Home Rankings Early Recruiting Rankings

Early Recruiting Rankings

By
angry
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397

As always, these are ranked in order, so the highest 3 star on my list is the one I think is the best in that grouping. When the full class signs I will add those players in where I see fit.

***

Deshon Wilson — Aggressive and instinctual player. Seems to know where the play is going before it happens. No fear: aggressively goes into difficult tackling situations and makes the play. Back pedal and ball skills look good. Grades might be a concern, because he is legit, yet has a poor offer sheet. If he qualifies, he’ll be a good one. Anyone know if grades are an issue? My gut says yes after seeing his legit skills with the poor offer sheet.

Isaiah Smalls — Receiver first TE, but looks like a surprisingly good run blocker. A few pancakes on his film. Soft hands, great hand-eye coordination with the ability to make catches in traffic or off a bobble. Lacks speed. Offered by half the Pac-12. He could come in and start in two TE sets right away. Has a future in broadcasting or coaching/recruiting.

Craig Francois — Very similar to Wilson, even though he is projected at LB. The thing that stands out is a non-stop motor, sheds blocks, and finishes plays. Looks like a fast, thin wrecking ball. Watching his film, I can see his skills projecting well at the next level. Probably needs a RS season to bulk up. He looks a bit thin for a LB, unless he’s been brought in to be a speed LB in the mold of Bright. Washington State was the only other Pac school to offer him. Again, why so few offers? Grades are always a concern when I see this.

Isaac Hodgins — Fast for his size. Only has 3 offers, but one is from Yale, so it’s not a grade issue. He simply must have shut down his recruiting once he committed to OSU. Strong family pedigree. Chases plays from behind, implying a strong motor and mettle. Looks better suited for a 4-3 than a 3-4 given his frame. Only negative is that he plays with poor leverage. Much too high on his tackling, and he wrestles and swings opponents to the ground rather than proper form tackling. This can be fixed with technique and weight training. Because of that, he might need a RS year, but he might have to play early out of necessity.

Kase Rodgers — I think the recruiting services got this one wrong. At least Rivals, which is what I use, having him at a 2-star. I think he is a legit three star. Nice speed and just a good all around skill set. Nothing outstanding, yet no clear weaknesses.

Jesiah Irish — Again, I disagree with Rivals on this one. 3-star prospect. Breakaway speed, good agility, what appears to be good hands (granted, they aren’t going to show him dropping balls on a highlight film).

Isaiah Tufaga — Nice looking athlete. I’m not sure where the Beavs hope to play him, but to me he projects best as a safety. Good instincts/quick to react and finish plays.

Jake Dukart — Looks like a nice mix of a run/pass QB, even though he is listed as a pro style QB. Good wheels. Arm strength is average to good. Accuracy appears good on film, but I had a hard time finding completion percentage statistics. Very nice 27:5 TD/INT ratio. This implies a good decision maker who takes what the D gives him and doesn’t leave plays on the field. Throws well on the run, which is a nice perk. He looks a bit frail, and he could use a year or two to build muscle and arm strength. Could be a starter by his 2nd or 3rd year in the system, and definitely will need a red shirt year unlike the other two QBs we were in on. Fringe three star who could thrive in the right system and with a year or two on the bench.

**

Jake Levengood — For an all world wrestler, I’d expect to see more pancakes on film. He plays with high leverage and seems raw. He’s going to need a lot of coaching and body development to become a football player instead of a wrestler who happens to play football. I can see the upside and why some see him as a 3 star (eventually maybe, yes, but not today), but this guy is a project. We’ll know how good these coaches are based on how good Levengood becomes.

Keishon Dawkins — A bit stiff and lanky. Almost no ability to run after the catch. Otherwise, a decent prospect. I see him a backup TE who can make a play here and there.

Bradley Bickler — I completely disagree with the rating services on this one. Three star? No way. He out-athletes on film and doesn’t show great hustle. When a play comes to him, he makes it, but he doesn’t seek out playmaking opportunities.

397 COMMENTS

  2. 1

    I think Wilson committed very early so that could be part of the reason. I also think he wants to study engineering so hopefully that means it’s not a problem.

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    • 1

      Great.
      He reminds me of a Husky player. Very muscular and athletic yet uber aggressive, never ending motor, and goes for the kill. We lack those types of guys. The Huskies resurgence has been due to landing those types of guys.

      Reply
  3. 1

    I think this is a fair analysis. I’m curious to see who we pick up in the next two months to round out the recruiting class. With Riley on board, my brain immediately jumps to low-hanging fruit. I just hope we don’t pick up too many project players, we need people who can play now.

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  4. 1

    Solid synopsis Angry except I think Irish Wilson and Bickler are the best of the bunch. Saw Smalls play a few times down here and I think LB or End might be his best position. Not sure he will get enough separation as a TE and at only 6’3 ish he inst a height mismatch.

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    • 1

      Bickler?! I think he is the worst so far. That’s amazing we can have such a different opinion on him.
      What about him do you like?

      Ps. I think Smalls would be just fine at TE. I’d worry about him being too slow and passive at LB or DE.

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      • 1

        I like him as a D end. Projecting him doing well there based on the quick feet, agility and burst he shows on the offensive side of the ball. Plus the few plays of him on D show him being aware that he is tall as fuck and still playing below his pad level. Not having to learn that ( maybe its instinctual or he was taught this) will allow him to play early here. He already stacks up frame wise 6’6 240. An off season of weights and technique refinement and we could have a beast on our hands early on.

        RE: Smalls he played really fast / instinctual at backer when I saw him. That wasn’t on much of his senior tape ( TE / QB focus). He was just bullying kids to get to the ball and that’s an elite league down here.

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      • 1

        I watched bickler last night in the LSI vs oak hill and he seemed passive and was not aggressive. If that translates onto the football field that could be a problem…you’re either an aggressive athlete or you aren’t…granted it was oak hill but on the other hand #40. for south ridge didn’t blink and clearly was the best player on the floor for SR…Bickler disappeared….just saying.

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        • 1

          That’s exactly what I was saying…he stands around and if a play comes to him he tries to make it. He doesn’t pro-actively go and make plays. I have no idea where that ranking came from. I felt generous with the 2. People here seem to like him because he’s a local.

          Reply

  7. Since this is a thread about recruits, a story in today’s WSJ (maybe OOB can link) is timely. The opening lines in a story titled “How College Football Was Wrong About Baker Mayfield”:

    “There is not more important talent evaluation in football than figuring out whether a quarterback is good or bad. The coaches who spot good quarterbacks get to keep their jobs. The coaches who pick bad quarters get fired.” [aside to Angry: you don’t write for the WSJ do you?]

    Continuing: “But coaches are still wrong an unfathomable amount for all the energy and resources they dedicate to finding quarterbacks of the future.”

    And then this, remembering MM’s GPA: “Recruiting any position in college football can be a nightmare. But coaches say finding quarterbacks is particularly fraught because it amounts to a wild guess as to whether a player will be able to handle one of the most cerebral position[s] in sports.”

    Quoting Saban: “This is probably why there’s more mistakes on quarterbacks picked in the first round than anything else in the NFL.”

    The upshot about Mayfield, of which I was previously unaware, is that he was a walk-on at both Texas Tech and Oklahoma, having been the 68th ranked high school quarterback when he was being recruited.

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  11. tOSU will hang at least 60 on the Beavs next season, considering it’s a P5 matchup and a blowout will hurt the PAC’s chances of getting a team into the playoff.

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      • The Beavers will probably not make a bowl game in four or five years. I doubt they’ll ever make it higher than the Sun Bowl under Smith.

        The series against Ok State scares me. They will do to OSU what they did to Pitt this past year, and that will continue to hurt the conference in terms of putting teams into the playoff. We need teams from the PAC in the playoff to get that huge pay-out and national exposure.

        Reply

  14. I think the list is perfect, almost… I’d put Irish and tufaga right under Wilson, than follow the rest.

    I think Irish will be a big play consistent guy, similar to our past greats..stroughter seems like a perfect similarity.

    And tufaga seems like a afalava if he stays safety. If he moves down to lb, I see a lot of aggression and I think he can be very good there.

    Overall, I think we lack the lines big time.
    We need 2+ dlineman, 2+ online, and the biggest key for the near future is a qb! Qb is what will make us 1-11 again or 6-6.

    If I’m coach I think 2 Jc cline, 1 HS cline. 1 Jc online, 2 hs. 2 hs (maybe 1 I’d jc) lb. and the qb we need to win games now.(probably Jc, probably a transfer).

    Reply

    • I feel all the 3 stars are really close except Dukart. I do agree he’s a 3 star, but to me he’s a low one. So it was pretty tough to put the other guys in order. I can see liking both those players you mention as much as you do. I’m not sure I like Francois as high as I ranked him on 2nd look, either. I might change that in the final rankings in February.

      Reply

      • I agree. I actually think you evaluate talent very well. I like to think I do, but still have errors(villamin?, shaydon akuna?, etc…). But I really like Irish, and tufaga. But I personally love Wilson. And I agree, how that guy has almost no other offers has to be questionable, but if he comes in with grades I’ll be stoked. He seems more than legit, and I really think our secondary is going to be one of the best in the country. And I’m not a homer, but seriously we have some serious weapons in the secondary. We just need the dline and lb to be there with them

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  17. Dukart is a solid two star. Only had one offer for football. To me, he’s no different than Connor Blount.

    If he’s got a a great supporting cast, he could do all right. But he isn’t the kind of QB that can lift his fellow teammates.

    Perfect game has him rated as the #1 recruit in Oregon for baseball but he’s going to play football?

    Reply

    • Is he going to play baseball for Casey? I can’t remember if that has been decided. I guess he’s passionate about football, but Petras looked light years ahead of him. He doesn’t look like a P-12 QB to me, but I guess there’s always time to develop.

      Reply

  19. Good God! We’re seriously trying to project prospects that not only aren’t qualified, here or playing yet but we don’t even know what defense we’re running yet?????

    You “experts” know that this might make a bit of difference right????

    If you are 6’7″ 245 lbs, you wont sniff he field in a 3-4 as a DE
    for 2-3 years! Yet if it’s a 4-3, you have have decent feet, eyes and hands you can make that time shrink drastically as a player? As long as you know your tech and assignments on different playcalls?

    Guys, this recruiting class(especially on defense) is a complete crap shoot on defense! You need to know what your base defense is before you start evaluating players per position.

    Go Beavs!

    Reply

    • Considering we only have 2 DTs with ANY experience(Elu and Vakameilalo) and 2 DEs with ANY experience(Liuchan and Williams)
      our base defense is going to rely on us getting some major JC support in February, which is asking alot considering most of our targets went to WSU and Kansas already. We’re so thin on the DLine, with high school kids and walkons as our bench players. Oh yeah, and Thor Katoa who has never played a snap in 3 years. Gets injured every year before the season starts and misses the entire season. Wouldnt be surprised if he retires this off season.

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        • Who would downvote that?! Where is Liuchan? Yes, even I know we need dl help; they were so much better in 2016 with Peko (and Houston?).

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      • Luichan has retired but a majority of his time was at LB.

        Just my opinion here:
        Agreed we need major help on the interior DL (whether it be at the NT position or 2 DTs: 3-4/4-3). Realistically it’s not going to happen this season unless they are able to snag a quality JUCO late. No matter which Base D we run (3-4/4-3) we’re going to struggle inside. My opinion, is a 4 man front should take some pressure off of the other D lineman and the LBs. Our LOS has been miserable on both sides of the ball for the last few years, beefing it up with an extra DL can’t hurt at this point.

        Looking over the roster, seeing Inside LBs. Unless CJS is just leaving their old positions on until Spring, we are likely running 3-4 :(.

        Go Beavs!

        Reply

      • Great contribution! I guess when ya don’t know anything about the conversation, bring in chicken shit comments like that right?!

        Go Beavs!

        Reply

          • I contributed my opinion! All you did is make a sarcastic ass comment!

            You don’t agree with me, fine! Why don’t you explain why, rather than act like a child?!

            Go Beavs!

            Reply

          • U “experts” thats not sarcasm? Now you’re calling me names? The thread is just for discussion and you come in and shit on it and talk down to everyone as if they don’t know football. Thanks for your contribution.

            Reply

          • Actually show me where I called you “names”? You’re the one who called me the pompous ass! Remember?! It’s all in the print above.

            Go Beavs!

            Reply

    • There’s only one 5 tech in a properly set up 4-3. You still have to fill out the D-line with two DTs and a SDE who can handle the 3 tech if need be. So you’re essentially stuck needing the same three down linemen you would for a 3-4 and you don’t pretend you 5s can drop into coverage at any time.

      It’s easier to find personnel for a 3-4 than a 4-3.

      The D we’ll probably run is the 3-3 that Petersen has run forever. We’ll have a three man front, 1 to the weak, 3 and 5 to the strong. The fourth “lineman” will be an OLB, as in a 3-4 OLB. He’ll be a stand-up 5 tech instead of a dedicated rush with his hand in the dirt, because he needs to be able to drop into coverage. This is the same position you think a 4-3 DE who is on the light side will play. It’s also the same position a 3-4 OLB would play in most variations of that D.

      Reply

      • Rocky Long is one of the few coaches that runs a 3-5 defense (usually also called a 3-3, except for variations with nickel and dime packages). So if we ran a “3-3 base” that would either be a nickel base or a 3-5. Doubt that’s going to be the case for the Base D. 3-3 fronts rarely play 1, 3 or 5 techs because they are two gap players, therefore they play head up usually.

        You say it’s easier to “find personnel for a 3-4 than a 4-3”? I totally disagree when it comes to quality players that can be effective. How much success have we had in our 3-4 base? Not very. We have several outside LBs right now that have body types for 4-3 DEs (6’3-6’5 lean 235-250).

        Has anyone heard for sure what the base defense will be or is everyone guessing? I have not heard anything official yet!

        Go Beavs!

        Reply

        • Those body types you suggest are for a very light WDE. We can’t play a bunch of very light WDEs along the front without at least two DT/NT types and another SDE type (290#+ space eater who can contain). And that one WDE at that light weight is put there only if he’s a special pass rusher. Those are harder to find than anything. So just putting a warm body in that position isn’t good work. It’s why Banker’s Ds have sucked since 2006 or so. He keeps putting 3-4 OLBs at DE, and they just aren’t that kind of player. That’s why our players keep getting drafted by 3-4 NFL teams and placed at back-up 5 or 3 techs. We kept using good talent in bad positions.

          This past year we had almost no pressure along the front… no CBs, OLBs or anything… just three linemen who got tired a couple series into each game.

          I’m not arguing that we don’t have enough depth to run a competent 3 man front. I’m saying we would need that much more depth to run a competent 4 man front… not a Banker 4 man front that can’t contain or stop a feather because he’s playing backers on the ends.

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          • When I think of a light 3-4 front, I think of the 86 NYG D with three D-line about 280-290# and Lawrence Taylor at OLB at about 240#. To run a competent 4-3 front, you would need another big body plus depth. And Taylor would have been less suited to playing OLB in a 4-3 (though I think he could have played it well).

            Reply

          • A kid with a 6’3-6’5 frame that is 235-250 is great size for DE (w or s side) in collegiate football but more importantly, it’s about their feet and eyes (with all positions really). The longer, rangier bodies can also separate when they are defending blocks to help them defeat blockers to pursue the football.

            I disagree with your assessment to Banker’s defensive failures. Banker’s defenses were set to defend pro style, west coast and spread attacks. Yet when it came to option based teams (especially spread option) they were not gap nor contain disciplined! They also did not play assignment football which is necessary against option offenses.

            It sounds like we are going to be a 3-4 Base team but for what it’s worth, putting a 4th man on the LOS can help absorb O Lineman in the run game and keep them from immediately getting second level on us (happened a lot last season with an untouched BC). Pass rush is about tenacity and quickness, whether 3-4 or 4-3 players.

            Go Beavs!

            Reply

          • A kid with a 6’3-6’5 frame that is 235-250 is great size for DE (w or s side)

            So very incorrect. He’s good for WDE if he’s a pass rush specialist. But then you run into the issue that he would be better as a stand-up at that weight. Someone with those measurables is wasted as a contain dummy… and abused as a D-lineman.

            SDE at 240 can be processed… without effort. I’m completely blown away that it took the Pac as long as it did to discover this about Wazzu’s D.

            Reply

      • Just a correction Jack. A SDE (strongside defensive end) does not align in a 3 tech, that is the usual tech of a strongside DT).

        Go Beavs!

        Reply

        • Understood, but many common 4-3 sets have a 2 and 4 set strong side to allow the D to show pressure over the TE. A SDE has to be stout like a 3 tech because he’s put in many of those situations… and that’s when he’s not being chipped or doubled by the TE/HB.

          Reply

          • A common 4-3 front is (strong to weakside) 8/9, 3, 1, 5. The 8 is a head up look. The 9 is outside the TE. This keeps the DE from getting washed (if they played a 7 or anything inside the TE). Getting “logged in” is never good for a defense concerning contain. Modern day DEs in college are rarely 280-300 lbs in a 4-3 defense.

            Go Beavs!

            Reply

          • That is a common front. It’s not the base. And you lose integrity if that’s the base.

            This does explain how the inside zone tears apart some Ds who think too much about it. SDE should never be outside 6. He’s wasted or telegraphing stunts that far out. You may as well play a 5-2 if you want 7-9 on the field every down.

            And that brings you back to needing interior space-eaters. A 3-4 that runs Oklahoma is precisely what you describe plus a real SDE.

            Reply

        • Apparently I can’t reply to other people’s comments, only my own?! LOL

          Anyway, Jack, some of the best DE’s we have ever had here at Oregon State have been in the 235-250 lb range. Bill Swancutt, Scott Chrichton, Slade Norris just to name a few notable recent players.

          Go Beavs!

          Reply

          • I understand what you think you’re saying.

            Swanee – 260 pounds
            Crichton – 270 pounds

            Norris? Was he even on the D-line? Did he do much more than out-produce Pankey and Robinson?

            I think I did that last part just watching Pankey and Robinson.

            How did Roberson and Darkins not go bonkers having to sit behind those yahoos?

            Reply

          • Yeah… I watched it all happen.

            I might still watch it now that Bikey, the quitter is in the house. I mean, it’s great that he’s all comfortable taking and taking and taking from OSU despite his disloyalty.

            It’s great.

            I mean… it’s great.

            It’s great.

            In other words, it’s great.

            And if you think this is the end of it, you’re great.

            Reply

          • You got me to thinking with the Norris comment. I think that was an example of a D-line that could have been good if we did have some big bodies in the 4-3. As it was, I think our best players were Paea and a gimpy Booth inside. Our depth was small and underdeveloped (plus Simi Kuli). We tried to play a 4-3 with Norris, Butler and LaGrone on the ends and Kristick, Roberson and Cornell as any talent at the LB spots. That’s five OLBs and one ILB (Norris) playing as two DEs and three backers in a 4-3. Thankfully, Paea was good, Booth lasted the season and Butler was dynamic enough to play against lesser RTs… and we had a great secondary.

            We sort of killed Butler’s NFL career by playing him at DE in a 4-3. He was terrible as a run stopper on the line and could never build the skills to play anything but a pass rush specialist as a 5.

            Who did we have as DTs (other than Paea) after Booth? Moala and Frahm were back-ups at best. Olander should have been a SDE, especially after he lost weight with mono. We had a bunch of walk-ons who were locals and better than anyone OSU could recruit. The DEs coming in looked more promising. Crichton was mentioned, and Rosa and Braun looked promising. I think we also started the well worn tradition of moving offensive players to the D-line with Miller, who should have always been a 3-4 OLB. He and Gwacham were possibly the two most glaring personnel misses I’ve ever seen.

            And what’s with OSU and mono? Is mono a common thing for all of NCAA football?

            Reply

        • This is for Jack:
          “SDE should never be outside 6. He’s wasted or telegraphing stunts that far out. You may as well play a 5-2 if you want 7-9 on the field every down.”

          Jack where do you draw your knowledge from?

          I’m just curious because I have been a defensive and offensive coordinator at the high school level in a very competitive league here in Oregon and in a Base (meaning your default front) I have never heard of a 4 man DL (4-3 or a 4-4) having a strong side DE (with a TE on the offensive side of the ball) aligning that far inside of a TE than ( 7-8-9) as a Base look. The standard is as I mentioned before for any team that I have ever been apart of. A 4-3 is a gap control defense (for example) 9, 3, 1, 5 means the SDE usually has the C gap/contain long with SOLB, SDT has B gap, MLB has strong side A Gap, WDT has A gap, WOLB has B gap and WDE has the C gap. The only thing that has been different in that scenario is either playing the SDE in a 7-8 or 9 tech on the TE. This is a Base/default though for a 4-3 in my experience. If you bring a DE down inside more than that, he will get logged in and then you have an OLB, Safety or CB trying to defend against a pulling guard or a reach/scoop block from an OT. That is not at all sound. you are not only out flanked but out manned!

          The biggest difference between a team like Oregon State and most other programs running a 3-4 with success is the types of players that they get in the trenches. You need two gap sound players that have the ability and strength to defend and defeat double teams consistently (which we absolutely do not have- proof is in the film).

          PS- in stunts and or slants D Lineman can stem (move around before the snap) to get the right angle if needed but when they are in a Base and holding gap integrity, I have never heard of the aligning inside of a 7-8-9 tech. In fact, some programs do not use what you are calling a “6” tech (I don’t know what you honestly mean by that)?! Some programs use a “4i(meaning “inside”) for inside shade to a Tackle. “4” is head up and 5 outside. Then you have a “7” inside TE shade…. 8 Head up… 9 outside and loose 9 for wider than a man outside the TE! That’s my experience. Maybe yours is different?

          Go Beavs!

          Reply

      • I guess I don’t understand your answer?! There are several very easy questions I asked you and my points are all cut and dry.

        It’s one thing to have an opinion about something but if you don’t have a substantial knowledge base or experience in the field in some way….. then the opinions carry much less weight.

        Go Beavs!

        Reply

        • You got a lot of responses to an innocuous post. Good for you.

          Thank you for responding to this one.

          It may be so far reoved in space that you don’t remember what you posted.

          You started your post with, “Good god,” and some other words that didn’t really say anything important.

          So I want to give you this space to prove god exists.

          Reply

  20. MBB. What happened? They actually looked very good last night. Is CU that bad or did some bulb go off during the break? Very few bonehead turnovers.

    WBB. Angry’s GF was fantastic with some great catches on entry passes and nifty footwork on post moves. Rueck can coach.

    Reply

    • Is Marie the best center in the PAC?

      She seems to be stepping up in her leadership as the only senior on the squad. Last night she was on the floor for 35 minutes (no one else over 28 except Katie at 33), I was surprised Grymek didn’t spell her more.

      Along with the nifty footwork already mentioned, she had a couple beautiful blocks. And that willingness to dribble which the crowd enjoyed. Though not seen last night, an area of improvement shown earlier has been her shot from 8-12 feet.

      So, the team ranked #12 in the PAC is behind the gals, now comes the Cougs who should be a stiffer test. Any chance the TO’s are less than 18 Sunday?

      PAC12 net Sunday at 11.

      Reply

      • I posted the same thing on the previous thread last night. I’ve seen the Beavs play 3 times so far this year in Corvallis and MG has gotten much more aggressive and decisive around the basket. She doesn’t hesitate on her moves to the basket and this doesn’t allow the defense to get set or double down on her. She is so skilled with her ability to seal off defenders, go to the hoop with either hand and her timing on blocking shots is very, very good. If she’s not the best center in the conference, I don’t know who is better although I have to admit I haven’t seen all of the teams yet.

        Reply

      • I don’t know if she is the best in the Pac, but she is definitely the best she has been. Rueck can recruit but also coaches them up. Quote impressive.

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  21. I know it’s just one game, but the offensive flow was noticeably better without Eubanks on the floor. The T-Brothers and TT went on two impressive runs when Drew was lifted. It sounded like WT hollered at Eubanks a couple of times to get deeper on his post ups. He was asking for the ball too far away from the basket. He traveled a couple of times trying to do moves from that position and missed a couple of awkward shots. The team needs his rebounding and shot blocking when he’s engaged. I’m not sure what he’s doing on offense other than trying do what he thinks the NBA wants from him.

    Reply

    • well said… Eubanks can’t create really… he should focus mostly on D and rebounding, and only attempt FGs in very +EV situations.. Tip ins and dunks/when he catches it very deep

      There’s been a number of TOs this year trying to force it into him in bad situations. That’s bad coaching really. He Shouldn’t be attempting that many shots per game in pac 12

      Reply

      • I think the problem is (and just my sense), he wants the ball to show the scouts his ability to put it on the floor. I don’t think he has that skill set yet. He is also not developed as a passer. I heard at one point he went six or seven games this year without an assist. Drew is all about Drew and getting to the next level at this point.

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      • I could understand it with GA wanting a dual-threat QB, but when he switched to pro-style with Luton, he lost me. Garrettson had some toughness, but not really the speed or arm to be effective consistently.

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        • It’s not that you want a dual threat. It’s that you want a QB who can run to roll the pocket or when it all breaks down. A statue that has no pocket awareness then does a standing fetal position is destined for not greatness.

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    • It’s tough conditions with the wind, he threw for 100 yards in the first quarter and he has played some great games throughout the season. It’s interesting with this sudden talk about GA ‘running him off”, Iowa St is trying to get a 6th year exemption for him, so it fits the narrative.

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      • It’s not tough conditions with the wind. Gusts of 10mph are not something that makes passes look like dying ducks. He just had some hitch in his motion or grip. I stopped watching when it was 7-0, because it was boring as watching grass dry. I see the score is close. It must be a highly exciting game.

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      • Interesting that almost nobody has Kempt’s appeal process right. Apparently, he’s appealing for his sixth year because of what happened at Hutchinson CC, not at OSU. That’s the season he’s trying to appeal.

        It’s odd with his talent how he’s been treated. It’s almost like he’s gay or openly atheist. Even his current coach had him third string behind a quitter and a linebacker. Are there any other situations in the manly and god-fearing sport of college football that would explain why talent would be shelved like his has?

        Reply

  24. Does anyone happen to know what has happened to Chiekh N’Diaye this season? I didn’t see him on the bench last night for the Beavers game vs. Colorado. He was the team’s leading shot blocker two years ago and I know he started the season injured but beyond that not sure what his status is…

    Reply

    • Good question, not sure if we’d want to be playing him anyway if Big G is healthy..(Huge loss for us as any minutes with Kone are scary/hope he comes back sooner than later but by the look of him last night i doubt that)

      Reply

    • Are there even any updates out there on Chiekh? If he was in any playing shape, he would be great for five minutes to protect the rim and keep Drew and G out of foul trouble. I remember when one of those preseason magazines predicted he would be the most improved player in the league his sophomore season. I think he had potential, just too many injuries.

      Reply

  25. Just the facts on the women’s team: Statistically they are awesome.

    Offense National Ranks: 3rd in FG%, 27th in scoring, 1st in 3pt FG%, 3rd in assists per game,
    Defense National Ranks: 2nd in FG% defense, 5th in blocked shots per game, 6th in rebound margin, 11th in pts allowed. 5th in fewest personal fouls,

    It’s pretty simple, they just need to get out of their own way on offense and they can be a dominate team. Otherwise they’d be in the top 10 of scoring. Opponents have got off 40 more shots than the Beavs this year due mainly to turnovers.

    So the worries of the lack of offense this year were overblown. Defense hasn’t missed a beat, though in some stretches, they can be inconsistent.

    highest scoring offense in the pac 12 – Oregon, OSU is 2nd. fun matchup in a few weeks

    Reply

    • Virgil was gone after last year, but Tedford talked him out of it.

      Tedford obviously did him wrong, essentially using his redshirt year up. Good on him for being adult about it… and not transferring as soon as he didn’t have the starting job.

      Then you wouldn’t get neat story tweets like this one.

      Reply

  31. Haven’t watched a single down of NCAA football since the Beaver’s season ended, other than a few plays in the Oregon/Boise State game. I turned on the Washington game to see this blowout, and it’s 35-28. Seems like a good game.

    Reply

    • I saw a couple ducks thrown by Kempt this morning because I think my TV thinks it’s smart. I moved on to watch refs gift OU a win over TCU… so frustrating to watch. Notre Dame and GaTech was not quite as bad, but the douche level was there. UNC… I just… I don’t hate… I don’t not care… I think they should not play in the dance for about three to seven years. I give three for the honest. I take seven because they were not so.

      Reply

  33. Don’t know if anyone noticed, but during the Washington-Penn State game, they showed all of Dante Pettis’ punt returns for touchdowns, and which teams he did it against. OSU was among those teams…and they showed our old ” angry beaver” logo to represent OSU instead of our new one.

    Why the heck did we re-brand if networks aren’t going to use our new logos?

    Reply

  35. Wiscy FB channels his inner Seth, nice hurdle, if you are into things like that.
    Watching this one to see Wiscy LB’s as coached by our new DC.

    Badgers up 17-14 with 5 min left in 1st half.

    Reply

  37. So the bonus of buying a 14# prime rib is that I could only cook about 2/3 of it on Christmas. Cooked the rest of it tonight on the pellet grille and it turned out awesome. 500 degrees for 30 minutes then dropped it down to 190° til the meat thermometer said 130°. Came out perfect.

    Reply

    • I slow cook turkeys that way, but I’ve stopped with the 450-500 blast to start. The slow cook overnight is awesome. And it has to be 190, not 200+. The point is to cook it above 165 for the whole time without boiling the meat. A decent oven will vary +/- 10%, thus 190+19=209, which is below boiling.

      Turkeys, cured hams, pork shoulders, briskets.

      Slow cooking is best and easiest.

      Reply

        • I don’t eat turkey skin. I like it off the chicken, but I can’t stomach the turkey skin for whatever reason. with the slow cook, fat renders to a butter consistency. So I just peel the skin and toss it to the dogs. Then I shake the meat off the carcass and toss the bones into the slow cooker with the neck.

          I’ve not figured out what to do with the organs, other than treat the dogs. Anyone out there have any good ideas?

          Reply

          • I should say that I always brine turkeys for 4-7 days then slow cook them breast down, only a bit of water and cider in the pan when it goes in.

            Reply

          • Brining is done in one of two converted chest freezers, btw. I’ll never put a stand-up fridge outside again after having issues with them (and their cost). You can usually find a beer pig and several chunks of meat in bags/buckets on any given day.

            I keep gardenburgers in the freezer for my veterinarian friends.

            Reply

        • White meat is never overdone because its cell structure is never corrupted. It probably takes only 8 or so hours for a 12-15 pound turkey to be done. But I leave it in for about 14 hours. Part of that is from the days when I would cook 20+ pound birds. But the other part is trusting my oven to maintain proper temps. The meat never boils, so it always stays moist. Internal temps are proper for a long span.

          The only problem is that the meat has a tendency to fall apart. So there’s no thin slicing of breast meat. One year I just pulled the meat off with my hands, like I do with pork shoulders. We just ate turkey bowls for dinner. That was some good stuff.

          Reply

      • Best turkey ever is on a Weber. Sure you have to keep feeding briquets, but it’s so much better than anything I’ve ever eaten, including Traeger. The skin is crispy and meat juicy.

        Reply

    • Sounds awesome!

      I started doing mine the opposite way – 200 degrees until I hit 120 IT then finish off in 500 degree oven for 10 min or so.

      Reply

    • Has anyone ever cooked steaks confit then put a quick grill on them? I have a friend in Wyoming that swears by it… fires up his grill year-round for it, game and all. He mostly uses lard, but he also has the local market order bulk butter for him every now and then.

      He says brisket is best this way. All meats chill overnight with a dry rub.

      Reply

      • He also says unused portions keep forever in the lard/butter in the fridge. I’m a little skeptical of it, but the science says it’s possible.

        Reply

  39. I had a dream last night where I went to a credit union, and Gary Andersen was in a wheelchair working as a teller. He had his right leg propped up and scooted around with his left. No cheerleader babies clinging to him.

    Mystery solved, guys.

    Reply

  40. I have the Beavs unifficially at 73 scholarships right now, with 3-4 guys who could be additions/subtractions who we just don’t know about(Nall, Tyner, Wallace etc..)
    So currently, it looks like they could potentially sign 12 more players this class, but that number could easily go up with attrition.

    Dead period lasts through Jan 11th, so it should stay quiet these next couole of weeks and then really pick up after that until signing day in early Feb. I have a group of players I’m watching to fill out some of the remaining spots, but they are going to need to have some new names come into play if they plan to use up all 12 of those spots(which they don’t “need” to fill at signing day)

    Reply

    • Is there any help at all coming for the OL & DL? If we don’t get more capable bodies especially on the DL for next season we are probably looking at another 1-11 record in 2018.

      Reply

      • OL for depth (and maybe a dedicated interior brawler to play C) is necessary. Please no Juco.

        You’re right on D-line. We have some small DEs coming off redshirt plus two others with injury histories. And we only have two viable DTs. This is where Jucos should look for immediate playing time. And a handful of HS recruit should sign on as well.

        If it’s any indication, now that the roster is out, the backers are all listed as inside and outside, no middle.

        Reply

      • Wallace I’m not clear on. It was announced by our media that he was leaving, but then the official roster came out a month later and he was on it.
        Off topic, but has anybody seen his youtube channel?
        I’m not sure what to make of it.
        There’s the potential gor this class to go over 25 if they classify any of the 3 early enrollee guys as 2017 class, but I think that’s doubtful to happen.

        Reply

  41. Anyone know why the Lady Beavs only have 10 women roster? By contrast, the Ducks lady’s team has 14 players on their roster. 10 players?

    Reply

    • 11 if you count Slocum. I’ve read that Rueck doesn’t like to max out the roster as playing time wouldn’t be there for the end of bench players. Also, we only lose Gulich next year and gain 3 players.

      Reply

      • Thx..
        Unfortunately, Slocum isn’t eligible until next year so I didn’t factor her spot on the roster. Still seems to me to have a thin roster especially if they have any injuries.

        Reply

    • Yeah rueck has stated before that with a full roster, it’s hard to play everyone and the whoever is on the end of the bench usually isn’t happy about it.

      With the success on the court and in recruiting, the end of the bench is all 4 star talent minimum. Hard for those players to transition to a bench role from the star. I think kalmer was the only 3 star out of high school.

      I would say this year is an anomaly because brown and green left the team with eligibility left.

      Reply

  44. Stacy still has no idea how to play basketball, huh? I tuned in for 10 minutes and see him force a 1 on 2 and get a charge called. Obvious backout situation.

    Reply

      • I was at the game it seemed any 50/50 call went the Utes way. Was this true seeing it on TV? But the 3s were unreal for the Utes in this one.

        Reply

        • It looked like the Beavs had several drives where fouls could have been called and the refs let the plays go and then in the second half there were two or three “phantom” fouls that sent Utah to the line. It also looked like that timeout given to the Utah player on the floor was questionable. In the end though the Beavs went into those five minute droughts where they couldn’t score and it cost them the game.

          Reply

  48. Another example of how important QB is and how it can transition an entire team. The 49s had 1 win and were the worst team in the league until they got their QB from the Pats. Now? 5 straight wins to finish the season 6-10. They’d have probably been a playoff team if they got him earlier.

    Big reason I was so bummed about Petras and the guy who went to BYU. Both were potential program changers. Don’t think Dukart is like that at all, nor is Luton, and that’s the #1 reason I think we will continue to be bad. We need to find a QB.

    Reply

    • I don’t understand how people cannot contemplate that. The quarterback is the most important player on the offense. The next important is the lineman protecting the QB’s blindside.

      Time and time again, we see great programs stall out during the season when they do not start quality quarterbacks. Great programs (Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma) can salvage winning seasons without good quarterbacks because they have star power and depth at almost every other position on the Oline to run it up the gut. Oregon State does not, and hasn’t for a long time.

      Reply

      • It’s only intuitive on the NFL level, where the talent is more or less equal. Cleveland couldn’t beat Pittsburgh’s second string today. But Cleveland with a RB at QB could beat any college team 10 out of 10 times.

        NCAA teams are poor reproductions of whole teams. That’s why mediocre game managers like Hornibrook at Wisconsin can be successful. He can be replaced. But their O-line and RBs cannot be replaced. A good or great QB would take them to the elite level, not just better than most.

        The points are these. A great QB will not make a bad college team better. He will only be a great QB on a bad college team. Maybe a one score loss will be a win. But other losses will remain losses. If we take that OSU team we just watched and add just competent coaching, they win many more games. If we replace weak links on the O and D lines, we win many more games. If we put Baker Mayfield on our team this last year, we win two games more… games that we probably should have won anyway.

        What a great QB will do over time is different. He can gather talent and make it better year over year. He can form a team into something that will be better without him, though, not as good.

        Conflating the NFL with the NCAA es no bueno.

        Reply

      • That’s not the question. The question is if a better QB makes a bad team a good team or not on the NCAA level.

        It doesn’t.

        The NFL has enough parity in skill that it does.

        Conflating the two is dum dum.

        Reply

        • QB is almost everything at any level. There are always rare exceptions (teams with legit great D’s or OL, etc). But even those great D’s get helped by good QB play.

          A good QB makes a bad team better. A bad QB makes a great team worse. E.g. Our 2006 team wasn’t very good (they were awful the first few games), but Matt Moore suddenly started playing some great QB and the entire team and season switched. Suddenly a bad team became very respectable due to great QB play.

          High level QB play at the NCAA level can cover up a lot of team flaws.

          Reply

          • That 2006 team was all about the D, specifically the front seven. They also stopped being all pass happy after Wazzu completely embarrassed us at home. I think the only game Moore was asked to win with his arm was the bowl game. Otherwise, it was Bikey getting a swift kick in the ass from Al because the immense talent he had in the trenches was pussy-footing around while getting embarrassed by lesser teams. Once he took the ball out of Moore’s hands and put it in Yve’s hands (plus a little Polk), that team put it in gear and started playing some ball. That Moore was more efficient once this happened obviously escaped Bikey and his perennial “trying to find our identity” routine. But Moore wasn’t who was asked to carry that team.

            Reply

          • This isn’t to say we don’t want the best QB we can get. It’s to say that the college level is unique with regard to this position because being a part of a good team is more important than a QBs talent. A good team will remain a good team without a good QB. I do concede that a good QB makes a bad team good over time. But it’s a really poor expectation to believe they can be inserted in a one for one exchange and make any one situation any better. It takes a couple off-seasons of work and recruiting to fit the kind of team that good QB can run.

            If the system is set to revolve a steady mindset where the QB is a cog in said system, even a bad QB won’t kill that system. He will over time, then we’re talking about a bad coach. But for one season the team will play to its tendencies, probably more. It’s why new coaches who are good fits can take over good teams and win for a couple years, then fall on their faces. The team is bound to each other and will continue their system of success. Some coaches can see this. Some think they can add an amazing QB to that system and win big. But when the system players leave, that same QB will fall on his face along with the coach.

            Think of the difference from OSU 2000 to 2001. In 2000, we had a perfect storm of system players who could run (Pettibone), a talent influx at the skill positions, and a DE attitude that we would use it all to be better on both sides. A lot of the players who came together as a team that year left, and the same QB couldn’t carry a mediocre team above being mediocre. We looked good enough on paper, and SI jumped all over the “QB is the most important” idea to put us on their cover as #1. But that was a flawed analysis because of the very discussion we’re having. It’s way too shallow on the college level, where styles, systems and talent variances are just so wild.

            Reply

  50. Someone please explain to me Ethan was called for a violation on the OOB play and then after they give the ball to Utah after the violation, the Utah player does the exact same thing without being called for the same violation. I watched the replay and it’s clear the Utah player shuffled his feet on the OOB play and wasn’t called. If I’m not mistaken, the violations occurred after a dead ball: 1) Ethan’s on a possession arrow and 2) Utah on the OOB violation by Ethan…both dead balls. I thought the officiating was pretty one-sided down the stretch and I’m still perplexed with Alfred Hollins was taking those critical shots in the last 2 minutes of the game…should have been either ST or TT. Tough loss but the Beavs have really improved defensively this year….lastly, DE has to play a little smarter too…..

    Reply

  53. People in previous threads claimed that the Ducks were so successful running the ball under Chip Kelly because the offensive linemen got away with holding all the time. Could someone elaborate why that’s the case?

    Reply

    • The o line would hold for just an instant and let go as soon as the faster rb at full speed would be even, which would be enough to get them to the second level. Their wide receivers holding down field away from the play but where it was heading was worse then the o line, and imo what really sprung the rb for explosive plays.

      Reply

          • Yes actually, considering this was my original question and I don’t feel like sitting through hours of film. Plus some individuals have better judgment than I do when it comes to these matters.

            Reply

          • Dude it’s HOLDING not fucking rocket science… If you need hours to figure out the dicks hold, you should find another sport to watch

            Reply

          • Let’s not have a conniption, now.

            I don’t see a difference with Oregon’s receivers’ stalk blocking techniques from TCU’s, West Virginia’s, or Arizona’s, from the live games I’ve seen this season and last. Their elbows are a little further out than the shoulders, but most of the time the receivers are able to get underneath the shoulder pads of the DBs and push.

            Watching the Sugar Bowl now, pretty much every o-lineman hooks their hand on the opponent’s shoulder pad near the neck area for an extended time while run blocking (which is illegal). 75 of Clemson practically tackled the DE during pass protection by grabbing his sides w/ 12:45 left in the 3rd quarter, no call. 93 left tackle of Alabama reached his left arm and grabbed the right shoulder pad of the Clemson DE who beat him on the next drive, no call. Point is, it happens almost every play somewhere on the O-line. I’m sure the NCAA’s definition of holding occurs at some point in almost every play of every game, and >95% of the time it is not called.

            Reply

    • So are the receivers hooking their hands into the DB’s shoulder pads near the neck? I could see how that would be difficult to call when Oregon is running 3 plays a minute.

      Reply

        • Chip’s philosophy at Oregon was…..to hold on every play knowing that the refs would never call a majority of the time. Oregon’s wide receivers excelled at holding on the edge.

          Reply

  55. Sure feels like with each passing day, thr chances of Oregon State landing Nikko Hall diminish. Seems like teams are just scouring the country for any unsigned “4*” recruits and offering them.
    Since he is considered a 4* guy at 2 positions, it makes sense that he would be a desierable late addition to a team’s class, if for no other reason to boost class rankings.
    Makes me wonder how much of recruiting has turned into class ranking status vs signing the actual best group of players to build around?

    Reply

  56. I’m so out of the loop. How the fuck are Oklahoma and Georgia playing in the Rose Bowl?
    Anyway, I did an 8 mile hike to a summit today. Much better than watching that shit.

    Reply

    • What summit? Sounds fun; I got to climb one two days ago with my aunt and uncle. 4 miles total but it was all brush and forest. Lots of quartz on the ground so maybe my uncle will find some gold.

      The Rose Bowl was excellent. The score doesn’t suggest good defenses, but stopping Georgia’s running backs and Mayfield w/ his corps of receivers isn’t possible. Roquan Smith, a UCLA commit/decommitment, was literally all over the field making plays. It makes me not want to watch Beaver football this season because of how slow they are on both sides of the ball.

      Reply

  58. Rose Bowl was excellent. What is it with HC’s named Riley making really bad third down calls late in games? The stupid squib kick before half scewed OK out of the championship.

    Reply

  59. Didnt watch a ton of football today, but was able to watch some of the UCF/Auburn game and the Rose Bowl. I learned that UCF has a 1 handed linebacker who is head and shoulders above any linebacker the Beavs have fielded in recent memory. It was one of those double take moments when I first saw him out there with 1 full arm and one with a stub on the end. Pretty cool

    https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/12/2/16727802/shaquem-griffin-ucf-fumble-recovery

    Reply

  60. OT- The once PG of OSU’s future Derrick Bruce just went off for 28 points giving Texas Southern. their first win of the season. Weird team, coached by Mike Davis, 0-13 before the game today, but a 24 game home winning streak and #1 SOS in the country. Bruce looked like he was playing SG though and hit 8 three pointers.

    Reply

    • College football ended a month ago. I would have watched the Rose Bowl if it had Pac participation. But none of it holds my interest. UGA v. OU looks like it must have been a shit show for the DCs. I know someone will try to explain poor D away by touting the O skill. But that’s a canard.

      Just looking at the scores, it looks like the easy pick is the team who can play D… but couldn’t even be bothered to win their own division, let alone conference… again. 2007 Bama going to the BCSCG is why I don’t even bother with this crap. They say ever game is important, that it’s a play-off during the season, blah blah blah. Then they pick the second best team in a division, a team who gets to take conference championship weekend off, and they gift them the undeserved seeding of national relevance just because.

      It’s complete bullshit, and Bama’s 2007 and 2017 “national championships” will never be legitimate.

      Reply

          • And we will never know, because when in doubt, the committee picks an undeserving Alabama. AAC has a 4-3 bowl record with wins over Auburn, Texas Tech, and Virginia (all P5 teams). Temple beat FIU in the other win. The SEC has a 4-5 record. Going off of those alone, UCF ran the table and deserves a shot.

            Reply

          • As Utah has shown us, running the table in a G5 conference and running it in a P5 are two very different things. Utah could win the MWC undefeated with a nice bowl win (twice I think?), but they have yet to even win the Pac12 South. Not sold on UCF having an NC caliber body of work.

            Reply

          • Why play the regular season then? Alabama showed that you can get in by playing less games, being the third best team in the SEC. We will never know if the Utah’s or UCFs would go all the way (Utah convincingly beat Bama in the Sugar bowl as a heavy underdog if I remember correctly). Have a seeded tournament with at least 12 teams — Alabama would have two less championships. Jack has a pretty good post, below, regarding the number of P5 wins Alabama has (8) compared to the other teams in the top ten.

            Reply

  67. Nall to enter the draft, according to reports.

    It would be great to have TT back, but I think we’re in good hands with Pierce and the young guys behind him.

    Reply

  68. For those that watched last nights games that D line dominance by Bama is my reality year round. My birth team is Bama. My Dad an Uncle are alumnus and the majority of my dad’s side still live in Bama. The level of ball player and athlete they put on the front is just waaaaay different. That’s why I like seeing us bring in potential freaks like Bickler…makes me hope we can one day have SOME actual athletes on the d line which is really where you see the difference in talent the most. Raekwon Davis and D Payne are just freaks up front which sets up everything behind them for the Tide.

    Hopefully JS, Tibesar et al bring a new focus here with getting athletes on the front. The dudes we’ve had the past few years have just been extremely poor athletes. Even if we go undersized…length and mobility is now key on the front. What Bama is able to do isn’t repeatable where they get multiple 300 LB monsters who are also freak athletes.. but there’s no reason we can’t focus on a smaller nimbler front with mobility to increase havoc rates and contained spread offenses.. I think if we can change the expectation here and start to recruit accordingly we can get out in front of the trend while Other teams in the pac are still going hard for 300 pound plodders

    Reply

    • I do like Alabama…but they did not belong in the final four. Should have been UCF, or the OSU. They need to expand the “tournament” to at least 12 teams. A team that doesn’t win their conference, and gets win playing only 8 conference games will get by pedigree — and that is what happened this year. There are better teams that got left out. Although Alabama was very close — probably top 8.

      Reply

      • 16 teams is ideal. Past 16 there are realistically no teams that can win it all. 12 teams would be unfair to the lower seeds because four teams get a bye, and a week to get healthy, as if No. 1 vs No. 16 is not an advantage in itself.

        I think the committee did the best job they could with selecting the best four teams. People complain about UCF because of the transitive property of wins and losses, but that’s only a small piece of it. The committee knew that Bama would get healthy with a month off, and a healthy Bama is a top two team. tOSU is also very talented, but under Urban Meyer, they always lose game when trailing after three quarters, meaning that they give up (the Iowa, Oklahoma, 2014 Va Tech, 2015 Michigan State losses showed this).

        Reply

        • Bama got an extra week to get healthy, and there are only four teams in it this year.

          Here’s how P5 teams who actually won their conferences did in the apparently not so important conference games they played:
          Clemson: .889, won ACC Atlantic Division, won ACC CG (9 total conference games)
          UGA: .889, won SEC East Division, won SEC CG (9)
          tOSU: .900, won B1G East Division, won B1G CG (10)
          USC: .900, won Pac 12 South Division, won Pac 12 CG (10)
          OU: .900, won Big 12 regular season and CG (10)

          Here’s how teams who bothered to win their divisions (or take second in the Big 12) managed to do while losing their respective CGs (one loss added to their win %):
          Auburn: .778, won SEC West Division, lost SEC CG (9)
          Wiscy: .900, won B1G West Division, lost B1G CG (10)
          TCU: .700, lost Big 12 CG (10)
          Miami: .778, won ACC Coastal Division, lost ACC CG (9)
          Stanford: .700, won Pac 12 North Division, lost Pac 12 CG (10)

          This is how the second place team in the SEC West did:
          .875 (8)

          They played Mercer in week 12, got pumped by their rival in a week 13 game that mattered, rested while 10 P5 schools who bothered to actually make it to their conference CGs played the next weekend, then were gifted a top four seed.

          It’s not like Urban and his tOSU whiners get to complain about anything after 2016, but it’s still bullshit.

          Reply

          • This ^^^^^^
            I wonder if the tables had been turned, Bama with 10-2 record and CG champion, and OSU with 11-1 record with 8 conference wins — reward the team for not making the championship with by-week is the biggest fucked up thing.

            Reply

          • I like the idea of 12. 8 would be conference champions, 3 G5. 9-12 would be at large and have to play the first round at 5-8. 9-12 would need to be seeded to put conference opponents on the same side of the bracket. So the SEC could have three teams in at seeds 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12 or the other side. The following week would be 1-4 v. the remainder for their home date. Then you could play your final four as it stands now, without the masturbatory SECSPN outcome.

            Hmmm… that sounds like the NFL. Funny how that works. But that would take the discipline and vision of a business. This is NCAA football we’re talking about.

            Reply

          • I might actually watch a Bama team that goes to UCF then tOSU before getting to the final four. I could at least respect that they earned their way.

            Reply

  70. He states he was away at elite programs…

    And his wife was with him. I thought they got divorced?

    I wonder how much of that interview was complete bullshit…

    Reply

    • Yea agreed 3-4 round is likely. If he goes to the right fit he could beast early on. The Seahawks or Raiders would be a great fit. I would personally love him on my Rams to spell Gurley as well.

      Reply

      • 6th round or later. And as a Seahawks fan I hope they don’t touch him beyond as an undrafted guy to compete for a FB position. Not even close to the kind of back Seattle needs, would be a terrible fit in Seattle’s offense.

        Reply

      • You’re joking right? 2-4 rounds and the Seahawks would be a great fit? The Seahawks don’t have an offensive line and Nall wouldn’t be a great fit. He needs a decent offensive line. His major problem as a RB is…he’s sometimes too patient to hit the hole. In the NFL, if you don’t hit the hole quick, the hole won’t be there to run through. I see Nall as maybe a 4th round pick but most likely 5th-6th rounder. He’d have been better off transferring to another school with the potential of a 1,000 yard season and improving his draft stock. Injury bug is going to be a concern too. I wish him well, but I think he made the wrong decision going to the NFL….should have transferred to another school IMO.

        Reply

          • Nall is no Bell….I liked Nall’s skill set but the NFL is a completely different animal. Look how weak the Pac-12 conference was this year and as weak as it was, Nall still had a sub par season. I hope he succeeds, but I just don’t see him being an early round draft pick. And, if he does get drafted and by a team w/out an O-line, it could be the end of the beginning for a short career in the NFL. I still think he should have transferred, played one more season to showcase his abilities and improve his draft stock. I guess we will see in a few months when the NFL draft happens. If I’m wrong, so be it.

            Reply

      • Runs too high, injury prone, fast but not elusive and played with half effort after the first few games.
        If he has a significant NFL career I will be shocked.
        Cleveland will take him with the first overall pick.

        Reply

          • He will likely elude the draft.

            If you take his pass pro highlights, tally the number of good plays on it, then subtract that number from whatever position Mr. Irrelevant is, that should be his draft position.

            Reply

        • Of course Nall is not Bell. Bell was shown in reference to this complete fallacy of a statement:

          “In the NFL, if you don’t hit the hole quick, the hole won’t be there to run through.”

          This is just Simply not true ESPECIALLY with the amount of Zone schemes in today’s game.

          Reply

          • Nall is no Bell….I liked Nall’s skill set but the NFL is a completely different animal. Look how weak the Pac-12 conference was this year and as weak as it was, Nall still had a sub par season. I hope he succeeds, but I just don’t see him being an early round draft pick. And, if he does get drafted and by a team w/out an O-line, it could be the end of the beginning for a short career in the NFL. I still think he should have transferred, played one more season to showcase his abilities and improve his draft stock. I guess we will see in a few months when the NFL draft happens. If I’m wrong, so be it. But make no mistake, the NFL game is much faster and much more physical than a weak Pac 12 conference. I just don’t see his skill set translating into a productive NFL career at this point. However, if he’s on the right team with the right system, who knows….but if I was making a bet…I’d bet against him right now.

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    • Sorry everyone, he’s very likely to go undrafted. If he runs under 4.7 at the combine, he might sneak into the late rounds. I have no doubt a team will sign him for training camp.

      So many things working against him:
      The number of guys ahead of him. Lots of underclassmen will declare this year. Lots of depth. Nall is a relative unknown.
      He’s never been able to stay healthy an entire year. Injuries would be a major concern
      Ball security will be his biggest weakness. NFL teams value ball security over anything else in their RBs.

      But if Terron Ward can make it and stick in the NFL, then Nall could too.

      Reply

      • I agree completely, I think he can make it in the NFL but he isn’t the kind of talent you spend significant draft capital on. Someone might grab him in rounds 6 or 7 when the picks are more about getting guys you don’t think you can sign if they go undrafted.

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        • His height and weight is why I don’t believe he’ll run a fast 40. He’s listed at 6’2″ and at 230+. Only a handful of running backs run that fast at that build. Don’t think Nall fits that mold.

          I will say race Nall against other rbs in a 100 yard dash and he would win almost all of them.

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          • I mean as Beaver fans we should all recognize that his second level (12 -40 yard speed) is elite. Even thinking anecdotally…do you ever remember him being caught in open space? He’ll break 4.5 fairly easily. Considering that will be the main thing that will get him drafted earlier and a higher slot $$. Where he needs to improve is as someone mentioned above running lower and getting his pad level right at the initial point of attack.

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          • He’ll have to take quite a bit of steroids to break 4.5.

            I’m not sure you could produce more than a handful of rbs at his size that ran under 4.5. I think Jackson did but he was much more a freak athlete than Nall.

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      • Terron Ward is a solid back. He averaged almost as many YPC as Freeman, granted it is easier to average more yards when you carry the rock less but he definitely passes the eyeball test. He runs low and strong and tacklers bounce off him.

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    • That Duck punk Blount made a living in the NFL…He is probably heavier than Nall, but also slower. Ran about a 4.6 at the combine. I think Nall would be as good a goal line back or better than Blount, probably catches better, definitely smarter and better character. Plus he’d do more in space.

      I could see Nall being used effectively in NE. I think Nall’s challenge will be avoiding injury enough to stay on the field and play effective. He gets “yards after contact,” but the contact in the NFL is going to be more punishing.

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    • With the exception of Steven Jackson, historically Beaver running backs have been drafted later. Even Jacquizz Rodgers was taken somewhere in the 5th, and he did not get his first start until several seasons later, if I remember correctly.

      Is Nall Steven Jackson?

      Of course, I have no idea what the RB class nationwide looks like this year, and Nall’s projected placement doesn’t account yet for any last minute discoveries (medical issues) or an exceptional/poor showing at Combine.

      As a potential starter, maybe? As a featured, 3-down back? He has a ways to go.

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  72. Though there styles are very different, Andersen and Riley can sound a LOT alike:

    “This will mark the third time Andersen, who played center for Utah from 1985-86, joined the coaching staff at his alma mater.

    “Returning to the Utah football family is something my wife Stacey and I are very excited about,” Andersen said in a statement released by Utah. “Having an opportunity to coach at your alma mater is somewhat unusual and having the opportunity to do it again is certainly special. Kyle Whittingham is a great coach and I look forward to working alongside him again. I am fired up to meet the players and go to work.”
    ”
    Three time returnees…Riley told Eggers he was really “fired up” and had a lot of respect for Smith, would be great to work for him…

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  73. Do we have a shot at getting the Miami Transfer DJ Johnson? He’s from Sacramento area, so he could go to a bay area school. Miami allowed all but 4 universities access to contact him. CAL, U$C, UCLA, UofO, UofA, ASU, UW, and OSU. Wonder which one will be the right fit?

    Reply

    • I guess we technically have a shot, but i get the impression some of the teams listed already had a head started recruiting him before it was announced today he would transfer. Day late and alot of dollars short for OSU.

      Would be a nice pickup though, since he plays DE, and would be eligible immediately if the NCAA grants a family health waiver.

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    • Really anything less than making it to the championship will feel like a letdown. Too many good players not to make it that far.

      Pitching will be a bit of a question mark albeit a very small one.

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      • We could have a team ERA of .069, and the umps would call a four foot strike zone for the opponent… for a .068 ERA… apparently.

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  75. Nall, the guy gave up after Coach A left, wasn’t even close to the back he used to be. Injured? Don’t think so. Wanted to protect himself for the enivitable NFL decloration. Probably. I think he was amazing when he wanted to play hard, but not so much this year…… not going to miss Him…

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    • I thinks it’s more of a what might have been deal with him. With the right play calling and a complimentary QB, Nall would have been an all American type player. I will miss him just for his highlight reel.

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        • A commitment to the run would have helped both O-line and RBs. AP and TT were committed to the run, and they made the O-line look better. But we’re talking about a McGiven O, so the run had a low ceiling.

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    • He and Marcus McMaryion were very close friends. From what I understand, after Gary the Snake Andersen named Luton “the Statue” as starting QB, it splintered the locker room and Ryan Nall wasn’t happy about that decision. Regardless, good luck to him and hopefully Tyner decides to come back and A Pierce will be a great combination.

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      • That would explain him playing like a putz for the first several games. Still, he doesn’t seem like the kind to be a poison in the locker room. But if you say he was….

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  76. Agreed his misuse this year was criminal. Get him in a zone scheme behind a competent line at the next level and he could be a nice player.

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  77. Considering how much work there is to be done before signing day, it’s been awfully quiet among the new coaching staff since the early signing day happened. I know it’s the dead period, but it seems like that hasn’t stopped several other programs from being active in recent weeks.

    Reply

      • We have 72 scholarships out of 85 currently claimed.
        There are plenty of players out there who haven’t signed with teams yet, but right now we have zero verbal pledges for those remaining spots, with 1 month to find the right players

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    • Seems like they need someone to coach DBs, RBs, TEs and maybe Safeties.
      A guy like Hall would make a logical DB coach.
      I think we need that extra coach to be the RB coach, and then let Riley and Smith as well as grad assistants cover the remaining positions like TE and CBs. Or maybe have Cookus work with safeties. Do we need a full time dedicated special teams coach again?

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      • Tea leaves here been sayin’ MR ends up on the D side, likely CB’s ever since there was so much mention by Eggers and others of MR’s experience there.
        But, I’m a coffee drinker, so there’s that.

        And, notwithstanding the experience with Bruce Read, now that there will be 10 assistants allowed I think a dedicated SpTm guy makes sense. Lots of opportunity there to impact the game with superior play.

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        • Sumlin seems to be the obvious choice. Perhaps they will follow the Devils lead and hire some guy that hasn’t coach for a decade or so

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        • I saw Helf rumored to Texas as their 10th assistant also. Presumably he’d be the new OC and their OC would get booted down to position coach.

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          • Not sure what’s going on with Les Miles and why he’s apparently unemployable. He’s said he wants to coach again so that’s not it. Maybe he thinks he’s worth more than he is? Or he has some outrageous control issues? You’d think if he wanted a job there has been plenty to choose from the last few years.

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          • He’s probably asking too much for what short-sighted schools think is a guy who will only be around for about four or five years.

            News flash: Your next coach is only going to be around four or five years unless he sees it as a destination. Miles is the type of coach who can set it up to be a destination then leave a great program to the next guy.

            Miles would have a sustainable Desert Swarm type team after a couple years.

            Reply

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