What it should look like

[The Sphinx]

This class has eight players. Seven of them are blue chippers. The class average is .9165. That’s good for 7th in the nation. But it’s still only eight players.

Why is Mario is choosing quality over quantity? It’s simple- he knows what it should look like. This isn't about recreating Temple. This is about building a roster to compete with Bama. It will take time, but you need to have high standards. Even in a transition year.

There were four transition classes between Coker and Mario. They followed the same pattern- new coach comes in, rushes evaluations, signs some sleepers and we fall in love with the grainy film. I was the worst culprit. Over four classes, at least 24 kids fell into this "lottery ticket" category:

2007 (Shannon)

Daniel Adderley, Shawnbrey McNeal, Tyler Horn, Jared Campbell

2011 (Golden)

Darius Smith, Ricardo Williams, Gianni Paul, Olsen Pierre, Antonio Kinard, Thomas Finnie, Eddie Johnson, Corey King, Junior Alexis, Hunter Wells, Thurston Armbrister

2016 (Richt)

Tre Johnson, Tyreic Martin, Jeff James, Dayall Harris

2019 (Diaz)

Adam El-Gammal, Jakai Clark, Zion Nelson, Peyton Matocha

Only five of the 24 ended up as quality players: Zion, Pierre, Armbrister, Clark and Horn. The rest gave us next to nothing. That's a 20% hit rate.

Mario is taking a different approach. He doesn't want excess fat weighing down the roster. Instead, he's laser focused on blue chip players, and made numerous references to recruiting rankings during his press conference. The Portal (which his predecessors didn't have) allows him to sign blue chippers while filling the rest of the spots with developed veterans.

This class, while small, is loaded with blue-chip athleticism and body types. Chris Graves and Nyjalik Kelly are prototypical. Wesley Bissainthe is fluid and has stopping power as a tackler. Jacurri Brown is built like an oak with nuclear athleticism. Isaiah Horton and Jaden Harris opened eyes on their visits through sheer size. Khamauri Rogers and Markeith Williams have been stacking INTs and offers since they were high school freshmen. And there are many names yet to come.

Enjoy these next couple months. This program will continue to stack blue talent, either from high school or the Portal. We have money, along with a coach and an AD who know how to spend money. Clemson is sputtering. The time is right to build a sustainable monster that reloads every year. Wednesday was just the first step.

100% agree with all of this, DMoney. There are four key ingredients: players, coaches, schemes and infrastructure. For the first time since Butch, I have faith that Mario will nail all four -- he will land high quality players, assemble a top notch staff under high caliber coordinators that will coach our guys up, put some great schemes in place that suit our players most effectively, AND he will have the huge advantage of program infrastructure support from Ruiz, the board, Frenk and Radakovich.

And then you factor in the intangibles -- The fact that the players, media and coaches actually respect Mario; he WILL hold guys accountable; he WILL get up in your &hit quick, fast and in a hurry; and his intensity is infectious - no more lifeless, limp dyck football.

We're in a very good place gents, and this is only the beginning.

 

[TexasCane90]

Hey @DMoney curious if you think the transfer portal plays a factor in this “packing of the class” thing

Why waste spots on fillers when you can get some plug and play 1 or 2 year starters

 

[DMoney]

Hey @DMoney curious if you think the transfer portal plays a factor in this “packing of the class” thing

Why waste spots on fillers when you can get some plug and play 1 or 2 year starters

Yes, it is a major factor. The initial timeline is also tighter with the ESD.

 

[Canes Legacy]

Hey @DMoney curious if you think the transfer portal plays a factor in this “packing of the class” thing

Why waste spots on fillers when you can get some plug and play 1 or 2 year starters

Not D$ but there's no reason to fill your class with scrubs anymore. You take your high potential 3 star guys (Jaden Harris) but why reach on a guy when you get a more known commodity in the portal?

 

[TheU1984]

Hey @DMoney curious if you think the transfer portal plays a factor in this “packing of the class” thing

Why waste spots on fillers when you can get some plug and play 1 or 2 year starters

I think that was the premise of his post. Less of a need to reach when the Portal is in play. And it’s in play for Mario.

 

[genxcane]

In years past, I hated Manny's reliance on the portal. Guys portal out of schools for a reason- lets not lose sight out that...in a NORMAL year.....

But these aren't normal times. The new one-time, retain eligibility transfer rule has created an influx of talent to become available, where opposite of year's past, most of these guys need no warning label. They are younger players who realize they either made a bad decision in choosing said school or escaping coaching changes. Do your research and HW and find the right fit! Impact players can be found....

The other advantage we have is team chemistry....in a normal situation with no coaching change, worrying about a guy coming in and disrupting team dynamics is always a thing....not so in a transition year with a new regime. Find your guys, bring them in early enough (preferably before the Spring semester starts), and let the team chemistry build organically....

These next few weeks should be exciting for Canes ! #TearsOfJoy

I agree that the portal is a bigger deal this year but I think there is another reason beyond the immediate eligibility. The extended eligibility due to COVID has created a glut of players. There are literally too many kids in the system. When grown *** men stick around for a sixth season, it will come at the expense of somebody down the roster. That will inevitably impact the decisions of some of those kids on the rosters to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

It is like any business. You can poach some quality mid-tier management from companies where the old guys won't retire.

It is a buyers market.

The downside is that I think there will be a lot of kids left out in the cold. When the music stops and all the seats are taken, there will be some college careers that ended earlier than expected.

 

[bacane]

This class has eight players. Seven of them are blue chippers. The class average is .9165. That’s good for 7th in the nation. But it’s still only eight players.

Why is Mario is choosing quality over quantity? It’s simple- he knows what it should look like. This isn't about recreating Temple. This is about building a roster to compete with Bama. It will take time, but you need to have high standards. Even in a transition year.

There were four transition classes between Coker and Mario. They followed the same pattern- new coach comes in, rushes evaluations, signs some sleepers and we fall in love with the grainy film. I was the worst culprit. Over four classes, at least 24 kids fell into this "lottery ticket" category:

2007 (Shannon)

Daniel Adderley, Shawnbrey McNeal, Tyler Horn, Jared Campbell

2011 (Golden)

Darius Smith, Ricardo Williams, Gianni Paul, Olsen Pierre, Antonio Kinard, Thomas Finnie, Eddie Johnson, Corey King, Junior Alexis, Hunter Wells, Thurston Armbrister

2016 (Richt)

Tre Johnson, Tyreic Martin, Jeff James, Dayall Harris

2019 (Diaz)

Adam El-Gammal, Jakai Clark, Zion Nelson, Peyton Matocha

Only five of the 24 ended up as quality players: Zion, Pierre, Armbrister, Clark and Horn. The rest gave us next to nothing. That's a 20% hit rate.

Mario is taking a different approach. He doesn't want excess fat weighing down the roster. Instead, he's laser focused on blue chip players, and made numerous references to recruiting rankings during his press conference. The Portal (which his predecessors didn't have) allows him to sign blue chippers while filling the rest of the spots with developed veterans.

This class, while small, is loaded with blue-chip athleticism and body types. Chris Graves and Nyjalik Kelly are prototypical. Wesley Bissainthe is fluid and has stopping power as a tackler. Jacurri Brown is built like an oak with nuclear athleticism. Isaiah Horton and Jaden Harris opened eyes on their visits through sheer size. Khamauri Rogers and Markeith Williams have been stacking INTs and offers since they were high school freshmen. And there are many names yet to come.

Enjoy these next couple months. This program will continue to stack blue talent, either from high school or the Portal. We have money, along with a coach and an AD who know how to spend money. Clemson is sputtering. The time is right to build a sustainable monster that reloads every year. Wednesday was just the first step.

Love the hire of Mario, but let's not jump the bandwagon as his PR man. He likely would have taken more chances if he had the time. Don't believe the other coaches, other than Diaz and maybe Richt, faced an early signing date. Let's see how his early signings look in 4-5 years.
Also, Gianni Paul didn't help the Canes cause, but it wasn't a talent issue as he was an all-conference player at Utah. Golden and Diaz players don't look that bad. Could argue Diaz hit on 50% (2 of 4) with Zion Nelson and Jakai Clark.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

This class has eight players. Seven of them are blue chippers. The class average is .9165. That’s good for 7th in the nation. But it’s still only eight players.

Why is Mario is choosing quality over quantity? It’s simple- he knows what it should look like. This isn't about recreating Temple. This is about building a roster to compete with Bama. It will take time, but you need to have high standards. Even in a transition year.

There were four transition classes between Coker and Mario. They followed the same pattern- new coach comes in, rushes evaluations, signs some sleepers and we fall in love with the grainy film. I was the worst culprit. Over four classes, at least 24 kids fell into this "lottery ticket" category:

2007 (Shannon)

Daniel Adderley, Shawnbrey McNeal, Tyler Horn, Jared Campbell

2011 (Golden)

Darius Smith, Ricardo Williams, Gianni Paul, Olsen Pierre, Antonio Kinard, Thomas Finnie, Eddie Johnson, Corey King, Junior Alexis, Hunter Wells, Thurston Armbrister

2016 (Richt)

Tre Johnson, Tyreic Martin, Jeff James, Dayall Harris

2019 (Diaz)

Adam El-Gammal, Jakai Clark, Zion Nelson, Peyton Matocha

Only five of the 24 ended up as quality players: Zion, Pierre, Armbrister, Clark and Horn. The rest gave us next to nothing. That's a 20% hit rate.

Mario is taking a different approach. He doesn't want excess fat weighing down the roster. Instead, he's laser focused on blue chip players, and made numerous references to recruiting rankings during his press conference. The Portal (which his predecessors didn't have) allows him to sign blue chippers while filling the rest of the spots with developed veterans.

This class, while small, is loaded with blue-chip athleticism and body types. Chris Graves and Nyjalik Kelly are prototypical. Wesley Bissainthe is fluid and has stopping power as a tackler. Jacurri Brown is built like an oak with nuclear athleticism. Isaiah Horton and Jaden Harris opened eyes on their visits through sheer size. Khamauri Rogers and Markeith Williams have been stacking INTs and offers since they were high school freshmen. And there are many names yet to come.

Enjoy these next couple months. This program will continue to stack blue talent, either from high school or the Portal. We have money, along with a coach and an AD who know how to spend money. Clemson is sputtering. The time is right to build a sustainable monster that reloads every year. Wednesday was just the first step.

Man, @DMoney , you had me worried again with your thread title. I was afraid I was gonna open this up and find a DMoney d***-pic...

 

[DMoney]

 

[PredaCane]

My weener feels funny.

You know they make ointments for that right.

 

[CanesFanfromNJ]

Would anyone be upset IF the class ends up being

Shemar Stewart
Kevin Coleman
Cyrus Moss
Josh Conerly Jr(Long shot)
Plus the 8 who signed letter of intent

12 overall -- not including transfers --
and that puts us in the top 15(possible top10)

 

[Damiencane86]

Would anyone be upset IF the class ends up being

Shemar Stewart
Kevin Coleman
Cyrus Moss
Josh Conerly Jr(Long shot)
Plus the 8 who signed letter of intent

12 overall -- not including transfers --
and that puts us in the top 15(possible top10)

F*** no ! I'd be psyched with that close

 

[Damiencane86]

It really irks me having UNC just ahead of us. Really developing strong dislike for that school.

 

[FlipT]

Mario is gonna stack the roster, that's what he does, but we have to find the alphas to bring us the ring(s).

 

[jw410]

I want to believe!!!I hate speaking bad about anything UM…let’s go tho

I don't believe, I like D$ but he is does this hype stuff every year. I know Wario got punked by Kyle Whittingham twice and he has 17 blue-chippers on his roster out of 78 kids. I don't care if you hate me or downvote me, facts don't lie. I have no emotional ties to Wario, and it remains to be scene if he can win big games, and can elevate the program. I am willing to give him a few years, but I am very skeptical. Past performance leads me to believe he is what he is.

 

[jw410]

Please never think about this thought ever again.

Or the low star who goes to Wyoming and become Josh Allen, or Antonio Brown, Antonio Gipson, Bart Scott, LaDarius Webb, Jason McCourty, Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, TJ Watt, JJ Watt, Allen Hurns, Michael Gallup. Stars are great but we need great coaching everyone has admitted that.

 

[da truth]

This class has eight players. Seven of them are blue chippers. The class average is .9165. That’s good for 7th in the nation. But it’s still only eight players.

Why is Mario is choosing quality over quantity? It’s simple- he knows what it should look like. This isn't about recreating Temple. This is about building a roster to compete with Bama. It will take time, but you need to have high standards. Even in a transition year.

There were four transition classes between Coker and Mario. They followed the same pattern- new coach comes in, rushes evaluations, signs some sleepers and we fall in love with the grainy film. I was the worst culprit. Over four classes, at least 24 kids fell into this "lottery ticket" category:

2007 (Shannon)

Daniel Adderley, Shawnbrey McNeal, Tyler Horn, Jared Campbell

2011 (Golden)

Darius Smith, Ricardo Williams, Gianni Paul, Olsen Pierre, Antonio Kinard, Thomas Finnie, Eddie Johnson, Corey King, Junior Alexis, Hunter Wells, Thurston Armbrister

2016 (Richt)

Tre Johnson, Tyreic Martin, Jeff James, Dayall Harris

2019 (Diaz)

Adam El-Gammal, Jakai Clark, Zion Nelson, Peyton Matocha

Only five of the 24 ended up as quality players: Zion, Pierre, Armbrister, Clark and Horn. The rest gave us next to nothing. That's a 20% hit rate.

Mario is taking a different approach. He doesn't want excess fat weighing down the roster. Instead, he's laser focused on blue chip players, and made numerous references to recruiting rankings during his press conference. The Portal (which his predecessors didn't have) allows him to sign blue chippers while filling the rest of the spots with developed veterans.

This class, while small, is loaded with blue-chip athleticism and body types. Chris Graves and Nyjalik Kelly are prototypical. Wesley Bissainthe is fluid and has stopping power as a tackler. Jacurri Brown is built like an oak with nuclear athleticism. Isaiah Horton and Jaden Harris opened eyes on their visits through sheer size. Khamauri Rogers and Markeith Williams have been stacking INTs and offers since they were high school freshmen. And there are many names yet to come.

Enjoy these next couple months. This program will continue to stack blue talent, either from high school or the Portal. We have money, along with a coach and an AD who know how to spend money. Clemson is sputtering. The time is right to build a sustainable monster that reloads every year. Wednesday was just the first step.

It’s also about roster management and Peyton isn’t a wash. He’s a scholarship QB giving us depth when most scholarship qbs would have already bolted into the portal

 

[MIA2NJ]

I thought I once read that you either coached DB’s, played CB, or both at some point. So I would defer to you in any CB talk. What exactly are Jaden’s attributes that make you so confident in him? And how does he compare to Graves?

 

[CBurrr93]

Nah we aren’t going to slander Eddie Johnson. Goat

 

[88]

Nah we aren’t going to slander Eddie Johnson. Goat

Any highlights of the game he was all over the field chirping the opposing coach?