We are not in total disagreement and I agree he needs to play WR after HS from the start to refine his skills for the NFL. However, Miles and staff have talked to Randle about his aspirations to play QB and the staff wanted to see what he could do along with preparing him for his senior year. He is a guy we think is a must have and if the coaches shut him out and say no you will not get a shot to compete even for a little while, he will go somewhere that will. Even if he does get a shot to compete I do not think it will be long before Randle recognizes his best bet is WR. I rather him figure that out here than some other program. No doubt he will be a WR for LSU. During his senior year he could realize this as well and it not become an issue at all.
I was at the Bastrop-Evangel game last year and got to talking to one of the Bastrop fans. He said without hesitation that Randle would be playing QB next season because he would be the best athlete and smartest kid on the field...said he had a 4.0 gpa. Now this is just an observation but, Bastrop's offense runs kind of wide open and it seems to be very dependent on the QB making opportunities for himself running or passing, I can see Randle fulfilling that easily in High School, I'm not quite sold on him doing it in college. With Mackey at QB, there was a great athlete making things happen running or scrambling around until another great athlete (Randle) was open and literally just chunking it downfield...Mackey had a great arm but seriously, I think Randle could've caught the ball if I threw it. Who does Randle have to rely on at WR like Mackey had with him. Also, I do remember that Bastrop had a pretty decent little RB Edward or Edwin something or other (he might have played CB too), I'm sure that didn't hurt. There was this kid from St. Martinville a few years back who was a pretty good QB in high school, best athlete on the team, Dist MVP, All-State, I think he turned out okay at WR.
Good post. This is all I'm saying. I don't think anyone necessarily "sees" him at QB at the next level. That could be because he's done all he needed to do for everyone to know he "can" play WR at the next level.
So based on your logic, we could've plugged in last year's back-up and let him play QB since Rueben is pretty much uncheckable at the high school level at WR. BTW, the RB you're thinking about is Dwight Hawkins. Edward Patterson was a starting CB, but he played some WR as well and averaged over 40 yards per catch. Another sad case of a kid not realizing the importance of success in the classroom. He's in limbo right now and headed to a JC instead of TCU. If he hadn't burst on the scene last year, he would've been recruited much harder. Bastrop runs one of the many variations of the spread offense...as does LSU for large parts of the game. LSU hasn't recruited a statue at QB in a while. Bastrop has always had athletes, but they finally have a coaching staff who can put it all together. Based on the continued success of the middle school teams, I think this Bastrop to LSU pipeline is just getting warmed up, and I love it. Mackey's success was based in large part on his decision making first, his refusal to lose second, his arm strength third, and his athleticism last. The plays where he ran the ball were usually designed runs, many of which came off ball fakes. Mackey's downfall, besides the classroom, was that he wasn't blessed with 3-4 extra inches in height. Had he been a legit 6'3 instead of a generously listed 5'11, he would've been a top-5 QB int he nation last year. Rueben is similarly gifted, he just hasn't had the time at QB. And Bastrop may not have anyone of his caliber at WR, which was another area where Mackey was blessed (Tommy Harris at Souther Miss, Deangelo at wherever he ends up, and Rueben are all-world talents). What that tells me is, if Rueben has success passing the ball this year, that says a lot about him as a QB, as well as Burnette as a WR coach. We know what he can do as a WR. His best shot at the NFL is probably at WR. But if he gets a good opportunity to play QB, he's likely to take it. Like BHelms said, Miles and Co. aren't gonna miss out on this kid because they wouldn't at least entertain his QB aspirations.
I think what he is saying is 1 year as a high school QB will be tough trying to convince a school that you are seasoned for the job of a college qb. Even though he is a supertalent and may have a shot at QB coming to LSU looking to play the position is a bit of an reach. Not to say he couldnt play it at LSU and could do well. But to get to the next level, he should probably concentrate on being an all world receiver.
I get that, and I totally understand where he's coming from. One year full-time is not a lot of time to be serious at QB. That's why it is so important that he established himself at WR first. Now when a school contacts him, he can tell them himself, he's not just playing QB because he's the best athlete on the team, as most outside of Bastrop believe. He's playing QB because this is what he wants to do and he's earned to right to do that. If he wanted to stay at WR, he would've done that and Bradshaw would not have forced his hand. I guess I'm just coming from the position of knowing the kid personally and knowing people close to the situation.
well of course you are and that puts a different spin on it. It would irk me for someone to discount the information that you hold true. Im sure he is the type of player that could line up at alot of skill positions, you just want him on the field with the ball in his hand at the end of the day.
