'14 OH ATH Sam Hubbard (Ohio State Verbal)

[ThePiombino]

Who are these stud DEs? I would not call our 2014 DE clasS loaded.

Loaded in numbers.

 

[Luckylucci]

Who are these stud DEs? I would not call our 2014 DE clasS loaded.

I completely disagree. There might not be a ton of instant impact players but as we've seen in Spring there is a lot to like with that class. Trumbetti, Blankenship, Williams, and Bonner are all going to be good to very good players. Now I'd love to throw Hubbard in that mix but it must be remembered that all but Trumbetti haven't been on campus for even 1 year at this point. Are they proven, no but neither is Hubbard.

 

[pkt77242]

Loaded in numbers.

Agreed.

[/B]

I completely disagree. There might not be a ton of instant impact players but as we've seen in Spring there is a lot to like with that class. Trumbetti, Blankenship, Williams, and Bonner are all going to be good to very good players. Now I'd love to throw Hubbard in that mix but it must be remembered that all but Trumbetti haven't been on campus for even 1 year at this point. Are they proven, no but neither is Hubbard.

I would describe the class as deep but not loaded.

Also I highly doubt that all of Trumbetti, Blankenship, Williams and Bonner will be good to very good, that seems overly optimistic. It is more likely that 2 are good to very good, 1 is ok and 1 doesn't turn out to be below average. Hubbard would be the most athletically gifted of the group and Trumbetti is the only one currently that I might be willing to take of him and that is a maybe as Hubbard brings the athleticism (along with pretty good size) that we are missing at DE.

 

[Luckylucci]

Agreed.



I would describe the class as deep but not loaded.

Also I highly doubt that all of Trumbetti, Blankenship, Williams and Bonner will be good to very good, that seems overly optimistic. It is more likely that 2 are good to very good, 1 is ok and 1 doesn't turn out to be below average. Hubbard would be the most athletically gifted of the group and Trumbetti is the only one currently that I might be willing to take of him and that is a maybe as Hubbard brings the athleticism (along with pretty good size) that we are missing at DE.

While I think we should've offered Hubbard, he hasn't shown any productivity and I disagree that he has more raw athleticism that Williams. Williams issue isn't athleticism it's playing the position which is the same thing that will challenge Hubbard. It's all well and good to project players but that the only thing we're doing with Hubbard. We have guys Trumbetti/Blankenship that have show actual productivity. Maybe better out this way, if Hubbard was on this team right now he'd be another guy in the rotation. He wouldn't be passing those guys up.

 

[irishroo]

Would've been a slam dunk if we offered him, too. His older brother was a student at ND during Sam's recruitment and comes from an ND family. Dammit

 

[Crazy Balki]

Agreed.



I would describe the class as deep but not loaded.

Also I highly doubt that all of Trumbetti, Blankenship, Williams and Bonner will be good to very good, that seems overly optimistic. It is more likely that 2 are good to very good, 1 is ok and 1 doesn't turn out to be below average. Hubbard would be the most athletically gifted of the group and Trumbetti is the only one currently that I might be willing to take of him and that is a maybe as Hubbard brings the athleticism (along with pretty good size) that we are missing at DE.

I disagree completely. Athleticism isn't what we're missing. Technique is what we're missing. In terms of raw athleticism, Jhonny Williams, Andrew Trumbetti and apparently Jonathan Bonner according to the staff are just as, if not more athletic than Hubbard. They may not possess the same frame, but their speed and strength off the edge is insane. They need to improve their hands and ability to get off blocks, because all that athleticism, speed and strength doesn't mean jack sh*t if you can get off the initial block and find the ball carrier. Hubbard will need to do the same thing. That's why hiring Gilmore was such a huge get.

 

[NDWorld247]

Lax, or anyone that's qualified to answer...I'm curious because I have a very limited knowledge of lacrosse beyond basic rules...What would have been Hubbard's ideal weight if he played either lacrosse only or both lacrosse and football in college? His dramatic weight gain to become a DE is due to his focus on football. I'm curious what position he would have eventually played if he was also concerned about his performance on the lacrosse field. Could he get up to 265lbs and still maintain the skills needed for his position in lax?

The fact a 6'6" athlete was so good at lax amazes me. Are there a lot of "tall" (6'4" and above) players in college or professional lacrosse? For some reason I always pictured lacrosse players between 5'9" and 6'3".

 

[pkt77242]

I disagree completely. Athleticism isn't what we're missing. Technique is what we're missing. In terms of raw athleticism, Jhonny Williams, Andrew Trumbetti and apparently Jonathan Bonner according to the staff are just as, if not more athletic than Hubbard. They may not possess the same frame, but their speed and strength off the edge is insane. They need to improve their hands and ability to get off blocks, because all that athleticism, speed and strength doesn't mean jack sh*t if you can get off the initial block and find the ball carrier. Hubbard will need to do the same thing. That's why hiring Gilmore was such a huge get.

Um, no. I like Trumbetti and he is more polished then Hubbard but him and Bonner are not as athletic as Hubbard. I still believe from watching the tapes that Hubbard is more athletic than Williams but I can understand why people think they are similar in athleticism.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Um, no. I like Trumbetti and he is more polished then Hubbard but him and Bonner are not as athletic as Hubbard. I still believe from watching the tapes that Hubbard is more athletic than Williams but I can understand why people think they are similar in athleticism.

Trumbetti definitely is just as or more athletic than Hubbard. I think you might want to re-watch his highlight tape. The guy is playing RB at 6'4 250 and running past safeties and taking kickoffs back for six. Bonner showed great athleticism, but I'm just taking the staff's word for it.

 

[IrishLax]

Lax, or anyone that's qualified to answer...I'm curious because I have a very limited knowledge of lacrosse beyond basic rules...What would have been Hubbard's ideal weight if he played either lacrosse only or both lacrosse and football in college? His dramatic weight gain to become a DE is due to his focus on football. I'm curious what position he would have eventually played if he was also concerned about his performance on the lacrosse field. Could he get up to 265lbs and still maintain the skills needed for his position in lax?

The fact a 6'6" athlete was so good at lax amazes me. Are there a lot of "tall" (6'4" and above) players in college or professional lacrosse? For some reason I always pictured lacrosse players between 5'9" and 6'3".

Man, that's a really good question. Best point of reference is Will Yeatman who played both sports proficiently at ND before his run ins with the law and has been hanging around NFL rosters as an OL for a few years now. At ND as a Soph where he started multiple games at TE after an All-American season in lacrosse, he was 6'6" and 265... which is surprisingly almost identical to Hubbard's current build. He bulked up to 310+ to play OL in the NFL.

For Hubbard to maintain his quickness and endurance as a midfielder his ideal size for lacrosse would've probably been around 230. But with an emphasis on football his ideal weight to play both sports at a high level would've probably been a 250-255 pound OLB or WDE, and a move to attack where bulk isn't going to hurt you as you're not running full field. There was a player for Navy many years ago who was 6'4" 260 and a dominant attackman, and I feel like Hubbard could've done the same thing at DE size.

 

[IrishLax]

Trumbetti definitely is just as or more athletic than Hubbard. I think you might want to re-watch his highlight tape. The guy is playing RB at 6'4 250 and running past safeties and taking kickoffs back for six. Bonner showed great athleticism, but I'm just taking the staff's word for it.

Based on those highlights alone? I understand what you're saying, but I also don't think it's true. Hubbard had the athletic ability to play safety at a very high level and a whole highlight tape showcasing his range.... not just isolated clips of a couple big plays running straight ahead.

Now, I don't know how much he lost bulking up. That's the kicker. Is Hubbard a lot slower now? But if they each kept their same traits there is no way to say that Trumbetti at 6'3" 255 is just as athletic as a 6'6" 265 Hubbard. You're talking about a player in Hubbard that is both substantially bigger and moves better.

 

[Luckylucci]

Based on those highlights alone? I understand what you're saying, but I also don't think it's true. Hubbard had the athletic ability to play safety at a very high level and a whole highlight tape showcasing his range.... not just isolated clips of a couple big plays running straight ahead.

Now, I don't know how much he lost bulking up. That's the kicker. Is Hubbard a lot slower now? But if they each kept their same traits there is no way to say that Trumbetti at 6'3" 255 is just as athletic as a 6'6" 265 Hubbard. You're talking about a player in Hubbard that is both substantially bigger and moves better.

I do completely understand this point, but which player has been productive? Trumbetti is actually competing against competition and playing well. I do think Hubbard could be a stud but that is more projection than we have to say about Trumbetti, no?

Again, I wish we would've offered him and played out cards better but I don't believe he's the game changer we don't have.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Based on those highlights alone? I understand what you're saying, but I also don't think it's true. Hubbard had the athletic ability to play safety at a very high level and a whole highlight tape showcasing his range.... not just isolated clips of a couple big plays running straight ahead.

Now, I don't know how much he lost bulking up. That's the kicker. Is Hubbard a lot slower now? But if they each kept their same traits there is no way to say that Trumbetti at 6'3" 255 is just as athletic as a 6'6" 265 Hubbard. You're talking about a player in Hubbard that is both substantially bigger and moves better.

I'm with Lucci on this one. You have to remember that Hubbard was around 220 when he was doing that stuff in his highlight tapes. Definitely athletic, but Trumbetti was doing all this at a substantially higher weight around 250-255. Just because Hubbard is 3 inches taller and 10 pounds heavier doesn't mean he's more athletic, it just means he's bigger. I highly doubt he would be able to do the same things in the defensive backfield that he did back then at his current weight. That's like expecting Kona Schwenke to play LB at his current weight of 300 pounds. Just isn't gonna happen.

Gotta give Trumbetti more credit than he's getting. He's still a bit raw, but with Gilmore, he's learning to disengage blockers and when he does, he gets to the ball like a bat out of hell. We simply haven't seen that from Hubbard.

 

[NDPhilly]

um... yeah

 

[IrishLax]

#ThanksDiaco

 

[NDinMich]

um... yeah

Oh boy, seeing PT as a freshman on the returning championship team. I think that's good, right?

 

[gkIrish]

Relax the blocker completely whiffed on a cut block. He didn't even have to make a move.

 

[ThePiombino]

Relax the blocker completely whiffed on a cut block. He didn't even have to make a move.

Yeah...

#ThanksDiaco

...but really this ^

 

[IrishLax]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OhioState?src=hash">#OhioState</a> is going to have some new superstars emerge this fall. Maybe none bigger than Sam Hubbard: <a href="https://t.co/JIeCEK37FB">https://t.co/JIeCEK37FB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cover3?src=hash">#Cover3</a></p>— Barton Simmons (@bartonsimmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/bartonsimmons/status/760485588998979584">August 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

THANKS DIACO!!!

 

[WestCoast]

So it's a shame this guy wasn't interested in ND. But on the other hand Jhonny Williams, Grant Blankenship and Kolin Hill worked out so well.

JUNIOR CLASS
Nile Sykes, LB — 3 stars
Grant Blankenship, DE — 3 stars
Kolin Hill, DE — 3 stars
Jhonathon Williams, DE — 3 stars

Recap: Four defenders, four front seven players, three pass rushers. When Irish fans wonder where the pass rush is, it’s misses like this that end up really hurting. Sykes, Hill and Williams were hardly national prospects. Blankenship was an early target with modest offers, though a strong senior season brought interest from Texas.

Hill’s pass rush skills were evident from his situational use as a freshman. His departure left a hole, and he’s now the second-leading tackler behind the line of scrimmage for Texas Tech. Sykes never made it onto the Irish roster, and is now the sack leader for Indiana. Williams is now in the mix at Toledo, a reach by the Irish staff who saw him as a developmental prospect.

 

[GBdomer]

So it's a shame this guy wasn't interested in ND. But on the other hand Jhonny Williams, Grant Blankenship and Kolin Hill worked out so well.

He was very much interested in ND, he was committed to the Lax team before deciding to want to play football. We never offered him a football scholarship. Just another whiff

 

[BobbyMac]

He was very much interested in ND, he was committed to the Lax team before deciding to want to play football. We never offered him a football scholarship. Just another whiff

How do you not offer any 4 star kid from a Catholic school in Cincy? ESPECIALLY the one that gave us Gerry Faust.
Dem fools owe us!!!

This has me a sad

 

[WestCoast]

He was very much interested in ND, he was committed to the Lax team before deciding to want to play football. We never offered him a football scholarship. Just another whiff

Sorry, should have put my first comment in italics.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

'14 OH ATH Sam Hubbard (Ohio State Verbal)

Sykes leading Indiana in sacks...damn wish the administration would have given him an exception...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GBdomer]

Sykes leading Indiana in sacks...damn wish the administration would have given him an exception...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

He has three sacks playing on IU's defense and he went five games without one. It's not like he's a difference maker. He doesn't play over Coney or any other LB's in the two deep

 

[IrishLion]

I was never clear on if the ND LAX staff didn't want ND football stepping on their toes and coming after their guy, or if the ND Football staff didn't want Hubbard for some other reason.

 

[IrishLax]

I was never clear on if the ND LAX staff didn't want ND football stepping on their toes and coming after their guy, or if the ND Football staff didn't want Hubbard for some other reason.

Diaco refused to take the time to even seriously evaluate him. Once he eventually got around to it, he offered him very late in the cycle.

At first, the kid was a "zero star" prospect focused on lacrosse and I understand us not wanting to waste time... but once he got an offer from every school he sent his new film to (Stanford, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, etc.) you think we could've at least made some effort. Every other school was able to identify that he was a big time prospect.

And then as we got near NSD, we were able to make the same determination. So it's just bad recruiting and being lazy. The moment we were contacted by his head coach, we should've jumped on the film and at least moved to establish serious contact.

 

[IrishLion]

Diaco refused to take the time to even seriously evaluate him. Once he eventually got around to it, he offered him very late in the cycle.

At first, the kid was a "zero star" prospect focused on lacrosse and I understand us not wanting to waste time... but once he got an offer from every school he sent his new film to (Stanford, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, etc.) you think we could've at least made some effort. Every other school was able to identify that he was a big time prospect.

And then as we got near NSD, we were able to make the same determination. So it's just bad recruiting and being lazy. The moment we were contacted by his head coach, we should've jumped on the film and at least moved to establish serious contact.

It is borderline unbelievable, even for Diaco and his track-record of questionable effort at times, that the staff wouldn't take an early look at a kid's film when they know he is already going to be on campus and almost exclusively available to them if they push for it.

 

[CraigKrenzel]

I wondered if Hubbard's production (like every other D-lineman at OSU) would drop off this year without Bosa in the mix attracting so much attention. Not sure I see any trend in the stat line -- 2.5 sacks in 7 games this year, 4 sacks in his final 7 games last year, tackles up a tick.

I guess it's safe to say he hasn't blown up in any sense nationally ("superstar" territory), but any word on how he's holding up after some of the pre-season hype?

 

[koonja]

To be fair, we don't really need rush ends. And being from OH, a once ND Lax commit from a Catholic school, he was a flight risk.