I have to agree with Caddy, Les has done another superb job on the recruiting front, and it will be fun to watch these guys play! Best of luck!
Thanks to Caddy for his headline good sportsmanship post, rockingc for showing up (welcome), and buckeye78! The big surprise get was Montgomery, I didn't see that coming, but was happy. Big surprise loss was Jackson to Tenn., but we ain't virgins at letting a big one get away... Buckeye, top 5 class again, you guys keep realing em in! Pryor looked good last year, he will be hard to deal with in a couple of years, maybe like another Vince Young?
there is, but its not suitable for me to disclose. TR is a powerful, dynamic talent ..... but if you're looking for the kind of player that cares about making those around him better, he's not your guy. I'm originally from the florida panhandle and still keep in close touch with my roots, especially in escambia and bay counties. Trust me, I suspect you'll understand in due time .... and perhaps sooner than later. Do you think Russell Shepard will redshirt or will you play him some in year 1?
No, RS will definitely play this year. I suspect he'll be used like Ryan P was used and maybe a little like Harvin is used to mix things up.
Thanks houtiger. Thing is, they still have to develop them into great players, and for whatever reason, a lot of 4 and 5 star guys end up being busts, but the 2 and 3 star guys (AJ Hawk for example), end up being studs. I try to not take the recruiting thing too seriously, but I'm very excited about Jamaal Berry (supposed to be Percy Harvin type RB). Pryor will no doubt benefit from the experience of this year, and IF he makes some strides in making quicker reads and throws, he could be very dangerous as soon as this year. We'll see. I will say one thing about the kid, it's exciting to watch him play. It's the third and 23 where nothing is going right that he scrambles and finds someone downfield for a first down, (or runs for it). If he can become more consistent (and not put us in 3rd and 23, he will be very hard to stop. Though I think he throws it better than VY did at this point, similar intangibles at this stage in their careers. Isn't the Shepard guy supposed to be that caliber of a player? If so, do you guys think he will start any games this year?
The way some people talk around here you'd think he's the 2nd coming, but I'd hold off on that assessment until after he has a few SEC games under his belt. After the frosh QB disaster we had last season, unless Shepard absolutely blows the QB competition out of the water in spring ball, I can't imagine Miles wants to go through that again. Crowton (OC) really had his hands tied last season with Lee's myriad problems at QB, but he should be drooling about the prospect of running his system with Jefferson as our primary QB and Shepard as a Perrilloux-style backup QB/WR/speed back, or even run a Wildcat-like set.
My thinking was that if he's that kind of talent then Jefferson (will be a soph?) and Lee should not have that much of a headstart on him system wise, that his talent would lead to him starting. It seems like a two quarterback system (yes I know it worked for you guys and florida the last couple of years), isn't always good for the team, or players. We have run it several times, with Cooper and Tressel, and it hasn't really produced good results. It seems to me like that's why we didn't do it this past year, as Tress remembered having Zwick and Smith rotating in and the couple of games it cost us that year (Texas and Penn St). Obviously you guys did it in 07-08 and it worked...but have you guys run this kind of tandem system in the recent past otherwise? I suppose that success probably hinges on a lot of variables, and that it's a situational thing, but I'm always really nervous about it given our experience with it. should be fun to watch!
At this level of competition there's just no substitute for big game experience, regardless of how good you are. The ranks of college football are filled with HS studs with gaudy stats who washed out when the big fish moved to a bigger pond. For a number of reasons I don't think this will happen to Shepard with the proper coaching, but a true freshman QB is still going to make basic true freshman mistakes and his leadership/maturity is going to be severely challenged in the big games. Jefferson can be very, very good if he develops within the system and adds some muscle to his frame. With defense being a big question mark heading into '09 I want a somewhat experienced QB at the helm, but that ship will be righted in due time with our coaching hires. Right now I'd be more concerned that Shepard develop into a complete player who is comfortable with the system when his time comes to step up. Crowton's background is the spread. Until Perrilloux came along and Flynn started we really didn't have a QB tandem capable of running that style. Lee couldn't even master the basics last year, much less an offense as complex as Crowton's, so that had to be put on the back burner in favor of a bare-bones playbook. Look for us to run a lot more of those spread plays in '09. From an X's and O's perspective, the sky is the limit with Jefferson and Shepard. If Miles and Crowton are happy with Jefferson they could decide to bring in Shepard on just a few set plays, or just line him up at receiver since we're a little shorthanded there. I haven't even brought up the number of trick plays that could be run with these guys.
Hey Caddie,Need a napkin to wipe the sh*t off your nose? Talking about sucking up, you win the championship. imo I will say LSU had a great class this year but saying "they will be the team to beat for the forseeable future" is a stretch. Whats The old saying "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
