Adam Gorney's recruiting grades; Home Page article

[cr8zyncalif]

I thought his summary was pretty good. Worth reading. You can always quibble a bit over the grades, but this seemed fair. I'm sure it is not the first time we've ever had a better grade on one of these sorts of things than UW, but they are rare. I enjoy them when they happen!

 

[BiggsCoug]

6 receivers
3 offensive linemen

He doesn’t get it.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

6 receivers
3 offensive linemen

He doesn’t get it.

Brand X says that Hasson is going to be on the OL and that would put us at four linemen...for whatever that's worth.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

I'd say we needed a minimum 4 OL before NIL, and that does not include the slot for a TE. Now, with NIL meaning we lose some of those kids after a few years of development, we either need to take 5 HS OL every year or take 4 from HS and a transfer when one that fits happens to be available.

 

[95coug]

I'd say we needed a minimum 4 OL before NIL, and that does not include the slot for a TE. Now, with NIL meaning we lose some of those kids after a few years of development, we either need to take 5 HS OL every year or take 4 from HS and a transfer when one that fits happens to be available.

I think we needed 4-5 OL per year before NIL. Now, that probably needs to average closer to 6....with one of those being a transfer at least every other year.

 

[Stretch 74]

6 receivers
3 offensive linemen

He doesn’t get it.

I will never argue with a philosophy that wants to emphasize OL to have a strong offense. It all starts up front. My question is, relative to the new world in college football, is if it makes sense to get more OL from the portal than it does from high school? And perhaps those guys will be more available in the portal session after spring football? I am thinking that there would be guys that we can use that will find out they didn't win the starting position at the top programs and will look for a place to start. Might also be guys that have proven themselves at a lower level that would like to move up to WSU/OSU level. Do in football like Smith has done in b-ball with Jones, Cluff, Wells.

Perhaps that is why there were not more OL taken now?

 

[95coug]

I will never argue with a philosophy that wants to emphasize OL to have a strong offense. It all starts up front. My question is, relative to the new world in college football, is if it makes sense to get more OL from the portal than it does from high school? And perhaps those guys will be more available in the portal session after spring football? I am thinking that there would be guys that we can use that will find out they didn't win the starting position at the top programs and will look for a place to start. Might also be guys that have proven themselves at a lower level that would like to move up to WSU/OSU level. Do in football like Smith has done in b-ball with Jones, Cluff, Wells.

Perhaps that is why there were not more OL taken now?

Could be a workable strategy…if the bodies are there

 

[BiggsCoug]

I will never argue with a philosophy that wants to emphasize OL to have a strong offense. It all starts up front. My question is, relative to the new world in college football, is if it makes sense to get more OL from the portal than it does from high school? And perhaps those guys will be more available in the portal session after spring football? I am thinking that there would be guys that we can use that will find out they didn't win the starting position at the top programs and will look for a place to start. Might also be guys that have proven themselves at a lower level that would like to move up to WSU/OSU level. Do in football like Smith has done in b-ball with Jones, Cluff, Wells.

Perhaps that is why there were not more OL taken now?

WSU isn’t a big NIL school. Kids from bigger programs leaving those programs aren’t coming to Pullman.

Kids moving up need DNA and strength. Most are too short or slow footed and who knows what they’ve done in the weight room.

WSU is most likely better off with high school kids.

Start with numbers to end with numbers. Or in this years OL class, they could end with no one.

Dickfore has failed.

6 receivers tho. They’ll make blocks.

 

[Cougini5591]

WSU isn’t a big NIL school. Kids from bigger programs leaving those programs aren’t coming to Pullman.

Kids moving up need DNA and strength. Most are too short or slow footed and who knows what they’ve done in the weight room.

WSU is most likely better off with high school kids.

Start with numbers to end with numbers. Or in this years OL class, they could end with no one.

Dickfore has failed.

6 receivers tho. They’ll make blocks.

I couldn't agree more.

However I wonder a little bit from 2 angles...

1) Never right to really call things out until we actually see who and what is on the roster.

2) Maybe things have gotten so soft that the high school kids are worse to have than Big Sky transfers... fUSC and Whoregon failures.

We are entering unknown times of college football. Truly major differences in what the "40 and below" ranked squads will get.

College football f*cking sucks in comparison to what it used to be.

 

[BiggsCoug]

I couldn't agree more.

However I wonder a little bit from 2 angles...

1) Never right to really call things out until we actually see who and what is on the roster.

2) Maybe things have gotten so soft that the high school kids are worse to have than Big Sky transfers... fUSC and Whoregon failures.

We are entering unknown times of college football. Truly major differences in what the "40 and below" ranked squads will get.

College football f*cking sucks in comparison to what it used to be.

So if you sign 3 OL in a class, who will be there as a senior? It isn’t about who, it’s about how many. How do you develop roughly half of your offense when you don’t fuel it with the bodies it needs to thrive?

6 receivers in 1 class? This outta be interesting. He has no issue starting with numbers to end with numbers at that position.

Again, can WSU afford the NIL ask of the Oregon and SC OL transfers?

What happens when Dickfore goes 2-7 in the Mtn West??? More hand holding and kum by yah??? More talk about what a great guy he is??? More sad dudes slobbering all over how pretty his wife is??? More WSU fans making excuses for losing.

Schools are getting fleeced by kids because they aren’t controlling the terms of the NIL deals. Make them pay back the $$$ if they leave.

 

[Cougini5591]

So if you sign 3 OL in a class, who will be there as a senior? It isn’t about who, it’s about how many. How do you develop roughly half of your offense when you don’t fuel it with the bodies it needs to thrive?

6 receivers in 1 class? This outta be interesting. He has no issue starting with numbers to end with numbers at that position.

Again, can WSU afford the NIL ask of the Oregon and SC OL transfers?

What happens when Dickfore goes 2-7 in the Mtn West??? More hand holding and kum by yah??? More talk about what a great guy he is??? More sad dudes slobbering all over how pretty his wife is??? More WSU fans making excuses for losing.

Schools are getting fleeced by kids because they aren’t controlling the terms of the NIL deals. Make them pay back the $$$ if they leave.

Or give a better NIL contract on a timeline completion and/or job performance.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Or give a better NIL contract on a timeline completion and/or job performance.

So now WSU is in a NIL competition?

I dont believe that will prove victorious.

Dickfore would be better off developing high school kids and whenever they leave, be it graduation or transfer, reload. Stop complaining about kids leaving. There is no shortage of HS kids. Get more. Hell, look at the Pac 12 signings…. smallest classes of HS kids I have ever seen. If a school was to recruit only HS kids…. way less potential suitors for them.

 

[Coug90]

Couple things. Don’t think we had that many leave, especially with what was projected. I don’t have the numbers but the line seems to be one of the least impacted by graduation and portal and WR one of the worst position groups impacted this offseason. So while I generally agree you need to bring in roughly 5 oline bodies a year to build a solid line and the Rolo formula killed us, it’s also fluid and there’s some years you may need bodies elsewhere. We have 4-5 receivers on the field at one time and that group seems to be highly prone to getting plucked in the portal. Think you have to factor that in when recruiting HS.

 

[95coug]

Couple things. Don’t think we had that many leave, especially with what was projected. I don’t have the numbers but the line seems to be one of the least impacted by graduation and portal and WR one of the worst position groups impacted this offseason. So while I generally agree you need to bring in roughly 5 oline bodies a year to build a solid line and the Rolo formula killed us, it’s also fluid and there’s some years you may need bodies elsewhere. We have 4-5 receivers on the field at one time and that group seems to be highly prone to getting plucked in the portal. Think you have to factor that in when recruiting HS.

True...but we have 5 OL on the field for every offensive snap. It's a position with a high attrition rate - through injury and failure to develop - and it's a position where you rarely see a kid on the field before he's an RS SO, and rarely see him as a reliable player before he's a junior. It's not that unusual for a freshman to get on the field at WR or RB. It's pretty rare to see a freshman OL.

In the end, attrition rates are probably similar. DIfference is that the WRs/RBs play earlier and then portal. The OL kids flame out before they get on the field.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

Either way, ya gotta have 6 O linemen EVERY year. I don’t think this can be disputed, that is, if you want to win. I‘m sick and tired of the qb (Cam / now gone) being sacked by a 3 man defensive line. Wake up people.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

There's a lot key clicking here but not a lot of actual research or thought. Here is our OL distribution for the upcoming season based on what is shown on the roster:

SR: Pole
JR: Tialavea, Kylany, Hilborn, Dieu, Fa'amoe
SO: Landon Roaten, Miller, Luke Roaten, Machado, Lester
FR: Gates, Pritchard, White, Tripp, Dunham

New: Lino, Osmus, Thorpe, Hasson

We have a metric crapton of young guys on the roster at the OL position. In most years, it's going to make sense to take 4-5 OL guys and sometimes 6 if you have had some attrition. That said, with the advent of the transfer portal and NIL, it doesn't make sense to panic about recruiting HS players. If we overstock with dudes, we are just as likely to lose a guy who isn't getting playing time. Looking at the fact that we have 11 scholarship OL players in the freshman and sophomore classes...whining about getting only four potential OL guys this year just feels like Biggs doing his normal b!tching and moaning about Dickert because of his insecurities with the guy.

If the coaching staff think we have good dudes, 3-4 guys this year is the right number. Whining about having "only" 21 offensive linemen on scholarship instead of 23 is just kind of stupid....but hey...we are kind of good at being whiny, b!tchy and stupid. The cool thing about bringing in "6 guys minimum" every year is that we could throw away a few hundred grand in scholarship money that we don't have when most of them leave without taking a snap.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Either way, ya gotta have 6 O linemen EVERY year. I don’t think this can be disputed, that is, if you want to win. I‘m sick and tired of the qb (Cam / now gone) being sacked by a 3 man defensive line. Wake up people.

They won’t wake up. Their heads are so far up Dickfore’s arse they can’t see.

Last years OL was atrocious. It doesn’t need less competition, it needs more. And a better coach.

The loser coug fans will tell you otherwise.

 

[longtimecoug]

There's a lot key clicking here but not a lot of actual research or thought. Here is our OL distribution for the upcoming season based on what is shown on the roster:

SR: Pole
JR: Tialavea, Kylany, Hilborn, Dieu, Fa'amoe
SO: Landon Roaten, Miller, Luke Roaten, Machado, Lester
FR: Gates, Pritchard, White, Tripp, Dunham

New: Lino, Osmus, Thorpe, Hasson

We have a metric crapton of young guys on the roster at the OL position. In most years, it's going to make sense to take 4-5 OL guys and sometimes 6 if you have had some attrition. That said, with the advent of the transfer portal and NIL, it doesn't make sense to panic about recruiting HS players. If we overstock with dudes, we are just as likely to lose a guy who isn't getting playing time. Looking at the fact that we have 11 scholarship OL players in the freshman and sophomore classes...whining about getting only four potential OL guys this year just feels like Biggs doing his normal b!tching and moaning about Dickert because of his insecurities with the guy.

If the coaching staff think we have good dudes, 3-4 guys this year is the right number. Whining about having "only" 21 offensive linemen on scholarship instead of 23 is just kind of stupid....but hey...we are kind of good at being whiny, b!tchy and stupid. The cool thing about bringing in "6 guys minimum" every year is that we could throw away a few hundred grand in scholarship money that we don't have when most of them leave without taking a snap.

4 is the bare minimum per year, any less and we risk a repeat of wulff

 

[BiggsCoug]

4 is the bare minimum per year, any less and we risk a repeat of wulff

Already there…

 

[roses04]

Normally I would say that you should get 5 OL at a minimum each year. The previous staff did not recruit the OL well, last year they signed 5 freshman and picked up one or two in the portal. Presently there are 25 offensive linemen listed on the roster. 16 of them are freshman, and have only high school game experience. Maybe they can get lucky in the portal this spring and get some experience. So based upon the current mix of 16 out of 25 Offensive linemen with no game day experience, adding more Freshman, unless it's some stud, doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Normally I would say that you should get 5 OL at a minimum each year. The previous staff did not recruit the OL well, last year they signed 5 freshman and picked up one or two in the portal. Presently there are 25 offensive linemen listed on the roster. 16 of them are freshman, and have only high school game experience. Maybe they can get lucky in the portal this spring and get some experience. So based upon the current mix of 16 out of 25 Offensive linemen with no game day experience, adding more Freshman, unless it's some stud, doesn't make a lot of sense.

It makes perfect sense if you want to avoid the issue they have now. Which is no talent.

Adding a portal kid after spring is a crap shoot at best. The most talented OL in the portal are going to be offered $$. So cross them off the list. The immortal Dickfore has already said in a singing day interview the portal isn’t going well. So what kid is WSU getting that will be a difference maker?

The best thing WSU can do is sign and develop their guys from their frosh year. If he wanted to avoid the issue he has now, there needed to be more guys years ago. And maybe he stood on the table to have it happen under Turd2 or not. Who knows. But here he is.

But what doesn’t help for sure is less numbers and less competition.

The progress of the OL takes what it takes. Some people understand it, some don’t. If you can put a quality unit on the field with 15 scholarship kids, great. If it takes, 20, it takes 20. If it takes 25, it takes 25. It takes what it takes.

The OL and qb positions are what makes the offense go. You cannot short change them, especially at WSU, and expect to have a high performing offense yearly.

WSU is better off without TEs. The $$$ is better spent on the OL.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

4 is the bare minimum per year, any less and we risk a repeat of wulff

Don't get me wrong, recruiting to the OL is important.....I'm just saying "6 guys minimum" is not a realistic discussion.

 

[Flatlandcoug]

It makes perfect sense if you want to avoid the issue they have now. Which is no talent.

Adding a portal kid after spring is a crap shoot at best. The most talented OL in the portal are going to be offered $$. So cross them off the list. The immortal Dickfore has already said in a singing day interview the portal isn’t going well. So what kid is WSU getting that will be a difference maker?

The best thing WSU can do is sign and develop their guys from their frosh year. If he wanted to avoid the issue he has now, there needed to be more guys years ago. And maybe he stood on the table to have it happen under Turd2 or not. Who knows. But here he is.

But what doesn’t help for sure is less numbers and less competition.

The progress of the OL takes what it takes. Some people understand it, some don’t. If you can put a quality unit on the field with 15 scholarship kids, great. If it takes, 20, it takes 20. If it takes 25, it takes 25. It takes what it takes.

The OL and qb positions are what makes the offense go. You cannot short change them, especially at WSU, and expect to have a high performing offense yearly.

WSU is better off without TEs. The $$$ is better spent on the OL.

So...you're saying that the soon to be 15 underclass OL that we have isn't enough....because you think it should be 17 because of some number that you've decided to clench on to? Even though we haven't seen almost any of them on the field yet because a bunch of them redshirted? It's no wonder that you never coached at a high level.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

I'll add one more thought to the OL recruiting discussion. I think tackles are generally harder to find than guards, simply because of the lateral foot speed requirement to stay with a DE. From what I can see from my limited view, you are probably more likely to get a functional guard out of the portal than a tackle, if you don't have piles of NIL money to use. So maybe it makes sense to tilt toward HS kids who look like they could be tackles in the recruiting analysis. That may also push you in the direction Price so often took in recruiting a kid as a TE whose frame sure looked like, and often became over several years of work, a tackle. Since we can't afford to pay big bucks for a reasonably well developed tackle, those will have to be developed from HS kids. Maybe we can occasionally get a decent 4th or 5th year guard from a lower division school via the portal for a lot less to help fill gaps.

Centers are another discussion, since much of what you want from a center is more intangible. Hard to have a transfer step in and immediately become your starting center.

 

[etowncoug]

So...you're saying that the soon to be 15 underclass OL that we have isn't enough....because you think it should be 17 because of some number that you've decided to clench on to? Even though we haven't seen almost any of them on the field yet because a bunch of them redshirted? It's no wonder that you never coached at a high level.

I 100% agree about the need for fewer TEs. Four scholarships on that position is overkill.

The most important factor in this discussion is that there are no quick fixes on the OL. Rolo and Weber cleared out the room and didn't recruit adequate replacements. We aren't able to grab a starter from the portal so once you get young it's going to take a couple years to grow out of that mistake. Grabbing a couple of extra HS recruits won't help us next year, so the only valid gripe is over not picking someone from the portal.

Regarding numbers though, the staff has brought in the right number of guys. The first group McGuire brought in are sophomores and if they don't start showing it on the field, you replace him.

 

[roses04]

I 100% agree about the need for fewer TEs. Four scholarships on that position is overkill.

The most important factor in this discussion is that there are no quick fixes on the OL. Rolo and Weber cleared out the room and didn't recruit adequate replacements. We aren't able to grab a starter from the portal so once you get young it's going to take a couple years to grow out of that mistake. Grabbing a couple of extra HS recruits won't help us next year, so the only valid gripe is over not picking someone from the portal.

Regarding numbers though, the staff has brought in the right number of guys. The first group McGuire brought in are sophomores and if they don't start showing it on the field, you replace him.

Regarding numbers though, the staff has brought in the right number of guys. The first group McGuire brought in are sophomores and if they don't start showing it on the field, you replace him.


That is whole other discussion.

 

[mikalalas]

So if you sign 3 OL in a class, who will be there as a senior? It isn’t about who, it’s about how many. How do you develop roughly half of your offense when you don’t fuel it with the bodies it needs to thrive?

6 receivers in 1 class? This outta be interesting. He has no issue starting with numbers to end with numbers at that position.

Again, can WSU afford the NIL ask of the Oregon and SC OL transfers?

What happens when Dickfore goes 2-7 in the Mtn West??? More hand holding and kum by yah??? More talk about what a great guy he is??? More sad dudes slobbering all over how pretty his wife is??? More WSU fans making excuses for losing.

Schools are getting fleeced by kids because they aren’t controlling the terms of the NIL deals. Make them pay back the $$$ if they leave.

WSU, Dickert already has 4 NOT ONLY 3 OL.

And WSU can add 1,2 OL to the 4 OL that have already.

And good players leaving bigger programs to Join WSU programs, does happen.

Just look at the MWC programs of BSU, Fresno St, Airforce, they had good seasons, and got some good transfers from bigger programs.

They also got some good transfers from Big Sky, FCS, AAC, etc, in addition to getting some good players from Power conference programs.

If they can successfully do that, and they did successfully do that, then WSU, Dickert can also do that too.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

In looking back over many years, it appears that typical recruiting works out OK for at least 50% of the OL that are signed out of HS. Occasionally we hit a good streak where we break 60% for a couple of years. If you assume that we need 2 deep (10 fully functional kids who can step in and play without huge drop off), and that the first 2 years are strictly developmental for all but 1 or at most 2 in each class, that means we need about 18-19 OL recruits in the last 3 years; otherwise we won't have a full 2 deep that are past the developmental stage. It's just math. That is where Biggs 6 recruits per year figure comes from. 5 is enough if your success rate with the recruits is more like 60% than 50%, or if you are happy with 8 or 9 kids who can play as opposed to a true 2 deep. Again, it is just math. With NIL poaching away a player or two each year, for 5 to be enough we need at least a 60% success rate. And there is no way to be successful with only 4 OL recruits unless you either really loaded up the previous year, or you expect to convert a TE recruit to OL. There are only so many variables to be adjusted in this equation.

 

[BiggsCoug]

In looking back over many years, it appears that typical recruiting works out OK for at least 50% of the OL that are signed out of HS. Occasionally we hit a good streak where we break 60% for a couple of years. If you assume that we need 2 deep (10 fully functional kids who can step in and play without huge drop off), and that the first 2 years are strictly developmental for all but 1 or at most 2 in each class, that means we need about 18-19 OL recruits in the last 3 years; otherwise we won't have a full 2 deep that are past the developmental stage. It's just math. That is where Biggs 6 recruits per year figure comes from. 5 is enough if your success rate with the recruits is more like 60% than 50%, or if you are happy with 8 or 9 kids who can play as opposed to a true 2 deep. Again, it is just math. With NIL poaching away a player or two each year, for 5 to be enough we need at least a 60% success rate. And there is no way to be successful with only 4 OL recruits unless you either really loaded up the previous year, or you expect to convert a TE recruit to OL. There are only so many variables to be adjusted in this equation.

I never said 6 OL recruits.

Edit to add:

Pick your base offense and base defense, take one at every position in your HS class. Have an extra ride or two? Maybe pick up another player on each side of the ball.

You cannot build consistent success by starving your frosh class of needed players. You cannot go heavy one year and light the next telling yourself that you have 2 yrs of guys. The group with more kids will graduate, now what.

Same debate has been happening for 25 years here. Wanna lose games at WSU? Take 2-3 OL in a recruiting class. Wanna win games? Take 5 every year. The end.

Edit 2.0…

Now that I think about it…. Fck it. Take 6 OL per year. Make the lightest one your TE. They never throw the ball to the TE anyways. So why not take your 6’5” 260lbser and make him the TE. And when he gets heavier and moves up the depth chart, now you have a kid with game reps. He knows the effort, intensity, strength required to play. He isn’t stepping onto the field as a rookie/green. You can use 2 of them, hell get crazy and use 3. But what you can’t do is take too few.

Also, I’d use DTs as fullbacks for short yardage and goal line. And LBs as H backs as needed. It is all hands on deck football.

If you cannot win a bidding war it is time to get creative. WSU is the Oakland A’s of college football. Either Dickfore figures out how to win with the kids he has and can get or he will lose and coach state school d3 ball in Wisconsin.

 

[mikalalas]

So if you sign 3 OL in a class, who will be there as a senior? It isn’t about who, it’s about how many. How do you develop roughly half of your offense when you don’t fuel it with the bodies it needs to thrive?

6 receivers in 1 class? This outta be interesting. He has no issue starting with numbers to end with numbers at that position.

Again, can WSU afford the NIL ask of the Oregon and SC OL transfers?

What happens when Dickfore goes 2-7 in the Mtn West??? More hand holding and kum by yah??? More talk about what a great guy he is??? More sad dudes slobbering all over how pretty his wife is??? More WSU fans making excuses for losing.

Schools are getting fleeced by kids because they aren’t controlling the terms of the NIL deals. Make them pay back the $$$ if they leave.

WSU, Dickert is not going to go 2-7 in MWC.

At worst WSU, Dickert would go 7-5 overall, and 5-4 in conference, 2-1 in Noncon.

No way WSU, Dickert go 2-7 in MWC, and 1-2 in Noncon, etc.

Something like that could happen to WSU in a Power conference, but not in MWC.

Or if that were to happen, it would only happen 1 time out of 20 seasons, that WSU would come even remotely close to doing that bad in MWC.

Only Ed "WSU is going to be in FCS, Big Sky", and you would make such a silly prediction.

 

[etowncoug]

Regarding numbers though, the staff has brought in the right number of guys. The first group McGuire brought in are sophomores and if they don't start showing it on the field, you replace him.


That is whole other discussion.

It is but it isn't. The last time McGuire rebuilt our line it took a number of years for the guys in the program to make an impact on gameday.
Madison year 2
Sorenson year 2
Dillard year 3
Lucas year 2
Mauigoa year 2
Watson year 4
Ryan year 3
Salmonson year 5
O'Connell year 4

We are taking roughly the same number of guys we took before and we are seeing similar results to our last rebuild.

 

[etowncoug]

I never said 6 OL recruits.

No, you said it takes what it takes. Sometimes it takes time.

 

[mikalalas]

So now WSU is in a NIL competition?

I dont believe that will prove victorious.

Dickfore would be better off developing high school kids and whenever they leave, be it graduation or transfer, reload. Stop complaining about kids leaving. There is no shortage of HS kids. Get more. Hell, look at the Pac 12 signings…. smallest classes of HS kids I have ever seen. If a school was to recruit only HS kids…. way less potential suitors for them.

Developing ONLY HS OR ONLY transfer, would be, is a disaster.

A mixed approach is best.

And last season's recruiting class was pretty ok. There was a lot of EXPERIENCED, good transfers. Those transfers were ranked pretty highly thought of. They were largely 3 stars, 3.5 stars.

So you might ask "Well if they were that good, then why did WSU finish 5-7?"

Answer:

1. The PAC 12 had 8, EIGHT teams that were RANKED in the top 25 last season at times even if they didn't finish ranked because of PARITY.

2. Tiny coaching mistakes that had NOTHING to do with if Dickert brought in a good class or not.

 

[mikalalas]

Either way, ya gotta have 6 O linemen EVERY year. I don’t think this can be disputed, that is, if you want to win. I‘m sick and tired of the qb (Cam / now gone) being sacked by a 3 man defensive line. Wake up people.

The problem was not the lack of O Line.

WSU could get 10 AWESOME OL per year and HORRIBLY BAD CLAY MAGUIRE THE HORRIBLY BAD OL COACH would still find a way for WSU's O line corp to SUCK.

YOU WANT TO FIX WSU'S O LINE CORP?

FIRE CLAY, and replace him with a good O line coach for a change.

And yes Dickert's failure to do that is Dickert's fault.

I give credit, fault where it is due, whether that's good credit for things like recruiting, or whether it's blaming Dickert for failing to fire Clay, replace Clay with a good OL coach.

 

[mikalalas]

Normally I would say that you should get 5 OL at a minimum each year. The previous staff did not recruit the OL well, last year they signed 5 freshman and picked up one or two in the portal. Presently there are 25 offensive linemen listed on the roster. 16 of them are freshman, and have only high school game experience. Maybe they can get lucky in the portal this spring and get some experience. So based upon the current mix of 16 out of 25 Offensive linemen with no game day experience, adding more Freshman, unless it's some stud, doesn't make a lot of sense.

I think the 5 OL last year, were ok. At least they were semi higher rated as recruits, and were 3 star, 3.5 star recruits.

So going by that, they were not bad.

I put more blame on lots of tiny coaching mistakes, and failing to DEVELOP those 5 OL.

And most of that blame is on CLAY the OL coach that should be fired.

Some of the blame is on Dickert for hiring Clay, and not firing, Replacing Clay.

 

[mikalalas]

It makes perfect sense if you want to avoid the issue they have now. Which is no talent.

Adding a portal kid after spring is a crap shoot at best. The most talented OL in the portal are going to be offered $$. So cross them off the list. The immortal Dickfore has already said in a singing day interview the portal isn’t going well. So what kid is WSU getting that will be a difference maker?

The best thing WSU can do is sign and develop their guys from their frosh year. If he wanted to avoid the issue he has now, there needed to be more guys years ago. And maybe he stood on the table to have it happen under Turd2 or not. Who knows. But here he is.

But what doesn’t help for sure is less numbers and less competition.

The progress of the OL takes what it takes. Some people understand it, some don’t. If you can put a quality unit on the field with 15 scholarship kids, great. If it takes, 20, it takes 20. If it takes 25, it takes 25. It takes what it takes.

The OL and qb positions are what makes the offense go. You cannot short change them, especially at WSU, and expect to have a high performing offense yearly.

WSU is better off without TEs. The $$$ is better spent on the OL.

So because there were no portal kids in portal after spring, because of NIL money, that's why BSU, Fresno St, Airforce, had good seasons, and got good portal kids in portal after spring.