Offensive Line Thread

[IrishLion]

I will say that I enjoyed the very clear “Fuck You” statement that BK and Co. made toward Elko with the way they’ve handled HH’s departure.

BK gave a glowing review, HH got to put out a statement, and two active players got to officially sing his praises with quotes. Handle a job opportunity with grace and show some loyalty, and you get treated well.

Handle it like Elko did, and you make enemies of an entire program and fanbase.

 

[wizards8507]

So if UTEP offered to pay Saban 20% more than he's currently making at 'Bama to be their HC, and he took the offer, you'd argue that wouldn't be at best a horizontal move?

Saban wins nattys at Bama. He would not win nattys at UTEP.

Tell me, which of TAMU or UND is more likely to win a natty in the next five years?

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Saban wins nattys at Bama. He would not win nattys at UTEP.

Tell me, which of TAMU or UND is more likely to win a natty in the next five years?

ND, without question. You think the Aggies have a better shot of being the one team that gets out of the SEC West?

 

[wizards8507]

ND, without question. You think the Aggies have a better shot of being the one team that gets out of the SEC West?

I have no idea what their roster looks like. But as you say, Notre Dame has structural disadvantages to deal with.

Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I have no idea what their roster looks like. But as you say, Notre Dame has structural disadvantages to deal with.

I'm well aware of our disadvantages. But we have at least as many unique advantages. TAMU doesn't. In the 5 years since they joined the SEC, they've never even won their division, let alone the conference. As long as Saban is at Bama, their odds are a lot worse than ours. And even after he's gone, they still have to contend with LSU, Auburn and both MS programs.

 

[Irish YJ]

ND, without question. You think the Aggies have a better shot of being the one team that gets out of the SEC West?

With a few years of the new TAMU staff recruiting, I would not be surprised at all to see TAMU beat Bama and Auburn in Texas. So I'd say it's not crazy to think they get out of the SEC West. Auburn did this year.

TAMU hasn't recruited horribly, but definitely down the last couple years compared to 14 and 15 classes. Anyway, they are not without talent.....

The admin however have shown they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, so with that commitment combined with Texas's fertile recruiting grounds, nothing would shock me in the slightest.

So ND next year with the current QB situation, nope.
2019 schedule, not without a lot of luck.... so nope.
2020, anyone's guess but I not sure ND will be any better than TAMU 2 years from now. We may have a new coach, could be coming off a losing season, etc..

 

[Circa]

Gonna miss Harry. It's funny, he was hated at Tennessee before he came to ND. His OL was terrible and the fans said he never recruited. Never dreamed he'd be as good as he was. Good luck with the Bears.

Hey!! No reminding the children of the past. That goes for politics too!! How dare you not give an ode to our idiotic short-term memory as a retarded society. Grow up

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Good for HH. I think in the back of our minds we all knew he would return to the NFL.

 

[Domina Nostra]

I'm well aware of our disadvantages. But we have at least as many unique advantages. TAMU doesn't. In the 5 years since they joined the SEC, they've never even won their division, let alone the conference. As long as Saban is at Bama, their odds are a lot worse than ours. And even after he's gone, they still have to contend with LSU, Auburn and both MS programs.

And they are little brother in their home state.

 

[irishtrain]

Good for HH. I think in the back of our minds we all knew he would return to the NFL.

thank you HH job well done

 

[SonofOahu]

Damn it. 2018 has really sucked, so far.

 

[CraigKrenzel]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Expect <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BC</a> run game coordinator/OL coach Justin Frye to get consideration for the vacant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotreDame</a> O-line job with Harry Hiestand moving on. Frye’s an Indiana native who’s done very well at Boston College.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/951465585585438721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[BoredIrish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Expect <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BC</a> run game coordinator/OL coach Justin Frye to get consideration for the vacant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotreDame</a> O-line job with Harry Hiestand moving on. Frye’s an Indiana native who’s done very well at Boston College.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/951465585585438721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I dont mind this. Frye is young, which means he might relate better with the players and will probably be a better recruiter. Also he is coaching under Addazio, who definitely knows alot about the OL.

 

[irishknight35]

Damn it. 2018 has really sucked, so far.

1/1/18 wasn't so bad, but its been mostly downhill from there.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Damn it. 2018 has really sucked, so far.

All the years suck

 

[snoopdog]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Expect <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BC</a> run game coordinator/OL coach Justin Frye to get consideration for the vacant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotreDame</a> O-line job with Harry Hiestand moving on. Frye’s an Indiana native who’s done very well at Boston College.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/951465585585438721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Would be an nice get.

Interesting to really know if Eichenberg is scheduled to sit next year. Or if they plan to move Kraemer inside to guard.

 

[NDMIA]

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | 2017 NCAA OFFENSIVE LINE STATS

Take what you want from this, but they are a decent stat group that has rankings of every OLine in the country. Now if you take the average ranking of all 9 stat categories of offensive lines, here are the top 15 OLines in College Football.

2017
1 Army
2 Mississippi State
3 Ohio State
4 Missouri
5 Florida Atlantic
6 Louisville
7 Louisiana Tech
8 Arizona
9 Fresno State
10 Notre Dame
11 Washington
12 Georgia
13 Appalachian State
14 Alabama
15 Colorado State

2016
1 Mississippi State
2 Toledo
3 Western Michigan
4 Colorado State
5 Washington State
6 California
7 South Florida
8 Ball State
9 Texas A&M
10 Ohio State
11 Clemson
12 Northern Illinois
13 Middle Tennessee
14 Baylor
15 Oklahoma

The FAU OL coach was hired by Arizona 12/20/17 & Rich Rod was fired two weeks later. Pretty crappy thing to happen. He had a great unit this year. BC OLine Coach had 127th ranked OLine last season and was top 25 this year so it improved, but not sure if he's the guy to come after Harry Hiestand. Also the Mississippi State guy had an excellent 2 seasons and then he followed Mullen to UF.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

With a few years of the new TAMU staff recruiting, I would not be surprised at all to see TAMU beat Bama and Auburn in Texas. So I'd say it's not crazy to think they get out of the SEC West. Auburn did this year.

TAMU hasn't recruited horribly, but definitely down the last couple years compared to 14 and 15 classes. Anyway, they are not without talent.....

The admin however have shown they're willing to put their money where their mouth is, so with that commitment combined with Texas's fertile recruiting grounds, nothing would shock me in the slightest.

So ND next year with the current QB situation, nope.
2019 schedule, not without a lot of luck.... so nope.
2020, anyone's guess but I not sure ND will be any better than TAMU 2 years from now. We may have a new coach, could be coming off a losing season, etc..

I don't think anyone familiar with my posting here could credibly accuse me illogical optimism. As I explained to wiz above, I'm painfully aware of our unique disadvantages. But as ND fans, we tend to obsess over those disadvantages, which can blind us to the unique advantages we have. And when we see a program like TAMU spending in a way that ND isn't willing to, it's tempting to overemphasize the advantage they're receiving. After all, if ND was willing to blow the top off the budget, we'd be unstoppable... so why not the Aggies?

That analogy doesn't work because the Aggies don't have our advantages. They don't have the prestige, the tradition, the ability to recruit nationwide, etc. How are Oregon and Okie State looking these days? How many titles have the checkbooks of Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens purchased?

Don't overestimate the Aggies just because they're spending like nouveau riche. Building a contender takes a lot more than money.

 

[NDdomer2]

honestly i wouldnt pick either aTm or ND to win a natty in the next 5 years and as i detailed in another thread their records over the past 20 years (and even during just BK's era) are extremely comparable.

 

[Ndaccountant]

I don't think anyone familiar with my posting here could credibly accuse me illogical optimism. As I explained to wiz above, I'm painfully aware of our unique disadvantages. But as ND fans, we tend to obsess over those disadvantages, which can blind us to the unique advantages we have. And when we see a program like TAMU spending in a way that ND isn't willing to, it's tempting to overemphasize the advantage they're receiving. After all, if ND was willing to blow the top off the budget, we'd be unstoppable... so why not the Aggies?

That analogy doesn't work because the Aggies don't have our advantages. They don't have the prestige, the tradition, the ability to recruit nationwide, etc. How are Oregon and Okie State looking these days? How many titles have the checkbooks of Phil Knight and T. Boone Pickens purchased?

Don't overestimate the Aggies just because they're spending like nouveau riche. Building a contender takes a lot more than money.

To be clear, I think you are spot on w/r/t to ND. But as far as A&M is concerned, they just need to be better than LSU and Texas. When Mack Brown turned UT into the powerhouse he had (10 consecutive years of top 15 YE rankings, 5 of those years finished in top 5), the vast majority of his recruits were from Texas. This was also during Stoops' best years.

Right now, A&M has made a commitment to football like it never has AND it is doing so during a time when Texas has stumbled. The 16 year old football star in Plano has lived through the following during his formative years....1) UT hasn't finished a season in the top 15 since 2009 2) A&M brought in Kevin Sumlin with immediate, but not sustained success 3) A&M joined the SEC. For those who come from families that didn't grow up Hook'em fans, A&M has the momentum.

While UT will remain the foothold in Texas from a historical standpoint, you cannot ignore that they, A&M, have a window to capitalize and dominate the state. If they win the state, they can win the SEC with proper coaching. Not since RC have they had a coach like Jumbo.

W/R/T Oregon and Okie State - If Kelly stayed in Oregon, I think he would have a Natty. I hold Jumbo in equal to higher esteem than Chip. Okie State is in a much different spot than A&M IMO.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

honestly i wouldnt pick either aTm or ND to win a natty in the next 5 years and as i detailed in another thread their records over the past 20 years (and even during just BK's era) are extremely comparable.

I wouldn't either. The point is that TAMU is even less likely than we are. This gets back to Elko's move being a lateral one, and not a legitimate "step up".

 

[Whiskeyjack]

But as far as A&M is concerned, they just need to be better than LSU and Texas.

Why are 'Bama, Auburn and the MS schools irrelevant? In most years, only one team is getting into the playoffs from the SEC West. So if TAMU can't regularly win its division, it ain't going anywhere.

While UT will remain the foothold in Texas from a historical standpoint, you cannot ignore that they, A&M, have a window to capitalize and dominate the state. If they win the state, they can win the SEC with proper coaching. Not since RC have they had a coach like Jumbo.

"Winning the state", when that state is Texas, is no easy task either. They've only finished ahead of TCU, Texas and Texas Tech once since they joined the SEC. They do have a window given UT's current struggles, but given the difficulty of their division and the level of competition for recruits in Texas, I'm not betting on the Aggies to get out of the SEC W any time soon.

W/R/T Oregon and Okie State - If Kelly stayed in Oregon, I think he would have a Natty. I hold Jumbo in equal to higher esteem than Chip. Okie State is in a much different spot than A&M IMO.

Chip might have won one, but he had 5 years in Eugene with a blank check book and never made it over the hump. And while Jumbo might be a better coach than Chip (which is definitely arguable), he's got a much tougher row to hoe in the SEC W and fighting for Texas recruits than Chip ever did in the PAC12-N.

 

[greyhammer90]

Bluebloods are bluebloods for a reason. Texas A&M may win a national title, start a dynasty, and become a top tier destination in the long term, and Notre Dame may never become a national champion again. Either of those are certainly within the realm of plausibility, but I wouldn't bet that way.

 

[pkt77242]

Why are 'Bama, Auburn and the MS schools irrelevant? In most years, only one team is getting into the playoffs from the SEC West. So if TAMU can't regularly win its division, it ain't going anywhere.



"Winning the state", when that state is Texas, is no easy task either. They've only finished ahead of TCU, Texas and Texas Tech once since they joined the SEC. They do have a window given UT's current struggles, but given the difficulty of their division and the level of competition for recruits in Texas, I'm not betting on the Aggies to get out of the SEC W any time soon.



Chip might have won one, but he had 5 years in Eugene with a blank check book and never made it over the hump. And while Jumbo might be a better coach than Chip (which is definitely arguable), he's got a much tougher rowe to hoe in the SEC W and fighting for Texas recruits than Chip ever did in the PAC12-N.

Wait are you arguing that it is easier to recruit at Oregon than Texas A&M? If so I have to disagree.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Wait are you arguing that it is easier to recruit at Oregon than Texas A&M? If so I have to disagree.

Texas is fertile ground for recruiting, but TAMU has a lot of competition for it. At Oregon Chip was able to recruit to entire west coast pretty easily, and he seemed to have no trouble finding loads of speedy offensive skill players to put up video game numbers in his system.

So I'm not sure "easier" is the right word. Opportunity is there for TAMU, but the competition is much stiffer. What I'm trying to get at with the comparison to Oregon is that money ain't enough to get you there.

 

[Luckylucci]

I will say that I enjoyed the very clear “Fuck You” statement that BK and Co. made toward Elko with the way they’ve handled HH’s departure.

BK gave a glowing review, HH got to put out a statement, and two active players got to officially sing his praises with quotes. Handle a job opportunity with grace and show some loyalty, and you get treated well.

Handle it like Elko did, and you make enemies of an entire program and fanbase.

Exactly. Fuck Mike Elko

Still not sure when I will stop doing that.

 

[Wingman Ray]

Couple of things:

I had a real good friend from Texas that played D2 ball. His take was the kids grow up burnt orange in their blood. A&M is a place you go when Texas says no to you and you want to stay in the state of Texas. No one dreams of going to A&M basically.

A&M in no way, shape or form has or ever will be comparable with Notre Dame. A&M is a farm school. ND is a world wide known school. Not state, not country but known world wide. When you think of traditional football, ND comes to mind. A&M comes to mind when you think farming.

A&M had a few good years when Manziel was there but he was a one man show like Vince Young was back with Texas. And even then, they didnt even win their division of the conference. The success of Manziel along with Tx tanking lead to well above normal recruiting for them. Since Manziel has left and A&M hasnt done anything, the recruiting has gone back to normal. Add in TX is starting to win again with their new young head coach and A&M is back to begging for leftovers.

 

[dublinirish]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">love the hire <a href="https://t.co/h20W0dzPxJ">https://t.co/h20W0dzPxJ</a></p>— Kyle (@Ky1eLong) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ky1eLong/status/951282262934544384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Me2SouthBend]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Expect <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BC</a> run game coordinator/OL coach Justin Frye to get consideration for the vacant <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NotreDame</a> O-line job with Harry Hiestand moving on. Frye’s an Indiana native who’s done very well at Boston College.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href="https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/951465585585438721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

If this ends up being the guy, does he have any highly rated talent he's recruited that he may be able to bring w him? I thought there was a big ugly ND Crus was high on that was either committed to or considering BC.

Edit, it was this kid but it looks like he signed on ESP.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2018/finn-dirstine-15749

 

[BobbyMac]

Couple of things:

I had a real good friend from Texas that played D2 ball. His take was the kids grow up burnt orange in their blood. A&M is a place you go when Texas says no to you and you want to stay in the state of Texas. No one dreams of going to A&M basically.

A&M in no way, shape or form has or ever will be comparable with Notre Dame. A&M is a farm school. ND is a world wide known school. Not state, not country but known world wide. When you think of traditional football, ND comes to mind. A&M comes to mind when you think farming.

A&M had a few good years when Manziel was there but he was a one man show like Vince Young was back with Texas. And even then, they didnt even win their division of the conference. The success of Manziel along with Tx tanking lead to well above normal recruiting for them. Since Manziel has left and A&M hasnt done anything, the recruiting has gone back to normal. Add in TX is starting to win again with their new young head coach and A&M is back to begging for leftovers.

Too long for a hot take.

Try to bash aTm all you want but it's an AAU member institution. aTm is a good education. Ohio State's Tractor Tech too but I was at the Fiesta Bowl with those farmers, Cal is an aggie school too, just a couple of spots behind ND on USN&WR's list.

And you can't be more wrong about EVERYBODY growing up a UT fan. aTm is a HUGE school and it has a monstrous alumni network. I worked at Rice for 4 summers when they were all still in the SWC and folks in Houston were much more likely to be Aggie fans than Horns fans.