Positives-
First, the class has tons of talent & UF GOT better today. Landing 2 of the best 10 players in the country, 2 of the best LBs in the country, 2 RBs that fit the system, a stud at TE, immediate help at OT, a future stud at OT, immediate help at DL with Slackman & BT. Add this talent to the guys on the team & we have a formidable lineup.
Changes to the staff are being made (let’s leave that alone, just know they are being made)
Our class is small (18 high school kids) and not having 20 kids is killing our overall ranking but 8th in average & 6th in the SEC (Texas is being included). Adding 2 mid level kids get us around 10th overall.
Negatives-
Loss of staff members close to signing day hurt (the results of losing is change), loss of some highly ranked guys (changes our ranking significantly), needed one more OT (we will attempt to add a quality player in the portal), needed one more DT, need a safety for the future
My opinion on the future-
NIL & the portal has eliminated a few things; relationships, loyalty & depth. Until we become a consistent playoff contender (even UGA & Bama have kids leaving), depth is gone for 2 reasons. You simply can’t afford to pay 25 premier high school players and kids will not sit for 2 years waiting on their turn to play. These kids chase money & immediate playing time, their mentality isn’t to earn their spot. It’s that simple, it’s beyond discouraging.
My initial thoughts going forward is pay/overpay for 10 premier players (top 200 guys) & fill the remaining class with blue collar kids who work their ass off. From there, you portal positions of need with kids who showed no loyalty to their initial university lol (sounds terrible I know).
Going into next season, I like the potential of our lineup. They obviously have a ton to prove on the field but I certainly see a more dynamic team than what this staff took over when arriving.
Current Roster if I had to guess-
QB- Mertz, Lagway
RB- Trell, Trey, Kah, Baugh
TE- Zip, Arlis, Hayden, Amir
WR- EW3, K-Jack, Dike, Andy, Tawaski, Burke, Tank
OT- Dickson, Westphal
OG-Harris, Waites
C- Slaughter, Kearney
OG- Richie, George,
OT- Barber, Caden Jones
DL- Banks, Cam, Kelby, TJ, LJ, Tyreak, Slackman, BT, Jamari, Kam James, Des
LB- Shemar, Scooby, Myles, Chiles, Jaiden Robinson, (portal coming)
Corner- Devin, Didi,
Corner- Marshall, Jah
Star- Bridges, Sharif
Safety- Jordan, Gates, Bryce (Portal coming)
Again, these are my opinions.
Wanted to add something, @SRGators you’re truly the lifeline of this program. We will never be able to divulge everything but thank you man. I appreciate your “thick skin” 😂
First, the class has tons of talent & UF GOT better today. Landing 2 of the best 10 players in the country, 2 of the best LBs in the country, 2 RBs that fit the system, a stud at TE, immediate help at OT, a future stud at OT, immediate help at DL with Slackman & BT. Add this talent to the guys on the team & we have a formidable lineup.
Changes to the staff are being made (let’s leave that alone, just know they are being made)
Our class is small (18 high school kids) and not having 20 kids is killing our overall ranking but 8th in average & 6th in the SEC (Texas is being included). Adding 2 mid level kids get us around 10th overall.
Negatives-
Loss of staff members close to signing day hurt (the results of losing is change), loss of some highly ranked guys (changes our ranking significantly), needed one more OT (we will attempt to add a quality player in the portal), needed one more DT, need a safety for the future
My opinion on the future-
NIL & the portal has eliminated a few things; relationships, loyalty & depth. Until we become a consistent playoff contender (even UGA & Bama have kids leaving), depth is gone for 2 reasons. You simply can’t afford to pay 25 premier high school players and kids will not sit for 2 years waiting on their turn to play. These kids chase money & immediate playing time, their mentality isn’t to earn their spot. It’s that simple, it’s beyond discouraging.
My initial thoughts going forward is pay/overpay for 10 premier players (top 200 guys) & fill the remaining class with blue collar kids who work their ass off. From there, you portal positions of need with kids who showed no loyalty to their initial university lol (sounds terrible I know).
Going into next season, I like the potential of our lineup. They obviously have a ton to prove on the field but I certainly see a more dynamic team than what this staff took over when arriving.
Current Roster if I had to guess-
QB- Mertz, Lagway
RB- Trell, Trey, Kah, Baugh
TE- Zip, Arlis, Hayden, Amir
WR- EW3, K-Jack, Dike, Andy, Tawaski, Burke, Tank
OT- Dickson, Westphal
OG-Harris, Waites
C- Slaughter, Kearney
OG- Richie, George,
OT- Barber, Caden Jones
DL- Banks, Cam, Kelby, TJ, LJ, Tyreak, Slackman, BT, Jamari, Kam James, Des
LB- Shemar, Scooby, Myles, Chiles, Jaiden Robinson, (portal coming)
Corner- Devin, Didi,
Corner- Marshall, Jah
Star- Bridges, Sharif
Safety- Jordan, Gates, Bryce (Portal coming)
Again, these are my opinions.
Wanted to add something, @SRGators you’re truly the lifeline of this program. We will never be able to divulge everything but thank you man. I appreciate your “thick skin” 😂
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