2014 FB Recruiting Thread: Signing Day is this Wednesday!

[mebanedeac]

I don't think that it is good to have a true frosh as starting center, especially over a senior. However having followed Helms a bit in high school, sensing his aggressive attitude, and based on the early reports since his arrival at WF I am convinced that barring injury he will be one of the best we have had at that position. Time will tell.

 

[PhDeac]

OK. I was a little confused because you didn't know if he ran the shotgun in HS.

 

[mebanedeac]

I watched a couple clips but cannot recall the formation, mainly watched his blocking and pulling ability. Mostly followed printed reports.

 

[BDL]

What is troubling is that Whit Barnes has been here 4 years and is letting a kid off the bus take his job. 3 practices and he's demoted? My biggest problem with this program is it player developement. If 3rd and 4th year OL would play better, maybe they could execute LOBO's plays. Our backs would be tackled for a 4 yd gain, not a 4 yd lose. We would have the confidence to go for it on 4th down on the Clemson 38 yd line.

agreed. Hopefully its just posturing to get a fire under Barnes's ass. What's scary is if player development is so poor over 3-4 years how can we expect a true frosh C to be quickly coached up to line up across from a bigtime DT

 

[jamesda3]

I don't think that it is good to have a true frosh as starting center, especially over a senior. However having followed Helms a bit in high school, sensing his aggressive attitude, and based on the early reports since his arrival at WF I am convinced that barring injury he will be one of the best we have had at that position. Time will tell.

He is going to be a good one.

 

[Pilchard]

FWIW, a lot of great programs have RS frosh and true frosh beat out players that are upper-classmen. Does not necessarily mean that the coaching staff failed to get enough out of the older player. Sometimes, the younger players are just better.

I get that everyone is frustrated right now, but not every development is a reason to take a dump on the program.

 

[PhDeac]

Those great programs bring in great true frosh with tons of offers from other great programs.

The Grobe model that you and many others have bought into was predicated on having juniors and seniors on the field with more experience than the opponents due to redshirting.

 

[DEACS76]

FWIW, a lot of great programs have RS frosh and true frosh beat out players that are upper-classmen. Does not necessarily mean that the coaching staff failed to get enough out of the older player. Sometimes, the younger players are just better.

I get that everyone is frustrated right now, but not every development is a reason to take a dump on the program.

We have had 3 practices!!!!! A senior, who has spent 1,450+ days on campus, shouldn't lose his job to a frosh unless he's hasn't improved in those 4 years. Has he opened the playbook since 2009? That alone should give him an edge. A player should go out to the practice field and try to improve every day. That's what they're doing at all the schools that kick our ass.

 

[Winkathomelygirl]

Watching Helms online, he has a very quick and accurate snap in the shotgun, very quick feet off the ball in either direction and stays low coming out of his stance. As an old center myself, I can say that he is fundamentally sound and if he is the best choice, he will do fine.

 

[Lectro]

Those great programs bring in great true frosh with tons of offers from other great programs.

The Grobe model that you and many others have bought into was predicated on having juniors and seniors on the field with more experience than the opponents due to redshirting.

Yea, I'm with you. I long for the Caldwell years. He was a handed a team coming off an 8-4 season and promptly went 9 and 37 over the next four seasons. You fuggin Dink.

That is practically Grobe's record in reverse (vs in state schools) -- why don't one of you smart ass college boys compile the historical record -- with all of your GD "historically relevant"horsey shit -- of Wake Forest's record vs in state schools and then Jim Grobe's record versus the same.

Exactly. So shut your ass.

That's about all the eloquence I can muster for some of the truly dispicacable fucks out here.

 

[Rafi]

Those great programs bring in great true frosh with tons of offers from other great programs.

Cory Helms is a great true frosh with offers from great programs. From his bio ... "High school All-American honors ... Was the starting center for the Blue team in the Offense-Defense All-America Bowl in Houston ... Ranked as the No. 9 center nationally by Rivals.com ... Had 11 offers including South Carolina, Louisville, etc."

 

[jaybone]

We have had 3 practices!!!!! A senior, who has spent 1,450+ days on campus, shouldn't lose his job to a frosh unless he's hasn't improved in those 4 years. Has he opened the playbook since 2009? That alone should give him an edge. A player should go out to the practice field and try to improve every day. That's what they're doing at all the schools that kick our ass.

I read that article and didn't get a sense that Barnes was demoted, but more that he could be slid over to Guard where he played the bulk of his snaps last year ...

 

[siff]

Those great programs bring in great true frosh with tons of offers from other great programs.

The Grobe model that you and many others have bought into was predicated on having juniors and seniors on the field with more experience than the opponents due to redshirting.

Right. So that means that it's literally impossible for a kid who didn't get an offer from Bama to be a breakout player as a freshman. Got it.

 

[PhDeac]

Yea, I'm with you. I long for the Caldwell years. He was a handed a team coming off an 8-4 season and promptly went 9 and 37 over the next four seasons. You fuggin Dink.

That is practically Grobe's record in reverse (vs in state schools) -- why don't one of you smart ass college boys compile the historical record -- with all of your GD "historically relevant"horsey shit -- of Wake Forest's record vs in state schools and then Jim Grobe's record versus the same.

Exactly. So shut your ass.

That's about all the eloquence I can muster for some of the truly dispicacable fucks out here.

And Grobe's model was effective due to redshirting and being very selective about which true frosh saw the field.

Pick an approach, Lectro.

 

[PM please.]

I read that article and didn't get a sense that Barnes was demoted, but more that he could be slid over to Guard where he played the bulk of his snaps last year ...

You're correct, but reading it as a demotion sounds more damning for the coaching staff though, so that's the party line to go with around here.

It's a nice little niche we've carved out. First, we complain that the coaching staff isn't able to recruit talent along the offensive line. Then, when we bring in a kid who by all accounts is ready to play and contribute immediately and in a very meaningful way, we turn that around as a negative. It's a win-win (or lose-lose depending on the motive of the poster).

 

[mebanedeac]

You're correct, but reading it as a demotion sounds more damning for the coaching staff though, so that's the party line to go with around here.

It's a nice little niche we've carved out. First, we complain that the coaching staff isn't able to recruit talent along the offensive line. Then, when we bring in a kid who by all accounts is ready to play and contribute immediately and in a very meaningful way, we turn that around as a negative. It's a win-win (or lose-lose depending on the motive of the poster).

Great observation!

Some posters remind me of my aunt, bless her, who was never married. She was a chronic complainer. If you observed that the day was beautiful she would observe that it was too cool or too hot or too wet or not wet enough. The same posters who accuse Grobe of being unable to recruit game ready freshmen, accuse him of being unable to coach up his players if he brings in one who is capable of winning a starting position. Beginning to think that some will never be content because being content would not provide room for their expert critiques of everything and everyone.

 

[PhDeac]

Yeah, I remember seeing a lot of pissed off people in Jacksonville and Miami.

Just maybe we have some problems as indicated by four straight losing seasons and god awful November finishes.

 

[DEACS76]

Whit Barnes was a 3* recruit, the #7 center in the country, and he's out of a job in three days!!!!! Did he spend the last 4 years jerking off? Did he go through the motions at every practice? The result say a big YES. He couldn't beat out a back up tackle the past two years. Now, is it his fault alone? When did the staff give up on him? Why was such an unproductive player rated so high out of HS? This is a case where it's a little bit of every body's fault but most has to fall on Whit himself. Skinner was a third stringer who didn't go through the motions, and was ready to get in the ring when the bell rang. Whit hit the snooze button.

 

[Lohengrin]

3* recruits are hardly guaranteed to pan out. But your odds are better than with lesser ranked recruits.

 

[PM please.]

Whit Barnes was a 3* recruit, the #7 center in the country, and he's out of a job in three days!!!!! Did he spend the last 4 years jerking off? Did he go through the motions at every practice? The result say a big YES. He couldn't beat out a back up tackle the past two years. Now, is it his fault alone? When did the staff give up on him? Why was such an unproductive player rated so high out of HS? This is a case where it's a little bit of every body's fault but most has to fall on Whit himself. Skinner was a third stringer who didn't go through the motions, and was ready to get in the ring when the bell rang. Whit hit the snooze button.

He started 11 out of 12 games last year, his junior year, at guard playing next to a guy who started 27 games over his final three seasons at center. It seems the staff found him useful at guard and I would hardly call starting all but one game in your junior year "unproductive" or an abject failure as to seem apt to label him.

And in terms of the recruiting rankings, which mean nothing once a kid puts on pads on campus, Helms is nearly the same. It seems you should be singing his praises because this staff that is so inept that they cannot develop talent finally has one that they don't have to develop. He came ready and cannot be wasted in a similar manner.