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LB Francisco Mauigoa on Season Opener: "We're Just Excited for the Opportunity"

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Peter Ariz

Peter Ariz

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Linebacker Francisco Mauigoa spoke to media on Tuesday and opened up about the first game of the season, his development under the new coaching regime, and the team’s preparation for the new season.

Thoughts on Miami, Ohio Offense​

When asked about the offense of Miami Ohio, Mauigoa seemed respectful but unphased. "We think they're a good football team. It's going to be a great opportunity to start the college game day with them," he said. "We just take it day by day, and we're just excited for the opportunity to play at Hard Rock with Miami Ohio."

“The Coach D Nick Effect”​

Mauigoa had a lot to say about his development under the guidance of Coach Derek Nicholson, especially in a relatively short time. "Coach D Nick is a great coach. He brings a lot to the table, he's very detailed," Mauigoa noted. "He brings the juice every day. He gets everybody going, and that has a really good impact on us as linebackers. We play aggressive and play downhill, and Coach D Nick brings that to the table."

On Game Logistics and the New Clock Rule​

When questioned about the new clock rule, which affects how substitutes are brought into the game, Mauigoa explained that the coaching staff had it under control. "Coach Guidry got that all handled. We're just here to execute, whoever he puts on the field," he said.

High Hopes for the Linebacker Core​

The Hurricanes' linebacker core had its fair share of issues last season, but Mauigoa is confident about the group's capabilities this time around. "This linebacker core is stacked. We've got a lot of playmakers," he remarked. "Wesley has grown up a lot. I was surprised to find out he was only a freshman last year. And KJ has just been aggressive. Both those guys are ready. We're just ready for Friday."

Ready to Stop the Run​

Stopping the run has been a focal point for the team, and Mauigoa believes they have made significant strides in this area. "I think we made a lot of improvement. Coach Guidry put a lot of time and sweat into game planning, and I think we're ready to stop the run," he asserted. "I'm confident to say that we're at the level where we are going to stop the run. It's been progress, but I think we're up there now."
 
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@DMoney and those in the know how much of this exponential LB room improvement has to do with Nicholson?

I thought he was a very intriguing hire. Some of Mario’s assistant hires have been questionable at best but he seemed like a great recruiter

Mauigoa being Joe/his brother I’m guessing but outside of him
 
JHallCanes said:
@DMoney and those in the know how much of this exponential LB room improvement has to do with Nicholson?

I thought he was a very intriguing hire. Some of Mario’s assistant hires have been questionable at best but he seemed like a great recruiter
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Good high energy coach

Primary change in the LB room has been the addition of size and talent. Wesley is the smallest guy Mario has brought in but he has a ton of raw ability.

Manny and co were bringing in full 2-3-4 LB classes where the biggest guy was still smaller than Wes (aside from the Shaq, Pinckney, McCloud class which was all Golden and Richt's doing)
 
JayCane20 said:
Good high energy coach

Primary change in the LB room has been the addition of size and talent. Wesley is the smallest guy Mario has brought in but he has a ton of raw ability.

Manny and co were bringing in full 2-3-4 LB classes where the biggest guy was still smaller than Wes (aside from the Shaq, Pinckney, McCloud class which was all Golden and Richt's doing)
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Oh absolutely man. The size (pause) of these dudes is just some other level. Seeing guys like Popo and Washington…Bryant…it’s night and day

Looks like they found a good one in Cloyd perhaps as well?

Most of the stuff we read regarding recruiting is either about Mario, or negative when it comes to Addae and Joe, so I was curious how recruits were vibing with Nicholson. I really liked the hire
 
JHallCanes said:
Oh absolutely man. The size (pause) of these dudes is just some other level. Seeing guys like Popo and Washington…Bryant…it’s night and day

Looks like they found a good one in Cloyd perhaps as well?

Most of the stuff we read regarding recruiting is either about Mario, or negative when it comes to Addae and Joe, so I was curious how recruits were vibing with Nicholson. I really liked the hire
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Nicholson should be a strong enough recruiting to keep that room stacked. Those are the types of hires we needed to make from day 1 at all positions. Young, energetic, hungry, etc. I'm not a huge fan of Beard but he's been a noticeable improvement just because of those factors and the relationships with the kids. At worst, they'll recruit and keep the room loaded with talent.

Tim Harris fits that. Beard. Nicholson. Woodiel is in that mold too but still unproven and I need to see more with him. He just seems like a Mario yes man type to me.

Addae is more of a vet and should fit in that category. I'm not 100% sure where the disconnect is. I still think he can coach but the recruiting hasn't been what it should be. JT is a little older but still fits those boxes.

IMO Joe is the outlier. We need to follow the model of our 2023 off-season hires to replace him.
 
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JayCane20 said:
Nicholson should be a strong enough recruiting to keep that room stacked. Those are the types of hires we needed to make from day 1 at all positions. Young, energetic, hungry, etc. I'm not a huge fan of Beard but he's been a noticeable improvement just because of those factors and the relationships with the kids. At worst, they'll recruit and keep the room loaded with talent.

Tim Harris fits that. Beard. Nicholson. Woodiel is in that mold too but still unproven and I need to see more with him. He just seems like a Mario yes man type to me.

Addae is more of a vet and should fit in that category. I'm not 100% sure where the disconnect is. I still think he can coach but the recruiting hasn't been what it should be. JT is a little older but still fits those boxes.

IMO Joe is the outlier. We need to follow the model of our 2023 off-season hires to replace him.
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I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of this to comment like some people who just call for coaches heads but if Joe got us Francis and his brother well then I get it. But to your point keep him somewhere else on the staff if necessary but DT recruiting has been an absolute bust so someone has to be accountable
 
JHallCanes said:
I don’t know enough about the ins and outs of this to comment like some people who just call for coaches heads but if Joe got us Francis and his brother well then I get it. But to your point keep him somewhere else on the staff if necessary but DT recruiting has been an absolute bust so someone has to be accountable
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Debatable.

Definitely not confident enough to say we landed Francis without him but we're easily still top 2 without Joe.
 
JayCane20 said:
Debatable.

Definitely not confident enough to say we landed Francis without him but we're easily still top 2 without Joe.
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That’s kinda the vibe I got. I feel like it’s rarely that simple though it does happen
 
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JayCane20 said:
Nicholson should be a strong enough recruiting to keep that room stacked. Those are the types of hires we needed to make from day 1 at all positions. Young, energetic, hungry, etc. I'm not a huge fan of Beard but he's been a noticeable improvement just because of those factors and the relationships with the kids. At worst, they'll recruit and keep the room loaded with talent.

Tim Harris fits that. Beard. Nicholson. Woodiel is in that mold too but still unproven and I need to see more with him. He just seems like a Mario yes man type to me.

Addae is more of a vet and should fit in that category. I'm not 100% sure where the disconnect is. I still think he can coach but the recruiting hasn't been what it should be. JT is a little older but still fits those boxes.

IMO Joe is the outlier. We need to follow the model of our 2023 off-season hires to replace him.
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Good discussion in this thread. I've heard nothing but great things about Woodiel. He is thought of as a great young coach who has a bright future ahead of him. Like anything we will wait and see. D. Nick has been a great addition to the staff. Like someone said, he is a high energy quality coach. Addae needs to step it up in recruiting but I think it may be too late for that. I think it's worth keeping an eye on UF because I know Mario would love to trade Addae for Corey Raymond but that is just pure conjecture on my part. I wasn't super high on Beard at first but it seems like he has really done a good job with that group so far. Just how good were about to find out. I also think Joe is possibly on the way out. We need either a great technical coach at interior DL to pair with Jason Taylor or another experienced DL coach who can really recruit. It's obvious we need to recruit CB and DT much much better as those two position will figure prominently in our potential return to glory.
 
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