Not a new trend.FUATT wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 8:16 amNot to go off on a tangent but... those smarter than me might know, but I think that with the transition into a more "Oregon" style offense, and the need for more pass blocking, we are trying to recruit "longer" linemen with bigger wingspans, more in the 6-4 6-5 range IF we can get them. 6-3 maybe if they have long arms. Theory is if they are wrong, they at least of the physical attributes to still get their hands on a rusher and "be right even if they are wrong."FUBeAR wrote: ↑Thu Nov 21, 2024 9:13 pmIf FUBeAR ciphered correctly, there are 136 Tiggers on their current roster. So, 31 gotta go.FUATT wrote: ↑Thu Nov 21, 2024 7:52 pmI don't honestly think that any of the cuts from a program like Clemson are going to be able to impact Furman's roster.
They are going to keep the walk ons who matter, who are not just life time scout team guys but who if they ever had to put in a game would a) know what to do and b) could actually block someone or catch it or tackle someone.
The guys that are getting cut are probably a mix of PWO misses, donors kids, and kids who are friends of the staff. These are not guys we want really.
Look at Clemson roster walk ons. Ellis Johnson's grandson is a walk on WR. You have guys from Mountain Brook High in Bham, 5-9 170 WR. Clearly a Dabo buddy. You have a lineman from Anderson who is 6-3. We'd prefer longer. There is a RB from Sumter who I think is nephew of a big donor. He will stay there and graduate. I think they have Bo Nix's cousin at S, probably a favor to Patrick Nix who is still a HC in Phenix City AL which is great recruiting territory.
But maybe kids like Banks Pope, who was committed to App, offered by Furman, went PWO at Clemson... possible he could come to us if they cut him. But my point about these kids is... He is probably Safe. He'll be one of the 20 they keep because he is D1A good.
So, I think the problem will be we won't want the 15 or so cuts because they are not really D1 Players. They are favors. The 20 they keep are the players.
90% of those (~27), as you noted with the 5 you called out, probably wouldn’t be able to play at Furman.
But ~3 of them probably can. Maybe that 6-3 lineman…
2024 Preseason All SoCon OL…
OL Luke Smith, Gr., ETSU - 6-1
OL Luke Petit, R-Jr., Furman - 6-3
OL Xavier Jennings, Gr., Mercer - 6-2
OL Reid Williams, Jr., Chattanooga - 6-1
OL Tyriq Poindexter, Sr., VMI 6-5
OL Blake Whitmore, R-Sr., Western Carolina 6-2
OL Riley Adcock, Gr., Mercer 6-0
OL Chris Noble, Gr., Samford 6-4
OL Dave Monnot III, Sr., Chattanooga 6-6
OL Derek Simmons, Sr., Western Carolina 6-6
OL Anthony Garcia, Sr., Wofford 6-3
OL Quincy Hughes, Jr., Wofford 6-4
if you look at the current roster FR and SO, we have had recent takes at:
6-3 (looks like a walk on, don't see his name in the signing class releases)
6-4 (2)
6-5 (3)
6-7 (!)
We had 2 shorter guys in 22 who look like they are gone.
if you look at FUWolfpackers recruiting thread, we DO have a commit this class who is 6-2 but the other 2 are 6-4 and 6-6. and Offers, we had 6-2, 6-4, 6-7. So...
The trend line here is clearly "longer."
“Longer” replaced “Grease” as THE WORD for Football OLmen long, long ago.
Wanna know how many SoCon Schools offered a schollie to 6-1 future All SoCon OLman, FUBeAR Jr, coming out of HS in 2011? You can count the number on no hands. All said they loved his game, but that he just wasn’t “long” enough to play OL in the SoCon. Chatt, to Coach Jimmy Lindsey’s and Coach Russ Huesman’s credit, at least offered a PWO spot. And, thank goodness for a smart guy named Clay Hendrix (@ AF) & another smart guy named Bobby Lamb (@ PFL-era Mercer), who both offered FUBeAR Jr his opportunities to play D1 Football. In terms of pass blocking ability with those ‘not long enough’ arms, FUBeAR Jr gave up exactly 1 sack (to Chatt 2x All-American, future NE Patriot, Keionta Davis) in 2 seasons as a Starting OLman in the SoCon.
Take a look (again) at the All SoCon OLmens’ heights…which are prolly fudged an inch or two each. If that doesn’t inform your opinion of whether or not FU should at least take a look at a 6-3 FBS Transfer, then FUBeAR’s scribbles aren’t gonna convince you.
FUBeAR has always contended that he always prefers “better” over “longer,” but FUBeAR doesn’t get paid to Coach Football (anymore). There is always a reason (or reasons) why those OLmen that are over 6-4 aren’t getting FBS offers. Almost any 6-5+ OLman that FU can land is going to be a bit of a project - which is fine - we have PhD-quality Coaches that are EXPERT-level at identifying diamond-in-the-rough talent and even better than that at developing those young men.
That said, if we’re ignoring 6-3 OLmen who CAN really play because they fall below some self-limiting metric, we will not be a better Football Team because of that framework. Being 6-6 every play has never, solely, gotten the job done. And, it never will.
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