Matthew Hill Enters the Transfer Portal

[Zeek 16,660]

46 minutes ago, WFE12 said:

What are you getting at here? Sounds like we need to extend the head coach to me if we’re going by the standard.

2018 Recruiting Class

4* Players:

Gatewood - gone never allowed to throw and didn't get developed as a passer

Hill - gone only used for blocking 

Coynis Miller - gone and gus blames his work ethic and effort

Harold Joiner - gone only used for wheel routes 

Smoke Monday - starting, has been roasted at times

Anthony Schwartz - incredibly under utilized

Seth Williams - has been great but a real coach would have him at 1,000 yards at least one of these years

Zakoby McClain - kind of a role player mostly a run stopper

Asa Martin - gone, wasted what should have been a redshirt year because of mismanagement

Jamien Sherrod- solid

Christian Tutt - I'm sorry but he feels like a liability 

Michael Harris - left then got arrested at his new school

Richard Jibunor - gone

Daquan Newkirk 

Shaun Shivers

[cole256 17,084]

48 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

This is legitimately a question because I don’t know.  Has Malik Willis played any teams that are any good?

As an aside, it looks like Woody Barrett is transferring again today.  

I don't know who all they have played but he plays for liberty though so he's doing great playing people on his team's level either way

[DAG 34,018]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

This is legitimately a question because I don’t know.  Has Malik Willis played any teams that are any good?

As an aside, it looks like Woody Barrett is transferring again today.  

Well context matters in a question like that. He plays for liberty so most of the teams he is playing is at his teams level or better if they are in a power 5 conference. This week he plays coastal Carolina which will be a really good game. 

[The Freak 2,528]

Liberty beat Syracuse and Virginia Tech.  The only loss was to NC State by one point.

 

So yeah, Liberty is playing well above their level.

[cole256 17,084]

And who knew, if you call a pass play he can actually show you if he can pass or not!

Before anybody try it. Yes people said he's not a QB he should play wr. I don't care if you yourself didn't see it personally, multiple people said it multiple times. Literally said he couldn't play the position without seeing him throw....that's what we do here, well at least used to.....now it's what if he had this and that. And it's the talent is there but no coaching

[TitanTiger 20,511]

19 hours ago, cole256 said:

You left out the guys that were successful.....I know probably by accident. Easy to bring up JG but not talk about mw. As far as good for both parties that will always be the case. If they are good when they leave you say it's because they aren't here and if they are bad you say they couldn't compete here. It's a win/win argument you keep trying to push. 

Malik flat out said the reason he didn't win the starting job here was because he didn't put in the work.  He thought after Stidham left, he'd just slide into that position by default and he just got beat out for the job.  When he transferred to Liberty (which Gus talked him up to Freeze to help facilitate), he determined in himself that would never happen again and he's worked his ass off.  

[woodford 3,667]

11 hours ago, Zeek said:

2018 Recruiting Class

4* Players:

Anthony Schwartz - incredibly under utilized

Seth Williams - has been great but a real coach would have him at 1,000 yards at least one of these years

 

Is this duo were at Alabama, UGA, and LSU, Schwartz would be featured on Gameday every weekend for his speed and big plays and Seth Williams would be an All-American that NFL scouts would be drooling over. But alas.....

I do think that if Williams can improve his attitude/body language he can flourish under the right guidance in the NFL. He'll be undervalued due to his time in college, but maybe he can make strides at the combine.

[DAG 34,018]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

Malik flat out said the reason he didn't win the starting job here was because he didn't put in the work.  He thought after Stidham left, he'd just slide into that position by default and he just got beat out for the job.  When he transferred to Liberty (which Gus talked him up to Freeze to help facilitate), he determined in himself that would never happen again and he's worked his ass off.  

Can you post a link where MW said that? I can't find that anywhere 

Here is a great link about MW character and tumultous time here at Auburn: 

https://theathletic.com/981918/2019/05/16/malik-willis-auburn-quarterback-transfer-portal-gus-malzahn/

[cole256 17,084]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

Malik flat out said the reason he didn't win the starting job here was because he didn't put in the work.  He thought after Stidham left, he'd just slide into that position by default and he just got beat out for the job.  When he transferred to Liberty (which Gus talked him up to Freeze to help facilitate), he determined in himself that would never happen again and he's worked his ass off.  

Of course he's going to say that if he ever wants to play again......it's like when you leave a job because it was trash but you better not ever bad mouth your past employer and think you're going to work again. Especially at QB you have to say that stuff.

But I bet he should work harder just like the QB that starts now needs to work harder but you're crazy to think he's this talented but was so bad here he didn't deserve to have a pass play even called.

Some other interesting things said was he appreciates that freeze is going to call the right plays, he's not going to run because he has a 5 star running back he's going to run because that's what the defense is giving him.

I also noticed how freeze said Malik wasn't the best practice player at first but you could see something was there. This is the same things they said about JG here......good to have a coach that can identify talent

[DAG 34,018]

2 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Of course he's going to say that if he ever wants to play again......it's like when you leave a job because it was trash but you better not ever bad mouth your past employer and think you're going to work again. Especially at QB you have to say that stuff.

But I bet he should work harder just like the QB that starts now needs to work harder but you're crazy to think he's this talented but was so bad here he didn't deserve to have a pass play even called.

Some other interesting things said was he appreciates that freeze is going to call the right plays, he's not going to run because he has a 5 star running back he's going to run because that's what the defense is giving him.

I also noticed how freeze said Malik wasn't the best practice player at first but you could see something was there. This is the same things they said about JG here......good to have a coach that can identify talent

I need to see that quote but you give a  good point. What I would say to that is based on Freeze’s track record and Gus track record , I would take the way Gus evaluates players with a grain of salt. For an offensive guru, he seems to not be able to get his players to the apex of their potential and he has had a lot of talented players under his tutelage from the offensive end. People get on him for not getting Lamar but IMO, Lamar would not nearly had progressed as a QB here like he did under Petrino.

[cole256 17,084]

Here's a link to an article I read. It may be the same article I don't know

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/auburn-football/now-thriving-unbeaten-liberty-malik-willis-is-ultimate-feel-good-transfer-portal-tale-2020/

[cole256 17,084]

5 minutes ago, DAG said:

I need to see that quote but you give a  good point. What I would say to that is based on Freeze’s track record and Gus track record , I would take the way Gus evaluates players with a grain of salt. For an offensive guru, he seems to not be able to get his players to the apex of their potential and he has had a lot of talented players under his tutelage from the offensive end. People get on him for not getting Lamar but IMO, Lamar would not nearly had progressed as a QB here like he did under Petrino.

How hard are you really working if we aren't even implementing fundamentals every QB that plays D1 should have is the first thing I thought to be honest.

We run a simple offense that people say the QBcan't audible and we pre call stuff to the QB....if a QB is still not accurate what the heck are they even working on?

[DAG 34,018]

14 minutes ago, cole256 said:

Here's a link to an article I read. It may be the same article I don't know

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/auburn-football/now-thriving-unbeaten-liberty-malik-willis-is-ultimate-feel-good-transfer-portal-tale-2020/

Yeah I read that article as well and I don’t see anywhere in that where Willis says he wasn’t putting his best effort and thinking he already won the job . It does say he wasn’t the greatest practice player and Hugh made him run scout for that reason. The article also depicts two different paths of vision. Hugh wanted to emphasize Malik as a passer while at Auburn MW was looked like the next NM. To me this is the biggest issue. We need to stop looking for the next NM.  The play calling points to that as well. 

[TitanTiger 20,511]

1 hour ago, cole256 said:

Of course he's going to say that if he ever wants to play again.

He said that like 2-3 weeks ago after he'd already won the starting job and clearly shown his talent at Liberty.  He had zero incentive to take that hit unless it was true.

 

1 hour ago, cole256 said:

I also noticed how freeze said Malik wasn't the best practice player at first but you could see something was there. This is the same things they said about JG here......good to have a coach that can identify talent

It was said about JG and it has borne out thus far on the field.  He's not even pushing a below average SEC QB at UK for the starting job right now.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

Can you post a link where MW said that? I can't find that anywhere 

Here is a great link about MW character and tumultous time here at Auburn: 

https://theathletic.com/981918/2019/05/16/malik-willis-auburn-quarterback-transfer-portal-gus-malzahn/

Here you go:

Through the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Willis worked just as hard as he always had at practice and in the weight room. But his study of the game and of the offense — the volume of which wows Freeze at Liberty today — slipped. Willis thought he could slide into the starting job when Stidham departed. But he wasn’t ready when the moment came. Instead, he wound up third on the depth chart behind freshman Bo Nix and redshirt freshman Joey Gatewood when spring practice ended in 2019. “I was humbled at Auburn because I wasn’t working like I should have been working,” Willis said. “I wasn’t doing the things I needed to be doing in the film room. I wasn’t taking advantage of my opportunity. And I was humbled for it.”

Even before he left Auburn, Willis realized his mistake and swore he’d never let it happen again. When Willis put his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal, Malzahn wished him well. And then Malzahn did one more thing.

Freeze was intrigued by the idea of Auburn’s former backup hitting the open market. But Willis had attempted only 14 throws as a Tiger. So Freeze and Liberty quarterbacks coach Kent Austin — who had just finished their first spring at the school — scoured Willis’ social media accounts looking for recent video of him throwing. Freeze was intrigued by the QB’s athleticism and had dreamed of supercharging his offense with a devastating QB run game, but it wouldn’t work if the guy couldn’t process information quickly and make correct choices in Liberty’s run-pass option-heavy offense. It also wouldn’t work if he couldn’t throw accurately. It also wouldn’t work if the guy couldn’t lead. For that information, Freeze turned to old friend Malzahn, another former high school coach who worked his way into the major college ranks.

“The first thing Gus said was ‘Man, incredible kid,’ and he’s been exactly right with that,” Freeze said. “He’s a humble, great kid that, that leads in a special way. And the kids want to follow him. So Gus was dead on with that.”...

...When the NCAA denied Liberty’s request to allow Willis to play immediately, it could have doomed Willis to an aimless, frustrating year. But Willis was so determined not to repeat the mistakes he made at Auburn that he threw himself into learning the offense. “I just needed something to do,” Willis said. “I was itching to get on the field, and I just didn’t want to waste the opportunity.”

So while Freeze and Austin readied senior QB Buckshot Calvert for games, Willis smoked the defensive starters on scout team and tried to master the offense. That independent study came in handy when the pandemic wiped out two-thirds of Liberty’s spring practice and sent the Flames back to their hometowns. Willis worked the phone and met with teammates via Zoom, but no one quite knew what would happen when he took over as the starter. “We all knew he was a tremendous athlete and that we could do some things with that within our system,” Freeze said. “But could he be an accurate passer and make the correct reads on our post-snap stuff that we do? And we really didn’t have those questions answered until the first game.”...

https://theathletic.com/2191140/2020/11/11/malik-willis-liberty-quarterback/

[bigbird 60,580]

To me the biggest difference between MW at AU and at LU is Freeze. A coach with a true understanding of how to develop and get the best out of QBs

[DAG 34,018]

1 minute ago, bigbird said:

To me the biggest difference between MW at AU and at LU is Freeze. A coach with a true understanding of how to develop and get the best out of QBs

Yes correct . You can tell Hugh saw what he had and molded him by showing him This is how you behave like a QB. You don’t know what you don’t know 

[casatiger 514]

Given Malzahn's inability to develop QB's, what QB gives us the best option to win at Auburn?   JG, MW, or BN?    I think the decision was the correct one.  It is almost as though he sat around and said, "you guys know I have no idea how to develop QB's."  "Based on that who can I mess up the least?:  Bo Nix."   

Now a coach that has the ability to develop QB's might have a different take.  The fact is the CGM was gonna restrict the development with all 3.  He chose the one that gave him the greatest margin of error.  Of course, this was not a calculated move.  

[cole256 17,084]

17 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

He said that like 2-3 weeks ago after he'd already won the starting job and clearly shown his talent at Liberty.  He had zero incentive to take that hit unless it was true.

 

It was said about JG and it has borne out thus far on the field.  He's not even pushing a below average SEC QB at UK for the starting job right now.

No it's not zero incentive as soon as it's time for him to maybe get a chance in the NFL they will look and see how he handled this situation as opposed to him saying different. But I'm sure he could've worked harder but I'm not believing somebody that good was at a point where you literally wouldn't call a pass play to make everybody on earth believe he can't accurately throw a ball. People was saying move him to running back.

[cole256 17,084]

Just now, casatiger said:

Given Malzahn's inability to develop QB's, what QB gives us the best option to win at Auburn?   JG, MW, or BN?    I think the decision was the correct one.  It is almost as though he sat around and said, "you guys know I have no idea how to develop QB's."  "Based on that who can I mess up the least?:  Bo Nix."   

Now a coach that has the ability to develop QB's might have a different take.  The fact is the CGM was gonna restrict the development with all 3.  He chose the one that gave him the greatest margin of error.  Of course, this was not a calculated move.  

Playing the youngest guy give you the most leeway. I mean people still say it now

[TitanTiger 20,511]

37 minutes ago, bigbird said:

To me the biggest difference between MW at AU and at LU is Freeze. A coach with a true understanding of how to develop and get the best out of QBs

I don't disagree, but I also believe Malik when he says he didn't work for the job after Stidham like he should have.  I also believe him when he talks about how much more effort he put into the job at Liberty.

[DAG 34,018]

22 minutes ago, casatiger said:

Given Malzahn's inability to develop QB's, what QB gives us the best option to win at Auburn?   JG, MW, or BN?    I think the decision was the correct one.  It is almost as though he sat around and said, "you guys know I have no idea how to develop QB's."  "Based on that who can I mess up the least?:  Bo Nix."   

Now a coach that has the ability to develop QB's might have a different take.  The fact is the CGM was gonna restrict the development with all 3.  He chose the one that gave him the greatest margin of error.  Of course, this was not a calculated move.  

Well I think on paper when you look, Bo has very good upside. Probably the best of all 3, but you still have to develop him and scheme around him. Gus is horribly bad at that. He has yet to proven he can recruit a high school player and make them into something. Good news for Gus, Mckenzie Milton is available .

[TitanTiger 20,511]

22 minutes ago, cole256 said:

No it's not zero incentive as soon as it's time for him to maybe get a chance in the NFL they will look and see how he handled this situation as opposed to him saying different. But I'm sure he could've worked harder but I'm not believing somebody that good was at a point where you literally wouldn't call a pass play to make everybody on earth believe he can't accurately throw a ball. People was saying move him to running back.

I take him at his word.  And frankly, I saw Malik's passing at Auburn and I've watched a little bit of him at Liberty.  Freeze or no Freeze, Malik has been working hard to get better than he was here.

[wcware 1,365]

14 hours ago, cole256 said:

And who knew, if you call a pass play he can actually show you if he can pass or not!

Before anybody try it. Yes people said he's not a QB he should play wr. I don't care if you yourself didn't see it personally, multiple people said it multiple times. Literally said he couldn't play the position without seeing him throw....that's what we do here, well at least used to.....now it's what if he had this and that. And it's the talent is there but no coaching

Willis has a cannon and throws a beautiful ball.

[cole256 17,084]

2 minutes ago, wcware said:

Willis has a cannon and throws a beautiful ball.

Yep and all it took was him deciding to practice harder some believe. I guess the guy who beat him out needs to turn on his switch sooner rather than later