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Spring game thoughts

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Tank Grill said:
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Crazy how much size Zion put on while at Miami.
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Whats the real deal with this kid?

I know everybody sucks when you listen to this board, but there were a lot of folks projecting him as a high NFL pick. Even if the first round stuff was crazy, do you guys know how much it helps your team if you have even a Day 2 NFL pick at left tackle with a billion games of experience and is like 24 years old? He would help so much if he were fully healthy and an actual NFL player. Anyone know if he’s actually planning on being full go for fall camp? He is a gigantic piece of the puzzle if this is going to be a good year.
 
OrangeBowlMagic said:
Whats the real deal with this kid?

I know everybody sucks when you listen to this board, but there were a lot of folks projecting him as a high NFL pick. Even if the first round stuff was crazy, do you guys know how much it helps your team if you have even a Day 2 NFL pick at left tackle with a billion games of experience and is like 24 years old? He would help so much if he were fully healthy and an actual NFL player. Anyone know if he’s actually planning on being full go for fall camp? He is a gigantic piece of the puzzle if this is going to be a good year.
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I think he's the Week 1 starting LT if he's healthy by fall camp. Rivers needs to move to guard in my opinion and Okunlola needs a Redshirt. If they don't think Zion will be ready by Week 1 then they need grab a LT in the portal.
 
If you factor in that last season was the worst season ever witnessed by a large percentage of this fanbase with the weather in Broward over the 48 hrs prior along with the general parking situation at that stadium, I thought the turnout to this "game" was pretty impressive.
 
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WeBallinBoyz said:
Think you hit pretty much everything. Just wanted to add (and LCE pointed it out during the game) that Guidry is an absolute beast. I think we hit a home run here. The defense looked like they communicated well and were all moving in sync - something that was consistently missing last season with Steele. He disguised blitz packages to perfection and the kids seem like they’re picking up the system quickly. Really excited to see how they perform in the fall…think about how many guys we were missing!

I would say we need the following:
- DT (nose) to go ahead of Moten, but the latter played very well and he’s more than serviceable for depth. Could be an absolute stud in 2024, and I expect him to play a fair bit this season.

- CB: DPJ was better than I expected (honestly most of the DB’s were) but need a legit #1 or #2 guy to line up with Davonte.

- S: can’t rely on James to turn the corner, and even though I liked the improvement I saw from Markeith, still need a starting-caliber guy there.

- LB: Honestly I’d take one more guy. Wes was a bit disappointing, and we know what Flagg is. Keontra had some ups and downs, should have had a pick. Cisco might be an All-ACC kind of guy with his reads and speed…something we haven’t had at the position in forever.

- Need a backup OL, heck maybe 2. Like I said yesterday in the portal thread with Lou Cristobal…he might not turn any heads, but he’s not worse than Seymore or Rodriguez. Expect multiple bodies to leave between now and the summer, and while I’d like to snag some more highly touted guys…not sure how feasible that is.

- Vet backup QB. Again not sure how many guys want to come to be a backup, but I’m more comfortable putting Emory as QB2 than Jacurri after last night. Rooting hard for Jacurri, but he needs the full year to develop.

I thought we needed a starting caliber RB, but maybe we just need a quality depth guy…Chaney looked great (I know he can’t be fully counted on with his injury-riddled history) and Parrish had that burst that faded when he was asked to be the bell-cow in 2022. Those two will be a nice 1-2 punch.
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That’s a lot of need.
 
Another thing I found highly encouraging is the dudes who are supposed to be dudes, looked like dudes right away.

I had Bain as the best recruit Miami got this year on film. He doesn't have highest NFL potential, probably, but I rated him as a college star and he looks ready to play as a true freshman. That's big news for a program that needs actual college stars.

Mauigoa was #2 on film to me and he looks ready to go as a freshman as well. Imagine Miami landing an actual blue chip OL who lives up to the billing. I know recruiting sites call anyone a 4-star a blue chip player, but that's not my definition. My definition is a player that blue chip programs are fighting for. Mauigoa and Bain fit that bill.

Okunlola was #1 on Miami's entire board I am told. I always said he needed more strength and probably wouldn't start as a true freshman, but the movement skills are holy bleep good. Another blue chip player.

Next on my board was Damari Brown. Loved him on film against good competition. Another blue chip in my definition, but we will wait to see if he's a hit.

I had Riley Williams next. His offense ran things through him as a receiver, he was that smooth on tape. Thought he was a clear tier above most high school TE's. He showed that he can be a player as a freshman as well.

If Mario is going to hang his hat on elite talent acquisition, it's necessary for his recruits to simply look different than the ones we recruited previously. To me, on one viewing, they did.
 
Lance Roffers said:
Another thing I found highly encouraging is the dudes who are supposed to be dudes, looked like dudes right away.

I had Bain as the best recruit Miami got this year on film. He doesn't have highest NFL potential, probably, but I rated him as a college star and he looks ready to play as a true freshman. That's big news for a program that needs actual college stars.

Mauigoa was #2 on film to me and he looks ready to go as a freshman as well. Imagine Miami landing an actual blue chip OL who lives up to the billing. I know recruiting sites call anyone a 4-star a blue chip player, but that's not my definition. My definition is a player that blue chip programs are fighting for. Mauigoa and Bain fit that bill.

Okunlola was #1 on Miami's entire board I am told. I always said he needed more strength and probably wouldn't start as a true freshman, but the movement skills are holy bleep good. Another blue chip player.

Next on my board was Damari Brown. Loved him on film against good competition. Another blue chip in my definition, but we will wait to see if he's a hit.

I had Riley Williams next. His offense ran things through him as a receiver, he was that smooth on tape. Thought he was a clear tier above most high school TE's. He showed that he can be a player as a freshman as well.

If Mario is going to hang his hat on elite talent acquisition, it's necessary for his recruits to simply look different than the ones we recruited previously. To me, on one viewing, they did.
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Few things on this site better than your posts. Appreciate the guided optimism on this past class. Hoping we can get some additional artillery in the portal and find a way to win 9 games
 
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Tank Grill said:
View attachment 235717
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Crazy how much size Zion put on while at Miami.
Click to expand...
20230416_114534~2.jpg
 
DMoney said:
As just one example, Joe Burrow (HS hoops) kept making leaps until his fifth year of college football. There is a difference between guys that are privately coached throughout high school and those who compete in other sports year around.

A lot more room to grow and often a different style of play.
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I really wish I had access to whatever optimistic DNA you have had. This sounds more rude than it is meant to be.
 
hoops156 said:
not gonna judge brown this year imo and he shouldn't even have played last year. the biggest disservice done to him is honestly the **** we post on here from practice. its appreciated but it puts unfair expectations. we see this every single offseason. the weekly hype articles and then shockingly the kid has his worst day. let him RS (not a single snap idc who hurts, put a punter at QB before him) and learn. he needs a learning year more than anyone as I do think hes got the highest potential of the backup QBs on the roster.
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**** thank you!
It would do all those questioning him some good to forget he's on the roster. If he gets it then great. If not, we move on. But the guy has the right mentality to succeed so I'm not worried.

Everybody developes at their own pace. Some get it right away & some take 3-4 years. I'm not concerned if he never gets there. It's the staff's job to recruit well enough so that a QB not panning out doesn't kill us. Maybe Emory is that guy, who knows?
 
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Fly1 said:
Thanks D

Alot of depth issues will be gone by the fall.

I hate to say it, but Manny did Miami no favors when it came to recruiting alot of positions and its showing up now. I was a big critic of this.

Some guys have mentioned it, but not everything on offense and defense was showcased. I'm looking forward to seeing more in the fall.

Cyrus Moss...I'm glad you brought home up. In Guidry's scheme, Moss can be highly effective. Sure, he needs to gain weight, but he has speed, length, and as someone else mentioned, he can play in space.

There's alot of young talent all over the field. These guys and the vets needs reps in thr new system, and depth needs to come along.

The team isn't there yet, but this season should be light years ahead of last year.

Any word on Cohen or Cooper? I'm sure they were more or less held out for precautionary reasons unrelated to ant serious injury.
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Moss needs to be an OLB. I’m going to continue beat home this move until it happens. Stop putting him w/ his hand in the ground, stand him up & use him like UGA did Floyd & SC is currently doing w/ Gentry. He has elite traits & that move will benefit both the team & Moss.
 
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Rellyrell said:
Moss needs to be an OLB. I’m going to continue beat home this move until it happens. Stop putting him w/ his hand in the ground, stand him up & use him like UGA did Floyd & SC is currently doing w/ Gentry. He has elite traits & that move will benefit both the team & Moss.
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Guidry has the DEs standing up much of the time. And Moss was dropping into coverage during the scrimmage. So you more or less already got your wish.
 
Lance Roffers said:
Another thing I found highly encouraging is the dudes who are supposed to be dudes, looked like dudes right away.

I had Bain as the best recruit Miami got this year on film. He doesn't have highest NFL potential, probably, but I rated him as a college star and he looks ready to play as a true freshman. That's big news for a program that needs actual college stars.

Mauigoa was #2 on film to me and he looks ready to go as a freshman as well. Imagine Miami landing an actual blue chip OL who lives up to the billing. I know recruiting sites call anyone a 4-star a blue chip player, but that's not my definition. My definition is a player that blue chip programs are fighting for. Mauigoa and Bain fit that bill.

Okunlola was #1 on Miami's entire board I am told. I always said he needed more strength and probably wouldn't start as a true freshman, but the movement skills are holy bleep good. Another blue chip player.

Next on my board was Damari Brown. Loved him on film against good competition. Another blue chip in my definition, but we will wait to see if he's a hit.

I had Riley Williams next. His offense ran things through him as a receiver, he was that smooth on tape. Thought he was a clear tier above most high school TE's. He showed that he can be a player as a freshman as well.

If Mario is going to hang his hat on elite talent acquisition, it's necessary for his recruits to simply look different than the ones we recruited previously. To me, on one viewing, they did.
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Nice post, again. I had an ‘understated’ list after our class:

www.canesinsight.com

Ranking the Understated 2023 Signees

My rankings are based on what I observe as perceived attention/mentions vs talent. 1. Robert Stafford - Easy to lose sight of this kid's talent when we're chasing the #1 CB in the nation (who's eating max attention). Nonetheless, love Stafford's skill set and feet. He rarely gets mentioned, so...
www.canesinsight.com www.canesinsight.com

A couple guys on that list are unlikely to be ‘immediate dudes.’ But, in addition to your point, I think it’s critical there are ‘future dudes’ playing backup positions for us. I mean, one look at our backup Guards on Friday and…

I look forward to seeing Stafford, Kinsler, and others provide us some depth as they grow into their future roles.
 
WeBallinBoyz said:
Think you hit pretty much everything. Just wanted to add (and LCE pointed it out during the game) that Guidry is an absolute beast. I think we hit a home run here. The defense looked like they communicated well and were all moving in sync - something that was consistently missing last season with Steele. He disguised blitz packages to perfection and the kids seem like they’re picking up the system quickly. Really excited to see how they perform in the fall…think about how many guys we were missing!

I would say we need the following:
- DT (nose) to go ahead of Moten, but the latter played very well and he’s more than serviceable for depth. Could be an absolute stud in 2024, and I expect him to play a fair bit this season.

- CB: DPJ was better than I expected (honestly most of the DB’s were) but need a legit #1 or #2 guy to line up with Davonte.

- S: can’t rely on James to turn the corner, and even though I liked the improvement I saw from Markeith, still need a starting-caliber guy there.

- LB: Honestly I’d take one more guy. Wes was a bit disappointing, and we know what Flagg is. Keontra had some ups and downs, should have had a pick. Cisco might be an All-ACC kind of guy with his reads and speed…something we haven’t had at the position in forever.

- Need a backup OL, heck maybe 2. Like I said yesterday in the portal thread with Lou Cristobal…he might not turn any heads, but he’s not worse than Seymore or Rodriguez. Expect multiple bodies to leave between now and the summer, and while I’d like to snag some more highly touted guys…not sure how feasible that is.

- Vet backup QB. Again not sure how many guys want to come to be a backup, but I’m more comfortable putting Emory as QB2 than Jacurri after last night. Rooting hard for Jacurri, but he needs the full year to develop.

I thought we needed a starting caliber RB, but maybe we just need a quality depth guy…Chaney looked great (I know he can’t be fully counted on with his injury-riddled history) and Parrish had that burst that faded when he was asked to be the bell-cow in 2022. Those two will be a nice 1-2 punch.
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I don’t agree or disagree with the RB needing to absolutely be starting caliber I would just add that Fletcher is gonna come in and steal snaps so we may not even need a RB transfer he’s really good
 
Manfred_Cane said:
fwiw, David Lake said that the defense was very vanilla in the spring game. Comparing to what they’ve seen in practice. And even then, in the spring game, you can see the different ways Guidry is going to try and confuse the offense. Called a nice stunt to force TVD to move out the pocket (pretty sure they called a sack maybe), sometimes rushing 3 out of the 4-5 lining up close to the line. Standing the LBs over the gaps and the offense not knowing if one will blitz or both will blitz or neither. Reminds me of how Mike Zimmer uses athletic LBs to cause pressure and confusion.

Overall, pretty excited about this defense more so than last years. If we can add an athletic LB, DT and DB in the portal, we got something cookin.
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I believe we now have 2 coordinators that will get the most out of their personnel unlike the 2 last year
 
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