The War Rapport & Jay G Tate Discuss Recruiting

[Zeek 16,650]

Good listen. I like the beginning where JGT discusses some differences in how the Auburn visits are structured. 

[gravejd 3,270]

LOL JGTate has a lot of the same concerns we do. Why are we going after so many DBs in the portal when we need OL, WR, RB......etc. All in all he does not sound super impressed with the transfers we have brought in. 

[Zeek 16,650]

2 hours ago, gravejd said:

LOL JGTate has a lot of the same concerns we do. Why are we going after so many DBs in the portal when we need OL, WR, RB......etc. All in all he does not sound super impressed with the transfers we have brought in. 

At this point, JGT is an absolute nega-barner that was okay with Steele and tried to poo-poo any mentions of the pseudo-coup that happened. I like his insight on some things but he's wildly cynical at this point. Agreed the number of DBs is surprising but, of all the new coaches, I trust Mason the most and he must see a need to clean house at the position and bring in his type of guys.

We appear to be getting much taller/longer at the position.

[tsande07 271]

I found JGT's discussion of the structure and organization for recruiting much more enlightening.

2 to 2.5 times the off-field staff associated with recruiting! That get's me excited for the future!

[fredst 9,064]

24 minutes ago, Zeek said:

At this point, JGT is an absolute nega-barner that was okay with Steele and tried to poo-poo any mentions of the pseudo-coup that happened. I like his insight on some things but he's wildly cynical at this point. Agreed the number of DBs is surprising but, of all the new coaches, I trust Mason the most and he must see a need to clean house at the position and bring in his type of guys.

We appear to be getting much taller/longer at the position.

Maybe JGT turning into the new Marshall

[Zeek 16,650]

17 minutes ago, fredst said:

Maybe JGT turning into the new Marshall

Marshall has been really quiet lately other than his weekly "thoughts" where he really just sounds behind the times. I think it's time for him to be put out to pasture.

[gravejd 3,270]

1 hour ago, Zeek said:

At this point, JGT is an absolute nega-barner that was okay with Steele and tried to poo-poo any mentions of the pseudo-coup that happened. I like his insight on some things but he's wildly cynical at this point. Agreed the number of DBs is surprising but, of all the new coaches, I trust Mason the most and he must see a need to clean house at the position and bring in his type of guys.

We appear to be getting much taller/longer at the position.

I don’t follow his stuff closely so I can only speak to this video. But he had both positive and negative things to say. It was mostly positive and on the negatives things, I would agree with. We need big time tackle prospects to play right now and we need experience big receiver. I’m not as concerned with RB like he seems to be. Anyway...he did not come off to me as being a negative guy hating on Auburn in that video. 
 

I should note I have not finished the video yet. Still got about 30 more minutes to go back to

[metafour 4,969]

3 hours ago, gravejd said:

LOL JGTate has a lot of the same concerns we do. Why are we going after so many DBs in the portal when we need OL, WR, RB......etc. All in all he does not sound super impressed with the transfers we have brought in. 

That really hasn't been his sentiment at all - he has been complimentary of the players that they have brought in through the portal.

As far as OT and WR - the issue here is that we don't just "need a body". We need an SEC capable starting tackle(s) and a proven #1 type receiver. Well - do you see that player out there somewhere? The WR that has been talked about who would fill that description hasn't entered the portal and may or may not, and SEC caliber starting OT's are among the most desired players for virtually every team - there is never enough of those. Unfortunately we can't just a "will" a player into the portal and onto our roster. These are obvious needs that the staff know about, it isn't a case at all like you phrased it wherein they're just being oblivious and only going after DB's for some reason. 

They are still actively recruiting the Marshall All-American OG I believe (Cain Madden). He just left his FSU official visit without committing and is visiting Notre Dame next. He's not an OT, but would improve our OL immensely regardless. I think that they are still doing behind-the-scenes work on OT's.

 

[Tigerfinz 1,362]

I'm just glad these guys have become so successful.  They are a real treat to listen to. Cant wait to hear their interview with AG Allen Greene!

[gravejd 3,270]

1 hour ago, metafour said:

That really hasn't been his sentiment at all - he has been complimentary of the players that they have brought in through the portal.

As far as OT and WR - the issue here is that we don't just "need a body". We need an SEC capable starting tackle(s) and a proven #1 type receiver. Well - do you see that player out there somewhere? The WR that has been talked about who would fill that description hasn't entered the portal and may or may not, and SEC caliber starting OT's are among the most desired players for virtually every team - there is never enough of those. Unfortunately we can't just a "will" a player into the portal and onto our roster. These are obvious needs that the staff know about, it isn't a case at all like you phrased it wherein they're just being oblivious and only going after DB's for some reason. 

They are still actively recruiting the Marshall All-American OG I believe (Cain Madden). He just left his FSU official visit without committing and is visiting Notre Dame next. He's not an OT, but would improve our OL immensely regardless. I think that they are still doing behind-the-scenes work on OT's.

 

He also talked about Kaufman being shorter than he expected, Fair coming in overweight, and Ingram coming in with 0 college experience. He was complimentary of other recruits like TJ and he said that he thought Kaufman could still be a really good player even though he is shorter. He was also complimentary in general of the DL recruits we have brought in even though he thought Fair came in overweight. 

I got the impression when he was asked his overall opinion of how we have done in the portal, JGTate did not think we were properly filling  or had yet to fill all the holes on our roster. Not saying i agree or disagree with his opinion.  Just posted an interesting tidbit that i got out of watching the video. Others can certainly watch the video and form their own impressions of his answers. 

I have full confidence the staff understands the needs of the team and are working hard to fill those needs. 

[metafour 4,969]

You seem to be coming to your own conclusions as to what his comments "mean", which like you said - you're free to do and interpret how you will.

The comment about Kaufman's height is literally just a throwaway comment: everyone already knew that he wasn't a tall safety, so saying he's "short" doesn't really imply anything about his perceived ability - nor is it even much of a critique as height is hardly a deterrent at his position. It was an observation, and not really an important or meaningful one at that.

Tony Fair is overweight - OK, its a valid thing to watch moving forward but hardly something noteworthy about a NT in the offseason. They'll work him into the ground soon and he'll either succeed this year and move onto the NFL, or he'll flop and be gone after this season because he has no more eligibility. Thats been the thing with him from the beginning. 

Ingram coming in with 0 experience is a true comment, but his actual "point" was about filling the #3 RB spot on the roster. You aren't going to get some other team's experienced starter to come here to be the #3 back...so I'm not even sure how Jay G. Tate's own comment is supposed to "tie" to what he's trying to talk about. Ingram is a body at this point, he wasn't brought in to be a significant contributor. #3 RB is really far down on our list of "pain points" at this point: between Barrett, Hunter, and Ingram SOMEONE will prove to be able to handle a few snaps.

I answered the rest of your post above: he is right that we haven't found a starting OT or a #1 'X' receiver yet. But even he himself has stated that those such players, if they're even available, haven't even materialized as options yet. So you can't fill a need without an actual viable option. We have guys who have experience playing OT and we have young receivers with "talent" - I'll repeat again: they haven't made a move there because our "need" isn't just another body. Its a #1` type receiver who has actually proven to be a known commodity somewhere, and its an OT (or two) who are actual SEC-caliber starting talents. They can find and sign some random OT or WR  from the portal today - that isn't the point at all. 

[W.E.D 11,070]

47 minutes ago, gravejd said:

He also talked about Kaufman being shorter than he expected, Fair coming in overweight, and Ingram coming in with 0 college experience.

Those are all probably true.

[fredst 9,064]

Finally found the time to listen to the link. I don’t think the take from JGT was negative. I would characterize it as “positive but realistic”. If anything, he bent over backwards to not be overly critical of the previous staff. Anything perceived as negative is to me just an indictment of the current roster structure 

[Aubie the Tiger 50]

24 minutes ago, fredst said:

Finally found the time to listen to the link. I don’t think the take from JGT was negative. I would characterize it as “positive but realistic”. If anything, he bent over backwards to not be overly critical of the previous staff. Anything perceived as negative is to me just an indictment of the current roster structure 

Off-seasons are notorious for breeding out-of-control hype and optimism.  There are endless possibilities for the upcoming season, fans are hungry, and journalists are more than happy to feed them hope and fantasy in exchange for clicks and subscriptions.  But then football returns, and many a spring hero turn out to be a fall zero.

JGT is telling me what I don't want to hear, which turns out to be what I actually want to hear.

• Tony Fair is way overweight, and needs to fix it ASAP or he will be a bust
• Jordon Ingram probably doesn't move the needle for this upcoming season
• We don't have a legit LT, and probably won't get one before the season
• Getting an experienced 6'4" WR in the portal is also more a hope than a plan
• Issues with Bo Nix leaving the pocket go beyond OL issues

The good half is that JGT is impressed with the way Harsin is running the program.  All in all, I feel more pessimistic about 2021, but more optimistic about 2022 and beyond.

[JuscAUse! 1,405]

26 minutes ago, Aubie the Tiger said:

Off-seasons are notorious for breeding out-of-control hype and optimism.  There are endless possibilities for the upcoming season, fans are hungry, and journalists are more than happy to feed them hope and fantasy in exchange for clicks and subscriptions.  But then football returns, and many a spring hero turn out to be a fall zero.

JGT is telling me what I don't want to hear, which turns out to be what I actually want to hear.

• Tony Fair is way overweight, and needs to fix it ASAP or he will be a bust
• Jordon Ingram probably doesn't move the needle for this upcoming season
• We don't have a legit LT, and probably won't get one before the season
• Getting an experienced 6'4" WR in the portal is also more a hope than a plan
• Issues with Bo Nix leaving the pocket go beyond OL issues

The good half is that JGT is impressed with the way Harsin is running the program.  All in all, I feel more pessimistic about 2021, but more optimistic about 2022 and beyond.

I agree somewhat, but I'd add these points. A little research would show that there are NO guaranteed starters at left tackle (at this time that we know about) and only a few that would qualify as a right tackle. The transfer back that would come to AU to take Tank's place does not exist, and the NCAA would hammer us if that happened. IF these guys were to come available, and the coaching staff had a clue who was about to be available, it would be beyond stupid to let everyone know beforehand.  That being said, I would sleep better at night with two big old tackles on board. 

[Gowebb11 9,320]

I still remember listening to JGT before the 2015 season and him talking about how Jeremy Johnson would be a Heisman candidate and likely one and done as a starter then off to the NFL. Ironically, it didn’t seem strange to believe it at the time. 

[AuburnNTexas 7,143]

JGT had some legitimate points I thing he was honest and praised where it was due and brought up legitimate concerns about O-Line and WR and think he was a little off base on RB as I think we are ok there for this year. I expect more of Hunter then he does so that gives us 3 RB's we can rely on. The one area I think he may be wrong on is O-line. Yes we need an SEC Ready OT especially at LT but I think he and others may have underestimated our current players. I am not saying we have OT's that will scare the Ga or bama d-line but I think I saw a better strength and conditioning program and a better attitude because of it. We had players add mass who also got stronger that is big in the O-line.  

Last year I watched our O-line and it was not very good yet I thought it was more physical then the O-Line from the year before. Tashawn Manning and Keiondre Jones actually looked pretty good, Brodarious Hamm gives us another very good Interior lineman who has had to play OT because of our known issues at OT. Alex Jackson was serviceable at LT and Brenden Coffey actually looked decent at RT but needed more mass.  From what I have read Coffey added mass this year.  Austin Troxell played last year after two serious injuries there had to be some trepidation in his play because of those injuries but after playing a full season I expect him to have more confidence which means a lot. Zierer has all the physical tools to be an OT is he 100% and has he picked up enough of the game to actually be an SEC OT time will tell. Then hopefully Brahms at center or Council as swiss pocket knife C/OG/OT. 

I want a true SEC starting OT out of transfer Portal as much as anybody but the odds are against it.  Hamm, Jones, Manning are big enough and strong enough to give us quality interior linemen, Brahms just went through a grueling Winter program that should allow him to be strong enough to stop the bull rushers and with luck Council is there in case Brahms has not improved. Basically I think our interior is solid. Jackson is a converted D-Line and each year he has been better at OT then the previous year with any improvement he can be our LT and hold his own leaving us with Coffey, Council, Hamm, Troxell and Zierer as either RT's or backup LT's.   The key with this group is did they improve individually from last year, can they pick up the new system and can they improves as a unit each week.  The two cupcake games at beginning of the season are super important as it gives them a chance to work as a unit under new system, meld as a unit and hopefully build some confidence before Penn State game. 

Add slightly improved players to a better designed Offense utilizing TE's and RB's in  passing routes getting rid of the ball quicker with quick slants etc. and this O-line could look a lot better. One big problem the O-line has had over last few year is the predictability of the Gus O allowing defense to scheme against what they expected and usually saw. An Offense that makes the defense react because they are not sure what to expect is better just because of the element of surprise.  We need a couple of the young WR's to step up as JGT was correct about needing a Seth Williams type receiver for this offense and it does not look like we will get one from transfer portal. The 1st 4 games will tell us if this Auburn team has potential to be good.  If the O-line has trouble in the 1st 2 games it will be a long season. 

Edited June 4, 2021 by AuburnNTexas

[McLoofus 35,182]

19 minutes ago, AuburnNTexas said:

The 1st 4 games will tell us if this Auburn team has potential to be good.  If the O-line has trouble in the 1st 2 games it will be a long season. 

What I am prepared for and what I wish fans would be patient with- but I know won't be- is procedural errors. Particularly false starts. They're going to happen and people are going to mistake it for players being dumb or whatever, but that's the stuff that is just going to be part of the deal. What shouldn't be tolerated is any deficiency of effort, toughness and/or meanness. Make your mistakes at full speed. Miss an assignment? Fine, hit a different guy in the other jersey. A talking to from the officials for a little extracurricular business after the whistle? GREAT! YES! More of that, please. 

It's going to be sloppy, but it can still be positive. 

[bigbird 60,521]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

What I am prepared for and what I wish fans would be patient with- but I know won't be- is procedural errors. Particularly false starts. They're going to happen and people are going to mistake it for players being dumb or whatever, but that's the stuff that is just going to be part of the deal. What shouldn't be tolerated is any deficiency of effort, toughness and/or meanness. Make your mistakes at full speed. Miss an assignment? Fine, hit a different guy in the other jersey. A talking to from the officials for a little extracurricular business after the whistle? GREAT! YES! More of that, please. 

It's going to be sloppy, but it can still be positive. 

Procedural penalties stem from a lack of focus.  I am hypercritical over lack of effort, lack of focus, and lack of coachability.

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Procedural penalties stem from a lack of focus.  I am hypercritical over lack of effort, lack of focus, and lack of coachability.

As a fan, I am more forgiving of it early in the season, particularly with staffing and scheme changes and for new players. 

I don't anticipate that our staff will be any more forgiving of it than you would be and that's why I expect either clean execution or lineup changes by game 4-5. 

[bigbird 60,521]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

I don't anticipate that our staff will be any more forgiving of it than you would be and that's why I expect either clean execution or lineup changes by game 4-5. 

This is what I've been hearing too.  The last regime was far too lenient towards poor execution, effort, and focus. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

16 minutes ago, bigbird said:

This is what I've been hearing too.  The last regime was far too lenient towards poor execution, effort, and focus. 

Can you imagine if we go a full season without multiple games where a very significant portion of the fanbase wonders just what in the hell our head coach is thinking and the announcers aren't openly questioning the schemes during the broadcast??

You may say 
I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one

Maybe some day
Auburn will be a team
Where road games against our main rivals will be occasionally won

 

I'm still workshopping it.

[AuCivilEng1 11,005]

Big fan of the War Rapport. Great stuff, as always. Jay G is one of my fav Auburn commenters. His brain drain sessions are hilarious.

[fredst 9,064]

34 minutes ago, bigbird said:

This is what I've been hearing too.  The last regime was far too lenient towards poor execution, effort, and focus. 

No surprise. If you don’t demand excellence most of the time that is not what you’ll get. Let the little things slip and the big things are soon to follow. Next thing you know, mediocrity is considered “solid”. Fervently hoping that is a thing of the past

[bigbird 60,521]

15 minutes ago, fredst said:

No surprise. If you don’t demand excellence most of the time that is not what you’ll get. Let the little things slip and the big things are soon to follow. Next thing you know, mediocrity is considered “solid”. Fervently hoping that is a thing of the past

Solid post

 

😁