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Comments
So the guys you mentioned you think are better than what UGA has returning?
3 guys from a good program in Alabama? Pritchett has flirted with the TP the last 2 years looking for a payday. He underachieved as a 5* while at AL. 3* Bertrand couldn't play at AL and was the 39th rated OT in the TP. McVay had underwhelming stat's for his limited playing time at AL according to Pro Football Focus.
As for the ND guys, Spindler said. “I’d love to be part of this program. This is my team, my home. I’ll forever love Notre Dame.” Clearly looking for guaranteed starter and a big payday. Coogan is a 3* HS recruit who is undersized by UGA OL standards for any position besides OC. These 2 are either looking for a payday with their remaining 1 yr of eligibility or feel like they cannot win the starting spot at ND next year. And they are going to beat out bigger guys that have been in the program multiple years with some starting experience? Bringing in guys with a single year of eligibility would likely push guys with multiple years of eligibility/development into the TP.
As for Boaz Stanley, he is veteran of GA Military and Troy. Is he expected to be any better than the guys that UGA recruited? There is another TP window in the spring. You want to bring in a guy that may not even be able to play in the SEC and risk guys that have been in the program multiple years? Stanley is a C in the SEC, maybe.
None of the guys you mentioned are better than what UGA already has in the OL room fighting it out.
@benzone "Yeah … why would someone with starting experience enter the transfer portal only to be a career backup at UGA? It would have to be someone from a smaller college who knows that the NFL isn't a realistic ambition but wants a UGA MBA. Otherwise, UGA's best option would be to go the JUCO route."
Rashada was someone with starting experience who came to UGA and backed up. And developed. QB's don't come to UGA to be career backups. They come to UGA after losing out on a starting position where they are to get elite training in a pro style offense working against elite defenders. Then, if they fail to win the starting job here, they transfer and use their remaining eligibility elsewhere after having developed more at UGA than they would've elsewhere.
Don't be surprised when UGA adds another QB in the spring that fits this profile. Wouldn't it be interesting if it was BVG, coming out of retirement, riding the bench just in case. Practicing at UGA for a full year is more valuable than starting a handful of games for USC and playing forgettably. Looking at you Maiava.
Never understood those screens either. 3rd and 8 and you throw a pass at or behind the line of scrimmage. Almost all 11 defenders will be within 5 yards of the reciever when and if they make the catch. Making it tough to gain 3 or 4 yards, much less 7, 8, 9 or more yards for a 1st down. Sometimes it actually works and you get a 1st down, but I've seen it fail more often than not.
If you watch Greene and Freeling through the year, they just seem slow and unable to pass block. I've always considered it a talent issue—compared to our L tackles of the recent years past—but if you consider it, it could very well be technique, which is certainly a coaching issue.
@UGADad20
I don't know if the guys I mentioned are better than our guys or not. What I do know is it took me all of 4-5 minutes to find OL that are or were in the portal that come from top tier programs with good coaching. And these seemed to be decent players. All 3 of the BAMA guys I listed went on to major programs Syracuse, Nebraska, and I forget the other one. Tennessee has added OL as so has South Carolina. I'm certain I could check team by team and find other SEC teams adding OL. Like I said, I found all of that out within the first 5 minutes of searching. So, there are players to be had, and if you can find a good player or two with experience under their belt then that might beat what we have in waiting since the ones in waiting couldn't crack the starting lineup of the guys who just left and so underperformed. Our worst rushing production in years! Maybe CKS just decides next year is a rebuilding year, and we wait for the inexperienced OL to mature and be ready for 2026, although he's never going to admit that.
To assume what we have waiting in the wings on the OL is better than other teams's players with a year or two experience starting or filling in for hurt starters at the college level because ours were higher rated coming out of HS doesn't compute. I want someone who can manup and defeat the guy across the line of scrimmage from him in 2025, not in 2026 or later.
If you can bring in players to meet a deficiency at any position, why wouldn't you do it? We did it for WR's and we have done it for RB and to a lessor degree at QB. SB was a transfer that was brought back for depth. The main thing I take issue with is you seem to have the assumption that there aren't good players available that would compare with what we alreay have. THe TP is all about cherry picking. BUt you believe there are no cherries to be picked while I see other top programs picking them. I also disagree with your assumption that to bring in outsiders would disrupt the comraderie. I mean it could, but it doesn't have to by any means. We could bring in guys who fit right in. I certainly wouldn't be afraid to try.
Most pundits I have listened to believe CKS hasn't been aggresive enough in the TP. They believe he hasn't adapted fast enough to the changing times. That's not me, it's them saying that. Ohio St put together a beast this year. You know as well as I do that you have to win in the trenches. We were bad on the O-line this season. To just sit back and cross our fingers and hope the O-lineman we have returning can somehow outperform the ones who just left is not addressing our needs IMO.
To say there is no one in or who was in the TP who couldn't outperform anyone on our bench is ridiculous.
@reddawg1 "Waiting in the wings"? You mean returning starters Greene(5*), Freeling (5*) and Morris (4*+) and Bobo? All have had starting experience at UGA. That is 4 of UGA's '25 starters right there. Greene was hurt this year. Hurt shoulder, playing with 1 arm, had to move to RT to protect his injured shoulder. You want to throw out Freeling because of 1 bad game? SMH. This is Morris's year to work and shine if he wants an NFL paycheck. Think he will bring it?
"What I do know is it took me all of 4-5 minutes to find OL that are or were in the portal that come from top tier programs with good coaching." So in your opinion CFB works like fantasy football? Swap out the guys you admittedly don't know much about for (probable back up) guys from other programs because they were good programs? Like Troy? Because CFB OL are plug and play?
SC and TN NEED transfers on the OL because UGA does so well recruiting multiple OL and they don't. Where exactly is the "deficiency" on the OL and who exactly is better than the starters I mentioned and the monsters training behind them? Who are you willing to lose to the TP when you bring in guys with limited eligibility that may or may not be better than what you already have? That isn't how UGA works in general (exclude WR). When has CKS brought in an OL transfer?
I think people are overreacting to the sub-standard OL play of '24. Sometimes it is the scheme or the coach. Sometimes it is injuries. Having 1 semi-healthy RB, 1 freshman RB and 1 walk on RB (all undersized) didn't help the running game in '24.
There is a reason that UGA/CKS is deliberately NOT aggressive in the TP. He's had top 3 recruiting classes and he sells his recruits on developing at UGA. If they work hard and stick, they get 1st shot. OL takes time to develop the strength and technique required to succeed. The guys in the UGA OL pushing each other have a higher probability for success than inserting (usually) undersized, unknown players from inferior conferences.
You have to ask yourself (unless you are desperate) do you want to spend UGA NIL money on guys that you know very little about? Are these guys going to be better than what UGA already has? Can they even be starters in the SEC? Is it worth losing guys to the spring TP for unknown players?
TP WR's were a necessity. They may not be after '25. In the final Rivals rankings Wiley and Taylor were both rated w/in 10 players of 5*. TP RB ETN was a (SEC) guy UGA wanted out of HS that was available to fill a hole after APaul left. The TP IS about cherry picking. BUT UGA has one of the highest blue chip ratios in the country. There just aren't that many cherries to find that are better than what UGA has. It is not worth the disruption to the UGA culture to take transfers with questions unless you are desperate.