I hear this same thing every year from guys talking about Jucos. From what I have seen, guys like Kamara and Newton who were highly regarded in HS and went thru the Juco route for whatever reason are used as examples to justify other athletes. The reality is almost all Juco players are there because they weren't good enough to even get into FCS schools. Then after a year or two of beating up on guys with very marginal or no talent, like me, they are suddenly the next coming. Let's take Alexis Johnson, an unranked HS player with virtually no offers. Went Juco, suddenly the number 1 DT. Did he blossom, that implies a guy who either grew into his body, never played before senior year and needed coaching, or received top coaching to improve. Did he do either? No. Same size, played football since 6th grade, and we know Juco has limited coaching, nutrition, S&C, and practices. And from what we've seen and garnered from his time in the hill, he isn't expected to do more than fill depth and a spot on the bench, all while holding down a scholarship for which he might play 6 to 8 games for. Why. He needed coaching, strength and conditioning, and his talent level is as it was coming from HS. He just isn't the level of an ranked top 5 DT coming out of HS. Who will have 5 years to play 4 and will most likely contribute 20 plus games during his time. Kongbo hasn't been the world shaker, saulsberry was terrible, for every 1 you get good, you get 6 or more who never contribute enough to make up for their short time and scholly they take up.
100 players every 4 years. 25 per class, hopefully keeping you around 85 limit. Every Juco guy changes that and reduces your capability to maintain that 85 number. If you take 4 per year, 16 total, that's your 85 limit pretty close. If all Jucos fail, you better hope all the others hit and stay all 4 years, which we know doesn't happen. Based on the percentage of 85 out of 100 you need to hit on, you basically need 21 every year to hit while losing 4, if 3 out of 4 Jucos fail which is below what the numbers say, and you hit 85 on the remaining HS players, you get 18 per year, 2 leave for academic, down to 16, 3 leave early or for greener pastures. Your at 13, times 4, leaving you with 52 guys, 23 short filled with 16 Jucos who mostly aren't producing, with 7 walk ons and grad transfers, plus whatever else. You have a large roster filled with non contributors. Comparing to Alabama and Georgia, we walk in short on depth and talent. We get beat in the long run.
I hope Pruitt doesn't continue this trend. I understand the desire and need to fill immediate slots, but it's a short term bandaid with long term paybacks that come due.
Goodnight and I'm sure many will tell me I'm crazy or stupid or whatever.
