Recruiting Football Talk VII

[peaygolf]

This off season is a big spot for Heupel.
How ruthless will he be? Will he stick to guys that have been loyal or upgrade in clear areas of need?

There is almost zero loyalty around anymore. Upgrade is the only real option

 

[MarcoVol]

Stewart I thought.

Trending Oregon apparently

 

[Orange_Crush]

My last comment before focusing on my day. Nico is a world class talent and the sky is the limit for him. He played much better than Joe would have IMO, but his play also showcased that Joe took way too much heat for inconsistencies this season. The supporting cast did not live up at times to Nico's play. Keyton giving up on what easily would have been a TD is one prime example. I think Joe was a victim of these lapses also as well and not all were his fault or doing.

Nico looks like a championship QB on his 1st start against a top 5 defense. Future is bright, if the rest of the team can rise to the occasion.

For the record, I think most have agreed with you 100% through the season. Joe has never been "the" problem, but he's had major problems. And when the system goes through the QB, his problems become the major problem.

And I'll double down here. I think Joe's problems were mostly mental. I think he just got in his own head and slowed himself down. Nico seems to be a walking beta blocker. Cool as a cucumber, with the talent to back it up.

But with all that said. I love Joe. I want him as a face of the program for a long time to come. I want to see him on our sidelines for years. I want to see him ball out in the NFL. I want all the best things for that guy because he is truly an amazing VFL.

 

[knoxvol52]

i don’t think they feel that Nimrod/Webb are explosive enough…. we definitely need some of the young guys to step up.

Nimrod and Webb probably gone you're rite, with Bru coming back possible...

 

[Ashevolle]

That's what I'm saying. They were good games, but personally at no time did I go damn that team deserves to be champion, or that's a good team. Championship teams usually have a certain look or feel to them and I dont get that from any of the teams I watched yesterday.

They said elite games not elite teams.

 

[MarcoVol]

Nimrod and Webb probably gone you're rite, with Bru coming back possible...

Gone? So we’re gonna have zero depth at WR then? Who replaces them if they’re gone?

 

[MarcoVol]

Stud lineman and a couple difference makers at WR, Linebacker and in the secondary.

Yeah we ain’t getting all that before the start of the next year. Guys are gonna have to develop

 

[knoxvol52]

Gone? So we’re gonna have zero depth at WR then? Who replaces them if they’re gone?

I don't know ..

You guys are the gurus I've never watched the game before...

 

[Orange_Crush]

Yeah we ain’t getting all that before the start of the next year. Guys are gonna have to develop

At least in the secondary, I saw talent and development from the young guys yesterday. Even zone coverage looked different. lol

 

[CAVPUT]

Why did we not target Squirrel more today?

Maybe he wasn't getting open?

 

[LA Vol]

I don't really see the need for another Portal WR..

Got the Tulane kid, Thornton and White most likely starting then you have RS Freshmen Leacock , incoming Freshmen Staley and Matthews plus Webb and Nimrod..

You only have one Football to pass around.

I believe Davis at TE will be a break out guy this fall in this offense...

Sometimes, an opportunity is greater than a need. Not having to have something vs. being able to maximize what you already have-- it's a good position to be in.

 

[VolGee4]

i don’t think they feel that Nimrod/Webb are explosive enough…. we definitely need some of the young guys to step up.

I think Nimrod is solid. He has great hands, and that is just as important as other attributes. Keyton shows that getting open doesn’t mean much if you can’t catch it. Nimrod is quick enough to get open.

We are essentially going to add 4 WR’s to the rotation (Bru included), and all are talented.

 

[RiseToTheTop]

its still a need whether people want to accept it or not.

 

[drylo]

Fyp

Pruitt was bound to be right about something… it sure wasn’t Michael Penix.

 

[Outofmyvolcanmind]

Watching T.V. sports talk shows this morning...

Predicting Harbaugh to NFL, possible $18 million a year good grief...

Chargers are who so called experts are predicting...

If he wins it all he should go.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

At least in the secondary, I saw talent and development from the young guys yesterday. Even zone coverage looked different. lol

Agreed, I think experience is all the secondary needs now. Full turnover, higher rated guys with better speed & size. This offseason every position in the secondary will be open competition.

LB is well recruited AND we had young guys playing a ton this year. So I’m optimistic about that group.

DL is going to be stout once again.

OL we need depth AND upgrades, but another off season and arguably the best incoming OL class since Wright/Wanya should help that group out.

WR & TE will be interesting, better OL protection with a QB that can go through progressions & has better timing could help them look better than they are too. But I think WR lacks a playmaker right now, love Squirrel but he’s not a true #1 guy with his lack of size. Webb has never looked the part, Nimrod imo has shown the most consistency…but hopefully someone can emerge. We need better separation and reliable big catch performances. Bru returning would help, but we really need some of these young guys to start showing out.

 

[Orange_Crush]

Pruitt was bound to be right about something… it sure wasn’t Michael Penix.

It was the covid mask.

 

[MarcoVol]

At least in the secondary, I saw talent and development from the young guys yesterday. Even zone coverage looked different. lol

Difficult to judge that against a historically bad offense. My belief is the older guys would’ve just as much success.

 

[Orange_Crush]

Difficult to judge that against a historically bad offense. My belief is the older guys would’ve just as much success.

At first glance on the previous two replies to that post, I thought someone was struggling with multiple personality disorder. lol


Also, fair point.

 

[Enki_Amenra]

I’m glad to have had Hendon, Joe, and Nico, but…man this guy looks good. Can’t believe we had him at one point.

He does looks good, but he's been training for years in college. I imagine Nico is gonna be pretty impressive after 5yrs of collegiate/pro training.

 

[Outofmyvolcanmind]

Only thing that bothered me from the game yesterday was that J. Josephs walked off the field (seemed upset) without looking at a single fan. He didn't celebrate with the rest of the team. A few minutes later Coach Ekeler went back to the locker room also (not sure if related). Did anything happen that you all saw on TV that we couldn't see from the seats? Everyone around us was confused.

 

[VolNRaleighNC]

I think Squirrel has potential but he’s never really put it together on a consistent basis. He underwhelmed me this past season. I think he’s a de facto starter but I don’t think his actual performance thus far in his career dictates an “elite” status that some of y’all want to give him.

 

[MarcoVol]

Only thing that bothered me from the game yesterday was that J. Josephs walked off the field (seemed upset) without looking at a single fan. He didn't celebrate with the rest of the team. A few minutes later Coach Ekeler went back to the locker room also (not sure if related). Did anything happen that you all saw on TV that we couldn't see from the seats? Everyone around us was confused.

Maybe he had diarrhea

 

[SweetasSoda]

The CFP games last night was the vision College Football had when this system came about...

Two very competitive games going down to last minute, great for College Football..

Even though I'm all in on the 12 team expansion, Im afraid we will tune into some snooze fest blowouts like the Georgia vs FSU games in coming years...

Jmo..

As always Go Vols..

We will. But gradually it should get better as the talent is less concentrated on 5-6 teams.

 

[SoilVol]

Final day in the deserts of the Southwest. Been in Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of Arizona quail and dove hunting, roadtripped through to Eastern New Mexico where we found some wetlands to duck hunt over. Saw hundreds of ducks (got several mallards) and thousands of sandhill cranes.

Drove into Roswell to watch the Vols stomp Iowa at a Buffalo Wild Wings. 80% of the TVs were on the Vols when we walked in, including all the giant ones. 3 TVs had Oregon v Liberty (all small ones). 0 screens had LSU v Wisconsin. It was unexpected.

Left from there and drove across the New Mexican plains north to Santa Fe and Los Alamos. Thousands of pronghorn on the plains. Mule deer and elk wandering the streets in the mountain towns where there's snow on the ground. Relaxing today, will go fly fishing this afternoon in the mountains. Been a great start to the New Year.