Recruiting higher rated kids. | Page 16 | Syracusefan.com

Recruiting higher rated kids.

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General Joe said:
While I agree with your premise (which is why I mentioned Cam Jonas who is a example of what you spell out) i think you missed my whole entire point. Once again it doesnt look like we are building ANY and definitely not experienced quality depth in the trenches. Just look at the backup DT and interior O-line.

But let me say once again how much I like Hanna. I think I have positively mentioned him as the type of recruit QE SHOULD be getting.
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I'm not sure how you build "experienced" depth from high school recruiting. Experienced depth comes from players already in the program -- and if your contention is that we aren't building quality depth in the trenches on either side of the ball, I don't agree and view that as knee jerk. As part of this rebuild, Dino and staff have not just turned over the roster swiftly, they've improved the size, speed, and athleticism of just about every positional unit -- INCLUDING OL and DL. That doesn't mean that we've arrived, or that we're landing elite prospects [Alton Robinson aside], but the talent / depth issue has been improved, and continues to improve each year.

We'll know where things stand on OL if the likes of the Davis pair, White, Fromy, Vetterelo, and the JUCO OT [Tisdale] all are capable of playing meaningful snaps. If they are, then the depth at OL is solid, we'll field a full two-deep, and we'll be positioned well to handle off-season attrition after this year.

We also just landed an OG last week for the class of 2020.

Need to continue to add pieces at DT. But we landed several guys last year who are coming in as ends that the coaching staff intends to grow into interior D-linemen, a la Chris Slayton or McKinley Williams. Namely, Munoz, Dawson, and Tuazma. Rondi is already DT sized. That appears to be our template -- recruit tall, athletic guys with room to add size and morph them into athletic DTs with wheels.

The class of 2019 helped load up the pipeline with solid, young talent at DL. Need to do the same thing again this year, to keep the pipeline filled --as it will be a process with some of these guys to "grow" into DT. But the situation isn't as dire as you are making it out to be -- by a longshot.

We're not a selector school, so we need to add quality prospects on both lines every year and give them time to develop. We've already begun to see the long-term benefit of that process pay off. Need another class of DL like last year's and we'll be fine -- and we have 12 open scholarships [minimum, as there's always unanticipated attrition at the end of the year] and six more months to do it.
 
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RF2044 said:
I'm not sure how you build "experienced" depth from high school recruiting. Experienced depth comes from players already in the program -- and if your contention is that we aren't building quality depth in the trenches on either side of the ball, I don't agree and view that as knee jerk. As part of this rebuild, Dino and staff have not just turned over the roster swiftly, they've improved the size, speed, and athleticism of just about every positional unit -- INCLUDING OL and DL. That doesn't mean that we've arrived, or that we're landing elite prospects [Alton Robinson aside], but the talent / depth issue has been improved, and continues to improve each year.

We'll know where things stand on OL if the likes of the Davis pair, White, Fromy, Vetterelo, and the JUCO OT [Tisdale] all are capable of playing meaningful snaps. If they are, then the depth at OL is solid, we'll field a full two-deep, and we'll be positioned well to handle off-season attrition after this year.

We also just landed an OG last week for the class of 2020.

Need to continue to add pieces at DT. But we landed several guys last year who are coming in as ends that the coaching staff intends to grow into interior D-linemen, a la Chris Slayton or McKinley Williams. Namely, Munoz, Dawson, and Tuazma. Rondi is already DT sized. That appears to be our template -- recruit tall, athletic guys with room to add size and morph them into athletic DTs with wheels.

The class of 2019 helped load up the pipeline with solid, young talent at DL. Need to do the same thing again this year, to keep the pipeline filled --as it will be a process with some of these guys to "grow" into DT. But the situation isn't as dire as you are making it out to be -- by a longshot.

We're not a selector school, so we need to add quality prospects on both lines every year and give them time to develop. We've already begun to see the long-term benefit of that process pay off. Need another class of DL like last year's and we'll be fine -- and we have 12 open scholarships [minimum, as there's always unanticipated attrition at the end of the year] and six more months to do it.
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Are you concerned with our DT and interior line depth at the moment?
 
General Joe said:
Are you concerned with our DT and interior line depth at the moment?
Expand...

General Joe, college athletics is all about attrition. Every year, teams lose players and have to replace them. Wringing your hands about it is pointless. The key is to have the resources in the pipeline so that younger players can ascend into the slots formerly filled by the players who cycle out. And if you examine the roster / recruiting classes, Dino Babers & staff have done an excellent job enhancing the depth at both positional units that you are asking about. And things will only continue to improve with this process when we continue to win, and continue to attract quality recruits to build depth in the pipeline.

So let's dispense with the hypotheticals and break down who we have filling those slots you are asking about, and what the depth chart looks like. Here is our 2020 football roster:

2019 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics

Am I worried about the OL interior? No, I am not. We have two returning multi-year starters in Adams / Servais [with Servais having position flexibility], and Sam Heckel who started two years ago. Behind them, we have P. Davis and D. Davis, Qadir White [4 star recruit who has transitioned inside], Carlos Vetterello who was recruited as a guard and impressively made the two-deep as a true frosh, and Anthony Red who will redshirt. In the class of 2020, we've also added an OG [Josh Ilaoa], and we have half the class remaining to add more in 2020.

I'm going to list them all out, for visual purposes [I envision the top 7 of them playing / seeing extensive PT this year]:
  • Adams
  • Heckel
  • Servais
  • P. Davis
  • D. Davis
  • White
  • Vetterello
  • Red [probable redshirt]
I would have loved to include Sampson, who was the #2 rated OC in the class of 2018, to the list above, but he was stupid on his official recruiting visit and got dismissed. We need to continue to end top flight prospects like Sampson / White, but on paper -- there is talent, experience, and depth on the interior of the OL -- hardly the emergency you are making it out to be. I see zero reason to doubt that the coaching staff will be able to field a 5-player [or more] rotation for those interior spots, with several of those players having extensive game experience.

***By the way, only Adams graduates from the group of interior lineman listed above at the end of 2019, so the foundation is there to have quality depth over a multi-year span even with just this nucleus of players - not accounting for any others that will be added down the road at C / OG.

In terms of DT, AT THE MOMENT I am also not concerned. That's because we have three experienced DTs with substantial game experience in McKinley Williams, who is a monster, Josh Black [who's offseason S&C progress is eye popping], and KJ Ruff who emerged as an impact player late in the season. We also have Curtis Harper, who will be a third year sophomore that the coaching staff likes a lot, likely filling the fourth position in the rotation. Behind them, we have Caleb Okechukwu, a second year redshirt freshman who is "growing" into DT, and several incoming frosh who project as future DTs, including Munoz [who we flipped from Miami, and is reportedly in the 270+ range], Dawson [who Clemson wanted], and Rondi [260+]. Please note, that it is also possible that DEs might be used situationally inside on third downs, to enhance pass rush.

Again, here's the breakdown:
  • Williams [stud, returning starter]
  • Josh Black
  • Ruff
  • Harper
  • Okechukwu
  • Munoz
  • Rondi
  • Dawson
Why I emphasize "at the moment" is because our entire returning top 3 are all healthy. If one of those were to sustain an injury, then depth would be a significant cause for concern. And I also acknowledge that Harper is largely unproven, and the others listed above from Okechukwu on down haven't played.

But what we need to have a viable two-deep and keep guys fresh is a rotation of at least 4 DEs [and we have a talented, experienced, athletic, proven quartet there] and 4 DTs. We have 3 proven DTs -- I'm confident that we'll find at least one and maybe more than 1 to contribute depth there. So, "at the moment?" Not concerned -- and I believe that our depth situation on the interior @ DT will cease to be a concern next year, especially if we have a similar haul at DT in the class of 2020 that we had in 2019.

I want higher rated recruits, just like you and everybody else. But the players we're landing are much better than a portion of the fanbase is giving them credit for, and are laying the foundation for sustained success. And success = wins which in turn begats success on the recruiting trail. The sky isn't falling by any means -- quite the contrary.
 
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RF2044 said:
General Joe, college athletics is all about attrition. Every year, teams lose players and have to replace them. Wringing your hands about it is pointless. The key is to have the resources in the pipeline so that younger players can ascend into the slots formerly filled by the players who cycle out. And if you examine the roster / recruiting classes, Dino Babers & staff have done an excellent job enhancing the depth at both positional units that you are asking about. And things will only continue to improve with this process when we continue to win, and continue to attract quality recruits to build depth in the pipeline.

So let's dispense with the hypotheticals and break down who we have filling those slots you are asking about, and what the depth chart looks like. Here is our 2020 football roster:

2019 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics

Am I worried about the OL interior? No, I am not. We have two returning multi-year starters in Adams / Servais [with Servais having position flexibility], and Sam Heckel who started two years ago. Behind them, we have P. Davis and D. Davis, Qadir White [4 star recruit who has transitioned inside], Carlos Vetterello who was recruited as a guard and impressively made the two-deep as a true frosh, and Anthony Red who will redshirt. In the class of 2020, we've also added an OG [Josh Ilaoa], and we have half the class remaining to add more in 2020.

I would have loved to include Sampson, who was the #2 rated OC in the class of 2018, to the list above, but he was stupid on his official recruiting visit and got dismissed. We need to continue to end top flight prospects like Sampson / White, but on paper -- there is talent, experience, and depth on the interior of the OL -- hardly the emergency you are making it out to be. I see zero reason to doubt that the coaching staff will be able to field a 5-player [or more] rotation for those interior spots, with several of those players having extensive game experience.

***By the way, only Adams graduates from the group of interior lineman listed above at the end of 2019, so the foundation is there to have quality depth over a multi-year span even with just this nucleus of players.

In terms of DT, AT THE MOMENT I am also not concerned. That's because we have three experienced DTs with substantial game experience in McKinley Williams, who is a monster, Josh Black [who's offseason S&C progress is eye popping], and KJ Ruff who emerged as an impact player late in the season. We also have Curtis Harper, who will be a third year sophomore that the coaching staff likes a lot, likely filling the fourth position in the rotation. Behind them, we have Caleb Okechukwu, a second year redshirt freshman who is "growing" into DT, and several incoming frosh who project as future DTs, including Munoz [who we flipped from Miami, and is reportedly in the 270+ range], Dawson [who Clemson wanted], and Rondi [260+]. Please note, that it is also possible that DEs might be used situationally inside on third downs, to enhance pass rush.

Why I emphasize "at the moment" is because our entire returning top 3 are all healthy. If one of those were to sustain an injury, then depth would be a significant cause for concern. And I also acknowledge that Harper is largely unproven, and the others listed above from Okechukwu on down haven't played.

But what we need to have a viable two-deep and keep guys fresh is a rotation of at least 4 DEs [and we have a talented, experienced, athletic, proven quartet there] and 4 DTs. We have 3 proven DTs -- I'm confident that we'll find at least one and maybe more than 1 to contribute depth there. So, "at the moment?" Not concerned -- and I believe that our depth situation on the interior @ DT will cease to be a concern next year, especially if we have a similar haul at DT in the class of 2020 that we had in 2019.

I want higher rated recruits, just like you and everybody else. But the players we're landing are much better than a portion of the fanbase is giving them credit for, and are laying the foundation for sustained success. And success = wins which in turn begats success on the recruiting trail. The sky isn't falling by any means -- quite the contrary.
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Great info. Glad to hear Munoz is getting his weight back up. And I didn't know the staff was high on Harper. I never hear anything about him so I usually assume that is not good. That is great to hear. Both of those things make me feel much better about DT as I was concerned about having any talented size for the 2020 season. Wouldn't be surprised if also a grad transfer at DT would eventually be an option though in addition. I didn't realize the plan for Tuazama was to be a DT but I guess that makes sense.

Don't forget about Garth being signed as an OT as well.
 
CbusCuse said:
Great info. Glad to hear Munoz is getting his weight back up. And I didn't know the staff was high on Harper. I never hear anything about him so I usually assume that is not good. That is great to hear. Both of those things make me feel much better about DT as I was concerned about having any talented size for the 2020 season. Wouldn't be surprised if also a grad transfer at DT would eventually be an option though in addition. I didn't realize the plan for Tuazama was to be a DT but I guess that makes sense.

Don't forget about Garth being signed as an OT as well.
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We'll have to see about Tuazma, but I think that's where he's headed -- and he has a big frame.

I agree with you about the two open scholarships -- I wouldn't be surprised for the staff to have a late add or two, perhaps to help bolster depth at DT.

Re: Garth -- I didn't include Garth [or Bergeron from the class of 2019] because he brought up interior OL. But I'm with you -- with them and Fromy, I like the depth we're building at OT.
 
RF2044 said:
I'm not sure how you build "experienced" depth from high school recruiting. Experienced depth comes from players already in the program -- and if your contention is that we aren't building quality depth in the trenches on either side of the ball, I don't agree and view that as knee jerk. As part of this rebuild, Dino and staff have not just turned over the roster swiftly, they've improved the size, speed, and athleticism of just about every positional unit -- INCLUDING OL and DL. That doesn't mean that we've arrived, or that we're landing elite prospects [Alton Robinson aside], but the talent / depth issue has been improved, and continues to improve each year.

We'll know where things stand on OL if the likes of the Davis pair, White, Fromy, Vetterelo, and the JUCO OT [Tisdale] all are capable of playing meaningful snaps. If they are, then the depth at OL is solid, we'll field a full two-deep, and we'll be positioned well to handle off-season attrition after this year.

We also just landed an OG last week for the class of 2020.

Need to continue to add pieces at DT. But we landed several guys last year who are coming in as ends that the coaching staff intends to grow into interior D-linemen, a la Chris Slayton or McKinley Williams. Namely, Munoz, Dawson, and Tuazma. Rondi is already DT sized. That appears to be our template -- recruit tall, athletic guys with room to add size and morph them into athletic DTs with wheels.

The class of 2019 helped load up the pipeline with solid, young talent at DL. Need to do the same thing again this year, to keep the pipeline filled --as it will be a process with some of these guys to "grow" into DT. But the situation isn't as dire as you are making it out to be -- by a longshot.

We're not a selector school, so we need to add quality prospects on both lines every year and give them time to develop. We've already begun to see the long-term benefit of that process pay off. Need another class of DL like last year's and we'll be fine -- and we have 12 open scholarships [minimum, as there's always unanticipated attrition at the end of the year] and six more months to do it.
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Size, speed, Frame, intelligence, character + Wolverine= Victory.
 
RF2044 said:
General Joe, college athletics is all about attrition. Every year, teams lose players and have to replace them. Wringing your hands about it is pointless. The key is to have the resources in the pipeline so that younger players can ascend into the slots formerly filled by the players who cycle out. And if you examine the roster / recruiting classes, Dino Babers & staff have done an excellent job enhancing the depth at both positional units that you are asking about. And things will only continue to improve with this process when we continue to win, and continue to attract quality recruits to build depth in the pipeline.

So let's dispense with the hypotheticals and break down who we have filling those slots you are asking about, and what the depth chart looks like. Here is our 2020 football roster:

2019 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics

Am I worried about the OL interior? No, I am not. We have two returning multi-year starters in Adams / Servais [with Servais having position flexibility], and Sam Heckel who started two years ago. Behind them, we have P. Davis and D. Davis, Qadir White [4 star recruit who has transitioned inside], Carlos Vetterello who was recruited as a guard and impressively made the two-deep as a true frosh, and Anthony Red who will redshirt. In the class of 2020, we've also added an OG [Josh Ilaoa], and we have half the class remaining to add more in 2020.

I'm going to list them all out, for visual purposes [I envision the top 7 of them playing / seeing extensive PT this year]:
  • Adams
  • Heckel
  • Servais
  • P. Davis
  • D. Davis
  • White
  • Vetterello
  • Red [probable redshirt]
I would have loved to include Sampson, who was the #2 rated OC in the class of 2018, to the list above, but he was stupid on his official recruiting visit and got dismissed. We need to continue to end top flight prospects like Sampson / White, but on paper -- there is talent, experience, and depth on the interior of the OL -- hardly the emergency you are making it out to be. I see zero reason to doubt that the coaching staff will be able to field a 5-player [or more] rotation for those interior spots, with several of those players having extensive game experience.

***By the way, only Adams graduates from the group of interior lineman listed above at the end of 2019, so the foundation is there to have quality depth over a multi-year span even with just this nucleus of players - not accounting for any others that will be added down the road at C / OG.

In terms of DT, AT THE MOMENT I am also not concerned. That's because we have three experienced DTs with substantial game experience in McKinley Williams, who is a monster, Josh Black [who's offseason S&C progress is eye popping], and KJ Ruff who emerged as an impact player late in the season. We also have Curtis Harper, who will be a third year sophomore that the coaching staff likes a lot, likely filling the fourth position in the rotation. Behind them, we have Caleb Okechukwu, a second year redshirt freshman who is "growing" into DT, and several incoming frosh who project as future DTs, including Munoz [who we flipped from Miami, and is reportedly in the 270+ range], Dawson [who Clemson wanted], and Rondi [260+]. Please note, that it is also possible that DEs might be used situationally inside on third downs, to enhance pass rush.

Again, here's the breakdown:
  • Williams [stud, returning starter]
  • Josh Black
  • Ruff
  • Harper
  • Okechukwu
  • Munoz
  • Rondi
  • Dawson
Why I emphasize "at the moment" is because our entire returning top 3 are all healthy. If one of those were to sustain an injury, then depth would be a significant cause for concern. And I also acknowledge that Harper is largely unproven, and the others listed above from Okechukwu on down haven't played.

But what we need to have a viable two-deep and keep guys fresh is a rotation of at least 4 DEs [and we have a talented, experienced, athletic, proven quartet there] and 4 DTs. We have 3 proven DTs -- I'm confident that we'll find at least one and maybe more than 1 to contribute depth there. So, "at the moment?" Not concerned -- and I believe that our depth situation on the interior @ DT will cease to be a concern next year, especially if we have a similar haul at DT in the class of 2020 that we had in 2019.

I want higher rated recruits, just like you and everybody else. But the players we're landing are much better than a portion of the fanbase is giving them credit for, and are laying the foundation for sustained success. And success = wins which in turn begats success on the recruiting trail. The sky isn't falling by any means -- quite the contrary.
Expand...
Did you find it interesting that at the ACC kickoff HCDB said referring to a offensive line question " I would be smiling ear to ear if I had last years group back... this years group has alot of work to do". It sounds like HCDB has the same concern as the majority of die hard fans that can look at the O-line as THE question mark. You point out we have bodies but it just seems that even if your a Syracuse coach its a point of concern when you again as I say look at the lack of quality depth.
 
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General Joe said:
Did you find it interesting that at the ACC kickoff HCDB said referring to a offensive line question " I would be smiling ear to ear if I had last years group back... this years group has alot of work to do". It sounds like HCDB has the same concern as the majority of die hard fans that can look at the O-line as THE question mark. You point out we have bodies but it just seems that even if your a Syracuse coach its a point of concern when you again as I say look at the lack of quality depth.
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Coaches say a lot of things in public forums...not all of it true.
 
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General Joe said:
Did you find it interesting that at the ACC kickoff HCDB said referring to a offensive line question " I would be smiling ear to ear if I had last years group back... this years group has alot of work to do". It sounds like HCDB has the same concern as the majority of die hard fans that can look at the O-line as THE question mark. You point out we have bodies but it just seems that even if your a Syracuse coach its a point of concern when you again as I say look at the lack of quality depth.
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Do you find it interesting that the two players we lost that he was referring to were offensive TACKLES, and yet you have been talking about the OL interior? Way to move the goal posts.

Again, college sports is about attrition -- teams lose key players every year. Teams that are top 25 have the replacements in the pipeline. You have repeatedly expressed your belief that the sky is falling with respect to recruiting, I believe that Babers is stocking the pipeline with players that will enable us to compete with top teams. Therein lies the difference.
 
RF2044 said:
Do you find it interesting that the two players we lost that he was referring to were offensive TACKLES, and yet you have been talking about the OL interior? Way to move the goal posts.

Again, college sports is about attrition -- teams lose key players every year. Teams that are top 25 have the replacements in the pipeline. You have repeatedly expressed your belief that the sky is falling with respect to recruiting, I believe that Babers is stocking the pipeline with players that will enable us to compete with top teams. Therein lies the difference.
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Your correct i transposed my thought. To clarify i am worried about O-line ALL THE WAY around but specifically BOTH tackles and our interior D line depth. We are stacked at DE. I dont want to start a big argument, i just thought HCDB was incredibly honest stating the same concern. I just think it gets exacerbated next couple years if we dont recruit a few studs on the O-line. that's all.
 
RF2044 said:
Do you find it interesting that the two players we lost that he was referring to were offensive TACKLES, and yet you have been talking about the OL interior? Way to move the goal posts.

Again, college sports is about attrition -- teams lose key players every year. Teams that are top 25 have the replacements in the pipeline. You have repeatedly expressed your belief that the sky is falling with respect to recruiting, I believe that Babers is stocking the pipeline with players that will enable us to compete with top teams. Therein lies the difference.
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But for the record I 100% agree that top 25 teams "have replacements in the pipeline" and it doesn't seem we do AT THE MOMENT. So as I have said in pretty much all my post on this topic we HAVE to pick up recruiting or the SKY will fall. But we aren't there yet
 
General Joe said:
Your correct i transposed my thought. To clarify i am worried about O-line ALL THE WAY around but specifically BOTH tackles and our interior D line depth. We are stacked at DE. I dont want to start a big argument, i just thought HCDB was incredibly honest stating the same concern. I just think it gets exacerbated next couple years if we dont recruit a few studs on the O-line. that's all.
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I readily admit that the two biggest positional unit question marks heading into this season are OL and LB. Dino Babers is being truthful about that. But "questions" and "concerns" before the team has begun the first day of practice is different than there being a problem.

Your first two sentences make sense -- that's why I framed my response about the OL interior. I'm more worried about tackles, but less worried given the arrival of Ryan Alexander. No idea who starts opposite him.
 
Umderstood. The fact that we have to rely on a weak conference transfer who wasnt even top 5 tackle in that conference concerns me. I hope we get a few quality tackles in recruiting
 
RF2044 said:
General Joe, college athletics is all about attrition. Every year, teams lose players and have to replace them. Wringing your hands about it is pointless. The key is to have the resources in the pipeline so that younger players can ascend into the slots formerly filled by the players who cycle out. And if you examine the roster / recruiting classes, Dino Babers & staff have done an excellent job enhancing the depth at both positional units that you are asking about. And things will only continue to improve with this process when we continue to win, and continue to attract quality recruits to build depth in the pipeline.

So let's dispense with the hypotheticals and break down who we have filling those slots you are asking about, and what the depth chart looks like. Here is our 2020 football roster:

2019 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics

Am I worried about the OL interior? No, I am not. We have two returning multi-year starters in Adams / Servais [with Servais having position flexibility], and Sam Heckel who started two years ago. Behind them, we have P. Davis and D. Davis, Qadir White [4 star recruit who has transitioned inside], Carlos Vetterello who was recruited as a guard and impressively made the two-deep as a true frosh, and Anthony Red who will redshirt. In the class of 2020, we've also added an OG [Josh Ilaoa], and we have half the class remaining to add more in 2020.

I'm going to list them all out, for visual purposes [I envision the top 7 of them playing / seeing extensive PT this year]:
  • Adams
  • Heckel
  • Servais
  • P. Davis
  • D. Davis
  • White
  • Vetterello
  • Red [probable redshirt]
I would have loved to include Sampson, who was the #2 rated OC in the class of 2018, to the list above, but he was stupid on his official recruiting visit and got dismissed. We need to continue to end top flight prospects like Sampson / White, but on paper -- there is talent, experience, and depth on the interior of the OL -- hardly the emergency you are making it out to be. I see zero reason to doubt that the coaching staff will be able to field a 5-player [or more] rotation for those interior spots, with several of those players having extensive game experience.

***By the way, only Adams graduates from the group of interior lineman listed above at the end of 2019, so the foundation is there to have quality depth over a multi-year span even with just this nucleus of players - not accounting for any others that will be added down the road at C / OG.

In terms of DT, AT THE MOMENT I am also not concerned. That's because we have three experienced DTs with substantial game experience in McKinley Williams, who is a monster, Josh Black [who's offseason S&C progress is eye popping], and KJ Ruff who emerged as an impact player late in the season. We also have Curtis Harper, who will be a third year sophomore that the coaching staff likes a lot, likely filling the fourth position in the rotation. Behind them, we have Caleb Okechukwu, a second year redshirt freshman who is "growing" into DT, and several incoming frosh who project as future DTs, including Munoz [who we flipped from Miami, and is reportedly in the 270+ range], Dawson [who Clemson wanted], and Rondi [260+]. Please note, that it is also possible that DEs might be used situationally inside on third downs, to enhance pass rush.

Again, here's the breakdown:
  • Williams [stud, returning starter]
  • Josh Black
  • Ruff
  • Harper
  • Okechukwu
  • Munoz
  • Rondi
  • Dawson
Why I emphasize "at the moment" is because our entire returning top 3 are all healthy. If one of those were to sustain an injury, then depth would be a significant cause for concern. And I also acknowledge that Harper is largely unproven, and the others listed above from Okechukwu on down haven't played.

But what we need to have a viable two-deep and keep guys fresh is a rotation of at least 4 DEs [and we have a talented, experienced, athletic, proven quartet there] and 4 DTs. We have 3 proven DTs -- I'm confident that we'll find at least one and maybe more than 1 to contribute depth there. So, "at the moment?" Not concerned -- and I believe that our depth situation on the interior @ DT will cease to be a concern next year, especially if we have a similar haul at DT in the class of 2020 that we had in 2019.

I want higher rated recruits, just like you and everybody else. But the players we're landing are much better than a portion of the fanbase is giving them credit for, and are laying the foundation for sustained success. And success = wins which in turn begats success on the recruiting trail. The sky isn't falling by any means -- quite the contrary.
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Are you working at all today? ;)
 
General Joe said:
Umderstood. The fact that we have to rely on a weak conference transfer who wasnt even top 5 tackle in that conference concerns me. I hope we get a few quality tackles in recruiting
Expand...

The NFL is chock full of players who aren't from major P5 schools -- lower conferences, FCS, even Division 2 players. If you have the tools, the NFL will find you. So a player hailing from a "weak conference" is irrelevant -- it isn't a strike against him, and it isn't necessarily indicative of his ability despite the attribution you're making.

Your assessment also overlooks the fact that Alexander DID garner all-conference honors. This is a guy being brought in to start, who has been a three year starter at tackle at the school he transferred from. He's not some stop gap scrub.
 
RF2044 said:
The NFL is chock full of players who aren't from major P5 schools -- lower conferences, FCS, even Division 2 players. If you have the tools, the NFL will find you. So a player hailing from a "weak conference" is irrelevant -- it isn't a strike against him, and it isn't necessarily indicative of his ability despite the attribution you're making.

Your assessment also overlooks the fact that Alexander DID garner all-conference honors. This is a guy being brought in to start, who has been a three year starter at tackle at the school he transferred from. He's not some stop gap scrub.
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Yeah he was honorable mention so he wasn't even a top 6 tackle in that weak conference.
 
All I'm going to say is that this staff has done a tremendous job in the JC/Graduate Transfer pool and there is absolutely no reason to believe that young Mr. Alexander or young Mr. Tisdale are not going to be contributors to upward trend of this program. This Staff knows what they are looking for and usually find it. That being said, I do wish they would find a way to bring Dave Boller back because he was dead nuts every time. Go Orange!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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