I'll be that guy....

TheSwagger1

Retired staff
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First off, I think our coaching staff just closed on one of the most impressive recruiting efforts I've ever seen in 15+ years of following recruiting very closely. To do what they did after a 6-6 season, with sanctions looming and negative recruiting at an all-time high is almost unbelievable, and it wouldn't surprise me if they got some 'recruiter of the year' type awards, as they would be WELL deserved.

But, I have to be honest, I still see two holes that I'm skeptical about having been filled. Here they are:

1. Quarterback - I'm still unconvinced that we've got a QB on our roster who can take us where we need to be, and unless Thompson, by some miracle, comes and focuses on QB, I'm skeptical we changed that this year. Hopefully Olsen is that guy, but if so, we're still 3 years away (minimum) from having him take significant snaps for us.

2. Impact DL - I love Chickillo. He is a championship caliber player on your roster, there is zero doubt, and he is a foundational type player. That said, he's not the kind of guy that's going to take over a ball game, I don't think. And, I'm not sure that I see any DL of that caliber in our last 2 classes (or more, to be honest). I see Hamilton being Chickillo-esque in that he's going to be a rock solid guy for us, and I like Ivory & Briscoe's potential to some degree, but I don't see this group the last two years becoming a dominant force. I could be wrong, and I'm open ears if one of you can convince me otherwise. McCord is a kid whose athleticism I love, but he's made to stand up and rush the QB, I believe... not sure I see him being a 4-3 DE (but I could be wrong)... his future's going to lie in the hands of Coach D. Hoilett and O'Donnell could be studs or they could never play a down... Ricardo Williams' alleged struggles might me tampering my optimism on them as they're similar type players (somewhat, anyway).

It's unrealistic for Golden to come in with 1 recruiting class and another that he got to spend 3 weeks on and expect our roster holes to be filled. I'm not criticizing him or the staff at all. I just see these 2 spots as being lingering things that are going to potentially keep us from reaching, or at least hindering our efforts to get back to where we need to be.

Thoughts?
 
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Why 3 years for Olsen? He can enroll early and be ready by his second year at the latest. If Morris struggles this year he could start right away.
 
I've often compared Chickillo to Ryan Kerrigan...if he's that kind of player, than he's the type that can take over a ball game. Problem we have, no standout defensive tackle. Bodies, yes. Nothing to write home about though. Get a good DT and it'll open up the rest of the defense.
 
The good thing is, off the top of my head, I can think of 3 impact DL we'll be either in the hunt or favorites for in the next recruiting cycle.

I think Golden should strongly consider a JuCo or two this upcoming cycle as well.
 
Why 3 years for Olsen? He can enroll early and be ready by his second year at the latest. If Morris struggles this year he could start right away.

Ask the University of Texas how well it works to rely on freshmen at QB.... no better way to ruin a kid's career. They're in a cycle now of throwing young kids into the fire, the fan base chewing them up and spitting them out, and then looking forward to the next freshman savior. You're theoretically right that it could play out with him starting in 2, but it's not a scenario I want anything to do with.
 
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how do you know how these guys are going to look on the collegiate field?!!?!??!?!

WAIT AND SEE
 
how do you know how these guys are going to look on the collegiate field?!!?!??!?!

WAIT AND SEE

Obviously that's correct, none of us know. The nature of a recruiting forum is that you're projecting & making guesses.
 
The good thing is, off the top of my head, I can think of 3 impact DL we'll be either in the hunt or favorites for in the next recruiting cycle.

I think Golden should strongly consider a JuCo or two this upcoming cycle as well.

Definitely think a JUCO guy or 2 would be in order, and I hope you're right about the impact DL in 2013... I haven't gotten started on that bunch yet.
 
I've often compared Chickillo to Ryan Kerrigan...if he's that kind of player, than he's the type that can take over a ball game.

That'd be outstanding. It's certainly possible and I hope you're right there. Good reference.
 
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I will take the kid who was coached up by Detmer a Heisman winner and taught how to read defenses. FSU QB is talented but look at his film and you will see a QB who does not make reads and throws the ball to a chosen wr. You can get away with this in high school but not in college. Why are brains not included when it comes to these kids? I would bet without knowing Preston's GPA and ACT would blow away Winstons. Same old FSU QB athletic but dumb as rocks.
 
I agree about QB, as I don't see any of the kids we signed being All Conference types. I also agree that Thompson easily has the most upside of the three. However I think we added some good talent along the D line in this class.
 
Winston was choosing between Free Shoes and Stanford. Talk about two ends of the extreme academically. FSU is like the crackhead hooker in Goulds while Stanford is Salma Hayek. My point though is for the kid to have a committable offer from Stanford means the kid is no dummy. Does that make him a smart football player? Not necessarily, but let's not say he's a typical FSU player either.
 
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The good thing is, off the top of my head, I can think of 3 impact DL we'll be either in the hunt or favorites for in the next recruiting cycle.

I think Golden should strongly consider a JuCo or two this upcoming cycle as well.

I haven't looked at the 2013 kids, so I'll ask -- who are the impact guys you're talking about?
 
Defensive tackle concerns me a lot. It is so critical to have strong defensive line play to disrupt the offense. A great d-line gives your defensive backs a break and makes them more confident and more agressive, which translates into turnovers. hopefully, a few of our guys from last year and this class will blossom.
 
how do you know how these guys are going to look on the collegiate field?!!?!??!?!

WAIT AND SEE

This. For all we know, Jake O'Donnell may turn out to be the next JJ Watt. or Tracy Howard may end up like Ryan Hill (god forbid).
 
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Why do you not see Chickillo being a take over guy? Did you watch him in the UA game? He clearly did that there when playing against people he was on a more level playing field with. I agree he needs the talent to surround him, but I very much see him being a take-over guy for us. Also, I don't know why everyone's discounting what Morris and/or Williams can do. We haven't seen either of them since Fisch has taken over. Look what he did with JH in less than a year. People are freaking out way too early and forgetting how close ALL our games were last year. Relax.
 
We just don't really know how they pan out. Coaching and development, and I believe (hopefully) this staff can do that based on their evals. I know it's cliche to compare, but if we had this message board in the late 80s/early 90s, we'd be saying Sapp was a wasted scholly at TE. In essence, one of these boys will surprise us.
 
I'm going to give Golden and his staff the benefit of the doubt and say that they will be better at developing players than Shannon and his staff. ****, they can't be much worse. That being said, I think we'll see less and less superstar high school players becoming JAGs and a little more under the radar guys becoming real solid players.
 
The good thing is, off the top of my head, I can think of 3 impact DL we'll be either in the hunt or favorites for in the next recruiting cycle.

I think Golden should strongly consider a JuCo or two this upcoming cycle as well.

I haven't looked at the 2013 kids, so I'll ask -- who are the impact guys you're talking about?

Senat (DT), Bryant (DT), Paul James (OLB/DE).
 
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