Keep A Close Eye Here (Wednesday 4:45 pm)

[Gerry Hamilton]

8 hours ago, TexasEx said:

Sure is fun being the cool school. Reminds me of the early 2000's when I was on campus. 

Dia Bell talked about this in an OTF YouTube interview we will publish Friday or Saturday 

[AusMOJO]

I honestly love what they're doing with the LB room. It's in much better shape than what Coach Sark inherited when he first arrived. Lots of really good talent starting to take shape there. 

[OsasTheDestroyer]

13 hours ago, RX_Angler said:

Here’s a little insight via his Instgram follower’s/following. 

He’s only following Coach Sark (Coach Sark is also following him), and no other SEC coach that’s in this recruitment battle (Georgia and Bama) 🤔

 

 

Mentioned in this video, life after football is very important to him.

[Hashtag]

14 hours ago, TexasEx said:

Sure is fun being the cool school. Reminds me of the early 2000's when I was on campus. 

 

5 hours ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Dia Bell talked about this in an OTF YouTube interview we will publish Friday or Saturday 

I think this is early 2000s on steroids. The type and caliber of player we're after from top to bottom is so much higher than back then. 

 

Would love to hear your thoughts Gerry as well as @Jeff Howe and @Bobby Burton

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Hashtag

[taxsaver]

40 minutes ago, Hashtag said:

 

I think this is early 2000s on steroids. The type and caliber of player we're after from top to bottom is so much higher than back then. 

 

Would love to hear your thoughts Gerry as well as @Jeff Howe and @Bobby Burton

 

JMO, but I think we're getting higher caliber RECRUITS, but the team may not be as good as the last 2 Vince teams because now all our best players go to the NFL before the onset of their senior years.  So we miss that little bump from the more mature players.  

For instance, we haven't had a senior QB or RB since Sam left.  We DO have a bunch of senior DTs though, since then, so that has helped.  It would be nice to have more senior OL, though.

Love to hear what Gerry and Jeff say as well.

 

[Hashtag]

4 minutes ago, taxsaver said:

JMO, but I think we're getting higher caliber RECRUITS, but the team may not be as good as the last 2 Vince teams because now all our best players go to the NFL before the onset of their senior years.  So we miss that little bump from the more mature players.  

For instance, we haven't had a senior QB or RB since Sam left.  We DO have a bunch of senior DTs though, since then, so that has helped.  It would be nice to have more senior OL, though.

Love to hear what Gerry and Jeff say as well.

 

We set program records for NFL draft picks each of the last two years. It will take a hell of a team to be as good as Vince's 2005 team which is wildly considered a top 3-5 team all time. Also players now days are more advanced out of HS than they were in the early 2000s so they don't have to be seniors to be what seniors were then IMO. The fact we have players only playing here 3 years and going to the NFL says a lot about the quality of player they are. Just because you're a senior doesn't mean you're good.

[qaertyisthatdude]

10 minutes ago, taxsaver said:

JMO, but I think we're getting higher caliber RECRUITS, but the team may not be as good as the last 2 Vince teams because now all our best players go to the NFL before the onset of their senior years.  So we miss that little bump from the more mature players.  

For instance, we haven't had a senior QB or RB since Sam left.  We DO have a bunch of senior DTs though, since then, so that has helped.  It would be nice to have more senior OL, though.

Love to hear what Gerry and Jeff say as well.

 

The 2026 team on paper could be as good and in some areas better than the 2005 team.  Depends on if Arch has a big jump in his play in year two as the full time starter like Joe Burrow did from '18 to '19.  But even then, I agree.  Unless guys like Ant Hill and other key members of that 2023 class stick around, they will probably be good but not all time great.  But you don't need to be all time great to win a natty.

That 2005 team was unbelievable.  Scored 50 ppg, ran for 275 yards per game.  Only had 31 sacks and surprisingly only 11 interceptions, so I think both the '25 and '26 teams will have more sacks and INTs and probably eclipse those amounts in the 12 regular season games.  Averaging 50 ppg even in today's CFB with ruled geard towards helping offenses is rare.

[Hashtag]

7 minutes ago, qaertyisthatdude said:

  Averaging 50 ppg even in today's CFB with ruled geard towards helping offenses is rare.

And this is mainly for some reasons you alluded to and that is shifts in how defenses are played now vs then. If a team runs the table and goes 17-0 in this era of CFB playoff will truly be one of the best teams of all time given what they'd have to have gone through a gauntlet no other team has gone through in the history of the sport. 

[BurntOrangeMD]

1 hour ago, OsasTheDestroyer said:

Mentioned in this video, life after football is very important to him.

Outstanding young man and family.