Rambo to Miami!!!!!

From Rivals: (interview with Rambo's long time trainer, Margin Hooks

It benefited Miami that both Likens and coordinator Rhett Lashlee formed bonds with Rambo when he was a high school recruit, with both going after him as a four-star out of Cedar Hill High School in Texas (Lashlee recruited him to Auburn, Likens to Arizona State).

But what really helped seal the deal for Miami, per Hooks, was a conversation the receiver had with QB D’Eriq King and WR Mike Harley. UM coaches had already told Hooks they expect King back “by June or July,” the trainer says, and the conversation between Rambo and the two players “really helped a lot.”

“They’re there, know the deal, made him comfortable,” Hooks said.

King in particular was a draw.

Hooks says that despite the redshirt junior Rambo having two years of eligibility left that he “will be one and done, is coming for one year,” i.e. he plans on heading to the NFL after next season. So it was imperative he play with an experienced quarterback that can make on target throws down the field.

“With (Rambo) coming for one year you want a veteran quarterback, and a veteran experienced quarterback,” Hooks said. “King had the injury, but I told (Rambo) `His shoulder isn’t hurting, it wasn’t his arm so he’ll still throw it.' He may not still be the runner, but that’s good for a wide receiver - he has to throw it. I said `Now instead of you having Kyler Murray or Jalen Hurts you have Baker Mayfield - he can run but would rather sling it.”

Sounds like that Margin Hooks guy hooked us up. Very pro-Miami take. I wonder if he has any other recruits. Rambo is from a very talent rich part of Texas, so it’s possible
 
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We should be celebrating getting anyone who can improve our roster. I haven't seen many #1 receivers (have there been any??) in the portal over the past couple of years. This kid looks like a very solid starter and contributor. Plus he'll make Brinson sweat a little to compete to see the field. That competition can only be good for our team culture.
He's definitely a day 1 stater, he's like a Mike Harley type talent but taller and a bit better. Hes definitely a draft eligible WR
 
Just a FYI;

Spoke to a buddy of mine who played b-ball for OU back in the 80’s & is good friends w/ Switzer. He said Rambo got his lunch taken by true freshman Mims & it was due to work ethic. Said Rambo will give u some amazing moments & then he would just loaf. Said Riley, Gundy & Simmons used to get on him for half a$$ing.

He assumes his breakout sophomore yr was more/less manufactured by the attention Lamb was getting, and when he was supposed to be WR1 this yr, he disappointed. He said if we can keep him motivated, we are getting a good one, but don’t look for him to be a WR1 type.

I told him he can’t be no worst than what we have behind our WR1, so he should be a good WR2 at least. His reply? “Who’s ur WR1?” 🤷🏾‍♂️
Bruh that last paragraph. 💀🤐 🤣🤣 Uff Da!
 
I am saying Rambos film didn’t impress me. I used the Montana kid as an example, not to change the conversation into whether we should’ve taken Toure over Rambo.

Another 6’1 guy with mediocre production, even coming from a WR friendly offense that produces Heisman candidates on a regular basis. This is not the guy I would’ve went after, especially after Harley decided to come back. Similar players, and Harley knows the offense and culture.

I don’t know who else is in the portal or what our other options were. But 6’1 with film that doesn’t show him attacking the ball... I have to think we could’ve done better. That’s all I’m saying.
He just needs to be better than Wiggins and pope so his bar is set very low
 
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1-3 and our results are what 95% of the P5 wish they’d done.
The only decent team we beat was NC State. The rest weren't very good this year. So, we beat the bad teams we were supposed to beat. That's progress, but we still lost to OSU and got wiped off the map from UNC and Clemson. We took a few steps forward, but we are still miles from where we want to be. I'm not even talking about the CFP or national titles. I'm talking about gettting to the ACC title game on a yearly basis. That's how you separate from the pack. Otherwise, we'll just be s middle of the road team like the rest of the Coastal.
 
Great to read that the UM trainers expect King back by June or July.
 
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The only decent team we beat was NC State. The rest weren't very good this year. So, we beat the bad teams we were supposed to beat. That's progress, but we still lost to OSU and got wiped off the map from UNC and Clemson. We took a few steps forward, but we are still miles from where we want to be. I'm not even talking about the CFP or national titles. I'm talking about gettting to the ACC title game on a yearly basis. That's how you separate from the pack. Otherwise, we'll just be s middle of the road team like the rest of the Coastal.

Middle of the pack lose to middle of the pack.
 
They def are the best DE and WR.
When I said they were the best ones I knew at DE Jermain Johnson was close but an agent told me they’d have similar draft grades right now. Probably 4-6 round.

At WR i would lmao if someone said the kid from Montana. Rambo would go for almost 2000 yards in the FCS in Montana’s offense. It certainly isn’t Corbin, Mookie Cooper, or Dunmore. Maybe Wandale Robinson? But we already have Harley in the slot and Rambo fits better. He’s also produced better.
 
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2020 PFF grade:

Rambo - 59.9
Pope - 58
Wiggins - 56

He played for the most QB/WR friendly offense in CFB with the projected 2022 #1 overall pick at QB and barely graded out better than Miami's sucky incumbents who everyone has given up on.



Honestly his only good trait is speed. He can get vertical against zone or off-man and he can run the shallow cross - that's his skillset. His hands and ball tracking are fine but he drops an easy one in this game not unlike Pope/Wiggins. His hip stiffness is even worse than Harley and Tommy Streeter - he has no shake or wiggle and it really limits his route options and effectiveness against press, and run after catch ability.

He's gonna have the same issues all the other WRs had which is struggling to win against physical man coverage. He's not gonna see the gaping voids in soft Quarters or Cover 3 like he saw all the time at OU. Miami gets a ton of single-high press looks and you have to be able to win at the line of scrimmage and/or at the catch point. Wiggins and Pope struggle with the latter but at least they have the hips to release vs press and create some separation.

If this guy is Miami's 2nd best WR we're still in trouble against good defenses. If he's not and plays anyway because of seniority and transfer equity that's even worse. If he gets passed up by the younger guys or Pope/Wiggins having a Harley-esque Senior breakthrough then he could be a distraction.

In my opinion this is a low-upside transfer that could even be detrimental in the long run. It's also concerning that this addition indicates the staff is doubling down on simple static spread perimeter route concepts rather than expanding route trees and alignments like the top teams are doing. Another year of zone/Duo run game with verts pass game puts a firm ceiling on the offense.
 
2020 PFF grade:

Rambo - 59.9
Pope - 58
Wiggins - 56

He played for the most QB/WR friendly offense in CFB with the projected 2022 #1 overall pick at QB and barely graded out better than Miami's sucky incumbents who everyone has given up on.



Honestly his only good trait is speed. He can get vertical against zone or off-man and he can run the shallow cross - that's his skillset. His hands and ball tracking are fine but he drops an easy one in this game not unlike Pope/Wiggins. His hip stiffness is even worse than Harley and Tommy Streeter - he has no shake or wiggle and it really limits his route options and effectiveness against press, and run after catch ability.

He's gonna have the same issues all the other WRs had which is struggling to win against physical man coverage. He's not gonna see the gaping voids in soft Quarters or Cover 3 like he saw all the time at OU. Miami gets a ton of single-high press looks and you have to be able to win at the line of scrimmage and/or at the catch point. Wiggins and Pope struggle with the latter but at least they have the hips to release vs press and create some separation.

If this guy is Miami's 2nd best WR we're still in trouble against good defenses. If he's not and plays anyway because of seniority and transfer equity that's even worse. If he gets passed up by the younger guys or Pope/Wiggins having a Harley-esque Senior breakthrough then he could be a distraction.

In my opinion this is a low-upside transfer that could even be detrimental in the long run. It's also concerning that this addition indicates the staff is doubling down on simple static spread perimeter route concepts rather than expanding route trees and alignments like the top teams are doing. Another year of zone/Duo run game with verts pass game puts a firm ceiling on the offense.

I don’t agree with your conclusion, but I appreciate the effort of laying out your argument. I wonder what your analysis would look like if you examined his best year in OU with Hurts.
 
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2020 PFF grade:

Rambo - 59.9
Pope - 58
Wiggins - 56

He played for the most QB/WR friendly offense in CFB with the projected 2022 #1 overall pick at QB and barely graded out better than Miami's sucky incumbents who everyone has given up on.



Honestly his only good trait is speed. He can get vertical against zone or off-man and he can run the shallow cross - that's his skillset. His hands and ball tracking are fine but he drops an easy one in this game not unlike Pope/Wiggins. His hip stiffness is even worse than Harley and Tommy Streeter - he has no shake or wiggle and it really limits his route options and effectiveness against press, and run after catch ability.

He's gonna have the same issues all the other WRs had which is struggling to win against physical man coverage. He's not gonna see the gaping voids in soft Quarters or Cover 3 like he saw all the time at OU. Miami gets a ton of single-high press looks and you have to be able to win at the line of scrimmage and/or at the catch point. Wiggins and Pope struggle with the latter but at least they have the hips to release vs press and create some separation.

If this guy is Miami's 2nd best WR we're still in trouble against good defenses. If he's not and plays anyway because of seniority and transfer equity that's even worse. If he gets passed up by the younger guys or Pope/Wiggins having a Harley-esque Senior breakthrough then he could be a distraction.

In my opinion this is a low-upside transfer that could even be detrimental in the long run. It's also concerning that this addition indicates the staff is doubling down on simple static spread perimeter route concepts rather than expanding route trees and alignments like the top teams are doing. Another year of zone/Duo run game with verts pass game puts a firm ceiling on the offense.

Good take and I generally agree, although I don't put much stock in the PFF grades.

Rambo is a better version of what we already have. He is an upgrade but not a fix. He's not a ball-winner and he he has some stiffness issues which hurt him both in route running and after the catch. The speed is real, though, especially when he gets those strides going.

Rambo and Harley should generate explosive plays in this offense. Hopefully, someone like Redding, K. Smith or Brinson emerges as a ball-winner. The incoming freshmen need to give us something after the catch in the horizontal game.
 
I'm excited about a potential connection to Hooks and Cedar Hill. The best WRs in DFW pretty much all go to that guy and Cedar Hill has that South Dallas speed year in and year out. They play for state this weekend in 6A Div 2.

I'm pretty sure I mentioned Rambo during his recruitment as the type of complimentary WR that could help us. Not a true #1 but a guy who can do some good things - a slightly better Harley or Wiggins.
 
Mims took everybody’s lunch money at OU not just ram’s.. they thinks he’s gonna be better than Deuce was there. He’s really special. The top 3 wr’s for ou are Mims, wease and bridges next year
 
It's also concerning that this addition indicates the staff is doubling down on simple static spread perimeter route concepts rather than expanding route trees and alignments like the top teams are doing.
Hopefully the simple route concepts were due to covid. I think there will be tweaks. We can’t survive off of 50/50 ball. I want to see some mesh concepts and diversify the run scheme.
 
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