Phil Looking for a new Middle Linebacker!

[abezontar]

I always wondered about the eligibility bit. Does the clock start running from the day you enroll, or only from the day you actually join the team. I never played collegiate athletics, yet I've been enrolled for a total of almost 8 years. Do I still have eligibility left? (not that I would be of any use)

[QuikSStang]

its the day you join the team. i can finish school and in 20 years come back and have 4 years left if i wanted to play. redshirts can dress for home games, but once they hit the field, its gone, unless you file something with the NCAA, much like Andre Caldwell for Florida. he played 2 games then broke his leg and the NCAA let him use that year as a redshirt year

[Pony in SA]

My issue on this still involves why we are just now figuring this out after we have played 5 games !!!

I understand the argument on our bad model, and certainly don't think it is all coaching, but part of coaching is evaluating players. Evaluting who you recruit and then how to make those players most productive.

If we just now have figured out some of our players are in the wrong spots, that is a big problem. These are kids these coaches recruited so they should know their strengths and weaknesses, and they have had spring ball and 5 games alone this year to figure out where to play them. If our MLB was bad in games 1 and 2, we should have been working on a replacement before our conference games started !!

[Stallion]

I agree with the sentiment but it is not unusual for a coach to use a mid-season off-week to experiment or try new players. If you don't see a young player get expanded playing time after a mid season off week he likely never will barring injury. My biggest concern are the lack of solid alternatives. I see one maybe three kids who could make a long term difference. Bailey, Yenga and Bell. Bell plays at a position of depth-so his contribution may be limited(really wondering why he is playing at all). Yenga is more suited to LB at his size but has never played the position-too short a time to teach a new position. So when you get down to it, we are stuck. Oh one more kid DE Jourdan Johnson, a Sophmore, has the size, strength and physical ability to start contributing. I saw him make two great moves from his DE position late in the TCU game on consecutive plays. Where is he? Getting those 4 players on the field even as backups improves SMU physically and athletically-although again I don't know why Bell lost his redshirt to be the fourth CB. Don't understand a lot of things about Phil's Defensive Recruiting thought-pattern. I've spoken up for years but was rebuffed with glowing reports of Phil's golden nugget discoveries from 2A Podunk High School -now he's going to lose his job because HE FAILED to recruit and evaluate talent. Can't blame this on Rivals or Stallion

[Pony Fan]

How about the fact we have six tight ends on the team, play one, and he never contributes. Andrew McKinney should have been on defense from the start, and I think Mario Walker could be on defense too.

[Pony in SA]

You are right on with lack of solid alternatives. Question is why is that the case at so many positions and maybe from an evaluation level we need to admit we have not been as good as we need to be.

I do agree with you very much on the model needs changing, just think from an evaluation points seems like our staff is way off. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but how they can not even contact a kid who scores 7 TDs in a 5A playoff game who is bright enough to get into SMU when UH, UTEP, Tulsa, etc. do and Tulsa then locks him up, or does not show up at a program like Smithson Valley who turns out pretty decent football players, is beyond me.

[Casey]

... Bonilla has been moved to middle and Hawkins has been shifted to strong side where he played last year. Bonilla is too small to play middle and has played rather well at SAM. Bennett has said that Bonilla is the most physical of the group and he is searching for answers.

This defense has been getting smoked by runs up the middle (see UTEP) directly at the MLB. Hopefully this move helps.

Strong as he is, if Bonilla is too small to play MLB and the defense has gotten smoked by runs up the middle, how will moving him inside help?

[Stallion]

the San Antonio kid I believe you are speaking of (Marcus Wright) is one of the Top 10 National Sprinters in the Country as well. If no contact was made then that is troubling.

[davidsmu94]

MLB? Two words: Sam. Bennett.

oh come on

[Pony in SA]

Again, my assistant's husband works at Reagan and he said no contact was made. But it is not just down here -- I think we need to get letters and contacts to as many athletes as we can all over the state b/c never know who may actually look at us. Perhaps it is a money issue that Orisini can change.

Sadly, from those at the schools (coaches and booster club members) I know down here we simply don't have any presence and our competition (UH, Tulsa, UTEP, even Rice) does.

[OC Mustang]

Did not know... Or had forgotten... Smart was All-State at LB in high school. So yeah, I bet he could do a pretty good job. Undersized at 225 or 230 at DE, he could probably smack some folks around at LB.

Yes, he was...he's just young and light. He will be a solid performer when he gets some meat on his bones and a shade older. I have seen him do some great things, but the comment about his getting crushed on a sweep is indeed correct.

[davidsmu94]

What would I be missing about why we aren't trying Smart and Yenga at LB? I rember seeing Smart being quite fast when running down some players in the Tech game, faster than the LBs were on the team

[JasonB]

We don't have any good 4-3 DEs, but we have a ton of players who would be outstanding as OLB in the 3-4. Yenga, Muse, Smart... Jordon Johnson, Handy, and Parham could all play the DE in a 3 man front. Fits Handy's game better, because his game is strength. Unfortunately, we don't really have the size for a true NG.

[Hoss]

I really like the McKinney idea at MLB. A lot of great LBs get that way in large part because of physical tools and what a lot of coaches call "want to." From everything I've seen, McKinney has plenty of both.

[QuikSStang]

i can think of another position that needs to be filled first: special teams coach