Just thought I'd share some things I've heard/learned and thoughts I have regarding AU football in it's current spring incarnation. A lot of this is rhetorical and has been said/stated by others in some form or degree over the last few weeks. But....
I) Coaching: Harsin is more intense and more soundly structured than Gus when it comes to program organization. Gus was very organized, but a lot of time and energy was spent on trivial things that weren't necessarily productive in terms of actual football carryover. The off the field staff is bigger, with BH's people, whom he trusts, therefore delgates alot more to. That allows him to focus a lot more on the actual football and recruting frontlines. The strength and conditioning program was completely overhauled, and retro fitted back to a 90's style get big, get strong, run fast mindset. I'm a fan of Russell's, but his methodologies as applied in the way Malzahn wanted them were more science than substance. No longer is AU focused on bio mechanical sciences in the weight room, but rather back to old school physics. Move big weight, move it often, and you'll move people.
The assistant hires seem at this point to be solid across the board in terms of their coaching abilities, and what they bring to the practice field. The players absolutely love Eason, Ethridge, Watts, and Beddell. Mason is an entity of his own, that seems to draw equal respect and clout to bossman from coaches and players alike. That's a great thing, as long as they stay on the same page. In the past GM had problems doing that with DC's whom he had given total autonomy.
Once camps and on campus visits become a real thing again, I think the combo of Caddy and CWill will be hammers on the recruiting trail, especially in state. I don't expect recruiting to see a huge uptick in star power until 2023, though. They have to establish their product and make their own footprints.
2) Offensive Personnel: There is legit concern in the RB room, in regards to depth. A transfer back is prioroty if they are SEC caliber with immediate eligibility. I doubt they'll take a flier on a boom or bust project. We all know what Tank is, and Shivers to a degree. Barrett came back from an opt out year in terrible shape, and not having been on the offensive side of the ball for two seasons prior to that, he also isn't mentally where a contributor should be. He'll have to have a magnificent summer to be able to contribute anything in the fall. The true freshman is talented, and underrated, but raw. There's a chance if he has a good summer on campus, he could provide some legs late in the season, but he's realistically a year away.
The offensive line is bi-polar in their abilities. This team can be a really strong running team right now, especially adding a tight end and FB/HB to personnel groupings. Pass protection has remained suspect, and will have to be supplemented with help from RB,TE, and HBs. Now there are plenty of things that can be worked into an offensive shceme to build off those things, but having to keep players in to help in pass pro will always limit the passing game concepts that can be applied/installed as the offense tries to grow and evolve.
The tight end room is deep, talented, and versatile. It will help this offense be more multiple, and cover up some deficiencies in the offensivee line with how they will be used. Minus Shenker, the best returning player of the group, Fromm and Deal have stepped up as true TE's, guys that can play attached to the OL with their hand in the dirt and block with authorty and run routes well enough to be a threat at times. JJ is the move piece, as I expect Shenker to be also, whereas he will play attached, as a wing, an H and as an inline fullback. BOBO loves to use fullbacks as blockers and receivers to create mismatches and read issues against defensive sub packages, historically. I imagine he'll get some mileage from the big guy. Frazier is big and relatively fluid, but not very effective at the point of attack right now (not because of effort). So he will most likely be a niche guy early in the developmental process of the offense.
The receivers are hard to get a bead on without Capers available and with Jackson being injured. Hudson is going to be AU's #1, his talent and work ethic have already won over the staff, and he'd already won over his QB. Hopefully his production will match the faith and respect he's earned. He blocked like a mad man all season last year, with little to no rewarded touches in turn. Canion has the same skill set as Seth Williams, and hopefully a better head space. Johnson has definitely earned some warranted praise and looks like he really could be another Ryan Davis type receiver for AU in short order. Johnson Jr.. is a wildcard with gamebreaking speed, that in time hopefully becomes a more refined version of Schwartz, but is still raw and not very strong at the point of contact.
3) Defensive personnel: Surprise of the spring defensively is definitely CWoot, back with the LB's and playing lights out ball so far as well as being the vocal leader of the group. He could very well replace everything Britt was doing in the middle, and with extended coverage range. Upsized versions Papp and McClain are going to be terrors in a defense that is designed to keep blockers off of them and simplify their reads and fits.... If the DL evolves to the point where they do that effectively. Last season, the middle of the field 2 high 5-6 man box concepts that Steele ran put the LB's in a lot of "if/then" situations with complex run fits and reads, often with no protection from linemen climbing to the second level. Mason is conceptually opposite in regards to LB play. Protect them, give them simple reads, and let them play fast (run and wreck sh**!).
The Edge positions are multi-faceted, and well refined in terms of presonnel responsibility in Mason's scheme. In the past, honeslty speaking, the "Buck" position for AUB was a bit of an amorphus point of inconsistenct on the defensive front, much like the "Star" position was under EJ. No one (players included) truly new what defined the position as it relates to the scheme. In Mason's defense there is a strong edge setter or "Rush" and a hybrid edge rusher -to -seam/flat/cuff pass dropper on the weak side. Derrick Hall can play both, and I very well beleive this scheme will make him an All SEC caliber player. Handy will consistently be on the strong side, along with Moultry in spots. Height doen't have the power to be a guy that can play the run in SEC ball right now, but he damn sure has the get off and length to threaten the edge in sub packages as a pass rusher.
Truesdale coming back is big, especially now the Wright is out for the long haul. Seeing Wright play in high school I undersold him. I never thought he could be more than a depth guy on the interior OL, but I guess putting him in a high stakes environment brought out the best in him, bc before injury he was absolutely playing ball! His injury is going to force Lee Hunter to have to grow up earlier than expected.
Colby Wooden is a dog. He's going to be a more fast twitch version of Narlob, who can effect the game from 3 different alignments on the DL. By the end of the summer I expect ZWalker to be right on his heels at that level. There isn't a huge amount of depth there, so last year's two JUCO signees need to have great summers and become legit contributors. I think Burks is getting close to being there.
In the secondary expect more man coverage from the secondary, utilizing three corners (a slot corner/nickle) most of the time, and allowing the safeties to be more active in the run game, with a higher percentage of man-under concepts. This fits Smokes skill set better, will turn Tennison loose to be the attack dog of the secondary, and play to the depth and ability AU has at corner.
I) Coaching: Harsin is more intense and more soundly structured than Gus when it comes to program organization. Gus was very organized, but a lot of time and energy was spent on trivial things that weren't necessarily productive in terms of actual football carryover. The off the field staff is bigger, with BH's people, whom he trusts, therefore delgates alot more to. That allows him to focus a lot more on the actual football and recruting frontlines. The strength and conditioning program was completely overhauled, and retro fitted back to a 90's style get big, get strong, run fast mindset. I'm a fan of Russell's, but his methodologies as applied in the way Malzahn wanted them were more science than substance. No longer is AU focused on bio mechanical sciences in the weight room, but rather back to old school physics. Move big weight, move it often, and you'll move people.
The assistant hires seem at this point to be solid across the board in terms of their coaching abilities, and what they bring to the practice field. The players absolutely love Eason, Ethridge, Watts, and Beddell. Mason is an entity of his own, that seems to draw equal respect and clout to bossman from coaches and players alike. That's a great thing, as long as they stay on the same page. In the past GM had problems doing that with DC's whom he had given total autonomy.
Once camps and on campus visits become a real thing again, I think the combo of Caddy and CWill will be hammers on the recruiting trail, especially in state. I don't expect recruiting to see a huge uptick in star power until 2023, though. They have to establish their product and make their own footprints.
2) Offensive Personnel: There is legit concern in the RB room, in regards to depth. A transfer back is prioroty if they are SEC caliber with immediate eligibility. I doubt they'll take a flier on a boom or bust project. We all know what Tank is, and Shivers to a degree. Barrett came back from an opt out year in terrible shape, and not having been on the offensive side of the ball for two seasons prior to that, he also isn't mentally where a contributor should be. He'll have to have a magnificent summer to be able to contribute anything in the fall. The true freshman is talented, and underrated, but raw. There's a chance if he has a good summer on campus, he could provide some legs late in the season, but he's realistically a year away.
The offensive line is bi-polar in their abilities. This team can be a really strong running team right now, especially adding a tight end and FB/HB to personnel groupings. Pass protection has remained suspect, and will have to be supplemented with help from RB,TE, and HBs. Now there are plenty of things that can be worked into an offensive shceme to build off those things, but having to keep players in to help in pass pro will always limit the passing game concepts that can be applied/installed as the offense tries to grow and evolve.
The tight end room is deep, talented, and versatile. It will help this offense be more multiple, and cover up some deficiencies in the offensivee line with how they will be used. Minus Shenker, the best returning player of the group, Fromm and Deal have stepped up as true TE's, guys that can play attached to the OL with their hand in the dirt and block with authorty and run routes well enough to be a threat at times. JJ is the move piece, as I expect Shenker to be also, whereas he will play attached, as a wing, an H and as an inline fullback. BOBO loves to use fullbacks as blockers and receivers to create mismatches and read issues against defensive sub packages, historically. I imagine he'll get some mileage from the big guy. Frazier is big and relatively fluid, but not very effective at the point of attack right now (not because of effort). So he will most likely be a niche guy early in the developmental process of the offense.
The receivers are hard to get a bead on without Capers available and with Jackson being injured. Hudson is going to be AU's #1, his talent and work ethic have already won over the staff, and he'd already won over his QB. Hopefully his production will match the faith and respect he's earned. He blocked like a mad man all season last year, with little to no rewarded touches in turn. Canion has the same skill set as Seth Williams, and hopefully a better head space. Johnson has definitely earned some warranted praise and looks like he really could be another Ryan Davis type receiver for AU in short order. Johnson Jr.. is a wildcard with gamebreaking speed, that in time hopefully becomes a more refined version of Schwartz, but is still raw and not very strong at the point of contact.
3) Defensive personnel: Surprise of the spring defensively is definitely CWoot, back with the LB's and playing lights out ball so far as well as being the vocal leader of the group. He could very well replace everything Britt was doing in the middle, and with extended coverage range. Upsized versions Papp and McClain are going to be terrors in a defense that is designed to keep blockers off of them and simplify their reads and fits.... If the DL evolves to the point where they do that effectively. Last season, the middle of the field 2 high 5-6 man box concepts that Steele ran put the LB's in a lot of "if/then" situations with complex run fits and reads, often with no protection from linemen climbing to the second level. Mason is conceptually opposite in regards to LB play. Protect them, give them simple reads, and let them play fast (run and wreck sh**!).
The Edge positions are multi-faceted, and well refined in terms of presonnel responsibility in Mason's scheme. In the past, honeslty speaking, the "Buck" position for AUB was a bit of an amorphus point of inconsistenct on the defensive front, much like the "Star" position was under EJ. No one (players included) truly new what defined the position as it relates to the scheme. In Mason's defense there is a strong edge setter or "Rush" and a hybrid edge rusher -to -seam/flat/cuff pass dropper on the weak side. Derrick Hall can play both, and I very well beleive this scheme will make him an All SEC caliber player. Handy will consistently be on the strong side, along with Moultry in spots. Height doen't have the power to be a guy that can play the run in SEC ball right now, but he damn sure has the get off and length to threaten the edge in sub packages as a pass rusher.
Truesdale coming back is big, especially now the Wright is out for the long haul. Seeing Wright play in high school I undersold him. I never thought he could be more than a depth guy on the interior OL, but I guess putting him in a high stakes environment brought out the best in him, bc before injury he was absolutely playing ball! His injury is going to force Lee Hunter to have to grow up earlier than expected.
Colby Wooden is a dog. He's going to be a more fast twitch version of Narlob, who can effect the game from 3 different alignments on the DL. By the end of the summer I expect ZWalker to be right on his heels at that level. There isn't a huge amount of depth there, so last year's two JUCO signees need to have great summers and become legit contributors. I think Burks is getting close to being there.
In the secondary expect more man coverage from the secondary, utilizing three corners (a slot corner/nickle) most of the time, and allowing the safeties to be more active in the run game, with a higher percentage of man-under concepts. This fits Smokes skill set better, will turn Tennison loose to be the attack dog of the secondary, and play to the depth and ability AU has at corner.
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