- O/U 2.5 new football commits (2022 or otherwise) before the NIU kickoff
- Offensive player you're most intrigued by heading into camp
- Defensive player you're most intrigued by heading into camp
- Player of any class the board isn't talking about enough as a key piece for 2021 football success
- Maybe a dumb question, what exactly does it mean for players to “report” for fall camp?
Following this past season, what will the realistic expectation be for the basketball team this year?
KQ- I think if they can be on the bubble that will be a pretty good season. The ACC is hard so it will just depend on a few factors that are harder to evaluate at this point like who will step up in the post position, can Kyle Sturdivant or Devion Smith step up and handle that Jose Alvarado role on offense and defense and can Usher replace some of what Moses did on offense.
I know you mentioned you didn’t get much time in Charlotte to ask about ACCN and Xfinity but with the season a month away, is there any real chance a deal gets worked out in time?
KQ- By the start of the season no. It seems like the deal is likely to happen during the fall.
What are realistic expectations from Deebo Coleman this year?
KQ- I think him being in the rotation and being a role player similar to what Mike Devoe did his first year at Tech is a realistic expectation.
Have you guys heard how any of the guys that went pro are doing in training camps? Any expectations to make 53 man rosters?
KQ- It is really hard to tell any of how they are doing on a legit level. The issue in the NFL is they are looking for any reason to cut you so if someone better hits the waiver wire it could mean curtains for any player. Pressley Harvin III has clearly made a major impact. I think Jalen Camp will be a practice squad guy for the Jags if I were to guess right now.
I keep hearing about Keion White having some sort of lower leg injury, do you know the specific injury and will he be healthy by at least the Clemson game?
KQ- He hurt himself over the summer and it was a lower leg injury (ankle area) and it is fixed and he is rehabbing and they expect he will be back in time for the season opener or at least that was the plan pre-camp per my sources.
O/U Sims 2,850 total yards and 25 TDs in 2022.
KQ- I’ll take the over, he was at 2400 yards in 10 games last year despite the struggles and being a freshman with 19 TDs. He left quite a few TDs on the field between turnovers and the dumb penalties on the offense.
Do you see 5CG and running back coach TTC only signing 1 back and looking to the portal?
KQ- No, I think they sign two HS kids or if they really are unhappy with the options one. I don’t see a transfer back wanting to come in unless more guys leave that RB room.
RJ- I currently see them taking two running backs in the class, both at the HS level. Whether that be guys currently on the offer list or not I am still unsure at this time.
You’ve said that C5G and staff is viewed as a threat by other schools not named Alabama. Do you have a sense of how (if any) his hiring by ADTS could alter what schools like Tennessee, UCSe etc who’ve struggled with find a stable coach that actually fit their vision/culture. Of course this all hinges on 5GC improving the on field product.
KQ- I mean that is sort of a oddly worded question, I’m guessing you are asking how does having someone like Collins who will win more than his share of recruiting battles impact the lesser powers in neighboring states? I think you’ve seen some of it already as they’ve picked off some interesting players starting with Jahmyr Gibbs for example. That created a domino effect on other schools starting at Florida. So how do you quantify that? I’m not sure it is that noticeable until they start winning.
With head coach CCG5 wanting to get at least one player each cycle out of Texas do you have a sense that they will be able to pull a 4/5* (seems like a hard task with OU, UT, TAMU & LSU), or do they look for high ceiling players that the locals over look?
RJ: I really like this question. They were close early on with guys like Tervell Johnson and RJ Cooper, but due to tRhe extended dead period they were eliminated from contention earlier than they would have been had they visited campus. They still may both end up visiting depending on what happens closer to them.
For now, Texas is an area where they will continue evaluating and offering early. If one of those early offers comes to fruition, they obviously have no trouble being one of the first to offer kids there. They also have the advantage other schools don’t have in that area in terms of swapping guys out who may not be cultural fits, or scheme fits.
Who do you think other fan bases dislike more Josh Pastner or head ball coach GC(5). I could imagine how their personalities can rub them the wrong way?
KQ- Everyone except Memphis fans like Josh, he is actually pretty appreciated across the ACC. Collins hasn't done enough yet to really earn the ire of fans the way that GOL or CPJ did. Most of the fans are dismissive of Collins to this point until he does something. UGA fans sort of like Collins because they think he is screwing over Tenn, Florida and SC on kids and thus far has been less of a threat on the field than CPJ or GOL, to this point.
How about recommending some HS football games to check out from a talent/GT/recruiting standpoint? Commits/targets playing against other commits/targets or just generally loaded teams matching up against one another. Westlake vs Langston Hughes, as an example.
RJ- Plan to do this every week. Going to be a lot of fun around these parts. From weekend previews, following the future updates on Mondays, live Q&A’s… so many big things.
This week I plan to do a best-case scenario class as well.
It has been mentioned before that to take the next step in recruiting we need to win some games. What does that mean to you? 5-7? 6-6?
RJ- 5-wins to start, anything other than that will have recruits buzzing even more than they already had.
KQ- I think a bowl game/bowl eligible is the bar that starts to make a difference. From talking to my sources at GT they also believe that would be when momentum picks up. You don't even have to finish with a winning record, you can go 6-7 just get to the bowl game again.
With all the hype that Jeff Collins (5) gives local companies/corporations are you aware if there are any official partnerships in the works?
KQ- Lol, you are cracking me up with the variations on Collins name in each question. Collins has some individual partnerships and deals that he likes to keep to himself otherwise he would announce them publicly. Some are obvious and some are not.
Alton Tarber, it’s been said that he doesn’t care much for camping and getting that 4th star. When you have recruits like him that guys in your industry and the coaches identify as a top prospect, how do you rate him? Do you project off of the limited film, or is it a “not enough film, it is what it is” you keep the current ratings?
RJ- It certainly isn’t as easy as it would be if he were vocal, or if he went to camps, had verified measurable lab workouts, etc.
If Tarber ends up at GT either Kelly or myself will b taking a trip there.
KQ- Yeah that is a pretty easy trip for me and I have to go down for the Miami game so I should be able to work that into that trip.
Curious about kickers and punter ratings. It seems as they all get a NR or 3*. I know that there are camps and organizations that evaluate and rate them, but why are they not rated/valued like other positions. I haven‘t been into recruiting until recently, have there been 4/5* kickers? We know they all aren’t created equal (Sebastian Janikowski) but they seem to be rated equally.
KQ- If they sign with someone they'll eventually get ranked, but yes it is based on impact, all-American potential and NFL potential. How many kickers got drafted last year or the year before? We've had 7 four-star kickers/punters in the Rivals era and I knew who two of them are which is why we don't really do that anymore. If there was like some machine like kicker maybe they would do it again.
One of the seven you all should know
