mbenecke wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:01 pm
58 yards from the most receiving yards in a single season EVER for a tight end. 1 win away from playing for a conference championship.
That has to be some type of motivation for him. I’d never advise a guy to do something against his best interests, but I have a feeling he’s going to do everything he can to accomplish those goals before he leaves.
To be clear I fully expect him to play this week (and the championship) if he's able. If he does I'm confident he'll lock up that best single season record in short order
mbenecke wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:01 pm
58 yards from the most receiving yards in a single season EVER for a tight end. 1 win away from playing for a conference championship.
That has to be some type of motivation for him. I’d never advise a guy to do something against his best interests, but I have a feeling he’s going to do everything he can to accomplish those goals before he leaves.
To be clear I fully expect him to play this week (and the championship) if he's able. If he does I'm confident he'll lock up that best single season record in short order
Bowl games are another story.
I'm going to expect him to play Friday until he doesn't. Feels like a bit of gamesmanship going on with it. He had his helmet with him following the injury Saturday.
I too feel like this is some gamesmanship on the part of SL not wanting to tip his hand to the DC of Miami. This program is one win away from putting the finishing touches on this six-year rebuild And getting the team in the Championship game again. Unless there is some NCAA Rule/guideline That SL Has to follow, I can’t imagine a scenario where the best player in the conference is not going to play in this game.
bg1984 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:33 pm
I too feel like this is some gamesmanship on the part of SL not wanting to tip his hand to the DC of Miami. This program is one win away from putting the finishing touches on this six-year rebuild And getting the team in the Championship game again. Unless there is some NCAA Rule/guideline That SL Has to follow, I can’t imagine a scenario where the best player in the conference is not going to play in this game.
If it's a diagnosed concussion, there are protocols out of his hands (for good reason). My gut instinct tells me that Fannin is not going to play, and that Loeffler's gamesmanship is more about getting Miami to prepare as though he is. I think Jacob Harris will slide in to the Fannin role, but we'll have to rely heavily on Smith, Johnson and Hogan. Definitely an uphill climb, but not an insurmountable one.
BG '10
Attended more games than any responsible student should have.
TerrenceJesus8 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 2:46 pm
I would be surprised if Fannin didn’t play in the bowl game. This isn’t a guy like Loveland or Warren who has played in front of millions of eyes every week all year. Sure some people are generally aware of him due to the PSU and TAMU games, but a big performance in a bowl game in front of some eyes would be HUGE for his draft stock. If he’s healthy I think he plays.
Brutal loss for Black Friday though if he’s out. We’ll see what Gazarek and Harris have for sure. Jacob Harris is supposed to be a pretty legit TE prospect, hopefully we see that Friday.
It means next to nothing for his draft stock and he'd be a damned fool to play in a bowl for BG.
I won't begrudge him wanting to be a part of the team one last time with his guys. If that's how he's wired, awesome. But no single game performance is going to move draft stock one iota, and an injury so close to the combine could severely harm it. AFAIC nobody that has locked themselves upas a surefire draft pick should ever play in the bowl games.
If I had a 6 figure salary lined up post graduation contingent on maintaining a set GPA there's no way I'd sign up for an extra class that could only serve to bump my GPA below that threshold.
Solid point, the closest analog would probably be Mitchell last year for Toledo. His draft stock exploded after the Senior Bowl but he didn’t play in their bowl game.
Idk man I could go either way with it. I guess saying I would be surprised is an exaggeration, but he seems like a loyal guy and if he’s only 53 yards away from an NCAA record…….
BGSU ‘22. I worship at the Church of Harold Fannin
There could certainly be some gamesmanship going on, it's possible. But I felt SL's answer was more truthful than anything. From what I understand, when you enter concussion protocol, you have to progress through a number of stages/steps until you're cleared. Beginning with rest for the first 24-48 hours before they start tracking with the testing. That already puts Fannin to today (Monday). As you advance through the testing stages each day, if you "fail" a stage/step, you move back and than have to track forward again through all the steps until you've "passed" and are cleared. The toughest part about Fannin getting cleared for the next game simply might be there's not enough time if he fails a step, as BG is on just a 6-day turnaround (which is the shortest turnaround for any BG game this season). SL made the comment about how it's "unclear right now." I think that's exactly what he was eluding too. I'm guessing right now he honestly doesn't know because Fannin needs to test out yet. If Fannin was probable at this point, I think SL would just have said it. Miami will be preparing for Fannin regardless. Because there's nothing BG is going to be able to throw out to surprise Miami without Fannin to try and have a better shot at winning that will top Fannin actually being able to play.
mbenecke wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:01 pm
58 yards from the most receiving yards in a single season EVER for a tight end. 1 win away from playing for a conference championship.
That has to be some type of motivation for him. I’d never advise a guy to do something against his best interests, but I have a feeling he’s going to do everything he can to accomplish those goals before he leaves.
If he’s my kid I would recommend getting the record then hanging it up until the combine. I hate it but he wouldn’t lose one ounce of respect in my mind if he sat out.
TerrenceJesus8 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 2:46 pm
I would be surprised if Fannin didn’t play in the bowl game. This isn’t a guy like Loveland or Warren who has played in front of millions of eyes every week all year. Sure some people are generally aware of him due to the PSU and TAMU games, but a big performance in a bowl game in front of some eyes would be HUGE for his draft stock. If he’s healthy I think he plays.
Brutal loss for Black Friday though if he’s out. We’ll see what Gazarek and Harris have for sure. Jacob Harris is supposed to be a pretty legit TE prospect, hopefully we see that Friday.
It means next to nothing for his draft stock and he'd be a damned fool to play in a bowl for BG.
I won't begrudge him wanting to be a part of the team one last time with his guys. If that's how he's wired, awesome. But no single game performance is going to move draft stock one iota, and an injury so close to the combine could severely harm it. AFAIC nobody that has locked themselves upas a surefire draft pick should ever play in the bowl games.
If I had a 6 figure salary lined up post graduation contingent on maintaining a set GPA there's no way I'd sign up for an extra class that could only serve to bump my GPA below that threshold.
Solid point, the closest analog would probably be Mitchell last year for Toledo. His draft stock exploded after the Senior Bowl but he didn’t play in their bowl game.
Idk man I could go either way with it. I guess saying I would be surprised is an exaggeration, but he seems like a loyal guy and if he’s only 53 yards away from an NCAA record…….
Senior/Shrine bowl games are an opportunity to work with NFL coaches and interview with NFL teams. Those experiences are 100% worth any injury risk, and they're just drills/practices with a glorified scrimmage at the end. In terms of how they can help (and hurt, for that matter) your draft stock, they're far more influential than a bowl game.
I'd encourage Fannin to accept an invite to whichever he gets asked to attend. The practices are super valuable...games notsomuch.
Regardless I"m holding out hope he's able to play this week. Dude is a stud, makes me enjoy watching BG football again for the first time in awhile.
bg1984 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:33 pm
I too feel like this is some gamesmanship on the part of SL not wanting to tip his hand to the DC of Miami. This program is one win away from putting the finishing touches on this six-year rebuild And getting the team in the Championship game again. Unless there is some NCAA Rule/guideline That SL Has to follow, I can’t imagine a scenario where the best player in the conference is not going to play in this game.
If it's a diagnosed concussion, there are protocols out of his hands (for good reason). My gut instinct tells me that Fannin is not going to play, and that Loeffler's gamesmanship is more about getting Miami to prepare as though he is.
That's my thinking as well. However, to play devil's advocate with my own gut feeling, if that is indeed the case, then I have some major questions about what the medical staff allowed Fannin to be doing immediately after the Ball State game. Some of the things you should immediately avoid after a concussion are: physical activity, screen time and loud noises (their words, not mine). Obviously he didn't return to the game (so no physical activity). But they literally showed him on the TV broadcast sitting on the bench looking at a tablet (there's your screen time), and he is also seen in the locker room videoing during the team celebration (there's your loud noises), while on his phone recording it none the less. So there's all that. My gut tells me he's not playing, but these things certainly don't lend themselves to protecting someone who may have just suffered a concussion. Yeah, I know, we can speculate all we want, and we won't know until Friday. But with the player we're talking about, coupled with how big the game is, it certainly is adding some anxiety to this matchup.
bg1984 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 3:33 pm
I too feel like this is some gamesmanship on the part of SL not wanting to tip his hand to the DC of Miami. This program is one win away from putting the finishing touches on this six-year rebuild And getting the team in the Championship game again. Unless there is some NCAA Rule/guideline That SL Has to follow, I can’t imagine a scenario where the best player in the conference is not going to play in this game.
If it's a diagnosed concussion, there are protocols out of his hands (for good reason). My gut instinct tells me that Fannin is not going to play, and that Loeffler's gamesmanship is more about getting Miami to prepare as though he is. I think Jacob Harris will slide in to the Fannin role, but we'll have to rely heavily on Smith, Johnson and Hogan. Definitely an uphill climb, but not an insurmountable one.
Listened to the press conference and it shifted my perspective a bit closer to this side. Read between the lines and concussion protocol seems likely. We'll know Friday morning when the injury report is released.
Flipper wrote: ↑Mon Nov 25, 2024 5:33 pm
Michigan just shelled out 10 million for QB Bryce Underwood....how much would they give Fannin to replace Loveland at TE?
Harold's making six figures at BG, so I'd imagine adding another 0 to the current number.
Flipper wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:11 am
Today's Blade says game time decision on Fannin...really puts a dent in our chances if he can't go
Yeah, SL said that in his presser on Monday. I'd rate the game a pick'em if Fannin can play. If he doesn't play, I don't think BG beats Miami. To say Fannin is a vital part of BG's offense would be a major understatement. He's so heavily involved and utilized in BG's schemes that him simply being on the field gives BG an advantage because of the attention he draws.
Flipper wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2024 10:11 am
Today's Blade says game time decision on Fannin...really puts a dent in our chances if he can't go
Yeah, SL said that in his presser on Monday. I'd rate the game a pick'em if Fannin can play. If he doesn't play, I don't think BG beats Miami. To say Fannin is a vital part of BG's offense would be a major understatement. He's so heavily involved and utilized in BG's schemes that him simply being on the field gives BG an advantage because of the attention he draws.
