds? It seems to me that the guys I keep seeing setting records lifting weights, getting bigger and stronger, always seem to be on the defensive side of the ball.

Anyway, to summarize, I think the scheme is fine. The play calling might need tweaking and we appear to be missing some key components needed to run this offense successfully, but IMHO, we aren't far away from being solid on offense.

I lost you at the heckle thing because he would’ve started at center last year if he was the best

 

[PhatOrange]

UNC is going to get a lot of visitors and a lottt of big recruits in next couple years. It may or may not be James but they will be a force for a long time

UNC, same as it ever was, Fedora recruited top 30 classes every year

 

[bnoro]

Really hope we can swoop in at last minute and get Pogo. That would be awesome

It would be awesome. Really, really, really unlikely, but awesome.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Don’t want to hijack but what is your opinion on Barclay and Illoa?

Then post your question in the Barclay and Ilaoa threads. Thanks.

 

[FloridaFan]

Then post your question in the Barclay and Ilaoa threads. Thanks.

Will do. I’ll ask a question about Pogo. Has the recent visits been officials or unofficial?

 

[CuseLegacy]

Will do. I’ll ask a question about Pogo. Has the recent visits been officials or unofficial?

Looks like all his visits so far have been unofficial. The Crystal Ball has him committing to Stanford.

 

[General Joe]

Looks like all his visits so far have been unofficial. The Crystal Ball has him committing to Stanford.

Stanford has been the favorite for a while and he likes Princeton also. It seems we aren't out of it BUT i dont see our coaches hounding him like Stanford is from all the way across the country

 

[JRHEETER]

Stanford has been the favorite for a while and he likes Princeton also. It seems we aren't out of it BUT i dont see our coaches hounding him like Stanford is from all the way across the country

Ima bet if bnoro says that it is “really really really” unlikely, then it’s not happening. The guy knows his stuff.

time to pack it in on this recruit

 

[BurrowsSMG]

Checked in with James this week and he says SU is still an option. Loves the coaching staff, really had a great time with the team. Target for a decision is late December/early January.

 

[General Joe]

Checked in with James this week and he says SU is still an option. Loves the coaching staff, really had a great time with the team. Target for a decision is late December/early January.

Thats the same I heard, BUT we are currently close 2nd 3rd type option. Really Really Really wish our coaches would go all in and throw the kitchen sink at him. Should be the #1 target on our recruiting board

 

[CuseLegacy]

Checked in with James this week and he says SU is still an option. Loves the coaching staff, really had a great time with the team. Target for a decision is late December/early January.

Thanks Ben. Appreciate the recruiting info.

 

[bnoro]

Thats the same I heard, BUT we are currently close 2nd 3rd type option. Really Really Really wish our coaches would go all in and throw the kitchen sink at him. Should be the #1 target on our recruiting board

Tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him.

Stanford is an almost impossible program for us to compete with.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Thats the same I heard, BUT we are currently close 2nd 3rd type option. Really Really Really wish our coaches would go all in and throw the kitchen sink at him. Should be the #1 target on our recruiting board

Recruiting is like dating.

All the candy and flowers and helium balloons in the world won't make a difference if his heart is set on another school.

Kidnapping and torture might work though.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[qdawgg]

Thats the same I heard, BUT we are currently close 2nd 3rd type option. Really Really Really wish our coaches would go all in and throw the kitchen sink at him. Should be the #1 target on our recruiting board

What could the coaches possibly do more if that they aren’t doing now. Other than stalking him.

 

[General Joe]

Tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him.

Stanford is an almost impossible program for us to compete with.

Its weird that you have so much negativity towards Syracuse University. Like any University, or football program it has strengths and weaknesses. Syracuse University is VERY attractive for many reasons to some recruits like Pogo and this coaching staff SHOULD be able to capitalize on some of those strengths in recruiting battles.

You say "tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him". What exactly do you mean by that? And in your opinion what ACC schools do we have better kitchen sinks than?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Its weird that you have so much negativity towards Syracuse University. Like any University, or football program it has strengths and weaknesses. Syracuse University is VERY attractive for many reasons to some recruits like Pogo and this coaching staff SHOULD be able to capitalize on some of those strengths in recruiting battles.

You say "tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him". What exactly do you mean by that? And in your opinion what ACC schools do we have better kitchen sinks than?

He's not negative. He has a sense for the score and comparison we run into on the recruiting trail.

For a lot of players, there are reasons why we look like a great option. Bnoro mentions that too.

 

[JRHEETER]

Its weird that you have so much negativity towards Syracuse University. Like any University, or football program it has strengths and weaknesses. Syracuse University is VERY attractive for many reasons to some recruits like Pogo and this coaching staff SHOULD be able to capitalize on some of those strengths in recruiting battles.

You say "tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him". What exactly do you mean by that? And in your opinion what ACC schools do we have better kitchen sinks than?

Yeah he’s not being negative, just being realistic. Our kitchen sink is nice, but comparatively to some of the other schools, their kitchen sink is WAY nicer.

fyi, the kitchen sink is facilities. Which currently we are lacking in but we are making changes towards bettering it.

also, he tends to have a pretty good inside track of what’s going on. Just might be that this kid isn’t in love with Syracuse and that’s okay

 

[bnoro]

Its weird that you have so much negativity towards Syracuse University. Like any University, or football program it has strengths and weaknesses. Syracuse University is VERY attractive for many reasons to some recruits like Pogo and this coaching staff SHOULD be able to capitalize on some of those strengths in recruiting battles.

You say "tough to throw the kitchen sink when other schools have far better sinks they're throwing at him". What exactly do you mean by that? And in your opinion what ACC schools do we have better kitchen sinks than?

Syracuse University is my alma mater. I love the school, I loved my four years there, I bleed Orange. I live in NJ and still made it up for two games this season. But it does no good for me to come on these boards and not be realistic about our situation and where we stand with recruits.

We had a great shot at Pogorelc early in the cycle but he wanted to wait and he blew up. Obviously the staff is doing everything they can to land him but when you're competing against Stanford that's usually a battle we only win if the kids aren't admitted (see: Shutang Mungwa & Jarrod West).

It's okay to lose kids to Stanford. I'll save my disappointment when we lose battles to Pitt/BC/Rutgers etc.

 

[General Joe]

Syracuse University is my alma mater. I love the school, I loved my four years there, I bleed Orange. I live in NJ and still made it up for two games this season. But it does no good for me to come on these boards and not be realistic about our situation and where we stand with recruits.

We had a great shot at Pogorelc early in the cycle but he wanted to wait and he blew up. Obviously the staff is doing everything they can to land him but when you're competing against Stanford that's usually a battle we only win if the kids aren't admitted (see: Shutang Mungwa & Jarrod West).

It's okay to lose kids to Stanford. I'll save my disappointment when we lose battles to Pitt/BC/Rutgers etc.

Glad to hear you also attended Syracuse as I did, lets chat offline to see if we know each other or have met at games, events etc etc. I know we all love Syracuse which is what I love about this forum. However you and I have a huge difference in opinion on our current and past recruiting under HCDB.

The question I asked was specifically was "which ACC Football programs do you think we have bigger or better kitchen sinks than"? I am really interested to know where you place SU Football vs the other ACC football programs. Please advise.

 

[General Joe]

Yeah he’s not being negative, just being realistic. Our kitchen sink is nice, but comparatively to some of the other schools, their kitchen sink is WAY nicer.

fyi, the kitchen sink is facilities. Which currently we are lacking in but we are making changes towards bettering it.

also, he tends to have a pretty good inside track of what’s going on. Just might be that this kid isn’t in love with Syracuse and that’s okay

Its quite possible that we wouldn't have won this recruit under any circumstance. I just hope our coaches went above and beyond like some programs are doing for this kid.

Facilities are one component into making a college decision and frankly if you look at Pogo that is low on his list. BTW if we are talking Stanford, you dont go to Stanford primarily for the football facilities lol. I will give you Clemson or Oregon for the facilities. Pogo loves the academics there but also at the Ivy's and also Syracuse

He is a great great kid focused on academics who will ALSO play football. True student athlete. Thats why its not far fetched for him to go Ivy league. My greater point is we just aren't winning the recruiting battles we need like this one year in and year out. I have said this with every HCDB recruiting class. Now we are fielding primarily HCDB players as HCSS recruits have mostly cycled out. What we are seeing from these kids week in and week out is alarming particulary on the O-line. Pogo would be a nice anchor on our O-line starting for 4 years. Perhaps more importantly he would be a talent infusion that we desperately need. Wish we could win this recruiting battle

 

[RF2044]

Its quite possible that we wouldn't have won this recruit under any circumstance. I just hope our coaches went above and beyond like some programs are doing for this kid.

Facilities are one component into making a college decision and frankly if you look at Pogo that is low on his list. BTW if we are talking Stanford, you dont go to Stanford primarily for the football facilities lol. I will give you Clemson or Oregon for the facilities. Pogo loves the academics there but also at the Ivy's and also Syracuse

He is a great great kid focused on academics who will ALSO play football. True student athlete. Thats why its not far fetched for him to go Ivy league. My greater point is we just aren't winning the recruiting battles we need like this one year in and year out. I have said this with every HCDB recruiting class. Now we are fielding primarily HCDB players as HCSS recruits have mostly cycled out. What we are seeing from these kids week in and week out is alarming particulary on the O-line. Pogo would be a nice anchor on our O-line starting for 4 years. Perhaps more importantly he would be a talent infusion that we desperately need. Wish we could win this recruiting battle

I'm guessing that when bnoro is asking what else the coaches could have done, that he has knowledge of what happened behind the scenes. The coaching staff identified this kid early, before his offer list exploded, and made a big impression on him and his family selling him on the program.

He came on a visit the same weekend as Ilaoa [I believe], who committed that weekend -- and Pogo almost did as well, and the coaching staff was optimistic that we had a good shot. Then, our season got off to a poor start, and the kid's offer list quadrupled.

If we hadn't tapered off -- who knows? Maybe we're still in play in the family's mind.

But the notion that our staff didn't pull out the stops isn't a valid criticism / concern. Sometimes kids just blow up.

 

[721Comstock]

I'm guessing that when bnoro is asking what else the coaches could have done, that he has knowledge of what happened behind the scenes. The coaching staff identified this kid early, before his offer list exploded, and made a big impression on him and his family selling him on the program.

He came on a visit the same weekend as Ilaoa [I believe], who committed that weekend -- and Pogo almost did as well, and the coaching staff was optimistic that we had a good shot. Then, our season got off to a poor start, and the kid's offer list quadrupled.

If we hadn't tapered off -- who knows? Maybe we're still in play in the family's mind.

But the notion that our staff didn't pull out the stops isn't a valid criticism / concern.

But, but... recruiting better is just all about TRYING HARDER.
And offering higher-ranked guys. Sheesh! How hard could it be?
C'mon, clearly our coaches just don't get it.
- a non-trivial number of SyrFan posters

 

[tep624]

I'm guessing that when bnoro is asking what else the coaches could have done, that he has knowledge of what happened behind the scenes. The coaching staff identified this kid early, before his offer list exploded, and made a big impression on him and his family selling him on the program.

He came on a visit the same weekend as Ilaoa [I believe], who committed that weekend -- and Pogo almost did as well, and the coaching staff was optimistic that we had a good shot. Then, our season got off to a poor start, and the kid's offer list quadrupled.

If we hadn't tapered off -- who knows? Maybe we're still in play in the family's mind.

But the notion that our staff didn't pull out the stops isn't a valid criticism / concern. Sometimes kids just blow up.

And there is the very real scenario that we are/always have been a backup school. We’ve run into this on more than one occasion with Duke or Stanford recruiting kids with strong academics.

 

[RF2044]

And there is the very real scenario that we are/always have been a backup school. We’ve run into this on more than one occasion with Duke or Stanford recruiting kids with strong academics.

Just to reiterate what bnoro states above, Stanford is almost impossible to beat out -- they are like Harvard academically, with a reasonably high profile / successful football team.

From what I understand, this kid really liked us. But as his options expanded, it is tough to fault the kid.