Tiger Source Chat Transcript

by TigerNet Staff - Mon Aug 16 13:14:38 GMT-04:00 2004

CLEMSON -- Tiger Source editor Mickey Plyler was online Monday

for the second of his weekly chats to answer all your recruiting questions.

Mickey Plyler also hosts a radio show called the "Overdrive" on WCCPFM-104.9 in upstate South Caroliina from 3 to 5 PM EST. It can also be heard on the internet at wccpfm.com.

Members of the Tiger Source recruiting service are given first priority in asking questions.

Chat Transcript

Question: How much will Coleman's injury affect us?

Answer: I think it has a big effect. He was tremendous coming out of the backfield. Coleman is also a terrific third-down back. This offense will really miss him. Plus Bowden talked about how there were no leaders on offense in Saturday's scrimmage and Coleman is a leader

Question: Are we looking at Mike Davis and James Davis, instead of Travil Jamison?

Answer: Both Davis' are in better academic standing and are better players.

Question: I've heard rumblings that Coates might not be solid with his UGA commitment. Can you shed any light on the situation?

Answer: He will take other official visits. UGA coaches are concerned but all of the early commitments still have a chance to loo around.

Question: Why did the coaching staff hit correctly on so many commitments in the 2004 recruiting class? What is Clemson doing at evaluating talent that our friends in Columbia seem to be missing?

Answer: This staff doesn't care what Tom lemming says about a player. They are good evaluators. This is one of the top two or three attributes of this staff

Question: What players are our top 5 targets in 2005, regardless of position?

Answer: Byrd, Clay, Davis, McElrathbey and Stamper are among the top players still on the board

Question: Mickey, with DL being a priority this RC (do you agree?) do you feel like we are really far behind so far?

Answer: No. McDuffie had a great scrimmage Saturday. Lovett really likes Jackson and Scott. The staff feels pretty good about getting McKissick back. There are just not that many big bodies that can run in the upcoming class.

Question: What do you think the coaching staff took out of their offseason trips to Utah and Oklahoma?

Answer: The running game will have different wrinkles after the Utah trip. I think the OU trip was about practice schedules and preparation.

Question: mickey... biggest surprises of the freshman? and the biggest disappointments thus far?

Answer: First surprise is the class is pretty much as atheltic as they thought. I don't know of any disappointments. So far I heard good things about Reese, Harper, Kelly, Harris, Diamonde, Robinson, Richardson, Willis, Jackson, Scott, Vincent, Croley, Clemens, Hamlin, and Kindred

Question: mickey- do we offer the WR from Byrnes

Answer: Not right now. They are waiting on a few others

Question: Is Tommy bowden's recruiting only now beginning to benefit from the effect of the big finish last season?

Answer: I have always said that the Class of 2005 would benefit more than the Class of 2004. Double digit commitments from top prospects so far.

Question: Is Josh Miller's commit as solid as it sounds?

Answer: I think so. You never know with early commitments but he sounded solid.

Question: Who do you think will be our 3rd down reciever, i.e. Youngblood

Answer: Bullpen by committee. Grant would be a great candidate but can you always count on him? Currie, Stuckey, Baham, McCloud and Collins will all take over. Collins was having a great camp before the inury. I think you can count on Baham

Question: Can the defense be dominant?

Answer: It ahs a chance to be like the defense of Bowden's second year. There is more speed now and this secondary and DEs are very good

Question: Mickey, would you agree that it's all about perception when it come to recruiting..."

Answer: Rankings are about perceptions but in the end only Ws and Ls count

Question: If we sign CJ Byrd along with the other in-state verbals, where would you rank the 2005 class in relation to the other Bowden classes?

Answer: Right there with the one that inlcuded Hall, Currie, Hill, Crsby, Zimmerman, Sampson, Fudge, etc

Question: Any staffs of note visit the Clemson coaches?

Answer: Last year I know Baylor came to town. A lot of high schools came this year. But I don't know which one came this season

Question: What will be more important to maintaining recruiting momentum . . . an 8+ win season, or the west end zone project getting started?

Answer: BOTH

Question: At kicker, Furr, Dean, or Bucholz?

Answer: Sounds like all three have done well. Dean and Furr did not miss on Saturday. But battle will go up to the last day before Wake Forest

Question: Are kids who score over 1000 on their SAT usually Learning Disabled? Or does it depend on who's administering the LD test?

Answer: I do not know a lot about LD except that the earlier it is diagnosed the better chance the student has to succeed

Question: If you do predictions, what are you predictions for CU/USC wins and losses.

Answer: I am terrible at predictions but how about Clemson 8-3 and USC 7-4

Question: What does Lambert need to qualify . . . grades or SAT score? Or both? Any chance we see him in January?

Answer: He needs a little higher SAT or ACT score. I think he will be there in January

Question: heard anything about the Clemson spy at the peach bowl practice?

Answer: I read the article but don't kow anything about it.

Question: I think a healthy, focused, motivated Yusef Kelly could have a huge impact on the season. Do you agree??

Answer: Yeah. You hit on all three factors--health, focused and motivated

Question: Can Stuckey realistically fill Hamilton's shoes at this stage of his career?

Answer: I don't think he will put up the same numbers but I don't think he will be asked to. Hamilton is the all-time leading receiver in school history

Question: Do you think we will ACTUALLY see the TE involved more this year?

Answer: Yes, Ben Hall has been fantastic so far and Williamson is very solid. O'Cain would love to use them more

Question: How many games do you think Pinkins plays before Newton gets the nod?

Answer: Ask me after the Vandy game. Probably the ninth game of the year Lou moves his starting quarterback to defense and uses a new quarterback inthe Swamp like he did two years ago.

Question: What is Merriweather missing to be an impact back?

Answer: Attention to detail

Question: Lets assume God forbid, that Whitehurst goes down in the first series with an ACL vs. Wake. How many wins for CU without him?

Answer: A guess would be five or six

Question: Which of the Davis RBs is higher on our board?

Answer: James

Question: How long will Vontrell Jamison be out?

Answer: I still am not sure. The surgery went well. The staff says longer than Vontrell says but he will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks

Question: Gun to your head: RB Mike Davis to Clemson?

Answer: Guns to the head are against the law but I would say yes. But let me add he doesn't know right now so how can I know?

Question: Do you think Lambert is kicking hiumself since Richardson & Akeem are blowing up?

Answer: No. Both of those players were physically more ready than Lambert. I really think Lambert would have red-shirted anyway

Question: Yusef Kelly is too heavy at 232lbs, true or false?

Answer: Not sure. I would rather see him at 225 but he is cut up

Question: looks like Jad Dean has been hitting the buffets with Dan Scott this summer!

Answer: E-Z

Question: Whitehurst said that Chansi is a better receiver than Whitehurst is a QB? Is that assessment right?

Answer: Whitehurst is a very humble young man

Question: Willl Richardson and Akeem redshirt? Which others may avoid a redshirt?

Answer: I don't think either red-shirt. I would say both QBs red-shirt unless there is an emergency. Either Kelly or Harris might have to play at WR. Either Jackson or Scott might have to play at DT. I hope Vincent gets a chance to red-shirt at LB but he may have to play and all four defensive backs have a chance to play this season but not all will

Question: what would be the biggest mistake our coaches could make in recruiting this year?

Answer: Not capitalizing on this momentum but I don't think that will happen

Question: How many many wins this season? 8? 9? 10?

Answer: How about a guess of 8?

Question: Is Dabo blowing smoke or do you expect Aaron Kelly and L'Dontae to play?

Answer: No. They are banged up at WR right now. They need Baham, Grant, Currie and Stuckey to stay healthy

Question: Who is Clemson's secret weaon? Chansi?

Answer: Is he a secret anymore?

Question: The most critical high school player for Clemson to sign this year is.....

Answer: A great RB

Question: How much will Duane Coleman's injury affect the Tiger's offensive gameplan?

Answer: It changes a lot. It changes the running game plan and the thrid down plan.

Question: How much of a dropoff is Proctor from Whitehurst?

Answer: Less than this time last year but still a tremendous drop off

Question: Which of the new coaches has brought the biggest impact? Dabo, Blackwell, Lovett? Hines, oh wait...

Answer: Dabo is an unbelievable recruiter and a very good WR coach. The same can be said for Blackwell. I also think Lovett is a terrific X and O guy

Question: Who are the surprise performers on offense & defense this year?

Answer: With all of the media coverage and internet coverage there are no more surprises. Nick Watkins could have a great year. All of the freshmen surprised so far. I thought Collins was on track to be solid before the injury. Kyle Browning is solid. You can count on Browning

Question: Is Coleman on track to regain his final year of eligibility?

Answer: From what I understand he had a good academic year

Question: Who will be the first assistant to get an offer to move on to another program, as a Coordinator or Head Coach?

Answer: Burns has already turned down better jobs like LSU. Alabama will eventually go Dabo hunting. Blackwell will get offers. Lovett, O'Cain, Scott and West will get offers.

Question: if i told you that god revealed to me in a dream that a player would switch on signing day to sign WITH us, which recruit comes to mind first?

Answer: Coates

Question: How will the OL perform this year by keeping Whitehurst on the field as their primary responsibility?

Answer: I think the staff is pleased so far with the OL but they are much better when Myrick is healthy

Question: hey mickey, how many defensive line players do you feel we'll sign this year with last years large class of lign signees? along that line, whom among those who did not qualify last year will be at clemson next year

Answer: DL-3-4, LB-3, DB-3-4. Right now I would say Lambert, McKissick, Merling and Barry

Question: What have you heard about Chris Jefferson and Andrew Diomande in practice so far?

Answer: Haven't heard a lot out of Jefferson. Dabo says Diamonde is raw but very talented

Question: how long do they think myrick will be out.

Answer: Hopefully he will be back by the end of this week or the first of next week. They missed him on Saturday

Question: What were the UT coaches smoking when they said they hadn't seen a safety blitz from us - or did they just not watch the FSU game film?

Answer: Don't make excuses just play the game and don't make excuses

Question: Diomande is sounding like a pretty solid player? Good move to offer him after last years Gator Flip?

Answer: I think so. He is raw and needs to red-shirt but could turn out in the end. He is a bright kid and I think a good kid

Question: whats the deal with the 5 star offensive lineman that we're recruiting, i want to say he's from tennessee but im not sure. do we have any chance with him? theinsidres has us still listed as one of his top teams

Answer: Clemson and Virginia Tech are the top two for Garrett Reynolds out of Knoxville. He visited unofficially a few weeks ago

Question: What one recruit who doesn't get much attention would you go after if you were a coach?

Answer: There is so much attention now. Because of that lets say the junior cornerback out of Fort Dorchester who might be the best player in the state right now

Question: MP, which RB's do we land this season?

Answer: Nelson and either Mike Davis or James Davis

Question: mickey- if clemson uses more purple in its uniforms, will the fact that purple is supposedly associated with homosexuality cause more USC fans to become clemson fans?

Answer: You people amaze me

Question: Do you think dudes like Rusty the Rooster help or hurt USC's image?

Answer: I don't get a chance to listen too often to him on the state-wide show

Question: mickey- anna kournikova or maria sharapova?

Answer: Maria is not even in the same league

Question: what do you think about moving the university of georgia to columbia and university of sc to athens to make the in state rivalries more even?

Answer: Clemson hasn't done all that well with UGA have they?

Question: Mickey, how would you rate our talent level compared to the rest of the ACC? Are we 2nd, 3rd , 4th, 5th or even farther down the line?

Answer: Between 3rd and 5th

Question: Mickey, are our DE's that good or are the OT's struggling that much?

Answer: DE had a great finish last season and are only better this year. I think the OT will be fine

Question: With Kelly for Wake...do we run any 2 gack sets? More 2 back sets?

Answer: I don't think we will see wholesale changes. Thus I would look for more one-back sets this entire season

Question: Mickey, could/should Akeem Robinson be moved to D-Line?

Answer: I think you could see the staff look at that in the spring

Question: Coach Bowden has said that the defense looks dominating at times. Are we that good defensively or is the offense struggling some?

Answer: A little of both. The offense misses Coleman and Myrick. But the defense is better right now

Question: Do you think keith kelly is back in the goo dgraces enough of Bowden to be the go to guy?

Answer: I think so. He is more dedicated

Question: Rachel Green or Monica Gellar?

Answer: I am not familiar with either

Question: Mickey, what do you account for Clemson's dominance over USC over the years?

Answer: Better athletes and better coaches but more so the players. Usually the best team wins in sporting events

Question: Will our ground attact be as successful without Coleman temporarily or perhaps better?

Answer: I don't see how it can be better. Coleman is a tremdous talent. Plus he does so much more than just run the football

Question: I was impressed with Dunham as a big hitter on special teams. How is his progress at LB?

Answer: Good. You are right he is a big hitter. He doesn't run all that well but plays really hard. He is dependable. I think he will be solid backup this season and perhaps a starter next season

Question: Say Clemson wins 8 or 8 and a bowl this coming season... do they dominate SC recruiting completely?

Answer: They are of to a great start and eight wins woulf only help

Question: Mickey, if the talent level is between 3rd and 5th that does not jive with the recruiting rankings over the last few years are those services that rank national recruiting classes just flat out wrong?

Answer: Yes. Recruiting rankings do not matter. Ws and Ls matter

Question: Any chance you may see Stuckey as a running back on passing downs?

Answer: Yeah. I think we could see a lot of different ways to get him the ball

Question: Better athletes and better coaches but more so the players. Usually the best team wins in sporting events, but Mickey what about Lou's top 10 classes compared to Clemsons top 20 or 30, this should not happen, poor coots.

Answer: Ws and Ls

Question: Has the game passed Holtz bytor is he just another innocent victim that ends up @ USC?

Answer: I think Lou is a good football coach and still knows what he is doing but he needs to stop micro-managing. Let your coaches coach and players play

Question: How are our special teams going to end up this season? I'm getting a little worried after reading some of the comments.

Answer: They made a big improvement last year. I think they had a good day kicking Saturday. Hamilton will be missed in the return game but Miller, Gaddis, etc will be good return guys

Question: Do you think Collins and Jaminson will play in the Wake game?

Answer: I would think Collins has a better chance than Jamison

Question: Can Bowden get Clemson to top 10 and competing for ACC title year in and year out or is the conference to strong ?

Answer: They have some momentum now but have a chance to continue that momentum and take it to the next level. I think they can get to that level but need to take advantage of it now and build to that level in the next three or four years

Question: How good is Proctor?

Answer: Better this year. He has improved

Question: Are Clemson's coaches that much better at developing talent than USC or are they just better at spotting talent regardless of 'Stars'?

Answer: A would say a little of both

Question: Of our seniors, who do you think gets drafted next year?

Answer: Currie, Hall, Johnson, Jamison, Fountain, Coleman, Sampson, Pugh all have chance

Question: who would win in a fight, you or the fridge?

Answer: I am a lover not a fighter

Question: Rick Minter is already taking shots at Clemson... just more fuel to the Clemson whup ass fire when it comes to USC?

Answer: In November it will not matter who says what in August, Thanks for stopping by. We will have a ton of updates and stories on TigerSource this week. See you guys on the site.

Question: In your opinion where should Clemson consistently finish in the new ACC?

Answer: Third to sixth consistently

Question: hey mickey, you, having been in the area longer than me, know the local places better. skins or mac's?

Answer: Logans Roadhouse