I know I may be beating a dead horse... This is from a Barry Jackson article that's a week old but I think it's so pertinent to our talent gap.
It doesn't matter how well we recruit if we can't keep/develop our dang players. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling, had Hightower stayed, he would've been a lot better last night than the clown show of receivers we witnessed last night.
Ross, their best receiver wasn't even suited up.
Why are Clemson's best players on the field in the 4th quarter when they could've opted out and been a lock for #1 overall (Lawrence) and #1 taken at his position (Etienne) in the draft? Meanwhile Rousseau our best player who isn't even a 1st round lock, opts out and Deejay Dallas leaves to be a 4th round pick. Bama has tons of guys come back for their senior year.
Until we fix that mentality we won't compete with the big dogs. Or maybe we just need to find another Nevin Shapiro to pay our players.
God, I hope Bolden and Phillips stay another year.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article246253045.html
In 2017, Rivals rated UM’s class 11th and Clemson’s 22nd, and it’s fair for Canes fans to cite that and ask why the heck the Canes have been stratospheres away from Clemson’s level in 2018 and 2019.
But here’s why that 2017 ranking will be of no help to UM this week: Of the 24 players in that highly-rated UM class, 13 aren’t on the team and three more are sitting out this season.
The 13 gone include players who regrettably left early (rookies Jeff Thomas and Trajan Bandy, neither of whom is employed by an NFL team); Packers backup defensive end Jon Garvin; Seahawks No. 4 tailback DeeJay Dallas; a top defensive recruit (Deonte Johnson) who left for Oregon; and several disappointments (Jhavonte Dean, Kai -Leon Herbert among them). Herbert, a backup, opted out of playing this season.
Conversely, 10 of the 14 players signed by Clemson that year have either been high NFL draft picks or are contributing for the Tigers this season, including A.J. Terrell and Tee Higgins (the 11th and 33rd picks in April’s draft); Rodgers; and Travis Etienne, who has gone from a three-star back unranked in Rivals’ top 250 to perhaps the best running back in America.
So even in a year that recruiting services say UM had a better class, Clemson ends up ahead.
Same, to a lesser extent, with 2018. Rivals ranked UM’s class sixth and Clemson’s eighth.
But UM saw four blue-chippers from that class transfer: five-star running back Lorenzo Lingard, four-star receivers Brian Hightower and Marquez Ezzard and quarterback Jarren Williams.
It doesn't matter how well we recruit if we can't keep/develop our dang players. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling, had Hightower stayed, he would've been a lot better last night than the clown show of receivers we witnessed last night.
Ross, their best receiver wasn't even suited up.
Why are Clemson's best players on the field in the 4th quarter when they could've opted out and been a lock for #1 overall (Lawrence) and #1 taken at his position (Etienne) in the draft? Meanwhile Rousseau our best player who isn't even a 1st round lock, opts out and Deejay Dallas leaves to be a 4th round pick. Bama has tons of guys come back for their senior year.
Until we fix that mentality we won't compete with the big dogs. Or maybe we just need to find another Nevin Shapiro to pay our players.
God, I hope Bolden and Phillips stay another year.
https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article246253045.html
In 2017, Rivals rated UM’s class 11th and Clemson’s 22nd, and it’s fair for Canes fans to cite that and ask why the heck the Canes have been stratospheres away from Clemson’s level in 2018 and 2019.
But here’s why that 2017 ranking will be of no help to UM this week: Of the 24 players in that highly-rated UM class, 13 aren’t on the team and three more are sitting out this season.
The 13 gone include players who regrettably left early (rookies Jeff Thomas and Trajan Bandy, neither of whom is employed by an NFL team); Packers backup defensive end Jon Garvin; Seahawks No. 4 tailback DeeJay Dallas; a top defensive recruit (Deonte Johnson) who left for Oregon; and several disappointments (Jhavonte Dean, Kai -Leon Herbert among them). Herbert, a backup, opted out of playing this season.
Conversely, 10 of the 14 players signed by Clemson that year have either been high NFL draft picks or are contributing for the Tigers this season, including A.J. Terrell and Tee Higgins (the 11th and 33rd picks in April’s draft); Rodgers; and Travis Etienne, who has gone from a three-star back unranked in Rivals’ top 250 to perhaps the best running back in America.
So even in a year that recruiting services say UM had a better class, Clemson ends up ahead.
Same, to a lesser extent, with 2018. Rivals ranked UM’s class sixth and Clemson’s eighth.
But UM saw four blue-chippers from that class transfer: five-star running back Lorenzo Lingard, four-star receivers Brian Hightower and Marquez Ezzard and quarterback Jarren Williams.