Recruiting 2023 Recruiting Thread: 4* OT Caden Jones completes the class

jdh5484

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We got exactly zero in the top 20. That's not sustainable. Need to find a way to land the the top in-state recruits.
BN needs to work on that for sure.

Most on here will disagree, but when the big three (UF,FSU,MIAMI) are fighting for the top 20 in Florida, that means the Leghumpers and Bamma are not getting getting them.

FSU and Miami are not in our conference and will never keep.us from the SECC.

Both Bamma and the leghumpers will.

I say the big three families get together and figure out a way to keep those a$$holes off our collective families turf.
(It's just business)
Marlon Brando Godfather GIF by Filmin
 

soflagator

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I will give billy some credit. There was times during the year that billy had the offense looking really good. Outside of the Oregon st game we pretty much were able to move the ball against anybody. If he was aggressive for the entire game every week like he was against Tennessee, I doubt anybody would be calling for an OC.

I’m also not sure about Durty’s original statement. We averaged just under 30 points per game even with the bowl game(Miller scrimmage) included. They finished at 36, and played nowhere near the schedule we played. Less than one TD difference in your third season with your seasoned QB vs a guy in his first year with a first year starter? That isn’t very impressive.
 

Durty South Swamp

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I’m also not sure about Durty’s original statement. We averaged just under 30 points per game even with the bowl game(Miller scrimmage) included. They finished at 36, and played nowhere near the schedule we played. Less than one TD difference in your third season with your seasoned QB vs a guy in his first year with a first year starter? That isn’t very impressive.
Maybe it was the differential that makes it seem that way. When vandy is bending you over for 40+ it's hard to be excited about our offensive production.

That said, how many times did you look at the TV, then turn to the person next to you while we were on offense and say, "what in the actual fck???"

I lost count by game 4.
 

lagator

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I will give billy some credit. There was times during the year that billy had the offense looking really good. Outside of the Oregon st game we pretty much were able to move the ball against anybody. If he was aggressive for the entire game every week like he was against Tennessee, I doubt anybody would be calling for an OC.
Replace AR with Mertz or Miller and how do you think the offense would have looked? I think we got a decent glimpse of that in Las Vegas.

To me it's playing out as we expected to some degree. Hired as a recruiter despite being a pedestrian offensive coordinator. Assets include being a superior organizer, down to earth, connects well with everyone from all walks. I think actually most of us were surprised how poor his game management and use of TO's was. I didn't see that coming. Recruiting reportedly his strength and he is a good recruiter as billed, but I don't think anyone thought he would waltz in and immediately eat Saban's and Kirby's lunch. We did expect him to be Kelly's and Cristobal's equal and I think it was what you might call close enough on that front?

So now we head into year 2 with upgraded recruiting, but they're freshman so only a few likely to be impact players next year. We have the same coaches and coordinators which by almost any measure seem to be lower tier for the SEC. We have the same guy making the in game decisions and calling the TO's. And we don't have any viable QB's on the roster, and took what appears to be the worst of the first 10 QB transfers. Maybe Rashada will be ready at some point next year which could make a huge difference, but if he is really 6-3 165, even if he gains 20% of his body weight he still will be way undersized to go up against SEC defenses.

So am I confident in seeing major improvement next year (that means wins and losses, not some nebulous "improvement by the eye test")? No. It looks to me very likely we will be heading into next ESD coming off 2 sh;tshow seasons in a row. How that sits with the fanbase will probably have a lot to do with next years ESD. The only thing that will still the negativity if we do have 5 or more losses next year is going to be a great class, like no worse than top 3 in the conference. It seems the odds are stacked against him but who knows. I like the guy and hope he finds the magic somehow and starts kicking ass.
 
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soflagator

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Maybe it was the differential that makes it seem that way. When vandy is bending you over for 40+ it's hard to be excited about our offensive production.

That said, how many times did you look at the TV, then turn to the person next to you while we were on offense and say, "what in the actual fck???"

I lost count by game 4.

I didn’t have that thought much, but admittedly am not as versed in Xs and Os as some of you.

The only thing I’d like to see killed is the WR running behind the QB presnap, the naked bootleg to the short side of the field, and the screens if we can’t block them better.
 

Detroitgator

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I didn’t have that thought much, but admittedly am not as versed in Xs and Os as some of you.

The only thing I’d like to see killed is the WR running behind the QB presnap, the naked bootleg to the short side of the field, and the screens if we can’t block them better.
Someone (Shane M?) said we had to do this so that AR would know if the D was playing man or zone... something like that
 

MertzJay26

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Someone (Shane M?) said we had to do this so that AR would know if the D was playing man or zone... something like that

That’s not atypical to send a WR in motion to have the defense give away man vs zone, and isn’t an indictment on AR lol.

Most teams just send the WR that goes in motion out on an actual route instead of having the WR stand around on the far side of the field behind the LOS
 

Theologator

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I agree with the caveat that expectations were higher than 6 wins. Whether that was reasonable is the center of this grand debate we find ourselves embroiled in. But I think you make a great point!
I get all the transition, talent and depth issues. But our defense has been horrible for 2 straight years. If they had been just bad or wildly inconsistent we’d have won 2-3 more games. Every opposing QB could circle our game as “Career Day!” That’s got to change and change now.
 

tharber

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Lots of us have played football, coached football, and taught football. Football isn't an impossible game to understand, and there are a lot more people educated on the game today than there were when we were growing up as kids. When I was growing up I got my hands on every book I could find that had to do with coaching and strategy when it came to football. Wanna know how many books that came out to? Oh, about a dozen or so from my local library :lol:

Fast forward to today and there are more resources available than there is time to watch/read it all. The elitism some display based on their knowledge and experience is ridiculous at times. I have credentials, but I don't run around dropping them and I certainly don't use them to try and discount other people's opinions. The truth is, most coaches won't be able to take a team where a fanbase wants them to take their team. There is only one winner at the end of the year, and just getting there is very hard to do, much less staying on top. My point is that it isn't hard for those who say BN won't succeed here to be correct; that's just the nature of the beast.

If you're happy with the direction BN is taking us, then that's great. Many disagree with your opinion, but you're definitely entitled to it and I'm not going to sit here and call you a moron for feeling that way. However, to just discredit opinions you don't agree with simply because they lack the playing and coaching experience you do is short-sighted. Throwing your resumé out there does nothing to bolster your argument. Your argument becomes nothing more than a "trust the coaches" platitude, which is simply a call to end all debate and defer to the so-called experts in the room.

Personally, I'd love to hear your reasons for being pleased with the direction BN is taking us. Rather than falling back on the appeal to authority (i.e. your experience as a player and a coach), I'd love to hear some concrete reasons why. Perhaps you're seeing things that others are missing based on your experience. If that's the case, then that's the sort of information that is actually worth something. However, I can understand if you don't want to put yourself out there like that. I was calling for Trask to start after watching his first spring game at UF and took hell for it. Donkey told me I was the dumbest motherf'er to never play the game of football (spoiler alert, I played). Poor ferg became so unhinged about it that he ended up in my signature. Still, until Trask actually proved it on the field, me and a few others had everything about our football expertise questioned. So believe me I can understand if you don't want to get into specifics that others can point to and use to tear down your thought process behind being "pleased with the direction BN is taking us." It's much easier to hide behind a jersey and clipboard.
You must have read something that I didn't. I did not discredit anyone's opinion.

Why am I pleased with BN? He has brought the buzz back to Florida football for all high school coaches and kids. Schools that had once banned Florida from being on their campuses are now having their kids sign with us. We just picked up a kid from Rockledge, that would have never happened under Mullen. Rock's coach played at FSU and did not trust Mullen at all. Look at the inroads BN has made at IMG too. All these top tier kids talk to each other as they compete and they like what's going on at Florida. Florida was not even in the conversation for many years.

I think BN did a fair job with what he had and he didn't go in and try to reinvent the wheel. I do not think AR was very football smart and he was the problem. He depended and assumed that his athletic talent would get him thru the season and obviously it did not. If you study AR's play calling, it was limited because I really don't think he understands the defensive schemes very well. We'll see how he progresses in the NFL but I honestly think he will be a bust. The team was behind AR and BN understood that. I think if he would have come in heavy handed he would have lost the team. He will not have that issue next year.

Does BN need to change his style? Probably tweak it a little for the SEC but his structure is made to succeed. He will work on some minor staff changes I'm sure but to say that the staff as a whole is no good is not accurate. The staff did not have a lot to work with but they took ownership of that.

We also have not had the player drama (not withstanding Kitna) that we always seem to have. BN kept them in line and dismissed the ones he needed to quietly. We are graduating our kids and that is ultimately BN and the Universities goal. We will not get every kid because not every kid can make the grades to play for us. Thats OK to me.

Finally, I do not post every day because I find the bulk of the comments seem to be coming from kids playing XBox and complaining about coaches and players with zero appreciation for the game. No you don't have to be a player to know the gae but you have to give it respect. Thinking that a new coach would come in with a broken program and flip a switch to play in the National Championship game is luidicrous.
 

5-Star Finger

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Maybe it was the differential that makes it seem that way. When vandy is bending you over for 40+ it's hard to be excited about our offensive production.

That said, how many times did you look at the TV, then turn to the person next to you while we were on offense and say, "what in the actual fck???"

I lost count by game 4.
And this is my issue.

Everyone looks better with better talent. I've seen people make the argument here and I understand it. Here's the issue I have with that line of thinking: what about this cycle makes anyone think he's going to overtake anyone he needs to in talent, and what about this season makes anyone think he's going to win with less talent than his opponents? I'd say the evidence is thin on both counts.

For all the talk about his recruiting prowess, our boy got thrashed on the trail by another first year coach in our state. He lost 7-0 in the top 20 in our state to a team he has to beat to get to Atlanta.
 

tharber

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I dont understand what the love for Miami is all about. They went 3-5, right? I don't want to sound like a snob but I can almost guarantee that 3/4 of their team can't get into UF. Its been a long time even since my kids were looking at schools but I think a 1200 SAT gets you in at UM but at UF 1450 and up is the norm. Am I wrong?
 

cover2

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I get all the transition, talent and depth issues. But our defense has been horrible for 2 straight years. If they had been just bad or wildly inconsistent we’d have won 2-3 more games. Every opposing QB could circle our game as “Career Day!” That’s got to change and change now.
Specifically, our secondary play (coverage, tackling, run support) has been horrid for a while. Can’t blame it all on the schemes. Attention to technique, discipline, and responsibility has been sorely lacking previously.
 

jdh5484

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...Thinking that a new coach would come in with a broken program and flip a switch to play in the National Championship game is luidicrous.
I imagine all those people expecting a NC this year are terribly disappointed.
s reactions wars GIF
 

jdh5484

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That’s not atypical to send a WR in motion to have the defense give away man vs zone, and isn’t an indictment on AR lol.

Most teams just send the WR that goes in motion out on an actual route instead of having the WR stand around on the far side of the field behind the LOS
That was one of my beefs.

You have a QB that can run and pass so it gives your offense a +1.

Then you have a receiver in motion that then stands there, twiddling his thumbs, so the +1 goes to zero.

:dunno:
 

I Have No Friends :(

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You must have read something that I didn't. I did not discredit anyone's opinion.

Why am I pleased with BN? He has brought the buzz back to Florida football for all high school coaches and kids. Schools that had once banned Florida from being on their campuses are now having their kids sign with us. We just picked up a kid from Rockledge, that would have never happened under Mullen. Rock's coach played at FSU and did not trust Mullen at all. Look at the inroads BN has made at IMG too. All these top tier kids talk to each other as they compete and they like what's going on at Florida. Florida was not even in the conversation for many years.

I think BN did a fair job with what he had and he didn't go in and try to reinvent the wheel. I do not think AR was very football smart and he was the problem. He depended and assumed that his athletic talent would get him thru the season and obviously it did not. If you study AR's play calling, it was limited because I really don't think he understands the defensive schemes very well. We'll see how he progresses in the NFL but I honestly think he will be a bust. The team was behind AR and BN understood that. I think if he would have come in heavy handed he would have lost the team. He will not have that issue next year.

Does BN need to change his style? Probably tweak it a little for the SEC but his structure is made to succeed. He will work on some minor staff changes I'm sure but to say that the staff as a whole is no good is not accurate. The staff did not have a lot to work with but they took ownership of that.

We also have not had the player drama (not withstanding Kitna) that we always seem to have. BN kept them in line and dismissed the ones he needed to quietly. We are graduating our kids and that is ultimately BN and the Universities goal. We will not get every kid because not every kid can make the grades to play for us. Thats OK to me.

Finally, I do not post every day because I find the bulk of the comments seem to be coming from kids playing XBox and complaining about coaches and players with zero appreciation for the game. No you don't have to be a player to know the gae but you have to give it respect. Thinking that a new coach would come in with a broken program and flip a switch to play in the National Championship game is luidicrous.
Thanks for your perspective. It might sadden you to know that we don't have any kids playing X-Box posting here. Ox calls it battered wife syndrome and I tend to agree with his take. There are warning signs that remind a lot of us of the 3 previously failed staffs, and it's my opinion that the gameday performance of the coaching staff is what has most of us worried. If we don't get better in the X's and O's department, then we're going to need to bring in the top talent in order to compete. While this recruiting class was solid, it's not at the level needed. The 2024 class is off to a great start, however, and may just be the catalyst we need to start trending upwards again. Here's hoping it all comes together.
 

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