Illinois sophmore QB looking for a chance to start elsewhere.

[PB1719]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=381692

If depth is as much of an issue as it seems to be, offering this guy might not be a terrible idea.

[skip-zip]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=381692

If depth is as much of an issue as it seems to be, offering this guy might not be a terrible idea.

Depth? Are you implying that this guy would come here to a bad MAC school to be a backup?

It would be a GREAT idea, if we could get him, which I think would be a long shot. I read his bio. And he already has 4 games of experience as a freshman QB in the Big 11.

[InTheZone]

I'd take him in a heartbeat. John Ferguson was a big time recruit for us at QB the same way Nicely was. A BCS transfer came in and beat him out for the job, and that worked out pretty well. And there's a connection there with our DC. Get him in.

[Captain Kangaroo]

With Nicely at QB, I doubt any decent QB transfers will want to join the Zips in 2010. Or 2011. Their eligibility would parallel his, and they'd just be waiting for him to get injured. PN7 is our QB for the next 3 seasons. Anyone who says otherwise drank waaay too much last season.

We had a similar scenario with Frye -- Sparks moved to WR, and the best back ups we could muster for three seasons were Micah Faler and Jonathan Gill.

[InTheZone]

As much as some people would like to crown Nicely savior and star, he has done nothing yet to show he is worthy of that title. He played mediocre at best in his starts last year, and looked below average in the spring game. He has some tools but a lot of QB's have the tools, he hasn't shown himself to be a solid starter yet. If I'm a QB looking to transfer I think Akron makes a lot of sense. There's a reason Nicely ended up at a MAC school and this kid ended up in the Big 10.

[Dr Z]

There's a reason Nicely ended up at a MAC school and this kid ended up in the Big 10.

I never buy this line of rational. ESPECIALLY when it comes to MAC vs Big 10 QB's. What was the reason that Frye ended up at Akron and Jake Hammond ended up in Illinois in 2001? Some people have a knack for evaluating talent. Don't get confused by numbers. I like Nicely.

[skip-zip]

As much as some people would like to crown Nicely savior and star, he has done nothing yet to show he is worthy of that title. He played mediocre at best in his starts last year, and looked below average in the spring game. He has some tools but a lot of QB's have the tools, he hasn't shown himself to be a solid starter yet. If I'm a QB looking to transfer I think Akron makes a lot of sense. There's a reason Nicely ended up at a MAC school and this kid ended up in the Big 10.

I only "sort of" agree with you on that last sentence, but agree with you totally on the rest.

I'm sorry. I don't get it. There's a few people on here who, for whatever reason, feel that we are "all set" at QB. Let me start by saying I am not a big Rodgers fan, but I like some of what he brings to the game. But, after Rodger's last start against Central Michigan, we never scored over 20 points again the rest of the season, except for our home games against the mighty flushes and EMU, and watched that QB complete barely half of his passes during that stretch.

Please, somebody tell me why we wouldn't try to land a young BCS transfer with 4 Big-10 games under his belt to solve our woes at QB? And please try to prove your point with something a little more concrete than "looks good in the pocket", "has good form", or "good arm strength".

I recall a QB on the Browns roster last year who had those qualities too.

[ZachTheZip]

He would have to sit out a year. By the time he comes in, we'll have a senior and a veteran underclassman at 1 and 2 (or 2 and 1) on the depth chart. Is that appealing to walk into while looking for a starting job?

If he could come in immediately, I would be for it because we're thin at the moment. But if he has to wait, whoever he has to beat out will have another year of starting experience.

[RootforRoo44]

Didn't the Oregon QB get dismissed as well?

I know it was for some pretty bad violations but if we are going to talk QB transfers that guy is a darn good QB.

[Zipmeister]

Didn't the Oregon QB get dismissed as well?

I know it was for some pretty bad violations but if we are going to talk QB transfers that guy is a darn good QB.

Forget these bozos. Let's go after some of them USC transfers that don't have to sit out a year.

[GP1]

As much as some people would like to crown Nicely savior and star, he has done nothing yet to show he is worthy of that title. He played mediocre at best in his starts last year, and looked below average in the spring game. He has some tools but a lot of QB's have the tools, he hasn't shown himself to be a solid starter yet. If I'm a QB looking to transfer I think Akron makes a lot of sense. There's a reason Nicely ended up at a MAC school and this kid ended up in the Big 10.

I'm not ready to crown him savior and star, but I would at least crown him starter. The raw material is there to be a good MAC player if not the best QB in the MAC. While I didn't see the spring game, my biggest concern about him last year was accuracy...second was lack of touch (maybe they go hand in hand).

A player will take his biggest growth spurt in terms of body size and intellectual ability from his freshman year to his soph year. Everything sort of comes into focus. By the end of next season, we are going to see what is very close to the finished product for the kid. I certainly think there is room to improve, but at the same time, that doesn't make him a bad player. The ball is in his court so to speak and he needs to take some big steps this summer.

What this kid really needs to do is win some darn games. If not, we are going to be exactly where we have been most of the past 20 odd years. He is there to win games, not to be a source of fan evaluation of whether or not he is "growing" as a player. If he can't win games, there is no reason to not evaluate options. We will know a ton about him this coming December.

[Captain Kangaroo]

As much as some people would like to crown Nicely savior and star, he has done nothing yet to show he is worthy of that title. He played mediocre at best in his starts last year, and looked below average in the spring game. He has some tools but a lot of QB's have the tools, he hasn't shown himself to be a solid starter yet. If I'm a QB looking to transfer I think Akron makes a lot of sense. There's a reason Nicely ended up at a MAC school and this kid ended up in the Big 10.

I'm not ready to crown him savior and star, but I would at least crown him starter. The raw material is there to be a good MAC player if not the best QB in the MAC. While I didn't see the spring game, my biggest concern about him last year was accuracy...second was lack of touch (maybe they go hand in hand).

Nicvely acquitted himself very well last season under horrible ciscumstances. His line played awful. He had to deal with three conflicting offensive coordinators (JD, Montgomey and Walt Harris all trying to call plays), he had no running game, no WR's (Bowser was gone by the time he started), and he was a true freshman.

It is easy to wait until a kid throws for 27 TD's and say "He's really good." It is like buying stock in Apple Computers in 2010.

I like the people that tell me to buy stock in Apple in 1978. Those people are visionaries.

Take my insiders tip -- Nicely's stock will soar in 2010. Dude has "it."

If the o-line is swiss cheese and no one besides LaFrance can run a route and catch a ball, maybe it take until 2011 to become all MAC, but he'll be there.

[ZachTheZip]

Didn't the Oregon QB get dismissed as well?

I know it was for some pretty bad violations but if we are going to talk QB transfers that guy is a darn good QB.

Forget these bozos. Let's go after some of them USC transfers that don't have to sit out a year.

I like that idea.

[Buckzip]

Didn't the Oregon QB get dismissed as well?

I know it was for some pretty bad violations but if we are going to talk QB transfers that guy is a darn good QB.

Forget these bozos. Let's go after some of them USC transfers that don't have to sit out a year.

I like that idea.

I agree. IIRC, most of those stud USC recruits had Akron as their second choice anyway.

[Zipmeister]

Didn't the Oregon QB get dismissed as well?

I know it was for some pretty bad violations but if we are going to talk QB transfers that guy is a darn good QB.

Forget these bozos. Let's go after some of them USC transfers that don't have to sit out a year.

I like that idea.

I agree. IIRC, most of those stud USC recruits had Akron as their second choice anyway.

While that Akron as a "second choice" situation is true for MOST of the USC transfers, I understand Akron was the first choice of SEVERAL of them and that they only elected to go to USC because of illegal recruiting. We are going to kick some butt now that these student-athletes have realized their mistake.

[Dr Z]

Please, somebody tell me why we wouldn't try to land a young BCS transfer with 4 Big-10 games under his belt to solve our woes at QB? And please try to prove your point with something a little more concrete than "looks good in the pocket", "has good form", or "good arm strength".

For those of you that put your faith in rivals rating, PN7 is ranked higher. I had to check because I thought I was unaware of something.

Skip, you seem impressed with the fact he plays in "the big ten", that doesn't impress me at all. He would be playing with mac players around him at Akron, PN7 has proven he can do that, this kid has not. I don't mind if he ends up here, but I don't understand your "solve our woes at QB" comment. Do you think that PN7 will not improve his numbers this year after being thrust into last years situation as a true freshman? PN7 also has more completions, tds, yards and experience than Jacob.