UConn spring preview: Offensive line (Fuller)

[uconndogs]

It's not even debatable that the teams - on average - with higher rated recruits - on average - do better. Just a statement of fact.

That is accurate, although I would suspect that correlation is much stronger with the top 10-20 programs than with those programs below that level.

The question in my mind is, how much of that is related to the recruiting sites piggy backing off of the top programs rather than their own independent and unbiased analysis? I am squarely in the corner of the former. If Saban offered me a scholly I'm pretty sure Rivals gives me 3-4 stars.

Off the radar recruits (and there are many) are not accurately rated or even followed. Kids who go to camps, clinics and make noise get much more attention (and stars) than kids who don't. The part of the country also plays a big role. Throw in the enormous physical development required of 16-17 year olds who play at this level and you have just another enormous variable the recruiting sites could not possibly factor.

In short, Nick Saban and Randy Edsall know how to assess talent and know what to target (what they can realistically get). Rivals isn't even remotely close to that ability in terms of assessment, but they damn sure know that Nick Saban will assess the best talent and land them.

Oh, yeah, they like subscribers too.....

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

That is accurate, although I would suspect that correlation is much stronger with the top 10-20 programs than with those programs below that level.

The question in my mind is, how much of that is related to the recruiting sites piggy backing off of the top programs rather than their own independent and unbiased analysis? I am squarely in the corner of the former. If Saban offered me a scholly I'm pretty sure Rivals gives me 3-4 stars.

Off the radar recruits (and there are many) are not accurately rated or even followed. Kids who go to camps, clinics and make noise get much more attention (and stars) than kids who don't. The part of the country also plays a big role. Throw in the enormous physical development required of 16-17 year olds who play at this level and you have just another enormous variable the recruiting sites could not possibly factor.

In short, Nick Saban and Randy Edsall know how to assess talent and know what to target (what they can realistically get). Rivals isn't even remotely close to that ability in terms of assessment, but they damn sure know that Nick Saban will assess the best talent and land them.

Oh, yeah, they like subscribers too.....

I think just about everyone agrees that outside of the top 200 kids or so it's a crap shoot.

I don't care so much about 2 stars vs. 3 stars.

I care about offer lists of Cincy, Houston, ECU, Rutgers, Cuse vs. offer lists of Monmouth, Stony Brook, Yale, Holy Cross, Bucknell.

You want a roster primarily of kids with the former offer lists and not the latter. Only on the BY is that a controversial stance to take.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'd personally like to see a balance ratio of gars44 & businesslawyer to whaler11 & Jimmy Serrano. That's right.

Pudge, forget about this Whaler and Jimmy stuff. You are getting called out by '97 and CTMike. At risk of sounding pompous, do you honestly believe that we are part of a "glass half-empty" crowd in your spectrum of balance?

That fact alone should show you how far off the deep end you've been for the last 3 months...

 

[BNich]

So how's that offensive line looking?

 

[Pudge]

Try a 5 hour energy bottle.

I highlighted ONE sentence: a California JUCO is most likely never your Plan A. Note: no UConn FB staff has used CA JUCO for any other positions.

Hence ... One should surmise: that position is different than all others. Second, March 2015 is a different set of Need than normal. We had 3 Scholarship kids. A NEW FR QB probably isn't the right fit. And, I suspect that Tyler Davis committing makes all HS QBs think that they don't want to be the second in the class - though I don't think that's valid.

 

[Husky25]

I suspect that Tyler Davis committing makes all HS QBs think that they don't want to be the second in the class - though I don't think that's valid.

I suspect it's fresh in your memory, but just because it's happened once, doesn't mean that every other HS Senior QB in every class automatically becomes "Lagowed" and is afraid of competition from their classmates. Barring extenuating factors, the best player typically plays, regardless of seniority (See: Manziel, Johhny. See also: Winston, Jameis).

 

[uconndogs]

I think just about everyone agrees that outside of the top 200 kids or so it's a crap shoot.

I don't care so much about 2 stars vs. 3 stars.

I care about offer lists of Cincy, Houston, ECU, Rutgers, Cuse vs. offer lists of Monmouth, Stony Brook, Yale, Holy Cross, Bucknell.

You want a roster primarily of kids with the former offer lists and not the latter. Only on the BY is that a controversial stance to take.

Those offer lists are not always accurate. Kids fib and Rivals follow-up is not thorough. Sometimes it's only Monmouth because they were the only ones to take a look.

 

[Pudge]

And ...

If a kid commits in June, you might never hear about the 7 offers he received.

 

[RedSoloCup]

Because if I'm not, I don't want to think about the reality of what's going to happen.

Which is WHY I am gulping the kool-aide. I really can't think about what the alternative would for my alma mater.

Yes, there are flags... and yes we see learning on the job. I am just trying to stay on the hope side... hope that things will get better.

And as a side bit of humor, my mac keeps changing kool-aide to kook-aide. a bit of appropriate behavior around here.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Which is WHY I am gulping the kool-aide. I really can't think about what the alternative would for my alma mater.

Yes, there are flags... and yes we see learning on the job. I am just trying to stay on the hope side... hope that things will get better.

And as a side bit of humor, my mac keeps changing kool-aide to kook-aide. a bit of appropriate behavior around here.

Everyone is on the hope side. Who's not? You can be hopeful and still call things like you see them.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Not that I want to be the one who tries to get this thread back on track but my biggest concern (and this points to both the offensive line & QB) is avoiding the attrition that we've faced over the past few off-seasons (and many programs normally face). We actually have sufficient numbers at both of those critical positions (a nice feat considering it is only fifteen months into the new regime), albeit very young where we likely have our best talent. If we can keep everyone on the roster and go through a season of growing pains, we should be on pretty good shape from 2016 forward. Losing a few players, leaving us again very thin at OL & QB could set us back a year or more.