Percy Harvin Effect

[louisvilledawg]

We've all complained about the WRs this year. They've been called the midgets and worse. After Bear, Fred Ross, and the dismissal of Fred Brown our coaches failed to recruit high quality X receivers for this offense. Todd, Couch, and Mitchell were simply a reaction to the realization that we had no size at WR.

Granted I agree that HF, as a former WR coach himself, was on a mission to recruit by any illegal means necessary every WR away from us however there is another factor. I believe that Mullen became obsessed with trying to find the next Percy Harvin.

We all remember Percy Harvin. 5'11 tough, elusive with game breaking speed. Mullen thought Donald Gray, Malik Dear, Deddrick Thomas, Gabe Myles, Keith Mixon were going to be the next PH. For various and sundry reasons it has not happened. Most notably the fact that Percy played surrounded by big time WRs and TEs. However, it looks like Gonzales and Mullen are turning the page. In our recruiting there are no slot receivers. Every WR is an X or a TE body.This bodes well for the future.

While I understand that this year we have a glut of slot WRs I would love to see what Kylin Hill would do from the slot. If anyone on this team has the chance to be the next PH it is KH.

Disagree completely with just about everything you said. I don't think Mullen has become obsessed with finding the next Percy Harvin. If he would have been obsessed with finding one, you could throw Billy Gonzales in there too since he was the recruiter of Percy Harvin at Florida. Harvin was a generational talent. Was the number 1 or 2 ranked player overall in his class.

As far as kylin hill comparison to harvin, Harvin was 5'11 175 lbs. Kylin Hill is about 30 lbs heavier than Harvin.

[Reason2succeed]

Disagree completely with just about everything you said. I don't think Mullen has become obsessed with finding the next Percy Harvin. If he would have been obsessed with finding one, you could throw Billy Gonzales in there too since he was the recruiter of Percy Harvin at Florida. Harvin was a generational talent. Was the number 1 or 2 ranked player overall in his class.

As far as kylin hill comparison to harvin, Harvin was 5'11 175 lbs. Kylin Hill is about 30 lbs heavier than Harvin.

You're free to disagree but I can remember Dan Mullen at least 1,000 times saying that they are looking for players that create mismatches. If the mismatch isn't size then obviously he thought (right or wrong and we now know definitely wrong) that the players they were signing could use their speed and/or elusiveness to get open. It's easy to play Monday morning QB. I completely agree it hasn't worked but to me it is obvious that Mullen had some type of plan for all these small WRs or we wouldn't have 8 of them on the roster.

[sandwolf]

You're free to disagree but I can remember Dan Mullen at least 1,000 times saying that they are looking for players that create mismatches.

You do realize that this is what every coach is looking for, right?

If the mismatch isn't size then obviously he thought (right or wrong and we now know definitely wrong) that the players they were signing could use their speed and/or elusiveness to get open. It's easy to play Monday morning QB. I completely agree it hasn't worked but to me it is obvious that Mullen had some type of plan for all these small WRs or we wouldn't have 8 of them on the roster.

We don't have small WR's because that is Mullen's preference. We have them because there are a lot more of them, which means that they are not nearly as hot of a commodity on the recruiting trail and you can find some that have flown under the radar. 6'-3"+ WR's with legit speed, ball skills, etc. are rare and they don't fly under the radar so to sign them, you have to win recruiting battles against other big time schools....Mullen definitely wants those guys, he just hasn't been able to sign them.

[Reason2succeed]

You do realize that this is what every coach is looking for, right?



We don't have small WR's because that is Mullen's preference. We have them because there are a lot more of them, which means that they are not nearly as hot of a commodity on the recruiting trail and you can find some that have flown under the radar. 6'-3"+ WR's with legit speed, ball skills, etc. are rare and they don't fly under the radar so to sign them, you have to win recruiting battles against other big time schools....Mullen definitely wants those guys, he just hasn't been able to sign them.

Are you suggesting that we wanted WRs over 6'2 that went to Memphis, USM, La Tech, Troy, UAB, etc. but Mullen lost the recruiting battles. If that is the case then he does need to be fired. No, he wanted the players we have. Sure there are others that slipped through the cracks but the reason why we have 8 WRs under 6'2 is because we had a few and kept recruiting more.