'14 IN OLB/S Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame Man)

[JD Irish]

Take him if he wants in. Solid three star player who at the very least will be good, versatile depth at three LB spots plus nickel and safety, and very probably a special teams stalwart. If he commits to ND after his previous verbal to Purdue, you know he will really love the school and work hard and be a good team player. Every year, the only "numbers problem" that we have is just not having enough. He won't be taking anyone's spot.

 

[irishog77]

Take him if he wants in. Solid three star player who at the very least will be good, versatile depth at three LB spots plus nickel and safety, and very probably a special teams stalwart. If he commits to ND after his previous verbal to Purdue, you know he will really love the school and work hard and be a good team player. Every year, the only "numbers problem" that we have is just not having enough. He won't be taking anyone's spot.

All true. Except the staff doesn't operate that way (in the bold). They can't and don't operate under the premise of "we'll make room" or "we'll probably lose a couple guys, like we always do, so let's not worry about the scholarship limit." They always have to be mindful of the scholarship limits and adhere to it.

 

[STLDomer]

Not every guy u take is going to be a 4 or 5 star or even have a good offer list. Here's a guy for ya; Vinnie Sunseri. Was pretty much exclusively a situational 3rd DB Nickel/Dime guy for Alabama last year and will likely be the starting Safety next to Clinton-Dix this year. Sunseri's best offer besides Bama was Louisville (not the same Louisville we see today too). Every team takes local guys like Tranquill, Michigan just took a guy almost exactly like Tranquill a couple days ago, local tweener type player, low ranked. Sunseri was obviously local too. Also worth noting Tranquill is supposed to be a great guy, Jake Brown from Rivals said he guarantees he's a future Captain when he committed to Purdue

 

[woolybug25]

Not every guy u take is going to be a 4 or 5 star or even have a good offer list. Here's a guy for ya; Vinnie Sunseri. Was pretty much exclusively a situational 3rd DB Nickel/Dime guy for Alabama last year and will likely be the starting Safety next to Clinton-Dix this year. Sunseri's best offer besides Bama was Louisville (not the same Louisville we see today too). Every team takes local guys like Tranquill, Michigan just took a guy almost exactly like Tranquill a couple days ago, local tweener type player, low ranked. Sunseri was obviously local too. Also worth noting Tranquill is supposed to be a great guy, Jake Brown from Rivals said he guarantees he's a future Captain when he committed to Purdue

Except the fact that we already have a couple 3-star type guys in this class. You have to pick and choose when you reach for a kid. We can't load a class with them, especially considering that we're still in it with a lot of elite guys.

Btw, I don't think Brown had to out on a limb to say Drue would be a future captain, he's the second highest ranked recruit in Purdue's class and they have bad talent currently.

 

[Cackalacky]

After watching the film on him he seems pretty solid on both sides of the ball. I have heard Alford talk about "bad habits" and how hard it is to correct those in college. I don't really see any bad habits on either side of the ball on this kids film. He actually looks like a decent receiver (high points the ball, has good hands, runs decent routes).

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Couple of thoughts....

1. ND wants him at middle LB if he cant put on weight, then he has the chance to see time at DOG, and when they run a 4-4 he can bump down like someone said a star role.

2. Drue has only picked up football recently, so to say his ceiling is comparable to Zeke is unfair to Drue, and unfair to Zeke. The kid is the nfl lol. The Atlanta Falcons arent exactly a team that just take guys to take guys. Drue's work ethic is outstanding and AWP knows what they are doing. Hes played 7-on-7 this summer against the best competition around the country.

3. Drue is just as athletic as Jaylon Smith if not more. He is not in a John Turner catagory, and at middle linebacker, give ND something that they have been looking for....Athleticism.

4. I dont like the offer if he was projected as a safety just bc he doesnt have the greatest hips, and personally i dont know how well he will do being in the space that comes with playing safety. DOG is different, he has a limited # of coverages, and possibilities of who he covers.

5. There is a lot of like about this kid and in a college weight training program, theres not reason why he cant put on the weight. The kid literally had no college offers this time last season, and that shows the kids work ethic and drive. He went from a unknown to Big Ten offers and a offer from a team that went to the National Title game.

 

[adsnorri]

The staff knows exactly what they are doing. Just think of him as another great evaluation, just like j Brent or any of the other guys that have been diamonds in the rough since Kelly has been here...Mathias Farley style. lol There can't be enough said about guys that want to be here and that will work their butt off to better the team, I assume this guy is the same, Deeb style.

 

[stlnd01]

Couple of thoughts....

1. ND wants him at middle LB if he cant put on weight, then he has the chance to see time at DOG, and when they run a 4-4 he can bump down like someone said a star role.

2. Drue has only picked up football recently, so to say his ceiling is comparable to Zeke is unfair to Drue, and unfair to Zeke. The kid is the nfl lol. The Atlanta Falcons arent exactly a team that just take guys to take guys. Drue's work ethic is outstanding and AWP knows what they are doing. Hes played 7-on-7 this summer against the best competition around the country.

3. Drue is just as athletic as Jaylon Smith if not more. He is not in a John Turner catagory, and at middle linebacker, give ND something that they have been looking for....Athleticism.

4. I dont like the offer if he was projected as a safety just bc he doesnt have the greatest hips, and personally i dont know how well he will do being in the space that comes with playing safety. DOG is different, he has a limited # of coverages, and possibilities of who he covers.

5. There is a lot of like about this kid and in a college weight training program, theres not reason why he cant put on the weight. The kid literally had no college offers this time last season, and that shows the kids work ethic and drive. He went from a unknown to Big Ten offers and a offer from a team that went to the National Title game.

That starts to make more sense, if he hasn't been playing that long and we project him as more as an athletic ILB or DOG than as a safety.

 

[koonja]

How new to football is he?

Idk how a kid with that body type doesn't play football until recently in Indiana. In California and Florida, sure that happens a lot because there's so much talent there that some goes unnoticed. Curious to know when Drue actually started.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I don't think he is new to football. It's just new that he's putting all of his focus on football. He previously thought he wanted to play baseball in college.

So yes there is some room for improvement if he focuses totally on football, but it's not like Mathias Farley playing soccer and suddenly switching to football where you knew there could be tremendous improvement.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

How new to football is he?

Idk how a kid with that body type doesn't play football until recently in Indiana. In California and Florida, sure that happens a lot because there's so much talent there that some goes unnoticed. Curious to know when Drue actually started.

I don't think he is new to football. It's just new that he's putting all of his focus on football. He previously thought he wanted to play baseball in college.

So yes there is some room for improvement if he focuses totally on football, but it's not like Mathias Farley playing soccer and suddenly switching to football where you knew there could be tremendous improvement.

Yep that's it. He was focused on baseball until late last year when he signed up with AWP.

 

[STLDomer]

Btw, I don't think Brown had to out on a limb to say Drue would be a future captain, he's the second highest ranked recruit in Purdue's class and they have bad talent currently.

Being a captain takes more than being the being one of the most talented players on the team.

 

[Luckylucci]

Not every guy u take is going to be a 4 or 5 star or even have a good offer list. Here's a guy for ya; Vinnie Sunseri. Was pretty much exclusively a situational 3rd DB Nickel/Dime guy for Alabama last year and will likely be the starting Safety next to Clinton-Dix this year. Sunseri's best offer besides Bama was Louisville (not the same Louisville we see today too). Every team takes local guys like Tranquill, Michigan just took a guy almost exactly like Tranquill a couple days ago, local tweener type player, low ranked. Sunseri was obviously local too. Also worth noting Tranquill is supposed to be a great guy, Jake Brown from Rivals said he guarantees he's a future Captain when he committed to Purdue

This. People that have been around this kid rave about him, both on and off the field. Hemboldt from rivals also can't speak enough about how much he likes this kid game and personality. Wiltfong mentioned the other day that its going to be harded to flip him than some think because of his loyalty and commitment when he gave Purdue his word. Those are the type of kids that build the ND football program over the long run.

 

[irishog77]

Couple of thoughts....

1. ND wants him at middle LB if he cant put on weight, then he has the chance to see time at DOG, and when they run a 4-4 he can bump down like someone said a star role.

2. Drue has only picked up football recently, so to say his ceiling is comparable to Zeke is unfair to Drue, and unfair to Zeke. The kid is the nfl lol. The Atlanta Falcons arent exactly a team that just take guys to take guys. Drue's work ethic is outstanding and AWP knows what they are doing. Hes played 7-on-7 this summer against the best competition around the country.

3. Drue is just as athletic as Jaylon Smith if not more. He is not in a John Turner catagory, and at middle linebacker, give ND something that they have been looking for....Athleticism.

4. I dont like the offer if he was projected as a safety just bc he doesnt have the greatest hips, and personally i dont know how well he will do being in the space that comes with playing safety. DOG is different, he has a limited # of coverages, and possibilities of who he covers.

5. There is a lot of like about this kid and in a college weight training program, theres not reason why he cant put on the weight. The kid literally had no college offers this time last season, and that shows the kids work ethic and drive. He went from a unknown to Big Ten offers and a offer from a team that went to the National Title game.

I will say I am intrigued by this...and the excitement meter is a bit higher for him as a LB rather than a S, especially an ILB.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I will say I am intrigued by this...and the excitement meter is a bit higher for him as a LB rather than a S, especially an ILB.

Absolutely. If he can put on the weight, he could be a badass LB. As a S though, he's less exciting.

 

[ThePiombino]

Absolutely. If he can put on the weight, he could be a badass LB. As a S though, he's less exciting.

I feel the same. I think that if he comes in as a S, he'll be destined for 4 years of special teams duty.

 

[IrishLax]

Couple of thoughts....

1. ND wants him at middle LB if he cant put on weight, then he has the chance to see time at DOG, and when they run a 4-4 he can bump down like someone said a star role.

2. Drue has only picked up football recently, so to say his ceiling is comparable to Zeke is unfair to Drue, and unfair to Zeke. The kid is the nfl lol. The Atlanta Falcons arent exactly a team that just take guys to take guys. Drue's work ethic is outstanding and AWP knows what they are doing. Hes played 7-on-7 this summer against the best competition around the country.

3. Drue is just as athletic as Jaylon Smith if not more. He is not in a John Turner catagory, and at middle linebacker, give ND something that they have been looking for....Athleticism.

4. I dont like the offer if he was projected as a safety just bc he doesnt have the greatest hips, and personally i dont know how well he will do being in the space that comes with playing safety. DOG is different, he has a limited # of coverages, and possibilities of who he covers.

5. There is a lot of like about this kid and in a college weight training program, theres not reason why he cant put on the weight. The kid literally had no college offers this time last season, and that shows the kids work ethic and drive. He went from a unknown to Big Ten offers and a offer from a team that went to the National Title game.

Good post, per usual.

His best fit without a doubt is WOLB in a traditional 4-3 scheme (or "WILL" when not using our terms). I guess to try to extrapolate that to our defense, when using a 4 man front with the CAT acting purely as a DE, he'd effectively be the "DOG" with our WILL/MIKE being some combination of SAM/MIKE depending on who our DC wants to have what responsibility.

Ironically, perhaps, I see Jaylon Smith having his greatest value as a DOG linebacker in our current scheme because he has the athleticism required to drop in coverage AND rush the passer on a blitz if called upon AND hold up at the point of attack after he puts on a bit more weight AND pursue sideline-to-sideline as both a WOLB as described above and our standard 3-man fronts. Tranquill will probably only be able to do two of those.

IF he can truly bulk up to ILB size and play our version of the WILL that also seems like a great fit. But I'm a bit skeptical of him being able to get north of 240.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

IF he can truly bulk up to ILB size and play our version of the WILL that also seems like a great fit. But I'm a bit skeptical of him being able to get north of 240.

Me too, but if that's where the staff projects him, then Longo must see something in his frame that I'm missing.

3-4 teams can't usually afford to trade down size for speed at LB; particularly at ILB.

 

[Irish#1]

Keep in mind that not every kid that has the size and ability to play college football gets noticed for any number of reasons. It looks like his is due to him being focused on baseball. If he is good enough to play college baseball, that tells me he's a pretty good athlete. True some positions in baseball don't require as much athleticism as some, but you won't be able to play at that level if you don't have the tools.

Looks to me like this guy will turn out better than some think.

 

[koonja]

Fwiw he is one of few recruits that actually looks their listed height. Maybe he has a bit more stretch that we think? Idk.

Personally I don't cut him any slack for being a baseball player too. In small, not so competitive high schools, all that means is you play another sport and are probably better at it. I'm guessing his hs isn't a mini sports factory like you see in larger cities with private schools. I don't buy that he's new to football if he's been playing it all through high school.

 

[NDdomer2]

Fwiw he is one of few recruits that actually looks their listed height. Maybe he has a bit more stretch that we think? Idk.

Personally I don't cut him any slack for being a baseball player too. In small, not so competitive high schools, all that means is you play another sport and are probably better at it. I'm guessing his hs isn't a mini sports factory like you see in larger cities with private schools. I don't buy that he's new to football if he's been playing it all through high school.

His school is not small but I think it is safe to say not so competitive. They have their years but couldn't tell you the last time they won their conference in football. Now in baseball, they have always been very good.

Carroll is not a sports factory, football schools in fort wayne are Luers (Jaylon), Snider, Dwenger for the most part, two being private.

 

[woolybug25]

Being a captain takes more than being the being one of the most talented players on the team.

Who was the last captian we had that wasn't a major contributor to our team? It's that way at every school, including Purdon't.

It's hard to be a leader of a team when you aren't playing, it's fairly easy to predict that the second highest recruit in a team's class would eventually be a contributing starter.

Can one of you guys please complete this excercise? Please watch the two clips on the first of this thread and then watch clips of Deeb and McKenzie. Then come back here and tell me that Drue is athletic enough to be taking his commitment this early in the cycle. I have done this several times and it's crazy talk. Those guys are three star talent like Drue, but they are also looking more athletic while playing better competition.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but i'll pass on the kool-aid, thanks. Drue is high MAC to low BIG talent. A fine project if we can squeeze him in on NSD. Nothing more.

 

[CanadalovesND]

Who was the last captian we had that wasn't a major contributor to our team? It's that way at every school, including Purdon't.

It's hard to be a leader of a team when you aren't playing, it's fairly easy to predict that the second highest recruit in a team's class would eventually be a contributing starter.

Can one of you guys please complete this excercise? Please watch the two clips on the first of this thread and then watch clips of Deeb and McKenzie. Then come back here and tell me that Drue is athletic enough to be taking his commitment this early in the cycle. I have done this several times and it's crazy talk. Those guys are three star talent like Drue, but they are also looking more athletic while playing better competition.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but i'll pass on the kool-aid, thanks. Drue is high MAC to low BIG talent. A fine project if we can squeeze him in on NSD. Nothing more.

LB Scott Smith, was only a special teams player for the majority of his career that had a few game reps here and there. One of CW's last four captains.

 

[woolybug25]

LB Scott Smith, was only a special teams player for the majority of his career that had a few game reps here and there. One of CW's last four captains.

Good point, its rare though. I really can't think of any others and I highly doubt anyone was talking about him as a future captian as a recruit. He also played a regular role on special teams. He wasn't sitting on the bench or anything, he just didn't start on offense or defense.

 

[Emcee77]

Drue kind of reminds me of John Turner. I was never crazy about Turner as a safety prospect, but I always kind of liked him as a LB prospect, with the understanding that he was kind of a project -- and now Kelly claims that Turner is turning into a serviceable safety, so maybe that shows how much I know ... Anyway, I definitely like Drue as a LB prospect/defensive athlete, no question.

I get Wooly's point though. We already have Yeargin and Martini, high three-star types, low four-stars at best, and Bonner, a low- to mid-range three star. With those guys as depth, I'm ready to start swinging for the fences at ILB. Do we have room for another three-star ham-and-egger?

Granted, the staff has shown excellent judgment with their offers to three-star level guys. Chris Brown and C.J. Prosise were great pickups, off the top of my head. Three star guys with upper-echelon athleticism.

Still, taking Tranquill might make me a little uneasy about star power in the linebacking corps, depending on the number of remaining spots. I want to get some top talent to mix with these high-character three-stars. You want some Michael Deebs, but you also want some Jaylon Smiths. This class needs a guy or two of Jaylon's caliber at LB. I assume we still have room to go after some upper-echelon ILBs, so I like the Tranquill offer, but if we don't have that room, then I'm a little uneasy.

 

[IlovethehireofCoachKelly]

Who was the last captian we had that wasn't a major contributor to our team? It's that way at every school, including Purdon't.

It's hard to be a leader of a team when you aren't playing, it's fairly easy to predict that the second highest recruit in a team's class would eventually be a contributing starter.

Can one of you guys please complete this excercise? Please watch the two clips on the first of this thread and then watch clips of Deeb and McKenzie. Then come back here and tell me that Drue is athletic enough to be taking his commitment this early in the cycle. I have done this several times and it's crazy talk. Those guys are three star talent like Drue, but they are also looking more athletic while playing better competition.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but i'll pass on the kool-aid, thanks. Drue is high MAC to low BIG talent. A fine project if we can squeeze him in on NSD. Nothing more.

He is white too, that always a bad sign of a skilled player.

 

[woolybug25]

He is white too, that always a bad sign of a skilled player.

Your screen name is intense, brosif.

 

[STLDomer]

Who was the last captian we had that wasn't a major contributor to our team? It's that way at every school, including Purdon't.

It's hard to be a leader of a team when you aren't playing, it's fairly easy to predict that the second highest recruit in a team's class would eventually be a contributing starter.

My point was the other way around. Not every major contributor is a captain. Our three best players arguably on defense are Tuitt Shembo and Nix. Probably none of them are going to be captains.

Doesn't really matter, my original point was that he is a "RKG" as some would say

 

[woolybug25]

My point was the other way around. Not every major contributor is a captain. Our three best players arguably on defense are Tuitt Shembo and Nix. Probably none of them are going to be captains.

Doesn't really matter, my original point was that he is a "RKG" as some would say

I'm a RKG... can I have a scholarship?

 

[NDWorld247]

I'm a RKG... can I have a scholarship?

That's questionable.

Re: Drue. I really like him and hope he's Irish.