sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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There was an event for major donors and former players in the local area tonight that I attended.
We were able to see the renovated main hall, with the Dome simulator, the wall of NFL hall of famers, the Heisman Trophy, the bowl game trophies, the national championship trophy, etc. They did a nice job here, it was quite impressive.
They also had a reception in the renovated cafeteria and player lobby areas, so we had a look at what was done there. Again, these were nicely done, the areas are more wide open, floor to ceiling glass walls, some oversized HDTVs, a nice picture of a packed Dome, nice new carpeting and trendy aluminum overhead track lighting, etc.
Much better than the dropped ceilings with rust stains and the old faded carpeting with wear spots, loose threads and sad looking stains. Looks like some money was spent spiffing up the player film room (a college auditorium style room). Good improvements. We now have BCS level facilities in these areas.
The new staff was out and about, meeting and greeting the fans. Very open and welcoming. McDonald said given the experience returning at RB, the new offense will remain balanced but will likely stress running the ball more than last year. Said the offense will be physical, said it will be fast paced as well.
Dr Gross introduced HCSS warmly. Shafer spent a good deal of time talking about his staff, how they are some of his closest friends and people he greatly respects and admires. Also took time to praise the wives of the staff, crediting them for supporting the staff when they have to go and the road 'chasing 17 year olds around all over the country'.
He talked more about what he is looking for from his team (hard nosed) and how he wants it to reflect the area (hard nosed). Then he went over the recruits one by one. Here is a brief overview of some of the things he said:
Archiniega
Big strong kid who is already here. Will play the MIKE position. Has a chance to play right away depending on how he makes the adjustment to BCS level football.
Batten
Can play on both sides of the ball, George really wants him for offense. Very fast, ran a 48 second 400m in HS. SS thinks he can get to 250 pounds and still run like they want him too.
Burton
Said he looks like Hoss from Bonanza in the picture they showed in the presentation. Thought that might be a good nickname for him. Most big guys have a problem bending but Adkins found when checking him out that he was really flexible, which is one of the reasons they like him a lot.
Cooper
Can play inside and outside at WR, excellent athlete, good hands, excellent speed, very smooth. Hinted he might have some work to do in the classroom to be eligible this fall.
Estime
Said to watch his highlights 'on the YouTube'. If you watch his highlights at CB, you think he can help us at CB. If you watch his highlights at WR, you think he can help us there. And if you watch his highlights returning kicks, you think he can help us in special teams. Very exciting player.
Alex Hayes
Pointed out how young he looked in his picture and said he was a young 'hound dog'. Said they were going to get him in better shape by running him a lot early. Noted he has an 11 handicap as a golfer and quipped that they might require him to walk 18 holes all summer to help get him in shape.
Marqez Hodge
Said he was an Army kid, so he was more disciplined and responsible than most kids his age. Said he is less than 6 feet tall and people say he is too small to play at this level and that this kid is really tough, he loves him and that he is going to prove all the doubters wrong. He is just going to play his ass off the whole time he is here.
Isaiah Johnson
Said he is a really good athlete, much better than he realizes right now, another big kid that can really run, hasn't been playing for long but has tremendous potential.
Darius Kelly
Another Army kid who is from all over the place, really disciplined, an experienced guy who has played against good opponents and will help address the inexperience SU has at safety right now. Tough, smart kid with great parents.
Mitch Kimble
Said some of us might not know that he and some others on the staff coached in Illinois before at two schools (NIU and Illinois) and know the area well. Said he was watching his film not far from where Paul Hackett was watching film with Ryan Nassib, helping prepare him for the NFL, and got so excited against his better judgement broke into their film session and demanded Paul watch some of Mitch's film. Paul really liked Mitch, started talking about a bunch of stuff Scott didn't understand, but with that endorsement, offered Mitch. They had a war with NC State to get him and fortunately won it.
Josh Kirkland
Said this is a country kid from the middle of nowhere in Kansas. His GPS devices all ran dead while he was navigating to the small town Josh is from and he had to buy a map to finally get there. Said he loves to play, is really strong and is a football player.
John Miller
Said he was a really smart and advanced OL who is capable of helping out at a couple of positions right away.
Kendall Moore
Said Moore is an amazing athlete who runs like a WR but has the big frame that allows a lot of growth. Really young, has a world of talent. Said he has taken 3 or 4 players from Kendall's neighborhood and that all of them worked out great. Also said Kendall's mom is a great lady he really respects.
Tyler Provo
Will play TE and H back for Syracuse. Fine athlete who they will try and use to get mismatches against defenses, as he is a tough guy to match up with.
Chauncey Scissum
Has been coming to the SU camp since he was a frosh. Scott has been following his all along, likes him a lot and the first thing he did once he was named HC was to call Scissum and offer him a scholarship (so he and DM disagreed on him). Says he was underrecruited because he played QB in HS to help his team but he is fast, strong and has a build where he is going to continue to fill out through his college years. Says he will start as a CB but will grow into a safety and maybe even a LB.
Trevon Trejo
Said most big guys like him do not use their hands well but Trevon is an exception. He reminds Scott a lot of Chandler Jones, same body type. He hopes he can be half as productive as Chandler was at SU. Said a bunch of big names came after him and he was worried he was going to be disappointed at Trevon's college choice, but Trevon stayed true to his word.
Wayne Williams
Seems like we have been recruiting Wayne for 10 years. From Lincoln HS, has a great combination of size and strength. an amazing athlete who can, among other things, do a backflip. I believe he can also dunk a basketball...
Austin Wilson
A quiet kid who lets his play on the field do the talking. They like his intelligence and his humbleness.
Corey Winfield
Compared him to Rob Moore, who the staff calls 'Show Time' or some other similar nickname. Said he has a 39' vertical. Asked Rob what his vertical was. Rob replied that it was 55' to much laughter. Said he is fast, good in the air and a real playmaker. Said all 3 WRs were playmakers and that they needed some after losing Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales to graduation.
We were able to see the renovated main hall, with the Dome simulator, the wall of NFL hall of famers, the Heisman Trophy, the bowl game trophies, the national championship trophy, etc. They did a nice job here, it was quite impressive.
They also had a reception in the renovated cafeteria and player lobby areas, so we had a look at what was done there. Again, these were nicely done, the areas are more wide open, floor to ceiling glass walls, some oversized HDTVs, a nice picture of a packed Dome, nice new carpeting and trendy aluminum overhead track lighting, etc.
Much better than the dropped ceilings with rust stains and the old faded carpeting with wear spots, loose threads and sad looking stains. Looks like some money was spent spiffing up the player film room (a college auditorium style room). Good improvements. We now have BCS level facilities in these areas.
The new staff was out and about, meeting and greeting the fans. Very open and welcoming. McDonald said given the experience returning at RB, the new offense will remain balanced but will likely stress running the ball more than last year. Said the offense will be physical, said it will be fast paced as well.
Dr Gross introduced HCSS warmly. Shafer spent a good deal of time talking about his staff, how they are some of his closest friends and people he greatly respects and admires. Also took time to praise the wives of the staff, crediting them for supporting the staff when they have to go and the road 'chasing 17 year olds around all over the country'.
He talked more about what he is looking for from his team (hard nosed) and how he wants it to reflect the area (hard nosed). Then he went over the recruits one by one. Here is a brief overview of some of the things he said:
Archiniega
Big strong kid who is already here. Will play the MIKE position. Has a chance to play right away depending on how he makes the adjustment to BCS level football.
Batten
Can play on both sides of the ball, George really wants him for offense. Very fast, ran a 48 second 400m in HS. SS thinks he can get to 250 pounds and still run like they want him too.
Burton
Said he looks like Hoss from Bonanza in the picture they showed in the presentation. Thought that might be a good nickname for him. Most big guys have a problem bending but Adkins found when checking him out that he was really flexible, which is one of the reasons they like him a lot.
Cooper
Can play inside and outside at WR, excellent athlete, good hands, excellent speed, very smooth. Hinted he might have some work to do in the classroom to be eligible this fall.
Estime
Said to watch his highlights 'on the YouTube'. If you watch his highlights at CB, you think he can help us at CB. If you watch his highlights at WR, you think he can help us there. And if you watch his highlights returning kicks, you think he can help us in special teams. Very exciting player.
Alex Hayes
Pointed out how young he looked in his picture and said he was a young 'hound dog'. Said they were going to get him in better shape by running him a lot early. Noted he has an 11 handicap as a golfer and quipped that they might require him to walk 18 holes all summer to help get him in shape.
Marqez Hodge
Said he was an Army kid, so he was more disciplined and responsible than most kids his age. Said he is less than 6 feet tall and people say he is too small to play at this level and that this kid is really tough, he loves him and that he is going to prove all the doubters wrong. He is just going to play his ass off the whole time he is here.
Isaiah Johnson
Said he is a really good athlete, much better than he realizes right now, another big kid that can really run, hasn't been playing for long but has tremendous potential.
Darius Kelly
Another Army kid who is from all over the place, really disciplined, an experienced guy who has played against good opponents and will help address the inexperience SU has at safety right now. Tough, smart kid with great parents.
Mitch Kimble
Said some of us might not know that he and some others on the staff coached in Illinois before at two schools (NIU and Illinois) and know the area well. Said he was watching his film not far from where Paul Hackett was watching film with Ryan Nassib, helping prepare him for the NFL, and got so excited against his better judgement broke into their film session and demanded Paul watch some of Mitch's film. Paul really liked Mitch, started talking about a bunch of stuff Scott didn't understand, but with that endorsement, offered Mitch. They had a war with NC State to get him and fortunately won it.
Josh Kirkland
Said this is a country kid from the middle of nowhere in Kansas. His GPS devices all ran dead while he was navigating to the small town Josh is from and he had to buy a map to finally get there. Said he loves to play, is really strong and is a football player.
John Miller
Said he was a really smart and advanced OL who is capable of helping out at a couple of positions right away.
Kendall Moore
Said Moore is an amazing athlete who runs like a WR but has the big frame that allows a lot of growth. Really young, has a world of talent. Said he has taken 3 or 4 players from Kendall's neighborhood and that all of them worked out great. Also said Kendall's mom is a great lady he really respects.
Tyler Provo
Will play TE and H back for Syracuse. Fine athlete who they will try and use to get mismatches against defenses, as he is a tough guy to match up with.
Chauncey Scissum
Has been coming to the SU camp since he was a frosh. Scott has been following his all along, likes him a lot and the first thing he did once he was named HC was to call Scissum and offer him a scholarship (so he and DM disagreed on him). Says he was underrecruited because he played QB in HS to help his team but he is fast, strong and has a build where he is going to continue to fill out through his college years. Says he will start as a CB but will grow into a safety and maybe even a LB.
Trevon Trejo
Said most big guys like him do not use their hands well but Trevon is an exception. He reminds Scott a lot of Chandler Jones, same body type. He hopes he can be half as productive as Chandler was at SU. Said a bunch of big names came after him and he was worried he was going to be disappointed at Trevon's college choice, but Trevon stayed true to his word.
Wayne Williams
Seems like we have been recruiting Wayne for 10 years. From Lincoln HS, has a great combination of size and strength. an amazing athlete who can, among other things, do a backflip. I believe he can also dunk a basketball...
Austin Wilson
A quiet kid who lets his play on the field do the talking. They like his intelligence and his humbleness.
Corey Winfield
Compared him to Rob Moore, who the staff calls 'Show Time' or some other similar nickname. Said he has a 39' vertical. Asked Rob what his vertical was. Rob replied that it was 55' to much laughter. Said he is fast, good in the air and a real playmaker. Said all 3 WRs were playmakers and that they needed some after losing Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales to graduation.
