Jaawan Taylor...
- Thread starter PacoGator19
- Start date
I hope he shines like the north star. It will quiet the recruiting"experts" on this board.
Did anyone really complain about him though? He was the most highly rated offensive line commit and had schools like UGA, FSU, etc. I remember tons of people being excited when he committed. Offensive linemen are almost always rated lowly because analysts don't really know what to look for. It's probably the hardest position to recruit. In terms of the line I think the biggest complaint has been numbers, not really quality.
If he can handle the speed guys on the edge in those formations where he doesn't have a TE beside him then he should definitely be an upgrade over Johnson. In the first game he was never really put in a position to have to do that. I didn't watch much of the O line this game but Del Rio had time usually so he must have been handling it pretty good.
There was a play or two yesterday where LDR could have made a sandwich. It actually felt a little odd to see a UF quarterback not running for his life...
In this highlight tape Taylor handled his guys in pass protection with no problem. He looks to have much quicker feet than Johnson does in those situations.
The play of Johnson is so weird. Last year he looked to be a rock at RT for the next three years. He's supposed to be injured but still. Maybe it was one of those deals where he always struggled but it got excused away with "he's young!" and so his true talent level really didn't get critiqued as much because the youth rationale was always there.
Johnson is a mystery to me too. Taylor will take his spot before the end of the year imo. Johnson might move inside as guard.
Maybe they will consider that. Johnson gave the impression in that UMass game if we were playing a team with those elite DE/LB pass rushers that it might be a repeat of that bloodbath we saw in that Missouri game a few years back.
It's like I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming.
FWIW Jawaan Taylor has been playing football longer than Fred Johnson. I'm pretty sure Fred Johnson has only played football for a few years. Taylor will probably be the starting RT soon but I'm not one to give up on Johnson quite yet either.
It hasn't been quantity that people have complained about when it comes to our oline. Do people not remember how many Olineman were even on the team when McElwain took over the program.
It hasn't been quantity that people have complained about when it comes to our oline. Do people not remember how many Olineman were even on the team when McElwain took over the program.
We only took three OL last year. That was the discussion at the time. I don't remember anyone being upset about our OL takes just the number. I think Mac even mentioned we wanted to take 1-2 more. Heggie was an all-American and I believe Taylor was too, don't remember.
FYI
Others can use whatever recruit ranking service that fits their own bias, I'm using ESPN. I don't much like the composite site because one 'way out of line' ranking can really skew a kids ranking.
2017 - So far...
#32 OT Kadeem Telfort 6-7 300 **** 80
2016
#8 OC Brett Heggie 6-3 317 *** 79
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 (under-rated)
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72
2015
#1 OT Martez Ivey 6-5 305 ***** 92
#3 OC Tyler Jordan 6-4 309 **** 82
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79
#105 OG Nick Buchanan 6-2 301 *** 73
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 (way under-rated)
-----
#76 OG T.J. McCoy 6-1 308 *** (xfer in, NCSt)
~ I left our DT RD-J, he was switched to OG to help with depth.
===========
#1 OT/OG Martez Ivey 6-5 305 ***** 92 So
#32 OT Kadeem Telfort 6-7 300 **** 80 HS -- Unsigned Recruit
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 Fr (under-rated)
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72 Fr
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 So (way under-rated)
#3 OC/OG Tyler Jordan 6-4 309 **** 82 So
#8 OC Brett Heggie 6-3 317 *** 79 Fr
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79 rsFr
#76 OG/OC T.J. McCoy 6-1 308 *** rsFr (xfer in, NCSt)
#105 OG Nick Buchanan 6-2 301 *** 73 rsFr
So, 3 Top 10's at positions, and 3 more Top 50's, with 9 total and another class on the way.
The HS OL-men may be the most difficult to correctly rank, but I trust our coaches over any of the ranking service twits, to know who can fit in with UF's requirements, and with the team.
~ There are also 4 walk-ons on roster that Mc-staff has brought in.
There are currently ZERO Sr's on the OL, and only 2 rsJr, so barring any early departures or career ending injuries, everyone will be back for 2017, making the 2017 recruiting class smaller than usual I'm guessing (2-3).
Taking about 3-4 with yearly balance should get it done over the long haul. IMO, 2 in 2017 would be enough, with 3 the optimum.
Others can use whatever recruit ranking service that fits their own bias, I'm using ESPN. I don't much like the composite site because one 'way out of line' ranking can really skew a kids ranking.
2017 - So far...
#32 OT Kadeem Telfort 6-7 300 **** 80
2016
#8 OC Brett Heggie 6-3 317 *** 79
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 (under-rated)
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72
2015
#1 OT Martez Ivey 6-5 305 ***** 92
#3 OC Tyler Jordan 6-4 309 **** 82
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79
#105 OG Nick Buchanan 6-2 301 *** 73
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 (way under-rated)
-----
#76 OG T.J. McCoy 6-1 308 *** (xfer in, NCSt)
~ I left our DT RD-J, he was switched to OG to help with depth.
===========
#1 OT/OG Martez Ivey 6-5 305 ***** 92 So
#32 OT Kadeem Telfort 6-7 300 **** 80 HS -- Unsigned Recruit
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 Fr (under-rated)
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72 Fr
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 So (way under-rated)
#3 OC/OG Tyler Jordan 6-4 309 **** 82 So
#8 OC Brett Heggie 6-3 317 *** 79 Fr
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79 rsFr
#76 OG/OC T.J. McCoy 6-1 308 *** rsFr (xfer in, NCSt)
#105 OG Nick Buchanan 6-2 301 *** 73 rsFr
So, 3 Top 10's at positions, and 3 more Top 50's, with 9 total and another class on the way.
The HS OL-men may be the most difficult to correctly rank, but I trust our coaches over any of the ranking service twits, to know who can fit in with UF's requirements, and with the team.
~ There are also 4 walk-ons on roster that Mc-staff has brought in.
There are currently ZERO Sr's on the OL, and only 2 rsJr, so barring any early departures or career ending injuries, everyone will be back for 2017, making the 2017 recruiting class smaller than usual I'm guessing (2-3).
Taking about 3-4 with yearly balance should get it done over the long haul. IMO, 2 in 2017 would be enough, with 3 the optimum.
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People were downing the quality as much as the quantity.
I believe it was Paco that pointed out how we finally reached the higher numbers of ship OL on the roster and many went on to dismiss the quality. About 4 to 5 Nole fans linked some damn article (by a Nole writer) that spoke of our quality recruits and a handful of Gator fans poured and jumped on the pile.
You were like one of the few who said you were displeased with the quantity but said the quality could be fine, pointing out how OL are hard to rank and spoke of trust in Summers ability to coach them up. Others didnt want to hear it and said we lacked quality.
We have enough olineman on the team now but that was after McElwain had to take a few projects in his first recruiting class to have enough bodies to even field a team because we were so shorthanded. Yes I get that the "star quality" may not have been as good as we want but you have to consider where we were at when McElwain took over the program.
Yea I never much care for OL rankings. If they're athletic thats really all I care about. So many of the OL in the NFL were former TE's, ex-defensive linemen, 2-stars, etc. You just can't tell with dudes who are 16 and almost 300 lbs...its not normal and its hard to see if they're just beating up on smaller guys or are really good.
Does everyone still trust the ranking twits after seeing these guys?
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 Fr (under-rated)
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 So (way under-rated)
And these other 2 guys might not turn out to be low quality either???
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79 rsFr
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72 Fr
#46 OT Jawaan Taylor 6-5 340 *** 78 Fr (under-rated)
#155 OT Fred Johnson 6-6 311 *** 72 So (way under-rated)
And these other 2 guys might not turn out to be low quality either???
#36 OG Brandon Sandifer 6-3 323 *** 79 rsFr
#89 OT Stone Forsythe 6-7 329 *** 72 Fr
The scouts were not wrong on either Taylor or Johnson. First off, let's discuss Taylor. I believe that Taylor is not only the best OL on our team (currently) but this kid has the looks of a future first round NFL draft pick. I love him. However, in the offseason he made an incredible transformation where he lost 45 pounds. Taylor was so fat, his senior year of high school that he could barely move. He has completely remade his body and because of that, he is a different player. But the nearly 400 pound player in high school deserved no more than 3 stars. As for Johnson, the scouting report from him in high school was that he had potential but he had really slow feet and struggled in pass protection. Has Johnson done something in college that makes you think that he doesn't have really slow feet and struggles in pass protection? Johnson is by far the worst player in our starting OL and the OL immediately gets better when he's out of the game. Last year, Johnson couldn't outplay Mason Halter -- the worst starting OT in the past 30 years of Gator football. When Halter was injured and Johnson went in for him, he struggled mightily. Why does he struggle? -- because he has very slow feet and his terrible in pass protection. His ankle injury has nothing to do with it and he wasn't injured the first week against UMASS or last year when he played. A three-star rating for Johnson from high school is not only accurate -- you could argue that it's very generous.
Yep Johnson is slow footed and cant deal with those speed rushers well at all. Taylor against KY anyway appears to be able to move his feet well enough to deal with them.
My mistake. The Gator OL sucks and they're doomed. The star guys are always right, so from now on I'll always go by whatever they (or you) say about recruit quality.
I suggest that you email the Gator coaches and share your insights with them, so that they can stop screwing up by recruiting those chumps...
I suggest that you email the Gator coaches and share your insights with them, so that they can stop screwing up by recruiting those chumps...
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Insta: Why do always have to make your points like a third-grader whose just had a toy taken away? I said nothing about the "Gator OL sucking" or the coaches "not being able to recruit." To the contrary, I said that Taylor is a stud and a future first round draft pick. Did you miss that? The only Gator OL that I criticized was Fred Johnson. You said that the kid was under ranked by the so-called experts who had him as a three-star recruit. My argument is based upon his poor play, he was lucky to be a three-star recruit. I stand by that. Fred Johnson is not an SEC-caliber OL at this point and might never be. If you go back and look at my posts before the season started, I predicted that Taylor would start over Johnson by the second game of the season. That prediction was based upon how Johnson played last year. This year he's been a major liability every time he's in the game.My mistake. The Gator OL sucks and they're doomed. The star guys are always right, so from now on I'll always go by whatever they (or you) say about recruit quality.
I suggest that your email the Gator coaches and share your insights with them, so that they can stop screwing up by recruiting those chumps...
Insta reminds me of my wife, as soon as you make a valid point against what she is saying, she becomes the most sarcastic person in the world because she does not understand how to have an adult conversation.
If you guys would just email me what and how you'd like me to post in response to what you say, it might save us all a lot of time....
PS
I disagree with your assessment, just like you disagreed with mine.
Did that help?
PS
I disagree with your assessment, just like you disagreed with mine.
Did that help?
A ton of 3 star O linemen become big time players. Probably more than any other position due to the numbers. I remember someone saying that the difference between a well regarded 3 star O linemen and a 4 star O linemen was the 4 star was caught on tape doing some nifty athletic slam with a basketball and that on high school game film there is not much of a difference many times.
Doesn't it feel that all these players rankings and how many stars they have kinda ruined a lot of playing ability of players. I've seen so many so called 4 and 5 star players that end up like crap in college and beyond....
Fred Johnson has only played football for a few years. He's still learning the game.
Your only point is the one on the top of your head...
(to subtle I guess, I'm thumbing my nose & laughing at you
, does that clear it up for ya?)
Moving right along....
I was trying to hold out on saying any of this, but I've decided that it's not to early to at least say a few things that have occurred to me, watching from my old ragged arm-chair:
As always, these are just my own ignorant opinions.
One fact first.
RT Jaawan Taylor lost 40+ pounds between his Jr and Sr years in HS, after being counseled at a UF camp, not between his Sr year and arriving at UF.
--------
RG Tyler Jordan spends more time getting back up off the ground than he does blocking. To me, his legs look weak when he is engaged with a defender.
CB Chris Williamson needs more time in off the field work, before getting more playing time.
LG Martez Ivey is great, about every other play... Is that because he only wants to play tackle? If so, then put him at backup LT and put someone else (Sandifer maybe?) in at LG as the starter.
QB Appleby is a waste of playing time, now that the season has started. Nothing personal, but his playing time should be going to a Fr that will be here for 4 years, not to a Sr Grad-xfer that's gone in 2017.
The 4 RB Committee is working well so far. They are all playing hungry, so keep it up.
Game managers should get all of the playing time, if that's all you've got to go with. They can win the softer games as long as the team carries them, but they'll seldom carry a team to championships.
------------
CB Putu should get more playing time.
QB Trask should get at least some playing time.
OC Heggie should be getting some playing time. This is not a negative towards Cam, he plays well. But what if Cam goes down?
The Defensive rotation in the front 7 has gone well and should continue, to get the younger guys some quality playing time. Next year, those younger guys will be carrying the full load.
I was trying to hold out on saying any of this, but I've decided that it's not to early to at least say a few things that have occurred to me, watching from my old ragged arm-chair:
As always, these are just my own ignorant opinions.
One fact first.
RT Jaawan Taylor lost 40+ pounds between his Jr and Sr years in HS, after being counseled at a UF camp, not between his Sr year and arriving at UF.
--------
RG Tyler Jordan spends more time getting back up off the ground than he does blocking. To me, his legs look weak when he is engaged with a defender.
CB Chris Williamson needs more time in off the field work, before getting more playing time.
LG Martez Ivey is great, about every other play... Is that because he only wants to play tackle? If so, then put him at backup LT and put someone else (Sandifer maybe?) in at LG as the starter.
QB Appleby is a waste of playing time, now that the season has started. Nothing personal, but his playing time should be going to a Fr that will be here for 4 years, not to a Sr Grad-xfer that's gone in 2017.
The 4 RB Committee is working well so far. They are all playing hungry, so keep it up.
Game managers should get all of the playing time, if that's all you've got to go with. They can win the softer games as long as the team carries them, but they'll seldom carry a team to championships.
------------
CB Putu should get more playing time.
QB Trask should get at least some playing time.
OC Heggie should be getting some playing time. This is not a negative towards Cam, he plays well. But what if Cam goes down?
The Defensive rotation in the front 7 has gone well and should continue, to get the younger guys some quality playing time. Next year, those younger guys will be carrying the full load.
Heggie is going to redshirt. TJ McCoy is the backup center right now.Moving right along....
I was trying to hold out on saying any of this, but I've decided that it's not to early to at least say a few things that have occurred to me, watching from my old ragged arm-chair:
As always, these are just my own ignorant opinions.
One fact first.
RT Jaawan Taylor lost 40+ pounds between his Jr and Sr years in HS, after being counseled at a UF camp, not between his Sr year and arriving at UF.
--------
RG Tyler Jordan spends more time getting back up off the ground than he does blocking. To me, his legs look weak when he is engaged with a defender.
CB Chris Williamson needs more time in off the field work, before getting more playing time.
LG Martez Ivey is great, about every other play... Is that because he only wants to play tackle? If so, then put him at backup LT and put someone else (Sandifer maybe?) in at LG as the starter.
QB Appleby is a waste of playing time, now that the season has started. Nothing personal, but his playing time should be going to a Fr that will be here for 4 years, not to a Sr Grad-xfer that's gone in 2017.
The 4 RB Committee is working well so far. They are all playing hungry, so keep it up.
Game managers should get all of the playing time, if that's all you've got to go with. They can win the softer games as long as the team carries them, but they'll seldom carry a team to championships.
------------
CB Putu should get more playing time.
QB Trask should get at least some playing time.
OC Heggie should be getting some playing time. This is not a negative towards Cam, he plays well. But what if Cam goes down?
The Defensive rotation in the front 7 has gone well and should continue, to get the younger guys some quality playing time. Next year, those younger guys will be carrying the full load.
Thanks for the info PG, I didn't realize that they had already decided to give Heggie a redshirt.
Well then, TJ should be getting some backup playing time. IMO, losing your starting OC is the next worst thing to losing the starting QB. I want someone else ready to go if needed.
Dude that's not what you do...what you do is take 1 thing that you don't like and you take it completely out of context and go on some rant USUALLY about something that has nothing to do within anything. You literally make up things that aren't in the coversation and act like it was the previous persons argument. I know that you're a homer...hell most of us are but just because people are calling things how they see it doesn't mean that they are 'against' the team or negative. I would agree with WestlakeGator...Johnson is terrible...he's always getting beat. Truth is the coaches had to take what they could get that season...better to have some guys who aren't going to work out and have some depth then to not get the numbers and you need. Our offensive line was so bad at numbers and talent...it's a 3-4 year rebuild. If we have a good season 9+ wins we will pull in the type of quality players on both lines and LBers that we need.If you guys would just email me what and how you'd like me to post in response to what you say, it might save us all a lot of time....
PS
I disagree with your assessment, just like you disagreed with mine.
Did that help?
yap, yap, yap, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tell the coaches about your high value evaluations of the players that they bring in, as I have zero use for your evaluations... -- (and even less for you attempting to tell me what to do, and how I should be doing it)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzTell the coaches about your high value evaluations of the players that they bring in, as I have zero use for your evaluations...
-- (and even less for you attempting to tell me what to do, and how I should be doing it)
It is still way too early to write off Fred Johnson. Right now he should truly be a redshirt freshman playing mop up duty. Most programs that have sufficient numbers on the OL always want to redshirt the OL.
Sure you have the rare talented ones who play as true freshmen no matter the depth at the position. But that's rare.
During the Meyer tenure, that staff rarely redshirted skill position players (unless it was am injury issue) but redshirted the linemen.
Big deal Mason Halter beat out Fred last season. You had like a 22 year old player transfer after 4 or more years in a college weight room vs an I8 year old. It happens no matter the level of competition they transferred from.
That's about as bad as writing off Trask/Franks because Appleby beat them out for the #2 spot.
Sure you have the rare talented ones who play as true freshmen no matter the depth at the position. But that's rare.
During the Meyer tenure, that staff rarely redshirted skill position players (unless it was am injury issue) but redshirted the linemen.
Big deal Mason Halter beat out Fred last season. You had like a 22 year old player transfer after 4 or more years in a college weight room vs an I8 year old. It happens no matter the level of competition they transferred from.
That's about as bad as writing off Trask/Franks because Appleby beat them out for the #2 spot.
yap, yap, yap,
Tell the coaches about your high value evaluations of the players that they bring in, as I have zero use for your evaluations...
Yap yap yap.
Then why do you promote your own evaluations?
