2016 4* QB Woody Barrett (AU commit 6/3/15)

[ellitor 33,062]

Free input from Keith @ AUC on Woody http://auburn.247sports.com/Reply/Keith-Niebuhr-Reply-37363513

We think Tigers lead, with Bama right behind.

Is Auburn ready to take a QB? Can't answer that with 100% certainty, but think so.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

Free input from Keith @ AUC on Woody http://auburn.247spo...-Reply-37363513

We think Tigers lead, with Bama right behind.

Is Auburn ready to take a QB? Can't answer that with 100% certainty, but think so.

I believe AU held Barrett off as long as they could. Looks like AU jumped on board or uat got him to kind of flip. Going to be interesting to see where he goes.

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

Been watching film of this kid. He is big and strong with real good wheels and real good balance and power. Running is his strength. He has a strong arm but as his coach says he needs to improve his accuracy. Mechanics are ok but not great so with proper training improved mechanics should lead to improved accuracy. He would be a solid pickup almost every HS QB has some things to work on.

[ellitor 33,062]

Been watching film of this kid. He is big and strong with real good wheels and real good balance and power. Running is his strength. He has a strong arm but as his coach says he needs to improve his accuracy. Mechanics are ok but not great so with proper training improved mechanics should lead to improved accuracy. He would be a solid pickup almost every HS QB has some things to work on.

Not necessarily the case. More often than not accuracy can't be changed much. You either got it or you don't. The best that often can be done w/ being more accurate is refine it some.

[Barnacle 9,064]

Been watching film of this kid. He is big and strong with real good wheels and real good balance and power. Running is his strength. He has a strong arm but as his coach says he needs to improve his accuracy. Mechanics are ok but not great so with proper training improved mechanics should lead to improved accuracy. He would be a solid pickup almost every HS QB has some things to work on.

Not necessarily the case. More often than not accuracy can't be changed much. You either got it or you don't. The best that often can be done w/ being more accurate is refine it some.

E, I'm not sure what you've based that off of, but in my experience, accuracy is one of the metrics you can most improve through good coaching, footwork and technique. What you said is absolutely true of arm strength/talent. You can't teach arm talent, you can't coach arm talent, you either have it or you don't. But, for quarterbacks coming out of high school, especially "athletes" who have been able to rely on their raw talent, and haven't necessarily needed to be exceedingly accurate passers, there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you are talking about great "touch", which is what I think separates really good passers from great passers, yeah touch is very hard to improve or coach because its visual and feeling oriented. Its like golf. Tiger in his prime was a magician around the greens: incredible touch, incredible feel, incredible imagination and execution. Tiger's short game is a lot of what separated him from everyone else, and its something he had. Tour players who have played their entire lives have not achieved that kind of short game. On the other hand, the best way to improve your average Joe's golf score is his short game. With good technique, good footwork and a lot of practice, he's going to shave a bunch of strokes off his game. And, if he didn't hit the ball 300 yards to begin with, he likely never will.

Same thing applies for a passer. You give a young, undeveloped quarterback with raw talent some good instruction, and force him to work on those things, he is going to improve markedly as a passer. He might never have Drew Brees' accuracy, but he's going to be ALOT better than he was. And, if he couldn't throw the ball 70 yards to begin with, he probably never will.

[ellitor 33,062]

E, I'm not sure what you've based that off of, but in my experience, accuracy is one of the metrics you can most improve through good coaching, footwork and technique. What you said is absolutely true of arm strength/talent. You can't teach arm talent, you can't coach arm talent, you either have it or you don't. But, for quarterbacks coming out of high school, especially "athletes" who have been able to rely on their raw talent, and haven't necessarily needed to be exceedingly accurate passers, there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you are talking about great "touch", which is what I think separates really good passers from great passers, yeah touch is very hard to improve or coach because its visual and feeling oriented. Its like golf. Tiger in his prime was a magician around the greens: incredible touch, incredible feel, incredible imagination and execution. Tiger's short game is a lot of what separated him from everyone else, and its something he had. Tour players who have played their entire lives have not achieved that kind of short game. On the other hand, the best way to improve your average Joe's golf score is his short game. With good technique, good footwork and a lot of practice, he's going to shave a bunch of strokes off his game. And, if he didn't hit the ball 300 yards to begin with, he likely never will.

Same thing applies for a passer. You give a young, undeveloped quarterback with raw talent some good instruction, and force him to work on those things, he is going to improve markedly as a passer. He might never have Drew Brees' accuracy, but he's going to be ALOT better than he was. And, if he couldn't throw the ball 70 yards to begin with, he probably never will.

I guess I was talking sniper accuracy cuz that's what I'm used to. I come from a family full of pin point accurate shooters & what not. That kind of accuracy can't be taught. It can only be refined. Peyton Manning accuracy in football is much the same way, where the ball is put on the exact spot where it hits the WR in stride. Not many QBs have that kind of accuracy. Lucky for us, we have a back up in Sean White who exceeled at putting the ball at the proper spot or hit a guy in stride. I still think there are some who can't consistent be accurate no matter the machanics they are taught. Take Nick Marshall for example. I love him but his screen passes were almost always off target. I was not just him not using tough al though that was definitely a factor. He rarely threw screens at the proper spot & they are short throws. Most of the time his were too high, too low, in the dirt, or behind the WR. Sure they were caught most of the time but where the throws wer place stopped WR momentum often & didn't allow them to maximize gains.

[Barnacle 9,064]

E, I'm not sure what you've based that off of, but in my experience, accuracy is one of the metrics you can most improve through good coaching, footwork and technique. What you said is absolutely true of arm strength/talent. You can't teach arm talent, you can't coach arm talent, you either have it or you don't. But, for quarterbacks coming out of high school, especially "athletes" who have been able to rely on their raw talent, and haven't necessarily needed to be exceedingly accurate passers, there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you are talking about great "touch", which is what I think separates really good passers from great passers, yeah touch is very hard to improve or coach because its visual and feeling oriented. Its like golf. Tiger in his prime was a magician around the greens: incredible touch, incredible feel, incredible imagination and execution. Tiger's short game is a lot of what separated him from everyone else, and its something he had. Tour players who have played their entire lives have not achieved that kind of short game. On the other hand, the best way to improve your average Joe's golf score is his short game. With good technique, good footwork and a lot of practice, he's going to shave a bunch of strokes off his game. And, if he didn't hit the ball 300 yards to begin with, he likely never will.

Same thing applies for a passer. You give a young, undeveloped quarterback with raw talent some good instruction, and force him to work on those things, he is going to improve markedly as a passer. He might never have Drew Brees' accuracy, but he's going to be ALOT better than he was. And, if he couldn't throw the ball 70 yards to begin with, he probably never will.

I guess I was talking sniper accuracy cuz that's what I'm used to. I come from a family full of pin point accurate shooters & what not. That kind of accuracy can't be taught. It can only be refined. Peyton Manning accuracy in football is much the same way, where the ball is put on the exact spot where it hits the WR in stride. Not many QBs have that kind of accuracy. Lucky for us, we have a back up in Sean White who exceeled at putting the ball at the proper spot or hit a guy in stride. I still think there are some who can't consistent be accurate no matter the machanics they are taught. Take Nick Marshall for example. I love him but his screen passes were almost always off target. I was not just him not using tough al though that was definitely a factor. He rarely threw screens at the proper spot & they are short throws. Most of the time his were too high, too low, in the dirt, or behind the WR. Sure they were caught most of the time but where the throws wer place stopped WR momentum often & didn't allow them to maximize gains.

OK, I understand what you meant now. I agree, like Tiger or Phil or Peyton or Drew Brees, that kind of precision is a God given talent. However, to bring Nick Marshall from a db to a starting QB in the SEC is pretty impressive. For a guy like Barrett, I think there is a lot of room for development and improvement. 90% of accuracy is footwork and weight transfer. For whatever reason NM couldn't get away from habitually poor footwork. Hopefully with someone like Barrett, if he does sign with AU, we can introduce some good throwing habits.

[Tiger 8,818]

E, I'm not sure what you've based that off of, but in my experience, accuracy is one of the metrics you can most improve through good coaching, footwork and technique. What you said is absolutely true of arm strength/talent. You can't teach arm talent, you can't coach arm talent, you either have it or you don't. But, for quarterbacks coming out of high school, especially "athletes" who have been able to rely on their raw talent, and haven't necessarily needed to be exceedingly accurate passers, there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you are talking about great "touch", which is what I think separates really good passers from great passers, yeah touch is very hard to improve or coach because its visual and feeling oriented. Its like golf. Tiger in his prime was a magician around the greens: incredible touch, incredible feel, incredible imagination and execution. Tiger's short game is a lot of what separated him from everyone else, and its something he had. Tour players who have played their entire lives have not achieved that kind of short game. On the other hand, the best way to improve your average Joe's golf score is his short game. With good technique, good footwork and a lot of practice, he's going to shave a bunch of strokes off his game. And, if he didn't hit the ball 300 yards to begin with, he likely never will.

Same thing applies for a passer. You give a young, undeveloped quarterback with raw talent some good instruction, and force him to work on those things, he is going to improve markedly as a passer. He might never have Drew Brees' accuracy, but he's going to be ALOT better than he was. And, if he couldn't throw the ball 70 yards to begin with, he probably never will.

I guess I was talking sniper accuracy cuz that's what I'm used to. I come from a family full of pin point accurate shooters & what not. That kind of accuracy can't be taught. It can only be refined. Peyton Manning accuracy in football is much the same way, where the ball is put on the exact spot where it hits the WR in stride. Not many QBs have that kind of accuracy. Lucky for us, we have a back up in Sean White who exceeled at putting the ball at the proper spot or hit a guy in stride. I still think there are some who can't consistent be accurate no matter the machanics they are taught. Take Nick Marshall for example. I love him but his screen passes were almost always off target. I was not just him not using tough al though that was definitely a factor. He rarely threw screens at the proper spot & they are short throws. Most of the time his were too high, too low, in the dirt, or behind the WR. Sure they were caught most of the time but where the throws wer place stopped WR momentum often & didn't allow them to maximize gains.

OK, I understand what you meant now. I agree, like Tiger or Phil or Peyton or Drew Brees, that kind of precision is a God given talent. However, to bring Nick Marshall from a db to a starting QB in the SEC is pretty impressive. For a guy like Barrett, I think there is a lot of room for development and improvement. 90% of accuracy is footwork and weight transfer. For whatever reason NM couldn't get away from habitually poor footwork. Hopefully with someone like Barrett, if he does sign with AU, we can introduce some good throwing habits.

Well, Gus couldn't help Cam Newton's mechanics (his NFL coaches can't either - he throws off his back foot at least 5-6x a game), and NM in 2 years, as you pointed out, had habitually bad footwork. I guess Gus gets wins out his QBs, and puts the mechanics off on the next guy. I think most college coaches do this though, Urban Meyer certainly didn't do Tebow any favors...

[Barnacle 9,064]

E, I'm not sure what you've based that off of, but in my experience, accuracy is one of the metrics you can most improve through good coaching, footwork and technique. What you said is absolutely true of arm strength/talent. You can't teach arm talent, you can't coach arm talent, you either have it or you don't. But, for quarterbacks coming out of high school, especially "athletes" who have been able to rely on their raw talent, and haven't necessarily needed to be exceedingly accurate passers, there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you are talking about great "touch", which is what I think separates really good passers from great passers, yeah touch is very hard to improve or coach because its visual and feeling oriented. Its like golf. Tiger in his prime was a magician around the greens: incredible touch, incredible feel, incredible imagination and execution. Tiger's short game is a lot of what separated him from everyone else, and its something he had. Tour players who have played their entire lives have not achieved that kind of short game. On the other hand, the best way to improve your average Joe's golf score is his short game. With good technique, good footwork and a lot of practice, he's going to shave a bunch of strokes off his game. And, if he didn't hit the ball 300 yards to begin with, he likely never will.

Same thing applies for a passer. You give a young, undeveloped quarterback with raw talent some good instruction, and force him to work on those things, he is going to improve markedly as a passer. He might never have Drew Brees' accuracy, but he's going to be ALOT better than he was. And, if he couldn't throw the ball 70 yards to begin with, he probably never will.

I guess I was talking sniper accuracy cuz that's what I'm used to. I come from a family full of pin point accurate shooters & what not. That kind of accuracy can't be taught. It can only be refined. Peyton Manning accuracy in football is much the same way, where the ball is put on the exact spot where it hits the WR in stride. Not many QBs have that kind of accuracy. Lucky for us, we have a back up in Sean White who exceeled at putting the ball at the proper spot or hit a guy in stride. I still think there are some who can't consistent be accurate no matter the machanics they are taught. Take Nick Marshall for example. I love him but his screen passes were almost always off target. I was not just him not using tough al though that was definitely a factor. He rarely threw screens at the proper spot & they are short throws. Most of the time his were too high, too low, in the dirt, or behind the WR. Sure they were caught most of the time but where the throws wer place stopped WR momentum often & didn't allow them to maximize gains.

OK, I understand what you meant now. I agree, like Tiger or Phil or Peyton or Drew Brees, that kind of precision is a God given talent. However, to bring Nick Marshall from a db to a starting QB in the SEC is pretty impressive. For a guy like Barrett, I think there is a lot of room for development and improvement. 90% of accuracy is footwork and weight transfer. For whatever reason NM couldn't get away from habitually poor footwork. Hopefully with someone like Barrett, if he does sign with AU, we can introduce some good throwing habits.

Well, Gus couldn't help Cam Newton's mechanics (his NFL coaches can't either - he throws off his back foot at least 5-6x a game), and NM in 2 years, as you pointed out, had habitually bad footwork. I guess Gus gets wins out his QBs, and puts the mechanics off on the next guy. I think most college coaches do this though, Urban Meyer certainly didn't do Tebow any favors...

Maybe, but don't underestimate the difference between where those guys started in college and where they finished.

Anyway, I haven't watched tape on Barrett in a while. Whoever we bring in, we won't be asking to start as a freshman, so plenty of time to develop.

[aucanucktiger 1,789]

Good points.

I followed Danny Wuerfell in high school and Spurrier improved his accuracy tremendously in about 18 months, which is as much a tribute to Danny's work ethic (e.g. repetitions) as anything IMO. QB accuracy under pressure of course should improve as the QB settles into/gets comfortable with a system, his receivers, his safety valves, etc. But a shoddy O line can turn any QB into Chuck N. Duck, which I think was the real Kody Burns story (Canuck prepares to duck thrown objects).

[War to the Eagle 362]

Per AUC, Woody's "Balls" are not only crystallized, they're turning in AU's direction.

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

I mentioned that Barrett had strong running skills a strong arm and was not super accurate. But I thought with the proper teaching of footwork and mechanics he could improve his accuracy. I stand by that then ellitor, Barnacle and Tiger expounded on this. After reading all three of them my conclusion is that yes teaching and working on mechanics can help a passer however some parts of the passing game you either have or you don't have. I agree with that sentiment.

One key issue is what makes a great COLLEGE QB and I emphasize COLLEGE QB. It is almost impossibe to say. There have been 5* Qb's out of HS that seemed to have the whole package and never made it at the collegiate level, there have been guys who weren't that fast didn't have super strong arms but did very well at the collegiate level.

There are so many different ways you can be a great College QB Tebow and Marshall used there Legs and decision making and made some throws but not all the throws. They did really well in college. Pat sullivan was very accurate and had a strong arm and could run some and was a great College QB but all three I mentioned didn't really make it in the Pro's as QB's. A great College QB along with his coaches finds what he does well and takes advantage of it. He might be a bruising runner like Tebow a lighting quick runner like Marshall a great passer like Sullivan even though he threw 3/4 instead of overhead. What all were inspiring leaders who could read defenses and who were put in positions to take advantage of what they did well and avoid what their weaknesses were.

Could Barret develop into a great College QB I don't know as the intangibles like leadership, inspiring your teammates can only be seen once you are on the field and doing it. He has some of the same skill sets as Tebow and Marshall so I think he is worth a shot.

[McLoofus 35,182]

^Nice post^

It's good when conversations can be had without everything having to be distilled down to an either-or debate. If coaching could make any QB great, then anybody with enough money could be starting in the NFL right now. But coaching can definitely make QBs better. Nick Marshall is a great example. He became a better passer at Auburn, but he obviously didn't become a great one. And, no, that wasn't because Gus was "leaving the fundamentals to the next guy". Gus (and Rhett) did what they could while they could, while also maximizing the more natural and rather significant skills that Nick already possessed.

Barrett's film shows a lot of similarities to Nick to me. Obviously athletic guy who can throw a flat heater to anywhere on the field. I don't see much air under many of his throws. I'm not smart enough to dissect his throwing mechanics, that's just what I see after the ball leaves his hand. He's a little taller than Nick, so maybe he could get away with that at the college level a little better than Nick could, I dunno. But as AuburnNTexas said above, it's probably what's going on above the shoulders that will determine Barrett's success.

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

It's looking more and more like Barrett is our guy. Hoping he starts to recruit for us like Queen did last year. If not him, than I hope someone steps up.

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

Barrett is a great player. I would be glad to have him

[NoALtiger 3,849]

It's looking more and more like Barrett is our guy. Hoping he starts to recruit for us like Queen did last year. If not him, than I hope someone steps up.

Yep, always good to get a QB on board to start rallying the troops around.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Which way is Barrett leaning the hardest

[augolf1716 21,096]

I think left but not sure

[AuburnNTexas 7,128]

I think left but not sure

Darn it golf I was drinking Ice Tea and just had to clean my keyboard

[augolf1716 21,096]

Well as least it wasn't a beer. I would have felt bad.....................

[JFDTiger80 790]

Well as least it wasn't a beer. I would have felt bad.....................

Esp if it was a PBR.

[augolf1716 21,096]

Well as least it wasn't a beer. I would have felt bad.....................

Esp if it was a PBR.

Oh lord that would be a nightmare

[RunInRed 16,360]

@Keith247Sports: Louisville got a nice QB commit today. Will #Auburn get one next week when Woody Barrett announces? Arrow pointing that way right now.

[au_bsci_04 407]

@Keith247Sports: Louisville got a nice QB commit today. Will #Auburn get one next week when Woody Barrett announces? Arrow pointing that way right now.

Looks like prior reports that Pass was leaning Bama/UNC were accurate, because Woody looks all AU atm and Lville just got a Top247 QB.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I have nothing against Woody Barrett because I'm sure he's a fine young man and really good QB, but Auburn fans wants to see the Tigers playing for more NC's, I really hope Jawan Pass will signs with Auburn in 2016.