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tdubs_truckernutz said:
Dmoney, "- One person (football guy) who has been going to practices forever said this is the best we've looked in a decade. "

A decade (2014) ago, the Hurricanes were led by fourth-year head coach Al Golden and played their home games at Sun Life Stadium. They finished the season 6–7 overall and 3–5 in the ACC to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Independence Bowl where they lost to South Carolina, 24–21.

Dmoney you saying we're going 6-7 with a bowl loss?

15-0, Go Canes!
Click to expand...
With new 12 team playoff it’s 16-0 unless a meaningless regular season game is canceled. Also if you are not a top 4 seed then 17-0 is possible.
 
jdg3158 said:
I was at practice today and here are my expanded thoughts. I watched mostly offensive as my son is a QB so I focused on them and the WRs.

1. Trader and Carr are the real deal. WOW is all I have to say - it’s why they are the first words out for me. Those guys are awesome and for freshman beyond impressive. Both should play a ton. With Restrepo and Horton and these 2 I feel we are good. I’m not even thinking of George. Although I did like Ray Ray and he made some nice grabs.

2. Horton is gonna make a lot of plays. He’s matured and has taken the next step. I was very encouraged by his overall demeanor and play. Huge too.

3. Cam is as expected. Confident. Has a cannon and can sling the ball. He has an extremely quick release and uses his hips well. Also his footwork is pretty good. Also lots of confidence. You can just tell he has a good head for this and someone who the guys will rally around.

4. Reece I am so excited by him and his presence. Smart, good arm especially in short area and good footwork. He’s mature and will be good for the locker room. Also more accurate than you might think. I could see him being the starter next year.

5. Jacurri is a freak but his fundamentals are just not great. Someone needs to get his footwork and have him spend the year working on that. He misses throw’s because his feet are not planted or all over the place. He’s a stud athletically but for him to take the next step and become more accurate he needs to really improve mechanically and fundamentally in a few areas. He could be very good but really should learn from Cam and Reese.

6. Emory is a good ball player. Nothing he does is overly impressive and I have to be honest I do not know for the life of me how he throws without laces. It’s weird. But he’s a gamer and you can tell a smart kid and good guy. He’s just not the most athletic or imposing guy and his arm is average at best. He’s every bit 6’4 though.

7. Judd is HUGE. A big big dude and has a rifle. He’s young and was doing like 4th/5th string work so not a ton but he’s a big boy who has the physical look. Just too early to really tell but can sling it. He also needs to improve his footwork. Wasnt the cleanest and you can see because he missed some easy throws if only he planted better.

8. #9 Lofton if he isn’t one of the 10-15 best players already on the team I don’t know. He doesn’t look the eye test like he’s got a little belly and not the biggest but he’s a football player. This kid is the goods and real deal. He just gets it. There are guys that just have the IT factor and know how to play the game and it flows. He’s that guy.

9. Arroyo has his mojo back and you can tell will be a leader. I was very also impressed by Riley and he made a nice grab I saw. I like him a lot.

10. Bain didn’t suit up not sure what that was about. But saw him on the second floor.

11. OL - they are BIG and the new guy bell is a slightly skinner version of Mount McKinnie. Rivers is HUGE. We have to have one of the largest most imposing OLs in the county. The new Bell kid will learn a bunch on leverage and hand placement. He’s a work in progress but you cannot build guys like that.

12. Duke Johnson was working with Citizen and I think he’s close. The kid has a big brace on but give him a little time you can see he’s a well built guy and hopefully he can make it. I was happy to see Duke out there and hear he’s been around the program.

13. Lastly saw a ton of recruits and some big big kids. Now I couldn’t tell who is who but it seemed like a good amount of prospects and excitement. I did see the Bell QB kid.

Overall you can see the difference in player size, ability and confidence. We still have areas to go but I was very encouraged by what I saw. A very different team than the day Mario got here. I think we need a few more big body DTs like Horton who is big compared to JHH. Now are we a top 10 team I dunno. All I know is we are better than where we were and can see us making some strong strides this year as long as we stay healthy.
Click to expand...
Appreciate this breakdown! Good stuff
 
jdg3158 said:
I was at practice today and here are my expanded thoughts. I watched mostly offensive as my son is a QB so I focused on them and the WRs.

1. Trader and Carr are the real deal. WOW is all I have to say - it’s why they are the first words out for me. Those guys are awesome and for freshman beyond impressive. Both should play a ton. With Restrepo and Horton and these 2 I feel we are good. I’m not even thinking of George. Although I did like Ray Ray and he made some nice grabs.

2. Horton is gonna make a lot of plays. He’s matured and has taken the next step. I was very encouraged by his overall demeanor and play. Huge too.

3. Cam is as expected. Confident. Has a cannon and can sling the ball. He has an extremely quick release and uses his hips well. Also his footwork is pretty good. Also lots of confidence. You can just tell he has a good head for this and someone who the guys will rally around.

4. Reece I am so excited by him and his presence. Smart, good arm especially in short area and good footwork. He’s mature and will be good for the locker room. Also more accurate than you might think. I could see him being the starter next year.

5. Jacurri is a freak but his fundamentals are just not great. Someone needs to get his footwork and have him spend the year working on that. He misses throw’s because his feet are not planted or all over the place. He’s a stud athletically but for him to take the next step and become more accurate he needs to really improve mechanically and fundamentally in a few areas. He could be very good but really should learn from Cam and Reese.

6. Emory is a good ball player. Nothing he does is overly impressive and I have to be honest I do not know for the life of me how he throws without laces. It’s weird. But he’s a gamer and you can tell a smart kid and good guy. He’s just not the most athletic or imposing guy and his arm is average at best. He’s every bit 6’4 though.

7. Judd is HUGE. A big big dude and has a rifle. He’s young and was doing like 4th/5th string work so not a ton but he’s a big boy who has the physical look. Just too early to really tell but can sling it. He also needs to improve his footwork. Wasnt the cleanest and you can see because he missed some easy throws if only he planted better.

8. #9 Lofton if he isn’t one of the 10-15 best players already on the team I don’t know. He doesn’t look the eye test like he’s got a little belly and not the biggest but he’s a football player. This kid is the goods and real deal. He just gets it. There are guys that just have the IT factor and know how to play the game and it flows. He’s that guy.

9. Arroyo has his mojo back and you can tell will be a leader. I was very also impressed by Riley and he made a nice grab I saw. I like him a lot.

10. Bain didn’t suit up not sure what that was about. But saw him on the second floor.

11. OL - they are BIG and the new guy bell is a slightly skinner version of Mount McKinnie. Rivers is HUGE. We have to have one of the largest most imposing OLs in the county. The new Bell kid will learn a bunch on leverage and hand placement. He’s a work in progress but you cannot build guys like that.

12. Duke Johnson was working with Citizen and I think he’s close. The kid has a big brace on but give him a little time you can see he’s a well built guy and hopefully he can make it. I was happy to see Duke out there and hear he’s been around the program.

13. Lastly saw a ton of recruits and some big big kids. Now I couldn’t tell who is who but it seemed like a good amount of prospects and excitement. I did see the Bell QB kid.

Overall you can see the difference in player size, ability and confidence. We still have areas to go but I was very encouraged by what I saw. A very different team than the day Mario got here. I think we need a few more big body DTs like Horton who is big compared to JHH. Now are we a top 10 team I dunno. All I know is we are better than where we were and can see us making some strong strides this year as long as we stay healthy.
Click to expand...

Good stuff.
Thanks for sharing.
 
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Doubt anyone wants to win more than I do or has been hanging around for more decades. I can list all the reasons we could/should be a much better team in 2024.

Wait for it--------

BUT, has any spring reporting of a collge football ever reported that things look really bad, lots of guys underperforming expectations and we are on the downslope.


This is great fun in the offseason, but I'm in show me when it matters mode.
 
jdg3158 said:
I was at practice today and here are my expanded thoughts. I watched mostly offensive as my son is a QB so I focused on them and the WRs.

1. Trader and Carr are the real deal. WOW is all I have to say - it’s why they are the first words out for me. Those guys are awesome and for freshman beyond impressive. Both should play a ton. With Restrepo and Horton and these 2 I feel we are good. I’m not even thinking of George. Although I did like Ray Ray and he made some nice grabs.

2. Horton is gonna make a lot of plays. He’s matured and has taken the next step. I was very encouraged by his overall demeanor and play. Huge too.

3. Cam is as expected. Confident. Has a cannon and can sling the ball. He has an extremely quick release and uses his hips well. Also his footwork is pretty good. Also lots of confidence. You can just tell he has a good head for this and someone who the guys will rally around.

4. Reece I am so excited by him and his presence. Smart, good arm especially in short area and good footwork. He’s mature and will be good for the locker room. Also more accurate than you might think. I could see him being the starter next year.

5. Jacurri is a freak but his fundamentals are just not great. Someone needs to get his footwork and have him spend the year working on that. He misses throw’s because his feet are not planted or all over the place. He’s a stud athletically but for him to take the next step and become more accurate he needs to really improve mechanically and fundamentally in a few areas. He could be very good but really should learn from Cam and Reese.

6. Emory is a good ball player. Nothing he does is overly impressive and I have to be honest I do not know for the life of me how he throws without laces. It’s weird. But he’s a gamer and you can tell a smart kid and good guy. He’s just not the most athletic or imposing guy and his arm is average at best. He’s every bit 6’4 though.

7. Judd is HUGE. A big big dude and has a rifle. He’s young and was doing like 4th/5th string work so not a ton but he’s a big boy who has the physical look. Just too early to really tell but can sling it. He also needs to improve his footwork. Wasnt the cleanest and you can see because he missed some easy throws if only he planted better.

8. #9 Lofton if he isn’t one of the 10-15 best players already on the team I don’t know. He doesn’t look the eye test like he’s got a little belly and not the biggest but he’s a football player. This kid is the goods and real deal. He just gets it. There are guys that just have the IT factor and know how to play the game and it flows. He’s that guy.

9. Arroyo has his mojo back and you can tell will be a leader. I was very also impressed by Riley and he made a nice grab I saw. I like him a lot.

10. Bain didn’t suit up not sure what that was about. But saw him on the second floor.

11. OL - they are BIG and the new guy bell is a slightly skinner version of Mount McKinnie. Rivers is HUGE. We have to have one of the largest most imposing OLs in the county. The new Bell kid will learn a bunch on leverage and hand placement. He’s a work in progress but you cannot build guys like that.

12. Duke Johnson was working with Citizen and I think he’s close. The kid has a big brace on but give him a little time you can see he’s a well built guy and hopefully he can make it. I was happy to see Duke out there and hear he’s been around the program.

13. Lastly saw a ton of recruits and some big big kids. Now I couldn’t tell who is who but it seemed like a good amount of prospects and excitement. I did see the Bell QB kid.

Overall you can see the difference in player size, ability and confidence. We still have areas to go but I was very encouraged by what I saw. A very different team than the day Mario got here. I think we need a few more big body DTs like Horton who is big compared to JHH. Now are we a top 10 team I dunno. All I know is we are better than where we were and can see us making some strong strides this year as long as we stay healthy.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the review. I still believe Jacurri will move on. You just don't see guys with as much experience as he has suddenly get it and even more so, become accurate.
 
NCCanefan said:
Doubt anyone wants to win more than I do or has been hanging around for more decades. I can list all the reasons we could/should be a much better team in 2024.

Wait for it--------

BUT, has any spring reporting of a collge football ever reported that things look really bad, lots of guys underperforming expectations and we are on the downslope.


This is great fun in the offseason, but I'm in show me when it matters mode.
Click to expand...
2 years ago we got reports of the offense struggling, specifically the wr’s and it followed right into the season.
 
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jdg3158 said:
I was at practice today and here are my expanded thoughts. I watched mostly offensive as my son is a QB so I focused on them and the WRs.

1. Trader and Carr are the real deal. WOW is all I have to say - it’s why they are the first words out for me. Those guys are awesome and for freshman beyond impressive. Both should play a ton. With Restrepo and Horton and these 2 I feel we are good. I’m not even thinking of George. Although I did like Ray Ray and he made some nice grabs.

2. Horton is gonna make a lot of plays. He’s matured and has taken the next step. I was very encouraged by his overall demeanor and play. Huge too.

3. Cam is as expected. Confident. Has a cannon and can sling the ball. He has an extremely quick release and uses his hips well. Also his footwork is pretty good. Also lots of confidence. You can just tell he has a good head for this and someone who the guys will rally around.

4. Reece I am so excited by him and his presence. Smart, good arm especially in short area and good footwork. He’s mature and will be good for the locker room. Also more accurate than you might think. I could see him being the starter next year.

5. Jacurri is a freak but his fundamentals are just not great. Someone needs to get his footwork and have him spend the year working on that. He misses throw’s because his feet are not planted or all over the place. He’s a stud athletically but for him to take the next step and become more accurate he needs to really improve mechanically and fundamentally in a few areas. He could be very good but really should learn from Cam and Reese.

6. Emory is a good ball player. Nothing he does is overly impressive and I have to be honest I do not know for the life of me how he throws without laces. It’s weird. But he’s a gamer and you can tell a smart kid and good guy. He’s just not the most athletic or imposing guy and his arm is average at best. He’s every bit 6’4 though.

7. Judd is HUGE. A big big dude and has a rifle. He’s young and was doing like 4th/5th string work so not a ton but he’s a big boy who has the physical look. Just too early to really tell but can sling it. He also needs to improve his footwork. Wasnt the cleanest and you can see because he missed some easy throws if only he planted better.

8. #9 Lofton if he isn’t one of the 10-15 best players already on the team I don’t know. He doesn’t look the eye test like he’s got a little belly and not the biggest but he’s a football player. This kid is the goods and real deal. He just gets it. There are guys that just have the IT factor and know how to play the game and it flows. He’s that guy.

9. Arroyo has his mojo back and you can tell will be a leader. I was very also impressed by Riley and he made a nice grab I saw. I like him a lot.

10. Bain didn’t suit up not sure what that was about. But saw him on the second floor.

11. OL - they are BIG and the new guy bell is a slightly skinner version of Mount McKinnie. Rivers is HUGE. We have to have one of the largest most imposing OLs in the county. The new Bell kid will learn a bunch on leverage and hand placement. He’s a work in progress but you cannot build guys like that.

12. Duke Johnson was working with Citizen and I think he’s close. The kid has a big brace on but give him a little time you can see he’s a well built guy and hopefully he can make it. I was happy to see Duke out there and hear he’s been around the program.

13. Lastly saw a ton of recruits and some big big kids. Now I couldn’t tell who is who but it seemed like a good amount of prospects and excitement. I did see the Bell QB kid.

Overall you can see the difference in player size, ability and confidence. We still have areas to go but I was very encouraged by what I saw. A very different team than the day Mario got here. I think we need a few more big body DTs like Horton who is big compared to JHH. Now are we a top 10 team I dunno. All I know is we are better than where we were and can see us making some strong strides this year as long as we stay healthy.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the insight.

On Jacurri, unfortunately, he just doesn't have it. He's not a good QB & he probably never will be. He's spent the majority of his career needing to take a year to fix/fine tune fundamental elements that are required for a QB to even have a modicum of success on the most basic level.

He's just not a P4 caliber starter; his best bet would've been to go to a program with an Offense that uses the QB primarily in Read-Option. He would do great at spots like Liberty with Jamey Chadwell, Jacksonville ST with Rich Rod, maybe a NC ST with Robert Anae, but in an Offense where you have to throw consistently from the pocket, he will always struggle.
 
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NCCanefan said:
Doubt anyone wants to win more than I do or has been hanging around for more decades. I can list all the reasons we could/should be a much better team in 2024.

Wait for it--------

BUT, has any spring reporting of a collge football ever reported that things look really bad, lots of guys underperforming expectations and we are on the downslope.


This is great fun in the offseason, but I'm in show me when it matters mode.
Click to expand...
Yes. While the reports always seem rosy in the spring, there are usually caveats like “it is still early so the receivers aren’t running routes well/dropping balls,” or “X position group is still undersized/shallow.”

Not seeing nearly as much of those “buts.” This should be a good squad this year.
 
DMoney said:

I am in the mountains, but spoke to multiple sources at today's scrimmage. CanesInSight doesn't stop working. This is what I could gather:

- First and most important- no real injuries from what the fans could see.

- One person (football guy) who has been going to practices forever said this is the best we've looked in a decade. "Talent level, character, energy level, physicality." He repeatedly stressed the intangible qualities of the kids while noting the improvement across the board in body types.

- Cam Ward was spectacular. Source who has seen multiple practices said this was as good as he's looked. He was delivering accurate throws from inside and outside the pocket. He hit Isaiah Horton on a beautiful bomb to end practice (similar to Texas A&M TD). The offense was aggressive downfield all day.

- The running backs ran hard in full practice. I'm told Chris Johnson had the best day running and had a long TD catch where he showed off his speed. Citizen was solid and physical. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey showcased his athleticism and did a nice job navigating traffic behind the third-team OL.

- Ny Carr had the catch of the day over Robert Stafford, going up and getting it in the end zone and pinning it to his helmet. He is consistently making plays.

- Every source said the same thing: Elija Lofton is going to play a ton this year. He played all over the field and is a consistent mismatch. He had a beautiful TD catch from Emory on a nice adjustment.

- The first-team defense competed well with the first-team offense, including at DB. A source (former college player) said Damari Brown looks like an NFL CB and easily won his reps.

- Marquise Lightfoot and Marcellius Pulliam were identified as younger guys who made plays.

- Wesley Bissainthe was identified as a much improved player who had a big hit on a running back.

- Multiple recruits in attendance. I'm told five stars "DJ Pickett and Jakeem Stewart seemed to really enjoy their time' and Alvin Henderson was standing close with Duke Johnson and watching the drills closely.
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aArring injuries, I expect big things from Lofton. Just seems to be effortless to him.
 
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tdubs_truckernutz said:
Dmoney, "- One person (football guy) who has been going to practices forever said this is the best we've looked in a decade. "

A decade (2014) ago, the Hurricanes were led by fourth-year head coach Al Golden and played their home games at Sun Life Stadium. They finished the season 6–7 overall and 3–5 in the ACC to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Independence Bowl where they lost to South Carolina, 24–21.

Dmoney you saying we're going 6-7 with a bowl loss?

15-0, Go Canes!
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No....on the contrary, he's saying..."GO F YOURSELF".....
 
Memnon said:
Appreciate the insight.

On Jacurri, unfortunately, he just doesn't have it. He's not a good QB & he probably never will be. He's spent the majority of his career needing to take a year to fix/fine tune fundamental elements that are required for a QB to even have a modicum of success on the most basic level.

He's just not a P4 caliber starter; his best bet would've been to go to a program with an Offense that uses the QB primarily in Read-Option. He would do great at spots like Liberty with Jamey Chadwell, Jacksonville ST with Rich Rod, maybe a NC ST with Robert Anae, but in an Offense where you have to throw consistently from the pocket, he will always struggle.
Click to expand...
I’ve honestly not been super impressed with his running ability either. He looks the part but doesn’t appear to have the vision to avoid hits or find open lanes. Sucks to say because I really like the kid and he seems to be a good teammate but my guess is he’s gone post spring.
 
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