Looks like we aren't done burning redshirts

[HailState39110]

David Murray :
Mullen said there are a few freshmen who "decisions haven't been made yet" to play this year or redshirt. No names, though...

I was thinking ,and JT Gray would be a perfect LB for TAMU on the other side of Matt Wells . Both are hybrid players that can play LB and cover WRs man to man

[defiantdog]

Barring injury.... I think we know who's being redshirted. No reason for JT Gray to hit the field. The LB position is one position we are loaded at (OLB and ILB). Maybe a safety.... I did notice Cox played a few downs against LSU last week. Next year will be different.... we'll have several true freshmen playing.

[Political Hack]

AW

[msstate7]

AW

Good guess. Jrob to the next guys is like falling off the empire state building

[starkvegasdawg]

Good guess. Jrob to the next guys is like falling off the empire state building
Since he said he wanted to red shirt I wonder if he's ok with this (if it is him) and if he was promised a lot of playing time to burn it.

[CadaverDawg]

Since he said he wanted to red shirt I wonder if he's ok with this (if it is him) and if he was promised a lot of playing time to burn it.

I'm sure it will be a mutual decision if AW's redshirt is removed. I think he will stay redshirted though.

[msstate7]

Since he said he wanted to red shirt I wonder if he's ok with this (if it is him) and if he was promised a lot of playing time to burn it.

If we do burn it, he must be coming along very well in practice. If we burn it, he's 2nd string IMO

[Todd4State]

We're about to play our fifth game. I'm thinking that at this point we're only going to burn redshirts if there are some injuries.

[msstate7]

We're about to play our fifth game. I'm thinking that at this point we're only going to burn redshirts if there are some injuries.

Or someone is performing so well in practice that it forces mullen's hand

[mic]

AW

I agree... If AW is ready let's roll with him.. The year is NOW if he can help us just win one game let's roll with it.. We have plenty of RB coming in next year...

[MetEdDawg]

I've got two guesses. Number 1 is that it's AW and the win in LSU is forcing Mullen's hand. We have the chance for a special season now. You lose in Baton Rouge like we were expected to and we are already facing a downhill battle to win the West. Don't burn a RS like AW because his value is higher down the road than this year. Now you win in Baton Rouge and you've got a legit chance to win big now. If you think the difference between RB #2 and AW is the difference between another possible win (which I could be convinced of watching Holloway, Griffin, and Shump actually run the football), then you have to burn it.

I think the second option is Brandon Bryant. If Cox is not ready to go full speed and you aren't sold on Evans (which I think most of us on here aren't), then you burn Bryant's RS and play him. I think honestly this might be the most likely scenario here of who might get a RS burned, especially with who we play next weekend. Bryant could be a game changer in the secondary and there have been a lot of good things out of practice about him. To me if he's ready now, you HAVE to burn his RS because I think he could be the difference in a win and a loss if he's better than Evans and ready to play.

[Coach34]

Aeris, Green, or Gray are the only Freshmen that even have a chance. Thomas is a stud but he has too much ahead of him for it to be him.

Aeris is the most likely candidate

[msstate7]

What about j. Johnson on ol?

[Coach34]

What about j. Johnson on ol?

He's not a freshman...and the OL is staying healthy so far

[CadaverDawg]

I was thinking secondary....so I would lean towards Brandon Bryant as well, Met. With Jiles out and Cox banged up, it might be good to have an extra cover guy back there. Coman and Evans have both looked solid against the run, but very very shaky against the pass.

[msstate7]

He's not a freshman...and the OL is staying healthy so far

My bad. Was just thinking any redshirt. Short attention span

[maroonmania]

If we do burn it, he must be coming along very well in practice. If we burn it, he's 2nd string IMO

Hate to say it but based on what I've seen so far that wouldn't take much. At this point I so regret that Milton left.

[HoopsDawg]

Guys Mullen says this every year. He just wants to make sure the true freshmen are still competing hard in practice.

[LC Dawg]

We've got eleven games left to play. It's not too late to burn a redshirt.

[Todd4State]

Or someone is performing so well in practice that it forces mullen's hand

That's not likely though. A guy comes in needing development and then a month later the switch flips.

Even in that case, we've played a third of the season so far. The switch is still going to be "on" next year. It's a waste.

[gravedigger]

What universe has a running back playing better than jrob right now and how could you tell that in a practice?

[msstate7]

What universe has a running back playing better than jrob right now and how could you tell that in a practice?

Never said better than jrob. Better than shump, Nick, and holloway is very possible though

[gravedigger]

Ok but don't you need a reason to pull a redshirt other than be a backup? I can't see the kid getting backup carries being worth burning it for.

[Dallas_Dawg]

AW

I said that this would be a good move a week or two ago and got blasted for saying it.

[Homedawg]

Unless something has changed since Monday or there is an injury aw isn't playing this year. Per his position coach.

[War Machine Dawg]

We've got eleven games left to play. It's not too late to burn a redshirt.

I see what you did there.....

http://i.imgur.com/ywCs67G.gif

[Dawg61]

Well I guess I'll be the first to mention the QB position. If Elijah or Fitz can be as effective as Tebow was his freshman year in the direct snap runs for 4 yards a pop I say burn one of their RS. Imagine adding that weapon to our already very nice ground attack and it saves some hits on Dak. I wouldn't burn their shirt for passing but if they are effective runners and we all think they are then I would think long and hard about it since we will have six QBs on scholarship next year. But I've been saying burn Fitz's shirt for weeks now.

[War Machine Dawg]

Well I guess I'll be the first to mention the QB position. If Elijah or Fitz can be as effective as Tebow was his freshman year in the direct snap runs for 4 yards a pop I say burn one of their RS. Imagine adding that weapon to our already very nice ground attack and it saves some hits on Dak. I wouldn't burn their shirt for passing but if they are effective runners and we all think they are then I would think long and hard about it since we will have six QBs on scholarship next year. But I've been saying burn Fitz's shirt for weeks now.

They aren't passing D-Will. Save the "he's looked awful so far" talk. It's not flying here. I think both Fitz and Staley redshirt unless one clearly separates themselves or, God forbid, we have injuries to both Dak & D-Will. But it appears neither one has really separated himself so far. If one of them was going to play, they'd have seen snaps in our "preseason" portion of the schedule.

[Dawg61]

They aren't passing D-Will. Save the "he's looked awful so far" talk. It's not flying here. I think both Fitz and Staley redshirt unless one clearly separates themselves or, God forbid, we have injuries to both Dak & D-Will. But it appears neither one has really separated himself so far. If one of them was going to play, they'd have seen snaps in our "preseason" portion of the schedule.

Not implying they would pass D-Will. One of them would be the 3rd string that gets a package of 5-6 runs a game mixed in with a couple play action passes potentially. DW is and would stay the #2.

[bulldawg28]

It may be a Qb due that if Dak continues to shine the way he's capable he may very well turn pro after this year. And Mr. Williams doesn't appear to be the answer there. Smart move by Dan to get a Qb ready.

[Offshore Dawg]

It may be a Qb due that if Dak continues to shine the way he's capable he may very well turn pro after this year. And Mr. Williams doesn't appear to be the answer there. Smart move by Dan to get a Qb ready.

Don't even go there, My opinion is based on the high character of Dakota he will stay through his senior year for the team.

[AROB44]

What about Dontavian Lee at RB?

[hailmari]

What about Dontavian Lee at RB?

Some will tell you that he'll go to defense, but last I heard, he looked pretty good at RB. I'd be good with burning his redshirt and save the guy that I think will be a star (AW) for another year. Anybody would look better than our backups right now.

[msstate7]

Some will tell you that he'll go to defense, but last I heard, he looked pretty good at RB. I'd be good with burning his redshirt and save the guy that I think will be a star (AW) for another year. Anybody would look better than our backups right now.

If aw is better than Nick, shump, and holloway, then I hope we pull his RS. We've cleared a big hurdle and have a realistic shot at 10+ wins. This is the year and I hope dan goes all in

[bulldawg28]

Don't even go there, My opinion is based on the high character of Dakota he will stay through his senior year for the team.

He is high character leaving early doesn't change that.

[thf24]

Ok but don't you need a reason to pull a redshirt other than be a backup? I can't see the kid getting backup carries being worth burning it for.

Running back isn't a position anymore where there's a "starter" and then a backup that comes in when the starter is hurt, completely gassed, or the game is in garbage time. You've got to have a #2 who gets up to 6-7 carries a game and can make them count against anyone anywhere on the field, and I don't think we have a guy like that right now. Shump is great situationally and you've got to love Nick's effort and determination, but both of them are going to leave yards on the field due to lack of speed and quickness. I think we ought to burn Aeris' shirt so we can avoid the sharp drop-off from J-Rob when we give him a rest.

[Coach34]

He is high character leaving early doesn't change that.

This is his 4th year at State- if he is good enough to leave early- so be it.

[Political Hack]

JRob has a better chance of leaving early than Dak IMO. RBs don't go in the 1st anymore, so he doesn't have to wait for that grade to make the jump. Plus, you have a limited life span in the NFL as a RB. Get there as quickly as possible!

[bulldawg28]

This is his 4th year at State- if he is good enough to leave early- so be it.

Agreed.

[Covercorner2]

Um... What about a G/C since we will be without Day for a week? And for some reason Clayborne hasn't been playing...

[thf24]

Even if Dak ends up in a position to go, I think he'll be advised to stay for his last year and hone his passing. As good as he is right now, I don't think he's quite at NFL level yet, but he could be by next year given the rapid improvement over his career thus far.

[Homedawg]

Clayborne is fine. Just missed some time. He's playing next week

[graddawg]

Clayborne is fine. Just missed some time. He's playing next week

I hope that's the case, but we heard the same thing last week (though not necessarily from you).

[Ralph]

I hope that's the case, but we heard the same thing last week (though not necessarily from you).

Pretty sure he was out due to a death in the family. I may be mistaken though.

[codeDawg]

Dak will be here next year unless he wins the Heisman. If by some miracle that happens, he needs to go while his stock is high. You can't get any more hype than that.

If not, he needs to stay and work on his pocket passing game while he gets free coaching from Brian Johnson and the rest of the staff.

[1bigdawg]

The pros rarely draft a QB high with only one year as a full time starter, especially someone who had an injury. Dak's stock is likely to be higher after another season no matter how well he does this year unless he were to get injured next year.

[thf24]

Pretty sure he was out due to a death in the family. I may be mistaken though.

He had been back with the team for week by last Saturday, although I'm sure the staff just preferred not to play a guy who'd missed a good part of the previous two weeks if they didn't have to.

[War Machine Dawg]

This is his 4th year at State- if he is good enough to leave early- so be it.

Agreed. Not to mention, if he DOES leave early, that most likely means he had one hell of a season and is a first or second round pick. That would be a program changer at the QB position for us. Dak leaving early would more than outweigh the disadvantages of him leaving. Being able to legitimately point to Dak and say "We can put you into the pros as an early pick" will be a huge addition to Mullen's recruiting pitch.


JRob has a better chance of leaving early than Dak IMO. RBs don't go in the 1st anymore, so he doesn't have to wait for that grade to make the jump. Plus, you have a limited life span in the NFL as a RB. Get there as quickly as possible!

Can't disagree with this, either. He's opening eyes with his production these first 4 games. And as you point out, RB value has been severely diluted in the draft. Combine that with the extremely short shelf life of the position, and RBs with NFL potential have almost no reason to stick around past their JR season.

[Johnson85]

We've got eleven games left to play. It's not too late to burn a redshirt.


He is high character leaving early doesn't change that.

Thank you. Been a while since I've seen somebody argue that leaving college after four years for gainful employment is a mark against someone's character. Don't know why we would say that about anybody but certainly shouldn't imply that about one of our own players.

[Sacrifice]

I hope it's AW. If JRob goes down during a game were rolling with Nick, Shump and Brandon. Get AW in there and if that does happen, he'll at least have some carries under his belt.

[CadaverDawg]

I haven't read this thread, but Dak will not go pro after this season. He'll be back. No need in discussing "what ifs"