The 2013 Graveyard Thread

[MillerTime843]

^^Touche

[MikeTrainNC8]

Are you ****ing kidding me?? Get rid of botkin or something.... This has become a joke

[Blake]

just wait and see how it plays out before you judge the class. You also have to give a coach more than one year in his territory before you judge him as a recruiter. I still think we can land him, and last I heard he is still visiting before he announces. We also have to remember that he has like 3 teammates committed to maryland.

[gotrice?]

Originally Posted by MikeTrainNC8

Are you ****ing kidding me?? Get rid of botkin or something.... This has become a joke

When it comes to recruiting some people just don't get it. Botkin has done nothing negative to our LB recruiting. Just bad breaks for us really. We have won 10+ games the last 2 years but that doesn't mean that every kid we recruit is going to commit to us.

[carolinacoast]

A top twenty recruiting class is not bad at all. In fact, most of Spurrier's classes have been in the top twenty, not the top ten. USC has done better than some of those consistent top ten recruiting schools. A class of all stars on paper may not always be the best team on the field.

[GDub2001]

Some folks will just NEVER get it.

[Loathor]

Originally Posted by MikeTrainNC8

C2, the problem isn't our overall recruiting, we do a great job of having a solid class from the bottom up, and it shows in the results with numerous 2 and 3 stars becoming big time players for us. The problem is the top, we should not be having this problem with linebackers at this stage of our program.

Our staff better be on Yannick (or at least someone) nonstop, knocking down his door and doing a jig

I don't understand the panic some of you guys are going through. We will have seven (SEVEN!!) returning LBs for next year on the roster to cover two spots (if you count the Spur here then that makes ten players for three spots coming back). Then you add in the three we are bringing in and you have plenty of available talent. The real key will be the lack game experience. But we are not beholden to incoming freshman to save the day by any means.

Rolin was the bonus to the class that has Bryant headlining the position they both share. Losing his commitment sucks, but doesn't sink the ship.

As to the whole recruiting rankings... those can be misleading. Clemson, as has been pointed out (ad nauseum), routinely ranks ahead of us at the end of recruiting season. But they are recruiting for show, while our coaches are recruiting to win. We bring in classes that give strength to our overall team while Clemson will sign seven 5* WR/RBs and only one offensive lineman. They build around the prestige of rankings, but forget the turn of actually building a winning team. It's recruiting slight-of-hand...

[Gamecockfanatic4]

Originally Posted by Loathor

I don't understand the panic some of you guys are going through. We will have seven (SEVEN!!) returning LBs for next year on the roster to cover two spots (if you count the Spur here then that makes ten players for three spots coming back). Then you add in the three we are bringing in and you have plenty of available talent. The real key will be the lack game experience. But we are not beholden to incoming freshman to save the day by any means..

Who? I counted 5 including 1 walk on and only 2 of them have played any at all even that was just special teams.......

[Loathor]

Originally Posted by Gamecockfanatic4

Who? I counted 5 including 1 walk on and only 2 of them have played any at all even that was just special teams.......

Gresham, Harris, Lewis, Holloman, Diaz (Walk-on), Cooper and Sims (Walk-on) at LB and Diggs, Golightly and Roberts at Spur. All of them have experience in the program, which is vastly superior to an incoming freshman (Bryant, Turner and Camara). There's also the plethora of DE's who have the build and speed to stand up and play LB. We have the bodies, we just have to see who steps up.

[cockypanther]

All I want for Christmas is Yannick, D. Williams, Na'ty, and possibly one more... IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?!??!

[MikeTrainNC8]

Originally Posted by gotrice?

When it comes to recruiting some people just don't get it. Botkin has done nothing negative to our LB recruiting. Just bad breaks for us really. We have won 10+ games the last 2 years but that doesn't mean that every kid we recruit is going to commit to us.

I do get it... I've been following recruiting here more than most, I've seen the classes form and kids commit elsewhere.. But after tHe success we have had ON the field, the recruitinghas taken a hit this year.. It's easy for y'all to say "some people don't get it".. I get recruiting, more than most probably (been following sports recruiting since I was a wee little lad), and you are blind if you think all is hunky dorey in USC recruiting right now. LB and CB are the two big areas of concern for our future (I look ahead, not just at next year), and we lost two top recruits at those areas to RIVALS, after a 10+ win season and exposure beyond belief... Yeah sorry that I'm not sunshine pumping right now, being a realist.

[brat]

I've got it. We'll only recruit kids that promise they'll come play here and give us a verbal commit before NSD, help recruit other kids, and give no indication they will switch. Oh, wait, we've already done that.

Well, we can always refuse to let a kid change their mind. We can make other schools stop recruiting those kids we recruit or force other coaches from recruiting the kid's family. Suuure we can.

What a crock. The kids gave their word and did not stand by it. It happens sometimes and more times than not there isn't a thing you can do about it. I don't want kids that you have to promise the world to or treat differently to get them here. That is a good way for the coaches to lose respect from that kid and the rest of the team and to start bringing back divisions among the team.

Very few years go by without this happening once or twice or thrice.
Last year not a single kid backed out. You think the coaches acted differently in recruiting? Not likely.

Most Tillman Techers are delusional, in general, which is a good thing. A handful of Gamecocks are delusional in terms of recruiting, which is a bad thing.

[cockywill09]

IM pretty sure SOS know we gotta do something different. I hope so anyway

[cockywill09]

Originally Posted by MikeTrainNC8

I do get it... I've been following recruiting here more than most, I've seen the classes form and kids commit elsewhere.. But after tHe success we have had ON the field, the recruitinghas taken a hit this year.. It's easy for y'all to say "some people don't get it".. I get recruiting, more than most probably (been following sports recruiting since I was a wee little lad), and you are blind if you think all is hunky dorey in USC recruiting right now. LB and CB are the two big areas of concern for our future (I look ahead, not just at next year), and we lost two top recruits at those areas to RIVALS, after a 10+ win season and exposure beyond belief... Yeah sorry that I'm not sunshine pumping right now, being a realist.

This^^^^

[trapper82]

Originally Posted by MikeTrainNC8

I do get it... I've been following recruiting here more than most, I've seen the classes form and kids commit elsewhere.. But after tHe success we have had ON the field, the recruitinghas taken a hit this year.. It's easy for y'all to say "some people don't get it".. I get recruiting, more than most probably (been following sports recruiting since I was a wee little lad), and you are blind if you think all is hunky dorey in USC recruiting right now. LB and CB are the two big areas of concern for our future (I look ahead, not just at next year), and we lost two top recruits at those areas to RIVALS, after a 10+ win season and exposure beyond belief... Yeah sorry that I'm not sunshine pumping right now, being a realist.

Those rivals you speak of won 11 games,had more on field success, are going to higher bowls, and had more exposure. Not like they chose Vandy over us.

[CoverTwo]

Being negative doesn't mean you are being real.

USC's recruiting hasn't taken a "hit". A hit would be not being nationally ranked, or losing prospects/commitments because a coach left, or getting slapped with a bowl ban.

USC is going to finish with a top 20 class. Enroll a bunch of good players and set themselves up for a solid 2014 season and recruiting class. You'll see the fruits of the Brown and Sands hires start to show in year 2 just like it did with Mangus and even Beamer.

And as far as this year goes, linebacker is the only sore spot and they have a little over a month to find someone whether its Ngakoue, Golson, Brunson, Cunningham, Moore, Kelsey, etc. If they grabbed 2 of those guys, it makes up for losing Rolin.

[walk.daddy]

If Rolin hadn't De-committed then no one would be freaking out. 2 months ago we were "loaded" and one guy with a major knee injury leaves and everyone panics. I can't blame that on the coaches. The other lb's that we have missed on recently have been guys that they jumped on last minute and wouldn't have come here anyhow if our class had stayed intact. Yes Rolin was disappointing but he wasn't going to contribute this year anyhow.

Also the Cedric Cooper injury is another thing that has everyone nervous but I don't see how any of this can be blamed on the coaches.

[poppabeary3]

Originally Posted by CoverTwo

Being negative doesn't mean you are being real.

USC's recruiting hasn't taken a "hit". A hit would be not being nationally ranked, or losing prospects/commitments because a coach left, or getting slapped with a bowl ban.

USC is going to finish with a top 20 class. Enroll a bunch of good players and set themselves up for a solid 2014 season and recruiting class. You'll see the fruits of the Brown and Sands hires start to show in year 2 just like it did with Mangus and even Beamer.

And as far as this year goes, linebacker is the only sore spot and they have a little over a month to find someone whether its Ngakoue, Golson, Brunson, Cunningham, Moore, Kelsey, etc. If they grabbed 2 of those guys, it makes up for losing Rolin.

I wouldn't say we've taken a "hit" because we lost Rolin or Langley, I think we were in position to take a "hit" if we didn't close with any of our remaining targets. Now, without those 2, I think we take a "hit" if we don't close with at least Ngkoue, Williams AND Rodgers.

In my opinion, the class wasn't great with the 2 former commits but it was good and if we had kept them and closed with 2 of the 3 mentioned above, it was going to end up being a great class. Now, I think we need at least 2 to have a good class. That being said, I think if we can land all 3, then this class, in my opinion, will be great.

Ngakoue has always been, in my opinion, a better fit than Rolin especially after his injury (bigger, just as good instincts, and able to play from day 1 in some capacity). Losing Langley wasn't good, obviously, but he wasn't at a position of great need whereas, I think Williams and Rodgers are.

I'll wait to hold off final judgement until everything is signed and faxed but as of now, the coaches appear to have dropped the ball. Good thing is, they have over a month to pick it back up.

[Gamecockfanatic4]

Originally Posted by poppabeary3

I wouldn't say we've taken a "hit" because we lost Rolin or Langley, I think we were in position to take a "hit" if we didn't close with any of our remaining targets. Now, without those 2, I think we take a "hit" if we don't close with at least Ngkoue, Williams AND Rodgers.

why is it a "hit" if we lose Ngakoue? a guy we have never publically lead for and has been notoriously quiet the entire process?

[Gamecockfanatic4]

Originally Posted by MikeTrainNC8

I do get it... I've been following recruiting here more than most, I've seen the classes form and kids commit elsewhere.. But after tHe success we have had ON the field, the recruitinghas taken a hit this year.. It's easy for y'all to say "some people don't get it".. I get recruiting, more than most probably (been following sports recruiting since I was a wee little lad), and you are blind if you think all is hunky dorey in USC recruiting right now. LB and CB are the two big areas of concern for our future (I look ahead, not just at next year), and we lost two top recruits at those areas to RIVALS, after a 10+ win season and exposure beyond belief... Yeah sorry that I'm not sunshine pumping right now, being a realist.

realist? not really more like overly pessimistic, the LB spot is an area of concern but we will get at least one more guy before this class is closed out, if CB was as big of a concern as you are making it out to be we would be in on a few more guys right now or have more than 2 committed, but the fact is we are only losing Auguste from that spot this year and dont need more than 2 guys, Langley was more of a luxury guy that you can't pass up