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Posted

WR will be interesting. Of the guys currently playing, we may not lose any of them (would Moore get drafted?)

I’m mentally prepared to lose two out of Lockett, Terry, and Ffrench.

Posted (edited)

The wr room should be good next year. It would take a really good player to crack the starting rotation.  I wouldn't say no, but I would rank OL, WR and DB above it on the priority list.

Edited by kevwun
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Posted

I would like an older safety who knows how to line up a defense since we are losing Taaffe and McDonald and our secondary has looked like electric football the last two weeks without one and then both of them. 

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Posted
12 minutes ago, Duane Moore said:

I would like an older safety who knows how to line up a defense since we are losing Taaffe and McDonald and our secondary has looked like electric football the last two weeks without one and then both of them. 

Duane Akina Assistant Coach, Football - Defensive Passing Game Coordinator

ratio3x2_1920.jpg

Sooooo, what exactly does he do? Can we NIL him for a younger coach who maybe knows how to coach our DBs to not be so shitty.

Posted (edited)

 

48 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

In addition, Dallas Wilson is made of glass. I’m tired of potential. Get a guy who has actually played productive and full seasons. 

Give me OL, RB, and CB. 

Agreed on both points. I think IOL and a RB with some speed should be the biggest priorities for the offense. I saw the Dallas Wilson post and assumed he just shut it down because their season is basically over and isn’t actually all that injured. And I just wanted to bump this thread to get us off last year’s.  

Edited by TXRed
Posted (edited)

I hope Jelani comes back and Williams returns to his pre-injury form. I think that is a solid starting duo. The jury is out on Filsaime for me. Right now he is just another guy out there. There is some youth in Hicks and Jonah that could maybe step up as well. But I do think we should fine another veteran safety. 
 

I believe we are replacing both CBs next year. I’m concerned no one has been able to take the job from Gilbeau and there is a notable drop off when Manny doesn’t play. If Littleton is moved to corner I’m guessing Mack takes over at nickel. So Black, Roberson, Phillips and whoever else fights for the other spot. I think another corner is needed as well.

Just realized I haven’t mentioned JJR or Wilson and I’m not sure where either fits in the puzzle. Also I expect some attrition. 
 

Also the team as a whole could use some speed added on both sides of the ball.

Edited by SarkAfterDark
Posted

OL is obviously priority #1.

The secondary is the biggest unknown. A lot of young talent but very little proven success especially if Jelani goes pro. Littleton would be the only guy you can really trust as of now. Probably need a CB and a S to hedge your bets but hopefully Kade, Black, Roberson, Jonah, Filsaime, etc step up.

RB would be nice but maybe not as critical imo. Wisner, CJ, Simon, and Cooper would be decent with a better OL. 

Probably need a depth LB behind Smith/Lefau. Very little experience behind them as it stands. Maybe Spence plays more LB.

Might also want to go to the well again for a plugger DT like Brevard/Shaw/Norton/Lole. 

Posted
1 minute ago, Tex-19 said:

OL is obviously priority #1.

The secondary is the biggest unknown. A lot of young talent but very little proven success especially if Jelani goes pro. Littleton would be the only guy you can really trust as of now. Probably need a CB and a S to hedge your bets but hopefully Kade, Black, Roberson, Jonah, Filsaime, etc step up.

RB would be nice but maybe not as critical imo. Wisner, CJ, Simon, and Cooper would be decent with a better OL. 

Probably need a depth LB behind Smith/Lefau. Very little experience behind them as it stands. Maybe Spence plays more LB.

Might also want to go to the well again for a plugger DT like Brevard/Shaw/Norton/Lole. 

I have a lot of love for Wisner, and have had fingers crossed for CJ for 2 seasons now. Cj just can't stay healthy and as much as I love Wis lner we really need an RB that require opposing DCs to scheme around. Of course, all of that also requires a competent, well developed OL capable of executing on front of them.

Safety concerns me most after OL.

Posted

I posted this in the old thread about running back.

 

You can steal a good starting rb from a shitty team or even a good one.  Ohio St and Ole Miss have both done it.  Michigan poached Justice Haynes from Alabama after Saban retired.  There will be options and I think spending a lot for a good one would be a smart move this particular portal period.  This team needs an elite back to take it to another level.  I like Wisner a lot because he runs hard and is shifty as fuck, but he just doesn't have the top end speed to be a great back.

Posted
44 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Duane Akina Assistant Coach, Football - Defensive Passing Game Coordinator

ratio3x2_1920.jpg

Sooooo, what exactly does he do? Can we NIL him for a younger coach who maybe knows how to coach our DBs to not be so shitty.

I think that's just a title.  Akina's secondaries never looked like this, PK just likes to play soft on the back end and he's calling the shots, IMO.  I do worry that we're too slow at CB and we're really going to miss Manny.  Maybe Phillips and Chester or someone else steps up and takes charge, but the entire secondary is concerning going into next season.

Posted
55 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Yeah, I figured a safety for sure and probably also a corner unless they really, really like what they have already.

It will be interesting to see if they bump Littleton out to corner this offseason. If that is the case, maybe they look for someone in the portal with a little versatility who can play some nickel. 

Posted

A lot can change between now and then but as of now my priority ranking would probably be:
1. iOL #1
2. iOL #2
3. iOL #3
4/5. 1 S and 1 CB (not sure which higher)
6. RB
7. LB
8. DT

The good news is that a lot of those should be less expensive positions. Positions like OT, DE, WR, and QB would be way tougher. Interesting read on the subject - College football 2025: How much does each position cost? - ESPN

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Posted

We need at least three starting caliber OL in the portal and maybe four. Sounds extreme but think about it.. who the fuck is a viable starting caliber guard on this entire roster next year? Turntine as an true freshman? Hutson and Campbell will both be gone and the guys who have gotten snaps like Stroh and Brooks have been historically bad. RT is no better. Baker absolutely fucking sucks and Brooks, while playing mostly out of position, has looked even worse. In the very least adding one starting caliber RT and OG are musts. We miss on that and the 2026 season is going to be fucked before it even begins. I'd argue we also need a center because while Robertson isn't the worst option he is still below average and you can usually find very good experienced centers in the portal without having to break the bank. 

A change of pace RB is also a priority but not something we need to go anywhere near top of the market for. We will have a decent RB group but they all kind of do the same thing. None of them really have dangerous burst. Ideally we won't need to rely on always running around the tackles if we adequately upgrade the OL. 

On defense I think you just throw a wide net and see what is out there. We could certainly use a safety given how bad we look when McDonald and Taaffe aren't playing. Corner is also a major question mark as no one seems to want to step up. Lots of former high rated recruits that get out there and look like clowns even against lower tier offenses. 

WR I feel is kind of a "replace what you lose" situation. Lockett and Ffrench may both transfer out for fresh starts elsewhere and I'm not sure at this point I'd consider it a loss. You would feel pretty good about the 2026 WR group if we have Moore, Livingstone, Wingo, McCutcheon all returning and then maybe add a lower tier portal guy with proven production kind of like we did with Bolden just to raise the floor. 

Posted
Just now, cafe society said:

Akina's secondaries never looked like this

Let's not just bury our heads in the sand and pretend Akina has never coached bad secondaries in his lifetime.

He has a history of preferring to do things his way, regardless of larger context within the defensive scheme, and causing friction with the primary defensive playcaller.

The timing of Joseph's departure to the Saints (late February) wasn't exactly ideal for conducting an assistant coaching search and Nansen had worked with Akina at Arizona, so I get why there were thoughts that a reunion here could be a good fit. TBD if it will actually play out that way or if this is just the last hurrah for a coach about to turn 70. 

Posted
55 minutes ago, Tex-19 said:

RB would be nice but maybe not as critical imo. Wisner, CJ, Simon, and Cooper would be decent with a better OL. 

Only 1 of those guys is proven. The other hasn’t played a full healthy season, one is all potential,  and the other is a to be true freshmen. 

Posted
1 hour ago, SarkAfterDark said:

Just realized I haven’t mentioned JJR or Wilson and I’m not sure where either fits in the puzzle. Also I expect some attrition. 


you hinted but to clarify JJR and Wilson are attrition candidates.

Posted

We haven't had a stud running back since Brooks blew out his knee.  That was a while ago.  A really good one would help the offense so much.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

Let's not just bury our heads in the sand and pretend Akina has never coached bad secondaries in his lifetime.

He has a history of preferring to do things his way, regardless of larger context within the defensive scheme, and causing friction with the primary defensive playcaller.

The timing of Joseph's departure to the Saints (late February) wasn't exactly ideal for conducting an assistant coaching search and Nansen had worked with Akina at Arizona, so I get why there were thoughts that a reunion here could be a good fit. TBD if it will actually play out that way or if this is just the last hurrah for a coach about to turn 70. 

Akina prefers to play press man, does he not?  And I'm not claiming he's flawless or some kind of savior, but I think laying the blame for our soft secondary coverage on him is misplaced.

Posted
38 minutes ago, kevwun said:

We haven't had a stud running back since Brooks blew out his knee.  That was a while ago.  A really good one would help the offense so much.

Sark’s preferred offense really needs a bell-cow type back to reach its ceiling. Pretty crazy to go this long without one.

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