12-04-2024, 10:38 PM
* Pump the talk on needing to bring in older guys for the offensive line STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS. This is the #1 thing I need to see from Taylor to think he has a clue about eventually turning this around. The offensive line will not compete predominated by second and third year players. Will not. We need a short-term mindset at the OL, supplemented by high school recruits we really like and develop - I am supportive of slotting in Maikkula and Pale as pieces for next year for instance - and then need to repeat a short-term mindset every year. Every year we need to think about multiple proven old guys from other schools we bring in. Just the way this position works and what is necessitated by the landscape, biology, and our own recruiting. Must do. Thrilling to hear Taylor finally stop talking about getting players to stay four years and instead tack on a reference to fifth years, to harp on post-baccs, to say we have to bring in older OL via transfers, to dismiss a question on Williams and Ugorji's relevance in the near-term because we don't want to be throwing true freshmen OL into trial by fire like we did with House (and Taylor didn't mention but we also did it the previous year with Pale and Baklenko). I have been wanting to hear this from Shaw and now Taylor for years. Our decline into a crater has so obviously been impacted by the complete shitshow our OL has been ever since Dalman and Sarell played their last game four years ago and I have been screaming on these boards for the university to realize it and do something about it. Looking forward to news breaking on who these incoming OL are...
* Along similar lines, eye-opening to hear the candor (bluntness really) on OL and DB being the areas we need to improve "dramatically" and get competition. We all know this, of course, but Taylor saying it like this is not the kind of thing he said before the season ended. I imagine the lack of bedside manner - which I imagine is even harsher in private - may not be producing the most happy OL and DB rooms right now. But we do need to improve these groups and in both cases salvation, if it exists, clearly lies on the transfer path rather than in recruiting.
* It's a little hard to tell but I think when Taylor was talking about the OL and DB priority when he said "improve each position as well" he was referring to non-OL and DB positions. If so, I take this as being open to one transfer at pretty much every position and then to load up more at the two priorities. So, notionally, maybe something like one QB, one RB, one WR/TE, three OL, 1 DL, 1 OLB/ILB, and three DB is the ideal next month for us ("mid-year transfer" means we're expecting this to all happen before the next academic quarter, right?). That would be awesome.
* Shout out for the string of questions from Kyle diving deep on the incoming transfer thinking and process. Really a super insightful press conference and very helpful - and encouraging to hear some clear-eyed answers about timelines and academic standards and how we need to be postured. I do have to say it just to put it out in the universe and ward off bad karma from overconfidence: fingers and toes all crossed this doesn't fizzle or end up being over-promised. A lot still has to happen in the next month and then every December as long as college football is like this for us to pull this off. I sensed a smidgeon of Taylor wishing all of this into existence and I really, really hope we don't end up disappointed. Again, fingers and toes crossed.
* While I liked all the questions on incoming transfer dynamics, I would have liked to hear more about how Taylor is thinking about the names entering the transfer portal. I know it's awkward but I would have liked to get more of a window into his thinking on Daniels, Baklenko, and McLaughlin in particular but also just the overall dynamic.
* Coaches always answer enthusiastically when asked questions about specific incoming recruits so it's hard to know whether Taylor's inflections on the answer on Hall indicated excitement or super excitement or SUPER excitement. But for what it's worth, I love Hall as a recruit and can't wait to see him next year. I think he is going to immediately over-recruit people to play like Mosley did this year once healthy.
* It was really interesting to hear Taylor contextualize how highly they think of Bironas in terms of justifying carrying two scholarship kickers in one season (a rarity of course). I did not realize we were going to get a fifth year of Kenney and welcome it.
* I am so happy Levin is our president. End of thought.
* Good reminder on Yamauchi being in the class following his LDS mission. Considering my obsession with OL age, it may be nice to have Yamauchi be older than a normal third or fourth (or especially fifth!) year OL when that time comes (assuming he is still around). I think Taylor said all the right things about welcoming Yamauchi back, honoring the commitment, and valuing LDS players but I don't know, parts of that answer sounded to me like lurking behind the talking points was an old school coach with mixed views on guys going on missions. Quite possibly may be mishearing that.
* Worth noting the explicit goal to go to a bowl game next year. Not that audacious considering how many teams go to bowls but if accomplished would validate sticking with Taylor after this miserable past season (though other considerations surely played a bigger role in him remaining than actual confidence we were on the right track).
* Taylor talked about the front seven guys in the context of guys we're looking at to make a difference a few years down the line. Makes sense. Thought he had a pretty good way of juxtaposing the need for mid-year transfers who can immediately help with the need to keep building a pipeline of younger guys for the future. You do have to do both and hopefully our high school recruiting next year, with Luck's help, will be much better than we've had in recent years.
* It's good that Taylor made a point of saying we need to improve at every position. Clearly there is an immediate focus on OL and DB but the north star needs to remain relentless improvement across the board. Hopefully General Luck gets us there.
* Along similar lines, eye-opening to hear the candor (bluntness really) on OL and DB being the areas we need to improve "dramatically" and get competition. We all know this, of course, but Taylor saying it like this is not the kind of thing he said before the season ended. I imagine the lack of bedside manner - which I imagine is even harsher in private - may not be producing the most happy OL and DB rooms right now. But we do need to improve these groups and in both cases salvation, if it exists, clearly lies on the transfer path rather than in recruiting.
* It's a little hard to tell but I think when Taylor was talking about the OL and DB priority when he said "improve each position as well" he was referring to non-OL and DB positions. If so, I take this as being open to one transfer at pretty much every position and then to load up more at the two priorities. So, notionally, maybe something like one QB, one RB, one WR/TE, three OL, 1 DL, 1 OLB/ILB, and three DB is the ideal next month for us ("mid-year transfer" means we're expecting this to all happen before the next academic quarter, right?). That would be awesome.
* Shout out for the string of questions from Kyle diving deep on the incoming transfer thinking and process. Really a super insightful press conference and very helpful - and encouraging to hear some clear-eyed answers about timelines and academic standards and how we need to be postured. I do have to say it just to put it out in the universe and ward off bad karma from overconfidence: fingers and toes all crossed this doesn't fizzle or end up being over-promised. A lot still has to happen in the next month and then every December as long as college football is like this for us to pull this off. I sensed a smidgeon of Taylor wishing all of this into existence and I really, really hope we don't end up disappointed. Again, fingers and toes crossed.
* While I liked all the questions on incoming transfer dynamics, I would have liked to hear more about how Taylor is thinking about the names entering the transfer portal. I know it's awkward but I would have liked to get more of a window into his thinking on Daniels, Baklenko, and McLaughlin in particular but also just the overall dynamic.
* Coaches always answer enthusiastically when asked questions about specific incoming recruits so it's hard to know whether Taylor's inflections on the answer on Hall indicated excitement or super excitement or SUPER excitement. But for what it's worth, I love Hall as a recruit and can't wait to see him next year. I think he is going to immediately over-recruit people to play like Mosley did this year once healthy.
* It was really interesting to hear Taylor contextualize how highly they think of Bironas in terms of justifying carrying two scholarship kickers in one season (a rarity of course). I did not realize we were going to get a fifth year of Kenney and welcome it.
* I am so happy Levin is our president. End of thought.
* Good reminder on Yamauchi being in the class following his LDS mission. Considering my obsession with OL age, it may be nice to have Yamauchi be older than a normal third or fourth (or especially fifth!) year OL when that time comes (assuming he is still around). I think Taylor said all the right things about welcoming Yamauchi back, honoring the commitment, and valuing LDS players but I don't know, parts of that answer sounded to me like lurking behind the talking points was an old school coach with mixed views on guys going on missions. Quite possibly may be mishearing that.
* Worth noting the explicit goal to go to a bowl game next year. Not that audacious considering how many teams go to bowls but if accomplished would validate sticking with Taylor after this miserable past season (though other considerations surely played a bigger role in him remaining than actual confidence we were on the right track).
* Taylor talked about the front seven guys in the context of guys we're looking at to make a difference a few years down the line. Makes sense. Thought he had a pretty good way of juxtaposing the need for mid-year transfers who can immediately help with the need to keep building a pipeline of younger guys for the future. You do have to do both and hopefully our high school recruiting next year, with Luck's help, will be much better than we've had in recent years.
* It's good that Taylor made a point of saying we need to improve at every position. Clearly there is an immediate focus on OL and DB but the north star needs to remain relentless improvement across the board. Hopefully General Luck gets us there.