catdaddyp

Offer to Maryland OT Keon Kindred. Former and current 3 star. His potential is in-line with Landers in my opinion. Would be a big get.

Any idea where we stand? If my math is right, we’ve added as many scholarship players as we’ve lost. We are still offering guys so we must have at least a few scholarships still open. I think we are at 81 now, but not totally sure. It’s some of the remaining players from the Arth era that is throwing me off.

I’m not sure how many of those are on scholarship. Most FBS schools carry 4-5 scholarship RBs. 6 is usually the max unless the school has a run heavy offense. I think we were at 5 last year (A. Williams moved to WR), but then bumped to 6 once Hester was put on scholarship. Kent is currently slotted to bring in 4 more RBs - 2 freshmen and 2 transfers. Although I’m not sure what kind of offense they will run or if they plan to keep all of those guys at RB. Or if they are all on scholarship. Burns was a RB himself and also coached RBs for a large portion of his coaching career, so maybe he prefers more? NIU added a RB from the portal, so that should put them at 5. (Somewhat interesting note) Flowers, the incoming NIU RB, played at Irmo HS in South Carolina. Irmo HS is Dutch Fork HS rival where our own DiMarco Johnson played.

Offer to Purdue DE Tristan Cox. Former 3 star ILB that looks to have grown into a DE.

Offer to All-Conference D2 WR Jaylon Tillmon.

You’re 100% correct in regards to recruiting. Miami has landed some high quality players, but it doesn’t guarantee anything. In today’s world portal recruiting is just as important (both in retention and additions) as HS recruiting and there is a long way to go. I can’t say when Rivals will update anything. They are still working to update a system that’s been around since the early 2000s. I’ve pushed for a MAC conference site to report on all conference happenings, as well as create individual team recruiting links (similar to 247), but I haven’t gotten much feedback on either of those.

Bump for update. It won’t stay this way, but Miami is now in the Top 25.

Offer to Louisiana Tech DT Keveionta Spears.

Bump for update. I’m excited about this group. Curious to see if we add another back due to Price’s injury. Here is some film on Anderson when Arizona played Oregon in 2021. Highlights are: 5:09 7:21 7:39 10:15 10:31

Offer to Charlotte IOL Trevor Timmons. I guess if we landed him we could count it as a trade for Jordan Daniels?

I could be mistaken, but I believe Bauer was playing on the edge in the SG (despite being listed as ILB on the roster). If I recall correctly, he played as a standup edge in HS. And I’m pretty sure I remember Pollard getting beat for a touchdown in the 2nd half of the SG. Looks like Pollard already has a few options, which is good to see. The chances of them seeing significant snaps was minimal with the way recruiting is going. Hope both of them land somewhere.

Looks like a spoke too soon. 🤣

99% sure this is who I saw coach Wart with at the SG. JUCO DT Jaden Hamlin.

Wow, I can imagine how things are around your house right now. Hope all goes as smoothly as possibly! We didn’t get to see a ton from Lingard, but I liked what I saw. What impressed me the most was his vision and determination to push the run vertically at every opportunity. Lingard almost created an explosive play until a LB made an excellent open field tackle (don’t recall which LB it was though). He also had a nice touchdown run. I imagine Lingard will receive most of the load, but I feel good about Kellom too. Hester looked as shifty as ever. Looking forward to what Anderson brings when he arrives. I can’t wait for the fanbase to see this secondary in action. I didn’t mention Darrian Lewis earlier when I should have. He’s another one that has noticeably added on mass. He was already physical before and clearly isn’t going to relinquish his role without a fight. Golden-Nelson is healthy and looked like the player we thought he would be. I’m not sure how the staff will keep Terence Thomas off the field. Kid has All-MAC potential written all over him. Maybe not this year, but soon. At the moment, we have 3 JUCO DEs coming in. Chances are not all of them will pan out. Even so, still have to count on at least one of them being productive. They all seem to have the physical measurables in terms of frame, length, and ability to run and bend. Unfortunately, we don’t know what their development will look like or how quickly they will help.

Seems that way. I know the RB and LB were listed on the spring roster. I think the K was too, but not 100% sure. The RB has already committed to Northern Iowa and played for several JUCOs.

The second transfer portal window is closed for entries. It seems we came out unscathed after the spring game, which is a pleasant surprise. I figured at least 1 or 2 would enter. Final MAC portal departures: NIU = 27 Akron = 21 EMU = 21 Kent = 20 Buffalo = 16 BGSU = 16 Miami = 15 Ball = 13 CMU = 11 WMU = 11 Toledo = 9 Ohio = 9 Of Note: - All players were tracked regardless of scholarship status. Meaning some were walk-ons. - There is always the chance I missed a player here or there. - NIU had 3 of their 2023 recruits hit the portal by the end of spring.

Spring Game definitely changed my thinking as it looks like T. Williams and K. Davis are ready to roll. I can’t wait to see what the incoming players bring, but for now, I’m going with the line Undercuffler was basically playing behind in the SG. LT - Landers (So.) LG - Kilbane (R. So.) C - T. Williams (R. Fr.) RG - K. Davis (R. Fr.) RT - N. Williams (Jr.) Chambers can more than hold his own at either tackle spot and I imagine incoming transfer Ben Hobert is expecting to compete for meaningful snaps in his final year of eligibility. Chances are we bring in at least one more IOL with the ability to push for a starting spot. If I recall correctly, Hale-Frater was playing one of the guard spots in the SG and did some good things. Toss in Robarge, George, and Lyons for depth and I’m excited about where this line is headed. If James develops near the pace of Landers from last year, how do we keep him off the field? HS film definitely did not tell the full story on James. Keep doing your thing coach JRod.

Thanks for sharing! The WR room is going to be stacked.

Good question. I’m not exactly sure what his path has been outside of originally committing to Portland State in this cycle. He claims to have 3 years to play 2.

Offer to JUCO DT Daniel Tupuola after his spring game visit. Former Portland State commit.

Thanks! There is a lot to be excited about and we still have some incoming players that will turn out to be difference makers. The spring is a mixed bag especially when one group does something good, it can make the other group look poor. That wasn’t the case this year. I came away feeling better about the OL, Secondary, LBs, and QB situation than expected. Last year, I didn’t feel like we had a QB on the roster that could keep us competitive if Irons went down. Undercuffler carries himself like he’s the man now and very well could be depending on Irons’ situation. The offense and defense kept it all very bland, but like I mentioned before, the athleticism and physicality was noticeable. I didn’t mention much about recruiting but there was a large turnout of prospects. I also noticed coach Wart with a mammoth individual after the game that I’m guessing is potential transfer DT. Might see some news on that front soon. The shape that these kids are in is also impressive. A lot of credit needs to go to the old and new S&C staffs. This looks like a legit FBS team now.

Enjoyed the spring game today. I thought it was a great idea to open up the lounge/box seats. There were not many people in that area until halftime, when it became flooded with fans and recruits that were guided to free food. Well done and way to show off the amenities of the stadium, which otherwise may not often be seen. The game itself flew by. A few things really stood out to me. 1) This team is way ahead of where they were last spring. They look disciplined (minus a few penalties), physical, and know their assignments. 2) The athleticism and maturity was noticeable. 3) The secondary is much improved. It seemed like last spring game WRs and RBs were running free in the passing game nearly every pass. Not the case this year. 4) Tackling was outstanding. I think there were only two missed tackles the whole game. Last SG I remember coming away thinking Wiley had more lower body strength than what he showed on film due to his ability to break tackles. Turned out our defense was just terrible (as a whole) tackling at that point. Position Takeaways: QB - Undercuffler looked confident and in command. He also had the benefit of playing behind what looked like the first string OL. There are still some passes Undercuffler struggles to complete. That being said, he can get the job done. The offense should be in good shape if Undercuffler has to play meaningful snaps this year. Jennings and Wasel received the rest of the snaps. Both did some good things and also looked like young QBs at times. Jennings throws a nice ball and is clearly a solid athlete, but listing him as 5’11” might be generous. Wasel has a big arm and forced a few throws today. He also made a few that gave reason for excitement. His mechanics need work and he seems to realize that as he was focused on the sideline going through step by step motions before the 3rd quarter began. (Irons and Jankowski were sidelined). RB - Lingard is good. He didn’t break any big runs today, even though it felt like he might a couple of times. Not sure what happened at Florida, but the guy has “it.” He did have a nice touchdown run and is the number one back. Lingard will be a weapon for this offense barring injury. Kellom looks ready to contribute when his number is called and Hester also had a nice run. It’s unfortunate Price is out for an extended period, but I have no doubt this group will provide more production than last year. WR - Might as well mark down George for All-MAC. The guy looks the part in every way. It was good to see some of the other guys get substantial playing time today with Adams out and SJL gone. Like @LZIp mentioned, Walker had the best day catching the ball. Thomas, Golden, Anderson, and Gathings were all noticeable. TE - Banks and Ognenovic took most of the snaps. Nothing substantial to report here. OL - My biggest takeaway is that T. Williams and K. Davis look ready. I can’t place who the other guard was, but the lineup blocking for Undercuffler was LT Chambers, C T.Williams, G K Davis, RT N. Williams. Takeaway from the opposite OL was freshman OT Jayvin James. James is huge, has long arms, and moves well. He’s going to be a good one. I locked in on him for a number of plays and came away excited about what he could become. (Landers and Robarge were on the sideline). DT - Terray Jones is a force. It’s unfortunate Holt left because those two could have been dynamic. Robinson seems to have come a long way and will challenge for a starting spot. Nothing stood out about the other DTs, but they did not make it easy on the OL. (Murphy was on the sideline). DE - Pass rush from this position is still a concern. Rabah and Johnson look like the starters for now. We need the incoming players to step up and provide more. (Richardson was on the sideline). LB - This position looked great. Bubba was Bubba. McCoy is physically impressive even though he surprisingly missed a tackle. Fish looks like he knows what he’s doing this year. I noticed him around the ball often. Griffin and Behm also had their moments. CB - The coverage was solid today despite often not having much of a pass rush. Golden-Nelson and Terence Thomas look ready to cause other teams some serious issues. Those two kept popping up over and over. I believe it was Judson Tallandier who also looked good here. All the DBs seem to have added muscle mass. (Joey Hunter was sidelined and I don’t recall seeing Cam Threatt). S - So many of these guys are built and move so similarly now it was hard to tell them apart at times (that’s a good thing). Martin saw plenty of time and Johnson chased down a miscued pass for an interception. This group was solid against the pass and came up well in run support. (Nate Thompson was sidelined). ST - Some good and some not so good. As a group they struggled at the start, but found their groove as the game progressed. Im sure there is more that I missed or forgot to say. It’s late and I wanted to report as much as I could while I had it on my mind.

I imagine we will have a few more portal departures after the spring game, but for now NIU has taken the lead with the most departures.

No disagreement on his numbers. Hopefully his production speaks for itself and a team is willing to take a chance. The 6th and 7th rounds always have a few surprise picks. We’ll see.

Yep, SJL and Whigan would be the two with the best chance. It’d be great if they were drafted somewhere on day 3 and it could be announced in front of all the recruits in attendance at the spring game.