Tomiwa Durojaiye
- Thread starter jlkirk
- Start date
Did he RS last year, i.e., didn't play much/any? I only vaguely remember his name. Didn't seem to hear it during Spring, either. Wish him the best.
Hate to see him go, thought he had long term potential. He was passed by others, has 4 years left so that will be attractive. Good luck to him.
Agree! This is Gen Z for you though. None of them are willing to work hard and earn PT, they all just want it handed to them and if there's the slightest resistance to that goal they're bound for the portal.
I really had hoped this player would have a nice career at UK as he is from Delaware and the so called DelMarVa area has been very kind to the likes of Penn St and Va Tech for decades. Lots of really good players came from there, Josh Pascual for one. Still hope Brad White can kick in that door.
Is it possible that he worked hard and simply was beat out by someone more talented? And if that’s true, is it also possible that he’s transferring not because he wants something handed to him, but because he simply loves the game and really wants to play?
If you love playing football, you only have a short window during your life when you get to play at a competitive level. Maybe he just wants to maximize that.
He was committed elsewhere(Pitt?), decommitted and signed with UK. Be interesting to see where he ends up.
Sure, it's possible. I wasn't necessarily speaking of this kid in particular, just more of a general statement.
Redshirting players is about to be a thing of the past. What’s the point of recruiting a kid, redshirting him and then he transfers? You literally got absolutely nothing out of that kid and you spent all of that time and effort recruiting and developing him.
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I know what your saying but think this was more the coaches tell the kids where they stand after spring. Sometimes even tell them there better off moving on. Could be wrong but he is kind of a tweener
He seems like a good guy, I was hoping for a Paschal type player. Well, I can dream can't I?
I don't think you are wrong. Coach Stoops prides himself in knowing the pulse of his locker room. The only way that happens is communication. Stoops' players have always said he is a players' coach. With few exceptions, I think Stoops probably knows which players are happy, which players are not coping, and which players would be better off with a change of scenery. He doesn't tell a player to enter the portal. But I am sure he has candidly told a few players that they were losing their battles for playing opportunities at UK. With that information, players then make decisions that are best for their futures. I think that is what just happened with Durojaiye. I believe Durojaiye came to UK thinking he could follow in Josh Allen's pathway at Jack LB. Durojaiye actually mentioned Josh in the past as a reason he signed with UK.
But then, Durojaiye's body developed differently. He muscled up and got moved to DE behind Rybka and Saunders, with Anaele and Henry-Young also fighting for reps and Kendrick Gilbert inbound.
So I hate to see Durojaiye leave, but I get it.
Good luck to young guy if he finds a slot. If not, welcome back big fella.
This board always get fired up when a kid decommits or enters the portal lol. I agree it’s a challenge to coaching today, definitely makes roster management harder but we can’t criticize kids who leave and then praise those we gain via the portal. The truth is our gains from the portal have far outweighed our losses. I hate to lose this one as he’s a big athletic kid, but it’s also not personal. It’s his life and it should be that way. I like the portal way more than I like all of this NIL garbage. Which btw, I love kids making money, just not how it’s turned out. NIL is a much bigger challenge to roster management than the portal imo
Truth is you absolutely have to have roster turnover. You keep about 75 percent of each class and the rest you have to process out to keep building. It’s a tough part of coaching but a very important piece to roster building.
True.
And our coaches and program have a strong track record of helping players find the “right fit,” when they leave.
I’m think this youngster might be at Troy sooner rather than later, and I wish him the best.
Yeah but even if you don’t redshirt him..:.he’s so behind on initial Seth chart….he’s never going to play regardless
Rybka and Saunders are both Jrs at DE…so he’s not getting past rhen this year. Hate to see it as he looks like a future player for sure But Stoops can recruit that Dline for sure….I’ll bet it will be fine
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This isn't true. If a player doesn't play 4 games they're a RS in any year. Freshman that aren't ready will still be RS. Now you have guys that played 6 games a freshman and sophomore. Then are still 2nd 3rd string their JR year and after 3 games tell their coaches they're not going to play anymore and are hitting the portal. The kids still want the RS for when they transfer so they refuse to go in. That has happened a lot the last couple years. RS aren't going anywhere
The DL has several guys who are JRs/SRs in 2023, so it does stink to lose a guy that could be ready to step in as they graduate.
for 2023
DE: JR Rybka, JR Anaele, JR Henry-Young (really need this guy to bulk up)
NT: SO Silver, SR Hayes (still has COVID year), SO Dinkins
DT: SR Ox (not sure why he's listed that way on UK site b/c he RS'd 2020), SO Saunders
So... the Durojaiye was growing perfectly into that DE spot. His physical growth was going similar to Paschal, which is the guy he wanted to be like. It would be nice to have a guy with 3 years in the system by the time he's called on to lead the way at the DE spot.
Incoming FR in 2023...
DE: Zeismer 6'2 257
DE/DT: Gadson 6'5 265, Gilbert 6'5 270
Maybe the coaches just expect those guys to pass Tomi by the end of 2023, but I've heard the coaches say better things about Tomi than either Henry-Young or Anaele, so I won't be suprised to see either of those guys hit the portal by the end of the 2023 season (if not before).
I think the DL looks like this:
DE: Rybka Jr/Saunders JR
NT: Hayes Sr or Silver So is my guess at NT with Dinkins So in there as well
DT: Walker So/Ox Sr
That to me your DL two deep.
- I don't know if Henry-Young is going to play barring injury. He's not made a move after transfer and Rybka and Saunders look like they aren't giving up snaps at DE.
- Analee.....man he's moved all over and is passed up by younger guys every year....I think he's permanent depth
- Kendrick Gilbert will plug in at DE or DT and be looked as a potential starter in two years after Walker is gone or Rybka/Saunders are gone in 2 years.
Dinkins and Saunders are both RS Soph from the 21 class. I also thought Ox and Hayes RS so they should be RS JR
I’m saying if a kid signs and shows up to campus what is the point of not playing him if there’s a decent chance he’s not gonna be around for 4-5 years anyway?
lol because the coaches want to (have to) win football games? And throwing undeveloped raw weak true freshman out there, at any of the 22 positions, would put winning in serious jeopardy?
Snaps are (or should be) earned in practice, best guys play every snap they can. Our goal is to win, not build up gametape of all 85 scholly players!
What I’m saying is if depth gets a little iffy at a position the coach should not hesitate to put in the young guys, regardless of how many games they’ve played, because there’s a good chance you’re not gonna have him for 4-5 years anyway.
Should? Our coaches play a lot of players. Almost all positions are rotated two deep. Our secondary and receivers have been rotated more than two deep. There are good reasons why you will not find a football team in the country that regularly plays 85 players. Playing time is won in practice. When you sign a player, you take him on what you know. But you can't see ahead of time if he will get in academic trouble in a class or fall in love with a freshman girl and lose his focus. As JHB4UK said earlier, the object of the game is to win, and coaches (except Cal) lose their jobs by prioritizing other goals above winning. If players feel they have to leave, they have a decision to make. Stoops does a good job of working with unsuccessful players and replacing them through the portal. Hat off to Stoops and Marrow.
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