David Njoku to LB?

[Boarcane]

Lmao I can't wait for the defenders to spin this one

What is there to spin? Freshman gets burn at a new position? Not like they are taking Wyche and trying him out at Punter.

Or taking the Punter and trying him at WR

Haha this happened during Randy's tenure right? We were extremely thin at WR so we had a punter switch to WR. Who was the player?

That never happened under Randy's tenure... It was Coker's...

stupidest argument ever.. to be honest, it started here at MIAMI under Jimmy and Butch, taking elite ATH and filling the needed roles. Those two changed the size and speed measurable's for multiple positions at every level as a result. It has become the norm in college football. It is when done properly, why college coaches are paid millions… WoW

 

[lauderdaleballer]

Njoku talking about the position switch
[video=youtube;i8BxhAf33rA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i8BxhAf33rA[/video]

Translation: I was going to redshirt anyway and we don't have many LBs, so I figure I can help out and be a body, while proving to the coaches I'm a team guy. Then, they'll hopefully move me back to position I came to play. Also, no more ****ing questions.

Also said he played linebacker all through high school.

This is not like taking a freshman Phillip Dorsett and making him a linebacker.

Get your athletes on the field.
This is not like when Randy Shannon decided to turn a blocking tight end into our primary kick returner.
This switch makes sense.

Actually it is the same thing... Gordon was a freshman who was a physical specimen... We had fumbling and muffing issues on Kr and pr... Gordon was big but he was a 4.5 speed athlete... Some of you act like he was horrible... He averaged like 20 yards a return and he did it in prep school where he was awesome... Gordon was an average returner... He didn't suck but he wasnt spectacular either...

 

[Boarcane]

some people….

 

[gfer1988]

he didn't have to be switched to play on special teams. theres plenty of offensive guys who play on special teams so that would make no sense. the obvious reason is that we're far thinner at lb than at wr or te. i just approach it with which position does he have the highest ceiling. never seen him at lb but looked pretty good and fluid in the limited camp film i've seen him at wr

This guy is a Freshman who will at most, will only see time on special teams, whether classified as being on offense or defense... Because he's a big body that can move, maybe the switch is a way to toughen him up for the "role" on special teams in a LB's slot to preserve the actual LB's that will see the field on defense.

Im just saying. only thing that makes sense.

 

[Boarcane]

PLEASE WATCH THE FIST MIN OF THE VIDEO. STARTS 30 seconds in about this. They are doing their jobs… "looking"
[video=youtube;cGjlXppecmU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGjlXppecmU#t=69[/video]

 

[Coach Macho]

Only question is whether he has the mental makeup for defense. Physically he's a specimen. I was really hoping for him to become that explosive TE we've been lacking. (which he still can be)

 

[Boarcane]

Only question is whether he has the mental makeup for defense. Physically he's a specimen. I was really hoping for him to become that explosive TE we've been lacking. (which he still can be)

Tucker and Fentress are in the mix at LB to make up for the loss of Blue and Figs. If he can use that natural size and speed to become a true SAM, i'm in. If not, i'm glad they looked. If he moves to TE, he looks on film to have a ton of potential.

 

[ncncanes]

Boarcane is right - Under JJ, Miami had LB's that had the speed to cover WR's deep - with all of the multiple WR sets in CFB, we will see more of this

 

[bigsonnyu]

You're disagreeing with me, and agreeing at the same time. The point IS, we're thin at LB, so instead of using one of the LB's needed on 1st thru 3rd downs on speacial teams, you put a guy with size, that can fill "the role of a LB" on special teams. Or would you rather have Perryman covering kickoff's and punts?

You do know LB/FB's fill certain "Role Responsibilities" on special teams, that a WR/DB does not right?

he didn't have to be switched to play on special teams. theres plenty of offensive guys who play on special teams so that would make no sense. the obvious reason is that we're far thinner at lb than at wr or te. i just approach it with which position does he have the highest ceiling. never seen him at lb but looked pretty good and fluid in the limited camp film i've seen him at wr

This guy is a Freshman who will at most, will only see time on special teams, whether classified as being on offense or defense... Because he's a big body that can move, maybe the switch is a way to toughen him up for the "role" on special teams in a LB's slot to preserve the actual LB's that will see the field on defense.

Im just saying. only thing that makes sense.

 

[rudebuddha]

Njoku talking about the position switch
[video=youtube;i8BxhAf33rA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i8BxhAf33rA[/video]

Translation: I was going to redshirt anyway and we don't have many LBs, so I figure I can help out and be a body, while proving to the coaches I'm a team guy. Then, they'll hopefully move me back to position I came to play. Also, no more ****ing questions.

Also said he played linebacker all through high school.

This is not like taking a freshman Phillip Dorsett and making him a linebacker.

Get your athletes on the field.
This is not like when Randy Shannon decided to turn a blocking tight end into our primary kick returner.
This switch makes sense.

Actually it is the same thing... Gordon was a freshman who was a physical specimen... We had fumbling and muffing issues on Kr and pr... Gordon was big but he was a 4.5 speed athlete... Some of you act like he was horrible... He averaged like 20 yards a return and he did it in prep school where he was awesome... Gordon was an average returner... He didn't suck but he wasnt spectacular either...

Was he a better returner than Travis Benjamin?
20 yards a return is not lighting it up.
If you average 20 yards a return it means you take it from the goal line to the 20. Nowadays that is a negative play versus a touchback.

I wouldn't throw the word, "awesome" around so cavalierly, especially when referring to the mundane.

Duke is an awesome returner.
The few returns I saw Gordon run were just mediocre.

 

[MiamiE]

He belongs at TE. Oh well, maybe the 2015 coach gets him setup right.

 

[TheMatador]

So you actually thought people saw Njoku was a replacement for three highly touted WRs all by himself? FOH man...you're grasping at straws trying to find a shiny new reason to hate on Golden even though basically everyone here agrees he's still got a lot to prove.

And are you seriously getting rustled over his decision to add a rangy athlete with experience playing LB to a thin LB corps? Once again, FOH.

"One of the best pure athletes in the New Jersey, Njoku is being recruited as a wide receiver at Miami, though some view him as a tight end or linebacker at the next level. This season, Njoku had 40 receptions for 981 yards and 14 touchdowns, he also rushed for 334 yards and six touchdowns. As a linebacker, he recorded 85 tackles and two interceptions." (http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-5714746705885713599/david-njoku-of-cedar-grove-signs-to-play-football-at-***-on-national-signing-day/)

Lol wasn't he supposed to be the answer for losing out on Lane, Rudolph & Dixon and now 2 weeks in he's already at LB. Seems like a massive reach by the staff right now.

I think this kind of experimentation early in practice goes on more than you realize. I remember, over the years, hearing of different players being tried out at different positions, different side of the ball, etc. The kid might be amenable to this kind of opportunity because he might get on the field sooner and more often. Doesn't mean he might not end up playing some on offense again at some point.

 

[TheMatador]

Boarcane is right - Under JJ, Miami had LB's that had the speed to cover WR's deep - with all of the multiple WR sets in CFB, we will see more of this

Remember when Houston came in one night with David Klingler, who was the college football hotshot at the time? A Houston offense that threw up enormous scoring margins on other teams. One of the Houston administrators, probably the AD, said after the game when he saw one of our LBs covering one of their WRs deep he knew Houston was in trouble. i suspect it was probably Jessie Armstead, but back then, all our LBs were fast, including Darrin Smith on the other side. These guys were close to 4.5-4.6. I like this experiment, if Njoku is OK with it. He has to have his heart into it or it won't be a success. (That was not under JJ, by the way, but Dennis. Those were JJ recruits, though).

 

[Canesfan1899]

Would love to have that size and athleticism at lb, agree he's got to be willing to play there.

 

[ASUCane]

So you actually thought people saw Njoku was a replacement for three highly touted WRs all by himself? FOH man...you're grasping at straws trying to find a shiny new reason to hate on Golden even though basically everyone here agrees he's still got a lot to prove.

And are you seriously getting rustled over his decision to add a rangy athlete with experience playing LB to a thin LB corps? Once again, FOH.

"One of the best pure athletes in the New Jersey, Njoku is being recruited as a wide receiver at Miami, though some view him as a tight end or linebacker at the next level. This season, Njoku had 40 receptions for 981 yards and 14 touchdowns, he also rushed for 334 yards and six touchdowns. As a linebacker, he recorded 85 tackles and two interceptions." (http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-5714746705885713599/david-njoku-of-cedar-grove-signs-to-play-football-at-***-on-national-signing-day/)

Lol wasn't he supposed to be the answer for losing out on Lane, Rudolph & Dixon and now 2 weeks in he's already at LB. Seems like a massive reach by the staff right now.

I think this kind of experimentation early in practice goes on more than you realize. I remember, over the years, hearing of different players being tried out at different positions, different side of the ball, etc. The kid might be amenable to this kind of opportunity because he might get on the field sooner and more often. Doesn't mean he might not end up playing some on offense again at some point.

Oh yeah, it happens all the time. Case in point: Dallas Crawford.

I figure Njoku will ultimately play TE/H-back, but I like his potential at LB too. Also, canesbball's post was way off...Njoku is a great athlete and prospect, but literally nobody thought he was a replacement for Lane, Rudolph, and Dixon. A: he's not a Voltron combo of those three; and B: Langham, Brady, and Berrios are all top WR prospects in their own rights.

 

[User-4525]

Only question is whether he has the mental makeup for defense. Physically he's a specimen. I was really hoping for him to become that explosive TE we've been lacking. (which he still can be)

@David_Njoku80: Speed Tight End. I can dig it

D$ and I had been saying from the jump the coaches were going to put him at tight end, I think this is the right position for him

 

[Problem2]

All that overreaction.

 

[L A M P]

All that overreaction.

Sounds about par for the course.

 

[BigDikCane]

CAN HE PLAY QB?

 

[Geo305]

Njoku is going to be a TE. Watch. Like a Devin Funches