Here is the simpleton take on how we did. Since I have no metrics to rank anything based on, I will go with my own useless tiered scale of how each position group makes me feel.
Pissed off
Disappointed
Satisfied
Pleased
Elated (roughly translates to a have a huge boner right now)
Let's start with offense, which is decidedly mixed.
QB - Morris
He looks okay to me. Not great. Okay. Pretty good I guess. Elite 11 and all. But I get this weird feeling he is just a less awkward Jake Browning type. I like Eason/Sirmon cannon arm big guy type QB's, but what do I know? Oh, and fuck Cale Millen. And really, NOGAF about either of them anyway because In Huard I Trust. So, I guess I am
satisfied here.
RB - Davis
I like him. I think we did okay here. Not out of this world, but very very solid pick up. I don't see MMFG level here, but perhaps Sankey level, which would still be damn good. I'm pleased, but not elated.
edit: Moved down to
disappointed after
@Woof reminded me we took Dick Newton last year and whiffed on a couple other great RBs this year. Bonerpoper sucks my asshole.
TE - [Paopao is a cunt]
Fuck you Paopao you worthless fuck. I'm fucking
Pissed Off! If we get Martinez or Patterson, this will move to disappointed. Just a terrible year for us here, like every year unless a gift like Black Beast falls into Paopao's lap. If he is retained we should just burn the whole fucking program to the ground.
OL - Kalepo, Beulow, Fautanu, Luciano
Kalepo and Beulow are total freaks, and Fautanu gives me a boner. I know nothing about Luciano and don't care, but I hear is is okay. Huff is fucking. Grade here is
pleased, because while I love all three of our top dogs, there isn't some surefire Sarell type in the bunch. I think one or two of them (hell maybe all three) will end up as all conference types, but there isn't some best on the West Coast type talent there. So yeah, I'm pleased.
WR - Davis
He seems okay, I mean, I like him. He'd be a great 3'rd WR in a 3 WR class. As the only piece of the puzzle though, I am disappointed. When you consider we totally blew it on Ngata, I am
pissed off! Lots of room for movement here though. We land Ford or Nacua, we instantly rise to somewhere between satisfied and pleased. We land them both, and it's a strong pleased.
Okay, on to defense, where our results are much more boner inducing.
DL - Paama, Ngalu, Bandes, Tui
My boner cannot be contained.
Elated barely does it justice. 3 of the 4 top DL's on the entire West Coast, in one class. This is a whole different level than any position group I can remember, or even remember hearing about. I would suck Malloe off in Red Square and give him 10 minutes to draw a crowd. Top shelf work.
Buck - Trice, Latu
Pleased. Very pleased. Trice was a good get, especially considering our issues here in the past, but Latu is a different kind of creature. This almost made elated because of our past history with this position, and if Trice was a Latu type, it would have. Still close, and a fucking great job by Kwat and others. Our best RUSH class in YEARS.
LB - Ah You, Tuputala, Calvert
I am
pleased with this one, because I think Ah You is a pipeline recruit, Tuputala is criminally underrated, and Calvert is just a bad ass even though is he a white devil. It's a very strong class. If we add Danny Hammers, I go to elated on this one because I think we will have recruited 2 of the top 5 LBers on the west coast, with Tuputala as a top 10 type. If Gregory did all this I might not fire him. Who am I kidding? Fire his ass anyway.
DB's - Fab, McDuffie, Williams
Basically a repeat of the above for LBers.
Pleased right now, and if Asa signs I will move to elated. Nothing to really say here. All three of the guys we got are great, as you expect from Lake. Close Turner and let my boner be free!
So, looking ahead to 2020 I think we have some critical needs. Of course we want every class to be chock full or elite guys everywhere, but there are some specific places we need to focus on I think next year. Priorities moving forward for 2020 class:
TE: Please fire Paopao so we can get a good TE or two. Black Beast will leave soon, Sample is gone, and Otten can't do it all. Add in the Culp stuff and we need a top end haul here. Now.
WR: This is obvious. Great job with the 2018 class, then shit all over ourselves this year. Cannot do that back to back. Fix it now.
OL: I have been pleased for two years in a row, but not elated either year. Need another strong performance next year from Huff.
Buck: We need follow up our success this year with back to back classes of bad assery, and what do you know, the #2 croot in the country lives in our back yard and happens to be a Buck. DO NOT FUCK THIS UP KWAT.
Here's some tits for reading:
This post in no way indicates my desire to become the recruiting leader for this place. I am an idiot. I just wanted to post my thoughts. Fuck off.
Comments
*as of 1/1/2019 when he scalps @CokeGreaterThanPepsi & @Dennis_DeYoung after burning down their homes.
QB - Agree
RB - Disagree
I really like Cam Davis. I was one of the first on his bandwagon, but this was a good year for RBs on the west coast, and we only pulled 1 of them. Additionally, our RB crootin' has been less than stellar recently - hi Dick Newton! - so we whiffed on a chance to make up for prior years. If we want to be a running team, we need 1-2 more RBs. I would put this in the satisfied or disappointed tier.
WR - Disagree I like Davis, and hope he can be a physical WR that likes blocking. His film looked good in that regard. I don't want 20 WRs on the roster, because it will encourage Bush to run 5 wide shit instead of smashmouth football. Our WR room is taking up a lot of scholarships, so I'm ok with a 2 man class. I'm disappointed now, but would be quite pleased if we picked up Ford or Nacua.
TE - Agree
OL - Agree, but I'm probably closer to elated than you. I like this crop more than last year's.
DT - Agree
OLB/Buck - Agree
ILB - Agree
DB - Agree
ST - Disagree Why do you hate kickers? I like Horn. I'm not sure if he can make FGs, but I think he can start getting us consistent touchbacks because he has a big leg, which will be a win. Our STs are absolute dreck, and we can't get worse. Call me satisfied, but elated if Greggy relinquishes ST coaching.
Needs for next year:
Buck - hi Sav'ell
RB - Bijan Robinson is my dream (soon to be crushed)
Safety - still think we might be a bit light here, especially if we lose Turner, who I love
Trenches - I'll fight anyone who disagrees
We have similiar thoughts on WR actually, it sucks now, but if we just get Ford or Nacua it takes a big jump.
I never list kickers because we never find a good one so I always just assume no matter who we get they suck.
i am all boner all over
rum & egg nog season bitches!!!
Your take on Morris is pretty spot on ... I see a lot of the positive sides of Browning in him. He's a great litmus test of leveling up here as I don't think he's ever going to materially start in the program but he's obviously quite talented and if a Browning type player doesn't get to the starting level that's your leveling up sign.
I like Cam Davis a lot ... I do see a bit of MMFG in him but to expect him to be MMFG is expecting a lot. If there's a criticism in this class is that it probably needed to be a 2 RB class .. if it wasn't two this year it will need to be next year.
I think Pepsi was saying that Morris and Taj Davis were the two weakest in the class ... Taj is a great athlete but seems like a bit of a project to me. His floor is helping out on special teams. But he can't be the top guy in the class. Kyle Ford is a difference maker if we can land him.
Fautanu is a beast ... he's got EVERYTHING that you want out of a T prospect ... I absolutely love him ... just wait until he gets another 30+ pounds of muscle on him from Socha. Both Buelow and Kalepo have the rare athletic human traits that matter so much. I think both of them are a bit raw so we'll see if they make it on the outside but worst case is that they are absolute maulers inside. Luciano isn't spectacular but he's solid and will add to the rotational depth. I could see him at C replacing Harris after next year.
The DL is truly boner worthy ... not much to say there.
At BUCK, the comp I see watching Latu is Myles Garrett ... Latu's arguably the most important player in this class. Trice being the 2nd edge rusher in the class is perfect because he'll be a developmental type guy. I see a bit of Tryon in his film in that you can see the physical tools but there's going to come a point where the light needs to go on for him.
Inside the comments on Calvert are spot on as he's a beast and it wouldn't be a huge shock to see him playing early. I think you are selling Ah You a little short ... I really like his film. He's the candidate in this class to me that when you look back on the class in 3-4 years he'll be the guy that outperforms your expectations of him. Tuputala looks like a SEC MLB and I see a bit of Azeem in him but potentially a little more developmental of a prospect. Assuming we get Heimuli that class is pure insanity.
McDuffie is just flat out a stud that could be starting as early as next year. Kam Fab isn't too far behind. Cam Williams is a future turnover machine in the secondary. It's as solid as you get.
I don't evaluate kickers because so much of it is between the ears eventually at the college level.
1/2 part Buttershots Schnapps
1/2 part eggnog
Make a pitcher, and then add nutmeg on top of a freshly poured glass.
You can thank me later.
The one thing our? WR group lacks is a great, or even good, downfield blocker. Fuller tries, but doesn't have the tools, Bacellia/McCluchins/Pounds are LOL, Ty Jones isn't there yet, and the young guys haven't flashed, and other than Cook and maybe Osborne, I don't really expect it. I agree Davis' receiving ceiling may be limited, but I think he catches ~20 balls as an upperclassman and is a great downfield blocker. We need someone like that on our team.