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The running game

DMoney said:
To be clear, I don't think Lofton should be a full-time RB like Lyle or Fletcher. He's a weapon, and his value is in mismatches.

I just think he should major at RB/FB and minor at TE long-term. He's 6'1 and stocky. His length limits him a bit at TE and he's more unique in the backfield because of his ability to block like a FB, run like a RB and run routes like a WR. There's nobody really like that. For our purposes, he could play more at HBack/TE until we inevitably have injuries.

The problem with the expensive Portal RB is that you're paying a premium to upgrade from Lyle/Fletcher when there are more pressing needs elsewhere. I don't think you keep all three based on all the info I have, so it doesn't fortify your depth. @Coach Macho knows the dynamics as well and he said the same thing.

And we've been talking about this theoretically, when the reality is there aren't a ton of big-time backs in the Portal. Justice Haynes is the #1 back and he had worse stats than Fletcher. Makhi Hughes is the name we've talked about here, but he has family ties to Oregon and is the #7 back in the Portal. That ranking seems too low to me, but I don't think he's projected as a high-end NFL back or he'd be gone by now.

Budget-wise, I like @Memnon's idea of adding a blue-chip back that got buried at a big program. We can also add TEs (who are cheaper than top RBs) to reduce the pressure on Lofton to get snaps at TE. And hopefully Brock Schott can be ready to get snaps, as he gets here early and he is a similar prospect to Lofton.
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Gotcha - totally agree with lining up Lofton all over the field.

With the "we have needs elsewhere" - I agree. My worry is we're getting some nice players on D, but I don't know if we're getting impact players. And we're losing our Offensive impact players. I feel like we're on a trajectory to be a little better on Defense, and noticeably worse on Offense. We're just trading our defensive issues this year to Offense next year.

I also agree that the biggest issue is there's no RB that great in the portal anyways. There is no Judkins/Martinez like there was last year. It's really pretty thing. Haynes is probably the best and he couldn't take control of the Alabama backfield. Side Note - I can't believe how disappointing Richard Young has been at Alabama. Hughes also averaged 5.3 ypc in the AAC - that's worrisome.

I love @Memnon's idea of going after Chauncey Bowens. In terms of South Florida RB's I liked Bowens over Lyle last year, and Byron Louis over Pringle this year. I don't think any are sure thing/home runs and we'll see how it plays out.

In the end - this thread is about the Final 4 all have great RB's. But they all also have really good QB's, Pass Catchers, OL, and Defense. The recipe is to be pretty stacked at every position group. This 2024 team was so much fun to watch, but next year I don't see a path to filling all the holes we need to fill.
 
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Dwinstitles said:
He looked slow when I watched it unless he’s deceptively fast. I know one of them can break tackles like a ****, singleton did look the faster of the two and maybe smaller pause. I didn’t look up any of their bios
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Singleton is a burner and an athletic freak.

From Bruce Feldman's Freaks List:

This offseason, the 228-pound Singleton hit 23.6 mph on the GPS and trimmed his 40 time from 4.39 to 4.35. His shuttle time stayed at 4.18. His broad jump improved to 10-1. His power clean went up to 390. His 655-pound squat bumped Penn State great Saquon Barkley off of the top spot as the program’s record holder for running backs.

@gogeta4 - Singleton is a little more than just "big" :D
 
Dwinstitles said:
PSU rbs are dirt slow and will be exposed vs a team there size and as fast or faster. Dont see them keeping that running game going when the comp gets tougher.
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Kaytron is really slow. But Singleton is fast....really fast if you believe his reported 40 times from Penn State and the GPS mph time reported by Bruce Feldman.
 
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There are about 962 running backs in the portal. You tell me we can't just sign one as a 3rd/4th string? I just checked. Don't know any of these guys from Adam but here's 3 guys that won't (shouldn't) scare anyone into the portal or more importantly, cost any money:

1. Rickey Hunt, Jr. Highlights

2. Keyjuan Brown Highlights

3. Exell Jolly Highlights

In the NCAA portal world, coaches need to learn to fill in the edges of their rosters without breaking the bank - like they do in every professional league on Earth.
 
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Dwinstitles said:
He looked slow when I watched it unless he’s deceptively fast. I know one of them can break tackles like a ****, singleton did look the faster of the two and maybe smaller pause. I didn’t look up any of their bios
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Singleton is definitely fast and I think he is under used. He should get 15 to 20 touches every game, but his pass blocking is poor.
 
DMoney said:
He can run and he's a matchup nightmare if you flex him out from the backfield. From what I saw in spring and in high school, he's a better runner than CJ Donaldson who just signed with Ohio State.
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I hope you saw him somewhere OTHER than Miami in the spring. Cause if not can we stop the bs 😂 I’m tired of the green tree tales
 
cway313 said:
Can't bring in a QB because Tyler will leave.
Can't bring in a corner because Damari will leave.
Can't bring in a RB because Lyle will leave.
Notice a trend?
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Is this also why we suddenly went from taking 2 RBs in the 2025 class to only taking 1?

I get the game that’s going on right now but these things make me uneasy
 
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Memnon said:
Yall say that now...

Going into the season with just 4 RB's, with one of them likely not even being P4 caliber is unwise.

Our QB play will be significantly down next year & we'll have no choice but to run the ball a lot more. Defenses are going to see on film that they won't have to respect/fear the Passing game in the same way they did with Cam at the helm. You're chancing/risking a disastrous scenario trying to put it all on 2-backs & an unproven TF with an increased workload.

Not to mention, we're losing 3 TE's all who could block very well & a Bookend LT in Rivers.

You're Dancing with the Devil with this 3 RB idea...

But whatevs, yall have been warned

View attachment 316266
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That prior post is certainly not a consensus opinion. I think most realize that we NEED 5 RBs in the rotation. We are definitely short which is why many of us lamented losing Allen to the portal. Options are dwindling, though.
 
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cway313 said:
Can't bring in a QB because Tyler will leave.
Can't bring in a corner because Damari will leave.
Can't bring in a RB because Lyle will leave.
Notice a trend?
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This thread is so weird to me. We are literally arguing over the one position group that looks bright.

I am very much looking forward to Lyle in year 2 (top 3 RB recruit in the country) and Fletcher in year 3, with an oline that likes to maul people. Throw in Pringle and we're solid.

Do we need a 4th or 5th for depth? Absolutely, but this group is not the problem with this team. Even in 2023, we were one of the best running teams in terms of metrics and that was without Cam.
 
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CanesDynasty said:
This thread is so weird to me. We are literally arguing over the one position group that looks bright.

I am very much looking forward to Lyle in year 2 (top 3 RB recruit in the country) and Fletcher in year 3, with an oline who likes to maul people. Throw in Pringle and we're solid.

Do you need a 4th or 5th for depth? Absolutely, but this group is not the problem with this team. Even in 2023, we were one of the best running teams in terms of metrics and that was without Cam.
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Would you say you were shocked when we had incompetent QB play in '23 or when the secondary was atrocious in '24?
 
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to win you need a strong D and a solid run game. we lacked both we have talent on D and new DC will have to fit scheme to personnel . run game need some diversity beyond dive plays only
 
cway313 said:
Would you say you were shocked when we had incompetent QB play in '23 or when the secondary was atrocious in '24?
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The QB play in 2023 was good up until TVD caught amnesia in week 5 against Georgia Tech and forgot how to play QB. As for the secondary, everyone on here knew that was the Achilles heel of our team going into the season. I feel we were hopeful our DE's would mask their deficiencies with QB pressures, but that never happened after game 1.

Don't get me wrong, after the last 20 years, this team needs to upgrade aggressively. We are not in a position to be complacent. I just don't want to focus on the wrong group when there a glaring needs in many spots.
 
CanesDynasty said:
The QB play in 2023 was good up until TVD caught amnesia in week 5 against Georgia Tech and forgot how to play QB. As for the secondary, everyone on here knew that was the Achilles heel of our team going into the season. I feel we were hopeful our DE's would mask their deficiencies with QB pressures, but that never happened after game 1.

Don't get me wrong, after the last 20 years, this team needs to upgrade aggressively. We are not in a position to be complacent. I just don't want to focus on the wrong group when there a glaring needs in many spots.
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That didn't answer my question but "focusing on groups is the entire reason we have a new hole/s in the team every year. We pencil guys in or anticipate development that never happens.
 
With a top 20 defense we would have been the best team. It can’t be that hard. Notre Dame was playing without 2 AAs and it’s two starting DEs. They had a bunch of 3 and 4 start players out there. The only 5 star was the kid running into the punter. Recruit smart football players and coach them up. We don’t indentify, recruit, or develop well enough on that side of the ball. Total overhaul in progress.
 
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