Sunday Mashup- 5/17/15

[JPFisher]

Hasn't actually hasn't been as much of a dead week as I thought. UK Athletics has given us UK fans a great gift and there's plenty of things being said by coaches.

Let's get into it.

>We now know what the new field at our Commonwealth Stadium will look like. Checkerboard patterned blue endzones as a throwback to Stoll Field (1930's pre-pumpkinorange) and sticking with the Secretariat-esque checkerboard theme that the basketball team has adopted. It looks sharp.

>Patrick Towles was praised by Mark Richt- a man who knows his quarterbacks. Things look very promising for our QB position this year. Towles has experience, a quicker release, an incredible work ethic, and the ability to escape the pocket. All signs point to him being the guy, and the sooner he is named the head honcho, the sooner he can get more first team reps. Look for major strides in confidence, accuracy, and IQ from Towles when he steps on the field this year.

>Don't look now, but our OLine will look STOUT here in a few years.

>Know why? We are bringing in solid players. Our linemen are attracting offers from national powers such as Auburn, BAMA, and OSU, Florida, FSU, and several other SEC schools. Stoops and Co are working diligently to increase our talent level across the board, and it should be incredibly apparent in a few years when our OLine is one of the best in the SEC. I think the strife Schlarman has dealt with will be worth it when he has access to some massive and talented linemen in the coming seasons.

>Speaking of performance in the SEC, Mark Stoops took to the podium this week to talk about the state of the program.
- The Spring Practices were the most consistent that Mark Stoops has had in his time here. He is very excited about the improvements ts the team has made and I am INCREDIBLY excited that these practices were the most consistent even though there are a lot of young face out there.
- No major spring injuries outside of Reese, and even then, he should be serviceable when he heals up around the fall semester.
- The construction on Commonwealth is nearing completion and should be finished by the time our season starts.

>Stoops also stated that we need to get shored up in the secondary. I have no doubt that Stoops with the safeties, Ansley with the corners and Nickel, and Buh with the OLBs will vastly improve our coverage squads. Ansley has proven invaluable with his repeated success at bringing the most out of what he is given. We will have to bid for his services after this season or next. Bank on it.

>All this has me believing that we are in for a golden era of Kentucky football. There are good times ahead, indeed. The pieces are in place, and all that needs to happen is we keep it up on the recruiting trail and allow our talent to gain experience. No more laying the foundation and taking lumps while Joker's troops get recruited over. We're finally starting to see all our lumps paying off and I'm incredibly excited to cheer alongside 60k+ of my Big Blue Brethren and cheer for our Cats this coming fall.

Mashup Question: If Kentucky becomes a legitimate threat in the SEC and we start losing coaches, do we go after recruiters or teachers? The draw of a decent to good team in the SEC has a lot of weight, and recruiters might not be needed then as much as they are now. Just a thought.

Happy Sunday, BBN. Hope you enjoyed it.

As always- Go Big Blue!

 

[Deeeefense]

Mashup Question: If Kentucky becomes a legitimate threat in the SEC and we start losing coaches, do we go after recruiters or teachers? The draw of a decent to good team in the SEC has a lot of weight, and recruiters might not be needed then as much as they are now

As long as Mark Stoops is the head coach here, any assistant coach will have to be able to coach (teach), and recruit. Just becasue you have some success doesn't mean you don't have to put as much effort into recruiting. The bigs all have top recruiting staffs that work extremely hard - it's a battle that never ends.

 

[screwduke]

I'm excited about our O line. Stoops has done an amazing job with recruiting it(and other positions) but games are won in the trenches.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

Hasn't actually hasn't been as much of a dead week as I thought. UK Athletics has given us UK fans a great gift and there's plenty of things being said by coaches.

Let's get into it.

>We now know what the new field at our Commonwealth Stadium will look like. Checkerboard patterned blue endzones as a throwback to Stoll Field (1930's pre-pumpkinorange) and sticking with the Secretariat-esque checkerboard theme that the basketball team has adopted. It looks sharp.

>Patrick Towles was praised by Mark Richt- a man who knows his quarterbacks. Things look very promising for our QB position this year. Towles has experience, a quicker release, an incredible work ethic, and the ability to escape the pocket. All signs point to him being the guy, and the sooner he is named the head honcho, the sooner he can get more first team reps. Look for major strides in confidence, accuracy, and IQ from Towles when he steps on the field this year.

>Don't look now, but our OLine will look STOUT here in a few years.

>Know why? We are bringing in solid players. Our linemen are attracting offers from national powers such as Auburn, BAMA, and OSU, Florida, FSU, and several other SEC schools. Stoops and Co are working diligently to increase our talent level across the board, and it should be incredibly apparent in a few years when our OLine is one of the best in the SEC. I think the strife Schlarman has dealt with will be worth it when he has access to some massive and talented linemen in the coming seasons.

>Speaking of performance in the SEC, Mark Stoops took to the podium this week to talk about the state of the program.
- The Spring Practices were the most consistent that Mark Stoops has had in his time here. He is very excited about the improvements ts the team has made and I am INCREDIBLY excited that these practices were the most consistent even though there are a lot of young face out there.
- No major spring injuries outside of Reese, and even then, he should be serviceable when he heals up around the fall semester.
- The construction on Commonwealth is nearing completion and should be finished by the time our season starts.

>Stoops also stated that we need to get shored up in the secondary. I have no doubt that Stoops with the safeties, Ansley with the corners and Nickel, and Buh with the OLBs will vastly improve our coverage squads. Ansley has proven invaluable with his repeated success at bringing the most out of what he is given. We will have to bid for his services after this season or next. Bank on it.

>All this has me believing that we are in for a golden era of Kentucky football. There are good times ahead, indeed. The pieces are in place, and all that needs to happen is we keep it up on the recruiting trail and allow our talent to gain experience. No more laying the foundation and taking lumps while Joker's troops get recruited over. We're finally starting to see all our lumps paying off and I'm incredibly excited to cheer alongside 60k+ of my Big Blue Brethren and cheer for our Cats this coming fall.

Mashup Question: If Kentucky becomes a legitimate threat in the SEC and we start losing coaches, do we go after recruiters or teachers? The draw of a decent to good team in the SEC has a lot of weight, and recruiters might not be needed then as much as they are now. Just a thought.

Happy Sunday, BBN. Hope you enjoyed it.

As always- Go Big Blue!

Let me say this about what to look for if you have to start looking for coaches. Gone are the days a guy can be a good/great coach who isn't a good recruiter. UGA hasn't been great but we have had some good teams and been competitive in the SEC for the most part, the state of Georgia produces many more P5 athletes that the state of Kentucky does. That isn't a cut, it just is. But we struggled recruiting, many of the top kids left the state, we had some decent to very good position coaches, but they couldn't recruit. With the new defensive staff and the offensive staff members, all are good to very strong recruiters and our recruiting has improved a great deal. With that said, they better be good at both.

 

[Caveman Catfan]

I appreciate a good mashup question, but cannot put the cart before this horse.

 

[JPFisher]

I mean, I want you all to respond to what you will. I usually try to incorporate different pieces into the question that people can take apart. Just reply with what you like. It's putting the cart before the horse, but I'd rather be an optimist than the pessimist hoping that Joker's guys aren't going to lose more than eight games. It's a new staff!

 

[ukalum1988]

Mashup Question: If Kentucky becomes a legitimate threat in the SEC and we start losing coaches, do we go after recruiters or teachers? The draw of a decent to good team in the SEC has a lot of weight, and recruiters might not be needed then as much as they are now. Just a thought.

Happy Sunday, BBN. Hope you enjoyed it.

As always- Go Big Blue!

Thanks for these Mashups, JP, I appreciate.

Thought-provoking question - If I had to chose, I would go with the teachers. Brooks' recruiting wasn't all that stellar, in large part for reasons beyond his control. However, he and his staff did a great job of player development and their game preparation and in-game coaching was better than most folks give them credit for. However, when you combine poor recruiting with poor player development and poor in-game coaching, you get the dumpster fire we witnessed prior to Stoops.

I get the sense that Stoops staff is a good blend of recruiters and teachers, although the jury is still out a little bit on the teaching/player development part of it until we see some expected improvement on the field this fall.

Overall, I like the direction the program is going.

 

[hmt5000]

Have 2 do both. We can get by with just a couple ace recruiters but everyone has to be top notch at teaching. The only way we'll climb the ladder is by developing talent and game planning better than the competition

 

[JPFisher]

That's how I feel about it as well, hmt and alum.

 

[cdcm60]

Hasn't actually hasn't been as much of a dead week as I thought. UK Athletics has given us UK fans a great gift and there's plenty of things being said by coaches.

Let's get into it.

>We now know what the new field at our Commonwealth Stadium will look like. Checkerboard patterned blue endzones as a throwback to Stoll Field (1930's pre-pumpkinorange) and sticking with the Secretariat-esque checkerboard theme that the basketball team has adopted. It looks sharp.

>Patrick Towles was praised by Mark Richt- a man who knows his quarterbacks. Things look very promising for our QB position this year. Towles has experience, a quicker release, an incredible work ethic, and the ability to escape the pocket. All signs point to him being the guy, and the sooner he is named the head honcho, the sooner he can get more first team reps. Look for major strides in confidence, accuracy, and IQ from Towles when he steps on the field this year.

>Don't look now, but our OLine will look STOUT here in a few years.

>Know why? We are bringing in solid players. Our linemen are attracting offers from national powers such as Auburn, BAMA, and OSU, Florida, FSU, and several other SEC schools. Stoops and Co are working diligently to increase our talent level across the board, and it should be incredibly apparent in a few years when our OLine is one of the best in the SEC. I think the strife Schlarman has dealt with will be worth it when he has access to some massive and talented linemen in the coming seasons.

>Speaking of performance in the SEC, Mark Stoops took to the podium this week to talk about the state of the program.
- The Spring Practices were the most consistent that Mark Stoops has had in his time here. He is very excited about the improvements ts the team has made and I am INCREDIBLY excited that these practices were the most consistent even though there are a lot of young face out there.
- No major spring injuries outside of Reese, and even then, he should be serviceable when he heals up around the fall semester.
- The construction on Commonwealth is nearing completion and should be finished by the time our season starts.

>Stoops also stated that we need to get shored up in the secondary. I have no doubt that Stoops with the safeties, Ansley with the corners and Nickel, and Buh with the OLBs will vastly improve our coverage squads. Ansley has proven invaluable with his repeated success at bringing the most out of what he is given. We will have to bid for his services after this season or next. Bank on it.

>All this has me believing that we are in for a golden era of Kentucky football. There are good times ahead, indeed. The pieces are in place, and all that needs to happen is we keep it up on the recruiting trail and allow our talent to gain experience. No more laying the foundation and taking lumps while Joker's troops get recruited over. We're finally starting to see all our lumps paying off and I'm incredibly excited to cheer alongside 60k+ of my Big Blue Brethren and cheer for our Cats this coming fall.

Mashup Question: If Kentucky becomes a legitimate threat in the SEC and we start losing coaches, do we go after recruiters or teachers? The draw of a decent to good team in the SEC has a lot of weight, and recruiters might not be needed then as much as they are now. Just a thought.

Happy Sunday, BBN. Hope you enjoyed it.

As always- Go Big Blue!

First post. And, NO, I AM NOT A UL FAN.

I like your comments about the oline. It has always been my opinion that to be a good fotball team UK should have 9 or 10 incoming linemen(off & def)each year. With injuries, defections, etc., it seems fewer will always put UK near the SEC bottom in line play. Stoops, and his asistants, seem to be able to get more lineman than past coaching staffs. And, they can play. I am one fan that thinks that is key to building the program.

 

[WildcatDJ]

I like hearing about this being a consistent spring.

The majority of the guys are returning players and know what to expect, and the minority that weren't here will fall in line quickly with the added guidance.

The last couple of years even the returning players were a little unsure with the new coaches. I expect the consistency to follow through more on the field this year as well. Brook's teams peaked when the continuity was present. It's becoming repetitive, but the next big step will be when the entire roster is Stoops recruited players only.

 

[hmt5000]

dont forget that we start 8 sr's on defense this year too. the last few years it seems we never had more than 2 or 3 seniors on the team that actually played significant snaps. experience and leadership should help summer workouts to be more productive (i hope anyway).

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

With such a weak recruiting base in-state recruiting has to be the top priority in choosing assistants. We have to go into B1G, ACC, and SEC country and take guys from other schools' backyards. That doesn't mean you hire guys that can't coach but if they can't recruit they can't coach here. Having great players can hide mistakes made by coaches. You can call a great play or max out the ability of a guy but if the player is physically inferior to your opponent you're going to have a tough time winning consistently

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

Great point about our O-Line recruiting. It is far better than I've ever seen as a UK fan. It should start paying some dividends this season with added depth. Hopefully our offense takes off this season.

I am mostly worried about our defense because we don't have major SEC talent besides Stamps and a couple of others. It will take more time to shore up that side of the ball.

I'd rather have great recruiters than teachers. I'm tired of not having SEC talent at UK.

 

[hmt5000]

Great point about our O-Line recruiting. It is far better than I've ever seen as a UK fan. It should start paying some dividends this season with added depth. Hopefully our offense takes off this season.

I am mostly worried about our defense because we don't have major SEC talent besides Stamps and a couple of others. It will take more time to shore up that side of the ball.

I'd rather have great recruiters than teachers. I'm tired of not having SEC talent at UK.

florida brought in top classes the last several years and did nothing with that talent even though several guys still went to the nfl. missou brought in classes in the 30's and rs'd everybody and developed kids to contribute their jr and sr years and won the east 2 years in a row.... i'll go with the missou model since we aren't gonna consistently recruit at a uf level

 

[Jdhays21]

I want young, energetic, African- American coaches. They can relate to these kids that we want to bring in and recruiting is the most important thing IMO. You can point to the outlier years/teams all you want. If you look over time there is a reason that Kentucky is a perennial bottom feeder in the SEC. We simply don't bring in the talent these other teams do. hmt, you have a good point that we need to go the Mizzou route, but having recruiting classes around 30 is better than what we have done up to this point. If we can consistently have classes from 15-30 then we will be able to compete.

 

[JPFisher]

The thing about it is that if we can bring in classes like the past few and do so consistently (which should be easier once we start winning more in the SEC), then we can afford to go after teachers while keeping a couple ace recruiters.


Brooks and his staff were excellent teachers and did not recruit well or consistently by any means (a few 4 stars here or there and then Micah, but otherwise, we were finding really rough diamonds). Teachers were rewarded with 06 and 07. Solid bowl win seasons, folks. Can you imagine Brooks and Co with the classes we have coming in? Good Lord.


I want that again. I want solid performances and the potential for the elusive double digit season. Experience and teachers can somewhat correct for a talent differential. Talent is huge, but I don't know if it's required to go after nothing but recruiters or hybrids. An excellent teacher in a position of need for a few years will pay dividends.

Jmo.

 

[BlueRaider22]

It would likely be easier to get a higher level of coach......both teacher and recruiter.....once Stoops proves that he can win. Teaching and recruiting are massively important but I think HMT said it best. Once we get the momentum going we can get by with several ace recruiters. But I'd be inclined to have several ace recruiters and the rest guys that are known for both.

I think the appearance of stability is something that outside coaches are going to be watching. If Stoops is winning big in yr 4, would you take a job under him if you feel that he's going to another job soon? I can see both sides of this.

 

[pickled cat]

Most all coaches at this level Know what they're doing and can be pretty good. It takes great athletes to make great coaches. Recruiters all the way!! great question.

 

[C1180]

IMO you must have a balance of both to be a successful team. You can probably get away with having a few that are great recruiters but lacking in teaching skills but if you have too many of this type you are going to be in trouble. The real answer is you want coaches that have a balance between the two. I would like to add that IMO teams that are trying to rebuild must have coaches that are great talent evaluators, have a great training program that can help remake bodies, and coach up and motivate those players to become overachievers. Yes I do know that is difficult and is why you see few teams that do not have great winning traditions move into the elite group of teams that dominate college football year after year.