'20 IL OG Javontez Spraggins (UT SIGNEE)

You can look good on NSD all you want. But if you don't prep your players well and have instability in the weight room, you are doing the players you bring in a huge disservice. The weight room is or seems finally in the right place now. And though there is plenty we might blame on Jones, I think that was more on the administration going cheap on it.

Most of the recruiting analysts determine the star level by what others tell them. And they usually don't realize how many of those others wouldn't know how to find an ear pad in the equipment room. Some of these others probably never played football, but they know how to make a phone call or send an e-mail. Plenty are probably friends of the coaches, and building a player up as a favor. It doesn't make the information they base their ratings on accurate.

They back it up with highlight reels, and most are probably edited from game film or tape from the HS's cameras. And in most cases, compiled by whomever is in charge of game film at the high schools. They have the technology nowadays. They don't include missed tackles, missed blocks, blown assignments or other bad mistakes. What they see and show us is what each player and his HS coach want us to see. You want to know why the star ratings are flawed? I think that is the answer.
Supposedly, Jones got pushed into firing Lawson by player unrest. He was a decent S&C, but he hasn’t worked as an S&C since leaving UT. I think he’s over Olympic sports at VMI.

I think the admin was not in agreement with the firing and refused to appropriate money to pay a new coach considering his buyout. I think Hines thought he could make it work and it back fired. He was already losing the team by that point.
 
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The lack of S&C is all on Butch Jones. He removed Lawson from working with the football team after the 2015 season and put assistant strength coach Szerszen in charge of football S&C. Szerszen was more popular with many of the players, who liked his easygoing style. Factor in Jones' willingness to let select players decide how much they needed to work out and what they could skip and it's not hard to see why the program was in the shape it was in.

Jones chose to part ways with Lawson after spring football, because Lawson's disagreement with the new S&C program became increasingly inconvenient. It wasn't about money; it was about circling the wagons.
 
The lack of S&C is all on Butch Jones. He removed Lawson from working with the football team after the 2015 season and put assistant strength coach Szerszen in charge of football S&C. Szerszen was more popular with many of the players, who liked his easygoing style. Factor in Jones' willingness to let select players decide how much they needed to work out and what they could skip and it's not hard to see why the program was in the shape it was in.

Jones chose to part ways with Lawson after spring football, because Lawson's disagreement with the new S&C program became increasingly inconvenient. It wasn't about money; it was about circling the wagons.
... And the change led to many injuries as well..
 
The lack of S&C is all on Butch Jones. He removed Lawson from working with the football team after the 2015 season and put assistant strength coach Szerszen in charge of football S&C. Szerszen was more popular with many of the players, who liked his easygoing style. Factor in Jones' willingness to let select players decide how much they needed to work out and what they could skip and it's not hard to see why the program was in the shape it was in.

Jones chose to part ways with Lawson after spring football, because Lawson's disagreement with the new S&C program became increasingly inconvenient. It wasn't about money; it was about circling the wagons.

The time frame where Lawson was fired was also when JRM, Kamara and Cam Sutton were all deciding whether to go pro or come back to school. IMO firing Lawson was another way Jones tried to ensure they returned to school. The players pretty much ran the S&C program after that.
 
I was a touched worried he committed too early. Maybe he visits to other schools but keeps finding his way back home. I like this kid.
 
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I was a touched worried he committed too early. Maybe he visits to other schools but keeps finding his way back home. I like this kid.

Who painted the pic in your avi? Looks like old illustrations from In Fisherman magazine. Man, those illustrations hung all over my room, with Kathy and Cindy of course.

Edit: Larry Tople has been artist for IF Magazine for 30 years. Very distinctive style.
Larry Tople - DECOYS AND WILDLIFE GALLERY WILDLIFE ART - PAINTINGS
 
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I’m quite excited to see how this post ages

The posts about how Spraggins is a package deal are even funnier. It’s the same handful of stargazers, know-nothings, and FF drive-bys every.single.time....except when it’s a 4*/5* commit, of course.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this staff is that more often than not, they have an eye for talent.
 
Wonder how many OL they are taking.

From RollBamaroll back in March during spring practice:

Upon first glance, it is a bit alarming to think that the Crimson Tide has lost 129 combined career starts between three departing starters from last year’s offensive line. However, a closer look reveals a deep unit of talented linemen that Nick Saban & Co. have been stockpiling over the last several seasons. Alabama signed five new linemen for the Class of 2019 and all of these incoming freshmen are currently enrolled and practicing with the team.

DEPARTED
LT Jonah Williams - Unanimous All-American left tackle projected as a first round pick.
C Ross Pierschbacher - Four-year starter, All-SEC first team center, and Bama team captain heading to the NFL.
LG Lester Cotton - Part-time starter out of eligibility.
G/C Joshua Casher - Valuable reserve out of eligibility.
T Richie Petitbon - Reserve grad-transferred to Illinois.
MISC Elliot Baker - Former juco transfer graduated, never really contributed.

They brought in Dickerson to replace Baker who was apparently kicked off the team prior to exhausting his eligibility.

This is their roster for this year. I think they could probably at the most lose both Junior tackles and of course the redshirt senior. I don’t think they would lose anyone else. Their projected starters this year are in red font. They have a new starting center (limited experience) and the other guy is probably at least a year or two away from declaring early. I don’t know their target for numbers but as I see it with their present numbers they could have 3 open spots and they have 4 guys already committed for 2020.

None of this actually answers your question but this is what their situation looks like right now. Anything could happen. They could bump one of their current commits for Spraggins or it may be a contingency offer or something. The thing about recruiting guys that everyone else wants means that no one team has enough room to take all those guys and we may have to stay in the fight with a lot of these types of guys until the very end. It's probably a good thing we reportedly have a gangsta for a head coach. jmo.

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