'18 CA WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (USC Verbal)

[Free Manera]

That struck me as really strange as well when it came out that Longo was going on disability and that he "couldn't get into the trenches" with the players last season.

I don't know what he's suffering from and it's none of my business, but if it was such an issue last season, why did they not do anything about fixing that problem? Like I said, none of my business what he's dealing with, but was it a sudden thing that they couldn't see coming in, say, 2015?

The worst part of this was that Kelly said Longo couldn't get into the trenches "like he did during the first few years." This was year 7. Thus, the implication is that it wasn't just an issue during 2016, but in the previous 2-3 years as well.

The S&C gaffe is probably my biggest problem with Kelly.

The elite teams are paying huge salaries to strength coaches. A good training and nutrition program is absolutely vital to the success of a program.

Yet we just let the strength program slide into mediocrity because Longo is a friend. Not only does it lead to lackluster performance, but it also leads to injury. It just sucks for everyone that S&C was neglected for years. Hard to forgive it.

 

[Irishnuke]

F'n Koon was right all along.

 

[Irish#1]

The S&C gaffe is probably my biggest problem with Kelly.

More so than BVG?

F'n Koon was right all along.

You know what they say about a blind squirrel!

 

[Free Manera]

More so than BVG?

Yes because at least BVG was somewhat explainable. His system was complicated and the players were, allegedly, going to come around after a couple years in it and improve. Obviously that was wrong, but at least there is some logic there. When it became clear the players still weren't getting it, BVG was cut loose.

The S&C program was in decline for years and everyone knew it. It has been discussed ad nauseum so I won't rehash it all. But suffice to say everyone, including the players, knew Longo was ineffective. Yet BK just let it ride and set these kids back, and the program back.

 

[Calabrese's People]

Kelly had no respect for the S&C program. Used it to park Jeff Quinn. Thought of it as a way to keep his buddies around the program.

 

[Domina Nostra]

For all the talk of Kelly throwing people under the bus, I think there is a very clear trend that he is actually loyal to a fault and won't really fire someone unless they are not being cooperative or his hand is forced by Swarbrick.

There are worse things in the world, though it probably is not the quickest way to an NC.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Still my biggest want of the class. Any playing style comparisons? I've seen Golden Tate thrown out there

I think I agree. Normally I'd reserve my top want for a top defensive guy (since we've been so bad on defense) but ASB is going to make some WR coach look really good.

He will be somebody's Percy Harvin/Golden Tate. Dynamic, strong hands, great acceleration.

He'd just look so much better doing it in blue & gold.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Agree that he should be the top prospect on the board.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BobbyMac]

Got his 5th star from Scout and Rivals. Passed Jalen Hall for #1 WR on Scout. Up to #2 on Rivals behind Hall. Will be a Comp 5 star as soon as 247 updates their rankings.

So glad they picked up Coach Alexander. He and BP are going to be tough to beat in SoCal next year.

New rankings as of today:

247 Comp: ..... ..... #3 WR ..... #30 OA ..... .9833 rating

247: ........ ............ #6 WR ..... #33 OA ....... 95 rating
Rivals: ..... ........ #2 WR ..... #11 OA ....... 6.0 rating
Scout: ..... ........ #1 WR ..... #10 OA
ESPN: ...... ........... #9 WR ..... #72 OA ........ 83 rating

 

[dad4aa]

Got his 5th star from Scout and Rivals. Passed Jalen Hall for #1 WR on Scout. Up to #2 on Rivals behind Hall. Will be a Comp 5 star as soon as 247 updates their rankings.

So glad they picked up Coach Alexander. He and BP are going to be tough to beat in SoCal next year.

New rankings as of today:

247 Comp: ..... ..... #3 WR ..... #30 OA ..... .9833 rating

247: ........ ............ #6 WR ..... #33 OA ....... 95 rating
Rivals: ..... ........ #2 WR ..... #11 OA ....... 6.0 rating
Scout: ..... ........ #1 WR ..... #10 OA
ESPN: ...... ........... #9 WR ..... #72 OA ........ 83 rating

ESPN still kills me with their outlier rankings...almost always off the mark of the other three

 

[Luckylucci]

Yes because at least BVG was somewhat explainable. His system was complicated and the players were, allegedly, going to come around after a couple years in it and improve. Obviously that was wrong, but at least there is some logic there. When it became clear the players still weren't getting it, BVG was cut loose.

The S&C program was in decline for years and everyone knew it. It has been discussed ad nauseum so I won't rehash it all. But suffice to say everyone, including the players, knew Longo was ineffective. Yet BK just let it ride and set these kids back, and the program back.

Disagree, BVG was the worst coach to happen to ND during Kelly's tenure. Bad hire, bad coach, terrible situation.

Good news is, his train wreck of a defense shouldn't affect this team anymore. Amon-ra is going to be a stud.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Disagree, BVG was the worst coach to happen to ND during Kelly's tenure. Bad hire, bad coach, terrible situation.

Good news is, his train wreck of a defense shouldn't affect this team anymore. Amon-ra is going to be a stud.

I don't disagree with you.

But I also agree that Kelly showed the program great disrespect, and totally hurt the program by what he let happen to strength and conditioning.

People have made the point that Kelly rode it all the way down the toilet with BVG. And it is true. BVG should have been gone a year earlier, or at least before last season. That is all good and true.

But he didn't even have to fire Longo, he could have moved him sideways, gotten him help, any one of a number of things. Think about it.

I got the loyalty thing. I am pissed as hell. I am hearing it ad nauseam from my up-channel connections. I said to one guy I talk to, "So you are telling me if you have a guy working for you, and he has an assignment that is pretty clear, in terms of a measurable goal, and he doesn't get to it, and you analyze things, and it turns out he blows one of the tasks he is responsible for, it is okay if it involves his loyalty to a friend?" I really held him to it, for saying it was okay for that guy to not do the job he was hired because it got in the way of his personal friendship.

Screw that, it is just a stupid excuse! I told him, that every time I heard someone give an excuse like that for someone who clearly didn't do their job, that was a reflection to me that no one involved, and therefore the institution didn't have the will to do what they said they were going to do.

Nobody needs to talk about winning, or why ND doesn't as long as anyone excepts BS excuses for not getting the right thing done.

And the absolute irony is, the healthy perspective is, with Longo and Kelly in this case, if Kelly actually gave a shit about his 'friend' he would have gotten him help before it got to a permanent or long-term disability!

You and I know there are hundreds of ways that Kelly and Swarbrick could have flooded that strenght and conditioning program with support, preserved Longo's title and Reputation and moved ND forward.

Because the fact is, everyone including Kelly acknowledged after the 2013 NC game that ND needed to be bigger and stronger to compete at the elite level on the national stage!

 

[BobbyMac]

Haaaaaaaate this.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Amon-Ra St. Brown, the top-rated WR in 2018, has big visit to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bama?src=hash">#Bama</a> looming with several others pushing hard early: <a href="https://t.co/RrL3DmxszV">https://t.co/RrL3DmxszV</a> <a href="https://t.co/eDioyQGEjP">pic.twitter.com/eDioyQGEjP</a></p>— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) <a href="https://twitter.com/bangulo/status/829381591285719040">February 8, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irish#1]

Pushing hard early? We've been in front of the pack with the offer. I still like our chances since his brother is here and Longo is gone.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Pushing hard early? We've been in front of the pack with the offer. I still like our chances since his brother is here and Longo is gone.

Plus isn't there already a connection with Del Alexander? I'm not saying that ASB is a lock, nor would I say that ND leads, but they're in a position to take advantage. I really hope that the staff goes balls to the wall for this kid. I've wanted him badly ever since John Brown first brought him up.

 

[connor_in]

Pushing hard early? We've been in front of the pack with the offer. I still like our chances since his brother is here and Longo is gone.

...and his family obviously values an education (ND, Stanford, TBD)

 

[Domina Nostra]

My predictions: USC.

But ND over Stanford.

 

[Luckylucci]

This is essentially what I was talking about previously. He's going to have the big boys coming after him. Neither OSB or ESB were in this same position. Not a bad thing, at all, just that it will probably look different than the other two.

 

[dublinirish]

My predictions: USC.

But ND over Stanford.

2nd place hat on table?

 

[NDShark]

2nd place hat on table?

Last shirt pulled off

 

[Domina Nostra]

My logic is this:
(1) Dad soured on ND--for good reason--so unless ESB has a huge year (which he will) AND the staff turns the corner (which it could), ASB is going to avoid ND just to keep Dad quiet.
(2) OSB appears to be a hyper-competitive pain in the butt and ASB is not going to follow him to play for his 50 year-old clone, David Shaw. (I like OSB, but he's got a chip on his shoulder...)
(3) So enter USC, the local show.

But my hope...
(1) Dad was vindicated by the staff changes. He likes the new WR coach and the new training staff.
(2) ESB becomes a star (I think this is actually pretty likely), and Dad can't help but love watching it happen--no more negative ND vibes;
(3) ASB follows his big, big brother--ESB seems like a great guy--and makes it a family affair (because what is more important than family?).

 

[BobbyMac]

2nd place hat on table?

Last shirt pulled off

Paint the Dome silver for runner up?




.

 

[Luckylucci]

You get ESB to be a projected 3rd round pick, or better, next year, and I'd bet some of the happy feelings come back to ND's side of things.

 

[dublinirish]

ESB gonna see way more balls thrown his way than OSB. Hope OSB enjoys blocking

 

[zelezo vlk]

You get ESB to be a projected 3rd round pick, or better, next year, and I'd bet some of the happy feelings come back to ND's side of things.

Barring injury, that's happening. People were going crazy for him after Texas and for a lot of the year. If ESB stays healthy, he's getting drafted by the end of the 3rd.

 

[BobbyMac]

My logic is this:
(1) Dad soured on ND--for good reason--so unless ESB has a huge year (which he will) AND the staff turns the corner (which it could), ASB is going to avoid ND just to keep Dad quiet.
(2) OSB appears to be a hyper-competitive pain in the butt and ASB is not going to follow him to play for his 50 year-old clone, David Shaw.
(3) So enter USC, the local show.

But my hope...
(1) Dad was vindicated by the staff changes. He likes the new WR coach and the new training staff.
(2) ESB becomes a star (I think this is actually pretty likely), and Dad can't help but love watching it happen;
(3) No more negative ND vibes.
(4) ASB follows his big, big brother--who seems like a great guy--and makes it a family affair (because what is more important that family?).

Good news with SC is IMO Jalen Hall is 99% locked in with the Trojans. He's one of two WR's that might be better than ASB along with Joshua Moore. Guys like this wanna be the man at their position in their class. Another thing, Hall & his Hawkins teammates are LA guys. They might be cool with the St Brown's and the OC guys but they are HUGE rivals on the 7v7 circuit too. ASB's team just won the first big tourney, King of the IE last weekend. Hopefully it's too much ego for one position in the same class.

 

[Luckylucci]

Good news with SC is IMO Jalen Hall is 99% locked in with the Trojans. He's one of two WR's that might be better than ASB along with Joshua Moore. Guys like this wanna be the man at their position in their class. Another thing, Hall & his Hawkins teammates are LA guys. They might be cool with the St Brown's and the OC guys but they are HUGE rivals on the 7v7 circuit too. ASB's team just won the first big tourney, King of the IE last weekend. Hopefully it's too much ego for one position in the same class.

Plus Joseph Lewis in front of them. Gross. Hall and Lewis on the field together for, at least 2 years, ugh.

 

[PANDFAN]

Plus Joseph Lewis in front of them. Gross. Hall and Lewis on the field together for, at least 2 years, ugh.

from everything i have read regarding lewis is he CAN be good but not sure if he wants to

 

[Luckylucci]

Certainly wouldn't be the first time they had some primeadonna busts, that just didn't want to work. So we'll see. Still looks like a crazy talented team going forward.

 

[IrishLion]

You get ESB to be a projected 3rd round pick, or better, next year, and I'd bet some of the happy feelings come back to ND's side of things.

Barring injury, that's happening. People were going crazy for him after Texas and for a lot of the year. If ESB stays healthy, he's getting drafted by the end of the 3rd.

Do you guys mean that he'll be leaving after this year, his junior season, as an early pick, or do you mean that he'll be talked about as a high draft pick going into his senior season, when ASB would be a freshman?