1. I'll confess to being struck dumb by Owens' commitment. Owens' highlight reel is classic for an RB, but the skeptic pulsing through my blood has to ask given the offense he plays in (classic, Old School power formations) if the caliber of competition in El Campo isn't what you'd expect from powerhouses in DFW or the Permian Basin. I think Louisville fans are conditioned cynics and really...who can blame them?
...but Owens' commitment coming off the weekend was something not even the most wildeyed optimist in me could have anticipated. That he did it so publicly when he did it put some PR visibility on us that sort of shocked the National people from the looks of things.
2. But I'm a bigger picture guy by nature.
The Calendar and the Math has changed and the Pied Pier effect of the Clarksons is a term I applied to two people at UofL in the 30 years and that is Revolutionary (and I applied it to Russ Smith and Lamar Jackson, two completely inimitable players and personalities whose path to and out of Louisville was completely against the grain and couldn't be scripted). Bridgewater was somewhat similar in that his legend was born and honed in the 7v7 circuit in South Florida, but it took a ton of happenstance to get him to Louisville and bring his unique blend of loyalty, humility and straight creative genius on the field. Randy Shannon had to get canned, Clint Hurtt had to know where the Dade/Broward County bodies were buried, and Charlie Strong had to have the wherewithal to get him here and fire an offensive coordinator in midflight to hand the keys over to Bridgewater for it all to work...and Sunny Will Stein had to get hurt against Kentucky to move the Clock forward. The rest they say is History.
...all of that said, Bridgewater didn't commit until late December; it turned the tide on a few kids, ironically as much defensive as that was Strong's forte with guys like Gerrod Holliman who recanted his Ole Miss commitment. Clarkson's PR savviness has pushed our Calendar way back and the legwork done off of his months' long commitment led to a potentially unprecedented haul from one weekend. But those relationships and visits didn't just happen through osmosis; they apparently have been building for quite a while.
3. If Pierce Clarkson's talent is leadership and facilitating relationships with a whole class of kids, you would think he would have offseason command to orchestrate workouts with his skill position players. The fact that he has a Dad who is a de facto 7v7 guru means he has a unique foundation for those workouts. I haven't heard a thing about this, but if he's a January enrollee and participates in Spring Practice--with Cunningham's graduation--that's something of a gamechanger isn't it?
4. We have fired some shots across the boughs of some heavy hitters. Oklahoma with Moore, Texas with Owens and potentially Kyle Parker who also is an LSU legacy, potentially Clemson, and a little potential with a couple head-to-heads with Miami. I hesitate to say it out loud because their mere mention tends to set threads into spiraling, but like it or not we haven't landed one on Kentucky.
5. Which bleeds in another direction, Sanker is our biggest battle on the board. I like the apparent fits of the other O line prospects. Burgess' length can be built on and he looks like the classic Left Tackle-to-be with his frame, and we'd have to beat FSU for him. Church a big old chunk of Mass out of IMG has all the makings of a classic college RG. Pullido at his size as much out of central casting as you can get for an RT. Keenum perhaps with a frame that can take some guard reps if needed (though I will confess, I never trust us landing a kid from Alabama when his other possibilities are SEC schools; down there he will have been genetically predisposed to believing he'll turn Yankee if goes to an ACC school up North).
6. Lastly when it comes to needs, wants and must haves...give me Jabron Harvey all day. Harvey's highlights on the defensive end are something I haven't seen in a while from a legit Louisville prospect. We didn't hear much coming out of the weekend about Harvey. I heard next to nothing about Jeremiah Terlander who fits a fairly immediate need as an inside linebacker given the losses of Montgomery and Sanogo. If we can keep Green intact with his length and explosiveness on one edge and get Harvey that is a significant upgrade in overall talent defensively.
...Dave can probably speak to this more than anyone, but when it comes to changes in approach I'm inclined to think there is a reason why in the Era of the Portal DTs won't be as abundant in HS recruiting classes. DTs are the college football equivalent of draft eligible lefthanded pitchers, a rare but most highly coveted commodity that still seemingly get stockpiled by your Playoff participants. That would be the last step for this staff, but in our tradition I think the DT is alot more made than born.
...but Owens' commitment coming off the weekend was something not even the most wildeyed optimist in me could have anticipated. That he did it so publicly when he did it put some PR visibility on us that sort of shocked the National people from the looks of things.
2. But I'm a bigger picture guy by nature.
The Calendar and the Math has changed and the Pied Pier effect of the Clarksons is a term I applied to two people at UofL in the 30 years and that is Revolutionary (and I applied it to Russ Smith and Lamar Jackson, two completely inimitable players and personalities whose path to and out of Louisville was completely against the grain and couldn't be scripted). Bridgewater was somewhat similar in that his legend was born and honed in the 7v7 circuit in South Florida, but it took a ton of happenstance to get him to Louisville and bring his unique blend of loyalty, humility and straight creative genius on the field. Randy Shannon had to get canned, Clint Hurtt had to know where the Dade/Broward County bodies were buried, and Charlie Strong had to have the wherewithal to get him here and fire an offensive coordinator in midflight to hand the keys over to Bridgewater for it all to work...and Sunny Will Stein had to get hurt against Kentucky to move the Clock forward. The rest they say is History.
...all of that said, Bridgewater didn't commit until late December; it turned the tide on a few kids, ironically as much defensive as that was Strong's forte with guys like Gerrod Holliman who recanted his Ole Miss commitment. Clarkson's PR savviness has pushed our Calendar way back and the legwork done off of his months' long commitment led to a potentially unprecedented haul from one weekend. But those relationships and visits didn't just happen through osmosis; they apparently have been building for quite a while.
3. If Pierce Clarkson's talent is leadership and facilitating relationships with a whole class of kids, you would think he would have offseason command to orchestrate workouts with his skill position players. The fact that he has a Dad who is a de facto 7v7 guru means he has a unique foundation for those workouts. I haven't heard a thing about this, but if he's a January enrollee and participates in Spring Practice--with Cunningham's graduation--that's something of a gamechanger isn't it?
4. We have fired some shots across the boughs of some heavy hitters. Oklahoma with Moore, Texas with Owens and potentially Kyle Parker who also is an LSU legacy, potentially Clemson, and a little potential with a couple head-to-heads with Miami. I hesitate to say it out loud because their mere mention tends to set threads into spiraling, but like it or not we haven't landed one on Kentucky.
5. Which bleeds in another direction, Sanker is our biggest battle on the board. I like the apparent fits of the other O line prospects. Burgess' length can be built on and he looks like the classic Left Tackle-to-be with his frame, and we'd have to beat FSU for him. Church a big old chunk of Mass out of IMG has all the makings of a classic college RG. Pullido at his size as much out of central casting as you can get for an RT. Keenum perhaps with a frame that can take some guard reps if needed (though I will confess, I never trust us landing a kid from Alabama when his other possibilities are SEC schools; down there he will have been genetically predisposed to believing he'll turn Yankee if goes to an ACC school up North).
6. Lastly when it comes to needs, wants and must haves...give me Jabron Harvey all day. Harvey's highlights on the defensive end are something I haven't seen in a while from a legit Louisville prospect. We didn't hear much coming out of the weekend about Harvey. I heard next to nothing about Jeremiah Terlander who fits a fairly immediate need as an inside linebacker given the losses of Montgomery and Sanogo. If we can keep Green intact with his length and explosiveness on one edge and get Harvey that is a significant upgrade in overall talent defensively.
...Dave can probably speak to this more than anyone, but when it comes to changes in approach I'm inclined to think there is a reason why in the Era of the Portal DTs won't be as abundant in HS recruiting classes. DTs are the college football equivalent of draft eligible lefthanded pitchers, a rare but most highly coveted commodity that still seemingly get stockpiled by your Playoff participants. That would be the last step for this staff, but in our tradition I think the DT is alot more made than born.
