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The narrative that Mario doesn’t recruit the portal well needs to end. He brought in Mesidor, Parish, Porter, Agude (made a solid impact), Jackson, Cohen, Lee, Mauigoa, Deen, Brown, Richard and Allen, who have all been great additions to the team and made an impact. In 2024, he brought in Ward, Carpenter, Clark, Alston, Riley, Powell and Cook. 4 out of those 6 guys will likely be starters. Just because these guys may not be the “All Americans” of the world, doesn’t mean that Mario didn’t utilize the portal well. The portal is largely used to add depth and fill holes in the roster. Mario’s priority will always be high school recruiting, that will never change
Also, I don’t necessarily agree with this take either. But theres got to be a reason we are entertaining this kid. The staff likely see’s something we don’t. They aren’t inviting him for a visit just for ***** and giggles
You qouted me so I assume you think I made the assertion that "Mario doesn't recruit the portal well".
I never said that and you'd be twisting my words if you said I did.
I said, "Mario takes SOME players that are useless and questionable".
I had JUST read that post and said to myself "he literally posted SOME players".
I think it goes back to your first post about not having to defend every move. I'm firmly in the Mario slurper side of things and I plan to go down with the Mario ship if it ever reaches that point. But that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he does (or every admin talking point).
For sure, ppl have tendencies (either defend everything or criticize everything).
I try my best to always be balanced and objective. Means, I will defend something and criticize others. I don't like this move if it happens.
Except he just doesn’t recruit the portal well at all. Not nearly acceptable enough for the standards and budget we have in NIL.
This year’s class is absolutely still in wait-and-see mode. But you’re listing players from teams that went 5-7 and 7-6. If they were great players, we’d have better records. He has far more useless acquisitions than game-changing players.
And I completely disagree about the portal being used for depth purposes. More game-ready players and game-changing players are coming from the portal. Teams can make playoff/postseason runs from players acquired in the portal (hello Texas, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, USC in 2022, FSU, Ole Miss, OU, Louisville, even Washington found Jabar Muhammad and Dillon Johnson in the portal on top of Michael Penix Jr, etc). Most of our top players and contributors are from the portal…and they’re still not at the level we need to be at if we want to win 10 games.
It’s not even a debate in my opinion. You listed Devontae Brown as a great acquisition and April Fools was five days ago.
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Tt
It's funny CIS has learned to rationalize portal use for a QB but gets offended at the thought that it should happen at every position. I still haven't figured out who sold that pipe dream.
Matt Lee? Javion Cohen? Those are NFL guys. Daryl Porter is a good player. Mesidor is an impact player when healthy. Parrish is a solid player who Ole Miss gladly took back (and I expect us to upgrade this offseason).
There are too many extremes in this discussion. Have we used the Portal as well as FSU and Ole Miss? No, those are A+ Portal teams.
But Miami has added some good players and some serviceable players who served as band-aids. We needed a volume of bodies at certain spots when he got here.
The only reason there's so much discussion about adding a 4th/5th DE is because Height ****ed off fans four years ago under another staff. If we take the move for what it is and remove the emotion, it's not a big deal. In the Utah game, I see a decent rusher with a mature body who can give us limited snaps. He's not there to be Rueben Bain or Akheem Mesidor.
They're taking no chances at any positions because they want to win the ACC next year. Pass rush is a volume position due to the need for energy throughout the game. If the argument is we have too much talent at the position, that's a good sign.
Wait did you just include Davonte "P.I." Brown in your list of "great additions that made an impact"??? Now I know you reaching
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Agreed. Forget this years portal class as their impact still remains to be seen but in the first 2 classes we took 28 total players in the portal.
Of those 28, 5 are impact guys (18%):
1. Kiko
2. Lee
3. Cohen
4. Porter
5. Mesidor (when healthy)
JAGS (22%):
6. Parrish (according to CIS two weeks ago when he left)
7. Jackson (according to CIS when he left to FSU)
8. Deen
9. Cloyd
10. Allen
11. Richard (hesitate to even put him here because although he has potential he didn't do anything last year outside of FSU).
The other 17 were unplayable (60%).
Atrocious is probably harsh, but it’s not good. I’ll go player by player so we can properly analyze it. And again my definitions for a hit as compared to a miss will be different from everyone on here, but here’s what I got. I’ll post 2022 first, then 2023 since 2024 is way too early to properly judge.
2022:
- Jacob Lichtenstein: One of his earliest acquisitions to address the lack of size in the middle of the defensive line, and while the expectations weren’t sky high, he was still expected to contribute somewhat in line with his 28 tackle, 4-sack 2021 season for USC. In the end, he totaled just nine combined tackles in two seasons at Miami. In seven games, His two sacks came against USM and Bethune. That’s a whiff.
- Darrell Jackson: Tons of potential coming out of Maryland. Best game was against UNC imo, where he generated a ton of interior pressure and registered seven tackles and a sack. He finished his lone season with a 72.4 grade on PFF, 27 total tackles (4.5 for loss) and 3 sacks. He was up there with LT in terms of our best DT (statistically speaking), but again those aren’t eye-popping numbers. Not a whiff at all, just not a game-changer on the line imo. Solid acquisition despite losing him after one season, in the B-/B range and declared by CIS as overrated/not a hard worker.
- Caleb Johnson: kind of went about his business at the LB spot, lacked the pash-rushing abilities at Miami he showed off at UCLA. Not a whiff, just not very impactful. Average LB on a 5-7 team.
- Johnathan Denis: Virginia Tech game is all I need to say. Whiff.
- Logan Sagapolu: just too small and not the stoutest at the point of attack. Works hard, nothing against the kid. Transfer candidate this spring. Whiff.
- Frank Ladson: Looked like Tarzan, played like Jane. Eight games in 2022, eight receptions for 63 yards to finish up the year against Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Pitt. Didn’t record a stat in 2023. Whiff.
- Henry Parrish: Probably our best acquisition from 2022. Led the backfield in yards (5 less attempts than Fletcher but over 100 yards more), yards per carry and touchdowns, as well as receptions out of the backfield in 2023. A good college RB, but not a game-changer or elite player. Miami is fine letting him walk to make room for someone better.
- Akeem Mesidor: Has all the capabilities of being an All-ACC caliber player. Finished with 38 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and team-high seven sacks in 2022 en route to an All-ACC, Honorable Mention. Injuries have hampered his trajectory for the time being. Still waiting on his special cleats from Adidas so he can get back out there. To classify this as a hit, he needs to produce this season. One season of honorable mention play in a bleh conference doesn’t make you a stud. Until then, he’s a good college DE.
- Daryl Porter Jr: Enjoyed a nice season last year. He was our top corner and had four pass breakups in eight games before getting injured and missing the rest of the season. He wasn’t tested much because teams were too busy picking on Jaden Davis (who we will get to in 2023), but he did a nice job when he was targeted. Hit imo, good player that’s a CB2/CB3 on most 9-10 win teams, but can show another gear before we crown him as a CB1.
- Mitchell Agude: Thought of as a massive recruiting win at the time, coming off a Second-Team All PAC-12 selection in 2021. Had 55 tackles, four forced fumbles and was all over the place at UCLA. Disappointing season in Miami. Production dropped to 39 total tackles, only registered four sacks as a guy thought of as DE1. I’d call it a whiff just in terms of expectations working with our staff vs. UCLA’s. People were talking 10-sack campaign. At best, he was a pedestrian addition.
Antonio Moultrie: A depth addition that could be used in specific pass rushing roles and a knack for getting pressure on the QB. Only had .5 sacks and played sparingly across seven games. Nothing impactful here.
2022 results: By my count, I’ve got Porter Jr, Parrish, DJack and Mesidor as impactful additions. Mesidor needs to get back on the field. Out of these four, are any elite thus far? Anyone that single-handily gets us an extra win or two by sheer talent and skill?
Pedestrian or non-impactful guys: Ladson, Agude, Sagapolu, Denis, Moultrie, Lichtenstein.
Johnson is somewhere in the middle. Not a good class of additions overall. Not even one star player imo. I’ll do 2023 next.
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2023:
Jamil Burroughs: Never played a snap at the University of Miami. Heralded as a massive offseason pickup and his off-field problems weren’t really his fault. Whiff.
KJ Cloyd: I actually think we’ll miss him a bit. He wasn’t flashy and was picked up for depth purposes, but he was better than Bissanthe for a fair portion of the ‘23 season. I hope we pick up someone like him in the portal this time around, hit for what he was.
Ajay Allen: Added to compete in the running back room. Never really separated himself in 2023 apart from that one highlight run against UVA. Got into the dog house with the staff, and could be a potential transfer candidate again. Not a miss, not a hit so far, just average.
Jadais Richard: Played in six games in 2023. Got absolutely cooked by Louisville. Expected to have a much bigger role in 2024, but he needs to improve a lot in the offseason if he’s going to be relied on. Too much unknown right now to make a definitive statement, he’s just in limbo as of now.
Jaden Davis: Was brought in to be the slot corner. His high came against A&M, diving in the thick of the mess in the run game and coming up with timely turnovers en route to a massive win. After that, totally downhill. Was picked on repeatedly by opposing teams, toasted and toasted repeatedly. I’d call it a Whiff when there were other options out there, but at best, he was bleh.
Anthony Campbell: A late take in 2023 as a flier based on his measurables. Didn’t play in 2023 and already been penciled in as a transfer candidate in 2024. Whiff.
Luis Cristobal: no need to harp on the man, especially if he’s here as a PWO. Not expected to be a starter anyways.
Tyler Harrell: The speed demon we just never used. Four receptions for 45 yards all season long. Whiff.
Cam McCormick: I mean I guess he played, but at what cost? He routinely missed blocks, wasn’t much of a receiving threat…and now he’s back. Bleh, borderline whiff.
Matt Lee: Stud for us. Unreal pass protector, run blocking wasn’t elite but it wasn’t bad at all. We will miss him dearly. Hit
Branson Deen: Thought of as being DT2 next to LT. 16 tackles (5.5 for loss), 2.5 sacks…decent college player? Not elite. Ended up being a rotational guy and JHH looked better imo. Not a whiff, just not a sizable acquisition. Pedestrian for college DTs.
Javion Cohen: Again, awesome in pass protection. Got what we paid for in my opinion, and we will miss him dearly 100% a hit.
Francisco Mauigoa: Godsend to our LBs. Was very good in ‘23, Second-Team All-ACC selection, great attacking downhill. For sure a Hit and has room for improvement in coverage/working sideline to sideline.
Terry Roberts: Thought of as a pretty nice win in the portal, transfers before the season even starts. Whiff.
Davonte Brown: Penciled in as CB2, turned into a walking PI. Garbage. Whiff
Thomas Gore: Too small to make a real impact, sold on his ability to be athletic and rush the passer. Two sacks against Temple and CIS went bonkers. Played sparingly in just three games following that, no sacks. Transfer candidate in a few weeks. Whiff.
2023: By my count, three decisive hits (Kiko, Lee, Cohen). Six definitive whiffs (Burroughs, Campbell, Roberts, Gore, Brown, Harrell). Davis and McCormack are borderline whiffs, but at best they’re just mediocre additions that didn’t elevate the team’s potential. Richard and Allen too soon to judge, but moreso Richard than Allen. Deen and Cloyd solid, just nothing close to an elite addition.
Overall, this hit rate isn’t good enough. There’s not enough elite hits, and there’s not even enough “very good” hits. There’s too much whiffing or too much pedestrian additions.
Now hopefully, 2024 brings a different mindset. I personally have gone on record to say Cam Ward is a Top 5 QB in college football and is deservedly a Top 15 Heisman Candidate. I like Clark’s ability to stop the run, I think Powell can be good, etc. But for me, the 2022 and 2023 portal classes are well below expectations…
ESPECIALLY for an elite recruiter like Mario.
Jamil Burroughs: Never played a snap at the University of Miami. Heralded as a massive offseason pickup and his off-field problems weren’t really his fault. Whiff.
KJ Cloyd: I actually think we’ll miss him a bit. He wasn’t flashy and was picked up for depth purposes, but he was better than Bissanthe for a fair portion of the ‘23 season. I hope we pick up someone like him in the portal this time around, hit for what he was.
Ajay Allen: Added to compete in the running back room. Never really separated himself in 2023 apart from that one highlight run against UVA. Got into the dog house with the staff, and could be a potential transfer candidate again. Not a miss, not a hit so far, just average.
Jadais Richard: Played in six games in 2023. Got absolutely cooked by Louisville. Expected to have a much bigger role in 2024, but he needs to improve a lot in the offseason if he’s going to be relied on. Too much unknown right now to make a definitive statement, he’s just in limbo as of now.
Jaden Davis: Was brought in to be the slot corner. His high came against A&M, diving in the thick of the mess in the run game and coming up with timely turnovers en route to a massive win. After that, totally downhill. Was picked on repeatedly by opposing teams, toasted and toasted repeatedly. I’d call it a Whiff when there were other options out there, but at best, he was bleh.
Anthony Campbell: A late take in 2023 as a flier based on his measurables. Didn’t play in 2023 and already been penciled in as a transfer candidate in 2024. Whiff.
Luis Cristobal: no need to harp on the man, especially if he’s here as a PWO. Not expected to be a starter anyways.
Tyler Harrell: The speed demon we just never used. Four receptions for 45 yards all season long. Whiff.
Cam McCormick: I mean I guess he played, but at what cost? He routinely missed blocks, wasn’t much of a receiving threat…and now he’s back. Bleh, borderline whiff.
Matt Lee: Stud for us. Unreal pass protector, run blocking wasn’t elite but it wasn’t bad at all. We will miss him dearly. Hit
Branson Deen: Thought of as being DT2 next to LT. 16 tackles (5.5 for loss), 2.5 sacks…decent college player? Not elite. Ended up being a rotational guy and JHH looked better imo. Not a whiff, just not a sizable acquisition. Pedestrian for college DTs.
Javion Cohen: Again, awesome in pass protection. Got what we paid for in my opinion, and we will miss him dearly 100% a hit.
Francisco Mauigoa: Godsend to our LBs. Was very good in ‘23, Second-Team All-ACC selection, great attacking downhill. For sure a Hit and has room for improvement in coverage/working sideline to sideline.
Terry Roberts: Thought of as a pretty nice win in the portal, transfers before the season even starts. Whiff.
Davonte Brown: Penciled in as CB2, turned into a walking PI. Garbage. Whiff
Thomas Gore: Too small to make a real impact, sold on his ability to be athletic and rush the passer. Two sacks against Temple and CIS went bonkers. Played sparingly in just three games following that, no sacks. Transfer candidate in a few weeks. Whiff.
2023: By my count, three decisive hits (Kiko, Lee, Cohen). Six definitive whiffs (Burroughs, Campbell, Roberts, Gore, Brown, Harrell). Davis and McCormack are borderline whiffs, but at best they’re just mediocre additions that didn’t elevate the team’s potential. Richard and Allen too soon to judge, but moreso Richard than Allen. Deen and Cloyd solid, just nothing close to an elite addition.
Overall, this hit rate isn’t good enough. There’s not enough elite hits, and there’s not even enough “very good” hits. There’s too much whiffing or too much pedestrian additions.
Now hopefully, 2024 brings a different mindset. I personally have gone on record to say Cam Ward is a Top 5 QB in college football and is deservedly a Top 15 Heisman Candidate. I like Clark’s ability to stop the run, I think Powell can be good, etc. But for me, the 2022 and 2023 portal classes are well below expectations…
ESPECIALLY for an elite recruiter like Mario.
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A lot of inaccuracies here, but most are more upset about what hasn't happened with Height the last 5 years opposed to what did.
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It's funny a year ago I stated this. I don't even understand why it's controversial. The only defense is not everyone was terrible lmao. When you bring in 20 guys that aren't good enough that says a lot.
Tell me how Height is any better than Lichtenstein? I could care less how he made Manny feel. Seems like a wasted scholly
FIFY
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id rather give those snaps to Malik than a wasted ship on height
Sorry but walkons (Burroughs, Big Lou) shouldn't be counted. If you hit its like found money, if not no harm.
Also Roberts was here for what a spring? If I remember right he was coming to be a special teamer. Guess technically he could be a whiff since he never made past spring practice.
Are you implying that any of this would change the point?
That we have whiffed on some portal targets? No, the fact that I only commented on 3 from list should imply that I agree with rest of his list.
My point is that walkons shouldn’t be counted a whiffs because they cost nothing.
To me it’s like counting HS walkons to signing classes and calling them whiffs if they don’t pan out.
