What will these guys do in 2013?
I don't know and by listing them here I am not advocating that they will have big years but they are guys that intrigue me. I am interested in seeing if they continue to be solid or will they have all conference or even better seasons.
I started this post about 3 different times but it kept becoming something different than what I wanted it or thought it should be.
In this series I am forcing myself to list five returning guys (offense/defense), three new guys (offense/defense) and a little lagniappe. I will list a couple guys that seem to be established already but I want to mainly focus on guys we have not heard much about or guys that did not have good years last year.
It may sound harsh when I say some of these things but it is actually all meant as a compliment to their talent. I do not know these young men personally well enough to pass judgement on their character however I do base my opinion on information gathered in conversations with college coaches and even a high school coach every now and then. I also take what I get to see at practices along with the gathered info to put it all together. These guys make the list because I think highly of their potential and want to see them become the best players they can be.
There are so many more guys that intrigue me that I want to discuss but here we go:
Defense:
1. Dominique Roberston (LB). This is one guy I loved when I saw his HS film. He was an explosive and aggressive defensive player that you could tell loved to hit. He is also one kid that drives me crazy along with another one that I will list here for you in this post. Dominique could not stay healthy or out of the dog house with coaches in 2012. I know his weight says he is about 195-200 but the kid plays like he is 220 and he has the speed of a DB. He is absolutely one of the best defensive players we have but he just can't stay on the field. When he is out there he is a mean mean man. He has a huge chip on his shoulder which is great for the game of football but he has to be able to harness that passion and anger he plays with if he wants to really be the best that he can become. If you can just get him to listen and focus he would be an all conference player. Even if he didn't become all conference he would be one of the most feared hitters in the league. Dominique was awarded the most outstanding defensive player of the Spring so that says it all but he is also the most frustrating player because if he is not hurt he is making hard-headed mistakes. He is good and he knows he is good but a little bit of humility could go a long way with this young man. I really think he could have a fantastic season if he can focus and harness that attitude.
2. Renaldo Thomas (S/OLB - move there this Spring). Thomas was a very solid get as a recruit and we all remember the story about how there was an article about how El Es Ou offered him a scholarship and then when he committed to Tulane the article all of the sudden was nowhere to be found. I can also tell you that just a couple days before signing day there was a last effort pitch to try and get him to away from us by the folks in Baton Rouge but Thomas told them no thanks after they dragged him along the recruiting process. When people come to a practice over the last year or two that have never been they tend to ask me "who is that kid?" Most of the time when they asked, they were talking about Thomas. They see his huge frame that clearly stands out when he is among the DBs and even now with the LBs. This guy has so much talent just sitting there dormant waiting for him to fully commit to the game. In the past I have asked a coach "who is the most talented player we don't know about yet" and he would say "Renaldo Thomas" and shake his head. He would say "there is a reason El Es Ou wanted him twice. He has a ton of ability and he could be so much bigger and stronger. He is an elite talent but there is nothing more we can do as coaches, it is up to him to commit and focus." I was lucky enough to be able to attend a decent amount of practices in the past and you could easily tell when Renaldo was having a good day or a bad day. It was like watching a roller coaster. He was either doing something that made you think "wow, did you see that" or "wow, who is that coach yelling at like that and why is he just walking around." I am putting Renaldo on this list because he can be a gem if he wants to be and I mean a really good player. I can't think of another player (besides Dominique) that I have had multiple coaches speak so highly of while at the same time sound so disappointed in other than Renaldo. I was not able to attend as many practices this Spring however for the ones that I did attend it seemed clear that something was clicking with Thomas. There were way more "hell yes, great freaking play" yells from coaches/players about Thomas than there were head scratches and yelling "stop walking, get off the field." That has me extremely excited about this year for him and the more older guys we can get playing at a high level the more young guys we can red-shirt.
I want to insert this tidbit after Renaldo and Dominique before I proceed to the rest.
As a coach you have to be able to know your Xs & Os, evaluate & recruit solid players and most importantly you have to be able to get players to play up to or above their potential depending upon their ceiling. Some of that last part is a two-way street - you have to the coaches that can figure out how to get the most out of a kid but you also have to have the player want it for himself and meet you halfway at some point. I don't think I have seen a better staff than this in terms if knowledge and patience so let's hope they can dig into the mental makeup of some of the kids that have been here and get them to meet them halfway so they can start to become what they have the potential to be.
3. Jordan Sullen (S/CB). At the final Spring practice we had a grand total of FOUR corners. Batiste (SOPH), Doss (SOPH), Strozier (SR) and Sullen (SR). That is it. Although Doss and Batiste played really well in my opinion as true freshmen we are in desperate need for depth and quality at corner. It is no secret why this staff brought in 3-4 kids that can potentially play corner. Darion Monroe could move back to corner if injuries deplete this group but Monroe is more agile than he is fast and safety is a much better position for him. Sullen started the Spring at safety but he was moved back to the corner about halfway through and I think it is seriously important that Sullen can come in and be as good as he was before he left. He was the projected starting corner and he has the size and speed to play the position. Well, he had the speed before he had a year off - no idea if he still has it or not. We really need to Sullen to be able to come in and be a valuable member of that group because if he doesn't we will be forced to put someone out there at corner that will be less ready than Doss was last year (remember Doss played mostly WR in HS, although he was recruited by several schools as a CB). Sullen looked "pissed off for greatness" this Spring but you could tell that he has been away from the game for too long. This is another important area because as we saw last year there is a huge learning curve with rookie CBs.
4. Darion Monroe (S). I am a bit harder on Darion Monroe than some of my pals think I should be. I think he is a charismatic kid, he was our "prized recruit" to kick off the State of Tulane era and he wore his heart on his sleeve when talking to the media leading up to and on signing day. He was one of those guys you instantly rooted for. He was asked to do more than he probably should have last year by starting off at corner (where frankly he didn't have the speed to be at) and then moved to starting safety. This was a highly touted kid that played QB in HS and now being asked to be the leader of a defense. Once moved to safety you could see him directing traffic the way a senior would do. Simply remarkable really but where were the big plays? Considering the circumstances he had one hell of a rookie season but I am still not sold on him being the man. Maybe it is unfair expectations for the kid based off of his high rating coming out of HS or maybe it is the constant press and praise he got from local media and Curtis Johnson. I know he was a true freshmen that switched positions (two of which he rarely if ever played in HS) but when I looked at the game itself I saw too many missed tackles and a no big plays by our "Ed Reed". I know he was a rookie but maybe I am waiting to see how he does this 2013 season before giving him the praises everyone else is. Maybe I am just a little hesitant because it seems we have been here before - a young kid comes in and does a really solid job as a freshman and then it is all downhill after that. Maybe it is more of a "don't want a broken heart" mindset for me in this case. I feel I have seen too many guys peak early and then only get worse (by not getting better). My concern is this - is Darion Monroe satisfied in reading his press clippings from this last year or will he be determined to stay humble, work harder than he ever has and become a better football player? Will he do all that it takes to be one of the best safeties in the conference or will he remain merely satisfied with his freshman accolades?
It is not so much me doubting Darion Monroe the person because frankly I don't know him, but it is more about me feeling "I have seen this somewhere before" - and it does not end like we thought it would.
5. This one is tough. I listed several guys here and deleted it and went with another. I just can't seem to get Matthew Bailey (LB) off my mind to be included in this list. I was going to list one of the guys along the DT/DE spots but in the end I feel like the LB position was such a down position last year and I guess that is why this list reflects it. I think we signed some very talented young LBs this class but we are all fooling ourselves if we think we can build a program with true frosh/sophs leading the team. We need to be able to allow some of these guys time to mature physically and mentally. I just feel that Bailey showed quite a few signs of awesomeness his rookie year and going into his SOPH campaign many fans had high expectations of him. Many felt he would emerge as a leader and star player for us in 2012 and it was not that way at all. No disrespect to Zach Davis & Cameron Dejean (I think they are good players) but they were often injured type guys yet when they were healthy Bailey was pulled in favor of them on several occasions. When you are practicing and playing full time and a guy that can't stay healthy takes your place it says something. I think the fans thought Bailey had the highest upside out of the once young group of LBs and he just about disappeared in 2012 and that is why I have him here. Were the expectations too high? Not from what I can gather. If anything the expectations were justified and maybe not high enough because Bailey a ton of tools. In the end, regardless of what Bailey does, it is critical in my eyes that experienced guys step up to the plate at LB next season. I expect some rookies to step in and play and at least one to start however we cannot survive on two deep being mostly freshmen. There was a lot of hype around Bailey after 2011 so the comments are simple: is he talented enough or is it something else holding him back and can he emerge as a true leader in 2013?
This week I will put up the newcomers edition for the defensive side of the ball. Here is the offensive version.
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