LB12Diamond said:

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Cannot tell if you are trolling bc you are doing what you say you are not doing.

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Then tell us what gives you optimism we will play at a championship level next year?

Feel like new guys are primarily backups, except Searcy. Can't get excited about it

geoag58 said:

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LB12Diamond said:

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Cannot tell if you are trolling bc you are doing what you say you are not doing.

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Then tell us what gives you optimism we will play at a championship level next year?

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Year 2 in the system with the entire starting OL returning. Secondary should be netter with Chappell and Humphrey. WR is almost guaranteed to be better. Reed should continue to improve and RB should be better with a healthy Owens.

Rod92 said:

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Feel like new guys are primarily backups, except Searcy. Can't get excited about it

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WR, blocking TE, 5 technique, and maybe Humphrey will have a good shot at starting.

QB is the only position that shouldn't have a big impact.

I guess blocking TE won't be the starter but they are very important.

I think one important thing to note here is that Aggies only have 9 commits yet are ranked near the top, while these other teams like Tech have 17! So we are getting highly ranked transfers which is positive, hopefully we can get more and move up even higher.

12thMan9 said:

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Do ANY of you realize this has nada to do w/NIL?

Geez........

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lol, it has everything to do with NIL

• Rankings are moot if we don't land any DTs (highest need) and 1 very experienced 'starting' WR
• Rankings are moot until they show up on campus...and then show out.
• Tech's is artificial (based on pure 'numbers'), but Aub, LSU and Ole Miss are stockpiling legit talent (on paper).
• I do not think we'll be top 5 and maybe not even top 10 when this is 'done' (due to numbers).

• Personally, would like 1 bruising, SEC level RB added as we don't know if Owens is really back (guess we'll see in bowl game, but he's not truly a power back) and it will be 'hopeful' that Moss comes back in the same 'form' (one never knows after a serious knee injury; D Green has not been the same since his injury (mental hurdles) and hoping he turns the corner this season as our 'true pass catching TE').

What's encouraging is that we have more players for true top tier programs and several SEC 'players' (i.e., the league won't surprise them due to size and speed) and 2nd tier are Big12 or Big level (think the coaching staff learned a bit from last year....better to get 8-12 from power 5 conferences and even better from SEC vs. chasing 20 from mid-tier to find 1-2 that will really play/contribute).

Don't want to hear 'look at all these guys playing from mid-tier last year' (as it's 'bullcrap' ) as all that represents is lack of talent and depth and staff 'forced' to do some stop gap mass signings with no time on the clock. Not sure if I can stomach watching Ratcliff miss another tackle or get run over due to his lack of size anymore and hope someone steps up with better size and speed (and abilities).

90ags said:

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• Rankings are moot if we don't land any DTs (highest need) and 1 very experienced 'starting' WR
• Rankings are moot until they show up on campus...and then show out.
• Tech's is artificial (based on pure 'numbers'), but Aub, LSU and Ole Miss are stockpiling legit talent (on paper).
• I do not think we'll be top 5 and maybe not even top 10 when this is 'done' (due to numbers).

• Personally, would like 1 bruising, SEC level RB added as we don't know if Owens is really back (guess we'll see in bowl game, but he's not truly a power back) and it will be 'hopeful' that Moss comes back in the same 'form' (one never knows after a serious knee injury; D Green has not been the same since his injury (mental hurdles) and hoping he turns the corner this season as our 'true pass catching TE').

What's encouraging is that we have more players for true top tier programs and several SEC 'players' (i.e., the league won't surprise them due to size and speed) and 2nd tier are Big12 or Big level (think the coaching staff learned a bit from last year....better to get 8-12 from power 5 conferences and even better from SEC vs. chasing 20 from mid-tier to find 1-2 that will really play/contribute).

Don't want to hear 'look at all these guys playing from mid-tier last year' (as it's 'bullcrap' ) as all that represents is lack of talent and depth and staff 'forced' to do some stop gap mass signings with no time on the clock. Not sure if I can stomach watching Ratcliff miss another tackle or get run over due to his lack of size anymore and hope someone steps up with better size and speed (and abilities).

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I hear you on Ratliff, but Cashius Howell is legit

Are portal transfers over?

TAMUallen said:

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LB12Diamond said:

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Cannot tell if you are trolling bc you are doing what you say you are not doing.

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I don't feel sorry about it. I do want better.

tu has outdone us.

It's simple, people don't like us wasting resources. We want and need better.

It's hard to say if we are shaped up better for next year but through the portal we can at least feel that we have done well

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most every school in the country with a respectable amount of $$$ is trying really hard to do the exact same thing....which is win the last game of the year, and take home the only trophy that matters.

it's kinda hard to do, in case you haven't noticed. did t.u. bring themselves back to being contenders again faster? Yeah, they did. But it wasn't like they didn't wander the wilderness and stay mediocre in the BDF with the pack of idiots they'd hired after firing Mack.

Did they have 10+ wins in their first year of the SEC? Yeah, they did.
Fun fact, so did we. Then reality set back in. So let's see how things continue w Sark and the shorthorns.
Similar to what Bama and UGA have endured the past several seasons, they're now about to have the target planted squarely on their backs too.

This time though it looks like they really might have got something right. Sark knew they were moving to the SEC before he took the job, he had 3 years to recruit and ramp up to it, all while still playing in the BDF....and more than anything looks like he really took a lot from the school of Saban for recovering coaches.
Clearly it's working, so far anyway.

Last year they put 10+ players into the NFL Draft. Looks like they'll do it again this year too.
We don't do that for ***** Never really have. Not yet anyway.

Dead period but not over.

Ddp

LB12Diamond said:

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Easiest SEC schedule. Blessed, whatever.

I don't waste energy thinking about the sips. If it's feeling sorry about yourself thread, I'm not interested.

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Anyone still preaching that sip land had the easiest schedule or are hinting towards how easy that had it????????? Shut the F UP.

Sips earned it. Sark is coaching the hell out of that team. Sark is recruiting amazingly. Not ONE single complaint looking outside to inside. Only is that I am personally playing Manning in the CFPs. But that's how well balanced Sark had developed them.

Hate it. Reality. And it took Sark what 4 years? And they had one legit winning single season in Big 12.

Chill zoo. Give Elko time.

So you think that did not help them. Playing 6 of the bottom 7 SEC teams.

Flip their schedule with OU. They don't make the playoff. They don't.

90ags said:

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• Rankings are moot if we don't land any DTs (highest need) and 1 very experienced 'starting' WR
• Rankings are moot until they show up on campus...and then show out.
• Tech's is artificial (based on pure 'numbers'), but Aub, LSU and Ole Miss are stockpiling legit talent (on paper).
• I do not think we'll be top 5 and maybe not even top 10 when this is 'done' (due to numbers).

• Personally, would like 1 bruising, SEC level RB added as we don't know if Owens is really back (guess we'll see in bowl game, but he's not truly a power back) and it will be 'hopeful' that Moss comes back in the same 'form' (one never knows after a serious knee injury; D Green has not been the same since his injury (mental hurdles) and hoping he turns the corner this season as our 'true pass catching TE').

What's encouraging is that we have more players for true top tier programs and several SEC 'players' (i.e., the league won't surprise them due to size and speed) and 2nd tier are Big12 or Big level (think the coaching staff learned a bit from last year....better to get 8-12 from power 5 conferences and even better from SEC vs. chasing 20 from mid-tier to find 1-2 that will really play/contribute).

Don't want to hear 'look at all these guys playing from mid-tier last year' (as it's 'bullcrap' ) as all that represents is lack of talent and depth and staff 'forced' to do some stop gap mass signings with no time on the clock. Not sure if I can stomach watching Ratcliff miss another tackle or get run over due to his lack of size anymore and hope someone steps up with better size and speed (and abilities).

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I agree with most of what you are saying. Just to add a few points:

• Looch is extremely confident we will get DT(s). Doesn't seem anywhere near as urgent or worried about the DL as a whole as he was a week ago. Now, it's a concern until we land them. 100%. But I think we should. There's at least 3 good ones looking our way right now and maybe more, with still likely a few to enter.
• I'm guessing in terms of head to heads we all want, we are right there with Auburn/LSU/Ole miss. They are taking more numbers, but I don't think we really pushed for any more than 3-4 of each of their commit list. They would all probably easily take at least 3-4 of our guys, too. Maybe more
• I'd bet we are top 10, but portal rankings are even more silly than HS rankings. It's about filling needs. Too much has to do with numbers. If we take 12 and Ole Miss takes 20+, they will always be ahead of us overall. In general, portal rankings are further off than HS. Plenty of the DL we "missed" on, we didn't have rated as high as a couple of the ones we got. Not saying we got our top 3 with zero misses. But outside of Heldt and maybe Collins, I don't think we care about anyone else.
• I tend to think Marcus Ratcliffe can still be a good player for us. I mean what happened in the past when someone wasn't good as a FR or SO? They got developed. Usually, they weren't forced onto the field if they weren't ready. And I'm not sure size is an issue. He's 6-3 200+ with easily the frame to carry another 10+ pounds without sacrificing speed. Now, pure speed? We shall see on that. But Ratcliffe should be a guy just now finishing up his RFR year and for the first time in 2025 competing for a realistic shot at a starting job.

All these transfers and Tech still can't field a defense.

LB12Diamond said:

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So you think that did not help them. Playing 6 of the bottom 7 SEC teams.

Flip their schedule with OU. They don't make the playoff. They don't.

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Who cares. Schedules can't be flipped. They made the playoffs and are serious contenders. We didn't make the playoffs and nosedived to end the season. Not sure why folks wanna play the "what-if" game with tu. None of it matters and reality needs to be accepted. Let's not have someone derail another thread just to discuss their hard-on obsession with making everything about tu. It's strange.

LB12Diamond said:

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So you think that did not help them. Playing 6 of the bottom 7 SEC teams.

Flip their schedule with OU. They don't make the playoff. They don't.

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Ah the ole "If Only" game! An Aggie classic!!

Maybe we should be recruiting referees who call holding on opposing offensive lines. Any of them in the portal?

This one does not apply as a what if or if only or whatever you are tap dancing about.

Your schedule being total crap prior to the season was known by everyone. You went 1-1 against the only two teams with a pulse. Nice job there bud.

LB12Diamond said:

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This one does not apply as a what if or if only or whatever you are tap dancing about.

Your schedule being total crap prior to the season was known by everyone. You went 1-1 against the only two teams with a pulse. Nice job there bud.

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I'd say more like 1-2, no?
Clemson? Georgia twice?
Not sure we qualify as having much of a pulse in Nov.

12thMan9 said:

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Do ANY of you realize this has nada to do w/NIL?

Geez........

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It is 100% about NIL. That's not even remotely debatable.

beerad12man said:

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90ags said:

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• Rankings are moot if we don't land any DTs (highest need) and 1 very experienced 'starting' WR
• Rankings are moot until they show up on campus...and then show out.
• Tech's is artificial (based on pure 'numbers'), but Aub, LSU and Ole Miss are stockpiling legit talent (on paper).
• I do not think we'll be top 5 and maybe not even top 10 when this is 'done' (due to numbers).

• Personally, would like 1 bruising, SEC level RB added as we don't know if Owens is really back (guess we'll see in bowl game, but he's not truly a power back) and it will be 'hopeful' that Moss comes back in the same 'form' (one never knows after a serious knee injury; D Green has not been the same since his injury (mental hurdles) and hoping he turns the corner this season as our 'true pass catching TE').

What's encouraging is that we have more players for true top tier programs and several SEC 'players' (i.e., the league won't surprise them due to size and speed) and 2nd tier are Big12 or Big level (think the coaching staff learned a bit from last year....better to get 8-12 from power 5 conferences and even better from SEC vs. chasing 20 from mid-tier to find 1-2 that will really play/contribute).

Don't want to hear 'look at all these guys playing from mid-tier last year' (as it's 'bullcrap' ) as all that represents is lack of talent and depth and staff 'forced' to do some stop gap mass signings with no time on the clock. Not sure if I can stomach watching Ratcliff miss another tackle or get run over due to his lack of size anymore and hope someone steps up with better size and speed (and abilities).

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I agree with most of what you are saying. Just to add a few points:

• Looch is extremely confident we will get DT(s). Doesn't seem anywhere near as urgent or worried about the DL as a whole as he was a week ago. Now, it's a concern until we land them. 100%. But I think we should. There's at least 3 good ones looking our way right now and maybe more, with still likely a few to enter.
• I'm guessing in terms of head to heads we all want, we are right there with Auburn/LSU/Ole miss. They are taking more numbers, but I don't think we really pushed for any more than 3-4 of each of their commit list. They would all probably easily take at least 3-4 of our guys, too. Maybe more
• I'd bet we are top 10, but portal rankings are even more silly than HS rankings. It's about filling needs. Too much has to do with numbers. If we take 12 and Ole Miss takes 20+, they will always be ahead of us overall. In general, portal rankings are further off than HS. Plenty of the DL we "missed" on, we didn't have rated as high as a couple of the ones we got. Not saying we got our top 3 with zero misses. But outside of Heldt and maybe Collins, I don't think we care about anyone else.
• I tend to think Marcus Ratcliffe can still be a good player for us. I mean what happened in the past when someone wasn't good as a FR or SO? They got developed. Usually, they weren't forced onto the field if they weren't ready. And I'm not sure size is an issue. He's 6-3 200+ with easily the frame to carry another 10+ pounds without sacrificing speed. Now, pure speed? We shall see on that. But Ratcliffe should be a guy just now finishing up his RFR year and for the first time in 2025 competing for a realistic shot at a starting job.

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Ewers out ran Ratcliffe, on a bad ankle. Waay too slow.

Portal players and top high school recruits won't matter a whit if we can't coach them to take the correct angle and wrap up a tackle. Or if we run it up the middle when everyone in the stadium knows what we're going to do.

Just saying, coaching probably matters as much as the rankings among the top 10-15 programs.