I don't see freak out mode but I see a coach that MUST have a very successful year. We are probably set up to be a better team than the 24 or 25 teams. So he needs to show he can take a good talented team and have them improve collectively and individually and have a really good season.
Who is a 5 star QB and WR?? We have a Top 50 QB and WR. But not one service - even on their individual ratings - have either CJ or Cam as 5 star players as of right now. I am happy with them but when we actually land 5-star talent is when we will be able to get closer to a Natty.
I think a realistic expectation is 9-3 seasons. Too many questions on Lines and Coaching. I think winning 2 out of 3 of the big games and not having any trap game losses for this staff is expecting a lot. Coach Kelly had nearly 20 years HC experience before ND hired him.
I don't think all of the smart guys wanted Freeman. I think a lot of people liked the idea of Fickell, but when it became clear that he wasn't (and shouldn't) leave Cincinnati until after the playoff game, Freeman became the best candidate to try to keep and semblance of a recruiting class together.
They're talking about Golden, not Freeman.
Ahh my mistake. Not sure he was everyone's choice either
Cam is ranked 34th overall in the composite. That's not technically a five star, but let's not pretend he's a .90 rated 4 star either. Cam is 100% the sort of talent that you can win a NC with. We need more like him, but he's the first WR we've gotten from that upper tier in years. I'm not going to trash the current coaching staff because they inherited a WR room that was hot garbage and have already turned it into what should be a strength (on paper).
I would be incredibly disappointed with 9-3. 10-2 would be blah for me. I really expect 11-1 or better. Again, we will have the best qb in 11 of 12 games and a deep talented team pretty much everywhere.
Is dline full of questions? Only major question i see is coaching and that huge body in the middle. They have a talented experienced line that just needs coaching. Their entire 2 deep is four stars that all the big boys wanted.
Yea seems like the long knives are coming out for Golden and Washington. The Defense was not dominate last year. I suppose if it gets dominate this year going 10-2 is really possible.
I'm sure as shit not pinning Marshall and Stanford on him either.
This is all that matters to me. Keep going and grind out a class that is going to fill needs. Get the best possible players you can sign and WANT to be in the program. As you have stated before, I think that is where Kelly fell off when it came to recruiting. Keep breaking through walls until you find what you're looking for.
Hey, Derek Mason is on sabbatical. He could be available in five months.
Results are all that should matter. Recruiting results and on the field results. Both help each other out.
He coached at Stanford AND Vanderbilt.
Only thing I remember about Mason was him losing almost every game then threatening the opposing team’s coach.
Tennessee fans probably remember him differently than you do.
Just to re-iterate you are using the word remaining as if at this moment in the time the board will forever be frozen as is.
Which is an eternity for small children and stupid people, just to be fair.
I think it's naive to think we're going to find close to as good of a LB, TE, OT, DE, DT that we've had good shots with. That just hasn't happened with recruiting at ND late in the cycle when we miss out on our main options. Yes, we might land someone late that's as good or better but the odds of that are the same probably as a deflection. The top programs are in it with multiple studs at each position, we're in it with 1
I dunno. We missed out on Will Shipley but landed Estime and Diggs late in the cycle. For instance.
