Recruiting higher rated kids.

[shu 49]

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!!!!!!

That guy knows talent without a doubt.

 

[billsin01]

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.

First of all — loved the post. I could read stuff like this all day. Second — the Sampson/White situation is a good reminder of why what this thread was originally discussing is extremely hard to pinpoint. Both Sampson and White were highly recruited. Sampson is gone, White might still be an outstanding player but for now he’s fighting for time with a lot of players people probably didn’t like as much in terms of stars.

Lastly — it’s really hard to build depth across the board. I would actually argue that depth at DT is technically a concern but that we do have some intriguing options worth watching. But having a ton of depth everywhere is hard for almost any program.

The Clemsons and Alabamas do it b/c they are basically taking the cream of the crop such that really good veterans might lose jobs to the Trevor Lawrences and Travis Etiennes of the world. But for everyone else a roster with absolutely no depth concerns in August (before some young guys have proven themselves) is really hard to achieve.

 

[Ozone!]

To me, it's not the rating the recruiting services are offering up; it's the rating our coaching staff is offering up! I trust the evaluations being done by Dino and his staff which have proven to work out quite well. In many cases; our offers are getting attention from other major football powers!

 

[money3189]

To me, it's not the rating the recruiting services are offering up; it's the rating our coaching staff is offering up! I trust the evaluations being done by Dino and his staff which have proven to work out quite well. In many cases; our offers are getting attention from other major football powers!
View attachment 168397

Yes to a certain extent. The teams that are consistently in the top 25 and are getting high ranked kids to keep them on top. At some point you have to grab some of the kids they get. Im sure their fans trust the evals of their coaches too.

 

[Ozone!]

Yes to a certain extent. The teams that are consistently in the top 25 and are getting high ranked kids to keep them on top. At some point you have to grab some of the kids they get. Im sure their fans trust the evals of their coaches too.

This will take some time. Cuse football has not been a consistent success and, with the arrival of HCDB we are experiencing an upward trend. Winning gives access to those more highly rated players. This season provides us with yet another opportunity to show that Cuse football is back and deserves serious looks by top recruits.
In Dino and staff we will field a quality team and as fans we much to our part by supporting that team. We need to show up and make the Dome The Loud House that will make a difference in tough games.

 

[money3189]

This will take some time. Cuse football has not been a consistent success and, with the arrival of HCDB we are experiencing an upward trend. Winning gives access to those more highly rated players. This season provides us with yet another opportunity to show that Cuse football is back and deserves serious looks by top recruits.
In Dino and staff we will field a quality team and as fans we much to our part by supporting that team. We need to show up and make the Dome The Loud House that will make a difference in tough games.
View attachment 168400

Yezzir. I agree. Thats why I said at some point.

 

[CuseLegacy]

No stars mentioned.

 

[orangecuse]

No stars mentioned.

Well of course. We are like that gal that gets introduced with having a, you know, "great personality."

 

[CuseLegacy]

Well of course. We are like that gal that gets introduced with having a, you know, "great personality."

I wouldn't know about that.

 

[Sudano]

No stars mentioned.

Talent isn't either. Many players have those traits that we won't even consider offering them. I do believe talent is still the most important and that's not listed.

 

[721Comstock]

I wouldn't know about that.

Yeah, that's because you're a hottie, and didn't need a "great personality"

 

[MSOrange]

Talent isn't either. Many players have those traits that we won't even consider offering them. I do believe talent is still the most important and that's not listed.

I think talent falls under capable, at least to me

 

[supp]

Anyone surprised that more top flight African American recruits don't gravitate to African American coaches? I know about Franklin but is that him or is that Penn State? Maybe race is not even part of the recruiting pitch? Could it be like military culture (Air Force excepted) where race is not really a factor?

 

[Ozone!]

No stars mentioned.