2025 5* QB Deuce Knight (Notre Dame)

[Viper 3,498]

38 minutes ago, TitanTiger said:

That will largely depend on how the games themselves play out.  Early on, it's going to be about Thorne and these new WRs getting in sync and comfortable with each other before the Oklahoma/Georgia/Missouri/Kentucky stretch hits.  So if you want to see Hank Brown or Walker White getting ample snaps we need some early knockouts in the first 4 games, because there won't be many opportunities for mop up duty for several weeks after.

This.

In the old days, big SEC programs could always count on lots of 2nd Half snaps for backups in blowouts against cupcakes. Not anymore. Hello Utah St (2011) / Jacksonville St (2015) / New Mexico St (2023). And even some of the perennial SEC doormats. Not anymore.

Other than AL A&M, there isn't a given the remainder of the schedule.

[HAPvsOA 419]

38 minutes ago, Viper said:

I'm always excited when we steal a big recruit away, but...and I may be wrong...I don't see him being our immediate future. He's nowhere near on the same level as Lewis. Except for pure speed, his tape doesn't impress me more than White's. What I see him as is bringing quality depth to a very fluid position of transfer.

I see him as having a developmental curve closer to Malik Willis. Not an early starter, but huge potential upside when it all comes together. 

[EastLakeTiger 57]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

That will largely depend on how the games themselves play out.

Well yeah, we can't just put in Hank tied in the 4th quarter vs New Mexico.

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

Early on, it's going to be about Thorne and these new WRs getting in sync and comfortable with each other before the Oklahoma/Georgia/Missouri/Kentucky stretch hits.  

100% agree.  Thorne better throw the ball close to 100x before Oklahoma comes in, but besides the point.

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

So if you want to see Hank Brown or Walker White getting ample snaps we need some early knockouts in the first 4 games, because there won't be many opportunities for mop up duty for several weeks after.

Ideally Hank Brown takes >75% of the 4th quarter snaps vs Alabama A&M, New Mexico, Slaw, Vandy, Lamo.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

42 minutes ago, Viper said:

I'm always excited when we steal a big recruit away, but...and I may be wrong...I don't see him being our immediate future. He's nowhere near on the same level as Lewis. Except for pure speed, his tape doesn't impress me more than White's. What I see him as is bringing quality depth to a very fluid position of transfer.

Yeah, he's super athletic and big, but he's not refined.  99% of HS QBs aren't ready to play in year 1.  Not many more in year 2.  I think we go transfer portal for a high level impact starter.

[ellitor 33,764]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

I think HB is primed to take over, JMO

@bigbird I know. I didn't want to shock & awe our members by not including WW in my post.

[Viper 3,498]

3 minutes ago, HAPvsOA said:

I see him as having a developmental curve closer to Malik Willis. Not an early starter, but huge potential upside when it all comes together. 

Agreed on the potential upside. Not trying to compare athletics...but just to compare QBs from MS...took Jason Campbell his 5th year on campus before everything clicked for him.

[Shadow Tiger 1,492]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

Their always after me lucky recruits.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

30 minutes ago, Viper said:

This.

In the old days, big SEC programs could always count on lots of 2nd Half snaps for backups in blowouts against cupcakes. Not anymore. Hello Utah St (2011) / Jacksonville St (2015) / New Mexico St (2023). And even some of the perennial SEC doormats. Not anymore.

Other than AL A&M, there isn't a given the remainder of the schedule.

This is a bit of scared chicken logic, especially using 2011 and 2023 seasons as an example.  Hell, even 2025 post Nick Marshall.

Lets be a big boy program and take care of business like the vast majority do.  You can pick all the anecdotal games you want, but the vast majority of G5 games should/are going to be blowouts

[Viper 3,498]

7 minutes ago, EastLakeTiger said:

Slaw

Who? Mayonnaise or Vinegar?

Edited August 6 by Viper

[JuscAUse! 1,668]

12 minutes ago, Viper said:

Agreed on the potential upside. Not trying to compare athletics...but just to compare QBs from MS...took Jason Campbell his 5th year on campus before everything clicked for him.

So you're saying the light comes on at different times for different QBs? We don't have to write a teenager off because he has a bad spring camp, his first ever in college ball? 

Interesting take.   🤔......

 

Edited August 6 by JuscAUse!

[HAPvsOA 419]

16 minutes ago, Viper said:

Who? Mayonnaise or Vinegar?

grew up with mayo slaw, but now prefer lime juice, olive oil, salt and a few dashes of the thick/slightly sweet balsamic vinegar that's hard to find.  

Edited August 6 by HAPvsOA

[TitanTiger 21,238]

17 minutes ago, EastLakeTiger said:

Yeah, he's super athletic and big, but he's not refined.  99% of HS QBs aren't ready to play in year 1.  Not many more in year 2.  I think we go transfer portal for a high level impact starter.

And usually the 1% that are ready and are successful are walking into starting jobs on offenses that are loaded at the positions around them already.  An elite OL and some stud WRs can make a lot of QBs look really comfortable.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

1 minute ago, TitanTiger said:

And usually the 1% that are ready and are successful are walking into starting jobs on offenses that are loaded at the positions around them already.  An elite OL and some stud WRs can make a lot of QBs look really comfortable.

Yeah, agree.  We'll have good WRs next year.  Rest is TBD

[HAPvsOA 419]

5 hours ago, ellitor said:

@GreenTiger No. Walker White, Hank Brown, or whatever transfer we bring in will start. Yes we are planning to bring in a transfer QB.

I hope Hank can be ready by the time his name is called, but he sure seems to have gunslinger mentality for better and for worse. It'll be great if he can be accurate enough to give guys like Cam, etc. a chance, but also I feel that we'll often be worried about tons of turnovers. Hopefully our coaches can work some magic so he can also make easy throws to move the chains when needed. 

[Viper 3,498]

2 minutes ago, EastLakeTiger said:

This is a bit of scared chicken logic, especially using 2011 and 2023 seasons as an example.  Hell, even 2025 post Nick Marshall.

Lets be a big boy program and take care of business like the vast majority do.  You can pick all the anecdotal games you want, but the vast majority of G5 games should/are going to be blowouts

Not trying to derail the topic, but a show of hands who had the NMSU game circled as an "upset alert" game at any point in the season?

Point is...other than FCS, cupcakes and perennial SEC doormats are not 100% guaranteed victories any longer.

I grew up in the 80s/90s and it was nearly unheard of then for AU to lose against the likes of MSU, Ole Miss, ARK, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy. Fast forward to the present and since 1995, AU has lost to those six teams a combined 35 times.

That isn't scared chicken logic. That's reality.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

3 minutes ago, Viper said:

Not trying to derail the topic, but a show of hands who had the NMSU game circled as an "upset alert" game at any point in the season?

Point is...other than FCS, cupcakes and perennial SEC doormats are not 100% guaranteed victories any longer.

I grew up in the 80s/90s and it was nearly unheard of then for AU to lose against the likes of MSU, Ole Miss, ARK, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy. Fast forward to the present and since 1995, AU has lost to those six teams a combined 35 times.

That isn't scared chicken logic. That's reality.

Year 1 of any staff is a risky endeavor.  See LaMo under Saban, how many G5 games did he struggle in after that?  Like 1 over the next 15 years?

[Viper 3,498]

23 minutes ago, JuscAUse! said:

So you're saying the light comes on at different times for different QBs?

Sure it does. You disagree?

30 minutes ago, JuscAUse! said:

We don't have to write a teenager off because he has a bad spring camp, his first ever in college ball? 

Interesting take.   🤔......

Never said that nor even remotely close to insinuated that.

[Viper 3,498]

23 minutes ago, EastLakeTiger said:

Year 1 of any staff is a risky endeavor.  See LaMo under Saban, how many G5 games did he struggle in after that?  Like 1 over the next 15 years?

I don't recall LA Monroe beating 2007 bammer by 3 TDs. And are you really comparing Freeze to Saban?

BTW, awesome of you to completely skip over my point of how the perennial SEC doormats landscape has changed since 1995. Of course, if you weren't around to watch SEC fball during the 80s and early 90s, I understand why you might be accustomed to them beating AU on a fairly regular basis. I assure you...on the rare occasion that it did happen then...it was flooring. Now Ole Miss and South Carolina have 2-game winning streaks over us and now that's the norm.

[EastLakeTiger 57]

6 minutes ago, Viper said:

I don't recall LA Monroe beating 2007 bammer by 3 TDs. And are you really comparing Freeze to Saban?

BTW, awesome of you to completely skip over my point of how the perennial SEC doormats landscape has changed since 1995. Of course, if you weren't around to watch SEC fball during the 80s and early 90s, I understand why you might be accustomed to them beating AU on a fairly regular basis. I assure you...on the rare occasion that it did happen then...it was flooring. Now Ole Miss and South Carolina have 2-game winning streaks over us and now that's the norm.

No, I'm comparing just year 1 coaches being kinda wonky.  See Kirby losing to Vandy.  Lots of those types of examples.  I do agree the blowout was extremely concerning vs a close loss

[Viper 3,498]

Just now, EastLakeTiger said:

No, I'm comparing just year 1 coaches being kinda wonky.  See Kirby losing to Vandy.  Lots of those types of examples.  I do agree the blowout was extremely concerning vs a close loss

So was Freeze's 4-game losing streak to close out his Liberty tenure, including to UConn...and NMSU by 5 TDs.

[DAG 34,751]

So did he actually flip or nah? Lol. 

[ellitor 33,764]

3 minutes ago, DAG said:

So did he actually flip or nah? Lol. 

@DAG Not publically yet

[EastLakeTiger 57]

1 hour ago, Viper said:

So was Freeze's 4-game losing streak to close out his Liberty tenure, including to UConn...and NMSU by 5 TDs.

Trust me, you're preaching to the choir on some of Hugh's coaching lapses.  I'm not defending his track record, which is littered with some sus losses

[EastLakeTiger 57]

59 minutes ago, DAG said:

So did he actually flip or nah? Lol. 

If I posted it, it would get deleted

[AU Is Gold 442]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

@DAG Not publically yet

Any word when?