(08-02-2021, 08:23 PM)old spanish trail Wrote: I remain fairly optimistic. McKee looks really promising me. 3 quite good rbs. Excellent OL needs only find a center, and all the inside guys are taking their turns. Receivers are good enuf, and perhaps better than that. The soph 3 star TE is on the Mackey list and expectations are very high.
On D, once again, this time per Thomas Booker, we are told to expect big things of JMF and Miezan at LB. Damuni was quite good, I thought, and everybody expects the late addition incoming frosh to start at OLB. That leaves several other pretty good OLBs to battle it out . DL has a couple of good players. Are there enuf for a warm game? Dunno. Kelly and Salim-Muhammed are way better than average if they can hold up for the season. S is an unknown....and, yes, it's an important position.
Anybody have additional thoughts re DL and S, and where will Aristotle play?
Nobody expects the new frosh Aybar to start at OLB. The starters will be Jordan Fox and Stephen Herron. Aybar might work his way into rotating a little bit, but if health holds up he should be able to RS behind guys like Andres Fox and Loa Kaufusi. If he plays much, that's an arrow up on him.
DL is very thin, as usual. Booker and DWP will be fine but after that...yikes. Tucker Fisk should have moved over 1-2 years ago, but better late than never. What impact will he have? Will Ryan Johnson give us anything? Will Josh Pakola return, and if so will he be able to play after some time off the team? Will Tobin Phillips give us anything? Aristotle is a DE through and through, but has not gotten to campus yet as he is a walk-on. A couple of the frosh have bulked up big time in the past month and a half.
Kendall Williamson and Jonathan McGill are the starting S tandem, and assuming health this would still probably be the worst position on defense. But McGill just went through surgery per his Instagram. The position continues to be a disaster under "the best DB coach in college football," and it will take another year or 2 to rectify I believe: RS Fr Alakai Gilman and Omari Porter (switched over from CB) are unknown quantities, the frosh cavalry have arrived, and we will have even more reinforcements in '22. The amount of PT Noah Williams gets will directly correlate with how bad our pass D is.
(08-02-2021, 08:33 PM)Farm93 Wrote: Papa John,
I agree that COVID-19 could potentially play a role.
Stanford students will need to be vaccinated to be on campus, that should mean all Stanford football players will be vaccinated.
Meanwhile Kansas State only recommends students get vaccinated.
Given that vaccination situation I would think taking Stanford now is a better bet because I have to think Delta will feast on teams with unvaccinated players.
FWIW - I don't know how many K-State players are unvaccinated but I believe they will have at least a few since their university rate was in the 70% range in July.
All but 4-5 football players are vaccinated per Shaw.