Signing Day - Round II

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock

fourthandshort

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
9,700
Nice to see we didn't lose any of the original 25, and now added 9 more.

Cant help but notice .. we didn't get a single HS QB. All we got was a transfer QB from Valpo who shared the role there. Might be smart .. rely on transfer portal entirely for QB position.

Yeah, I know .. Debbie Downer.

We really need QB Annexstad and OC Peterson to have breakout season this fall. We have got to change our image.
 

Dmills

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
1,738
Nice to see we didn't lose any of the original 25, and now added 9 more.

Cant help but notice .. we didn't get a single HS QB. All we got was a transfer QB from Valpo who shared the role there. Might be smart .. rely on transfer portal entirely for QB position.

Yeah, I know .. Debbie Downer.

We really need QB Annexstad and OC Peterson to have breakout season this fall. We have got to change our image.
Our QB room is a little thinner than I'd prefer. 3 QB's with starting experience - not bad. However, QB #4 is a Walk-on RS Freshman. Wish we had a 5th.
 

fourthandshort

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
9,700
Our QB room is a little thinner than I'd prefer. 3 QB's with starting experience - not bad. However, QB #4 is a Walk-on RS Freshman. Wish we had a 5th.

So we know Jackson Waring entered the transfer portal ... did he withdraw ?

1675348757451.png
 

Virginia Redbird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 26, 2017
Messages
2,581
Location
Chesapeake, Virginia
It looks like a good group. Quite a few DBs and since quite a few have left the program that seems to be a good place to focus. Just what I am seeing but I think Spack is going to concentrate on transferring QBs almost exclusively from this point forward. A strong argument could be made, and I will make it, that his record for developing QBs out of High School is ... yeah I will say it, abysmally bad. Why follow a bad strategy when he has had more success recruiting QBs from other programs where they were developed by others over their first couple of years? Tre was obviously the best of this group, Brady was a bit up and down but he showed some potential before the knee injury, and Annexstad looked good last year. Every coach has their strengths and weaknesses and to me, Spack's glaring weakness is QB development. We have chomped on this topic quite a few times before but I think if the strategy now is to let other more capable programs coach a QB for a couple of years and then obtain them in a transfer so they are plug-and-play, that is a good strategy for this coaching staff.
 

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
Notes from listening to and talking with various coaches on signing day -

The Pantagraph provided some names of transfers that we have offered. Verdis Brown, a lineman at Illinois was one. Matt Fries is another Illinois O-Lineman we are interested in. Recruiting can be a game of networking and contacts. The Redbirds have at least two points of contact with Brown. OC Tony Petersen would know Brown from his time at Illinois. Zack Annexstad would also know him from high school. Zack and Verdis were both at IMG Academy in Fla in 2017. Coach Spack did not mention names but he did say that we have a good shot at two Illini transfers.

A major concern of mine has been the losses we incurred in the secondary and cornerback in particular. Maybe they were just keeping a brave face but the coaching staff doesn't seem as concerned. Mark Cannon was a freshman RS this past season and he was mentioned as an up and comer that could start at corner. Cannon is 6'3 200 so I assumed he was a safety but I am told that he has the skills to play corner. Jeff Bowens has some experience and he could play the other corner but there will be challengers. Juco newcomer C J Hodgdon can play either corner or safety. If Hodgdon lines up with Cannon at the corners that would give us two corners that are over 6 foot and 200 lbs. That's rare at the FCS level. Agility would be a concern but we would do well at high pointing the ball. They also like the late HS signees and one of them is a corner. Paul Odomia (also over 6 foot) is a rare freshman that could see playing time his first year. This will be a side effect from the transfer portal. Redshirting will decline. There's no point in redshirting a player like Odomia if he can help you now. Why bother when you know he could be playing that 5th year somewhere else?

We got good players across the board but the real strength of this recruiting class could be the linebackers. LB'er Jamarcus Smith shows that he once held scholarship offers from schools like Syracuse and Marshall but when he didn't commit right away they found other players they liked and moved on. I hope he makes them regret those decisions. You hate to put a label on a guy (even a positive one) but Anthony Corona looks like another Zeke Vandenburgh. Both players were just off the beaten path. Freeport, IL for Vandenburgh and Twin Lakes, WI for Corona. Both players were HIGHLY productive HS players but respective state universities (Illinois, Wisconsin) didn't bother to offer. How could Lovie Smith not offer an in-state talent like Vandenburgh? Maybe that's why he's an ex-college coach. Great players hiding in plain sight can get overlooked. There's no such thing as a sure-fire star in recruiting but if there was, Corona would be it. That last line is my take. No coach said that, but the linebacking was noted for overall strength.
 

fourthandshort

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
9,700
in case some have .. or haven't .. noticed, I tend to do way more memes in offseason.

Soooo ... lets get this f-ing offseason over with !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤪
 

topiarydan

Active member
Joined
Mar 11, 2018
Messages
870
I like the talent grab - unfortunately unless transfer portal gets tight - we're always going to be having our best players poached
 

MadBird

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2017
Messages
4,731
Location
Madison, Wisconsin
Notes from listening to and talking with various coaches on signing day -

The Pantagraph provided some names of transfers that we have offered. Verdis Brown, a lineman at Illinois was one. Matt Fries is another Illinois O-Lineman we are interested in. Recruiting can be a game of networking and contacts. The Redbirds have at least two points of contact with Brown. OC Tony Petersen would know Brown from his time at Illinois. Zack Annexstad would also know him from high school. Zack and Verdis were both at IMG Academy in Fla in 2017. Coach Spack did not mention names but he did say that we have a good shot at two Illini transfers.

A major concern of mine has been the losses we incurred in the secondary and cornerback in particular. Maybe they were just keeping a brave face but the coaching staff doesn't seem as concerned. Mark Cannon was a freshman RS this past season and he was mentioned as an up and comer that could start at corner. Cannon is 6'3 200 so I assumed he was a safety but I am told that he has the skills to play corner. Jeff Bowens has some experience and he could play the other corner but there will be challengers. Juco newcomer C J Hodgdon can play either corner or safety. If Hodgdon lines up with Cannon at the corners that would give us two corners that are over 6 foot and 200 lbs. That's rare at the FCS level. Agility would be a concern but we would do well at high pointing the ball. They also like the late HS signees and one of them is a corner. Paul Odomia (also over 6 foot) is a rare freshman that could see playing time his first year. This will be a side effect from the transfer portal. Redshirting will decline. There's no point in redshirting a player like Odomia if he can help you now. Why bother when you know he could be playing that 5th year somewhere else?

We got good players across the board but the real strength of this recruiting class could be the linebackers. LB'er Jamarcus Smith shows that he once held scholarship offers from schools like Syracuse and Marshall but when he didn't commit right away they found other players they liked and moved on. I hope he makes them regret those decisions. You hate to put a label on a guy (even a positive one) but Anthony Corona looks like another Zeke Vandenburgh. Both players were just off the beaten path. Freeport, IL for Vandenburgh and Twin Lakes, WI for Corona. Both players were HIGHLY productive HS players but respective state universities (Illinois, Wisconsin) didn't bother to offer. How could Lovie Smith not offer an in-state talent like Vandenburgh? Maybe that's why he's an ex-college coach. Great players hiding in plain sight can get overlooked. There's no such thing as a sure-fire star in recruiting but if there was, Corona would be it. That last line is my take. No coach said that, but the linebacking was noted for overall strength.
Prairie State Pigskin has stories about all Illinois FCS teams' recruiting. Specifically mentions this about Smith and Omodia:

ISU signed defensive back Paul Omodia (George Bush High School in Richmond, Tex.) and linebacker Jamarcus Smith (American Heritage High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) to national letters of intent.

According to the recruiting website 247Sports.com, Omodia had offers from FBS member Louisville and FCS schools Prairie View A&M and Southern University. He is listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds.

Smith had offers from FBS Coastal Carolina and three FCS teams: East Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois and Fordham, according to 247Sports.com.

 

Total Red

Well-known member
Staff member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,143
Location
One mile west of Hancock
Prairie State Pigskin has stories about all Illinois FCS teams' recruiting. Specifically mentions this about Smith and Omodia:



I'm not sure why Prairie State Pigskin only mentions Coastal Carolina among FBS offers for Jamarcus Smith. 247 sports shows Smith with offers from Syracuse and Marshall and Coach Spack mentioned the Syracuse offer Wednedsay.

 

fourthandshort

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2017
Messages
9,700
I like the talent grab - unfortunately unless transfer portal gets tight - we're always going to be having our best players poached
Agreed, but I think the tougher part of transfer portal is the hit to depth charts. Losing players with arguable potential who want more reps sooner and aren't willing to wait for their turn to shine .. whether it is lateral move, or a move down even. You don't notice it as much because they aren't the star player yet, and you never find out.

p.s. players need to realize, the grass aint always greener.
 
Top Bottom