My thoughts on the class (long)

[rmcid]

I really have to ask this im new to the board tired of the paysite bull****... My first message board forum was grassy . com now i have to ask how long have you guys been following the program and recruiting because some of this nonsense is a joke... .... So i dont want to come off 2 hard i mean some of you guys might been fairly new to the process ?

My first comparison of a football recruit was made on the military prototype of the internet.

I chiseled mine on a cave wall. It was later negged.

 

[frostycane]

There are two schools of thought with this recruiting class.

One group is disappointed because they know what this class could have been. These fans have lost faith in the staff’s ability to coach, so they believe we need superstar classes to compete with the big boys.

The second group is happy about the kids we actually signed and doesn’t worry about the misses. These fans have full faith in Golden and believe it’s only a matter of time before Miami is back on top.

This is just dumb. The vast majority of us are firmly in the middle of these two groups. The same few people from each group posting 50,000 times a day doesn't mean that those are the only two groups.

If we're so stubborn on size, why did we sign Berrios? Kinda shoots down the McKenzie argument, no? And come on, Dowels? Offers from Rutgers, Utah, Appalachian State, NIU, and Cuse? That's the kind of kid that this and previous staffs have gotten murdered for signing in the past.

Are you suggesting that Miami coaches start the rumors of kids getting paid because they can't admit defeat? You lose all credibility with me if that's the case.

How was Powell's defection a total ***** up?

It's a little contradictory to say that QB is the strongest position in the class, but the QB recruiting was 'clumsy' (I happen to agree with the latter, although that has nothing to do with Flowers or Treon).

I agree with the rest.

Dowels was Broward player of the year and got offered by A&M, Clemson, and Oklahoma. Nice for you to leave that out

When the facts don't fit your argument, avoid the facts.

Actually Sebastian addressed that directly, then why would he choose Syracuse if he could have gone to Ok or A&M?

 

[DMoney]

I think there was a genuine concern over backlash and bad press WHEN Harris and/or Wilson didn't make it at those chosen positions. This staff probably felt going this route was the lesser of two evils.

But is it the lesser of two evils? There's already a backlash, especially with Wilson. There is less of a public relations concern when you give a guy a shot and he fails, IMO.

 

[Djohn]

This is speculation on my part, but wasn't Mayes brought to camp by Luther Campbell? Right or wrong...maybe they made a "political" decision based upon that relationship..or maybe they saw something in his athleticism they liked more than Wilson. Who knows, but either way, we will find out if they were right or wrong, both politically and athletically in a couple years.

 

[Canesfan1899]

Well thought out OP. Agree with what you said and agree that if Golden can't win with this talent someone else will.

 

[japancane]

The Wilson thing I don't agree with. For all the pied piper talk, none of his boys ended up where he was. If you don't think Wilson can play then don't even bother. We'll see if their wrong on that evaluation but for now Mayes at least appears to be kid who wants it. Did everything he could to be an EE. No guarantees in life, but I get the feeling Quincy and his father would've surely been a pain in the *** if he was stuck behind other players for a year or two.

Signing Wilson wasn't just about 2014. The South Florida Express isn't going anywhere. Big-time kids like Sam Bruce are already parroting anti-Miami talk. These kids won't necessarily follow Wilson, but I'd rather them hear Miami propaganda than Miami hate.

More than anything, I'm just not a Mayes fan. I don't understand offering him and turning our nose up at Wilson.

You mean another University School player has something to say? Not a shocking development. Wilson wants to play CB. If he was open to playing safety things would probably be different. He isn't, so he got no offer. What did Golden say about Mayes today? We'll start him out at CB but we might try him at safety. IF that was Wilson's attitude then he might be in this class. It wasn't so he isn't.

You bring the kids in and figure it out. The treon situation was the same thing. Offer him at QB if he doesn't make it then move him. Same could have been done with Wilson or any other recruit.

I think there was a genuine concern over backlash and bad press WHEN Harris and/or Wilson didn't make it at those chosen positions. This staff probably felt going this route was the lesser of two evils.

thats scared recruiting then. Al doesn't have the dog in him

 

[frostycane]

I agree with both D$ and Sebastian to a point.

I have nothing on Powell, however I love the fact that everyone uses him against this staff when half the ppl on here were moving him to slot or CB if we got Cook or Sony, as soon as he is gone its 'how could we lose such an amazing rb?"

There is nothing we can do about guys like Lockley, or Griffin who dont want to do the work necessary to get in.

To me the only true miss by the staff is not offering McKensie. That kid looks the part and is a serious playmaker. To not even offer him is a miss. The rest of the TOP end players we tried as hard as you could ask to get them in here.

Who do you figure Wilson would have brought with him? I mean, his 'boys' left him at the alter at UF while they both went on to FSU. I lump Treon and Wilson in the same category, if you did not think they would either A win the job at their respective position over a recruit you already have or B openly be OK with a position change. Then they are not worth the 4 years of negative press and the headache with the local coaches. Because BOTH of their coaches are their parents and BOTH are more than OK going to Twitter and have already done damage with their antics.

If we have a kid committed that can also go to Stanford, we are probably going to lost that kid 99% of the time. Good luck Mr. Gibbons. You cant really expect us to have a back up plan in place 5 days before signing day when the kid has been committed for weeks/months.

As for the Cook, Lane, TV, Clark etc. We recruited them, most very hard and right to the last minute. We have teammates of theirs on the team, or committed and they still chose to go else where. There is only so much you can do when that is the case. We were one of the first teams to offer Rudolph and he still left, so there goes the theory of get on kids early is the only way.

I think our staff is struggling with the difference in the south from the north. I think that is why they have recently hired guys who are better recruiters than coaches. I think AG and Coley are great recruiters. But both could be better at their job as coach.

At this point, it is totally fair to say AG has to win this year. There needs to be drastic improvement in the defense. We need another class with some of SoFla's best in it. Good quality depth. We need to see some development in some of these players that will be RSsophs/Jrs. It is fair to now, in yr 4 demand some results or we can fairly expect to see some position replacements.

I have faith in AG as a CEO. I am not sure if he has what it takes to turn the corner, but this team has no excuses left. However, we cant truly ***** until the fall. Good luck Canes, congrats to the kids that stuck with the U! Now lets hit some Utough!

 

[Joecane]

There are two schools of thought with this recruiting class.

One group is disappointed because they know what this class could have been. These fans have lost faith in the staff’s ability to coach, so they believe we need superstar classes to compete with the big boys.

The second group is happy about the kids we actually signed and doesn’t worry about the misses. These fans have full faith in Golden and believe it’s only a matter of time before Miami is back on top.

This is just dumb. The vast majority of us are firmly in the middle of these two groups. The same few people from each group posting 50,000 times a day doesn't mean that those are the only two groups.

If we're so stubborn on size, why did we sign Berrios? Kinda shoots down the McKenzie argument, no? And come on, Dowels? Offers from Rutgers, Utah, Appalachian State, NIU, and Cuse? That's the kind of kid that this and previous staffs have gotten murdered for signing in the past.

Are you suggesting that Miami coaches start the rumors of kids getting paid because they can't admit defeat? You lose all credibility with me if that's the case.

How was Powell's defection a total ***** up?

It's a little contradictory to say that QB is the strongest position in the class, but the QB recruiting was 'clumsy' (I happen to agree with the latter, although that has nothing to do with Flowers or Treon).

I agree with the rest.

Dowels was Broward player of the year and got offered by A&M, Clemson, and Oklahoma. Nice for you to leave that out

When the facts don't fit your argument, avoid the facts.

Actually Sebastian addressed that directly, then why would he choose Syracuse if he could have gone to Ok or A&M?

Why would AQM choose Miami when he could go to Bama?

 

[FreePawn]

Can we get some clarity on exactly what happened with Powell, and why someone wasn't fired b.c. of it if it was a "***** up".

Btw, couldn't be more spot on about the camps thing. Camps are like the NFL draft, or the senior bowl. You know how talented a kid is by watching them play in actual games. Not workouts. Games show you all you'll need to know about athleticism, toughness, effort, intelligence, instincts, focus, leadership, and drive. They should be watching as many games as possible, and live. That's what Belichick does. For a guy who looks at the Parcells system as gospel, I'd like to see following more of his tenets than simply the 2 gap front.

But on high school game film, you can´t actually watch the DBs because 80% of the time they´re not on the screen.

 

[japancane]

I agree with both D$ and Sebastian to a point.

I have nothing on Powell, however I love the fact that everyone uses him against this staff when half the ppl on here were moving him to slot or CB if we got Cook or Sony, as soon as he is gone its 'how could we lose such an amazing rb?"

There is nothing we can do about guys like Lockley, or Griffin who dont want to do the work necessary to get in.

To me the only true miss by the staff is not offering McKensie. That kid looks the part and is a serious playmaker. To not even offer him is a miss. The rest of the TOP end players we tried as hard as you could ask to get them in here.

Who do you figure Wilson would have brought with him? I mean, his 'boys' left him at the alter at UF while they both went on to FSU. I lump Treon and Wilson in the same category, if you did not think they would either A win the job at their respective position over a recruit you already have or B openly be OK with a position change. Then they are not worth the 4 years of negative press and the headache with the local coaches. Because BOTH of their coaches are their parents and BOTH are more than OK going to Twitter and have already done damage with their antics.

If we have a kid committed that can also go to Stanford, we are probably going to lost that kid 99% of the time. Good luck Mr. Gibbons. You cant really expect us to have a back up plan in place 5 days before signing day when the kid has been committed for weeks/months.

As for the Cook, Lane, TV, Clark etc. We recruited them, most very hard and right to the last minute. We have teammates of theirs on the team, or committed and they still chose to go else where. There is only so much you can do when that is the case. We were one of the first teams to offer Rudolph and he still left, so there goes the theory of get on kids early is the only way.

I think our staff is struggling with the difference in the south from the north. I think that is why they have recently hired guys who are better recruiters than coaches. I think AG and Coley are great recruiters. But both could be better at their job as coach.

At this point, it is totally fair to say AG has to win this year. There needs to be drastic improvement in the defense. We need another class with some of SoFla's best in it. Good quality depth. We need to see some development in some of these players that will be RSsophs/Jrs. It is fair to now, in yr 4 demand some results or we can fairly expect to see some position replacements.

I have faith in AG as a CEO. I am not sure if he has what it takes to turn the corner, but this team has no excuses left. However, we cant truly ***** until the fall. Good luck Canes, congrats to the kids that stuck with the U! Now lets hit some Utough!

as a coach, isn't it Al's responsibility to know these kids won't make it or have a small chance?

 

[Consigliere]

Great post D$, the one thing I don't get is why do people care WHY we don't land a player? The bottom line is we didn't land the player.

If the reason the player chooses another school is because he hates the D or gets money, what is the difference? The bottom line is he is going somewhere else.

 

[itsacanething]

Well thought out OP. Agree with what you said and agree that if Golden can't win with this talent someone else will.

it seems to me people on this board believe it is win this year or else for golden. just my opinion but i believe in the eyes of the administration golden has two -three years to win barring a really bad season of course. basically he is getting a do over due to the ncaa mess.

 

[Jassid82]

If we're so stubborn on size, why did we sign Berrios? Kinda shoots down the McKenzie argument, no?

Why do you think we didn't offer McKenzie? Athletic ability? You didn't answer my question, but they obviously liked Berrios more.

And come on, Dowels? Offers from Rutgers, Utah, Appalachian State, NIU, and Cuse? That's the kind of kid that this and previous staffs have gotten murdered for signing in the past.

Offers from Clemson and Oklahoma. Both teams looked pretty good last time I saw them. 247 doesn't list offers from either of them...and if he did have offers from them, you're telling me he chose Cuse over those two? Right.

Are you suggesting that Miami coaches start the rumors of kids getting paid because they can't admit defeat? You lose all credibility with me if that's the case.

OK. I'll take that as a 'yes'. Total buffoonery.

How was Powell's defection a total ***** up?

He is a 4.0+ student who waited two days because of "transcripts." I'll let you fill in the blanks. How is that the coaches fault, since you claim I only disagreed with things that are critical of the coaches (yet I apparently agreed with your point about the defense...Imagine that. If the kid wanted to be a Cane, he would've waited 2 freaking days. Please.

It's a little contradictory to say that QB is the strongest position in the class, but the QB recruiting was 'clumsy' (I happen to agree with the latter, although that has nothing to do with Flowers or Treon).

QB is the strongest position in the class because Kaaya is an excellent prospect. I said we should've offered Treon as a QB in the spring. The fact that we did so in January (when he didn't grow an inch) suggests that something was wrong with our approach. Or that the Treon camp said they might be open to a position change if he was given a shot at QB.

This is just dumb. The vast majority of us are firmly in the middle of these two groups.

But yet the only points you disagree with are the points that are critical of our coaches. I stand by my position that the fan base is polarized. What does Powell have to do with the coaches? Did I disagree about the defense being the new 'cloud'?

Snore. More BS.

Wow. You are kinda hard on my man Dmoney here bro. Lets set a few things straight..

1) If you think Berrios and McKenzie are the same size then you obviously havent seen either. Berrios is a thicker build. (More Smoss like) and Mckenzie is more Roscoe Parrish. Golden is like Butch. He doesnt like frail looking athletes. Shrugs. We will see if he was dumb or not very soon for not offering. We know how Roscoe turned out.

2) As far as Dowels, I will let WildcatDefense dig in your a$$ on this one. Im sure he will be here in a minute..

3) And as far as Powell is concerned. This is the coaches fault. But I guess they were too busy worrying about DCook that they let this guy slip through the cracks. (Or thats prob how Powell felt)

As somone once told me, "You messin' up yo' fa sho pu$$y, tryna get some mo' pu$$y".. Powell was in the bag and we let him get away. And Cook ended up gettin away in the end anyway. Smh.

 

[Gamineal]

Interesting on the cloud/defense......what other recruits besides Valley Boy said anything about not coming to Miami due to coach D or Scheme....if that is what your were referring too.....I for one see a huge opportunity to make an impact at Miami if I was a local stud....

If anything I see why WR or Rbs stay away with our QB play for the last decade..

great write up after a long day...we appreciate what you and staff do on a daily bases....you put up with a lot from some of us.

 

[LuCane]

The Wilson thing I don't agree with. For all the pied piper talk, none of his boys ended up where he was. If you don't think Wilson can play then don't even bother. We'll see if their wrong on that evaluation but for now Mayes at least appears to be kid who wants it. Did everything he could to be an EE. No guarantees in life, but I get the feeling Quincy and his father would've surely been a pain in the *** if he was stuck behind other players for a year or two.

Signing Wilson wasn't just about 2014. The South Florida Express isn't going anywhere. Big-time kids like Sam Bruce are already parroting anti-Miami talk. These kids won't necessarily follow Wilson, but I'd rather them hear Miami propaganda than Miami hate.

More than anything, I'm just not a Mayes fan. I don't understand offering him and turning our nose up at Wilson.

The camps are more than about evaluating field skills, its a chance to get to know the kid and the kind of family he comes from. Chad and Quincy Wilson are the poster children of whats wrong with South Florida football. Golden wanted no part of it, and its an area I agree with him. The kid showed his true colors throughout the process. Not every kid will be Sean Taylor, but I would rather a good kid like Mayes get a shot to prove the naysayers than a total brat like Quincy Wilson get his way because he pitches a fit, folds his arms, sits indian style and wont go anywhere because he and his dad are pouting.

The problem I see with this is that what Golden values isn't deeply embedded in the culture down here. At least not in quantities so that the majority of his recruiting pool will fit with that mentality and family approach. On multiple levels: physically (size) and values/appearance/behavior.

So then what? Yes, there are some humble, focused and good kids. Yes, there are some kids who come from tight families with a strong sense of "morals" and "good" behavior. As someone who works with disadvantaged youth in SoFla and sometimes their families, I can tell you there are a lot more who simply need guidance and purpose that they believe in. Not every kid will be Duke Johnson, Sean Taylor, Jon Vilma or Antrel Rolle.

At the same time, while I can see a reason we won't take a Quincy Wilson (moreso what the coaches think of him on the field rather than off), some of those kids have a lot of room for personal growth. Golden has shown some signs that he's willing to work with kids so long as he believes they can produce on the field (e.g. EJ). If he wants to succeed down here, my hope is he opens his doors to more and more of them. Make Miami the haven it once was for kids who simply want an opportunity, are still growing toward becoming men, and who can believe in coaches (even those who weren't originally from Miami).

 

[Spookcane]

If we're so stubborn on size, why did we sign Berrios? Kinda shoots down the McKenzie argument, no?

Why do you think we didn't offer McKenzie? Athletic ability? You didn't answer my question, but they obviously liked Berrios more.

And come on, Dowels? Offers from Rutgers, Utah, Appalachian State, NIU, and Cuse? That's the kind of kid that this and previous staffs have gotten murdered for signing in the past.

Offers from Clemson and Oklahoma. Both teams looked pretty good last time I saw them. 247 doesn't list offers from either of them...and if he did have offers from them, you're telling me he chose Cuse over those two? Right.

Are you suggesting that Miami coaches start the rumors of kids getting paid because they can't admit defeat? You lose all credibility with me if that's the case.

OK. I'll take that as a 'yes'. Total buffoonery.

How was Powell's defection a total ***** up?

He is a 4.0+ student who waited two days because of "transcripts." I'll let you fill in the blanks. How is that the coaches fault, since you claim I only disagreed with things that are critical of the coaches (yet I apparently agreed with your point about the defense...Imagine that. If the kid wanted to be a Cane, he would've waited 2 freaking days. Please.

It's a little contradictory to say that QB is the strongest position in the class, but the QB recruiting was 'clumsy' (I happen to agree with the latter, although that has nothing to do with Flowers or Treon).

QB is the strongest position in the class because Kaaya is an excellent prospect. I said we should've offered Treon as a QB in the spring. The fact that we did so in January (when he didn't grow an inch) suggests that something was wrong with our approach. Or that the Treon camp said they might be open to a position change if he was given a shot at QB.

This is just dumb. The vast majority of us are firmly in the middle of these two groups.

But yet the only points you disagree with are the points that are critical of our coaches. I stand by my position that the fan base is polarized. What does Powell have to do with the coaches? Did I disagree about the defense being the new 'cloud'?

Snore. More BS.

Sebas 91-You have to be the most arrogant buffoon on god living earth.. Good lawd,, Not agreeing with something its part of human nature, but are you related to "Scott" from the "Kardashians" ? I ask cuz you reek like a total "DOUCHER". Dude, get a grip and wake the **** up. Remove all that "Moco De Gorila Gel" from you hair and put your custom fit "Polo" - sweater down and listen for once as opposed to debating everything and claiming you are the brightest ************ out there brother. I promise you wont live past 60 years old if you continue to take life too ******* seriously my "Ninja".
No beef bra!

 

[Don Caneleone]

With respect to the "cloud", IMO, the new "cloud" is going to be whether Al Golden (and staff) keep their jobs. If this season goes how I think it will, Miami fans will be calling for his job. This will obviously trickle down to recruiting.

With respect to the staff being more liberal in their offers in '15, in the past the staff has taken the approach that offering kids early and then reneging would do irreparable harm. Schools the likes of WVU, UL, Arkansas, etc.. can come down here, throw scholarship offers around and if they have to renege, so be it. Right or wrong, Miami believed they needed to be more careful. We'll see how they move forward.

 

[TheUx5]

THANK YOU!!!!! The kids not these dumb !@# coaches who come and go as they please.

 

[L A M P]

I just love seeing kids like Demetrius Jackson and Trayon Gray shed tears for the colors. I don’t care if it’s corny. Last year was the roughest NSD in ages, but we will always remember Stacy Coley putting on the Swag hat. Forget about the coaches. That’s what this day is about..

Not gonna lie, the picture of Gray & watching DJack's interview made me emotional. A lot of people don't realize how hard some of these inner-city kids have it & that often, they are the first kid in their family to go to college. Not only is it life changing for the kid himself but can totally alter future genrations in their family. That's what it is all about.

 

[TheUx5]

Btw, those kids that shed tears yesterday are the ones who don't take things forgranted, are the Ed Reeds of the world. They come here and give there all.

Can't wait to see them mature and ballin. Good for them and their fams