usf_football43
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On 2/6/2023 at 1:03 PM, cole256 said:Is there anybody on here that has a reputation for knowing some football thinks we'll have more talent next year?
I played college football for USF. Was I a great player. No. Did I watch a lot of film while playing? Yes. Does it make me an expert? No.
I've seen some good running backs come through USF that ended up in the NFL (Marlon Mack, Andre Hall, D'Ernest Johnson). Where does Battie fit among this group? Next to Marlon Mack (and potentially better). I'm not an NFL guy - however Marlon Mack was a legitimate running back until he had an Achilles tear (1,000+ yard runner in the NFL the year prior to getting injured). If Freeze has half a clue (unlike the previous USF coaching staff - may they burn in hell next to Charlie Strong for running our program into the ground), Battie should get consistent reps in your offense.
Battie is slippery, with excellent hips, peripherial vision and has breakaway speed. His low center of gravity makes him extremely difficult to tackle (he'll rarely take a loss in the back field). He's intelligent (high football IQ from his upbringing as well as a legimitate student in the classroom - good parenting matters). Can he withstand 20+ carries a game in the SEC? Yes. He's a resilient RB that rarely takes a direct hit due to the angles he takes as he hits the hole hard.
Everyone looks at his size as a detriment. It's actually why he is so damn good. Is he your goto running back on fourth and one or the running back you want in at the one yard line? No. Common sense tells you to go with a bigger back in those situations (Force = Mass x Acceleration). If Auburn can figure out their QB situation and actually have a QB that keeps a defensive coordinator honest, Battie will legitimately put up 1,500 yards with your current OL (if he stayed at USF this season, he would have ended up putting up video game numbers this year - we figured out our QB situation after our Baylor transfer got hurt - we have a stud frosh that balled out the last four games of the year and still has all four years of eligibility remaining). If defenses can't stack the box, Battie is going to run wild because it leaves a lot of one-on-one situations which is an OC's dream with a running back like him.
I truly don't believe Battie had any intentions on transferring from USF - there's USF blood in his family - however Battie sat down and reevaluated his situation with the coaching change (here's hoping the coaching change with Tennessee's coordinator pays off for my alma mater). Battie had other options besides Auburn - however he's a pretty low key individual and the campus at Auburn fit his upbringing (Colorado, Michigan State and Va Tech all pushed hard on him).
He put on a show at UF last season - however we were a 1-11 team that consistently chased the scoreboard in the second half of most games. By the time our staff figured out how explosive Battie was, the writing was on the wall for their careers. The coaching staff rotated running backs early on with Jaren Mangham (transferred to Michigan State at the end of the season) getting the bulk of the work (until he faked an injury to transfer out). Mangham wouldn't have started when I was playing - which tells me how clueless our coaching staff was with their decision making by platooning Battie.
Best of luck this season - looking forward to seeing how the Hunter-Battie situation plays out. USF had a transfer years ago that left a bitter taste in my mouth (QB Mike White). Our staff couldn't figure out how to properly utilize him - he was a gun slinger. White ended up in the NFL - good coaching matters.
BYU (3-14-1); Howard (7-105-1); @Florida (17-150-1); @Louisville (9-26-0); ECU (15-96-0); @Cincinnati (23-82-1); Tulane (7-20-0); @Houston (12-106-2); @Temple (19-129-0); SMU (26-145-0); @Tulsa (19-169-1); UCF (19-144-1)
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Brian Battie Stays at Auburn
in AU Football Forum
Posted
Definitely thought he was under utilized this past season for Auburn and the backfield situation didn't help him much. The rumor tree has it that he reached back out to USF and Golesh said no to transferring back to USF. I understand why Golesh would have said no, however I also look at things from two different perspectives:
From my perspective, Battie kept his head down and did the right things when he played at USF. He maintained a low profile. He was well respected among his peers and around the community in general. I believe bringing him back would benefit Golesh due to Battie's personality. Battie was a step ahead of everyone on the field at USF. Battie could very well deliver the message that would resonate with other players in the locker room - entering the portal and making the switch even with the immense amount of talent he possessed did not end well and was detrimental to his future. He would have put up another 1,000 yard season at USF this past year. Now he's coming off the bench at Auburn averaging 3-6 carries per game.
We have an excellent QB (Byrum Brown) coming back this year that will be a sophomore this season - he had 3,200+ yards passing and 800+ yards rushing as a frosh in a new system. He will easily pass for 3,000+ with 1,000+ yards on the ground this year (assuming no injuries). There will be speculation about Brown getting in the portal next year. Battie would have been able to give him sound advice about the grass not necessarily being greener on the other side. Either way, the playoff going to 12-teams gives little guys like in the conference of misfit toys a more realistic chance of making the college football playoff than meddling P5 schools in the current super conferences. When a team makes the playoffs, anything can happen.
Life did get a bit easier on the Plains with Saban retiring - the question becomes - who do they get to fill those big shoes? Best of luck next year.