Lyle

[bshaw28]

I think some of it is based on one recruiting site ranking him as the #1 back in the country (never mind that the others had him way lower - like in the 10-20 range).

Not saying that he can't be good, but from what I've seen in his first two years, he's the 4th best back on next year's team. That's not really a criticism. It's more that Fletch, Brown, and Pringle look really good.

It's largely this.

Makes sense that fans lock on to the highest rating - but there was a wide range of opinions/outcomes for Lyle:

On3 - RB #1
Rivals - RB #3
247 - RB #15
ESPN - RB #24

When all you see is that RB #1 rating, and he doesn't play well, a couple things happen:

1) You start scrambling for excuses - Injuries, OL play, play calling, not used right, etc.

2) That RB #24 rating proves to be the most obvious/correct - but it's also the last thing people want to admit.

 

[Stats02]

@Stats02 - This isn't directed at you. Just want to clear up the false narratives.

2024 Injuries - There were none. There's no reports of Lyle being hurt.

2025 Injuries - Lyle was cleared to go back in the ND game. He missed zero practices. He was declared 100% healthy vs FSU

As 2025 went on & Lyle kept playing poorly - 2 narratives developed around Lyle's injury:

1) He was still hurt when he returned
2) He was 100% healthy when he returned - he just lost confidence from being injured earlier in the year

Appreciate the clarification on the injuries. I didn’t think he had any injuries as a freshman, but I saw a couple posts in this thread stating he dealt with injuries both years.

We all are rooting for Lyle, but I’m kind of getting tired of the “injuries” narrative as to why he hasn’t been productive the last 2 years.