LB recruiting note

[waynejr31]

If Steed stays healthy, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be raising his stock in the spring and competing for major playing time. I haven't seen Jennings play on Defense since Duke or Toledo I believe but I do remember him reading and reacting on one or two plays really well when he was in there (hard or understand why he hasn't played more than ST). Wilder has gotten some good reps at LB but I'm still not sure what his ceiling will be. Pickney and Quarterman are the real deal and I expect there to be no drop off when Steed gets in the rotation.

 

[ChosenOne]

It's funny that you guys really don't trust the coaches still. So if we take 1 LB we will be fine but if not we're screwed? I'm glad they aren't just wasting scholarships so they can say hey we have a LB now, relax. 19 is stacked, we shouldn't be settling for lesser players when we have plenty of LBs coming back next year.

They have dropped Carter down on occasion,so maybe he or 1 of the other S will be moved. To act as if he they have no plan and don't know what they are doing is silly, almost as silly as comparing Coach Richt and his staff to Randy and Al's.

I also see a lot of talk about not being impressed with the TRUE freshman LBs, you all never learn. Writing off kids before they have completed a full season is madness. Steed ain't even been healthy and he's already a JAG? We will look back at this in 2 years and laugh.

I trust almost every coach but Manny in terms of position coaches/recruiting.

My Coaches trusting gage. This % is from the development/production/recruiting

HC - Richt - 100% - 19-5 at Miami. Killing a lot of demons we've been dealing with for 12+ years. Hopefully next year's focus is physicality.
OC - Richt - 82% - I don't know yet with Richt. He runs a system for DT QBs. Last year had a statue this year has a mobile QB who is inept at throwing a football.
DC - Manny - 95% - Other then doing some of that soft BS we good.
ST - Hartley - 20% - TRASH UNIT.
QB - Richt jr - 99% - Say what you want. What he is doing with Rosier and recruiting has been top notch.
RB - Brown - 99% - 0 Depth but a whole lot of production even from a converted DB > WR > RB
WR - Dugan - 99% - We block like I've never seen before since he got here. Elite recruiting.
TE - Hartley - 85% - Solid production and recruiting last year was kinda cheeks but the recruiting this year is elite.
OL - Searles - 76% - We've improved as a pass blocking team but I've seen very little improve in run blocking. Interested to see the development of Herbert, Hillery, Gaynor etc.
DL - Kul - 100% - Turned what was by FAR the worst unit on our team to the best easily.
LB - Manny - 26% - Shaq and Pick should be ELITE LBs by now. Everyone came back and the group is worse then what was an inexperience DB group coming into the season. McCloud has declined as a player. Not recruiting elite athletes/LB so far.
DB - Rumph - 88% - Recruiting elite DB right now but he gotta close. He has gotten great production out of a group that didn't have much depth or experience coming into the season.
S - Banda - 94% - Improved Jenkins and Carter(somwhat).. Got Jaquan Johnson playing at a All ACC level even though the ACC is *** at picking awards. Derwin James, really?!

 

[King Slayer]

Full faith in the staff. They know better than some random poster telling us otherwise.

I've heard that so many times before and yet seen posters end up right far too often....especially when it's numerous well respected posters or a general agreement across the board.

Coaches are human and prone to mistakes as well.

people have been saying these things to me..since the randy shannon days of offering Romeo Davis and Charles Clay at LB. Coaches know better than posters blah, blah, blah.

You also been praising and asking to offer kids that never amounted to anything. Calm down guru

 

[AL CANE]

If Steed stays healthy, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be raising his stock in the spring and competing for major playing time. I haven't seen Jennings play on Defense since Duke or Toledo I believe but I do remember him reading and reacting on one or two plays really well when he was in there (hard or understand why he hasn't played more than ST). Wilder has gotten some good reps at LB but I'm still not sure what his ceiling will be. Pickney and Quarterman are the real deal and I expect there to be no drop off when Steed gets in the rotation.

And I think our coaches actions with regards to LB recruiting supports this. If we did not like what we saw in last years crop of LB's we would be casting a wider net in this class.

 

[grover]

If Steed stays healthy, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be raising his stock in the spring and competing for major playing time. I haven't seen Jennings play on Defense since Duke or Toledo I believe but I do remember him reading and reacting on one or two plays really well when he was in there (hard or understand why he hasn't played more than ST). Wilder has gotten some good reps at LB but I'm still not sure what his ceiling will be. Pickney and Quarterman are the real deal and I expect there to be no drop off when Steed gets in the rotation.

And I think our coaches actions with regards to LB recruiting supports this. If we did not like what we saw in last years crop of LB's we would be casting a wider net in this class.

Probably right. But I think it's dangerous to assume anything in college football. Hope for the best but plan for the worst until you see the proof on the field. Steed is on scholarship because of his incredible talent and athleticism before his injury, and the fact he still played at a high level in HS while injured. But we don't know yet how well he will recover. Will he be serviceable but not have that higher gear, like Owens, or not miss a beat. Or are we talking Malcolm Lewis here?? ... Same with Gordinier.

I am with the group that thinks Pinckney, Shaq and then no PROVEN quality behind them. McCloud has all the talent in the world, perhaps more than the other two as some have argued. But he hasn't put it together with consistency. ... And what the heck would we do if one or two of those guys went down? What the heck will we do when they leave for the league? It makes zero sense to me to gamble like that for 2019 and 2020.

 

[The Franchise]

If Steed stays healthy, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be raising his stock in the spring and competing for major playing time. I haven't seen Jennings play on Defense since Duke or Toledo I believe but I do remember him reading and reacting on one or two plays really well when he was in there (hard or understand why he hasn't played more than ST). Wilder has gotten some good reps at LB but I'm still not sure what his ceiling will be. Pickney and Quarterman are the real deal and I expect there to be no drop off when Steed gets in the rotation.

And I think our coaches actions with regards to LB recruiting supports this. If we did not like what we saw in last years crop of LB's we would be casting a wider net in this class.

Probably right. But I think it's dangerous to assume anything in college football. Hope for the best but plan for the worst until you see the proof on the field. Steed is on scholarship because of his incredible talent and athleticism before his injury, and the fact he still played at a high level in HS while injured. But we don't know yet how well he will recover. Will he be serviceable but not have that higher gear, like Owens, or not miss a beat. Or are we talking Malcolm Lewis here?? ... Same with Gordinier.

I am with the group that thinks Pinckney, Shaq and then no PROVEN quality behind them. McCloud has all the talent in the world, perhaps more than the other two as some have argued. But he hasn't put it together with consistency. ... And what the heck would we do if one or two of those guys went down? What the heck will we do when they leave for the league? It makes zero sense to me to gamble like that for 2019 and 2020.

Steed is already better than Owens. You guys keep talking about him like he was Darrin Smith before he got hurt. He wasn’t a very good player before he got hurt, and he’s still not very good.

Knee surgery has come a thousand miles in the last 15 years. It doesn’t take 8 years yo recover from the sort of injury Owens had.

 

[Ethnicsands]

It's funny that you guys really don't trust the coaches still. So if we take 1 LB we will be fine but if not we're screwed? I'm glad they aren't just wasting scholarships so they can say hey we have a LB now, relax. 19 is stacked, we shouldn't be settling for lesser players when we have plenty of LBs coming back next year.

They have dropped Carter down on occasion,so maybe he or 1 of the other S will be moved. To act as if he they have no plan and don't know what they are doing is silly, almost as silly as comparing Coach Richt and his staff to Randy and Al's.

I also see a lot of talk about not being impressed with the TRUE freshman LBs, you all never learn. Writing off kids before they have completed a full season is madness. Steed ain't even been healthy and he's already a JAG? We will look back at this in 2 years and laugh.

People have been saying 'trust the coaches' forever. it's pointless. Even the best coaches get things wrong. The purpose of a discussion board is to consider things relevant to discuss, which often includes those things that are less than perfectly clear.

If you are sure they're right, great for you. It's an area of the roster where it's reasonable to have questions.

 

[Drewny1]

It's funny that you guys really don't trust the coaches still. So if we take 1 LB we will be fine but if not we're screwed? I'm glad they aren't just wasting scholarships so they can say hey we have a LB now, relax. 19 is stacked, we shouldn't be settling for lesser players when we have plenty of LBs coming back next year.

They have dropped Carter down on occasion,so maybe he or 1 of the other S will be moved. To act as if he they have no plan and don't know what they are doing is silly, almost as silly as comparing Coach Richt and his staff to Randy and Al's.

I also see a lot of talk about not being impressed with the TRUE freshman LBs, you all never learn. Writing off kids before they have completed a full season is madness. Steed ain't even been healthy and he's already a JAG? We will look back at this in 2 years and laugh.

I trust almost every coach but Manny in terms of position coaches/recruiting.

My Coaches trusting gage. This % is from the development/production/recruiting

HC - Richt - 100% - 19-5 at Miami. Killing a lot of demons we've been dealing with for 12+ years. Hopefully next year's focus is physicality.
OC - Richt - 82% - I don't know yet with Richt. He runs a system for DT QBs. Last year had a statue this year has a mobile QB who is inept at throwing a football.
DC - Manny - 95% - Other then doing some of that soft BS we good.
ST - Hartley - 20% - TRASH UNIT.
QB - Richt jr - 99% - Say what you want. What he is doing with Rosier and recruiting has been top notch.
RB - Brown - 99% - 0 Depth but a whole lot of production even from a converted DB > WR > RB
WR - Dugan - 99% - We block like I've never seen before since he got here. Elite recruiting.
TE - Hartley - 85% - Solid production and recruiting last year was kinda cheeks but the recruiting this year is elite.
OL - Searles - 76% - We've improved as a pass blocking team but I've seen very little improve in run blocking. Interested to see the development of Herbert, Hillery, Gaynor etc.
DL - Kul - 100% - Turned what was by FAR the worst unit on our team to the best easily.
LB - Manny - 26% - Shaq and Pick should be ELITE LBs by now. Everyone came back and the group is worse then what was an inexperience DB group coming into the season. McCloud has declined as a player. Not recruiting elite athletes/LB so far.
DB - Rumph - 88% - Recruiting elite DB right now but he gotta close. He has gotten great production out of a group that didn't have much depth or experience coming into the season.
S - Banda - 94% - Improved Jenkins and Carter(somwhat).. Got Jaquan Johnson playing at a All ACC level even though the ACC is *** at picking awards. Derwin James, really?!

This man is coo coo for coco puffs

 

[deleted1998]

It's funny that you guys really don't trust the coaches still. So if we take 1 LB we will be fine but if not we're screwed? I'm glad they aren't just wasting scholarships so they can say hey we have a LB now, relax. 19 is stacked, we shouldn't be settling for lesser players when we have plenty of LBs coming back next year.

They have dropped Carter down on occasion,so maybe he or 1 of the other S will be moved. To act as if he they have no plan and don't know what they are doing is silly, almost as silly as comparing Coach Richt and his staff to Randy and Al's.

I also see a lot of talk about not being impressed with the TRUE freshman LBs, you all never learn. Writing off kids before they have completed a full season is madness. Steed ain't even been healthy and he's already a JAG? We will look back at this in 2 years and laugh.

People have been saying 'trust the coaches' forever. it's pointless. Even the best coaches get things wrong. The purpose of a discussion board is to consider things relevant to discuss, which often includes those things that are less than perfectly clear.

If you are sure they're right, great for you. It's an area of the roster where it's reasonable to have questions.

If you are sure they're wrong, great for you. It's an area of the roster where it's reasonable to not have questions.

 

[grover]

Jennings can thump, not a sideline to sideline, but a downhill hitter that can really stick.

Watch how much growth we see from Wilder after a full Spring & Fall camp with a better understanding of his assignments.

Do we need to take a LB in this class, of course, but those of yall that are acting like we're doomed or that it's impossible for none of our guys to improve their play from year to year are sadly mistaken.

I already said it earlier a few pages ago & I'll say it again, the Folden era is over, this staff has a legit plan whether you believe it or not.

El, come on now. There's a big gap between "need 1 or 2 LBs in this class" and "doomed". I don't think most of us are "doom sayers" or are claiming none of the current guys on roster can't improve. But speaking for myself, I just think it's stupid to expect the best, and smart to plan for the worst.

I also think we need athletes who support multi-dimensional defensive schemes, whether that's a 4-3, 3-4, or 4-2-5 (with or without rover/spy), in press or zone or hybrid. Make it as hard on opponents' OCs to game plan vs. our defense as it is on us to take on multiple offensive schemes on any given Saturday like we've seen from like GT, Toledo, UNC and Syracuse (and will face vs. Clemson in a few days).

 

[gogeta4]

Full faith in the staff. They know better than some random poster telling us otherwise.

I've heard that so many times before and yet seen posters end up right far too often....especially when it's numerous well respected posters or a general agreement across the board.

Coaches are human and prone to mistakes as well.

people have been saying these things to me..since the randy shannon days of offering Romeo Davis and Charles Clay at LB. Coaches know better than posters blah, blah, blah.

You also been praising and asking to offer kids that never amounted to anything. Calm down guru

name them please?. You wont be able to so i know you just threw something at the wall.

i know the one kid i praised....was my little homie Skai Moore. I think he did alright for himself at USC.

"Moore broke into the lineup as a freshman, played three years and nearly left before an injury kept him around two more. He’ll leave with at least a share of the school interception record and likely having lead the team in tackles every season, a star throughout."

Read more here: Skai Moore, Hayden Hurst impact South Carolina football | The State

 

[dycane]

Taking 0 linebackers I feel will come back to bite us in the future.

Yep. Mistake imo. Besides, LBs are the foundation of STs coverage units.

We have 1 DT committed and 0 LBs committed.

Maybe it all works out great. But anyone who isn't concerned as a fan about that situation is just relying on blind faith rather than actually thinking.

The DT situation is what really concerns me. Still think Carter moves down to LB.

 

[Calinative]

Jennings can thump, not a sideline to sideline, but a downhill hitter that can really stick.

Watch how much growth we see from Wilder after a full Spring & Fall camp with a better understanding of his assignments.

Do we need to take a LB in this class, of course, but those of yall that are acting like we're doomed or that it's impossible for none of our guys to improve their play from year to year are sadly mistaken.

I already said it earlier a few pages ago & I'll say it again, the Folden era is over, this staff has a legit plan whether you believe it or not.

El, come on now. There's a big gap between "need 1 or 2 LBs in this class" and "doomed". I don't think most of us are "doom sayers" or are claiming none of the current guys on roster can't improve. But speaking for myself, I just think it's stupid to expect the best, and smart to plan for the worst.

I also think we need athletes who support multi-dimensional defensive schemes, whether that's a 4-3, 3-4, or 4-2-5 (with or without rover/spy), in press or zone or hybrid. Make it as hard on opponents' OCs to game plan vs. our defense as it is on us to take on multiple offensive schemes on any given Saturday like we've seen from like GT, Toledo, UNC and Syracuse (and will face vs. Clemson in a few days).

Some are though, unless I'm just misinterpreting comments I've read in this thread, but sounds like a lot of people are saying if we don't take LB's this class then we're ****ed in the future & I don't agree with that at all.

I think we should take a LB in this class, but I don't think we should reach & if Diaz feels like they don't need to reach for a prospect they may not be high on, then I'm okay with that.

I also think a lot of people seem to think the staff isn't planning for the worst, which is the point I made in my original comment much earlier in this thread.

This is basically the same situation we had last year with CB's, the fact we only took Bandy & Dean with a grad transfer in Delaney, plus dropped Gibson made it possible for us to take 6-7 DB's in this 2018 class. There were multiple bodies we could've took at DB last year too, but the staff held off & now are in position to land arguably the best DB haul the last 15 years of program history.

I know everyone hates the wait til next class narrative (I do too), but we can't overlook how the staff perceives that 2019 LB class & this year's class is a down year at LB, so they have a specific target they're after with a couple of other kids they're keeping tabs on just in case.

This staff has earned some benefit of the doubt is all I'm saying, if this was Folden then I would be just as concerned about it as everyone else.

Michael Jackson had his best season this year, Jaquan had his best season this year, Rosier, Langham, McDermott, St. Louis, Moten & countless others have had their best season & progressed under Richt's development in this program. Why can't the same be said for McCloud & any other LB we have questions about?

While I understand the concerns about possibly not taking a LB, I think our staff is more than aware of the potential problems that could happen, but they're confident in their plan which factors in what happens if we get Joyner or if we don't.

I trust they know what they're doing in both scenarios.

Well Said dude.

But even if we are planning on getting 4 LBs in the 2019 class, it still doesn't make any sense to not get 1-2 LBs in this 2018 class unless they really are planning on having a nickel 4-2-5 base defense. I don't think whether we take 2 or 0 LBs this class will affect much at all for next season, but for depth purposes it will matter for the 2019 season.

After next year we could lose 5-7 LBs. 4 will be gone no matter what (Owens, Perry, Smith, McCray) due to graduation. And who knows whether Pinkney, Shaq, McCloud would leave early or Gorninier would transfer out, etc. Now it obviously isn't likely we lose 3/4 of them, but it is definitely possible given our 3 starters' talent. So just from a depth perspective, we really should take 1-2 (2 imo) LBs this class.

Since Joyner is the staffs top LB hopefully we can flip him, but more importantly, if Jimbo bails on FSU I REALLY want us to flip Rosendo Louis. Getting those 2 would be legit.

 

[gogeta4]

all in favor of taking 2 lbs.

My favs are Rosendo Louis and Nik Bonnito. Not sure if their trying to flip Louis.

 

[HitStick2620]

I like the staff being picky about which players we take and not just settling. This applies for all positions, but especially LB where our backups (Perry, Smith and Owens) are literally the definition of JAGs.

 

[waynejr31]

I have heard talks of one maybe two LB's transferring out after the season, and for this reason and my judgement of the talent at the position I would say take 1 or 2 this class. This is just my opinion and please note that I have only seen what you guys have seen on film nothing more. If the transfers are true then we should be prepared for it or some guys will need to step up!!!

 

[nycane]

i think its a sign the staff is happy with jennings, wilder, and steed. Gordiner might never came back the way he has gotten injured.

 

[canecat]

LOL at those questioning this staff in terms of recruiting . We beasts in that area.

 

[Ethnicsands]

I've posted a few updates on LB over the past month, but the question keeps getting asked so I will explain it as best as I can.

There is not an urgency from the staff to sign a linebacker in this class. At this point, Miami still believes that they will land Patrick Joyner, FSU commit (despite what Joyner himself says publicly in interviews and social media). However, if they are not able to flip him, the Canes staff has no problem taking 0 linebackers in this class and loading up on 3-4 next cycle.

James Miller and Nik Bonitto are two prospects they are monitoring, but there is no guarantee that either will receive an offer even if the Canes miss on Joyner.

That 'next cycle' excuse works out almost never.

 

[htownkidd]

That 'next cycle' excuse works out almost never.

Literally never. Ever