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ulukinatme
Old Skool
I'm surprised they kept it as close as they did given our QB situation and the fact we're missing 5 starters on defense between injuries and 2 suspensions for this game. Stanford certainly could have won by 3-4 scores.
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ulukinatme
Old Skool
Yeah, the rage has been addressed in game week interviews in the past I think. Kelly joked about it, I think some coaches are just that way. I thought it could hurt recruiting, but they're still doing a pretty good job with recruits.
Kelly's results have been rather puzzling over the last 4 years. This graduating class, the one that was partially recruited before he got there, has posted the most wins of an Irish class since the '92-'95 squad. Now, during that time Rees was essentially the QB for about 2 1/2 seasons, and as an immobile QB with limited arm strength and some problems with INTs he posted a modest record (For an Irish team). Golson starting most of 2012 certainly helped those numbers, but Tommy did pickup key wins against Michigan, BYU, and brought us back late against Stanford and Purdue last season. Rees really isn't a good fit for the kind of offense Kelly wants to run, but due to a number of circumstances he ended up being the guy on more than one occasion the last 4 years. A lot of people thought Hendrix from Moeller would have stepped up and won the job a few seasons ago, but he's really struggled in the limited action he's seen.
I kind of thought a 9-3, maybe a 10-2 season was possible given the fact we were returning most of a good defense. The defense certainly took a step back though, brought about by a number of injuries and a failure to adjust game plans better during a few games (Not keying on Gallon against Michigan was probably not smart). I figured we'd pound the ball with Rees at QB behind an experienced OL, but we never really got the running game going this season. On the contrary, it seems like we were more content going into 5 wide sets on 3rd and short, putting the game on the QBs shoulders.
I'm not sure what kind of team we'll field next season. We haven't landed a replacement for Nix yet, and NT is a big part of the 3-4. We've struggled recruiting ILBs too. The rest of the defense should be in pretty good shape if they can stay healthy. Offensively we should see more improvement with the return of Golson, but if he can't get back in for whatever reason I think Zaire could do a good job at QB.
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HorseshoeFetish
Silver Bullet Supporter
Caught a bit of the local news last night. They had Brian Kelly talking about how he was getting his first reps working with Malik Zaire all season. I'm sure we have some young guys getting some meaningful reps as well. I look forward to seeing what kind of strides can be made with these practices.
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ulukinatme
Old Skool
Malik is a great kid from nearby Alter, was a shame he picked up Mono at the beginning of the season. He lost some weight, it's taken some time for him to get back to healthy. With the attrition at QB, and the fact Andrew Hendrix has struggled as backup (As well as starter Tommy Rees at times), there was probably a chance Malik could have seen playing time if he had stayed healthy. He certainly wouldn't know the offense like Tommy does, but he's so much more athletic. He's quicker/more elusive than Golson from what I've seen too, but maybe not as accurate. Looking forward to see what he does in the future. I have confidence that Zaire will backup Golson next season if Golson wins the job again, and will probably see some game reps if/when Golson gets banged up.
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cincibuck
You kids stay off my lawn!
Kelly is having problems keeping Cincinnati kids. Rudolph made it known that he left early to avoid Kelly. Hendrix and another Elder kid are transferring to Miami. Hendrix loved the school, but wasn't crazy about Kelly. I don't know if they are leaving because of Kelly, or if Kelly drove them off to get back some scholies.
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ulukinatme
Old Skool
You think it's something related just to Cinci, Cinci? That could be part of it for sure, I think the fact Hendrix should be graduating this winter, and has a year of eligibility left is part of it as well. I noticed that it looks like Alex Welch will follow Hendrix to Miami too, I think he was from the area if memory serves. For both Hendrix and Welch, I think you also have to consider the fact that they should be graduating, which will make them eligible to transfer and play immediately, much as Dayne Crist did to follow Weis to Kansas a few years ago for his last year. Hendrix doesn't really have a legitimate chance to start next season with Golson returning and the struggles Andrew has had in his limited playing time the last few years. He's a great kid, and he's getting his degree I think, so can't fault him for going somewhere else to get a shot at playing time for his final year. Most fans seem to be okay with him leaving for a chance to play with degree in hand. Welch is in a similar boat with Troy Niklas trying to fill the shoes of Tyler Eifert, and Ben Koyack backing him up. It's natural these guys would follow their Offensive Coordinator to his new job. As far as Rudolph leaving early for the NFL to avoid Kelly, I've never heard that bit, but I could certainly see that being true. Kyle has done well in the NFL so far, looks like he made the right decision for himself at the time.
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cincibuck
You kids stay off my lawn!
I coached track at Moeller for 20 years and am still in touch with some of the coaches there and other GCL schools. What they've said is Hendrix simply loved ND from the get-go. Once he was offered, by Weiss, there was no question where he was going.
Kelly had been trying to recruit him for UC and when he became the ND coach Hendrix was not pleased, but he really liked the school so he stayed.
The info I have on Rudolph and Welch - both from Elder - is, admittedly, second hand, but I've heard it from folks who should know.
Kelly's departure, leaving a team before their first BCS bowl and after stating he was going nowhere, really burned some bridges down here. Kerry Combs leaving UC's staff to come to OSU hasn't helped Kelly get back in the door. ND used to have first pick among the GCL athletes in Cincy, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.
Kelly had been trying to recruit him for UC and when he became the ND coach Hendrix was not pleased, but he really liked the school so he stayed.
The info I have on Rudolph and Welch - both from Elder - is, admittedly, second hand, but I've heard it from folks who should know.
Kelly's departure, leaving a team before their first BCS bowl and after stating he was going nowhere, really burned some bridges down here. Kerry Combs leaving UC's staff to come to OSU hasn't helped Kelly get back in the door. ND used to have first pick among the GCL athletes in Cincy, but that doesn't seem to be the case now.
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ulukinatme
Old Skool
Yeah, I could definitely see where Kelly rubs some recruits the wrong way. Weis had the same effect on some players, with him the downside was the ego. Some players seemed to respond better to his coaching than others though, which is probably why a few of them followed him to Kansas. I've heard rumors theres players that haven't meshed with Kelly either, or with his assistants. I know it was said Gunner Kiel wasn't a fan of Kelly and then OC Chuck Martin, which is what prompted his transfer. Still, attrition isn't anything new for ND, they've lost some players over the last several years for a number of reasons.
Overall they've put together some pretty good recruiting classes despite Kelly's fiery temper, and some players seem to respond to it or at least are okay with it. TJ Jones was probably one of those players. He received quite a bit of Kelly's wrath his Sophomore year, some of the notable purple faced explosions from Kelly stem from yelling at TJ in 2011. He ended up becoming a great receiver though, and was voted team MVP at the awards banquet this year. I think Golson is probably another example of a kid that meshes well with Kelly. He had every opportunity to go somewhere else, whether it be JC for a year or another program, but he decided to come back and reportedly has a good relationship with Kelly. He very easily could have switched to nearby USC, South Carolina, I know Spurrier wanted him to come.
You're completely right about Kelly burning bridges in Cinci, though. ND used to regularly pull 1 or 2 recruits from the area, but the last few years theres been a decline in Cinci kids going to ND. Jarrett Grace was the last one in the 2011 class I think, I don't think there were any from the 2012, 2013, or currently any in the 2014 class.
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ulukinatme
Old Skool
Yeah, its a bit odd given the kid led them to another state title. Recruiting is so fickle sometimes. Sometimes you see kids garner a lot of attention after they go to a couple camps and turn some heads, then never really pan out at the next level. Then theres kids that never make the camp circuits or don't put a lot of tape out, or just don't get the attention, and they end up being gems later on.
I know Kelly said recently that they're trying to stick with no more than 3 QBs on scholarship and maybe one extra as a preferred walk on. For whatever reason 4 QBs seems to lead to guys getting frustrated and they end up with 3 eventually anyway once one transfers. Since they've got Golson back, Zaire in the wings, and Kizer already verbaled they'll probably stick with those guys.
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