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YOUR BALANCE
Your thoughts on RB Position from this point
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Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 1:59 PM

Obviously we as humble fans posting here on the Internet boreds have no control over what will actually happen. The question here is ideally what would you like to see play out here for us at RB now that we can move on.

Continue to pursue a back committed elsewhere? Whether or not there was any truth to the rumor that we promised Zamir we wouldn't move on another RB until he announced, there have been several good RB's that have been connected to Clemson on some level but have moved on elsewhere. Would you like to see us re-vamp the recruitment of a TJ Pledger, Mychale Salahuddin, Master Teague, Lyn-J Dixon, Chris Curry, Jashaun Corbin, etc... It would be an entirely different recruitment this time around with Zamir out of the picture. I suppose Zamir himself would also fit into the "pursuing committed backs" category but idk how much serious effort we continue to put into him at this point.

Should we pursue another back out there that is uncommitted, but we would be maybe a little later to the party in their recruitment than other schools that have already been on him? There are several good backs out there uncommitted in our region: Dameon Pierce (#9 RB, GA), Harold Joiner (#5 RB, AL), Asa Martin (#10 RB, AL), Fabian Franklin (#11 RB, MS), Tony St Julien (#14 RB, LA), Ronnie Walker (#15 RB, VA). This is just a sample of some of the top uncommitted backs still out there.. All are in the Top 15 at their position and all live here in the Southeast. Of course our guy Devon Lawrence, represents a very good option for us in this category as well. We have already laid great groundwork with him, and he's rising in the rankings. He's up to a Top 10 RB by 247 and will be at The Opening Finals this month. It will be interesting to see how he does among top competition out there.

OR would you rather pump the breaks for now, focus on other positions, and wait for a RB to emerge later in the year for us (i.e. Travis Etienne). There are bound to be some more shake ups in the rankings with the rest of summer camps and their senior year football seasons coming up. Perhaps someone else will emerge that we aren't talking about at all yet.

I have no doubts that come NSD we will all be thrilled with the final product for this class. The coaches will get our guy at RB. It will just be intriguing to watch what path they choose to take next

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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 2:27 PM

If I was a betting man I'd say Devon Lawrence was probably our fallback, or our "noncommitable #2", or however you want to put it. We'll see in the next week or so how smart I am. But he was riding around on Dabo's golf cart getting a lot of Dabo love during our most recent football camp, and that was probably, IMHO, Dabo keeping him warm in the probable event we didn't get White.

You have to wait on a Zamir White, by the way, even if you know you're probably not going to get him. There aren't many of these guys out there...and unfortunately, RB's are - per most everybody I've ever talked to - the single most-bought position in college football. They only have so much tread on their tires and they know it, they take more of a beating than other positions do, and they're easy to project to college and usually produce from Minute 1 on...more bang-for-the-buck, in other words. Contrary to popular belief, while there is corruption in college football it isn't as widespread as in college basketball (AAU ball is a godawful pimp show) for the simple reason that boosters do not actually have infinitely deep pockets, and there's so many players in every region and on every team it gets to be like throwing money into a black hole...sure, you can buy 5 or even 10 players on a team, but it doesn't necessarily win you anything if the other 75 or 80 are terrible.

RB's are one of the exceptions. They give you bang for the buck and boosters like that. Boosters would probably also love to buy QB's but those tend to be richer or at least more well-off kids for the most part. (Cam Newton wasn't...and Auburn probably paid more than $200K for him...but nevermind. Also intriguing that Matt Coral just decommitted from newly-off-probation Southern Cal and is now shopping SEC schools, but nevermind that too.) Whatever, RB's are in demand. There's a prominent booster at FSU for instance who is well-known for procuring RB's going back at least as far as Greg Jones that I've persistently heard about over the years. Dalvin Cook's little brother just committed there as well, the latest in a long line of 5-stars.

Other positions, it's scattershot. Sometimes guys pan out, often they don't. That apparently tends to scare moneymen who think in terms of Return On Investment. I mean, it's one thing to throw $100 bills around - and that level happens a lot - but it's another to whip out a pen and write a check for $200K when you don't have a clue if the guy is going to pan out or not. Especially if it can get you disavowed by the University if you get caught doing it.

Whatever, it's going to be harder - I don't wanna say impossible, but definitely harder - for us to get those 5-star RB's with 50+ offers because of the reasons mentioned above. Still it's interesting what we're doing - or not doing - this cycle. Salahuddin - who was a solid 4-star - came, camped, and went without an offer, ended up committing to Southern Cal a few days later. We passed on TJ Pledger earlier. And we've seen Dabo and staff repeatedly put a premium on family. If he loves the Lawrence family - and it appears he does - it seems possible, even probable - that he'd prefer Devon Lawrence over somebody he doesn't know. We already know Dexter's a high-character, coachable kid...if Devon is cut from the same cloth, why shop further?

Or maybe he really is waiting. I dunno. But I think at this point if we don't see a commitment from Devon Lawrence we aren't going to see one until way late.

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Glad that Zamir didn't wait until the end to choose.***


Jun 27, 2017, 2:45 PM



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"We establish no religion in this country, we mandate no belief. Nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate." ~Ronald Reagan


Good point, in a way he may have done us more of a solid


Jun 27, 2017, 3:07 PM

Than had he strung us along to nsd. At least it gives us time to react.

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Re: Glad that Zamir didn't wait until the end to choose.***


Jun 27, 2017, 6:03 PM [ in reply to Glad that Zamir didn't wait until the end to choose.*** ]

From all that I have seen he's a class act from a very good family. His dad's a NC Highway Patrolman and in NC, it isn't easy to become one. Up here they're very elite.

Zamir seems like a very quiet guy who's had a speech impediment all his life. I hope he does well wherever he goes.

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I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 2:35 PM

Tony Elliott has a plan for this class. I've seen a lot of the running backs in the current class, and there are just a few that I would say are what Tony is looking for. He wants a big physical back that is also a game-changer. There is no need to offer a guy that you don't see as a fit just because of numbers.

With that said...I've heard whispers the coaches are in contact with a few guys, and we will know sooner rather than later who they are. I know of one that would de-commit today and commit to Clemson if Elliott made the offer. I know, because his coach has told me, and his coach told me Clemson has been in contact recently.

So have patience. And don't buy into the Devon Lawrence hype - I think the coaches see him more on the defensive side of the ball. If they don't get one this class they know they have Kyler McMichaal, who is a stud, and they can focus on one of the dudes in the 2019 class.

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 2:43 PM

Appreciate the feedback. I was kinda wondering what the plan was, actually, since we had obviously passed on Salahuddin and we were already 99% sure we weren't going to get White.

I know we've been coveting a big back we can bang up between the tackles for awhile now, especially since both Dye and Choice took career-derailing nicks and didn't pan out like he had hoped, but those guys do not just fall off of trees.

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Patience is the key.***


Jun 27, 2017, 2:45 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]



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"We establish no religion in this country, we mandate no belief. Nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate." ~Ronald Reagan


I did not feel like we lost anything today.


Jun 27, 2017, 3:05 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

I trust our Coaches and their Judgement. We are not going to get every Player we want. Percentage wise we do pretty well! I think it is our Program Mentality of next Man Up and the Key is they already know who that target is.

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Man, I'd love to buy you a chicken biscuit breakfast


Jun 27, 2017, 3:14 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

sandwich and a Dr. Pepper sometime. I wondered what you knew about today. Every now and then it's obvious you know something and must be good at keeping secrets. I bet our staff loves that about you.

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Re: Man, I'd love to buy you a chicken biscuit breakfast


Jun 27, 2017, 3:53 PM

lovingit®a chicken biscuit you say? Tell me more...

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Nooo don't fall for the chicken biscuit line...


Jun 27, 2017, 3:57 PM

like I did

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Aspiring member of the TigerNet Sewer Dwellers


Re: Nooo don't fall for the chicken biscuit line...


Jun 27, 2017, 4:02 PM

Still sore, huh? Can you walk?

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It's much better now...


Jun 27, 2017, 4:11 PM





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Aspiring member of the TigerNet Sewer Dwellers


Re: It's much better now...


Jun 27, 2017, 4:31 PM

That was great, funny, weird... Way to go Bob!

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How about a dozen chicken dinners and a dozen warm donuts?


Jun 27, 2017, 7:09 PM [ in reply to Re: Man, I'd love to buy you a chicken biscuit breakfast ]

for more info

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 3:18 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

That big physical RB sure sounds a lot like 2019 back Crouch out of Charlotte!

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 3:57 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

Thanks for the good Intel DHood

Ready to see what Elliot has up his sleeve

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 4:21 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

Lawrence would probably slide in somewhere at safety if they wanted him on defense, correct?

Automatic flip sounds like a Mychale Salahuddin or TJ Pledger, maybe.

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He's said too much already***


Jun 27, 2017, 4:24 PM



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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 4:30 PM [ in reply to Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

I was speculating (not very well) who the auto-flip may be as well. Pledger and Salahuddin aren't exactly 'big backs' that DHood says Elliot is after.. They are like 5'8-5'9ish.. If Salahuddin was the guy that wanted to flip I don't think he would've just committed elsewhere a few days ago. Maybe Pledger who knows. Loves Clemson. He is meaty for a short guy.. 200+ pounds maybe that qualifies as 'big'

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 4:35 PM

I'm hoping the RB DH is talking about is Pledger or Teague. Both RBs I think would strive in this offense with TL and Feaster/Etienne IMO.

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Re: I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but.....


Jun 27, 2017, 4:48 PM

> I'm hoping the RB DH is talking about is Pledger or
> Teague. Both RBs I think would strive in this offense
> with TL and Feaster/Etienne IMO.

I would bet you are correct. I was surprised we let Teague in particular slide on by; he looked offer-worthy.

Plus it doesn't feel like we're done strip-mining Tennessee for talent yet anyhow.

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says the guy doing live feeds to cootlumbia for the Elite 11


Jun 27, 2017, 9:16 PM [ in reply to I know I am not one of the bored gurus, but..... ]

JK - spare me DH - although its true.

Take a good look at the one recruit thats cluckin...

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I think we are in much better shape with the 4 rbs currently


Jun 27, 2017, 2:59 PM

on campus than most fans realize. We have top talent, they just need playing time to perform.

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Re: I think we are in much better shape with the 4 rbs currently


Jun 27, 2017, 4:33 PM

Tiger that...

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Re: I think we are in much better shape with the 4 rbs currently


Jun 27, 2017, 7:09 PM [ in reply to I think we are in much better shape with the 4 rbs currently ]

Agree completely- Like the pros do, you can draft to need or take the best available athlete regardless of position. Zeus would have been a two-fer in that regard but failing to get him, we have no screaming unmet needs at RB or anywhere else for that matter.

With only a few more to take, I'd look at his loss just like a extra spot. If we're going to reach a bit filling that hole, I'd rather reach on another OL because they are the toughest to forecast. And I'd say that even if we reel in another highly ranked OL.

RBs can exceed expectations and be very, very good (think Gallman) but the really elite backs generally have gifts that are easy to spot in high school. If you can't get a make-something-from-nothing kind of back now, save those picks for big classes like the next two years, because in our system (at least as it was with DW4 and will be again with TL) having an elite back is more a luxury than a necessity. Other than very short yardage situations (which have been as much a function of the QB since Boyd as the RBs), how many stacked boxes are they going to face? In our case, very good at RB is good enough.

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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 7:38 PM

I don't follow the logic, GreenBeans. If you think we would revamp the recruitment of another guy committed somewhere else, why not continue to recruits White? It's. Not over till January when they all sign. If Teague and Pledger are still "in play" in your eyes, then White is too.

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Pledger and League never had offers. It's generally known


Jun 27, 2017, 7:56 PM

that either one of them would have committed if a Clemson offer was extended before they committed elsewhere. White had a Clemson offer and chose to go elsewhere.

Sure,they should continue to recruit White until early signing day(Dec), but the situations are different.

The other 2 backs never had Clemson offers. In fact, only one other RB has had a Clemson offer(DL),and that was primarily as a DB.

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Re: Pledger and League never had offers. It's generally known


Jun 27, 2017, 8:22 PM

EETigerstripe

I mean we will probably still recruit him in the way that some schools are still trying to recruit Trevor Lawrence. Keep in touch and occasionally stay in his ear, make sure he knows he's still wanted, but put most of our energy into other RB's. Does that make sense? Lol

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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 8:00 PM

I would go for Pledger or Pierce.

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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 9:14 PM

Im really really high on Pledger. I like him a lot, hope we can flip him

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I don't feel comfortable not taking a back in this cycle.


Jun 27, 2017, 8:28 PM

We only have 4 on scholarship right now.

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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 9:08 PM

T. Woods said it best. Let me add from a tv line... "patience grasshopper." Coaches will handle the rb situation, whether this year or next year. I trust. Let's relax and have a special beverage and chill.

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I think we should probably show up for games and cheer...***


Jun 27, 2017, 9:35 PM



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Re: Your thoughts on RB Position from this point


Jun 27, 2017, 9:56 PM

I would probably move on and pursue Pledger. Unless there are some unknown character or fit issues, he's my favorite back in this class not named Zamir. He loves Clemson and in my opinion is a take regardless. He also seems to be less than a solid commit at OU. Obviously the coaches know exactly what they are doing though.

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