Closing Out the 2021 Recruiting Class

[keesler 5,923]

22 hours ago, Mikey said:

I don't think we are that outmatched physically. The experience factor plays into it also and AU will have that. Expecting 9-3, hoping for 10-2 or better. A lot depends on if we can have a normal spring training so the new staff can get things sorted out.

Mike, Auburn's lines looked undersized, out manned and flat out weak several times last year.  They did not match up physically and it showed in the execution/lack of execution. 

Thank the Lawd the cupcakes are back to the schedule for this season, that all SEC slate was brutal and I never want to see that again. 

[chizhead 618]

23 hours ago, Mikey said:

I'd have projected us at a 9-3 or 10-2 regular season without a coaching change. We have a lot of high quality returning players.

Why not push for 11-1 or 12-0? Enough of this average and defeatist expectations

[Sizzle 3,909]

5 minutes ago, chizhead said:

Why not push for 11-1 or 12-0? Enough of this average and defeatist expectations

It’s not even defeatist it’s just realistic. A team full of glorified 3 stars ain’t beating a team full of 5 stars. Talent wins ball games, coaching only takes you so far

[Mikey 16,545]

12 hours ago, AUGoo said:

I think he was planning on beefing up some of the 7(!) TEs he had and putting them at OT.

Cunning and genius outside the box thinking.  He just got canned before he could fully implement his new recruiting plan.

Bet nobody saw that coming.

Genius.

 

You've been accepting BS from certain posters here without checking it out. Yes, there are seven TE listed on the roster. Only five of them are scholarship players and those five are listed as TE/H-back, so we have five guys to cover two positions.

[Mikey 16,545]

11 hours ago, Sizzle said:

It’s not even defeatist it’s just realistic. A team full of glorified 3 stars ain’t beating a team full of 5 stars. Talent wins ball games, coaching only takes you so far

The sophs, juniors and seniors on our roster this coming year will be from classes ranked 10, 12 and 12 nationally. That's a lot better than a bunch of glorified 3 stars. I expect a good to great season.

[Mikey 16,545]

12 hours ago, keesler said:

Mike, Auburn's lines looked undersized, out manned and flat out weak several times last year.  They did not match up physically and it showed in the execution/lack of execution. 

It appeared to me that they were improved and looking better. Then, three of the starting five went down for extended times with injuries. Two never truly returned, though Jackson tried for part of one game. We lost both starting tackles and Council, a starting guard who could move and play anywhere along the line. I don't know of any team's O-line that would look great after losing all that.

[JDUBB4AU 5,102]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:09 AM, bigbird said:

Also, if never developed, then we are effectively playing with HS seniors.

This is right . Mentally this team in still in high school. AU needs to establish new leadership on the field. ALL IN mentality. 

[Sizzle 3,909]

7 hours ago, Mikey said:

The sophs, juniors and seniors on our roster this coming year will be from classes ranked 10, 12 and 12 nationally. That's a lot better than a bunch of glorified 3 stars. I expect a good to great season.

Yeah but we don’t have enough depth/talent in the trenches. It all starts there

[AUApostle 7,648]

If you go to this forum's sub-board called "Rivals Recruiting" there are a bunch of awesome recruits listed.  Not sure about our chances, but its chock full of star power.

[keesler 5,923]

6 hours ago, AUDevil said:

If you go to this forum's sub-board called "Rivals Recruiting" there are a bunch of awesome recruits listed.  Not sure about our chances, but its chock full of star power.

Then we'd be called "star gazers", like we used to call the turds when Satan was first hired.  Diamonds in the rough was the Auburn way of recruiting back then. My how times have changed.

 

[dyehardfanAU 2,117]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:14 AM, Mikey said:

In just the 2020 class we signed two of the top five JUCO OT's and Tank. 2019 MAR and OT Justin Osborne. 2018 had Asa Martin and Shivers at RB and Irvin and Stutts at OT.

The recruiting wasn't as bad as some like to imply. You want to talk development, that's a different story.

Can't you get banned around here for trolling?

  

18 hours ago, Mikey said:

It appeared to me that they were improved and looking better. Then, three of the starting five went down for extended times with injuries. Two never truly returned, though Jackson tried for part of one game. We lost both starting tackles and Council, a starting guard who could move and play anywhere along the line. I don't know of any team's O-line that would look great after losing all that.

So we did not have talented depth waiting in the wings?

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

On 1/27/2021 at 11:14 AM, Mikey said:

In just the 2020 class we signed two of the top five JUCO OT's and Tank. 2019 MAR and OT Justin Osborne. 2018 had Asa Martin and Shivers at RB and Irvin and Stutts at OT.

The recruiting wasn't as bad as some like to imply. You want to talk development, that's a different story.

Recruiting under the previous regime is misleading. You look at the history of class rankings under Gus and it would appear as though we recruited at an average of top 10 which is nothing to complain about. I think anyone with a pulse knows that we didn't recruit our needs well and therefor regardless of the rankings...we got our butts whipped in recruiting. I would like to know where we would rank among P5 schools if just the OL counted. We would probably be bottom of the league in SEC. Gus had a formula of relying on transfers or converted DEs to fill the gaping void left by his lack of recruiting quality high school OL specifically OT position. It worked out with several transfers and a couple of the converts, but it is not an adequate strategy for going up against Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and the other big boy clubs in the SEC. 

I won't even get into QB recruiting and the 8 year debacle that was.

[Mikey 16,545]

6 hours ago, dyehardfanAU said:

So we did not have talented depth waiting in the wings?

No team's O-line would look very good after three of the five starters went down. Starters are starters for a reason. Toss in a new O-line coach and no spring practice and you get what we saw. Our O-line will be good this coming season if we get to hold a normal spring practice.

[AUpreacherman22 3,876]

11 hours ago, Tigerpro2a said:

Recruiting under the previous regime is misleading. You look at the history of class rankings under Gus and it would appear as though we recruited at an average of top 10 which is nothing to complain about. I think anyone with a pulse knows that we didn't recruit our needs well and therefor regardless of the rankings...we got our butts whipped in recruiting. I would like to know where we would rank among P5 schools if just the OL counted. We would probably be bottom of the league in SEC. Gus had a formula of relying on transfers or converted DEs to fill the gaping void left by his lack of recruiting quality high school OL specifically OT position. It worked out with several transfers and a couple of the converts, but it is not an adequate strategy for going up against Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and the other big boy clubs in the SEC. 

I won't even get into QB recruiting and the 8 year debacle that was.

This^^^

Add in the painful lack of development and you have the explanation of why we were inadequate against the best teams we play and the gap was getting worse.   

[Gowebb11 9,307]

Question @ellitor Regarding transfer possibilities, have you heard anything about members of our new staff potentially bringing in a transfer from their previous school? Thanks 

[ellitor 33,062]

1 minute ago, Gowebb11 said:

Question @ellitor Regarding transfer possibilities, have you heard anything about members of our new staff potentially bringing in a transfer from their previous school? Thanks 

@Gowebb11Doesn't happen often. It's frowned upon in the coaching profession.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 minute ago, Gowebb11 said:

Question @ellitor Regarding transfer possibilities, have you heard anything about members of our new staff potentially bringing in a transfer from their previous school? Thanks 

Good question. I am going to look through the portal and see if there are even any guys in the portal from the staff's formers schools. I doubt we see much if any transfer activity until after spring.

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

1 minute ago, ellitor said:

@Gowebb11Doesn't happen often. It's frowned upon in the coaching profession.

I could see that. I definitely do not think CBH would want to burn any bridges in Boise by doing so. What if the kid enters portal though and wants to come play for his old coach?

[bigbird 60,368]

8 hours ago, Mikey said:

No team's O-line would look very good after three of the five starters went down. Starters are starters for a reason. Toss in a new O-line coach and no spring practice and you get what we saw. Our O-line will be good this coming season if we get to hold a normal spring practice.

I thought we had depth

[ellitor 33,062]

37 minutes ago, Tigerpro2a said:

I could see that. I definitely do not think CBH would want to burn any bridges in Boise by doing so. What if the kid enters portal though and wants to come play for his old coach?

Still not a good look for the coach by his peers.

[Mikey 16,545]

7 minutes ago, bigbird said:

I thought we had depth

We had some. Not as much as we had three years ago when we had 18 SCHOLARSHIP O-line players, but we had adequate depth.

Now, go back and read the rest of my post. It's very short and shouldn't tax your attention span. If you read the whole thing it's possible that a light may switch on for you.

[Gowebb11 9,307]

11 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Still not a good look for the coach by his peers.

I agree it’s not a good look. But it’s not uncommon for a kid to follow their coach. 

[ellitor 33,062]

6 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

 But it’s not uncommon for a kid to follow their coach. 

Actually it is. Just gets magnified when it happens.

[bigbird 60,368]

22 minutes ago, Mikey said:

We had some. Not as much as we had three years ago when we had 18 SCHOLARSHIP O-line players, but we had adequate depth.

Now, go back and read the rest of my post. It's very short and shouldn't tax your attention span. If you read the whole thing it's possible that a light may switch on for you.

Right you think we'll be good on the OL because of spring practice and a new coach.

Just for my clarification, what was the reason for the OL performances during the '16-'17 and '18-'19 seasons? I mean, we had new Coaches and spring practices then, so why will this year be different?  What exactly has changed within the program to lead you to think this year will be different?

[ArgoEagle 1,767]

2 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

I agree it’s not a good look. But it’s not uncommon for a kid to follow their coach. 

I respect everyone's opinion here. My opinion is I really don't care how it looks. We need to get the best players from any source available to help us win games in 2021, and then worry about the future in recruiting for 2022. The scope of recruiting and how to win in college football has completely changed bc of The Transfer Portal, Grad Transfers, etc. You change with it, or get left behind.

Unless you can recruit elite 4 and 5* star talent year after year (Bama, Clemson, Ohio State) then you have to improvise.