So yesterday sucked. I think I speak for many posters on here that while this loss was inexcusable in the moment, everything we expected preseason is still on the table. For me, an ACCCG appearance was the bar, and that is still well within reach - in fact, it’s in our control. Win, and you’re in. Pretty decent, all things considered.
I want to focus on the larger picture here, rather than putting yesterday under a microscope. There’s been enough of that.
And for those that don’t want to read all this, the TLDR version is that there are way too many players on this roster that either fail to raise the floor of their respective rooms, or are still “coming along”. Through six portal windows and four plus recruiting classes, we still have gaping holes in both our starting units, and our depth. For a recruiting savant, I have questions.
I’ll go class by class here. I want to preface this by saying…
- No, I am not saying Mario is a bad recruiter.
- Yes, these players can take a significant leap from year 2 to year 3, or year 1 to year 2.
- Yes, scheme may impact their production.
- Yes, some players were projects when we signed them out of HS.
2022 HS class
Cyrus Moss - transferred
Nyjalik Kelly - transferred
Jaleel Skinner - transferred
Chris Graves - transferred
TreVontae’ Citizen - transferred
Khamauri Rogers - transferred
Wesley Bissanthe - starter, certain improvement from Y1 - Y3.
Markeith Williams - barely cracked the two deep in Y3
Jacurri Brown - transferred
Isaiah Horton - solidified #2 WR, massive improvement
Jaden Harris - no bueno
Matthew McCoy - stagnant development
Ahmad Moten - 3rd string in year 3
Colbie Young - transferred
Anez Cooper - starting RG, production down in Y3
Transferred: 8/14 (oof)
Starters: 4/14
Star players: 0.5/14 (Horton gets .5).
Synopsis: Definitely not blaming Mario on this one, however he ultimately decided to keep the current recruits on this roster; therefore, they’re his recruits imo. He cycled 8 out, and kept 6. Horton has another jump in him, very pleased with his growth and believe he’ll feast as WR2 next year.,Wes still makes mistakes but is getting better. Cooper has regressed from 2023. He’s barely an average P4 guard, ranking outside the top 250 in PFF.
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Jaden Harris is a disaster. McCoy will never start here. Markeith is still too scrawny and can barely fight for second string snaps in year 3. Transition classes are tough, this one embodies that sentiment.
2022 Portal Class
Darrell Jackson Jr. - transferred
Caleb Johnson
Akeem Mesidor - starter
Johnathan Denis - transferred
Logan Sagapolu - transferred
Antonio Moultrie
Henry Parrish - transferred
Frank Ladson Jr. - transferred
Jake Lichtenstein
Daryl Porter Jr
Mitchell Agude
Transferred: 5/11 (oof)
Current Starters: 2/11
Star Players: 0/11
Synopsis: Mario’s First portal window, not very good. Jackson was basically Judas (and ended up not being very good). The UCLA pairing was underwhelming, Moultrie was a non-factor, and Ladson was just plain bad. The Oregon OL were horrible takes, Parrish was solid…but not a game-changer. Good P4 running back, nothing more. We all remember Mesidor against Clemson in 2022, but injuries have slowed him down. DPJ has regressed since coming on in 2023.
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Maybe it’s playing out of position, maybe it’s lack of desire. Nonetheless, the numbers are the numbers.
Sooo 2022 wasn’t great; over 50% of all additions have since transferred, and only three players are starting. Mario’s first year, sure give him a mulligan. Just getting a lay of the land. Let’s move onto 2023.
2023 HS/JUCO
Francis Mauigoa - starting left tackle
Samson Okunlola - non factor
Rueben Bain - small regression but not concerned (will get to him below)
Mark Fletcher - decent, but far from a game-changer. An elite team’s RB2 or RB3.
Jayden Wayne - transferred
Robby Washington - changing positions because he’s a non-factor at WR
Ray Ray Joseph - non-factor
Riley Williams - non-factor
Robert Stafford - must be pure trash if he can’t sniff the field with this DB group
Damari Brown - we have to prop someone up because the other DBs are booty juice
Collins Acheampong - transferred
Malik Bryant
Josh Horton - non factor
Popo Aguirre - coming along, decent so far
Antonio Tripp - non factor
Chris Johnson Jr. - non factor
Tommy Kinsler - non factor
Bobby Washington - non factor
Kaleb Spencer - transferred
Emory Williams
Jackson Carver - non factor
Shemar Kirk - non factor
Demetrius Freeney - transferred
Frankie Tinilau - non factor
Marcelius Pulliam - transferred
Transferred: 5/26
Starters: 2
Star Players: 1/26 (maybe?)
Synopsis: No one wants to hear this, but there’s A LOT of potential dead weight here that will be feeling the pressure to perform in the spring. Francis is still the crown jewel of this class. Unfortunately, Samson hasn’t panned out; what happens to him regarding cost-benefit remains to be seen.
I can’t count Bain as a star player anymore. The definition of star player (and this is nationally), is someone that can completely change a game. I know he was hurt. I get it - injuries take time. But in five games, against very mediocre/bad offensive lines, he has 2.5 sacks and only 8 tackles. This was a second-team all-American in the preseason. This guy was in the backfield religiously in 2023 as a TF. He’s just not having the same impact on a game as of now. His form can return, I’m not saying it won’t. Could absolutely be the injury. Let’s hope he regains his form down the stretch here, we need him bad given the lack of pass rush.
Popo seems to be getting better, but again he still makes key mistakes (Cal game). Fringe starter. Same can be said for Fletch. A lot of OL guys waiting in the wings, it’s put up or see yah for guys like Samson, Kinsler, Tripp and Tinilau in 2025. I fear guys like Carver, Kirk, Bobby Washington, Emory, etc. will never play meaningful snaps here. It’s early, but this class could shape up to be very concerning.
2023 Transfer Portal
Jamil Burroughs - future MMA career
Rocky Shelton - walk on
KJ Cloyd - below average P4 linebacker
Luis Cristobal - lol
Anthony Campbell - non factor
Tyler Harrell - non factor
Ajay Allen - flashed in limited opportunities, probably portal bound?
Jadais Richard - ***
Jaden Davis - ***
Terry Roberts - so *** he left immediately
Cam McCormick
Branson Deen - supposed to be a placeholder for the young DTs, but slightly above average addition.
Matt Lee - slam dunk addition
Kiko Mauigoa - gotten progressively worse
Thomas Gore - transferred
Davonte Brown - transferred.
Javion Cohen - Good addition
Transferred: 5/17
Starters: 2 (ish, now that Richard is out)
2024 Star Players: 0
Matt Lee, worth every penny. Javion Cohen, **** of a job in pass pro. Great additions.
And then the fun stops there.
The DB additions are quite horrific. DL, we whiffed again on the guys that had more than a year of eligibility. Deen was supposed to be a guy to bridge the gap between now and 2024. He was serviceable, decent really. Just not exceptional. Harrell, nothing. Campbell, nothing. McCormack, I guess for what he’s asked to do (which is nothing), he’s fine.
Kiko…man I’m disapppinted in his regression. It’s virtually across the board. The tackling…WOOF
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Zero difference makers in this portal window. Zero star players. So through two seasons of recruiting, we have…1 star player? An offensive tackle?
But let’s continue to 2024.
2024 HS class
Justin Scott - nothing noteworthy
Marquise Lightfoot - not ready
Armando Blount - we’ve been gashed when he’s in the game
Zaquan Patterson - lost in coverage
Joshisa Trader - not ready
Ny Carr - not ready
Booker Pickett Jr. - not ready
Elija Lofton - flashed in limited opportunities
Chance Robinson - not ready
Artavius Jones - not ready
Jordan Lyle - one good run against USF, otherwise not ready
Adarius Hayes - not ready
Markel Bell - eh
Cam Pruitt - emerging imo
Elias Rudolph - not ready
Ryan Mack - not ready
Dylan Day - not ready
Deryc Plazz - not ready
OJ Frédérique - playing like a future CB1
Isaiah Thomas - not ready
Judd Anderson - no
Cole McConathy - non-factor
Chris WH - not ready / probably won’t ever play here
Juan Minaya - project
Daylen Russell - project
Nino Francavilla - backup but seems solid when he’s in?
Transferred: 0/27 (so far)
Starters: 2/27
Star Players: 1?
I expect the least out of the 2024 kids, I’m not some crazy guy that thinks if they don’t play immediately, they’re busts. I totally get some of these takes are projects, and yet at the same time…some of these guys still can’t crack the two deep? Given how bad the DB room is, how bad the DT room is, how weak the LB room is (I just described the whole defense, nice), I would’ve thought some of these 5 stars would be ready to contribute more in the two deep. It seems like every 5 star we miss on is not only playing, but balling out. Ours (besides Mauigoa) are all projects…elite tools, but have to be properly developed. I don’t see any indication that development is going on right now, apart from a select few guys.
The final piece: 2024 portal class
Tyler Baron
Simeon Barrow
Sam Brown
Damien Martinez
D’Yoni Hill
Jaylin Alderman
Mishael Powell:
Cam Ward: beast
Elijah Alston: meh
Reese Poffenbarger: meh
Marley Cook: depth and not good depth
Zach Carpenter: good addition
Savion Riley: so bad he transferred immediately
CJ Clark: depth
Transferred: 1/14
Starters: 8-9
Stars: 1.5/14 (Ward and .5 for Martinez)
Finally some quality additions. Cam Ward is the best QB in America imo. Without him, we’re 6-4 or worse, and talking about Mario’s buyout (even though there would be no chance). Damien Martinez is finally running like a bulldozer, and Carpenter was a good replacement for Lee.
Simeon Barrow would be a very good DT2, next to a huge space eater like Harmon at Oregon. He’s a quality addition and has played well.
The DB evaluations continue to be an unmitigated disaster. Powell is getting progressively worse, and my god was he bad vs. GT.
Riley, another Vandy failure, left immediately. Hill has been pretty poor.
Sam Brown hasn’t been the beast I expected. He’s still a good WR3 and there’s a reason we keep targeting him. Alderman, meh. Mediocre. Same goes for Alston, and Baron is what he was at Tennessee - feasts on bad teams, no show against conference opponents. We got cucked here needing DE’s. Clark and Cook, whiffs.
So to encompass everything in this long breakdown: do you honestly trust this staff to develop the guys on this roster to star-level talent? Are we purely whiffing on evaluations? The portal in particular, we can’t find a defensive beast to save our lives.
Don’t tell me it’s not possible in the portal, because Ole Miss completely revamped their defense in one offseason to a champion-level caliber unit. FSU did it two years ago. Oregon is doing it this year. Mario didn’t exactly develop a ton of recruits when he was at Oregon, and I can make a thread for that too if people need more clarity. I’m not saying he was horrendous, just that the stars don’t necessarily equate to the draft picks.
I mean how many Mario-recruited star players do we have on this team after 2.5 years of recruiting…3? It’s not good enough. It’s quite simply not. How many tweeners are we going to recruit? How many guys with slim frames? How many guys that need multiple years to develop? Where are the instant impact guys???
The guys in the 2023 or 2024 class absolutely have a shot to develop and become nationally-recognized players. It would be asinine to count them out. I personally don’t trust Mario to develop them to their maximum capabilities, however. I’ll happily eat crow if I’m wrong. 2.5 years is a larger sample size than people think, and we’ve had too many 5-stars and high 4-stars fail to make a sizable impact.
We should not be struggling with mediocre ACC teams in Year 3, not with a Heisman caliber QB.
2025 needs to be a statement class, both in the portal and HS recruiting. We need dudes that are ready to take over a game NOW, no more projects, no more “oh give him 2-3 years”. That hasn’t worked for us. Find a Dylan Stewart, win a Colin Simmons recruiting battle, keep Jeremiah Smith home, steal a Ryan Wingo or Ryan Williams, don’t let Stanquan Clark or Xavier Lucas or Jacorey Barney leave Florida. I could keep going.
Evaluations need to be better in the short-term. Development needs to be better all around. Coaching? That’s another topic for another day.
And yet we’re still 9-1. All that negativity and concern, yet we still can make the CFP by winning out. Keep trudging along, keep improving the roster…but if it looks dire in 2025, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
