Let's hope 2018 is the 1997 of Butch era...

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-Butch Davis took over a team that went 10-2 in 1994 and lost 31 scholarship over the next few years.
-Mark Richt took over a team that went 8-5 in 2015 that just came off a probation.

-Butch Davis went 8-3 & 9-3 in his first 2 years.
-Mark Richt went 9-4 & 10-3 in his first 2 years.

-Butch Davis was 5-6 in year 3... banners started flying
-Mark Richt is 5-4 so far in year 3... banners will start flying

-Butch Davis went 9-3, 9-4, 11-1 in his last 3 years.
-Mark Richt ????

Our offense sucks right now and there are no excuses for the output they have given us in the past 3 games regardless of talent. But let's not forget that Butch Davis was not exactly known for his game coaching either. In year 3 of the Richt era, we all expected a much better team but we have digressed offensively while the defense has improved.

Playing calling and scheme aside, here is a closer look at the current roster to see what might have led up to the failure on offense… and some optimism for the future...

One of the many problems on offense this year is the lack of senior leadership and star power. There are only 6 players left from the class of 2014 or 5th year seniors. None of the 6 players are star players and only Malik Rosier who everyone agrees is not a Miami caliber QB starts. Trayone and Langham have gotten starts but both are nothing more than role players.

2014 (6)
Malik Rosier*
Trayone Gray*
Darrell Langham

Mike Smith
Demetrius Jackson
Terry McCray

Then let’s take a look at Al Golden’s last recruiting class in 2015 who are now 4th year players, either Seniors or Redshirt Juniors. There are 13 still on the team and 9 of them have started games this year. The 4 best players are all on defense providing leadership and solid play which is one of reasons why the D is playing better this year. Our 3/4 other starters on offense are average at best with the exception of St. Louis.

2015 (13)
Gerald Willis*
Jaquan Johnson*
Michael Jackson*
Sheldrick Redwine*
TYree St. Louis*
Tyler Gauthier*
Lawrence Cager* (RJR)
Hayden Mahoney* (RJR)
Jahair Jones

Jordan Butler*
Scott Patchan
Robert Knowles (RJR)
Bar Milo (RJR)

Our 3rd year players are Richt’s first class in which he had 2 months to keep intact and salvage. There are only 10 players left from that class after injuries (Richards, Young), transfers (Allison, Haskins, Harris, Johnson, James), and dismissals (Bruce, Mullins, Wright). This is a quality group but not very deep in numbers. 2 of the 10 are out for the year and never got to play in 2018 and another one will most likely never get any meaningful snaps at the U. The other 7 are all starters and make the nucleus of the team but again there is no one behind them leaving all the backup positions to first or second year players and underachieving 4th and 5th year players. Also notice 6 of the 7 starters play on defense. Losing Richards was a big blow for the offense since he was our best player on offense.

2016 (10)
Shaq Quarterman*
Joe Jackson*
Michael Pinkney*
Travis Homer*
Zach McCloud*
Patrick Bethel*
Romeo Finley
Tyreic Martin
Michael Irvin Jr. (Out for year)
George Brown Jr. (Out for year)


Players who have been here 2 or more years:
Defense:

9 starters on defense have been here for 2 or more years with another 5 in the 2 deep, only 4 of those starters played under Golden including the top player (Willis) who only redshirted under the previous squad.

Offense:
5 starters on offense have been here for more than 2 years and only 4 other players are even in the 2 deep. 4 are on the OL and 1 is our starting QB, both arguably the weakest position groups on the team. We only have 1 player left from the SWAG16 class who is still able to play this year, the rest were all Golden recruits who should not have been here or are nothing more than career backups with the exception of St. Louis, Cager, and Gauthier.

Summary:
SWAG16 was a HUGE fail on offense and left us with only one player (Homer). Players like Richards, Allison, Mullins, Bruce & Haskins were all projected to contribute on offense into year 3 of their careers. Our 2 OL sginees were both busts as well (Tre Johnson & G. Brown).

Of the 19 players who survived the coaching transition into year 3 only 9 were on offense and maybe 2-3 are Miami caliber. However due to injuries and the failure in recruiting and player development most were forced into much bigger roles.

Why the optimism for the future?
Offensive we rely heavily on players who have been here for less than 2 years. SQUAD17 was not the highest ranked class but has some solid players who are still developing. Our top playmakers on offense are both second year players who are starting for the first time (Thomas, Dallas).

2017 (23)
Jeff Thomas*
Deejay Dallas*
Navaughn Donaldson*
N’Kosi Perry*
Mike Harley

Zach Feagles*
Jonathan Garvin*
Trajan Bandy*
Amari Carter
Jhavonte Dean
Derrick Smith
Jonathan Ford
Waynmon Steed
Evidence Njoku
Kai-Leon Herbert
Robert Burns
Zalontae Hillery
Zach Dykstra
Cade Weldon (suspended)
Corey Gaynor (Redshirt)
Brian Polendey (Out for year)

Bradley Jennings Jr. (Out for Year)
Deandre Wilder (Out for year)

We have a great rookie class however 3 of the top players who were all close to contributing are out for the year or injured (Lingard, Rousseau, Hightower). 4 of them are starting this year including one grad transfer. A few others have being forced to contribute as backups.

2018 (25)
Brevin Jordan*
Delone Scaife*
Venzell Boulware*
Will Mallory
Daquris Wiggins
Mark Pope

Bubba Baxa*
Nesta Silvera
Al Blades
Tito Odenigbo
Gurvan Hall
DJ Ivey
Brian Hightower (Injured)
Lorenzo Lingard (Out for year)
Jarren Williams (Redshirt)
Camron Davis (Redshirt)
Cleveland Reed (Redshirt)
Marquez Ezzard (Redshirt)
John Campbell (Redshirt)
Realus George (Redshirt)

Gilbert Frierson (Redshirt)
Patrick Joyner (Redshirt)
Jordan Miller (Redshirt)
Nigel Bethel Jr. (Redshirt)
Greg Rousseau (Out for year)

In 2019 we should be better on offense…
  • QB: Perry or whoever wins the QB battle should be better than Malik/Perry 2018.
  • OL: has some young studs that could be ready in the next couple of years.
  • RB: will most likely all be back with a couple of young studs in year 2
  • WR: should get bigger and better with more experience and development
  • TE: Jordan and Mallory should continue to develop and get more physical
By 2020, STORM18 will be in their 3rd year and most of SQUAD17 should be around as seniors. Much like the Butch teams of 1997-1999, the young players have to step up and take their beatings while getting a lot of playing time and experience.

The Key is for the staff to keep this young team together and continue to develop and recruit their asses off.... I'm hoping for the best.
 
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this is our last hope. somehow i feel we are stuck with the frank haith of coaching. massive under performance and untimely substitutions that make your head spin.
 
this is our last hope. somehow i feel we are stuck with the frank haith of coaching. massive under performance and untimely substitutions that make your head spin.

As ****ed off and disappointed as I've been this year, I will wait until next year to see if any changes are made. As much talent as we have on offense, most of the real talent is very young and the key positions are held by underwhelming seniors. Positions like QB and OL take longer to develop and is a much harder transition from high school to college. Yes, young QBs can do well if they are surrounded with talent, but they also need a good OL which we don't currently have.
 
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Talent is not going to help an offensive system which consists of 5 plays.
Absolutely agree... hoping that those 5 plays will look a little better when they are executed properly. Our offense did not look this bad with Kaaya or even last year with Malik. Although they were not world beaters, we did lose 2 seniors from last year's OL who were both 3 year starters. Having experienced guys like Walton, Coley, Berrios, Herndon, and Njoku also helped the play calling.
 
Absolutely agree... hoping that those 5 plays will look a little better when they are executed properly. Our offense did not look this bad with Kaaya or even last year with Malik. Although they were not world beaters, we did lose 2 seniors from last year's OL who were both 3 year starters. Having experienced guys like Walton, Coley, Berrios, Herndon, and Njoku also helped the play calling.
The Defense knows exactly what’s coming when we line up. Any talent advantage we have is lost when the defender knows where he needs to be pre snap
 
Lets be real, even with above average QB play we aren't losing to UVA, BC, or Duke

Against UVA Rosier missed a wide open Mallory to tie the game, it got "tipped"
Against BC missed a wide open Thomas for a TD to take lead before halftime
The defenses know exactly what’s coming.
 
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Fantastic, smart, analytical and researched thread. I would pay a lot of money to be on a board only with people like this and not the other 99% of every Hurricane board that consists solely of whining, crying, and regurgitating other people's opinions in an attempt to look smart.

LOTS more of this. Really well done, and I hope you're right. I think if somehow, someway he can be convinced to hire a forward thinking OC, this team can be really good in 2019. There's certainly talent, we all know that. Somehow hold onto Manny and hire a young, smart OC and we might have something cooking.
 
-Butch Davis took over a team that went 10-2 in 1994 and lost 31 scholarship over the next few years.
-Mark Richt took over a team that went 8-5 in 2015 that just came off a probation.

-Butch Davis went 8-3 & 9-3 in his first 2 years.
-Mark Richt went 9-4 & 10-3 in his first 2 years.

-Butch Davis was 5-6 in year 3... banners started flying
-Mark Richt is 5-4 so far in year 3... banners will start flying

-Butch Davis went 9-3, 9-4, 11-1 in his last 3 years.
-Mark Richt ????

Our offense sucks right now and there are no excuses for the output they have given us in the past 3 games regardless of talent. But let's not forget that Butch Davis was not exactly known for his game coaching either. In year 3 of the Richt era, we all expected a much better team but we have digressed offensively while the defense has improved.

Playing calling and scheme aside, here is a closer look at the current roster to see what might have led up to the failure on offense… and some optimism for the future...

One of the many problems on offense this year is the lack of senior leadership and star power. There are only 6 players left from the class of 2014 or 5th year seniors. None of the 6 players are star players and only Malik Rosier who everyone agrees is not a Miami caliber QB starts. Trayone and Langham have gotten starts but both are nothing more than role players.

2014 (6)
Malik Rosier*
Trayone Gray*
Darrell Langham

Mike Smith
Demetrius Jackson
Terry McCray

Then let’s take a look at Al Golden’s last recruiting class in 2015 who are now 4th year players, either Seniors or Redshirt Juniors. There are 13 still on the team and 9 of them have started games this year. The 4 best players are all on defense providing leadership and solid play which is one of reasons why the D is playing better this year. Our 3/4 other starters on offense are average at best with the exception of St. Louis.

2015 (13)
Gerald Willis*
Jaquan Johnson*
Michael Jackson*
Sheldrick Redwine*
TYree St. Louis*
Tyler Gauthier*
Lawrence Cager* (RJR)
Hayden Mahoney* (RJR)
Jahair Jones

Jordan Butler*
Scott Patchan
Robert Knowles (RJR)
Bar Milo (RJR)

Our 3rd year players are Richt’s first class in which he had 2 months to keep intact and salvage. There are only 10 players left from that class after injuries (Richards, Young), transfers (Allison, Haskins, Harris, Johnson, James), and dismissals (Bruce, Mullins, Wright). This is a quality group but not very deep in numbers. 2 of the 10 are out for the year and never got to play in 2018 and another one will most likely never get any meaningful snaps at the U. The other 7 are all starters and make the nucleus of the team but again there is no one behind them leaving all the backup positions to first or second year players and underachieving 4th and 5th year players. Also notice 6 of the 7 starters play on defense. Losing Richards was a big blow for the offense since he was our best player on offense.

2016 (10)
Shaq Quarterman*
Joe Jackson*
Michael Pinkney*
Travis Homer*
Zach McCloud*
Patrick Bethel*
Romeo Finley
Tyreic Martin
Michael Irvin Jr. (Out for year)
George Brown Jr. (Out for year)


Players who have been here 2 or more years:
Defense:

9 starters on defense have been here for 2 or more years with another 5 in the 2 deep, only 4 of those starters played under Golden including the top player (Willis) who only redshirted under the previous squad.

Offense:
5 starters on offense have been here for more than 2 years and only 4 other players are even in the 2 deep. 4 are on the OL and 1 is our starting QB, both arguably the weakest position groups on the team. We only have 1 player left from the SWAG16 class who is still able to play this year, the rest were all Golden recruits who should not have been here or are nothing more than career backups with the exception of St. Louis, Cager, and Gauthier.

Summary:
SWAG16 was a HUGE fail on offense and left us with only one player (Homer). Players like Richards, Allison, Mullins, Bruce & Haskins were all projected to contribute on offense into year 3 of their careers. Our 2 OL sginees were both busts as well (Tre Johnson & G. Brown).

Of the 19 players who survived the coaching transition into year 3 only 9 were on offense and maybe 2-3 are Miami caliber. However due to injuries and the failure in recruiting and player development most were forced into much bigger roles.

Why the optimism for the future?
Offensive we rely heavily on players who have been here for less than 2 years. SQUAD17 was not the highest ranked class but has some solid players who are still developing. Our top playmakers on offense are both second year players who are starting for the first time (Thomas, Dallas).

2017 (23)
Jeff Thomas*
Deejay Dallas*
Navaughn Donaldson*
N’Kosi Perry*
Mike Harley

Zach Feagles*
Jonathan Garvin*
Trajan Bandy*
Amari Carter
Jhavonte Dean
Derrick Smith
Jonathan Ford
Waynmon Steed
Evidence Njoku
Kai-Leon Herbert
Robert Burns
Zalontae Hillery
Zach Dykstra
Cade Weldon (suspended)
Corey Gaynor (Redshirt)
Brian Polendey (Out for year)

Bradley Jennings Jr. (Out for Year)
Deandre Wilder (Out for year)

We have a great rookie class however 3 of the top players who were all close to contributing are out for the year or injured (Lingard, Rousseau, Hightower). 4 of them are starting this year including one grad transfer. A few others have being forced to contribute as backups.

2018 (25)
Brevin Jordan*
Delone Scaife*
Venzell Boulware*
Will Mallory
Daquris Wiggins
Mark Pope

Bubba Baxa*
Nesta Silvera
Al Blades
Tito Odenigbo
Gurvan Hall
DJ Ivey
Brian Hightower (Injured)
Lorenzo Lingard (Out for year)
Jarren Williams (Redshirt)
Camron Davis (Redshirt)
Cleveland Reed (Redshirt)
Marquez Ezzard (Redshirt)
John Campbell (Redshirt)
Realus George (Redshirt)

Gilbert Frierson (Redshirt)
Patrick Joyner (Redshirt)
Jordan Miller (Redshirt)
Nigel Bethel Jr. (Redshirt)
Greg Rousseau (Out for year)

In 2019 we should be better on offense…
  • QB: Perry or whoever win the QB battle should be better than Malik/Perry 2018.
  • OL: has some young studs that could be ready in the next couple of years.
  • RB: will most likely all be back with a couple of young studs in year 2
  • WR: should get bigger and better with more experience and development
  • TE: Jordan and Mallory should continue to develop and get more physical
By 2020, STORM18 will be in their 3rd year and most of SQUAD17 should be around as seniors. Much like the Butch teams of 1997-1999, the young players had to step up and took their beatings while getting a lot of playing time and experience.

The Key is for the staff to keep this young team together and continue to develop and recruit their asses off.... I'm hoping the best.
Inag
-Butch Davis took over a team that went 10-2 in 1994 and lost 31 scholarship over the next few years.
-Mark Richt took over a team that went 8-5 in 2015 that just came off a probation.

-Butch Davis went 8-3 & 9-3 in his first 2 years.
-Mark Richt went 9-4 & 10-3 in his first 2 years.

-Butch Davis was 5-6 in year 3... banners started flying
-Mark Richt is 5-4 so far in year 3... banners will start flying

-Butch Davis went 9-3, 9-4, 11-1 in his last 3 years.
-Mark Richt ????

Our offense sucks right now and there are no excuses for the output they have given us in the past 3 games regardless of talent. But let's not forget that Butch Davis was not exactly known for his game coaching either. In year 3 of the Richt era, we all expected a much better team but we have digressed offensively while the defense has improved.

Playing calling and scheme aside, here is a closer look at the current roster to see what might have led up to the failure on offense… and some optimism for the future...

One of the many problems on offense this year is the lack of senior leadership and star power. There are only 6 players left from the class of 2014 or 5th year seniors. None of the 6 players are star players and only Malik Rosier who everyone agrees is not a Miami caliber QB starts. Trayone and Langham have gotten starts but both are nothing more than role players.

2014 (6)
Malik Rosier*
Trayone Gray*
Darrell Langham

Mike Smith
Demetrius Jackson
Terry McCray

Then let’s take a look at Al Golden’s last recruiting class in 2015 who are now 4th year players, either Seniors or Redshirt Juniors. There are 13 still on the team and 9 of them have started games this year. The 4 best players are all on defense providing leadership and solid play which is one of reasons why the D is playing better this year. Our 3/4 other starters on offense are average at best with the exception of St. Louis.

2015 (13)
Gerald Willis*
Jaquan Johnson*
Michael Jackson*
Sheldrick Redwine*
TYree St. Louis*
Tyler Gauthier*
Lawrence Cager* (RJR)
Hayden Mahoney* (RJR)
Jahair Jones

Jordan Butler*
Scott Patchan
Robert Knowles (RJR)
Bar Milo (RJR)

Our 3rd year players are Richt’s first class in which he had 2 months to keep intact and salvage. There are only 10 players left from that class after injuries (Richards, Young), transfers (Allison, Haskins, Harris, Johnson, James), and dismissals (Bruce, Mullins, Wright). This is a quality group but not very deep in numbers. 2 of the 10 are out for the year and never got to play in 2018 and another one will most likely never get any meaningful snaps at the U. The other 7 are all starters and make the nucleus of the team but again there is no one behind them leaving all the backup positions to first or second year players and underachieving 4th and 5th year players. Also notice 6 of the 7 starters play on defense. Losing Richards was a big blow for the offense since he was our best player on offense.

2016 (10)
Shaq Quarterman*
Joe Jackson*
Michael Pinkney*
Travis Homer*
Zach McCloud*
Patrick Bethel*
Romeo Finley
Tyreic Martin
Michael Irvin Jr. (Out for year)
George Brown Jr. (Out for year)


Players who have been here 2 or more years:
Defense:

9 starters on defense have been here for 2 or more years with another 5 in the 2 deep, only 4 of those starters played under Golden including the top player (Willis) who only redshirted under the previous squad.

Offense:
5 starters on offense have been here for more than 2 years and only 4 other players are even in the 2 deep. 4 are on the OL and 1 is our starting QB, both arguably the weakest position groups on the team. We only have 1 player left from the SWAG16 class who is still able to play this year, the rest were all Golden recruits who should not have been here or are nothing more than career backups with the exception of St. Louis, Cager, and Gauthier.

Summary:
SWAG16 was a HUGE fail on offense and left us with only one player (Homer). Players like Richards, Allison, Mullins, Bruce & Haskins were all projected to contribute on offense into year 3 of their careers. Our 2 OL sginees were both busts as well (Tre Johnson & G. Brown).

Of the 19 players who survived the coaching transition into year 3 only 9 were on offense and maybe 2-3 are Miami caliber. However due to injuries and the failure in recruiting and player development most were forced into much bigger roles.

Why the optimism for the future?
Offensive we rely heavily on players who have been here for less than 2 years. SQUAD17 was not the highest ranked class but has some solid players who are still developing. Our top playmakers on offense are both second year players who are starting for the first time (Thomas, Dallas).

2017 (23)
Jeff Thomas*
Deejay Dallas*
Navaughn Donaldson*
N’Kosi Perry*
Mike Harley

Zach Feagles*
Jonathan Garvin*
Trajan Bandy*
Amari Carter
Jhavonte Dean
Derrick Smith
Jonathan Ford
Waynmon Steed
Evidence Njoku
Kai-Leon Herbert
Robert Burns
Zalontae Hillery
Zach Dykstra
Cade Weldon (suspended)
Corey Gaynor (Redshirt)
Brian Polendey (Out for year)

Bradley Jennings Jr. (Out for Year)
Deandre Wilder (Out for year)

We have a great rookie class however 3 of the top players who were all close to contributing are out for the year or injured (Lingard, Rousseau, Hightower). 4 of them are starting this year including one grad transfer. A few others have being forced to contribute as backups.

2018 (25)
Brevin Jordan*
Delone Scaife*
Venzell Boulware*
Will Mallory
Daquris Wiggins
Mark Pope

Bubba Baxa*
Nesta Silvera
Al Blades
Tito Odenigbo
Gurvan Hall
DJ Ivey
Brian Hightower (Injured)
Lorenzo Lingard (Out for year)
Jarren Williams (Redshirt)
Camron Davis (Redshirt)
Cleveland Reed (Redshirt)
Marquez Ezzard (Redshirt)
John Campbell (Redshirt)
Realus George (Redshirt)

Gilbert Frierson (Redshirt)
Patrick Joyner (Redshirt)
Jordan Miller (Redshirt)
Nigel Bethel Jr. (Redshirt)
Greg Rousseau (Out for year)

In 2019 we should be better on offense…
  • QB: Perry or whoever wins the QB battle should be better than Malik/Perry 2018.
  • OL: has some young studs that could be ready in the next couple of years.
  • RB: will most likely all be back with a couple of young studs in year 2
  • WR: should get bigger and better with more experience and development
  • TE: Jordan and Mallory should continue to develop and get more physical
By 2020, STORM18 will be in their 3rd year and most of SQUAD17 should be around as seniors. Much like the Butch teams of 1997-1999, the young players have to step up and take their beatings while getting a lot of playing time and experience.

The Key is for the staff to keep this young team together and continue to develop and recruit their asses off.... I'm hoping the best.
from a talent and roster management standpoint I would agree, 2019 SHOULD show a major improvement

However I am done hoping Richt magically gets better calling plays or
The QBs are developed or
The OL gets developed

In this day and age where creative OC are putting up major numbers with 2star talent and inexperienced QBs, Richt has lost all benefit of the doubt
 
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Seriously, does anyone not committed to a mental health institution think Mark is recruiting the the dozens of 1st round picks Butch was cherry-picking and developing by his third year? Mark is closer to Al's third year than Butch's. This coaching staff can't coach and is not developing players like Butch's. Butch had 3 or 4 future NFL HCs and the future of S&C coaching on his staff. Does Mark have ONE, ONE assistant who could carry a water bucket to Butch's water boys, no less become a NFL HC? Lord Know's I wish OP was right but really.
 
Absolutely agree... hoping that those 5 plays will look a little better when they are executed properly. Our offense did not look this bad with Kaaya or even last year with Malik. Although they were not world beaters, we did lose 2 seniors from last year's OL who were both 3 year starters. Having experienced guys like Walton, Coley, Berrios, Herndon, and Njoku also helped the play calling.

Or, maybe, a couple trips through the conference has made it extremely easy for opposing D-coordinators to figure out what we are running and shut it down?

And this may be compounded by all of what you describe, but no matter how good we might get at playing "Chopsticks" on the piano, we are never going to impress the NY Philharmonic just playing that one basic tune.

Your argument also dismisses the simple fact that capable recruits are running from us right now like rats from a sinking ship. The offense has gotten worse every year since Richt has been here. Unwarranted optimism is the enemy of survival. This kind of rationalizing is what will put this program into another ten year coma, not revive it.

Richt needs to take a bow for what he has done to revitalize this program and improve its trajectory, but realize that he has taken us as far as he can. The game has passed him by and he is clearly at a point in his life where it is not enticing to put in the long and lonely hours necessary to reinvent himself. He needs to take a page from Jimmy Johnson, work off the rest of his contract, or a large portion of it as an ambassador for the University, and step aside so that the program can continue to build on the foundation that he has helped restore. Time is limited before he has done more damage than good, but there is still time.

Denial and pollyannaish thinking are the devil on our shoulder that got us to where we are today.
 
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