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Rellyrell’s Review (Class of ‘23)

bobbydigius said:
Couple of things, and I do appreciate your high standards as that is what we should be striving for. WR is better than D, Robby and Ray Ray are players, still major misses here, I give it a solid C to B-. RB is a B, we got a top 10 guy in Fletcher and a change of pace guy who runs a 10.4. CB is another one I diagree with here, I will assume that you are only grading HS players. Stafford is an excellent athlete and was a composite top 150 kid, I would call him a top tier ACC guy. Damari was outright coveted by Bama, that is not our guys saying that is them saying it and when I say them, I mean their Cribby in Hank South. CB was a B- for me, losing Cormani was a major major loss. In terms of LB, Popo was absolutely heavily recruited by UGA and at the top of their board at MLB, Bama wanted him as well. Malik is a weird one as he was a tweener and while some SEC schools wanted him, he wasnt that heavily pursued by the big boys. The rest I. think is spot on.
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WR is a D. we dont have a number 1 WR on the roster or in the class. Just got slot guys
 
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hoops156 said:
WR is a D. we dont have a number 1 WR on the roster or in the class. Just got slot guys
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Albeit in limited stretch Colbie looks like a #1. Problem is you need to constantly replenish that position and have competition. We did neither, so him being complacent and failing to take the next step is certainly a real possibility.
 
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RightSaidFred said:
Those are arguments that can be made. In the big picture though, a #7 class with all of the advantages Mario has been given (NIL, funds for staff, improvements to facilities etc)… we should expect better.
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Not until we start winning.
RightSaidFred said:
You want to beat teams like Alabama, then you need to recruit like Alabama. I believe Mario is a good recruiter but he handcuffed himself with a bad OC he refused to fire until the class was already signed, and he didn’t have the team ready to play which results in losses on the field and in recruiting
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Rellyrell said:
Now that all of the signing periods have been completed, with Miami coming up empty on NSD, I wanted to assess our current class, including the transfer portal.

First off, kudos to Mario & the staff to navigate a tumultuous season, while pulling in a solid class in his first, full cycle. The 2008 Class, however, taught me a valuable lesson; never fully focus on the team ranking per recruiting services vs. evaluating the totality of the class, itself. As an example, Team A can recruit 25 kids that included 10-5* & 15-4*. On paper, that would be the #1 class in the nation, but if 50% of that class are strictly DEs, & the other 50% are strictly LBs…u get the point.

So here are my grades for our class, per position:

QB: C+
Though I soured on Rashada as his season progressed, the fact is we solely focused on him, when red flags began to present themselves. Our QB room is a mess, & relying upon one QB via the HS ranks, a 3* at that, is risky. This is not to say Williams won’t be the next Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, or Justin Herbert, but it is to say our QB room is in dire straights & this not the way to repair it in 2023.

RB: A-
We missed on Baxter & Young, but what a great consolation prize securing the #7 RB in the nation in Fletcher & a surging 4* RB in Chris Johnson. Fletcher showed his value & abilities in The Army All American game. He appears to be the anti-Thad Franklin, & we have a great change of pace duo in the class of ‘23. We saw the RB room look good on paper, to becoming a sore spot in the blink of an eye in ‘22, & these two immensely help restore this room.

WR: B-
This is a room that needed an infusion of talent. This is also a position that had so much talent in our back yard where we left a lot of meat on the bones (pause) from a HS & Portal standpoint. We added two dynamic guys w/ the ball in their hand, but both are on the smallish side. While they will be dynamic playmakers, neither feel like a WR1 as opposed to WR2’s. It would’ve been great if they were paired with some of the other beast that were available.

OL: A+
What an absolute haul, both recruiting via HS & Portal! If there was any position on the field I was least concerned w/, it was OL. Both Mario & Alex know what it looks like, can drop names of guys they’ve coached up to the next level, & it paid dividends this cycle.

TE: A
The room already is stacked, & adding a top 5 TE in the nation, along w/ an in-line TE that can be flexed makes this a good haul that’ll shore up an already nice room

LB: A-
Best LB recruiting we’ve had in quite some time, & got **** did we need it! Hit on 3 absolute studs w/ Papo, Malik, & Francissssssssssco Mauioga, along w/ a newly minted 4-star LB in Bobby Washington. Also, picked up some nice depth pieces in Spencer & Pulliam. Not being able to snag Hill after the smoke build up sucked, but Strong & Company identified another weak spot, & absolutely attacked it.

DE: A
Deep, rotational class. Some raw talent (Acheampong, Horton) mixed in w/ some guys who should see the field early (Bain, Wayne), along w/ a vet who will see significant time via from The Portal in Deen. This room is already primed to be the anchor of the defense, & it just got better.

DT: D-
INEXCUSABLE RECRUITING HERE. Literally whiffed on everyone. The only reason y this room is not a complete F is b/c at least we were able to snag a G5 DL from The Portal (Gore) who can play all across the line. This room has been a thorn in our side for a while, & it’s unimaginable for a school that’s produced Sapp, Brown, Wilfork, Tez, Maryland, Joseph, etc. have struggled mightily to recruit here. Not in love w/ that room as a whole, so really dropped the ball here.

S: D
Again, a lot of meat left on the bones (pause) from this position. Love Antoine as a prospect, but right now we have Kam, JW0, & Markeith Williams in the entire S room. 3 guys. This was a room where we needed to recruit, at an absolute minimum, 2 guys & we didn’t fulfill that. Here’s praying to Kam & JDub stay healthy all season.

CB: B
Listen, picking up the Brown brothers, along w/ Stafford was good, but let’s keep it 100, substituting an oft injured CB in Roberts via The Portal for arguably a top 5 player in the nation regardless of position, absolutely sucks ***. I’m not going to lose sleep over any recruit who spurns us, but I’m not going to CIS the situation either & act like that chit didn’t sting. Cormani immediately changes the dynamic of the squad, especially this room. Nevertheless, a very good haul under the circumstances.

ST: N/A
Replacing Hedley “The Gawd” is going to be tough. Just b/c Joyce is from Australia like Lou doesn’t mean he’ll be Lou II, & b/c I’m not familiar w/ his game, I can’t comment on him. Just hoping he’s of the same caliber. ****, as long as he’s not remotely like Feagles, I’ll be happy.


Overall, I give this class a B+ as it took care a couple of needs (OL, LB, RB), added to others (DE, TE, CB), while leaving other rooms head scratching (DT, S, WR). Hopefully with the portal reopening later this yr, we’ll be able to change some of these rooms with better impact/depth players.

Thoughts & Discussion?
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Spencer needs to be added to safety. That’s where he will play. He’s a maniac and I love that. We will see if he stays there. I agree with the numbers though.

DT to me isn’t a D because as you pointed out, Gore, the kid from Perdue is a stud, and Horton ( 4 stars for those that love that) will rotate because he’s really good. From a high school perspective I agree. But you also have a kid in Moton who I think has game and LT back with JHH.

WR- it hurts cause we missed on an outside guy then missed in the portal. Can’t agree with Joseph and Washington being number 2 guys. Robby is a dog. Grade makes sense because he failed to land a portal guy with size on the outside.

QB Room has TVD ( hopefully with an OC who
Opens things up and takes advantage of his skill set. Brown can develop and so can Williams. Now you can sell a high school senior on playing right away. Get the right kid.

Excellent job. I’m not nitpicking just giving feedback. Side note blows we lost McClain and listening to sanders act like the only kids on earth that won’t go to cold *** Colorado are kids chasing the bag. I’d destroy him in the living rooms. No way McClain went there because his mom watched him play corner and this all happened in a week? Please.
 
CT Cane 44 said:
Spencer needs to be added to safety. That’s where he will play. He’s a maniac and I love that. We will see if he stays there. I agree with the numbers though.

DT to me isn’t a D because as you pointed out, Gore, the kid from Perdue is a stud, and Horton ( 4 stars for those that love that) will rotate because he’s really good. From a high school perspective I agree. But you also have a kid in Moton who I think has game and LT back with JHH.

WR- it hurts cause we missed on an outside guy then missed in the portal. Can’t agree with Joseph and Washington being number 2 guys. Robby is a dog. Grade makes sense because he failed to land a portal guy with size on the outside.

QB Room has TVD ( hopefully with an OC who
Opens things up and takes advantage of his skill set. Brown can develop and so can Williams. Now you can sell a high school senior on playing right away. Get the right kid.

Excellent job. I’m not nitpicking just giving feedback. Side note blows we lost McClain and listening to sanders act like the only kids on earth that won’t go to cold *** Colorado are kids chasing the bag. I’d destroy him in the living rooms. No way McClain went there because his mom watched him play corner and this all happened in a week? Please.
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I appreciate ur candor & feedback bro. Here’s y I said what I said regarding the DT & QB rooms:

Good size is 6’4 300+, not 6’2 280. Gore is 6’0 270.

Brother, my grade for DT was not a reactionary grade vs. we’re substituting a 6’6 300+ guy for a 6’2 280 guy. U see the difference? Lol. Horton is a DLman, meaning he can play on the out & on the inside. With him being a pup, he’s not going to be one u can rely upon 1st yr.

Also, when u say phrases like “hopefully & can” that’s wishing vs. facts. Fact is as of 02/02/23, that QB room is not a strength, & we’re relying upon TVD to learn a new playbook while staying upright.
 
Rellyrell said:
Absolutely; I’m actually waiting for spring ball to finish up & see who shakes out. Still monitoring A&M to see if anything comes of that chit show.
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Great writeup as everyone else has said. Given how bad we were last season, I am still ecstatic by the personnel we've brought in. But like you and everyone point out, we are still super thin at several positions. If we're not extremely active in the portal over the next 5 months, it better be because no one decent enters. Otherwise, something is very wrong.

Personally, I think we need a #1 WR, a speedy outside WR, NG, S, CB (maybe 2!), OT and LB. 8 or 9 portalers. Agree we need an RB but can't imagine anyone good would come given that room right now.

I also hope the OC re-recruits Jake. I was never in the Jake > TVD camp. But despite his 2022 performance, I think he's got a lot of upside and could be a starter at Miami with the right coach. Kid is overmanaged by his family (why do we always have that problem with QBs?). But he's a good kid who is willing to put in the work. He needs a real mentor. Not sure WTF Ponce was doing with those QBs but he and Gattis f-ed them up.

Haven't checked out how close we are to our team cap. But I know we've got several guys still on roster who will be marginal contributors at best. We need more talent or we're staring at 7-5/8-4 type season even with all these upgrades.
 
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Rellyrell said:
I appreciate ur candor & feedback bro. Here’s y I said what I said regarding the DT & QB rooms:

Good size is 6’4 300+, not 6’2 280. Gore is 6’0 270.

Brother, my grade for DT was not a reactionary grade vs. we’re substituting a 6’6 300+ guy for a 6’2 280 guy. U see the difference? Lol. Horton is a DLman, meaning he can play on the out & on the inside. With him being a pup, he’s not going to be one u can rely upon 1st yr.

Also, when u say phrases like “hopefully & can” that’s wishing vs. facts. Fact is as of 02/02/23, that QB room is not a strength, & we’re relying upon TVD to learn a new playbook while staying upright.
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Brother I totally get it on the DT front. It’s absolutely pathetic a program like Miami even as bad as it’s been should be able to pull in legit DTs. The kid from Perdue I think is 290 right? He isn’t 300. And I’m aware Gore is small. But LT should be a force you’d hope, JHH has plenty size, and Moton is a big dude. But you’re absolutely right about the recruiting. The receiver issue is even more ridiculous. It’s Miami. Get it right Mario.
 
cway313 said:
2 of the 3 most important positions are QB and WR. I think an overall grade of B+ is too high when we left a lot to be desired in both areas. Overall I'd give class a B- The holes at CB, S, QB, DT, and WR are to big for me.
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This method of grading doesn't make much sense because ultimately you are just grading the roster as a whole - not just the recruiting class. So I disagree on that is fully how you want to grade a recruiting class. Obviously you need to grade on a curve, but the thing is we had the #7 ranked class - and a top 10 class without question. In order for a top 7 finish to be ranked a B- this is how the grading would have to be:
A+ would be #1, A would be #2, A- would be 3, B+ would be 4, B would be 5-6, and B- would be 7-10?...

Then just think, if we signed Cormani McClain, we would have ended up with the #3/4 class. But because that isn't covering the QB/WR/DT/S holes that means what it's still only a B or maybe a B+ grade at best even though we finished with a top 3 class? That would seem incredibly ridiculous - calling the best recruiting class we have had in a decade a "B/B+"... In fact the one we have without Cormani is the best recruiting class we have ever had and best by rankings in over a decade and you're saying it's a "B-"

And if you really want to do it based on positional importance shouldn't the team that just got the top QB in the nation - Like Tennessee just get an A because QB is such a valuable position, even though as a whole we outrecruited them?
 
calinative umstudent said:
This method of grading doesn't make much sense because ultimately you are just grading the roster as a whole - not just the recruiting class. So I disagree on that is fully how you want to grade a recruiting class. Obviously you need to grade on a curve, but the thing is we had the #7 ranked class - and a top 10 class without question. In order for a top 7 finish to be ranked a B- this is how the grading would have to be:
A+ would be #1, A would be #2, A- would be 3, B+ would be 4, B would be 5-6, and B- would be 7-10?...

Then just think, if we signed Cormani McClain, we would have ended up with the #3/4 class. But because that isn't covering the QB/WR/DT/S holes that means what it's still only a B or maybe a B+ grade at best even though we finished with a top 3 class? That would seem incredibly ridiculous - calling the best recruiting class we have had in a decade a "B/B+"... In fact the one we have without Cormani is the best recruiting class we have ever had and best by rankings in over a decade and you're saying it's a "B-"

And if you really want to do it based on positional importance shouldn't the team that just got the top QB in the nation - Like Tennessee just get an A because QB is such a valuable position, even though as a whole we outrecruited them?
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The entire purpose of recruiting is to replenish the team with talent. If you recruit some positions really well and neglect others you don't get credit because of the overall talent. The ranking won't suit up this fall so being #7 vs #4 means didly ****. We had obvious holes going into the offseason. We didn't utilize the 23 class or the FIRST portal period to address enough of those.
 
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Rellyrell said:
I appreciate ur candor & feedback bro. Here’s y I said what I said regarding the DT & QB rooms:

Good size is 6’4 300+, not 6’2 280. Gore is 6’0 270.

Brother, my grade for DT was not a reactionary grade vs. we’re substituting a 6’6 300+ guy for a 6’2 280 guy. U see the difference? Lol. Horton is a DLman, meaning he can play on the out & on the inside. With him being a pup, he’s not going to be one u can rely upon 1st yr.

Also, when u say phrases like “hopefully & can” that’s wishing vs. facts. Fact is as of 02/02/23, that QB room is not a strength, & we’re relying upon TVD to learn a new playbook while staying upright.
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What is the word on Bryant? He still hasnt signed with a new team, right? With a new OC in place, if we can pull Bryant our WR room suddenly looks very different.
 
dk72 said:
What is the word on Bryant? He still hasnt signed with a new team, right? With a new OC in place, if we can pull Bryant our WR room suddenly looks very different.
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Correct; he’s still hanging around, no decision made on his end. He would definitely change the temperature in the room ASAP.
 
Rellyrell said:
Now that all of the signing periods have been completed, with Miami coming up empty on NSD, I wanted to assess our current class, including the transfer portal.

First off, kudos to Mario & the staff to navigate a tumultuous season, while pulling in a solid class in his first, full cycle. The 2008 Class, however, taught me a valuable lesson; never fully focus on the team ranking per recruiting services vs. evaluating the totality of the class, itself. As an example, Team A can recruit 25 kids that included 10-5* & 15-4*. On paper, that would be the #1 class in the nation, but if 50% of that class are strictly DEs, & the other 50% are strictly LBs…u get the point.

So here are my grades for our class, per position:

QB: C+
Though I soured on Rashada as his season progressed, the fact is we solely focused on him, when red flags began to present themselves. Our QB room is a mess, & relying upon one QB via the HS ranks, a 3* at that, is risky. This is not to say Williams won’t be the next Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, or Justin Herbert, but it is to say our QB room is in dire straights & this not the way to repair it in 2023.

RB: A-
We missed on Baxter & Young, but what a great consolation prize securing the #7 RB in the nation in Fletcher & a surging 4* RB in Chris Johnson. Fletcher showed his value & abilities in The Army All American game. He appears to be the anti-Thad Franklin, & we have a great change of pace duo in the class of ‘23. We saw the RB room look good on paper, to becoming a sore spot in the blink of an eye in ‘22, & these two immensely help restore this room.

WR: B-
This is a room that needed an infusion of talent. This is also a position that had so much talent in our back yard where we left a lot of meat on the bones (pause) from a HS & Portal standpoint. We added two dynamic guys w/ the ball in their hand, but both are on the smallish side. While they will be dynamic playmakers, neither feel like a WR1 as opposed to WR2’s. It would’ve been great if they were paired with some of the other beast that were available.

OL: A+
What an absolute haul, both recruiting via HS & Portal! If there was any position on the field I was least concerned w/, it was OL. Both Mario & Alex know what it looks like, can drop names of guys they’ve coached up to the next level, & it paid dividends this cycle.

TE: A
The room already is stacked, & adding a top 5 TE in the nation, along w/ an in-line TE that can be flexed makes this a good haul that’ll shore up an already nice room

LB: A-
Best LB recruiting we’ve had in quite some time, & got **** did we need it! Hit on 3 absolute studs w/ Papo, Malik, & Francissssssssssco Mauioga, along w/ a newly minted 4-star LB in Bobby Washington. Also, picked up some nice depth pieces in Spencer & Pulliam. Not being able to snag Hill after the smoke build up sucked, but Strong & Company identified another weak spot, & absolutely attacked it.

DE: A
Deep, rotational class. Some raw talent (Acheampong, Horton) mixed in w/ some guys who should see the field early (Bain, Wayne), along w/ a vet who will see significant time via from The Portal in Deen. This room is already primed to be the anchor of the defense, & it just got better.

DT: D-
INEXCUSABLE RECRUITING HERE. Literally whiffed on everyone. The only reason y this room is not a complete F is b/c at least we were able to snag a G5 DL from The Portal (Gore) who can play all across the line. This room has been a thorn in our side for a while, & it’s unimaginable for a school that’s produced Sapp, Brown, Wilfork, Tez, Maryland, Joseph, etc. have struggled mightily to recruit here. Not in love w/ that room as a whole, so really dropped the ball here.

S: D
Again, a lot of meat left on the bones (pause) from this position. Love Antoine as a prospect, but right now we have Kam, JW0, & Markeith Williams in the entire S room. 3 guys. This was a room where we needed to recruit, at an absolute minimum, 2 guys & we didn’t fulfill that. Here’s praying to Kam & JDub stay healthy all season.

CB: B
Listen, picking up the Brown brothers, along w/ Stafford was good, but let’s keep it 100, substituting an oft injured CB in Roberts via The Portal for arguably a top 5 player in the nation regardless of position, absolutely sucks ***. I’m not going to lose sleep over any recruit who spurns us, but I’m not going to CIS the situation either & act like that chit didn’t sting. Cormani immediately changes the dynamic of the squad, especially this room. Nevertheless, a very good haul under the circumstances.

ST: N/A
Replacing Hedley “The Gawd” is going to be tough. Just b/c Joyce is from Australia like Lou doesn’t mean he’ll be Lou II, & b/c I’m not familiar w/ his game, I can’t comment on him. Just hoping he’s of the same caliber. ****, as long as he’s not remotely like Feagles, I’ll be happy.


Overall, I give this class a B+ as it took care a couple of needs (OL, LB, RB), added to others (DE, TE, CB), while leaving other rooms head scratching (DT, S, WR). Hopefully with the portal reopening later this yr, we’ll be able to change some of these rooms with better impact/depth players.

Thoughts & Discussion?
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Including Transfers

QB: C
Got a high 3 star guy. Has potential. Nothing special, not horrible either. It'll be interesting to see how we choose to attack QB recruiting once TVD is gone. I've stated a few times I would much rather prefer just paying Transfer QBs to come while getting guys Like Emory out of HS - those high 3 star to 4 star guys that aren't expensive. So if we do that, years we don't land a transfer QB, we won't likely grade very high, but I don't think that should have too big of a negative impact on overall class grade if that is the route we are planning on going.
RB: A-
Really good haul. Only way it could have been better is if we got a top 3 RB in the country.
WR: B-/B
If we are just grading the actual players we brought in we are missing that true #1 WR. But if we did land that true #1 WR like ****ey this would be an A class. Joseph and Washington are legit. Plus idk why everyone acts like you need a 6'2" + WR in every class or something. Just because someone isn't 6' doesn't make them a slot guy. Most importantly these guys we got have speed. And I do still expect us to land a transfer WR, so think this grade will ultimately end up a B = Just Good.
TE: A
What you said.
OT: A+
Absolutely elite haul. Literally can't ask for more than 2 of the top 4 rated OTs. I don't expect us to be able to repeat this yearly. If Samson and Mauigoa hit, there won't be a starting OT job available for at least 3 years... which should make it harder to land those guys next year at the least.
iOL: A+
Again, elite haul, but mostly due to the transfers this time.
EDGE: A
Two borderline 5 star EDGE guys and another high 4 star guy. I mean literally the only way this gets better is if we are Bama who ridiculously landed 3 of the top 5 EDGE (and 4 of top 10!). But that isn't even an A+, that's like a A++ class...or UGA who landed 3 of top 12.
DL: C-
Horton looks like a beast tbh. Deen and Gore are both going to play DT here. Gore may be lighter than Deen, but he's only 6'. He definitely still needs to gain weight because ultimately, you need to have pure mass. But if he can get in the 280 range, he'll be fine. He'd then have a body type like Mike Daniels (13 Sacks Jr/SR yr) or Darius Stills (19.5 sacks Jr/SR yr). Lets also not act like ACC Olineman are B10/SEC Olineman... Still obviously we needed to land another 4star HS DT - or at least not lose Darrell Jackson.
LB: A-
Just a great haul. Only a handful of schools had a better 2 person haul than Bryant + Aguirre. And then you add Bobby Washington who is criminally underrated... Mauigoa gunna get heavy PT too obviously.
CB: B+
Damari & Davante Brown, Terry Roberts, and Stafford is a quality haul for us. If we would have landed Cormani it would have been Elite haul. But as it stands we got 2 heavy rotation guys immediately, and 2 really high quality HS guys. That's a great class.
S: B-
The guy we got was pretty **** good at least. I mean realistically the best class we could have hoped for was probably like Aguerro and Jackson... so it's not like this was some bumm haul. We needed 2 guys. We only got 1. But that doesn't automatically make this a terrible grade.

Overall Class grade = That slice right in between A-/B+. Lots of room to improve, but as a whole a great class. I'm really not trippin about QB recruiting, which really can change this grade a lot for some people. But ultimately we are talkin the difference in this being an Easy A grade is us hitting on a top WR, and either/or Keeping Cormani or landing a top DT...
 
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cway313 said:
The entire purpose of recruiting is to replenish the team with talent. If you recruit some positions really well and neglect others you don't get credit because of the overall talent. The ranking won't suit up this fall so being #7 vs #4 means didly ****. We had obvious holes going into the offseason. We didn't utilize the 23 class or the FIRST portal period to address enough of those.
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So what ranking would UGA get if they just got low 4 stars at every position and finished 10th in the rankings? They have no holes on their roster. Would they get an A because they didn't have any holes on the roster after the 23 Class and First portal period?
 
calinative umstudent said:
So what ranking would UGA get if they just got low 4 stars at every position and finished 10th in the rankings? They have no holes on their roster. Would they get an A because they didn't have any holes on the roster after the 23 Class and First portal period?
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These meritless, what if do nothing for me. We needed QB, WR, DT, CB, S we didn't do enough in those areas. Last I checked Samson and Francis don't throw passes, catch passes, stop the run or defend the pass.
 
cway313 said:
Albeit in limited stretch Colbie looks like a #1. Problem is you need to constantly replenish that position and have competition. We did neither, so him being complacent and failing to take the next step is certainly a real possibility.
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Big fan of Colbie but I agree. Can he produce when the other teams #1 CB is on him or when he’s bracketed? Very nice player but we need to get him help for sure
 
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