The previous long (way too long) thread wandered all over the map and finished with a comment by Sponge that was echoed by some. I think it deserves its own thread.
The opinion was expressed that (to paraphrase), WSU can't get the necessary nose players to run a 3-4.
While I agree with the implicit idea that you have to have the right nose to successfully run a 3-4, and I would even agree that we did not have an ideal answer this year, I don't buy the idea that we can't recruit nose players.
Just the most obvious reason that comes to mind is our Poly player recruiting success. If you wanted to pick one group of kids whose body type includes a lot of guys who are built like a nose needs to be built, who would you pick? Now, will every kid you recruit as a 17 year old develop at age 20 into a good nose player? Of course not. But if one out of 3 DL recruits does, you are well covered.
The thing that I think has to be factored into the equation is how long it takes to physically develop a PAC-level nose. It is hard for me to picture many kids being physically ready before age 20. Our JC transfer who worked out well in Leach's year 2 had both the right body for the job and by year 2 also had both the age and D1 technique development. A better answer is a HS recruit who has had D1 technique development/coaching for more years by the time he hits physical maturity. But since the first recruiting class is always weak & last minute for every new coach, we've really only had a couple of years of recruiting classes in the Leach era. Leach's HS recruits are just now hitting age 20/21 for this upcoming spring ball. That is a particularly big deal at the nose. If we stay with a 3 man front, I suspect we'll see a better fit at nose this season.
While on that subject, our recruiting interest this year seems to indicate that we may be looking at more 4 man front looks this season. And that is fine if it is what the new DC wants to run. But I don't accept the idea that we can't recruit nose players to Pullman, and the large Poly contingent on the roster is one of many reasons. Another is that we finally have had a 3 man front in place for enough years for the HS recruits to be getting to the age/maturity level required for a HS kid to handle what is possibly the most physically demanding position in football.
This post was edited on 1/10 8:29 AM by cr8zyncalif
The opinion was expressed that (to paraphrase), WSU can't get the necessary nose players to run a 3-4.
While I agree with the implicit idea that you have to have the right nose to successfully run a 3-4, and I would even agree that we did not have an ideal answer this year, I don't buy the idea that we can't recruit nose players.
Just the most obvious reason that comes to mind is our Poly player recruiting success. If you wanted to pick one group of kids whose body type includes a lot of guys who are built like a nose needs to be built, who would you pick? Now, will every kid you recruit as a 17 year old develop at age 20 into a good nose player? Of course not. But if one out of 3 DL recruits does, you are well covered.
The thing that I think has to be factored into the equation is how long it takes to physically develop a PAC-level nose. It is hard for me to picture many kids being physically ready before age 20. Our JC transfer who worked out well in Leach's year 2 had both the right body for the job and by year 2 also had both the age and D1 technique development. A better answer is a HS recruit who has had D1 technique development/coaching for more years by the time he hits physical maturity. But since the first recruiting class is always weak & last minute for every new coach, we've really only had a couple of years of recruiting classes in the Leach era. Leach's HS recruits are just now hitting age 20/21 for this upcoming spring ball. That is a particularly big deal at the nose. If we stay with a 3 man front, I suspect we'll see a better fit at nose this season.
While on that subject, our recruiting interest this year seems to indicate that we may be looking at more 4 man front looks this season. And that is fine if it is what the new DC wants to run. But I don't accept the idea that we can't recruit nose players to Pullman, and the large Poly contingent on the roster is one of many reasons. Another is that we finally have had a 3 man front in place for enough years for the HS recruits to be getting to the age/maturity level required for a HS kid to handle what is possibly the most physically demanding position in football.
This post was edited on 1/10 8:29 AM by cr8zyncalif
