LongviewLobo01
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- Oct 22, 2013
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While everyone is freaking out because of recruiting I decided to take the time to take a look at the past two classes that will more than likely make up the bulk of Strong's team in a couple of years when we all expect him to be winning 10+ games. It's really not that bad. I compiled the Rivals, Scout and 247 ranking from 2013 and 2014 and when you look across the board it's really not that bad. I'm not an ESPN insider so I wasn't able to use their rankings, but I don't think ESPN's rankings are very good to begin with.
Some thoughts:
-- We have signed 36 players in the last two classes (not counting Kevin Shorter) and the average rank between the 3 rankings by player is 3.57. Between the three rankings, Rivals has us the lowest at 3.47, while the other two are 3.61 (Scout) and 3.64 (247).
-- It's critical that the DL recruits that signed today be productive because last season is going to be a killer moving forward. Would not be surprised to see Strong hit that position hard next year. If there are any JUCO kids ready to go it should be given a long look.
-- While people are giving Strong a hard time over the way this year's class finished, Mack did him absolutely zero favors last year or setting him up this year. Let's not act like people were jumping for joy before Mack left in regards to this class. Strong and his staff were able to identify guys like Anderson, Rodriguez, Ford and Nelson and close them with little time, while also keeping the majority of the class in tact minus a loss here or there. Signing Ford and Nelson in my opinion is better than what Mack had committed in Henderson, Garrett and Trey LMFAO. Both of those guys need to arrive ready to play because I could see them earning playing time immediately if they want it.
-- QB is in good shape whether we go with Swoopes or Heard. I think the OSU offense will be a much better fit for Swoopes and it wouldn't surprise me to see him take off. Heard needs a redshirt year IMO, but he's the future. One thing you notice about the OSU offense is that they are able to utilize QBs with little drop off no matter who is playing. Just one guy after another comes in and produces. That said, I can't recall a QB in that offense with the athletic ability that these two guys have. JW Walsh is a dual threat, but not at the level of either of them.
-- It will be interesting to see how Wickline approaches the OL. Last year's class was heavy on big guys, while this year's class is the opposite. Outside of Raulerson, everyone that was signed last year is 300+. This year's class is full of guys who need time in the weight room to put on weight and will be more of what we are probably going to be looking at moving forward.
-- There's absolutely no reason for us to recruit anyone but stud, war daddy WR's this year. We have definitely loaded up on this position lately. One good thing is that we have a good mix of different guys. Bernard and Warrick are little fast guys. Meander is a project. Leonard and Gray are bigger guys who could project to an H-back type role. Joe and Foreman are complete WRs, as is Oliver, but with a little less speed. Time to mix and match and see where things fall.
-- I have no idea what the plan is at TE. None.
-- Going back to DL, Strong needs to hit this area hard. Nationwide. Blanket the country with offers and take as many as possible to help make up for the lack of signees. One good thing is that I have complete confidence in Strong and Rumph to be able to locate, identify and reel in talent. They will also develop said talent. Time to get some guys in here to develop though.
-- Losing Alaka hurt at LB, but at the same time there is talent to work with here. And a guy like Freeman could spin down depending on the defense that we end up running. It's a broken record, but Strong's track record on defense is second to none and Jean-Mary has been with him for a while. They will be good here. Will be interested to see what kind of players they look for at LB.
-- Keeping Bonney and signing Freeman was a huge boost to DB recruiting and those two will go along great with Roberts and Davis. If Roberts were 2-3 inches taller he's a top recruit in the country. I think we will be amazed at how much guys like Roberts and Anderson improve once they arrive and start getting top notch coaching and strength training. LSU has lived off inner city NOLA kids for years. Need to hit that area hard. A 3* NOLA kid is going to turn out better than a lot of 4* Texas kids because of the improvements they can make in college.
Some thoughts:
-- We have signed 36 players in the last two classes (not counting Kevin Shorter) and the average rank between the 3 rankings by player is 3.57. Between the three rankings, Rivals has us the lowest at 3.47, while the other two are 3.61 (Scout) and 3.64 (247).
-- It's critical that the DL recruits that signed today be productive because last season is going to be a killer moving forward. Would not be surprised to see Strong hit that position hard next year. If there are any JUCO kids ready to go it should be given a long look.
-- While people are giving Strong a hard time over the way this year's class finished, Mack did him absolutely zero favors last year or setting him up this year. Let's not act like people were jumping for joy before Mack left in regards to this class. Strong and his staff were able to identify guys like Anderson, Rodriguez, Ford and Nelson and close them with little time, while also keeping the majority of the class in tact minus a loss here or there. Signing Ford and Nelson in my opinion is better than what Mack had committed in Henderson, Garrett and Trey LMFAO. Both of those guys need to arrive ready to play because I could see them earning playing time immediately if they want it.
-- QB is in good shape whether we go with Swoopes or Heard. I think the OSU offense will be a much better fit for Swoopes and it wouldn't surprise me to see him take off. Heard needs a redshirt year IMO, but he's the future. One thing you notice about the OSU offense is that they are able to utilize QBs with little drop off no matter who is playing. Just one guy after another comes in and produces. That said, I can't recall a QB in that offense with the athletic ability that these two guys have. JW Walsh is a dual threat, but not at the level of either of them.
-- It will be interesting to see how Wickline approaches the OL. Last year's class was heavy on big guys, while this year's class is the opposite. Outside of Raulerson, everyone that was signed last year is 300+. This year's class is full of guys who need time in the weight room to put on weight and will be more of what we are probably going to be looking at moving forward.
-- There's absolutely no reason for us to recruit anyone but stud, war daddy WR's this year. We have definitely loaded up on this position lately. One good thing is that we have a good mix of different guys. Bernard and Warrick are little fast guys. Meander is a project. Leonard and Gray are bigger guys who could project to an H-back type role. Joe and Foreman are complete WRs, as is Oliver, but with a little less speed. Time to mix and match and see where things fall.
-- I have no idea what the plan is at TE. None.
-- Going back to DL, Strong needs to hit this area hard. Nationwide. Blanket the country with offers and take as many as possible to help make up for the lack of signees. One good thing is that I have complete confidence in Strong and Rumph to be able to locate, identify and reel in talent. They will also develop said talent. Time to get some guys in here to develop though.
-- Losing Alaka hurt at LB, but at the same time there is talent to work with here. And a guy like Freeman could spin down depending on the defense that we end up running. It's a broken record, but Strong's track record on defense is second to none and Jean-Mary has been with him for a while. They will be good here. Will be interested to see what kind of players they look for at LB.
-- Keeping Bonney and signing Freeman was a huge boost to DB recruiting and those two will go along great with Roberts and Davis. If Roberts were 2-3 inches taller he's a top recruit in the country. I think we will be amazed at how much guys like Roberts and Anderson improve once they arrive and start getting top notch coaching and strength training. LSU has lived off inner city NOLA kids for years. Need to hit that area hard. A 3* NOLA kid is going to turn out better than a lot of 4* Texas kids because of the improvements they can make in college.
