I didnt watch the entire LSU game. I hear i didn't miss anything and so I won't watch. Half this season felt like I was sticking dull rusty needles in my eyes. The other half...i was feeding myself false hope or being unrealistic. Is what it is.
This Ten Thgts will be my personal opinions on the position groups...who stays, who goes, who needs to grow. Some exit interview negotiations and my thgts on the new OC. If you've heard the pod or read my views..most of this wont be earth shattering but I'll provide as much context as i can.
QBs: No need to be long winded here. I have to give Jackson credit for his efforts. Kid showed guts and a character trait i value more so now than ever before...finishing what you start. Thats worth something. However, it's not worth the starting qb position at OU or 2 commas associated with a NiL deal. I'd actually welcome him back to improve and grow with whoever the new OC is. But, under two conditions: 1. His new NiL deal would be negotiated AFTER Spring. 2. He'd be in a clear competition with whoever portalled in. If he doesn't want to...I'd wish him well. I'll never forget a quote Bob said his first Winter at OU "I think we can replace 16 catches" when my big bro Kabba transferred out. Jackson was statistically the 16th best quarterback in the SEC. A conf with 16 teams...i think we can replace that type of production. Also...I'd offer Hawkins 100k and a true opportunity to compete. I firmly believe he plays better this season under the same circumstances given the same opportunities. His athleticism would have shined in more games and his threat would loosen up defenses. His arm is strong. I'd say probably even stronger than Jackson's, but his mechanics regressed over the course of the season, which tells me he wasn't a priority...and well, we didn't have a position coach half the year. PORTAL: Im a big spender here. Hoping whoever the OC is brings in a guy with him. This is probably a 7 figure investment now. Pony up...or get left behind.
RBs: I personally feel this group is seriously lacking in the talent department. I dont fully trust any of them. The pups are talented enough to potentially be the best RBs next year and a guy like Barnes would be welcomed back for his commitment and improvement. That said...we need a starter. And even if X Rob's ceiling is very high. He needs quality competition and OU can sell a "lead dawg" role in the portal. I focus on keeping: X Rob, Barnes and Tatum (in that order..ball security) and i focus on a talented back. Btw..this is one position where name on the back matters more than name on the front of the jersey. Meaning..you can find talent anywhere. PORTAL: Couple 100k and at least 1 back. I'd shoot for a #1 but settle with our current stable plus new recruits. And a depth piece or speed back from smaller school.
WRs: Im pretty sure Nic is gone and at least one of the other Big 5. In my opinion Gibson and probably Burks are the most important keeps followed closely by Farooq. All those guys have different attributes and could really help the core next season. I may go after 1wr but if we just get healthy the guys we have coming back plus pups like Kearny, Caraeon (sp) Ragins and Jacobs add a lot of depth. Add the young Okie and Lancaster kid..who both i like a lot and i think we are okay. By their sophomore year, you generally know what you have at wr and in my opinion, none of the young guys got a true fair shot at a quality offense. I think Kearny, Ragins and Caraeon can help a lot. I do, however, think we go into the portal and seek a lead dawg. Someone with size and a track record of at least 40 to 50 balls last season. Assuming Gibson and Burks can come back...a nucleus of those two plus all the pups and another #1 would be great going into 2025. PORTAL: $250K or so. 1 guy..go big...go early...sell him Z position and every opportunity to start IFF he comes in and competes.
TEs: short and quick...Burn ALL OF IT DOWN aside from the pups. Seriously. Im only asking Mitchell and the other young pup back. All others can kick rocks. No dis, but TEs need to block, catch and play big. Ours do neither and I personally have ptsd because of an offense that continued to feature a TE as it's feature, no matter how many times he shrunk in the moment.
PORTAL: 2 targets with very different bodies and styles. Gimme a 6'5 235 lbs stretch who primarily runs the seams, blocks on screens and can line up 1v1 and catch the slant fade. Then gimme an inline 6'4 255lb TE who blocks and dominates in the flats or as a sniffer offline leading into the hole on counters and wham blocks. Do that and develop the pups and play ball. PORTAL: 150k total for both unless there's a proven SEC good player out there. Then I go up another 100 to 150k
OLINE: This group tricky. 3 pups played a lot over the course of the end of the season: Ozeata, Howland and Autry..and showed signs of progress. Their biggest development will be this off-season. Sexton and Taylor we both injured and never settled on a spot. EPL may be our most talented and should be a starter next year. We need that attitude. 54 is good depth and will get stronger in the winter as well. ALL THAT SAID...we need a high caliber Tackle and Guard/Center guy to come in and TAKE a spot from all comers. ala Stocker in 98 or T Marshall in 99...guys MOVE positions to make room because they were so good. We need to spend big and have certainty at LT and bring in a starter caliber guard from a competitive P4 school. We also need to keep Brooks as i hear his ceiling is high. PORTAL: Bigtime LT (up to 500k) and another starter caliber inside guy (up to 250k). Also...BB needs to figure out his group sooner and get chemistry after SPRING. Identify a 1s group and give guys hope to pass them, but have your 5 settled and working as a unit all summer.
DLINE: We gone have to spend a lot more to KEEP guys on defense. Jayden may be the most important piece on the defense. We have NO CLUE what he can be if he gets stronger in the off-season. I think he can be a 3 and done guy if he takes the weight room seriously for two seasons. His body type and instincts are top tier. Everyone is gonna try to steal him. He's worth whatever the market is for inside guys. Stone is probably just as important. If Jackson beats you with strength and tech..Stone is a supreme athlete who will be a guy who can win 1v1 i think as early as next season. I think RMT leaves early unfortunately, but i hope we throw a brinks truck at him too. He's OUR ONLY proven rusher and unless Okoye and PJ grow up quickly...we'll be in big trouble next season. Halton is a guy we need to hold on to and the pups need to develop. I think we need 2 DEs/Edge guys and we need to spend BIG to keep our two frosh DTs and RMT. I think this position alone is at LEAST million dollars. And if u wanna compete in the SEC...Spend it. PORTAL: That million DOESN'T include adding pieces and we need to get the very best there is out there. No more sawwed off guys or non athletes. We don't need edge holders as much as we need pass rushers. 2 dudes and potentially ANOTHER million bucks to compete with the big buys. PERIOD.
BACKERS: Kip deserves to get paid. Idk if we spend much outside of him. McKenzie and Sammy O are developing as well as Carter. Those guys deserve some $$ (crazy I'm even saying that...i wish I were 25yrs younger) but we need another Alpha to come in and ruffle some feathers. Not some undersized FCS special teamer either. A 6'2.5 238lbs stud who can run and run thru ball carriers with speed and physicality. Then we continue to develop what we have. Hopefully we get Burns as he will be good. PORTAL: 200k on 1 stud..more if you get a proven leader who's a serious athlete.
DBs: Jackson and Eli have played well, but neither is top shelf good yet. Billy is gone and Petyon will be stepping into a leadership role. All that said. I think the db who had the best season is RSJ. Eli has shown he can play smart and is great in coverage but against taller wrs even if covered they arent if the qb places the ball high. That's a problem. I feel good about him and Jackson developing but they need competition. Kani and Malone can come back, but im going after an ALPHA at Safety and CB and giving them every opportunity to start next fall. Personally, I dont think our scheme does our guys any favors...as far too often, we're off and soft hoping the offense screws up or the dline gets home, but we need to put more pressure on wrs with the backend if we wanna level up. Gentry is a gamble either way. Kid is really good, but can never stay healthy. I think he feels some type of way about our medical staff (like Nic) and will seek greener pastures. PORTAL 500k or more on a top dawg CB and probably 150k on a safety who is tall has range and can tackle. The corner needs to be bigtime but id take a solid safety from any level of P4 and even some smaller schools if his instincts and tackling jump at you on film and he can really run 4.5ish. We need a 6'2 or 6'3 guy back there to cover taller wrs and be imposing.
PORTAL BUDGET: 5 to 7mil
OC: After watching the second half of the season I'm equally (MORE) adamant about needing an OC that clearly understands what's needed to be successful in our new conference. Name one coach on the current staff who knows? Maybe Bates and BV from their beefs with Bama, but that was 5 or 6yrs ago. The rest of the staff has no clue what a phenomenal SEC off-season or Spring, or Summer/Fall Camp looks like. SEC good athleticism traits, size speed ratio, etc. And i getit. You guys want a "play caller" and i do too. But i also want a program builder. Bob came in and built a program. He had just seen the FSU v Florida battles and UF v Tenn battles that were littered with NFL dudes. He immediately came in and told us what we were doing wouldnt cut it. Theres no coincidence that his perspective gave us a dose of reality and made us continue to raise the bar in practice and ESPECIALLY in off seasons. Play calling wont matter if our "Mickey Mouse" plays don't work against bigger, stronger dudes. I want our OC to come in and tell BV "this this and this AINT IT...That and that..solid...these two or three concepts really good" and the program move in a way to get to top shelf. It's what nobody's talking about that Texas did. Sark knew what he needed and how practices needed to look and brought in Bama dudes the past two seasons...buddy got his program up to speed bcuz he knew what to look for. Who on our staff even knows? Name them? 👀
Sign me up for COLEY (I kid...)
But i do like Faulkner 1st
Craddock 2nd
And unknown 3rd.
I dont want Arbuckle and Wassu's air raid. I dont. If we were turning over the staff and the new HBC wanted him as HIS guys in a 3yr plan i could get behind that but Arbuckle is too big a risk for BV in this instance...in my opinion. I could VERY well be wrong, but im not wrong about the risk. He and all the directional, state ATs of the world need to sit this one out. All the titans are stealing HBCs and top coordinators from other titans...not also rans. So why should we.
Lanning flipped UO
Sark Texas
Kirby did it a decade ago
Even Day and Sherron were in house proteges who were groomed in a championship environment.
Makes too much sense to me.
Boomer
This Ten Thgts will be my personal opinions on the position groups...who stays, who goes, who needs to grow. Some exit interview negotiations and my thgts on the new OC. If you've heard the pod or read my views..most of this wont be earth shattering but I'll provide as much context as i can.
QBs: No need to be long winded here. I have to give Jackson credit for his efforts. Kid showed guts and a character trait i value more so now than ever before...finishing what you start. Thats worth something. However, it's not worth the starting qb position at OU or 2 commas associated with a NiL deal. I'd actually welcome him back to improve and grow with whoever the new OC is. But, under two conditions: 1. His new NiL deal would be negotiated AFTER Spring. 2. He'd be in a clear competition with whoever portalled in. If he doesn't want to...I'd wish him well. I'll never forget a quote Bob said his first Winter at OU "I think we can replace 16 catches" when my big bro Kabba transferred out. Jackson was statistically the 16th best quarterback in the SEC. A conf with 16 teams...i think we can replace that type of production. Also...I'd offer Hawkins 100k and a true opportunity to compete. I firmly believe he plays better this season under the same circumstances given the same opportunities. His athleticism would have shined in more games and his threat would loosen up defenses. His arm is strong. I'd say probably even stronger than Jackson's, but his mechanics regressed over the course of the season, which tells me he wasn't a priority...and well, we didn't have a position coach half the year. PORTAL: Im a big spender here. Hoping whoever the OC is brings in a guy with him. This is probably a 7 figure investment now. Pony up...or get left behind.
RBs: I personally feel this group is seriously lacking in the talent department. I dont fully trust any of them. The pups are talented enough to potentially be the best RBs next year and a guy like Barnes would be welcomed back for his commitment and improvement. That said...we need a starter. And even if X Rob's ceiling is very high. He needs quality competition and OU can sell a "lead dawg" role in the portal. I focus on keeping: X Rob, Barnes and Tatum (in that order..ball security) and i focus on a talented back. Btw..this is one position where name on the back matters more than name on the front of the jersey. Meaning..you can find talent anywhere. PORTAL: Couple 100k and at least 1 back. I'd shoot for a #1 but settle with our current stable plus new recruits. And a depth piece or speed back from smaller school.
WRs: Im pretty sure Nic is gone and at least one of the other Big 5. In my opinion Gibson and probably Burks are the most important keeps followed closely by Farooq. All those guys have different attributes and could really help the core next season. I may go after 1wr but if we just get healthy the guys we have coming back plus pups like Kearny, Caraeon (sp) Ragins and Jacobs add a lot of depth. Add the young Okie and Lancaster kid..who both i like a lot and i think we are okay. By their sophomore year, you generally know what you have at wr and in my opinion, none of the young guys got a true fair shot at a quality offense. I think Kearny, Ragins and Caraeon can help a lot. I do, however, think we go into the portal and seek a lead dawg. Someone with size and a track record of at least 40 to 50 balls last season. Assuming Gibson and Burks can come back...a nucleus of those two plus all the pups and another #1 would be great going into 2025. PORTAL: $250K or so. 1 guy..go big...go early...sell him Z position and every opportunity to start IFF he comes in and competes.
TEs: short and quick...Burn ALL OF IT DOWN aside from the pups. Seriously. Im only asking Mitchell and the other young pup back. All others can kick rocks. No dis, but TEs need to block, catch and play big. Ours do neither and I personally have ptsd because of an offense that continued to feature a TE as it's feature, no matter how many times he shrunk in the moment.
PORTAL: 2 targets with very different bodies and styles. Gimme a 6'5 235 lbs stretch who primarily runs the seams, blocks on screens and can line up 1v1 and catch the slant fade. Then gimme an inline 6'4 255lb TE who blocks and dominates in the flats or as a sniffer offline leading into the hole on counters and wham blocks. Do that and develop the pups and play ball. PORTAL: 150k total for both unless there's a proven SEC good player out there. Then I go up another 100 to 150k
OLINE: This group tricky. 3 pups played a lot over the course of the end of the season: Ozeata, Howland and Autry..and showed signs of progress. Their biggest development will be this off-season. Sexton and Taylor we both injured and never settled on a spot. EPL may be our most talented and should be a starter next year. We need that attitude. 54 is good depth and will get stronger in the winter as well. ALL THAT SAID...we need a high caliber Tackle and Guard/Center guy to come in and TAKE a spot from all comers. ala Stocker in 98 or T Marshall in 99...guys MOVE positions to make room because they were so good. We need to spend big and have certainty at LT and bring in a starter caliber guard from a competitive P4 school. We also need to keep Brooks as i hear his ceiling is high. PORTAL: Bigtime LT (up to 500k) and another starter caliber inside guy (up to 250k). Also...BB needs to figure out his group sooner and get chemistry after SPRING. Identify a 1s group and give guys hope to pass them, but have your 5 settled and working as a unit all summer.
DLINE: We gone have to spend a lot more to KEEP guys on defense. Jayden may be the most important piece on the defense. We have NO CLUE what he can be if he gets stronger in the off-season. I think he can be a 3 and done guy if he takes the weight room seriously for two seasons. His body type and instincts are top tier. Everyone is gonna try to steal him. He's worth whatever the market is for inside guys. Stone is probably just as important. If Jackson beats you with strength and tech..Stone is a supreme athlete who will be a guy who can win 1v1 i think as early as next season. I think RMT leaves early unfortunately, but i hope we throw a brinks truck at him too. He's OUR ONLY proven rusher and unless Okoye and PJ grow up quickly...we'll be in big trouble next season. Halton is a guy we need to hold on to and the pups need to develop. I think we need 2 DEs/Edge guys and we need to spend BIG to keep our two frosh DTs and RMT. I think this position alone is at LEAST million dollars. And if u wanna compete in the SEC...Spend it. PORTAL: That million DOESN'T include adding pieces and we need to get the very best there is out there. No more sawwed off guys or non athletes. We don't need edge holders as much as we need pass rushers. 2 dudes and potentially ANOTHER million bucks to compete with the big buys. PERIOD.
BACKERS: Kip deserves to get paid. Idk if we spend much outside of him. McKenzie and Sammy O are developing as well as Carter. Those guys deserve some $$ (crazy I'm even saying that...i wish I were 25yrs younger) but we need another Alpha to come in and ruffle some feathers. Not some undersized FCS special teamer either. A 6'2.5 238lbs stud who can run and run thru ball carriers with speed and physicality. Then we continue to develop what we have. Hopefully we get Burns as he will be good. PORTAL: 200k on 1 stud..more if you get a proven leader who's a serious athlete.
DBs: Jackson and Eli have played well, but neither is top shelf good yet. Billy is gone and Petyon will be stepping into a leadership role. All that said. I think the db who had the best season is RSJ. Eli has shown he can play smart and is great in coverage but against taller wrs even if covered they arent if the qb places the ball high. That's a problem. I feel good about him and Jackson developing but they need competition. Kani and Malone can come back, but im going after an ALPHA at Safety and CB and giving them every opportunity to start next fall. Personally, I dont think our scheme does our guys any favors...as far too often, we're off and soft hoping the offense screws up or the dline gets home, but we need to put more pressure on wrs with the backend if we wanna level up. Gentry is a gamble either way. Kid is really good, but can never stay healthy. I think he feels some type of way about our medical staff (like Nic) and will seek greener pastures. PORTAL 500k or more on a top dawg CB and probably 150k on a safety who is tall has range and can tackle. The corner needs to be bigtime but id take a solid safety from any level of P4 and even some smaller schools if his instincts and tackling jump at you on film and he can really run 4.5ish. We need a 6'2 or 6'3 guy back there to cover taller wrs and be imposing.
PORTAL BUDGET: 5 to 7mil
OC: After watching the second half of the season I'm equally (MORE) adamant about needing an OC that clearly understands what's needed to be successful in our new conference. Name one coach on the current staff who knows? Maybe Bates and BV from their beefs with Bama, but that was 5 or 6yrs ago. The rest of the staff has no clue what a phenomenal SEC off-season or Spring, or Summer/Fall Camp looks like. SEC good athleticism traits, size speed ratio, etc. And i getit. You guys want a "play caller" and i do too. But i also want a program builder. Bob came in and built a program. He had just seen the FSU v Florida battles and UF v Tenn battles that were littered with NFL dudes. He immediately came in and told us what we were doing wouldnt cut it. Theres no coincidence that his perspective gave us a dose of reality and made us continue to raise the bar in practice and ESPECIALLY in off seasons. Play calling wont matter if our "Mickey Mouse" plays don't work against bigger, stronger dudes. I want our OC to come in and tell BV "this this and this AINT IT...That and that..solid...these two or three concepts really good" and the program move in a way to get to top shelf. It's what nobody's talking about that Texas did. Sark knew what he needed and how practices needed to look and brought in Bama dudes the past two seasons...buddy got his program up to speed bcuz he knew what to look for. Who on our staff even knows? Name them? 👀
Sign me up for COLEY (I kid...)
But i do like Faulkner 1st
Craddock 2nd
And unknown 3rd.
I dont want Arbuckle and Wassu's air raid. I dont. If we were turning over the staff and the new HBC wanted him as HIS guys in a 3yr plan i could get behind that but Arbuckle is too big a risk for BV in this instance...in my opinion. I could VERY well be wrong, but im not wrong about the risk. He and all the directional, state ATs of the world need to sit this one out. All the titans are stealing HBCs and top coordinators from other titans...not also rans. So why should we.
Lanning flipped UO
Sark Texas
Kirby did it a decade ago
Even Day and Sherron were in house proteges who were groomed in a championship environment.
Makes too much sense to me.
Boomer
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