Yasin Willis transferring to Kansas

[DomeHolmes]

Dime a dozen with running backs, hopefully get someone more consistent

Big, Strong, Fast means little if you don’t have good vision. He needs a great o line that gets a push to be productive.

 

[DomeHolmes]

Big loss, anyone pretending it’s not doesn’t understand the real reason for our running game struggles

O line was a huge issue, but he ran right into the pile too often. Hill showed much better vision. I may be in the minority but I think he is absolutely replaceable.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I always found that this site never thinks Syracuse running backs are good enough when in fact it’s our o line that traditionally kind of sucks. Even the decent ones can only run or pass block so you take what you get. Very few running backs are really great but plenty out there than can be serviceable. People complained about LQA’s lack of speed, Tucker’s lack of vision his last year, etc. yet both are still in the NFL

It’s one of the few positions where the forum under values the decent talent we have had here. And again we don’t need an abundance of NFL talent just talent to win 7-8 games a year on a consistent basis.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Big, Strong, Fast means little if you don’t have good vision. He needs a great o line that gets a push to be productive.

He was pretty good the first 5 games. Then when it was apparent that we couldn’t pass his numbers were poor. But even then he had some moments.

He also missed Colgate which hurt his numbers and had to come out after starting off well vs UConn.

Before SMU
74 ypg
4.7 ypc
1 TD pg

 

[kcsu]

I think Willis is a good back. Not great but solid. Once Steve went down the O was cooked. No threat to pass the ball and Jim Brown would've had a rough year.
Willis leaving isn't about his lack of talent. I would like to have him back.
Hill is a good back with a skill set that should do well under Nixon.
I expect us to bring in a power back as both Nixon and Hill are more all purpose RBs. We are pursuing some talented players but the competition for them is tough.
Every kid wants to be paid and wants PT. Willis included. Money and PT.
A good QB
A starting RB
A starting LB
A starting DE
A Starting S
OL DL help
It's a business and there isn't a single school that can offer a player who wants PT and Money both.
Fran is exceptional when it comes to managing player expectations and being honest.
Every kid knows exactly where they stand.
It's unbelievably hard on the kids, and the staff. Roller Coaster of emotions, mixed with the reality of life. personal, family, school.
All in the per second social media world of very young men and its complex.
My two cents is that we are extremely fortunate to have a great individual leading our program surrounded by an athletic department that is committed to the kids and to doing things right.
Back to Willis I hope he finds a good home a good fit for his skills and aspirations.
I'm not worried about the RB.
Now when it comes to some of the other needs fingers and toes are crossed.

 

[sufandu]

I always found that this site never thinks Syracuse running backs are good enough when in fact it’s our o line that traditionally kind of sucks. Even the decent ones can only run or pass block so you take what you get. Very few running backs are really great but plenty out there than can be serviceable. People complained about LQA’s lack of speed, Tucker’s lack of vision his last year, etc. yet both are still in the NFL

It’s one of the few positions where the forum under values the decent talent we have had here. And again we don’t need an abundance of NFL talent just talent to win 7-8 games a year on a consistent basis.

It's interesting. When I see the RBs that are considered really great year to year, most of them are getting good blocking up front. When they make big plays, they're not making guys miss at the LOS, they're untouched until they get to the second level. Willis may not be elite, but with better blocking and scheme, I think he's really good, if he can stay on the field. That's my only real knock on him. He may be injury prone.

 

[Blanko97]

Big, Strong, Fast means little if you don’t have good vision. He needs a great o line that gets a push to be productive.

I feel you can teach vision. Just requires the right coach to teach patience and observation

 

[PhatOrange]

I am sick of people who use the phrase don't know ball who don't know ball themselves, and/throw out stats and get things wrong. Actually anyone who uses that is phrase is 99% of the time an idiot.

There were 32 RBs this year who avg'd a half dozen carries per game in FBS play and had 6+ ypc. So there are only 32 efficient RBs? And heck 6 carries per game isn't usually the primary back. If you go to out to a dozen that 32 gets cut even more.


But back to the original point, Matt is wrong. It has always been 5 ypc in college. So yes 4.3 ypc is bad.

LaQuint averaged 4.5 under Nixon and people love him as a RB.

 

[tep624]

Yep, this is why no one missed you after you got whacked.

Thankfully the ignore button exists

My list was getting lonely but now it has two new residents lol.

You use offers to judge kids before they get to campus. You don’t use offers to judge kids when they’re already here. But Mr Knowitall can’t seem to grasp that concept.

 

[powdersmack]

LOL. Tylik Hill had 24 carries for 129 yards for the entire season and most of it came when the other team was packing up the bus. Pointing out that a guy with that resume is being overhyped isn’t “controversial,” it’s just paying attention. Let’s be real. Hill’s only other offer was UMass. Meanwhile this board is fired up about pursuing Peyton Lewis who was a highly rated back with a long list of offers. You can’t have it both ways

You wrote all that , and it has literally NOTHING to do with what I responded to, which is what you do all the time. This is a board with diehards, there is not a single soul here inflating the worth of Tylik because they're "subconsciously thinking Tyreek Hill". Utterly ridiculous.

 

[Jake]

At the end of the day, the people I trust suggest he was asked to leave by the staff. That’s good enough for me.

People have to get used to the new reality with Fran. He approaches recruiting like that old Bill Cosby line about his kids - “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out. Then I’ll make another one that looks just like you.”

I’m not that worried.

 

[Blanko97]

At the end of the day, the people I trust suggest he was asked to leave by the staff. That’s good enough for me.

People have to get used to the new reality with Fran. He approaches recruiting like that old Bill Cosby line about his kids - “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out. Then I’ll make another one that looks just like you.”

I’m not that worried.

im sure he was, doesn’t immediately mean it was a good decision, especially after an awful year coaching wise.

 

[richmondcuse03]

im sure he was, doesn’t immediately mean it was a good decision, especially after an awful year coaching wise.

Gotta hold guys accountable whether you win or lose.

 

[djorange1989]

It can't be a good thing when the player transfers who Brown called our best offensive player. The after effects of a terrible and lost season is showing. Players are losing confidence and faith in the direction of the program. 8 straight non-competitive blowouts will do that. Went from 10 wins to arguably the worst team in P4 football. Brown has his work cut out from him. Less than 6 wins in '26 and it's time to end this high risk experiment with Brown.

Or it’s 2025 and tons of guys transfer. Fran said Filardi was our most talented QB. He says things

 

[Blanko97]

Gotta hold guys accountable whether you win or lose.

but accountable for what? That’ll always be the question. I hope he did do something bad just so i personally can feel better about the decision to essentially rebuild a RB stable

 

[whobut03]

but accountable for what? That’ll always be the question. I hope he did do something bad just so i personally can feel better about the decision to essentially rebuild a RB stable

All you need to know is that he is being held accountable. It’s not in question and should not be discussed in a public forum.

 

[RF2044]

but accountable for what? That’ll always be the question. I hope he did do something bad just so i personally can feel better about the decision to essentially rebuild a RB stable

It's not a question. The reason has been put out there and discussed.

 

[Blanko97]

All you need to know is that he is being held accountable. It’s not in question and should not be discussed in a public forum.

I’m not asking for the reason, I’m saying I hope it’s bad so we aren’t clearing our RB room for no reason

 

[007]

I’m not asking for the reason, I’m saying I hope it’s bad so we aren’t clearing our RB room for no reason

Kind of sounds like you are asking otherwise you wouldn't be worried about nonsensical stuff like "clearing the RB room for no reason."

FB has very high standards for conduct and commitment both on AND off the field. Like it or not, that IS the culture. It doesn't mean that Willis did something "bad" - whatever that might mean to you. It does mean that he is being held accountable.

 

[Blanko97]

Kind of sounds like you are asking otherwise you wouldn't be worried about nonsensical stuff like "clearing the RB room for no reason."

FB has very high standards for conduct and commitment both on AND off the field. Like it or not, that IS the culture. It doesn't mean that Willis did something "bad" - whatever that might mean to you. It does mean that he is being held accountable.

No, asking would be “boy I wonder what he did.”

I didnt do that. And I understand we all want accountability on the team, but we didn’t get accountability out of the coach this year when he quit on the season after game 6 because he couldn’t figure out how to field a passable offense so forgive me for reserving my judgement on any dismissed player after what I witnessed for 10 weeks straight

 

[GHLF]

At the end of the day, the people I trust suggest he was asked to leave by the staff. That’s good enough for me.

People have to get used to the new reality with Fran. He approaches recruiting like that old Bill Cosby line about his kids - “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out. Then I’ll make another one that looks just like you.”

I’m not that worried.

I know nothing of this situation definitively, however if so I trust that kid who seemed like a good young man was not corrupted by someone in his circle And I am not talking about a family member. these kids have to realize this is literally professional level football with expectations and if a player is injured it must be treated with expectations concerning recovery, timelines, probability of success and realistic expectations especially given objective if you have performed at a high level in the past and will be able to do so in the future as well as if you have not erformed well in the past or played very little all of those things must be weighed. Just the National Football League except there are many more guardrails in that league But still a professional business. It is not good when a former player and their family are Discussing medical matters in an open forum that are erroneous and completely untrue concerning care received which could be literally cancerous to a team at this level that is actually a pun but true. certain musculoskeletal injuries such as severe contusions, strains can literally take 6 plus months to heal, despite treatment.

Best course of action without definitive Bony, cartilage and or ligamentous objective findings is a significant and extended period of rest and rehabilitation as well as considering other diagnostics all of which are done and considered. Do not throw this team and university under the bus when all of that was done and then come back and say you went somewhere else when all it was was literally a matter of time and in the future a needed proactive preventative approach. No one did anything wrong. Don't make it as such especially good people where in years past you literally would have packed your bags long ago. and I am not referencing the above player. However I do have concern that there was an influence, that was poisonous. Sad. Very scary time we live in stick to goodness and integrity and when you deviate which you come back and make it right I trust to do that myself always, A must for me personally. I very much trust this coach does and I believe he does without any wrongdoing in this case.

 

[IthacaMatt]

At the end of the day, the people I trust suggest he was asked to leave by the staff. That’s good enough for me.

People have to get used to the new reality with Fran. He approaches recruiting like that old Bill Cosby line about his kids - “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out. Then I’ll make another one that looks just like you.”

I’m not that worried.

I get that they want guys who are bought in.
I also get that maybe they can't compete at the top end of the market for everybody they need. You have to pick and choose where to spend your money.

But returning depth is important in football. You have to spend more time teaching the basics when everyone is new.

That's the reason that it sometimes take 3 or 4 games for offensive line play to come together (lack of injuries willing ...). It takes time to develop chemistry. That's where offsides calls come from - guys not having enough practice time together.

 

[Qbobby]

He approaches recruiting like that old Bill Cosby line about his kids - “I brought you into this world and I’ll take you out. Then I’ll make another one that looks just like you.”

Right up there with his other famous line. "Make sure you finish your drink."

 

[SuFTW]

No, asking would be “boy I wonder what he did.”

I didnt do that. And I understand we all want accountability on the team, but we didn’t get accountability out of the coach this year when he quit on the season after game 6 because he couldn’t figure out how to field a passable offense so forgive me for reserving my judgement on any dismissed player after what I witnessed for 10 weeks straight

“But, accountable for what? Doesn’t that sound like you’re asking?

but accountable for what? That’ll always be the question. I hope he did do something bad just so i personally can feel better about the decision to essentially rebuild a RB stable

 

[Blanko97]

“But, accountable for what? Doesn’t that sound like you’re asking?

I mean if you read that as a literal question, so be it but it was intended to be rhetorical. Its commenting about how accountability is a broad term and using it as a crutch for why we ask good players to leave is not a great look after a season where the staff quit on the team