Coach’s Show

[roguewarrior]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window. Are we still headed to the moon? One thing I learned quickly with Loeffler is don't actually listen to his words. It's largely incoherent relative to his actions. Watch him on the sideline. He is a bad play caller, being paid to be a head coach. 5-20. 3-20 vs. FBS teams. It's not Clawson, it won't ever be Clawson, it never was Clawson. Are we sure Loeffler won't leave this place in worse shape than Jinks did?

He just might leave it worse. If they bring in a Dozen dudes, and miss on half (certainly not a stretch) ; and we lose 5-6 solid kids that were cast aside, and 2-3 top guys wanting greener pastures….. We will be upside down 15, with no young core, since he took mostly transfers……ugh. And 15 of what remains will be TE’s! Ha

[pdt1081]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window.

With the way transfer rules have changed since then, there's no reasonable person who would hold that against him. The recruiting game is totally different now, too the point you still have to recruit your own players currently on your roster.

[guest44]

He wasn't hired in 2010. The transfer game has always been in play. Certainly since before he was hired. Instead, Loeffler used the "I'm not going to use transfers, I'm going to recruit local" crap to tap right into the Clawson fantasy. And BG fans fell for it. Jinks was bringing in transfers, so Loeffler knew to say the opposite. It's the same reason his rant last year led right back to Babers. Loeffler knows that fantasy of Clawson is all he has. All talk, 5-20. Had he picked this lane from the beginning he wouldn't have lost to Akron twice. His philosophy on transfers is much like his original hire of a defensive coordinator. Dysfunction that should have been sniffed out before Loeffler was hired.

[jpfalcon09]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window. Are we still headed to the moon? One thing I learned quickly with Loeffler is don't actually listen to his words. It's largely incoherent relative to his actions. Watch him on the sideline. He is a bad play caller, being paid to be a head coach. 5-20. 3-20 vs. FBS teams. It's not Clawson, it won't ever be Clawson, it never was Clawson. Are we sure Loeffler won't leave this place in worse shape than Jinks did?

The new transfer rules weren't in effect when he took over. You'll remember the hoops that McDonald tried to jump through to be deemed eligible in 2019. Not fair to hold that against him. It's good to see he's being flexible on his thinking and it's likely built out of necessity. You can still build through recruiting while supplementing from the portal. No different than professional sports organizations drafting and filling in gaps via free agency. That's where college athletics is now.

Not concerned about kids who want to leave the program. That's their decision. Using it as an argument that the coaches have failed I think is pretty weak and lazy. Every program experiences it. You're recruiting kids out of high school and you think you know what you're getting. They get to campus, you get them into your system, perhaps they struggle, perhaps another kid who wasn't as talented out of high school gets it and ends up working harder and earns the job, perhaps some kids live four hours away and they're homesick. There's so many variables to consider.

[roguewarrior]

They are indeed pandering to some on the roster. See the silly Hype videos. Also starting a few guys, but then they get almost no game reps?!? …. It’s uncharted waters and these guys are headed for the rocks.

[Flipper]

The cynic in me says a bunch...like a dozen or more xers in after a mass exodus...is a built in excuse for next year's failures (should they occur).

"It's a challenge to integrate so many new pieces when you have such a young team"

[BGSU33]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window. Are we still headed to the moon? One thing I learned quickly with Loeffler is don't actually listen to his words. It's largely incoherent relative to his actions. Watch him on the sideline. He is a bad play caller, being paid to be a head coach. 5-20. 3-20 vs. FBS teams. It's not Clawson, it won't ever be Clawson, it never was Clawson. Are we sure Loeffler won't leave this place in worse shape than Jinks did?

He just might leave it worse. If they bring in a Dozen dudes, and miss on half (certainly not a stretch) ; and we lose 5-6 solid kids that were cast aside, and 2-3 top guys wanting greener pastures….. We will be upside down 15, with no young core, since he took mostly transfers……ugh. And 15 of what remains will be TE’s! Ha

First off, you can "miss" on ANY player you bring into your program. But you have a much better chance at "missing" on a frosh who has never played a single down at the collegiate level than you do a transfer who has played and has something to show and study. You seem to have an animosity towards transfers and I don't understand it. It's as if you look at transfers like they are some alien form of a player. The things is, all transfers were true frosh themselves at one time. Hell, some of them are still freshmen. It's almost like you're saying you like puppies because they're not full-grown dogs, but the fact of the matter is every full-grown dog was once a puppy.

[BGSU33]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window?

There is no one "right way" to build a program. Let's make that very clear. The "right way" is whatever way works best for you and your program. Do you all remember Nick Saban's comments several years about literally trying to prevent these fast-paced, multiple offenses that he was so adamantly against? And now, since those comments were made, have you seen the OC's he has brought in over the following years and noticed the exact types of offensive schemes he now uses himself? Yes, the are very ones he was so vehemently against and trying to rid the game of! He adapted, he changed, for the betterment of his program. And to say Alabama benefitted from that change (something he was actually against at one time) would be a major understatement. Point being, if you need to change something to build it the "right way," then shouldn't you do it that way then? Have you never thought or said you were going to do something one way, then decided once you rolled up your sleeves to try and do whatever the hell it may be, that you figured out a different way - a better way - than how you first set out to do it? Christ, this happens all the time with tons of things. It's no different with Loeffler. I applaud him for actually adapting.

[BGSU33]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window.

With the way transfer rules have changed since then, there's no reasonable person who would hold that against him. The recruiting game is totally different now, too the point you still have to recruit your own players currently on your roster.

Exactly, he'd be foolish not to and he did a really good job with it this offseason. Some of our best players on this team at their respective positions were the transfers.

[TommyG]

Transfers, especially talented ones from bigger schools are risky. They usually are transferring for a couple reasons: 1. Discipline issue or 2. Playing time. Often playing time is related to coachability and buying in. That issue often follows the player to the next school. Sometimes the kid matures and they become good teammates and contributors. Sometimes it’s worth the risk, but it’s still a risk. Those who don’t know that probably haven’t spent much time around college athletics.
12 transfers in seems extremely high but maybe that will be closer to normal some years.

Also if you are seeing year after year of mass defections, that is a coaching issue. That is an inability to develop relationships and trust. You’re always going to lose a few, but it shouldn’t be 10 every class.

[roguewarrior]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window. Are we still headed to the moon? One thing I learned quickly with Loeffler is don't actually listen to his words. It's largely incoherent relative to his actions. Watch him on the sideline. He is a bad play caller, being paid to be a head coach. 5-20. 3-20 vs. FBS teams. It's not Clawson, it won't ever be Clawson, it never was Clawson. Are we sure Loeffler won't leave this place in worse shape than Jinks did?

He just might leave it worse. If they bring in a Dozen dudes, and miss on half (certainly not a stretch) ; and we lose 5-6 solid kids that were cast aside, and 2-3 top guys wanting greener pastures….. We will be upside down 15, with no young core, since he took mostly transfers……ugh. And 15 of what remains will be TE’s! Ha

First off, you can "miss" on ANY player you bring into your program. But you have a much better chance at "missing" on a frosh who has never played a single down at the collegiate level than you do a transfer who has played and has something to show and study. You seem to have an animosity towards transfers and I don't understand it. It's as if you look at transfers like they are some alien form of a player. The things is, all transfers were true frosh themselves at one time. Hell, some of them are still freshmen. It's almost like you're saying you like puppies because they're not full-grown dogs, but the fact of the matter is every full-grown dog was once a puppy.

I do have a problem. And I it is not just a BG problem. As a whole, the transfer portal as it is, will ruin college football at least as I know it, and ruin what half these guys here long for: come in, maybe red shirt, work your way up, start as a junior senior, win some games, love the school, give back….. all of that is OVER.

What I don’t like about Loeffler transfers is this: There will be NO competition for the spots given to transfers, because they promise them spots. Be a realist…. No one is lining up to come to a basement dweller in the MAC. It happens now. It’s now a tool he uses to threaten shipping kids out (today in practice, as a matter of fact). Kids have made “practice challenges”, won, and still don’t get in. Everything he spouts publicly, is Bs.

If they bring in some lights out, high character guys, who earn their spot and keep it, I’m OK. Osborne at WR is an example of a good get. A lucky one at that, having inside track. If they hand a kid the starting role 6 days after he arrives, as was done, I have an issue on principal.

I will be gone when this dissolves. I’m just saddened by where this will go. I haven’t watched an NBA game in years, this will be the same, I’m afraid.

It only angers you if you have a player. I guess if you read the paper and sit in the stands once a year, you won’t know any better. You can go mow the lawn when they suck.

[BGSU33]

Transfers, especially talented ones from bigger schools are risky. They usually are transferring for a couple reasons: 1. Discipline issue or 2. Playing time. Often playing time is related to coachability and buying in. That issue often follows the player to the next school. Sometimes the kid matures and they become good teammates and contributors. Sometimes it’s worth the risk, but it’s still a risk. Those who don’t know that probably haven’t spent much time around college athletics.
12 transfers in seems extremely high but maybe that will be closer to normal some years.

Also if you are seeing year after year of mass defections, that is a coaching issue. That is an inability to develop relationships and trust. You’re always going to lose a few, but it shouldn’t be 10 every class.

I have worked (and currently work) in collegiate athletics, directly related to college football for over 25+ years now. Four years at a MAC institution, eight years at an ACC school and now 15 years at a highly reputable football publication company. I'd be happy to explain or debate any transfers myths, because there are a lot of "experts" out there on the matter who are very wrong about what they know and what they think they know.

As for "risks," again, that applies to ALL players, not just transfers. Transfers aren't a heightened "risk" simply because they are a transfer moving on from a bigger school. All of the "risk" comes from the PLAYER themselves. It doesn't matter if the kid if a transfer, a recruited scholarship frosh, or a walk-on, etc. What matters is the person themself. There are a number of $hithead true frosh who sign with schools every year. And there are $hithead transfers who move on to other schools. But there are also a lot of good signees and transfers out there too. Have we seen a bad-seed Power Five transfer at BG before? Sure, Robbie Rhodes is the first that comes to mind. But look at the massive positive impact our Power Five guys this year have had. One of our best WR's is a P5 transfer, and I've met this kid and let me tell you - he is an OUTSTANDING person! He is smart as hell and is a huge, HUGE asset to our WR room. Our two best DB's are both P5 transfers and have done an outstanding job and have made a massive impact and improvement for us. On of our P5 LB's has done a great job too. We have a couple other P5 transfers who haven't had an impact yet or haven't played, but the ones who have played have been very beneficial.

[MarkL]

One of the big risks of transfers is something you just accept. When you recruit a kid from high school and develop him through graduation, you get four years of play and pretty often another redshirt year of learning and developing. With a transfer? Shorter than that. That's one of my beefs. The coaches do not get to develop these guys and fully integrate them in the culture.

But the reality of transfer portal is you have to get good at it. If the transfer portal eats up ten players each year due to promises of play time elsewhere, you need to replace those guys. Tough reality.

[BGSU33]

So all that build it the "right way" nonsense you all fell for back when Loeffler was hired is now tossed out the window. Are we still headed to the moon? One thing I learned quickly with Loeffler is don't actually listen to his words. It's largely incoherent relative to his actions. Watch him on the sideline. He is a bad play caller, being paid to be a head coach. 5-20. 3-20 vs. FBS teams. It's not Clawson, it won't ever be Clawson, it never was Clawson. Are we sure Loeffler won't leave this place in worse shape than Jinks did?

He just might leave it worse. If they bring in a Dozen dudes, and miss on half (certainly not a stretch) ; and we lose 5-6 solid kids that were cast aside, and 2-3 top guys wanting greener pastures….. We will be upside down 15, with no young core, since he took mostly transfers……ugh. And 15 of what remains will be TE’s! Ha

First off, you can "miss" on ANY player you bring into your program. But you have a much better chance at "missing" on a frosh who has never played a single down at the collegiate level than you do a transfer who has played and has something to show and study. You seem to have an animosity towards transfers and I don't understand it. It's as if you look at transfers like they are some alien form of a player. The things is, all transfers were true frosh themselves at one time. Hell, some of them are still freshmen. It's almost like you're saying you like puppies because they're not full-grown dogs, but the fact of the matter is every full-grown dog was once a puppy.

I do have a problem. And I it is not just a BG problem. As a whole, the transfer portal as it is, will ruin college football at least as I know it, and ruin what half these guys here long for: come in, maybe red shirt, work your way up, start as a junior senior, win some games, love the school, give back….. all of that is OVER.

What I don’t like about Loeffler transfers is this: There will be NO competition for the spots given to transfers, because they promise them spots. Be a realist…. No one is lining up to come to a basement dweller in the MAC. It happens now. It’s now a tool he uses to threaten shipping kids out (today in practice, as a matter of fact). Kids have made “practice challenges”, won, and still don’t get in. Everything he spouts publicly, is Bs.

If they bring in some lights out, high character guys, who earn their spot and keep it, I’m OK. Osborne at WR is an example of a good get. A lucky one at that, having inside track. If they hand a kid the starting role 6 days after he arrives, as was done, I have an issue on principal.

I will be gone when this dissolves. I’m just saddened by where this will go. I haven’t watched an NBA game in years, this will be the same, I’m afraid.

It only angers you if you have a player. I guess if you read the paper and sit in the stands once a year, you won’t know any better. You can go mow the lawn when they suck.

I can totally appreciate not liking the transfer situation that is now part of collegiate athletics. I don't like all of it either - and I am a transfer myself. However, what I can tell you is this. There are may layers for all the reasons behind it, many which are not always transparent or clear. That applies to the coming and going for players. Every case is different, even if they seem pretty similar. There are a lot more layers behind some of the movement than what meets the eye. Transfers often seek whatever it is they couldn't have or find at their previous school elsewhere.

This notion of there being no competition for spots when a transfer is brought in is one I don't buy. I find it hard to believe a coach would sit a better and more productive recruit and play a less talented and less productive transfer over him, simply because he was a transfer. That makes zero sense. I've already singled out the transfers we've seen come in and play for BG, and I have seen substantial improvements with them at their respective positions over who we already had there competing with them. I'd be happy to debate with anyone who thinks someone should be seeing their playing time.

[BGSU33]

One of the big risks of transfers is something you just accept. When you recruit a kid from high school and develop him through graduation, you get four years of play and pretty often another redshirt year of learning and developing. With a transfer? Shorter than that. That's one of my beefs. The coaches do not get to develop these guys and fully integrate them in the culture.

True, but what you're not mentioning is with that point is, a number of these transfers do not need to go through the "learning and developing" stages you mention - because they already have. They are now ready to step in there and go once they absorb the schemes. You hope when you recruit a true frosh that by the time they are juniors and seniors they'll pay big dividends because they will be experienced and seasoned. Often when you add a transfer, you are looking to fill a need with an impact guy who already is seasoned and experienced. The key part is can they gel with guys who are already there, but that exact same logic also applies to true frosh coming in with the Soph, Jr's and Sr;s ahead of them.