Right now we are in the heat of basketball season. Duke just crushed UNC and their best player Cooper Flagg scored 15 points. I watched Duke early this season and their team reminded of the Anthony Davis team at Kentucky. I am not a basketball expert but do love the sport. I was a huge UNLV fan back in the day and watched Larry Johnson and the Rebels win a title. Flagg is a special talent and back then he would have stayed 2-3 more years and Duke would have dominated the sport. Christian Laettner had that impact at Duke.
Some bring up Auburn as a team to beat. Coach Pearl is a good coach but for some reason when Tourney time comes his guys falter. I am not betting on his team to win. What is shocking is how damn good St Johns is until you realize Rick Pitino is their head coach. Ole Rick is one of the top coaches of all time. His teams always get better. St Johns has not been good in what seems a lifetime.
Final Four - Duke, St John, Houston, Florida
Luke Loucks as FSU new basketball coach - As I have stated before I was never a fan of Leonard Hamilton. He coached a very long time and was a program builder. I hated his style of play. The lack of movement of the ball, zero ability to create shots, the lack of a true point guard in the system. I see fans bring up big names in basketball for hires but the reality is picking a college basketball coach is not the same as picking a football coach. If Loucks can develop players, bring an offensive scheme that guys want to play for and they work hard the results will be positive. They need to not be boring...No more of that style of ball. Do that and Loucks will be pretty good. His biggest issue is the resources that FSU will put into basketball. It looks like he is going to have to do bargain shopping in recruiting. That makes it harder but there are still plenty of kids who will want to play FSU. You see coaches all the time have success at programs and they are not loaded with money.
Jimmy Johnson - He retired from Fox Sports this week. Johnson to me is the greatest coach of all time. Both pro and college. He took over a UM program that Howard built but Johnson not only sustained that success but made it even better. Miami was dominant when he was the head coach. Being a Dallas Cowboy fan, I wanted Jimmy to become the HC. Jerry Jones took over and that dream became a reality. He traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. In return the Cowboys got multiple first round picks as well as many other round picks which Jimmy took and turned them into a dynasty. Dallas drafted guys like Leon Lett out of Emporia State. He drafted Erick Williams a pro bowl tackle out of some D2 Oklahoma school. He traded for Charles Haley a Hall of Fame DE from the Niners. Each of his moves turned out to be better then the next. After all his success Jerry Jones ego got in the way and Dallas has not won a super bowl since. The Curse of the Bambino...No the Curse of Jimmy Johnson. He was a great head coach and even better talent evaluator. His way of scouting and drafting has now been copied by the rest of the NFL.
As for FSU football....spring football is rolling around. This spring is huge. One thing you want to hear this spring is the run game is back on track. FSU needs to run the ball. If FSU was able to run the ball last year they win more games and the season would not have been such a mess. Gus was brought in to run the ball and that is what they are going to do. Run the ball and FSU offense will create more big plays in the passing game.
Micahi Danzy - He was moved to receiver - Love it. He is going to blow up this spring and be one of the true play makers in FSU offense. I was a big fan of his coming out of high school. There are track kids and sometimes that does not translate on the football field. I watched him in high school and the speed is there. He just needs to get his hands on the ball. He is my break out player this spring.
Brock Glenn - I know many are down on him. I am fan of his. I truly don't think he has been given a fair shake at FSU. His first time really playing was as a freshman against Florida and Louisville. He has to go out and play against Georgia in a bowl game with the entire team seeming to opt out. This past season he was beaten out by DJ and then asked to come in and save the day. He has had every chance to leave the program. I would not be surprised if he gives TC a run for his money and is the better QB leaving spring. I would also not be shocked if he plays next year and is a big reason for FSU turnaround. I love the fact that this kid did not quit. I am a fan of Glenn and have always believed hard work pays off. He has been doubted and that is a big motivating factor to get better. I also believe he is a good fit for Gus offense.
TEAM LOOK - I am very interested to see what the team looks like physically this spring. FSU lost one of their strength coaches to another team. I have not been a big fan of the strength program. I look at FSU and from a physical standpoint the only guys who look big are the ones who transfer in. I am hoping that in year 6 and an improvement in talent acquisition that the players look bigger. I look at the pictures of Miami coming out of spring and their kids look different. I have yet to see UF or any of the SEC teams.
Recruiting - FSU has seven commitments at this time. I know Efrem White is a (4*) and their highest rated commit at this time. He needs to have a good spring or it would not surprise me to see him end up out of the class. He does not have a position and when he does step on the field has not been real impressive. The rest of the class is pretty good. I am a big fan of Karon Maycock. I have him listed as a safety but many feel he will make the move to linebacker.
Who could be next? Julius Miles - Freeport Tight End - He has great size (6'6). Miles only weighs 210 pounds so he will need to add weight. He runs like a receiver. He is a miss-match against opposing defenses. I have said that I wanted FSU to recruit west of Tally harder and it seems like coach MN has done that. It would not surprise me to see him pull the trigger for FSU this spring.
With 7 commitments you would like to see FSU get to 14-15 commitments by the time high school spring football starts. How can FSU reach that number? We mentioned Julius MilesTE,
8-Kaiden Hall -S
9-Chauncey Davis-CB
10-Adam Balogoun Ali-LB
11-Landon Duckworth-QB
I put Duckworth in the equation as FSU needs a QB committed for the class of 2026 and he gives them the best shot at getting there. He also has a prior relationship with Gus. FSU Needssssssssssssssssssss a QB. This let’s take a middle of the road transfer QB is not going to hold up much longer.
Final Thoughts - What do I want to hear....
1) Offensive Line - This is the single most important area of the football team. As everyone knows the OL was terrible last year. I want to know how they have progressed. I want to see some fight out of these guys. If you are hearing that they are getting into some scuffles that is a good thing. They have been beat up and embarrassed long enough. We need to hear that guys like Lucas Simmons have made a move. The OL is so important.
2) Who has sets themselves apart as a pass rusher. FSU lost a lot in the pass rush department. We have no idea who THAT GUY will be. If you don't hear someone has stepped up this will be a concern. You have to be able to put pressure on the QB.
3) Wide Receiver - Want to hear there is a lack of drops....FSU dropped a ton of passes last year. This position needs to improve in that area. FSU has a talented receiver room. There is no reason to not hear good reports from this group in spring football.
4) Want to hear that that coaches are engaged with the players and coaching them up. I heard some horror stories last year and the coaches failed the players. These guys are paid a ton of money and the players need to buy into what they are selling....
Just remember most of the info is hype....You just don't want to hear bad news...No news is good news. Get through spring healthy and get ready for 2025.
Some bring up Auburn as a team to beat. Coach Pearl is a good coach but for some reason when Tourney time comes his guys falter. I am not betting on his team to win. What is shocking is how damn good St Johns is until you realize Rick Pitino is their head coach. Ole Rick is one of the top coaches of all time. His teams always get better. St Johns has not been good in what seems a lifetime.
Final Four - Duke, St John, Houston, Florida
Luke Loucks as FSU new basketball coach - As I have stated before I was never a fan of Leonard Hamilton. He coached a very long time and was a program builder. I hated his style of play. The lack of movement of the ball, zero ability to create shots, the lack of a true point guard in the system. I see fans bring up big names in basketball for hires but the reality is picking a college basketball coach is not the same as picking a football coach. If Loucks can develop players, bring an offensive scheme that guys want to play for and they work hard the results will be positive. They need to not be boring...No more of that style of ball. Do that and Loucks will be pretty good. His biggest issue is the resources that FSU will put into basketball. It looks like he is going to have to do bargain shopping in recruiting. That makes it harder but there are still plenty of kids who will want to play FSU. You see coaches all the time have success at programs and they are not loaded with money.
Jimmy Johnson - He retired from Fox Sports this week. Johnson to me is the greatest coach of all time. Both pro and college. He took over a UM program that Howard built but Johnson not only sustained that success but made it even better. Miami was dominant when he was the head coach. Being a Dallas Cowboy fan, I wanted Jimmy to become the HC. Jerry Jones took over and that dream became a reality. He traded Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. In return the Cowboys got multiple first round picks as well as many other round picks which Jimmy took and turned them into a dynasty. Dallas drafted guys like Leon Lett out of Emporia State. He drafted Erick Williams a pro bowl tackle out of some D2 Oklahoma school. He traded for Charles Haley a Hall of Fame DE from the Niners. Each of his moves turned out to be better then the next. After all his success Jerry Jones ego got in the way and Dallas has not won a super bowl since. The Curse of the Bambino...No the Curse of Jimmy Johnson. He was a great head coach and even better talent evaluator. His way of scouting and drafting has now been copied by the rest of the NFL.
As for FSU football....spring football is rolling around. This spring is huge. One thing you want to hear this spring is the run game is back on track. FSU needs to run the ball. If FSU was able to run the ball last year they win more games and the season would not have been such a mess. Gus was brought in to run the ball and that is what they are going to do. Run the ball and FSU offense will create more big plays in the passing game.
Micahi Danzy - He was moved to receiver - Love it. He is going to blow up this spring and be one of the true play makers in FSU offense. I was a big fan of his coming out of high school. There are track kids and sometimes that does not translate on the football field. I watched him in high school and the speed is there. He just needs to get his hands on the ball. He is my break out player this spring.
Brock Glenn - I know many are down on him. I am fan of his. I truly don't think he has been given a fair shake at FSU. His first time really playing was as a freshman against Florida and Louisville. He has to go out and play against Georgia in a bowl game with the entire team seeming to opt out. This past season he was beaten out by DJ and then asked to come in and save the day. He has had every chance to leave the program. I would not be surprised if he gives TC a run for his money and is the better QB leaving spring. I would also not be shocked if he plays next year and is a big reason for FSU turnaround. I love the fact that this kid did not quit. I am a fan of Glenn and have always believed hard work pays off. He has been doubted and that is a big motivating factor to get better. I also believe he is a good fit for Gus offense.
TEAM LOOK - I am very interested to see what the team looks like physically this spring. FSU lost one of their strength coaches to another team. I have not been a big fan of the strength program. I look at FSU and from a physical standpoint the only guys who look big are the ones who transfer in. I am hoping that in year 6 and an improvement in talent acquisition that the players look bigger. I look at the pictures of Miami coming out of spring and their kids look different. I have yet to see UF or any of the SEC teams.
Recruiting - FSU has seven commitments at this time. I know Efrem White is a (4*) and their highest rated commit at this time. He needs to have a good spring or it would not surprise me to see him end up out of the class. He does not have a position and when he does step on the field has not been real impressive. The rest of the class is pretty good. I am a big fan of Karon Maycock. I have him listed as a safety but many feel he will make the move to linebacker.
Who could be next? Julius Miles - Freeport Tight End - He has great size (6'6). Miles only weighs 210 pounds so he will need to add weight. He runs like a receiver. He is a miss-match against opposing defenses. I have said that I wanted FSU to recruit west of Tally harder and it seems like coach MN has done that. It would not surprise me to see him pull the trigger for FSU this spring.
With 7 commitments you would like to see FSU get to 14-15 commitments by the time high school spring football starts. How can FSU reach that number? We mentioned Julius MilesTE,
8-Kaiden Hall -S
9-Chauncey Davis-CB
10-Adam Balogoun Ali-LB
11-Landon Duckworth-QB
I put Duckworth in the equation as FSU needs a QB committed for the class of 2026 and he gives them the best shot at getting there. He also has a prior relationship with Gus. FSU Needssssssssssssssssssss a QB. This let’s take a middle of the road transfer QB is not going to hold up much longer.
Final Thoughts - What do I want to hear....
1) Offensive Line - This is the single most important area of the football team. As everyone knows the OL was terrible last year. I want to know how they have progressed. I want to see some fight out of these guys. If you are hearing that they are getting into some scuffles that is a good thing. They have been beat up and embarrassed long enough. We need to hear that guys like Lucas Simmons have made a move. The OL is so important.
2) Who has sets themselves apart as a pass rusher. FSU lost a lot in the pass rush department. We have no idea who THAT GUY will be. If you don't hear someone has stepped up this will be a concern. You have to be able to put pressure on the QB.
3) Wide Receiver - Want to hear there is a lack of drops....FSU dropped a ton of passes last year. This position needs to improve in that area. FSU has a talented receiver room. There is no reason to not hear good reports from this group in spring football.
4) Want to hear that that coaches are engaged with the players and coaching them up. I heard some horror stories last year and the coaches failed the players. These guys are paid a ton of money and the players need to buy into what they are selling....
Just remember most of the info is hype....You just don't want to hear bad news...No news is good news. Get through spring healthy and get ready for 2025.
