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Post by qbeaver on Jan 12, 2023 11:17:42 GMT -8
Some very good players ahead of Tufaga. Wasn't Shadon Akuna a 4* recruit too? Tafuga's bro was a beav and Mason visited osu out of high school.
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Post by treasurevalleybeav on Jan 12, 2023 12:02:34 GMT -8
I guess him red shirting the first year there makes more sense. So he really only had one year he was available that he didn’t get in
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Post by hottubbeaver on Jan 12, 2023 13:10:50 GMT -8
I don't know about not missing a beat. Assuming, along with you, Speights returns, I still think replacing Fisher-Morris will come with some growing pains. Trying to replace talent is only one aspect and maybe not the most important one at that. It's replacing the chemistry and communication this years D had that might not be so easy to duplicate. Experience plays into that to and that takes time. I beat the drum for Fisher-Morris for most of the season and think he had the best season of the LBs, but it was close between him and Speights. And Mascarenas-Arnold's numbers were really good considering he played less and missed a game. He had 37 total tackles (8th on the team), 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks and also an interception. Speights had eight TFLs, no sacks or picks, but led OSU with 83 total tackles. Fisher-Morris was third with 77 tackles, led the team with 8.5 TFLs. He had 1.5 sacks and one pick. So yeah, he will be missed but I'm really not that worried about a fall-off if Speights comes back. FWIW, Oladapo was second on the team with 80 tackles, four TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Not an LB, but definitely good that he's back as well, especially because he's effective in run support. I get what you're saying about chemistry and communication, but Speights and EMA have played together plenty of times. I think that will be more of an issue for Tufaga as he settles in. But that's also why spring is very important. Some of the communication is done nonverbally. When you play with the same guys long enough you get to know where each other is going to go upon spotting certain indicators given by the O. Not to mention just being familiar with the system and scheme. Losing Austin and JG3 along with F-M and ? ? It will definitely be difficult to not miss a beat IMO. That doesn't mean we won't field a solid D or get better with each game. Just think there could be some growing pains. |
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Post by grayman on Jan 12, 2023 14:13:01 GMT -8
I beat the drum for Fisher-Morris for most of the season and think he had the best season of the LBs, but it was close between him and Speights. And Mascarenas-Arnold's numbers were really good considering he played less and missed a game. He had 37 total tackles (8th on the team), 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks and also an interception. Speights had eight TFLs, no sacks or picks, but led OSU with 83 total tackles. Fisher-Morris was third with 77 tackles, led the team with 8.5 TFLs. He had 1.5 sacks and one pick. So yeah, he will be missed but I'm really not that worried about a fall-off if Speights comes back. FWIW, Oladapo was second on the team with 80 tackles, four TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Not an LB, but definitely good that he's back as well, especially because he's effective in run support. I get what you're saying about chemistry and communication, but Speights and EMA have played together plenty of times. I think that will be more of an issue for Tufaga as he settles in. But that's also why spring is very important. Some of the communication is done nonverbally. When you play with the same guys long enough you get to know where each other is going to go upon spotting certain indicators given by the O. Not to mention just being familiar with the system and scheme. Losing Austin and JG3 along with F-M and ? ? It will definitely be difficult to not miss a beat IMO. That doesn't mean we won't field a solid D or get better with each game. Just think there could be some growing pains. I guess it depends on where the program really is. Have they reached the point where they can plug in a few players and keep the level of play at pretty much the same level or is losing a couple of key players too much of a significant loss even now? Again, I think the LB corps will be just fine if Speights returns because EMA is a very talented player who has quite a bit of experience. There just wasn't a noteworthy drop off when he played, in fact, he often made plays. Losing the two top corners is a different situation. There will probably some beats missed at CB, although Ryan Cooper's stats are very comparable to Austin's and Wright's. Austin had 57 total tackles, 1 TFL, 2 ints and 10 pass breakups. Cooper had 45 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 ints and 11 pass breakups. Wright had 38 tackels, 0.5 TFL, 2 picks and 9 breakups. Cooper no doubt will alleviate some of the loss, but depth is definitely taking a hit, at least on paper. Skyler Thomas (13 games) and Jaden Robinson (12 games) both played a fair amount. |
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Post by vhalum92 on Jan 13, 2023 9:52:39 GMT -8
The times are a changin! We once were known for finding 3 start recruits and coaching them up to be all league/potential NFL guys to we are bringing in 4/5 star guys who are not getting playing time or are not producing at the old school.
I'm not complaining.... just noticing a potential shift as the landscape of college football is changing fast.
Time will tell if we can get these guys playing to the potential others saw in them as HS recruits.
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Post by drunkandstoopidbeav on Jan 13, 2023 10:31:43 GMT -8
The times are a changin! We once were known for finding 3 start recruits and coaching them up to be all league/potential NFL guys to we are bringing in 4/5 star guys who are not getting playing time or are not producing at the old school. I'm not complaining.... just noticing a potential shift as the landscape of college football is changing fast. Time will tell if we can get these guys playing to the potential others saw in them as HS recruits. I'm hoping the coaches will be able to say "We've sent a lot of 3 star recruits to the NFL...AND...we've resurrected the careers of a lot of 4 star + recruits who were going nowhere at other schools" and maybe swing some higher ranked high school kids our way from the get-go. Over the years there have been a lot of people who say Coach so-and-so likes to get low star kids and build them up. That's kinda a bunch of BS. OSU's coaches have been more or less forced to take lower star kids and build them up. When GA arrived there were people who said at least he wasn't afraid to offer 4 and 5 star kids. I went to 247 and looked at Riley's offer list for his last class before he was off to NU, he'd offered 60 some odd 4 and 5 star recruits that cycle. Not sure if any of them bit. I'm hoping it gets to where more highly rated recruits take notice and consider OSU as a viable option from the beginning. |
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Post by grayman on Jan 13, 2023 12:51:34 GMT -8
I think the Beavers will definitely be seriously considered by more 4-star guys out there for the near future at least.
I think what happened this season combined with the national attention that came from landing DJU has changed the game to an extent for OSU.
I believe the Beavers will have another good season next fall and the team should get some extra TV attention due to DJU and having a 10-3 season under the belt.
Keeping it all going is the big question. I think JS will do his part, but the money has to be there on a consistent basis to stay relevant with the NIL, etc. What becomes of the conference is also in question. If the Pac-12 stays together in some form either by adding a few teams or merging with Big 12 or whatever, then great. If the conference does eventually implode, then OSU might wind up in the MWC and those 4-star guys probably won't be interested.
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