flatwaterfan

https://huskers.com/sports/football/roster/nouredin-nouili/41513

 I like the idea of interviewing Carlos Polk too.   He could be  a full time special teams and Chinander could coach OLB with Polk helping out.

Recruiting ties help but it's not everything.  

Will Shields got knocked on his butt on a PAT against Colorado.  He turned out alright.   

( I am still mad that game ended in a tie but such is life. )

I found a link about Austin's recruiting area.  It is Houston not Dallas. 

https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/nebraska-recruiting-huskers-top-targets-texas/2KpZvPImj6tquMHoaLk0xM/

Coach Austin has some recruiting ties to Texas.   I believe in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

14 minutes ago, ColoradoHusk said:

Doug Colman is another name being mentioned by the Twitter-verse.  He played with Frost at NU, has recruiting ties to the Northeast, and coached special teams at the Cleveland Browns most recently.

I like the Coleman possibility.  He use to have good recruiting ties in New Jersey.   

13 hours ago, I am I said:

Good info on the bio’s, thanks! 
 

to the “technique” question, there is a lot that has to be taught. 
 

For instance, LBs/athletic DEs are usually used on punt team. They have to be taught their stance, footwork on snap, hand placement, blocking assignments (especially if opponent is in block form), lanes to cover, what to do if a fair catch is called (running past receiver, downing the ball, rules near the goal line, etc), R/L/C punts and their coverages, who is dangerous on returns per team, tendencies per team on returns, stunt pick up, and all the details of the game (time, distance to cover, trick plays, etc).  
 

And that’s just punt. Punt return and kick return are the same. FG/PAT are a little simpler but require attention to detail.  KO takes a ton of time to coach properly, especially if your kicker can’t regularly kick through the end zone *cough*.
 

The best ST teams in the nation spend a LOT of time on these. 

 

Here’s the thing:  the better overall depth you have the less you have to use your starters, using starters on  ST is not ideal, but often necessary. Case in point, I was watching Alabama bowl game and their star WR #6 made several great plays on punt coverage. I mean, he was everywhere. Either he told the coaches he wanted to do it, they told him he HAD to do it, or there was no one better. My guess is, at Alabama, that he wanted to do it because they have so much depth. What a player!! 

As we gain depth and get more straight up athletes and damn football players the better the ST will become. We can stop using guys who really shouldn’t be on the field at all or our starters, and use guys fighting their asses off to get on the field in any manner they can that are great players and “get” what it takes to make football plays. Still have to coach up the details but don’t have to hold your breath because they are athletic and can make some damn football plays. We don’t have a lot of guys 2nd/3rd team that can fill in and make some freakin plays on ST without a s#!t ton of coaching. So we use starters or guys that probly shouldn’t be out there. 
 

There is a LOT of coaching that goes into special teams. I know it’s a long post, but this is where Frost is at building all 3 phases that belong in the Top 15 of college football. The guy from Wallace, a walk on that plays kickoff is a cool story but I’d rather have a 3 star athlete from Georgia clawing his a$$ off to get on the field in any way he can because we have so many good players, and he WANTS to play ST to get on the field. 

 

 

Thanks for the perspective.  

I have been doing some reading about special team coaches and head  coaches and there's one coach who has the special teams players get served first for the pre-game meals.  I like that!   It's good incentive.   

Maybe he doesn't get along with his boss/organization. 

8 hours ago, runningblind said:

Dawson coaches OLB? That'll be interesting for Tuioti having the guy he replaced come back.  Who coaches ST then? Are we just down a dedicated ST coord then or can Dawson do that too?

Time + weight room + nutrition will thicken and fill out that frame.

On 12/25/2019 at 1:50 PM, Nebfanatic said:

Are you looking at Rivals? Because 247 composite has us at 1 5 star(Lucky) and 7 additional 4 star players

Your right, I was looking at rivals and wasn't looking at 247.  Thank you.

The  composite probably is a better gauge.  

Runningblind - I actually wasn't thinking about it that way, but you are right.   So applying your valid point I would like us to be able to do both -  under center and shotgun.  I hate being in shotgun on the goal-lines and in short situations.  So I think there is a time&place for both.

Wyo - I respectfully disagree.   It can happen certainly but we use to do it that way in the past.    I think teammates are smart enough not to light up their own QB.  Otherwise they may end up running steps and get a but chewing and ostricated by teammates.   I just think live action is invaluable.  Need to teach kids not to be afraid.  If you got 1 guy and no experience than I can see hands off or if they are trying to get over a bruise  other than that it should be football not 7 on 7.

Now that they have 4 scholarships QB's and 2 walkon QB's,   I would like the coaches to change the rules around QB's in practice.  Get rid of the green jersey no hit rule.  Make them live with a don't blow them up contraint.   I want to see Qb's that are battle ready, battle tested and tough.   Martinez is 225.   He should be Jamal Lord like in that he is a big tough QB that runs with authority.   I think he was thinking too much last season so maybe they should simplify some things for him.  Also I want them to not only test on plays and reading defenses but make sure they have game time awareness!   Know when to run out of bounds and when not too!   Know when to run clock.   Aaaargh. 

Oh and I love the bootleg run/pass.  One of my all time favorite plays.    Play action should always have a place in a playbook IMO.  It gets you a 1/2 second to second of free time. 

Didn't 2005 have 11 4-stars along with 2 5-star players?   Wouldn't that be the record?

5 stars

Bowman

Lucky  

4 stars

Suh

Potter

Dillard

Octavien

Dagunduro

Hardy

Leon Jackson

Brooks

Beck

Picou

Tomerlin

Some 3stars from that class that made great to good contributions..

Zac Taylor

Barry Turner

Hickman

Cody Glen

As well as a guy that was unrated in Matt Slausen

On 12/21/2019 at 8:21 AM, Nebfanatic said:

That 2nd year by Callahan was boosted by signing 30 players. Average star rating of that class was .86. Right now we are up above .88. 

 

 

What you are pointing out is true.    The number of players helps  the overall point total but it can hurt your average star rating.   The 2005 class signed  two 5 stars in Bowman and Lucky.  How often does Nebraska do that? They also signed eleven 4 stars which included talents like Suh.   They had some guys like Matt Slausen who weren't graded.    There were quite a few reaches in 2005 but they also had some top end talent.   I think Callahan came in to late in 2004 to remake the roster and that is why they did 30 in 2005.   Frost had a little more time and did most of his roster turnover in his first year.

I think Frost's 2020 class has fewer reaches but also doesn't have as much top end talent.  

Woodhead attended one of UNL's camp so Coaches could see him first hand and tested very poorly.   The problem was he had a problem with his back at the time.    What are the coaches to think when you have a small&light player who runs a 4.75?  (I don't remember the exact time as it was a long time ago.).   The Solich and Callahan coaching staffs BOTH passed on him.

It just wasn't meant to be.  Doesn't do any good to second guess.

Welcome Matthias Alagrin!   Hope you love your time in Lincoln.

7 hours ago, Mavric said:

 

I managed to get them documented

 

As far as I can tell, it's one of those things where he's technically correct but it's not nearly as big of a deal as it's made out to be.

 

Average grade in conference play:

Jaimes - 61.3

Hixon - 57.4

Jurgens - 54.4

Wilson - 55.9

Farniok - 62.5

 

Since Jurgens had a terrible grade against tOSU, here are the averages after that game:

Jaimes - 61.7

Hixon - 56.9

Jurgens - 56.8

Wilson - 56.5

Farniok - 65.8

 

And, just to give a little more picture of progress, here are the grades from the last two games:

Jaimes - 69.5

Hixon - 53.5

Jurgens - 63.6

Wilson - 57.2

Farniok - 64.9

 

So technically Jurgens was the lowest-graded lineman in conference play.  But all three of the interior guys are pretty close.  After tOSU, they are all basically identical, though Jurgens is technically slightly better than Wilson.  And over the last two games Jurgens is actually quite a bit better than both.

 

So it would appear that he was getting significantly better as the year went on.  Which would seem to show that Frost made the correct decision.

 

And, of course, none of that has anything to do with the coaches making "hard decisions".  That would imply that whoever the backup center is would be doing a better job.  Which none of that gives any insight into.

I think this is a great post as these grades reaffirm the O-Line impressions I had for the season and the last statement is money.

So I think the key for next year is to see if they can strengthen the guards without hurting the tackles.   So in other words can they leverage Farniok inside?  Can Gaylord or Benhart take the RT spot?   Maybe Gaylord can slide to guard as well if Benhart comes through?   Maybe Banks can give play guard?   I was really impressed with Piper in the few snaps I saw him.  He is going to be outstanding.  Maybe he gets in there?    I want to see some push!  Some of that is dependent on the play and type of block they are doing but IMO it's best when you can impose your will. 

He may or may not have graded out well as compared to other starters but the other starters are not playing center.  So that comparison is moot.   How did he grade out in comparison to other centers in practice?   

That's a great point Buster.   Also I do not think Cam Jurgens is going to lose that starting center spot just based off of the fact that the coaches went ALL IN on him last year.   They shoved all their chips in the pot.  He started and played every game.  They are too heavily invested to not stick with it.  They stuck through the growing pains.  The head coach made it known that he is a believer in Cam's ability and he will play him to prove that he is right.  Right or wrong I don't think it makes a difference.  The guy will play due to that investment.  He's their guy.   Cam improved as the season went along.    I will trust the coaches on this.  

I thought the tackles were about the same as the previous year in performace.   I thought the guards were not as strong as the previous year.   Center was a work in progress.  Given that I want to upgrade both guards.  I like moving Matt Farniok to right guard as it keeps him on the right side and gives us a bigger guy.  He's more use to the right side play calls.  Plus that's usually the strong run side and that's where his size can come into play.   I like Gaylord playing LG.  I think he would be good in Pass pro and gives us more size.

LT   Jaimes, Bando,Corcoran,Anderson

LG  Gaylord, Hixon,Raridon

C    Jurgens,Farniok,Piper

RG  Farniok, Wilson,Sichterman,Lynn

RT  Benhart, Banks,Fritzche,Conn

The article said there were 11 but there are only 10 names listed?  Who is the 11th?   

The main point of the scholarship is the degree.    I have no problem with Nebraska not paying scholarship to players that have graduated and if they want to keep a player on scholarship who has graduated and has eligibility I am certainly okay with that.   I think it's Nebraska's choice in that situation and I think that is fair.   The players don't have to apply for their degree if they don't want to graduate early.  They can schedule and plan accordingly.  They can take a bunch of PE classes or Star Trek Theory..  

I think it's good that the NCAA permits players that have graduated to have the choice to go to whatever school that wants them if they have eligibility left.  That is only fair because of the situation above.

For the situation where it's a player that has 4 years in,  has not graduated and needs a 5th year I personally think the University should pony up and allow them to get the degree even if they are non-contributors.   That is my personal opinion and where folks disagree.  Football is a huge time commitment. 

I love the supersix poll concept.   We should have one for the sleeper pick too.  I tried too but the system won't add my poll.   I only had 10 players on the sleeper poll and eliminated all 4 stars and players scoring more than 2% in the super six.

I love the WR group and RB group

This is what I went with...top 3 were easy.

1)  Manning -   Fills a huge need for a big bodied WR that we have been missing under Frost&Riley.  Add in the fact that he is a more mature player as a JUCO just means he will be quicker to go.

2)  Corcoran -  Could jump into depth chart right away like Benhardt.   Still want to see a preservation of the RS.

3)  Betts -  I know I said I was going to pick different positions but I can't.   Best athlete in the class with a sparq of 122.22 and 130.71!   That 130.71 indicates an elite athlete. 

This is were picking gets a little tough...

4)  Greene ran a 4.49!  Dude is fast.   He may need a little time to develop but he's got the speed.  I think he would contribute faster as an OLB and that's a more natural fit but when he bulks up and gets stronger for ILB he will be a terror.

Now it's getting really difficult...

5)  Mauga -  More LB speed at the ILB spot!   A juco so he is a bit more mature physically.  Going to be in the depth chart.  I think he could also be an OLB in coverage if needed.

This is imposible.  I am cheating.

Tie 6)  Scott&Morrison... Scott is physically ready at RB.  A spot that kids can come in and play sooner than later.   He's a running back that can bench 400 lbs and clean&jerk 310.   He is explosive 37" vertical and runs in the 4.5 range.   

Morrison - Big RB with speed.  Prolific rushing numbers!  Proof on the field. 

Sleeper -  Alante Brown.   Versatile.   This guy played mostly QB so he is just scratching the surface of what he can do at WR.  

I get the Person-EL comparisons.  It's a good comparison.  

Butler&Nixon could also have been good sleeper picks.  Smothers could of been top 6.   Gray&Hutmacker are studs.  Good class!

Here are the number of recruits we have taken 2002.   Please note transferring nowadays is a lot easier so class numbers might be higher as a result. 

2002  - 21

2003 -  19

2004 -  20

2005  - 32

2006  - 22

2007 - 27

2008 - 28

2009 - 20

2010 - 22

2011 - 20

2012 - 19

2013 - 25

204 -  25

2015 - 21

2016 - 21

2017 - 20

2018 - 25

2019 - 28

Recruiting rankings by rivals for coaches in their classes.   Please note that the first class for each coach was one of their worst because it's a transition class.  

Callahan -  27th.     

                       5th

                    20th

                     13th

Classes were a bit uneven.  2005 had some notable players.  He had a staff that could recruit but results on the field were not trending up. 

Pelini  -  30th

               28th

               22nd

               15th

                25th

                17th

                32nd   

Pelini's numbers weren't great to start out but he was improving slowly for awhile.  2012 was a bit of a speed bump and 2014 was meltdown.   

Riley   31st

           24th

           20th

Riley was improving slowly but surely.   His record didn't though.

Frost -  21st

              15th

So Frost did pretty well in the transition class and also posted the 3rd best class in the past 15 years or so.   I think it is important to see some wins on the field next year.   That should help 2021.   I think it's looking good as a positive trend.  Hope they get a top 10 in 2021.

21 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

The number of recruits in Frost's classes have been 22, 27 and 22 (not finished yet).  At least the last two have started off, in this stage of the cycle, estimating that the number of recruits was lower than what we started with.  So, the initial number might be 19, but I'm betting that it will end up somewhere around 22-25 by the time it's done.

 

I would say that next year, we need 5 O line and I'll guarantee you we have more than one WR and DL in the class.

 

As for the cover LBs, I really wouldn't necessarily look at what we are losing as seniors.  We need to be looking at what's in the Freshman and Sophomore classes.  Those are classes the 2021 class will be playing with mostly. I believe we have some good cover LBs in those classes.

Quote

 

 

You may be right and history certainly confirms your thinking but to play devil's advocate I am wondering if this year's number isn't going to move much.   I can think of a couple of reasons to support that line of thinking. 

1)   They had a bunch countbacks for 2019 and they filled the limit of 25 so they can't count back anyone in 2020.   So the official number they have is set at 24 (which includes the xfer TE)   For 2021 (this coming class) they have 1 possible count back as they are at 24 for this year.   I think that's right?   Countbacks can be confusing.  

2)   I believe they are at 88 right now with a blueshirt promised for the fall.   That means they are basically at 89 if you look at next fall.   That means they will need to shed at least 4.  I believe there are 16 Sr's.   I have guessed that Gaylord gets a hardship year.  I looked at the roster and tried to identify guys that haven't played or guys that redshirted and are Sr's that havent played and may just move on.  I think I only see 4 or 5?

3)  Typically when you look at other schools and new coaches you will see 2 or 3 big classes to start but eventually you will see a smaller class because you are getting to the classes recruited by the coach, that fit the system and have a better relationship and stronger buy-in.  That could be this class.  

4)  When coaches have their players in that they recruited and they have been developing and the walk-on program is in full swing than coaches can be more choosey.   They won't have a bunch of holes to fill where they throw a large number of new recruits at it.   We did that this year but I think it will be less next year.

5)  The upcoming Jr class is a big class.  So would be nice to have a full compliment of options (counting back option)  for that class plus the upcoming So class behind it  is really small.  10!  This is the transition class and you could argue that is the class that is destined to be small but for arguments sake I will stick with the stand that our number for 2021 might not move much.

So to summarize it certainly is fluid and you may be right, actually your probably right but I still will throw out the notion that it will be 19 and may only vary by 1 or 2.