I was impressed with Damien Williams

[ShotgunDawg]

Due to when we got Williams in the recruiting process, I honestly didn't expect him to be as good as he is. I'm not saying he will ever be our starting QB, but, during the Croom years, he would've been the best QB on our roster. He has a good arm, has some size, and possibly best of all has quick feet to avoid the rush.

The only thing I'm not crazy about with him is his release. He gets a little long in the back, but thats about it. I'm glad he is pretty good because that will allow us to redshirt the two guys coming in next year. I feel much better with him being the backup next year then having to rush Staley or Fitzgerald into that job.

Just saying

[NorCalDawg]

He reminds of Relf. Ralph II.

[ShotgunDawg]

He reminds of Relf. Ralph II.

In some ways, yes, but he has a much much looser and more lively arm than Relf. Much better thrower. Not saying he is great, but he should be a perfectly adequate backup.

[Bothrops]

He could very well be our starter next year. He's got it

[ShotgunDawg]

He could very well be our starter next year. He's got it

I guess you never know, but Dak looked pretty good today. We'll see

[maroonmania]

I know its USM but until we flipped him he was considered possibly their top recruit.

[Political Hack]

In some ways, yes, but he has a much much looser and more lively arm than Relf. Much better thrower.

agree with this. he looked solid. Veru comfortable, good arm, solid decisions. He definitely didn't look like a freshman.

[Coach34]

Being Relf 2.0 ain't really a bad thing...kid is a winner

[Dawg61]

Reminds me of Rohan Davey former LSU QB.

[ShotgunDawg]

Yea, I think we are all in the same boat on this guy. "We don't really know what we have, but its a hell of lot better than what we expected." Just makes you realize how bad Crooms QB recruiting was. This guy was committed to USM. How hard could it have been for Croom to find a guy like this?

[ScoobaDawg]

Very impressive for a TRUE Freshman QB 3rd Stringer. I hope he does continue to get reps when possible because he was impressive even considering what he was playing against.

[FlabLoser]

His passes looked good. He can run. Made just a few mistakes. I can't remember another MSU freshman QB that looked better.

[Dawgface]

Agree, he looked very good for a freshman. Who knows, he might develop into a starter one day.

[gravedigger]

John bond.

[Coach 57]

I said this to a guy today. If Staley comes early I FULLY expect him to push for the starting job! Write it down! I said it!

[trob115]

I agree coach. If Staley is here for the spring, he will likely push for the job.

Back to Williams. He looked like a solid player. Decent arm, good feet , and pretty good touch. I think he will be a solid option in the future.

[Dawg61]

He'd have to be freshman all-SEC good to overpass Dak. That would already make him the best QB we've ever had. Staley ain't that good.

[PassInterference]

He'd have to be freshman all-SEC good to overpass Dak. That would already make him the best QB we've ever had. Staley ain't that good.

Let him take a snap before you judge. Staley is rolling up high school stats.

[KB21]

I think folks need to press the brakes on Staley a bit. His potential is enormous, but I am concerned about his love for basketball right now. Is he going to be able to devote the time needed to reach his potential as a quarterback while also playing basketball?

[Coach34]

U guys are high. Dakota will be rolling next Fall. Now the back-up job will be important because mobile QB's do get banged up

[archdog]

He has some skills. Needs to work on his internal clock on getting rid of the ball, but overall great work from the freshman. He could be extremely tough to bring down on a 3rd and 2 sweep option.

[Coach 57]

At the same time C34 if he can make the jump Chris Jones did from H.S to competitor you might wanna pump it yourself. Dak still has to do a better job of reading coverages. He got lucky a few times today. But I know he'll get better.

[smootness]

At the same time C34 if he can make the jump Chris Jones did from H.S to competitor you might wanna pump it yourself. Dak still has to do a better job of reading coverages. He got lucky a few times today. But I know he'll get better.

This is always the mistake people make, though, when claiming the guy nobody's seen is better than the guy they have. There are no negatives that we can see from the guy who hasn't played - so all we think about are the positives.

Staley is torching HS defenses, so we think the kid is amazing. Dak is having to adjust to the college game, so we start to see his weaknesses. Dak also rolled up high school stats...3 years ago.

I guarantee you Staley will not start next year. And that has nothing to do with him or his talent level. This will be Dak's offense, and there really is no question about that.

It is funny, though, to see people getting a head start on 'we need the backup!' We moved quickly from, 'Dak should start over Tyler,' to, 'Staley should start over Dak'.

[NorCalDawg]

In some ways, yes, but he has a much much looser and more lively arm than Relf. Much better thrower. Not saying he is great, but he should be a perfectly adequate backup.

I hope no one thought when I said he reminds me of Relf that it was meant to be an insult. I think Relf did a surpisingly good job for us. I think it's Williams physical build and his throwing stance that reminds me of Relf. But, I agree, Williams' does appear to be a better passer than Relf.

[Coach 57]

Have you seen Staley play? How about coached Vs him? Check.....&....check.

[I seen it dawg]

57 I get that Staley is good and may well over time be the best QB we have had in awhile. But while he may be good it's gonna take him some time to get used to the speed of the game which Dak has already done. And the speed of the game is in another universe in our conference than what he is doing now and even what he will do in practice when he gets here. He won't beat Dak out. Dak is ready to be the man if not now then for sure next year. It's his time and he will show why he will be the man for the next 2 years. It will be nice to be developing guys to play QB when they are Rsoph or juniors versus having an open hope we find one QB competition every year. Dak is the first to have to bide his time.

[smootness]

Have you seen Staley play? How about coached Vs him? Check.....&....check.

Yes, I have seen him play. Came away very impressed. He should be very good for us eventually.

But do you realize the difference in HS and the SEC? You do realize Dylan Favre put up stupid numbers in HS, right?

[Coach 57]

Yeah, I don't know the diff between the two. Lol. There were tons saying Chris Jones wouldn't play alot this year too (me included). But after seeing jump he made from his team's playoff loss to now. It aint even the same player. Guys like Jameis Winston shouldn't be doing what he's doing either, but he tore a pretty good Pitt defense to pieces too. Let me break it down for you like this. I don't just GO to games.....I'm ACTUALLY on the sideline. Although highschool kids may not be as tough and as physical as my generation's were but they are FAR superior from a physical (size/speed/strength) but the biggest jump is mentally what they are able to process. It just ain't possible for a true pocket passer like Luck to come into the NFL & tear it up like he did. Guys like RG3, Cam & Wilson are awesome but they use their legs to overcome the coverages. Luck uses his mind. The reason? Because of things like camps, internet, Madden/NCAA 2013, better grade of film to study, axis cameras, better nutrition, weight conditioning, coaches, schemes...etc etc. No more does your starter HAVE to be a red shirt Jr. It COULD now be a fresh out of the water fresh fish high school player. One of the hardest positions to play in college is DL right out of H.S. and the reason is the addition of these dual threat QBs. Used to you could just pinch ALL DAY unless every now & then you felt a toss. Now as a DLmen you basically have to either read the coverages like a LB & still go against a guy who has been in a D1 weight program for 3 yrs while all you took was weightlifting in 7th period & worked out with your highschool teammates. But guys like Nkemdiche & Jones are products of the new age H.S football. It's amazing to see. And that trend is filtering to QBs too. Staley is one of those kids. I didn't say he would start.....I said he'd "PUSH" for the job. Williams (if you read Paul Jones' bit about it) actually pushed Dak for the 2 spot. Why could a kid who is superior physically to Williams. Who has a better throwing motion than Williams. And can read coverages right now as good as Williams not PUSH Dak for the job next yr? Especially if you consider him learning the playbook early (being able to process it). Plus I think that's why Dan played Williams yesterday anyways. He knows Staley is coming & understands that Williams afterwards could conceivably transfer. I'm hearing the same about Griffin too because of Shumpert.

[BrunswickDawg]

I'll add one more element to what 57 is saying - Staley is playing against top level HS talent and top level HS COACHING week in and week out. The programs in his region are pipelines of D1 talent, and have been for 20+ years. Am I saying he will come in start? No. I am hearing from friends in that area that he may be the most college ready QB from Cobb County since Eric Zeier - and that is big praise in that part of the state.

[Political Hack]

agree with 57 on this one. I said Jones would be starting by mid season and was told to pump the brakes. Said the day he committed he was a freak and was called a sunshine pumper.

I'm saying now that Staley is good enough to push for PT immediately (if he gets here during the spring). He has tools at the QB position that State has NEVER had. Period. From a raw talent standpoint, we've never signed anyone as good as him. He needs to put on some muscle, learn the play book, and throw with the WRs. Thos things happen during spring ball and there's a very serious chance that Dak is not the clear cut starter come fall.

I think it will be very hard to overcome him, but I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Staley taking reps in game 1 next year (again, if he shows for spring).

[Coach 57]

+1

[smootness]

You're on the sideline?!?!??! Holy crap, nevermind, I take back everything I said.

Look, Chris Jones is a DL and it was obvious to everyone that he was good enough to come in and see playing time right away. If you didn't think he would play a lot, honestly, I just don't value your opinion as much.

But he's a DL. He isn't a QB. And there's one huge difference between Jameis Winston and what Elijah Staley will be next year, aside from the fact that Winston was the #1 QB in the country...he is a redshirt freshman. So even Winston didn't come in and play right away. Neither did Manziel, neither did just about any of the QBs you've seen recently.

And the other difference between Chris Jones and Elijah Staley is that Chris Jones didn't really have much in front of him blocking his path to playing time. Staley has Prescott, who will be in his fourth year in the system.

Staley isn't going to play next year unless a disaster occurs. Sorry, but I think you guys are high.

ETA: If you honestly believe Damian Williams pushed Dak for the backup role, again, I think you're high.

What is the reason everyone has soured on Dak? It certainly isn't anything he's done...I guess it's just the same old fan mindset of, 'That guy I've heard about is better than the guy I've seen'; we're just speeding that process up.

[I seen it dawg]

Got to agree with Smoot here...if I remember correctly Dak had a couple of late offers from some pretty good schools but stuck to his commitment, meaning he was a sought after recruit. I've seen Dak play, from the sidelines, and in high school he carved people up (Louisiana HS football aint bad) and ran over people probably like Elijah is doing. He played in a spread, pass-first, offense and had to read defenses against high level competition - he didn't come from some back swamp 7 man football hick town.

I'm ELATED that Elijah is coming here and I expect him to compete at a high level. With that being said I just don't see how anyone can EXPECT that a true freshman is going to come into this conference and truly PUSH a quality RS Jr that has been in the system for 3 yrs and will have possibly have had meaningful conference playing time under his belt. His freshman year is going to be spent acclimating himself to faster football and soaking up as much as he can so he can provide meaningful snaps if he is called upon his second year on campus.

I think it's a great problem for a program to have to have a QB to come in and learn for 2 years and then become the starter their RS Jr year. I hope this trend has started with Dak because that means we are doing a great job of evaluating, signing, and developing the right kind of QBs for our program.

[Coach 57]

Are you reading my posts at all? I didn't say Williams was pushing Dak. I said Paul Jones said it. Do you know who he is? He covers the team on a daily basis. He was right about Jones, he was right about Shumpert. I value his opinion over a message board hero like yourself as it is HIS JOB to cover the team.


Furthermore I said Jones wouldn't play this year AT DEFENSIVE END! I didn't know he put on all the weight he did. He was far lighter Vs Louisville in the playoff game they lost. Coupled with the depth at DE we have. Yes I said he wouldn't play.........AT DE! Nobody knew Quay would be suspended & that Nick would be eating cupcakes in the junction. Even Turner said he was surprised he progressed so quickly.

[I seen it dawg]

I said this to a guy today. If Staley comes early I FULLY expect him to push for the starting job! Write it down! I said it!

Not sure you are replying to me or smoot.....but if it's me here's my rant

Uhhh yep I read your posts....I'm not trying to be a message board hero. Nor am I acting like I'm the end all authority because "have you seen staley play? Have you coached vs him. Check....and check..." Now I'm readily willing to admit you know more about Staley than I do especially if you, at the minimum, have seen him play because I haven't. I've seen Dak play. From the sidelines. And I've coached football before. Therefore by the same logic I probably know more about Dak than you do.

Now none of that means shit because my whole point is not that Elijah specifically can't come in and PUSH for the job it's that any true freshman will have a hard time coming in and doing anything meaningful over a guy that's 3 years in the system, that is a good player, at the QB position in this conference. I'm not saying it can't be done I'm saying that given the circumstances as they are today I can't see it realistically happening even if he enrolls early. And the main reason is because Dak isn't some slug we have manning the spot because we don't have anybody able to do it, he is a damn good player.

I can't understand why I'm so off base in thinking that 2 players with very similar skill sets and one has been in the system for 3 years would have a very decided advantage over the one that has never been in the system...what am I missing?

Eta:: Oh and playing early (like True Freshaman early) at QB vs playing early at RB or DE are slightly different..like in different solar system different

[thf24]

Sorry to further hijack this thread, but in regards to the Staley discussion going on; if he's the stud he's looking to be right now and can push to start as a true freshmen next year as 57 says, what's making him a three star with a grade of 86 on 24/7? I know stars don't mean everything (or even a lot), and I'm not doubting that he's great. I'm just curious as to what's counting against him at this point. No matter what I'm excited to get him on campus and watch him play for us in a few years based on what we're hearing.

[Dawg61]

There ain't a chance in hell Staley is the starter next year. Of all the positions Mullen wants a veteran starting it is this one. Mullen is a very conservative coach at times. No way he takes the risk of starting the true freshman and pissing off the veterans. Mullen can't jeopardize the depth he's built. Even if and it's very doubtful Staley is the superior player he still won't start a single game next year. You can throw out 2015 too because Dak will be a senior. Buying that Staley doesn't start till 2016.

[Bully13]

There ain't a chance in hell Staley is the starter next year. Of all the positions Mullen wants a veteran starting it is this one. Mullen is a very conservative coach at times. No way he takes the risk of starting the true freshman and pissing off the veterans. Mullen can't jeopardize the depth he's built. Even if and it's very doubtful Staley is the superior player he still won't start a single game next year. You can throw out 2015 too because Dak will be a senior. Buying that Staley doesn't start till 2016.

not saying your prediction isn't true, but I certainly hope it's not because of the reasons you say...If Mullen is going to recruit well and build a program, then the best need to be on the field despite senority... young recruits need to know that their ability is going to dictate their opportunities, not their length of time in the program...

[Dawg61]

not saying your prediction isn't true, but I certainly hope it's not because of the reasons you say...If Mullen is going to recruit well and build a program, then the best need to be on the field despite senority... young recruits need to know that their ability is going to dictate their opportunities, not their length of time in the program...

Oh I certainly believe that Mullen would start a freshman at ANY other position but he'll never choose the freshman at QB. Remember this is the guy that ran Tebow as the backup as a freshman. He believes that is the best way to improve the player.

[hells bells]

I was impressed with the entire redshirt class that played. Mullen has talent, just does not brag about it. I left Davis Wade at 00.00, soaking wet from the heat and dam pleased with the future.

[chef dixon]

I was impressed with the entire redshirt class that played. Mullen has talent, just does not brag about it. I left Davis Wade at 00.00, soaking wet from the heat and dam pleased with the future.

Great post. We've got a herd of stud freshman, redshirt and true.

[KB21]

I was impressed with the entire redshirt class that played. Mullen has talent, just does not brag about it. I left Davis Wade at 00.00, soaking wet from the heat and dam pleased with the future.

I love the talent I've seen at the skill positions that is young, but the key going forward will be the development of guys like Justin Senior, Cole Carter, Jake Thomas, and Jamaal Clayborn up front.

[Coach 57]

Bo Bounds just said on the air. "Listening to coaches on the staff there's a reason they burned Damien's shirt Saturday. Tyler & Dak better watch out!" That's almost the same thing Paul Jones said about 3-4 weeks ago.

[RougeDawg]

Williams has potential. I like the way he moved in the pocket and throws a nice ball on target for the most part. Look I don't care who plays QB, as long as they are mobile, make good decisions, keep defenses honest by running, and don't take pointless sacks.stupid sacks. We need this type of QB to win in this league. Only way to win with a pro style QB is to be able to recruit OL like Bama, LSU, Tenn, and Georgia do. All of these teams have multiple NFL lineman each year and can run that offense.

It's nice that we can now have a debate over 3 separate QB's being starter. They will push each other. Maybe that's why TR hasn't gotten any better. He never was really pushed until last year, but even then it was a freshman and TR knows that Dan wasnt putting a freshman in front of him. TR is complacent because of this and never progresses. I know this post went on multiple tangents but it came to me as I typed.

[FlabLoser]

Bo Bounds just said on the air. "Listening to coaches on the staff there's a reason they burned Damien's shirt Saturday. Tyler & Dak better watch out!" That's almost the same thing Paul Jones said about 3-4 weeks ago.

IMO, you ALWAYS need your 2nd string QB to get some reps. Right now Williams is our 2nd string QB, so there's that.

[SignalToNoise]

Bo Bounds just said on the air. "Listening to coaches on the staff there's a reason they burned Damien's shirt Saturday. Tyler & Dak better watch out!" That's almost the same thing Paul Jones said about 3-4 weeks ago.

Sounds like Mullen wants TR to be our guy come hell our high water, but Dak might need to keep an eye out for Damien.

[coachcamp]

Sorry to further hijack this thread, but in regards to the Staley discussion going on; if he's the stud he's looking to be right now and can push to start as a true freshmen next year as 57 says, what's making him a three star with a grade of 86 on 24/7? I know stars don't mean everything (or even a lot), and I'm not doubting that he's great. I'm just curious as to what's counting against him at this point. No matter what I'm excited to get him on campus and watch him play for us in a few years based on what we're hearing.

To answer your Question. He is rated an 86 because of him playing 3 sports. His rating also dropped in basketball as well, because of Football. He dont have a QB Guru coach/trainer to work with him everyday. Hell, he dont even have a QB coach at his high school for that matter. He does everything off of God given talent and the training he got from me when he was younger. If he focused on football & only football, he would probably be the #1 QB in his class. His ranking will move to 4 star real soon. but not that it matters. rankings dont mean shit. Thats why guys like Tom Brady rule the NFL... (he probably didnt have a Star at all coming out of high school).. its all about DEVELOPMENT!! So again, dont worry about the rankings. You should come see him play & decide for yourself if he is a 3,4 or 5 star.

[Todd4State]

To answer your Question. He is rated an 86 because of him playing 3 sports. His rating also dropped in basketball as well, because of Football. He dont have a QB Guru coach/trainer to work with him everyday. Hell, he dont even have a QB coach at his high school for that matter. He does everything off of God given talent and the training he got from me when he was younger. If he focused on football & only football, he would probably be the #1 QB in his class. His ranking will move to 4 star real soon. but not that it matters. rankings dont mean shit. Thats why guys like Tom Brady rule the NFL... (he probably didnt have a Star at all coming out of high school).. its all about DEVELOPMENT!! So again, dont worry about the rankings. You should come see him play & decide for yourself if he is a 3,4 or 5 star.

They ding players for playing two sports? And yet another reason not to pay attention to recruiting rankings.

[Barking 13]

To answer your Question. He is rated an 86 because of him playing 3 sports. His rating also dropped in basketball as well, because of Football. He dont have a QB Guru coach/trainer to work with him everyday. Hell, he dont even have a QB coach at his high school for that matter. He does everything off of God given talent and the training he got from me when he was younger. If he focused on football & only football, he would probably be the #1 QB in his class. His ranking will move to 4 star real soon. but not that it matters. rankings dont mean shit. Thats why guys like Tom Brady rule the NFL... (he probably didnt have a Star at all coming out of high school).. its all about DEVELOPMENT!! So again, dont worry about the rankings. You should come see him play & decide for yourself if he is a 3,4 or 5 star.

Thanks, Dad! ;)

[coachcamp]

They ding players for playing two sports? And yet another reason not to pay attention to recruiting rankings.
Not only that, also because they feel like he's not serious about football. I used to get that all the time. The Basketball coaches basically black balled him away from AAU because of football. lol.. his upside is in Football so we could care less..

[Coach 57]

Right on the money Camp. I remember when we went after a 1-2* QB and most state fans were mad & going crazy and wondering why we were wasting our time on this guy! He turned out to be an ALL-SEC LB in his Sophomore yr. You know him as Benadrick Mckinney. Stars are SO overrated. Nobody knew who Chris Jones was till the latter of his Sr yr AFTER he hit camps. The truth is Nkemdiche is a better product RIGHT NOW because of what Camp is saying. Jones didn't have the facilities & opportunities Robert had. But the right person saw him @ the right time. Otherwise he too would've fell through the cracks.

[FISHDAWG]

all I know is that next year I have a feeling that Mullen will HAVE to play the best he has.... regardless of the senior vs underclassmen thing

[coachcamp]

Also, Elijah is coming to Starkville to compete for a spot in the rotation. thats what he wants and the coaches as well. he wiil sign in November in order to get a jump on the playbook. he will know at least 80% of the playbook by the time he gets there. So all yo guys that think differently had better think again. Elijah Staley is coming to Earn a spot as a freshmen lol!!! I also thought that the williams kid looked very good on Saturday! he was very impressive. If he can do it, I dont know why in hell Elijah cant & take it to another level.. the Qb battle will be a good one come next year! Fitz will be looking for play time as well!! i cant wait!!

[coachcamp]

Right on the money Camp. I remember when we went after a 1-2* QB and most state fans were mad & going crazy and wondering why we were wasting our time on this guy! He turned out to be an ALL-SEC LB in his Sophomore yr. You know him as Benadrick Mckinney. Stars are SO overrated. Nobody knew who Chris Jones was till the latter of his Sr yr AFTER he hit camps. The truth is Nkemdiche is a better product RIGHT NOW because of what Camp is saying. Jones didn't have the facilities & opportunities Robert had. But the right person saw him @ the right time. Otherwise he too would've fell through the cracks.

exactly.. The best DE in our state was a 10 grader that attends Langston Hughes High School.

[Coach34]

Also, Elijah is coming to Starkville to compete for a spot in the rotation. thats what he wants and the coaches as well. he wiil sign in November in order to get a jump on the playbook. he will know at least 80% of the playbook by the time he gets there. So all yo guys that think differently had better think again. Elijah Staley is coming to Earn a spot as a freshmen lol!!! I also thought that the williams kid looked very good on Saturday! he was very impressive. If he can do it, I dont know why in hell Elijah cant & take it to another level.. the Qb battle will be a good one come next year! Fitz will be looking for play time as well!! i cant wait!!

Build talent, coach them up, and let the best man play. If one gets a little beat up- you have another good player ready to step in.

[PassInterference]

Also, Elijah is coming to Starkville to compete for a spot in the rotation. thats what he wants and the coaches as well. he wiil sign in November in order to get a jump on the playbook. he will know at least 80% of the playbook by the time he gets there. So all yo guys that think differently had better think again. Elijah Staley is coming to Earn a spot as a freshmen lol!!! I also thought that the williams kid looked very good on Saturday! he was very impressive. If he can do it, I dont know why in hell Elijah cant & take it to another level.. the Qb battle will be a good one come next year! Fitz will be looking for play time as well!! i cant wait!!

I like the sound of that!!

[Coach 57]

Tell em' Camp.

[TrueMaroon]

Staley could definitely play next year if he enrolls early.

Imagine Derunya Wilsons athletic ability but with a cannon for an arm. Thats Staley.