NEW COMMITMENT

[archdog]

Who was it? Does anyone know anything?

[hailmari]

You know more than me at this point.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

Stay tuned


BeastMan say "Let the kid have his moment"

[starkvegasdawg]

Nice size and has some decent offers. We need OL so glad to have him on board.

[FISHDAWG]

http://247sports.com/Player/Trey-Derouen-26926

shows no offer but was recruitied by Bama, LSU, & UGA

[BulldogDX55]

http://247sports.com/Player/Trey-Derouen-26926

shows no offer but was recruitied by Bama, LSU, & UGA

Has offers from Duke, BC, GT, and Illinois. Must be smart.

[sandwolf]

Has offers from Duke, BC, GT, and Illinois. Must be smart.

And Vandy.

[msstate7]

Has offers from Duke, BC, GT, and Illinois. Must be smart.

OL is a great spot to have smart kids.

[maroonmania]

Let's don't count our chickens just yet. Last OL from GA we thought we had ended up committing to Louisville.

[FISHDAWG]

maybe I should have said he has offers from some decent schools ... but obviously bama, LSU, & UGA spent time & resources recruiting him but for whatever reason didn't offer him ... maybe it was him that had no interest and they knew that ... the guy has the numbers & I'm very hopeful he commits
ETA - Bama sent ole Kirby himself

[Bully13]

Question. What makes 247 more reliable than g?nes page?...genes page shows offers fsu tn etc

[Coach34]

This is the guy I heard about awhile back. Hevesy loves this guy.

[deltadawg99]

Question. What makes 247 more reliable than g?nes page?...genes page shows offers fsu tn etc

A kid can basically say that he offers from anywhere that he wants because the staff cannot talk about recruits by names. None of the website moderators are going to take an offer off a kids profile even if they confirm through one of their "sources" that it is not true.

Look at OM's players over the last few years. I'm sure some are legit, but the vast majority of there guys claim offers from everybody under the sun.

[CadaverDawg]

Let's don't count our chickens just yet. Last OL from GA we thought we had ended up committing to Louisville.

Yea, with Hevesy on our side, I think I'll wait til the ink is dry. Would love for us to get this guy, he could potentially be a 3 year starter type for us IMO with a redshirt year.

[Covercorner2]

Question. What makes 247 more reliable than g?nes page?...genes page shows offers fsu tn etc

Scout only shows OFFERS from GT, State, MTSU, Duke, and Vandy. Shows INTEREST from Ole Miss, UT, and FSU...

[Reason2succeed]

I couldn't care less who else offered the kid. That's ole piss drivel. Our coaches have proven that they can see and project things that other staffs cannot or will not.

On another note, how many spots do we have open this year for recruiting? Are we going for 33 like Coach O did that time or was that Nutt?

[jumbo]

I couldn't care less who else offered the kid. That's ole piss drivel. Our coaches have proven that they can see and project things that other staffs cannot or will not.

On another note, how many spots do we have open this year for recruiting? Are we going for 33 like Coach O did that time or was that Nutt?


30 fore sure. Could be up to 32 depending on Pierce and Cooper

[archdog]

Scout only shows OFFERS from GT, State, MTSU, Duke, and Vandy. Shows INTEREST from Ole Miss, UT, and FSU...

Yeah I got an email about a commitment, no info though.

[Coach34]

Yea, with Hevesy on our side, I think I'll wait til the ink is dry. Would love for us to get this guy, he could potentially be a 3 year starter type for us IMO with a redshirt year.

The ol "Hevesy can't croot" rhetoric is alive and well I see. Even after Engie's article clearly showed how good the OL was with Dakota and JRob in the game.

[Original48]

The ol "Hevesy can't croot" rhetoric is alive and well I see. Even after Engie's article clearly showed how good the OL was with Dakota and JRob in the game.
He can coach. That actually shouldn't be in question. But like Cadaver, I cringe at the thought of him in living rooms across the southeast.

[maroonmania]

The ol "Hevesy can't croot" rhetoric is alive and well I see. Even after Engie's article clearly showed how good the OL was with Dakota and JRob in the game.

Coaching up what you have and signing the top targets on your recruiting board for a position group are two totally different things. As far as the OL goes one of these things we currently appear to be doing while the other we seemingly don't.

[CadaverDawg]

Coaching up what you have and signing the top targets on your recruiting board for a position group are two totally different things. As far as the OL goes one of these things we currently appear to be doing while the other we seemingly don't.

Exactly. Coach wants to spin the words, but I've said repeatedly that Hevesy develops well. He also runs off potential signees well...so like I said, this is a solid recruit but I'll wait til the ink is dry to get excited, bc if anyone can run off an OL during the recruiting process, it's Hevesy. His developing skills can't be argued, but that's not my point in this thread

[engie]

The ol "Hevesy can't croot" rhetoric is alive and well I see. Even after Engie's article clearly showed how good the OL was with Dakota and JRob in the game.

I actually mostly agree with everyone else on this. He's a damn fine OL coach and developer and his track record speaks for himself on that. But I would love to see us start hitting on top OL targets like we do at other positions -- and it's basically undeniable that he holds us back in that regard. I'd argue that failure in the JUCO system in the first 2 seasons set the program back 2+ years in 2011. If we had followed 8-4 with 9-3, as we were plenty talented to do outside that one position group, things would probably look a little different today. I'm happy with where we are at overall -- but that's not to say that it couldn't be better...and OL recruiting is one place that we definitely could still use a ton of improvement. For instance: We lost an OL priority to Louisville already this year. We lost one to Kentucky and one to USM last year. This isn't happening at any other position group.

[starkvegasdawg]

I actually mostly agree with everyone else on this. He's a damn fine OL coach and developer and his track record speaks for himself on that. But I would love to see us start hitting on top OL targets like we do at other positions -- and it's basically undeniable that he holds us back in that regard. I'd argue that failure in the JUCO system in the first 2 seasons set the program back 2+ years in 2011. If we had followed 8-4 with 9-3, as we were plenty talented to do outside that one position group, things would probably look a little different today. I'm happy with where we are at overall -- but that's not to say that it couldn't be better...and OL recruiting is one place that we definitely could still use a ton of improvement. For instance: We lost an OL priority to Louisville already this year. We lost one to Kentucky and one to USM last year. This isn't happening at any other position group.

The only things that make me nervous about this year's team is possible depth issues on the OL and the fact that we have no proven kicker than we can send out there on an extra point and the entire stadium not hold their breath. It would be so MSU to be driving to win the west only to give up a sack on a crucial third down and then try to win the game on a 42 yard FG attempt to have it go wide right.

[gtowndawg]

Exactly. Coach wants to spin the words, but I've said repeatedly that Hevesy develops well. He also runs off potential signees well...so like I said, this is a solid recruit but I'll wait til the ink is dry to get excited, bc if anyone can run off an OL during the recruiting process, it's Hevesy. His developing skills can't be argued, but that's not my point in this thread

What Cadaver said....he's a dang good coach, but we need to lock him in the office during 'crootin season.

[Coach34]

Coaching up what you have and signing the top targets on your recruiting board for a position group are two totally different things. As far as the OL goes one of these things we currently appear to be doing while the other we seemingly don't.

We have 2 NFL prospects we signed from Jackson private schools. It's not Hev's fault former waiters and railroad accountants didn't notice their ability and rate them accordingly in HS

[deltadawg99]

What was the story with Hevesy and Deon Mix? Didn't mix want to take a visit or two for fun and Hevesy flipped out on him?

Can graduate assistants or volunteer coaches recruit off campus? I would love to send Pork Chop Womack on the road recruiting. Great guy and great advocate for MSU.

[Coach34]

What Cadaver said....he's a dang good coach, but we need to lock him in the office during 'crootin season.

What some of you guys fail to realize is that players can only be developed and coached up so much. Not to mention OL ratings are usually off. Nobody in their right mind thinks Damien Robinson has more talent than Clayborn or Malone- but he was ranked higher.

We have the most talented starting OL we have had in over a decade in 2014. We are doing something right

[Coach34]

Is Deon Mix even on Auburn's 2 deep?

[CadaverDawg]

What some of you guys fail to realize is that players can only be developed and coached up so much. Not to mention OL ratings are usually off. Nobody in their right mind thinks Damien Robinson has more talent than Clayborn or Malone- but he was ranked higher.

We have the most talented starting OL we have had in over a decade in 2014. We are doing something right

I think that is garbage. I'd love to have that optimism, and I know we want to make people feel better about the OL...but "the best in over a decade" is far from realistic in my opinion. And just because Hevesy develops a decent prospect into a "serviceable" or "good" player, doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better. We have become "great" on our DLine, LB'ers, and secondary for the most part....."Great" at QB all of the sudden....."very good" at RB and WR.....yet we are "solid" or "serviceable" at OL with zero "good" depth.

Paint it however you want to paint it....but we are not recruiting the OL like we are every other position right now. I'm sure Collins liked having 2 star John Banks, and 2 star B Mac.....but that hasn't kept him from going after 4/5 star Justin Cox, 4/5 star Jamal Peters, 4 star Gerri Green, etc..

You don't have to make excuses or try to justify our lackluster OL recruiting....and I'm not real sure why you continuously do it. While I agree that stars aren't everything, especially on the OL.....there are also elite OL guys labeled as 4/5 star guys every year that pan out. One of them you will get to watch progress up the road in Oxford. You'll always have your Damien Robinson's and somebody will counter that with Laremy Tunsil.....and then you'll have your Gabe Jackson's, and somebody will counter that with Archie Muniz and a ton of other 2/3 star OL that never play a snap.

What we're saying is, we can't expect Hevesy to continue to pull rabbits out of his hat on the OL if we SERIOUSLY want to compete year in and year out in the SEC West.

[Coach34]

We have 2 guys in Clayborn and Malone that are likely to be NFL picks
we have 2 guys in Clausell and Day that are going to get NFL training camp invites

Name a season in the last 10 we had that in our 5 starters?

[maroonmania]

I think that is garbage. I'd love to have that optimism, and I know we want to make people feel better about the OL...but "the best in over a decade" is far from realistic in my opinion. And just because Hevesy develops a decent prospect into a "serviceable" or "good" player, doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing better. We have become "great" on our DLine, LB'ers, and secondary for the most part....."Great" at QB all of the sudden....."very good" at RB and WR.....yet we are "solid" or "serviceable" at OL with zero "good" depth.

Paint it however you want to paint it....but we are not recruiting the OL like we are every other position right now. I'm sure Collins liked having 2 star John Banks, and 2 star B Mac.....but that hasn't kept him from going after 4/5 star Justin Cox, 4/5 star Jamal Peters, 4 star Gerri Green, etc..

You don't have to make excuses or try to justify our lackluster OL recruiting....and I'm not real sure why you continuously do it. While I agree that stars aren't everything, especially on the OL.....there are also elite OL guys labeled as 4/5 star guys every year that pan out. One of them you will get to watch progress up the road in Oxford. You'll always have your Damien Robinson's and somebody will counter that with Laremy Tunsil.....and then you'll have your Gabe Jackson's, and somebody will counter that with Archie Muniz and a ton of other 2/3 star OL that never play a snap.

What we're saying is, we can't expect Hevesy to continue to pull rabbits out of his hat on the OL if we SERIOUSLY want to compete year in and year out in the SEC West.

Bringing up Damien Robinson is a red herring anyway. While his recruiting rating never really got lowered it was widely known that by his SR season in HS most if not all of his SEC and higher end offers had been pulled. He really wasn't that high a priority even for us but we needed some big bodies to sign early in Mullen's career and he was available in the end. DR was not a 4 star for college coaches when it came down to signing day. He just wasn't that impressive later in his HS career.

[CadaverDawg]

We have 2 guys in Clayborn and Malone that are likely to be NFL picks
we have 2 guys in Clausell and Day that are going to get NFL training camp invites

Name a season in the last 10 we had that in our 5 starters?

The JUCO guy(whose name escapes me) (Carmon?) that we swapped from DL to OL made it to a NFL training camp,so I don't understand why that's important. And again, HEVESY CAN DEVELOP well. But that doesn't mean that every low rated prospect we sign he will turn in to a NFL player. Like I said, for every Gabe Jackson, there is a Archie Muniz or 10. Besides, you're making an argument based on 2 guys you claim are "likely to be NFL picks", and 2 guys that "are going to get training camp invites". So there isn't a definite NFL guy in the bunch? Is that what you're saying? Because that is my point. We need to be recruiting more guys that don't take a miraculous development job to make good enough to get an invite to training camp. This post is not taking away from his development skills, so not sure why you keep resorting to that.

[shrimp]

I don't get the Hev can't recruit mantra. Our coaches recruit by geographic territories primarily, not by position. I've talked with a few HS coaches who had players recruited by Hev, and all of them were very complimentary of Hev's recruiting abilities. Heck, he got pretty dang close to getting Nick Marshall to sign with us instead of Auburn last year.

[CadaverDawg]

I don't get the Hev can't recruit mantra. Our coaches recruit by geographic territories primarily, not by position. I've talked with a few HS coaches who had players recruited by Hev, and all of them were very complimentary of Hev's recruiting abilities. Heck, he got pretty dang close to getting Nick Marshall to sign with us instead of Auburn last year.

We're talking OL. When it comes to highly touted high school or JUCO OL recruits, we have had multiple that took our name off the table because they disliked Hevesy. We all understand that it's more than just Hevesy that recruits OL players, and we all understand that Hevesy develops well.....but 1) do you really think these OL players aren't introduced to their future OL coach in the recruiting process? They don't just show up bc Townsend recruited them, and then meet Hevesy the first day of practice. He is involved in every OL recruit's recruitment....just like Mullen is with every QB recruit, Townsend with every DB recruit, etc.
And 2) "close to" getting Nick Marshall has nothing to do with the OL, and even if it did, "close to" is about as close as Hevesy comes to landing highly recruited OLinemen

[CadaverDawg]

I hope nobody is taking my comments about Hevesy out of context. Considering the quality of OL we've recruited....and the fact that we have been running a scat back between the tackles for the last few seasons...Hevesy has been working miracles to give us a solid line. I am very pleased with his development of players....I just wish we could start providing him with better front end talent to develop. You have to have hosses, and solid depth behind those hosses, if you ever want to field a Championship caliber team. Typically you will have one area that you don't recruit as well as others too...and OL seems to be ours. Unfortunately, that is the area that you need to be stacked at in order to compete in this league. And it is also an area that we have been good at gathering talent in the past. Right now, we are developing enough talent to get by....I just hope we can keep it up. It's a whole lot to ask Hevesy to develop guys that USM, Troy, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky are offering into 2/3 year starters in the SEC West. That's all I'm saying.

[maroonmania]

We're talking OL. When it comes to highly touted high school or JUCO OL recruits, we have had multiple that took our name off the table because they disliked Hevesy. We all understand that it's more than just Hevesy that recruits OL players, and we all understand that Hevesy develops well.....but 1) do you really think these OL players aren't introduced to their future OL coach in the recruiting process? They don't just show up bc Townsend recruited them, and then meet Hevesy the first day of practice. He is involved in every OL recruit's recruitment....just like Mullen is with every QB recruit, Townsend with every DB recruit, etc.
And 2) "close to" getting Nick Marshall has nothing to do with the OL, and even if it did, "close to" is about as close as Hevesy comes to landing highly recruited OLinemen

And it seems the issue is primarily a recruiting process, first impression kind of thing. Guys that play under Hevesy once on the team seem to do fine with it.

[CadaverDawg]

And it seems the issue is primarily a recruiting process, first impression kind of thing. Guys that play under Hevesy once on the team seem to do fine with it.

Totally agree

[ShotgunDawg]

I was just watching the Big 10 media days on ESPN and Urban Meyer said he was worried about his O-line. Does any school actually do well here? Bama gave up a bunch of sacks year as well. Not saying we can't get better, but developing a good offensive line seems to be the most difficult thing to do in college football.

[ShotgunDawg]

And it seems the issue is primarily a recruiting process, first impression kind of thing. Guys that play under Hevesy once on the team seem to do fine with it.

But here is the question:

Do the guys that do well under Hevesy, do well because they aren't pussies or do they do well because they adjust to Hevesy's coaching style?

Recruiting analysts can only measure physical abilities on tape, but playing offensive line is about toughness, brains, and a willingness to do the dirty work.

Serious question: would our offensive line be better or worse if Hevesy had landed some of the more high profile guys?

Perhaps, Hevesy and Mullen desire to have tough, non-***** players on the offensive line, and Mullen tells Hevesy to be an ass in the recruitment of offensive linemen in an effort to make sure that the players that become Bulldogs are not pussies. Maybe it's the main part of the filtering process.

If those are the ingredients that Hevesy desires most in offensive linemen, then I would say we are doing a wonderful job of recruiting offensive linemen. Maybe that is why the position is so difficult to evaluate

[War Machine Dawg]

What was the story with Hevesy and Deon Mix? Didn't mix want to take a visit or two for fun and Hevesy flipped out on him?

Can graduate assistants or volunteer coaches recruit off campus? I would love to send Pork Chop Womack on the road recruiting. Great guy and great advocate for MSU.

I told you guys wayyyyy back that Deon Mix was a ginormous bust waiting to happen. I saw the guy play a bunch in HS. He's soft and always will be. The only reason he drew interest in his size. Essentially, he's Damein Robinson without DR's production in HS. Everyone was flipping out when he flipped to Auburn, but I was doing a happy dance. It freed up a spot for a better player in our class and wasted a spot in their class. He'll never be a contributor.

[FISHDAWG]

anyway ... welcome aboard Trey ... hope you aren't reading this Hevesy crap

[thedawg]

Does Hevesy get credit for landing top flight talent since Champion was rated four stars today?

[thedawg]

Deon Mix was a puss btw... we wanted him mostly because he was a south panola player and yes that perception does matter.. hes also large so there was a chance he could make something... Hevesy exploded on him because he wanted to take some visits like Chris Jones... Hevesy basically told him your not good enough to be holding a spot your either in or out.. Mix got his feelings all hurt and signed with Auburn where he will never play... probably wouldnt have played for us either

[Coach34]

It's the same ol shit whether it's State fans or Ole Miss fans. It's the perception

2-3 year ago all you heard about was how Mullen couldn't recruit- yet here we are one of the most talented and deepest teams in the SEC for 2014. In a couple years- we'll have Clayborn, Malone, Calhoun, Flowers, etc and people will be talking about how talented we are on the OL

[thedawg]

Outside of Deon Mix who has Hevesy "cost" us with... Im honestly trying to think back...

[CadaverDawg]

Does Hevesy get credit for landing top flight talent since Champion was rated four stars today?

Yes, if he actually signs with us. Thus the whole point of this thread

[thedawg]

Yes, if he actually signs with us. Thus the whole point of this thread

I thought the whole point of this thread was to announce the commitment of a new commitment from Georgia who is a solid three star but not an elite talent like Champion... although Champion has only been an elite talent four star for a few hours thus my confusion... my bad

[CadaverDawg]

I thought the whole point of this thread was to announce the commitment of a new commitment from Georgia who is a solid three star but not an elite talent like Champion... although Champion has only been an elite talent four star for a few hours thus my confusion... my bad

I meant the point of the thread "since it took a turn into a conversation about Hevesy"....my bad

[HoopsDawg]

Outside of Deon Mix who has Hevesy "cost" us with... Im honestly trying to think back...

We have missed on NUMEROUS o-line targets under Hevesy's watch. So in some regards he has cost us too many players to list.

[HoopsDawg]

It's the same ol shit whether it's State fans or Ole Miss fans. It's the perception

2-3 year ago all you heard about was how Mullen couldn't recruit- yet here we are one of the most talented and deepest teams in the SEC for 2014. In a couple years- we'll have Clayborn, Malone, Calhoun, Flowers, etc and people will be talking about how talented we are on the OL

Mullen did a good job of addressing the problem and it was a problem. He brought in guys like Tim Brewster, Gonzales, Deshea Townsend, Brian Johnson and David Turner.

Right now, we have no idea if Calhoun or Flowers can play ball. Clayborn and Malone are promising, but they were far from recruiting coups.

[thedawg]

We have missed on NUMEROUS o-line targets under Hevesy's watch. So in some regards he has cost us too many players to list.

We have missed out on NUMEROUS recruits period that we should have gotten... how can we blame hevesy for missing on Oline recruits if we dont blame Mullen and his personality for missing on Brunetti, Chad Voytik, Cam, Staver, and Dobbs... I need specific instances we have missed on Olinemen because of conflict with Hevesy or his coaching style.. Im not being a dick I just only know of one... Mix...

[Coach34]

Mullen did a good job of addressing the problem and it was a problem. He brought in guys like Tim Brewster, Gonzales, Deshea Townsend, Brian Johnson and David Turner.

Right now, we have no idea if Calhoun or Flowers can play ball. Clayborn and Malone are promising, but they were far from recruiting coups.

Brewster hardly brought in a damn soul- and Johnson has yet to land anyone's signature.

Calhoun un is expected to play as a true Freshman- and Flowers was our 6th best lineman this Spring. Our coaches have a real good idea where they stand whether you do or not. Just like they also think Clayborn is ore talented than Gabe was. And I reiterate- just because you don't see it- doesn't mean they aren't ready

[justwin]

Don't forget about Elgton Jenkins. In a few years, people are going to wonder who he was and how he got drafted, much like Clausell will do this year.

Clausell should get drafted...he held his own vs Clowney & has done much better than people give him credit.


It' In a couple years- we'll have Clayborn, Malone, Calhoun, Flowers, etc and people will be talking about how talented we are on the OL

[FISHDAWG]

Don't forget about Elgton Jenkins. In a few years, people are going to wonder who he was and how he got drafted, much like Clausell will do this year.

Clausell should get drafted...he held his own vs Clowney & has done much better than people give him credit.

yep ... I remember getting so irritated with him but like with so many things in life just have to be a little patient ... Clausell is a prime example of having the ability but still needing to be coached up ... and he did well

[ShotgunDawg]

Has Hevesy missed out on any offensive linemen that have turned out to be good?

[thedawg]

Has Hevesy missed out on any offensive linemen that have turned out to be good?

The only one that comes to mind right off the top of my head is Aaron Morris... Hev wanted him bad.. Ole Miss got him and hes good... He was hurt last year but he can play... We will see on Daronte Bouldin

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Clausell couldnt even get a S. alabama offer.

In 30 years, when I think of clausell, Ill remember his first snap in college when he caught that pass.

Face palm.

[engie]

We have missed out on NUMEROUS recruits period that we should have gotten... how can we blame hevesy for missing on Oline recruits if we dont blame Mullen and his personality for missing on Brunetti, Chad Voytik, Cam, Staver, and Dobbs... I need specific instances we have missed on Olinemen because of conflict with Hevesy or his coaching style.. Im not being a dick I just only know of one... Mix...

Brian Johnson hasn't missed on an identified QB target yet. That happened on Koenning's watch -- who was touted as a great recruiter, but it's been a night and day differene since Johnson got here. We do blame Mullen -- but the stuff you are talking about are 3-4 years old for the most part.

Hevesy missed on Avery Gennessey last year. A 4* JUCO OT with offers from everyone that had never left the state of MS before. He never gave us a serious look because he couldn't stand Hev. We had an OL flip to USM last year. On JUCO signing day no less. Had one flip from us to NCState. Had Rawlings flip to OM. Had an in-state kid leave for FSU. Got beat on Taylor and Sims to OM. Got beat on Stallings to UK.
- Of the 4 OL we signed last year, Johnson is the only one with multiple SEC offers, with an OM offer.

Identifying talent is important. For sure. We seem to have done that with Calhoun last year, Clayborn 2 years ago, etc...But Cochran and Jenkins were distant backup plans for us after we had 3 flips last year and missed on a couple of our biggest targets. That isn't going to cut it in the longterm. Not with the way we're upgrading talent everywhere else. I'm not saying that we're recruiting terribly at the position -- but we are losing a higher percentage of head-to-head battles there than we are at any other and that has got to improve.

[ShotgunDawg]

The only one that comes to mind right off the top of my head is Aaron Morris... Hev wanted him bad.. Ole Miss got him and hes good... He was hurt last year but he can play... We will see on Daronte Bouldin

And Ole Miss had the "in" at Calloway. So, let me get this straight, we are complaining about an o-line coach that missed on one recruit that has turned out to be worth a crap? While, at the same time, he has put together a good/serviceable o-line in Starkville.

I agree that, at the time, during recruiting season, Hev seems like a terrible recruiter, but the results are panning out that way.

[CadaverDawg]

Brian Johnson hasn't missed on an identified QB target yet. That happened on Koenning's watch -- who was touted as a great recruiter, but it's been a night and day differene since Johnson got here. We do blame Mullen -- but the stuff you are talking about are 3-4 years old for the most part.

Hevesy missed on Avery Gennessey last year. A 4* JUCO OT with offers from everyone that had never left the state of MS before. He never gave us a serious look because he couldn't stand Hev. We had an OL flip to USM last year. On JUCO signing day no less. Had one flip from us to NCState. Had Rawlings flip to OM. Had an in-state kid leave for FSU. Got beat on Taylor and Sims to OM. Got beat on Stallings to UK.
- Of the 4 OL we signed last year, Johnson is the only one with multiple SEC offers, with an OM offer.

Identifying talent is important. For sure. We seem to have done that with Calhoun last year, Clayborn 2 years ago, etc...But Cochran and Jenkins were distant backup plans for us after we had 3 flips last year and missed on a couple of our biggest targets. That isn't going to cut it in the longterm. Not with the way we're upgrading talent everywhere else. I'm not saying that we're recruiting terribly at the position -- but we are losing a higher percentage of head-to-head battles there than we are at any other and that has got to improve.

This is exactly what I'm trying to say. Thank you.

[Coach34]

Not to mention that Hevesy's Boss just so happens to run the offense. Guy has a big ego also. I can assure you if he thought our recruiting was sub-par on the OL- he'd make a change. Us offensive guys don't evahhhh like to look bad.

[ShotgunDawg]

Hevesy missed on Avery Gennessey last year. A 4* JUCO OT with offers from everyone that had never left the state of MS before. He never gave us a serious look because he couldn't stand Hev. We had an OL flip to USM last year. On JUCO signing day no less. Had one flip from us to NCState. Had Rawlings flip to OM. Had an in-state kid leave for FSU. Got beat on Taylor and Sims to OM. Got beat on Stallings to UK.
- Of the 4 OL we signed last year, Johnson is the only one with multiple SEC offers, with an OM offer.

Identifying talent is important. For sure. We seem to have done that with Calhoun last year, Clayborn 2 years ago, etc...But Cochran and Jenkins were distant backup plans for us after we had 3 flips last year and missed on a couple of our biggest targets. That isn't going to cut it in the longterm. Not with the way we're upgrading talent everywhere else. I'm not saying that we're recruiting terribly at the position -- but we are losing a higher percentage of head-to-head battles there than we are at any other and that has got to improve.

I understand what you are saying, but plug and play doesn't work on the offensive line. I want to land more o-line recruits than anyone, but perhaps non of these would have been successful under Hev and it is better that they went somewhere else. Maybe the same thing that Gennessey hated about Hev is the same thing that will keep Gennessey from being successful at the higher levels.

Until our o-line starts sucking or the players that Hev is "missing on" start becoming NFL draft picks or productive college o-linemen, I refuse to freak out about this.

[thedawg]

I'm not into excuses but I refuse to put Rawlings on hevesy... A kid signing with the National champions I can't blame on him either.. Gennessy I will give... Hand was whipped and followed his girl to Southern not a hevesy issue... We did get flat beat on Taylor and Sims... I have no idea what the Georgia kid that went to NC States story was so maybe that one was a hevesy deal... Last year sucked I'll give u that.. But it was one year... If we hold the two we have with the one that is about to commit and then commit one of the Juco guys last year looks more like a bad year than a trend imo

[CadaverDawg]

Not to mention that Hevesy's Boss just so happens to run the offense. Guy has a big ego also. I can assure you if he thought our recruiting was sub-par on the OL- he'd make a change. Us offensive guys don't evahhhh like to look bad.

Sincerely,

Woody McCorvey

Hevesy is nowhere near as bad as Woody, but to say Head Coaches don't hang on to a friend too long is not realistic. (And no, I'm not saying Hevesy should be fired)

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Not to mention that Hevesy's Boss just so happens to run the offense. Guy has a big ego also. I can assure you if he thought our recruiting was sub-par on the OL- he'd make a change. Us offensive guys don't evahhhh like to look bad.

How do you think Croom sleeps at night?

[CadaverDawg]

But here is the question:

Do the guys that do well under Hevesy, do well because they aren't pussies or do they do well because they adjust to Hevesy's coaching style?

Recruiting analysts can only measure physical abilities on tape, but playing offensive line is about toughness, brains, and a willingness to do the dirty work.

Serious question: would our offensive line be better or worse if Hevesy had landed some of the more high profile guys?

Perhaps, Hevesy and Mullen desire to have tough, non-***** players on the offensive line, and Mullen tells Hevesy to be an ass in the recruitment of offensive linemen in an effort to make sure that the players that become Bulldogs are not pussies. Maybe it's the main part of the filtering process.

If those are the ingredients that Hevesy desires most in offensive linemen, then I would say we are doing a wonderful job of recruiting offensive linemen. Maybe that is why the position is so difficult to evaluate

But if Hevesy was "weeding out the pu**ies, wouldn't he have noticed Norman was one before signing day when he flipped? And wouldn't he know before signing day regardless if he was going to flip?

The point is, we're missing on guys that Hevesy wants too....so Shotgun , to say that he's choosing not to sign these guys because they're sissies is pure garbage. You don't give an offer and get a commitment, and THEN run a guy off bc he's a puss. And you damn well better know before signing day. If Norman is a puss, what does that make Hevesy for getting played by him on signing day only to flip to the buzzards? Just saying....if we're gonna use that logic it goes both ways.

[thedawg]

The deal is hevesy is as tough as they come to play for.. Can be a real prick.. It turns some kids off.. Because of that we will "miss" on a kid here or there that either a) thinks they are too good to be talked to like that or b) can't handle it mentally.. His coaching style is really old school.. Because of his coaching style he can develop players that are mentally tough and play over their heads... Some even turn out to be real diamonds and become NFL players... It is what it is... Most importantly hevesy and mullen are boys and because of the phenomenal job that hevesy does actually coaching the offensive line he's not going anywhere.. As long as Dan Mullen is here Hevesy will be ur oline coach.. Wrap ur mind around the occasional oline miss until Dan Mullen leaves because it's gonna happen... While ur at it wrap ur mind around an oline that is damn good with a bunch of players no one else wanted

[Coach34]

Sincerely,

Woody McCorvwt)


Woody was doing exactly as Crooms told him- why fire him? We ran Crooms offense- not Woody's

[Coach34]

How do you think Croom sleeps at night?

i don't think Crooms ever really wanted to be at State. And falling asleep on a recruit's couch showed he didn't have the drive to be a HC

[War Machine Dawg]

Sincerely,

Woody McCorvey

Hevesy is nowhere near as bad as Woody, but to say Head Coaches don't hang on to a friend too long is not realistic. (And no, I'm not saying Hevesy should be fired)


How do you think Croom sleeps at night?

Ouch. That's gonna leave a mark.

[CadaverDawg]

The deal is hevesy is as tough as they come to play for.. Can be a real prick.. It turns some kids off.. Because of that we will "miss" on a kid here or there that either a) thinks they are too good to be talked to like that or b) can't handle it mentally.. His coaching style is really old school.. Because of his coaching style he can develop players that are mentally tough and play over their heads... Some even turn out to be real diamonds and become NFL players... It is what it is... Most importantly hevesy and mullen are boys and because of the phenomenal job that hevesy does actually coaching the offensive line he's not going anywhere.. As long as Dan Mullen is here Hevesy will be ur oline coach.. Wrap ur mind around the occasional oline miss until Dan Mullen leaves because it's gonna happen... While ur at it wrap ur mind around an oline that is damn good with a bunch of players no one else wanted

As long as he keeps it up, and our OL isn't the weakness that keeps us from winning the West, or winning at a high level, bc all of our other positions are strong enough to....I'm fine with that. But when a OL gets hurt and we have to plug in someone that isn't SEC caliber, and it costs us....well, you know where the fingers will be pointed.

We seem to have really developed some quality depth at every position except OL. Hope it doesn't cost us.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'm not into excuses but I refuse to put Rawlings on hevesy... A kid signing with the National champions I can't blame on him either.. Gennessy I will give... Hand was whipped and followed his girl to Southern not a hevesy issue... We did get flat beat on Taylor and Sims... I have no idea what the Georgia kid that went to NC States story was so maybe that one was a hevesy deal... Last year sucked I'll give u that.. But it was one year... If we hold the two we have with the one that is about to commit and then commit one of the Juco guys last year looks more like a bad year than a trend imo

Wait a minute. You ask for specific instances. Engie gives you specific instances. Now you want to rationalize all the misses? The only one I'd give him a break on is losing kid to FSU. It sucks, but it's understandable. But the rest are just bad. You can't keep whiffing like this and hope everything works out in the end. Eventually it'll catch up and it'll suck when it does.

[Jacksondevildog]

Hard to blame Hev on the Callaway gang last year when a house in Eastover was offered for them to live in.
I'm not into excuses but I refuse to put Rawlings on hevesy... A kid signing with the National champions I can't blame on him either.. Gennessy I will give... Hand was whipped and followed his girl to Southern not a hevesy issue... We did get flat beat on Taylor and Sims... I have no idea what the Georgia kid that went to NC States story was so maybe that one was a hevesy deal... Last year sucked I'll give u that.. But it was one year... If we hold the two we have with the one that is about to commit and then commit one of the Juco guys last year looks more like a bad year than a trend imo

[thedawg]

Damien Robinson is quality depth.. He won't start but he's a guy that has played alot.. Rufus has also played alot... Senior played a ton last year... jake Thomas and Cole Carter are future starters at tackle... So Malone and Clausell at starters and those guys behind them... At guard u have flowers who was damn good in the spring... Desper is a former under Armour all America and looked better at guard than center... Joc is a juco guy we don't have to press into immediate service.. Calhoun is another star although gonna be a freshmen... The depth isnt THAT bad...

[thf24]

We seem to have really developed some quality depth at every position except OL. Hope it doesn't cost us.

I'm not sure we're even really hurting for depth though. The only real question mark if a starter goes down is center, and even then, some have said Clayborn is our center of the future and could handle it now. We'd have to have four starters (not counting center) go down to even get to a guy who hasn't either already played and played well (Senior) or that the coaches haven't been noticeably high on this off-season (Carter, Flowers).

[thedawg]

Wait a minute. You ask for specific instances. Engie gives you specific instances. Now you want to rationalize all the misses? The only one I'd give him a break on is losing kid to FSU. It sucks, but it's understandable. But the rest are just bad. You can't keep whiffing like this and hope everything works out in the end. Eventually it'll catch up and it'll suck when it does.

If we keep what we have and commit one of the Juco guys it won't eventually catch up with us because it will be one bad year sandwiched between two good oline years.. The end last year sucked ass... Rawlings and stallings was frustrating but I'm not gonna say that hevesy can't recruit because one year we missed on some guys...

[engie]

And to be clear -- I'm NOT bitching about OL recruiting this year. Not at this point. Maybe we've streamlined some stuff and improved? We damn sure have at QB recruiting these past two years. But until the ink is dry with this position group, I'm always afraid of the other shoe dropping. If you can lose a kid to USM at this position, you can lose him to anyone...

Getting:
Moon - 2 BCS offers
Champion - 2 BCS offers
Derouen - 6 BCS offers

Chasing:
Patterson - 9 BCS offers
Danley - 6 BCS offers
Williams - 5 BCS offers
Rankin - 7 BCS offers
Thomas - 3 BCS offers

It's a chance that this class finishes with more BCS offers along the OL than the last 3 combined.

[engie]

If we keep what we have and commit one of the Juco guys it won't eventually catch up with us because it will be one bad year sandwiched between two good oline years.. The end last year sucked ass... Rawlings and stallings was frustrating but I'm not gonna say that hevesy can't recruit because one year we missed on some guys...

It's not "one year we missed on some guys". It's been every year thusfar. I just went into detail about last year. Maybe this year will break the trend. Off to a pretty good start, outside the one miss to Louisville...

[CadaverDawg]

Damien Robinson is quality depth..

http://www.lifeinprogress.ca/.a/6a0120a95a88d5970b01a73dcc612b970d-800wi

I agree with some of your other names though.

[ShotgunDawg]

By the way, this morning Rosebowl said that Rankin almost committed to us a few weeks ago but was advised to go through the process a little longer, and Danley has pushed his Oklahoma visit back to September. He has never been there and has pushed this visit back 4 or 5 times.

I think there is a strong chance we could get both, if we want.

[thedawg]

A guy that has played as much sec football as him is a welcome addition to any team... Especially when he doesn't have to start.. He's probably the fourth tackle up... Thats quality depth

[CadaverDawg]

And to be clear -- I'm NOT bitching about OL recruiting this year. Not at this point. Maybe we've streamlined some stuff and improved? We damn sure have at QB recruiting these past two years. But until the ink is dry with this position group, I'm always afraid of the other shoe dropping. If you can lose a kid to USM at this position, you can lose him to anyone...

Getting:
Moon - 2 BCS offers
Champion - 2 BCS offers
Derouen - 6 BCS offers

Chasing:
Patterson - 9 BCS offers
Danley - 6 BCS offers
Williams - 5 BCS offers
Rankin - 7 BCS offers
Thomas - 3 BCS offers

It's a chance that this class finishes with more BCS offers along the OL than the last 3 combined.

I agree. This year is a huge year for us in OL recruiting. We are off to a decent start IF, IF, IF...we hang on to them. And it could potentially be our best OL recruiting haul of the Mullen tenure if we close out strong. In years past, we wouldn't get Patterson, Danley, Rankin, although we would finish a close 2nd on a few......and we might struggle to keep Champion. Can we finally lock these guys up, retain their commitments, and ADD a few of these other studs to the list? That will tell the tale.

[Johnson85]

Wait a minute. You ask for specific instances. Engie gives you specific instances. Now you want to rationalize all the misses? The only one I'd give him a break on is losing kid to FSU. It sucks, but it's understandable. But the rest are just bad. You can't keep whiffing like this and hope everything works out in the end. Eventually it'll catch up and it'll suck when it does.

You are going to blame Hevesy for not getting a lifelong Ole Miss fan to sign with us?

Our OL recruiting worries me only because many of the players we have were well down our coaches' list of priorities. It's hard to know where we stand when a lot of solid OL players don't paly much until their redshirt sophomore year, but it worries me when we are noticeably moving down our list. And it worries me that we had a starting RT position opening up this year and we didn't have a big time JUCO OT jumping on the offer. If we had nabbed a December grad JUCO OT that our Staff was excited about, I would feel much different about our line. It could be that Carter and Warren are both ready to be solid SEC OTs and people are only worried because they are ignorant of the progress players already in the program have made.

[CadaverDawg]

A guy that has played as much sec football as him is a welcome addition to any team... Especially when he doesn't have to start.. He's probably the fourth tackle up... Thats quality depth

So a 4 star guy that is now a Senior and STILL isnt higher than 4th at tackle, is "quality depth"? I call it a bust. Especially when he is being passed on the depth chart yearly by younger players with no experience. But, call it what you will. Let me ask you this....would you feel good about him having to start 7-8 SEC games if one of our starters were to go down early?

[CadaverDawg]

You are going to blame Hevesy for not getting a lifelong Ole Miss fan to sign with us?

Our OL recruiting worries me only because many of the players we have were well down our coaches' list of priorities. It's hard to know where we stand when a lot of solid OL players don't paly much until their redshirt sophomore year, but it worries me when we are noticeably moving down our list. And it worries me that we had a starting RT position opening up this year and we didn't have a big time JUCO OT jumping on the offer. If we had nabbed a December grad JUCO OT that our Staff was excited about, I would feel much different about our line. It could be that Carter and Warren are both ready to be solid SEC OTs and people are only worried because they are ignorant of the progress players already in the program have made.

Totally agree. I think we have great coaches when it comes to evaluating talent....so it concerns me when we end up missing out on our top 10 OL targets before landing a commit. Good post

[thf24]

I don't think we lack decent depth, but Robinson is not part of it. As others have said, it was obvious he when he subbed in last year, while with Senior it was not. It's pretty bad even for a backup when a redshirt junior(edited cause I'm not smart) causes more drop off in effectiveness than a redshirt freshman. He can play in the SEC in a pinch, but it had better not be for long.

[thedawg]

So a 4 star guy that is now a Senior and STILL can't be higher than 4th at tackle, is "quality depth"? I call it a bust. Especially when he is being passed on the depth chart yearly by you get players with no experience. But, call it what you will. Let me ask you this....would you feel good about him having to start 7-8 SEC games if one of our starters were to go down early?

No! but I do feel good about him playing two or three series for 13 games to spell our starters if needed... Hes only a bust because he was grossly overated early and the recruiting services never adjusted it... There were major questions about him his senior year and he was big time exposed at Army All American game... We still signed him for the publicity and his size and hoped... It didnt work out like we hoped but he has value... I mean would you rather play him or Muniz?

[engie]

So a 4 star guy that is now a Senior and STILL isnt higher than 4th at tackle, is "quality depth"? I call it a bust. Especially when he is being passed on the depth chart yearly by younger players with no experience. But, call it what you will. Let me ask you this....would you feel good about him having to start 7-8 SEC games if one of our starters were to go down early?

Robinson isn't quality depth IMO. I agree with you. Experienced, but not quality. Never seems to be a snap where you don't realize he's in the game, which bodes terribly for an OL. That's why I was impressed with Senior -- you never knew he was in there. We'll see Robinson play alot this year as our "2" -- but not in moments of consequence. I'd argue that as of now, today, he'd be 4th in line at RT if starters went down. It would go Malone to Carter/Senior to the other to Robinson. Just my thought...

[CadaverDawg]

No! but I do feel good about him playing two or three series for 13 games to spell our starters if needed... Hes only a bust because he was grossly overated early and the recruiting services never adjusted it... There were major questions about him his senior year and he was big time exposed at Army All American game... We still signed him for the publicity and his size and hoped... It didnt work out like we hoped but he has value... I mean would you rather play him or Muniz?

Gennessy. That's my point. If we're recruiting at a higher level, we aren't having to choose between Robinson and Muniz in this discussion.

[CadaverDawg]

Robinson isn't quality depth IMO. I agree with you. Experienced, but not quality. Never seems to be a snap where you don't realize he's in the game, which bodes terribly for an OL. That's why I was impressed with Senior -- you never knew he was in there. We'll see Robinson play alot this year as our "2" -- but not in moments of consequence. I'd argue that as of now, today, he'd be 4th in line at RT if starters went down. It would go Malone to Carter/Senior to the other to Robinson. Just my thought...

Yea, I actually think we'll see Senior rise up is year. It would be great if he did

[thedawg]

It's not "one year we missed on some guys". It's been every year thusfar. I just went into detail about last year. Maybe this year will break the trend. Off to a pretty good start, outside the one miss to Louisville...

Agree to Disagree

2012 we signed Siddoway, Carter, Senior, and Desper.. Siddoway started every game he was here... Carter or Senior will battle and follow Clausell as a multi year starter at LT... Desper was an All American and the jury is still out..

2013 Thomas, Clayborn, and Flowers... all good players all will be multi year starters for us.

2014 sucked and we signed two developmental guys late

2015 appears to be really good so for... So i dont think 2014 was a trend

[engie]

Yea, I actually think we'll see Senior rise up is year. It would be great if he did

Yea, I'd love to see it from he and Carter. One become Clausell's heir apparent and one become a swing tackle. That would be pretty ideal to have confidence in both of those guys at the end of the year and then not worry about the position much anymore. One thing not being mentioned is that Malone will be a 4th yr player this year. If he ends up being as good as I think he can be, there's no guarantee that we keep him much longer...

[thedawg]

Gennessy. That's my point. If we're recruiting at a higher level, we aren't having to choose between Robinson and Muniz in this discussion.

Fair point I wish that we would have gotten Gennessy... I wish Norman Hand wasnt ***** whipped, and I wish that Joquell wouldnt have arrived with a torn labrum... If Malone stays healthy at a bare minimum for the first half of the season we will be fine...

[CadaverDawg]

Fair point I wish that we would have gotten Gennessy... I wish Norman Hand wasnt ***** whipped, and I wish that Joquell wouldnt have arrived with a torn labrum... If Malone stays healthy at a bare minimum for the first half of the season we will be fine...

Am I losing my mind, or is his name Norman Price? Wasn't Norman Hand the guy that played for the Saints? Ha, I may be mistaken

[thedawg]

lol.. my bad Norman Price

[CadaverDawg]

lol.. my bad Norman Price

Haha, no worries...in case you didn't notice, I've called him "Norman" this whole thread because I wasn't sure!

[engie]

You disagree that we missed on a bunch of guys up front every year? No offense -- but listing who actually signed with us doesn't prove a thing about who all we missed on.

[thedawg]

I mean who we missed on is a relative term... If we offer a five star guy that there is little chance we get them did we miss on them? You said that every thing was looking good this year other than Chandler Jones... Chandler Jones was sold on Louisville as soon as he went up there... We took a swing and got him to come check us out the next weekend.. he went home and decided his initial thought of Louisville is where he wanted to go.. But you are considering that a miss... To me a miss is a guy we wanted and should have gotten.. Not an out of state kid that we took a swing at... Genesey was a miss...Chandler Jones was not... Daronte Bouldin was a miss... Jordan Sims not

[Schultzy]

i don't think Crooms ever really wanted to be at State. And falling asleep on a recruit's couch showed he didn't have the drive to be a HC

I've been saying this since his 2nd season here. He tried to turn it down but got a lot of pressure to take it. LT had to fly to Green Bay two or three times before he took it, I even suspected it then.

[engie]

I mean who we missed on is a relative term... If we offer a five star guy that there is little chance we get them did we miss on them? You said that every thing was looking good this year other than Chandler Jones... Chandler Jones was sold on Louisville as soon as he went up there... We took a swing and got him to come check us out the next weekend.. he went home and decided his initial thought of Louisville is where he wanted to go.. But you are considering that a miss... To me a miss is a guy we wanted and should have gotten.. Not an out of state kid that we took a swing at... Genesey was a miss...Chandler Jones was not... Daronte Bouldin was a miss... Jordan Sims not

How does the kid being from MS make the situation any different logistically? When we are constantly losing the kids that we badly want to equal or worse programs an equal distance or further from their hometown, those are still misses. It's not like most of these kids are choosing Alabama or their home school over us...

[HancockCountyDog]

You disagree that we missed on a bunch of guys up front every year? No offense -- but listing who actually signed with us doesn't prove a thing about who all we missed on.

Yeah, that is like saying we haven't missed at any position ever, because hell we sign almost a full class every year.

I can't tell if he is trolling with this line of posts or just being stubborn as hell.

[Johnson85]

You disagree that we missed on a bunch of guys up front every year? No offense -- but listing who actually signed with us doesn't prove a thing about who all we missed on.

Actually his list looks a lot better than I remembered. Siddoway was an early target for us and so I believe was Desper. I think Senior was a later target that was known to be a developmental project (he was the one from military school, correct?) And I don't remember Carter's recruitment. But regardless, it looks like we got two high targets and two players that have turned out well if people aren't blowing smoke about Carter overtaking Senior.

For 2013, I remember Thomas and Flowers bein early targets and Clayborn was obviously good.

2014 is the class that worries me. Unless there are some gems in there we don't know about, we really have to produce with this years class.

Even though it's better than I remember, our approach still seems to leave us thin on the O-line, where one bad injury or even somebody like Clayborn leaving early screws us.

[FISHDAWG]

Croom was an offensive lineman ... center I believe ... what would he know about running an offense other than blocking schemes ?

[codeDawg]

I don't get anybody that gets on Clausell. The kid was a two-star, underweight (280 lbs), nobody when we signed him. He was thrown into the fire too early, but has done nothing but anchor the line since. He has a chance to play in the league after this year.

Here is a funny thread: http://forums.sixpackspeak.com/showthread.php?25747-So-who-the-hell-is-Blaine-Clausell-Virges-just-committed-too

The coaches know what they are looking for in these guys, and it ain't stars. It looks to me like they recruit by the numbers given the surprise stars we have developed and the relatively few busts. There is an entire generation of guys that are just now ready to get into the game, and just like Clausell, they are going to be steady players with some experience.

And on Hev, you can't argue with his results. You can cry like some rebel bitches about signing day, but for the most part game day has not been a problem on the line. You have to have some coaches and some recruiters. Hev is a hell of a coach.

[AFDawg]

Croom was an offensive lineman ... center I believe ... what would he know about running an offense other than blocking schemes ?

Mike Leach played rugby. You don't have to play a position--even a sport--to coach it well. (Not that Croom could.)