It's darkest before the dawn...

[hbryan]

We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.

I was a big "Leavitt Apologist," according to some.  I shall remain in the same optimistic camp.  While this season is all but lost, I still feel Holtz can turn it around.  I'll be a little more disappointed if we're in the same spot next year, but year three will be Holtz's do or die year.

GREAT POST! New coaches usually get 3 years to have the program in much better shape than the previous staff. Hopefully we can show some improvement this season.

Sorry guys but I don't think you call this season a success without some significant wins.  We weren't a 1-10 ECU team last year where a modicum of success should be seen as improvement.  We were a bowl team with great underclassmen who were highly recruited.  Sure we had some injuries and lost players to the draft but so does everyone else.  For the life of me, I do not understand this logic of acceptance of subpar years over the next couple of years.  I don't think you guys truly realize the impact this would have on the development of a fan base, recruiting, etc..  Therefore, I will be the opposite and very vocal of what I perceive to be evident and fixable problems and I certainly don't think that I am in a minority with that perspective.

[Guest nybullsfan]

hahahaha

we need more talent

and we cant get that until next year

sit back and relax

You don't get better talent by tanking in the BE.  Whoever thinks that we don't have the talent to compete in the BE needs to get off the pipe.  Why are we rebuilding? and with two and three star recruits?  You people are precious   :   

What is baffling to me is that we have most of our recruiting class together for next year, and there is only one WR commit right now; one who is either lowly rated or not rated at all at this point. We need to bring in atleast two highly rated WR's in the off season that can produce right away.

Also we need one more highly rated QB commit as well. Also missing right now are 4 star recruits (we had 2- 3 four star recruits at this point last year and even more the years before) or ESPN 150 players ( we had two last year). Recruit, recruit, recruit! Still time left to get some big names to commit and sign for USF on signing day.

We have maybe half our class for this year. You won't see a complete class (as theses guys could decommit too) until Feburary. Way too early to make a call on recruiting since its not even close to completion.

Based on the ESPN website we currently have 14 commits.  Around how many recruits can we sign on signing day?

Pretty sure they changed the rules recently and the max is now 25/year regardless of how many open schollies a team has.

[SANJAY]

You cannot exceed 85 total.  No more than 25 in a given year.  This does not mean you cannot sign more than 25, just that you cannot enroll more than 25 in a given year.

Although if you did not use all of your scholarships last season you could enroll 2 early (in the spring) and have them count towards the prior year's count provided that you still do not go over 85 total.  So arguably, you could get in 27 in a given year.

You could also grayshirt, which means that you offered a scholarship for this year but you're strapped for scholarships so you ask the player to defer enrollment for a year and go towards next year's class.  A grayshirt is not binding on the player or the school.  This happened to DT Anthony Hill who was grayshirted by FSU and then came to USF the following year because FSU was not honoring the grayshirt.

Based on my count we have 18 seniors (one is Chris Lane who I do not believe is on scholarship) and 14 commitments already.  We also have Montague and Aycock who could be on scholarship next year also.  So even with 3-4 transfers we would only have 5-6 scholarships left unless the staff is going to grayshirt kids or rescind offers.  Of course if we have more transfers then more scholarships are available.  If we see a full class of 25 this year we will have a lot of guys leaving.

[hbryan]

Using your standards UF won't be able to recruit any receivers either. As for the ball not coming near them comment. Do you really think that BJ or whomever is running our Offense will play as poorly as we do now? Seriously?

UF beat us like a drum and they have mulitiple national championships and multiple receivers in the NFL, I fail to see your correlation.  Lets see, from Florida on we have been anemic on offense and we have been getting worse not better over that time frame..........seriously!!  Many things have changed over that time frame but still the slide continues.   I don't see where we'll improve based upon the most recent change eluded to..............TMac at WR.  My guess is BJ starts at QB against Cincy and will not return in the 2nd half (just a guess fella's don't get your panties in a bunch).  Who will be there?  Only the coaches know.  And no Bull Dozer, I'm not talking about you  

[Bull Dozer]

You cannot exceed 85 total.  No more than 25 in a given year.  This does not mean you cannot sign more than 25, just that you cannot enroll more than 25 in a given year.

Although if you did not use all of your scholarships last season you could enroll 2 early (in the spring) and have them count towards the prior year's count provided that you still do not go over 85 total.  So arguably, you could get in 27 in a given year.

You could also grayshirt, which means that you offered a scholarship for this year but you're strapped for scholarships so you ask the player to defer enrollment for a year and go towards next year's class.  A grayshirt is not binding on the player or the school.  This happened to DT Anthony Hill who was grayshirted by FSU and then came to USF the following year because FSU was not honoring the grayshirt.

Based on my count we have 18 seniors (one is Chris Lane who I do not believe is on scholarship) and 14 commitments already.  We also have Montague and Aycock who could be on scholarship next year also.  So even with 3-4 transfers we would only have 5-6 scholarships left unless the staff is going to grayshirt kids or rescind offers.  Of course if we have more transfers then more scholarships are available.  If we see a full class of 25 this year we will have a lot of guys leaving.

I think we see a couple of greyshirts, and a good deal of transfers.  Everyone has seen where they fit in, or don't, in the new systems and some guys will realize that PT isn't in their future.  We will shed some more "dead skin" and the new program direction will start to full emerge in the spring. 

[cophbulls]

Hope is not a strategy.

Actually it is am amazing coping strategy. How many times do you sit watching a game rationalizing with yourself how your team could pull out the win? That's hope. And honestly, unless you are on the coaching staff or play for the team, that is all you can do.

[Skingraft]

Hope is not a strategy.

Actually it is am amazing coping strategy. How many times do you sit watching a game rationalizing with yourself how your team could pull out the win? That's hope. And honestly, unless you are on the coaching staff or play for the team, that is all you can do.

Hope and change from a republican

[Bull Martin]

We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.

I was a big "Leavitt Apologist," according to some.  I shall remain in the same optimistic camp.  While this season is all but lost, I still feel Holtz can turn it around.  I'll be a little more disappointed if we're in the same spot next year, but year three will be Holtz's do or die year.

GREAT POST! New coaches usually get 3 years to have the program in much better shape than the previous staff. Hopefully we can show some improvement this season.

Sorry guys but I don't think you call this season a success without some significant wins.  We weren't a 1-10 ECU team last year where a modicum of success should be seen as improvement.  We were a bowl team with great underclassmen who were highly recruited.  Sure we had some injuries and lost players to the draft but so does everyone else.  For the life of me, I do not understand this logic of acceptance of subpar years over the next couple of years.  I don't think you guys truly realize the impact this would have on the development of a fan base, recruiting, etc..  Therefore, I will be the opposite and very vocal of what I perceive to be evident and fixable problems and I certainly don't think that I am in a minority with that perspective.

No one is calling this season a success.  I was talking about the success or failure of hiring Skip Holtz.  If things are still bad after Skip gets the time to assemble his own players and fully implement his game-plan then he was a failure.  Until then he was left with the cards that were dealt to him.

The problems we're having are not simple fixes.  It's going to take some serious coaching and a season or two to put it together.  If we win the Big East under Skip Holtz he was a successful hire even if we go 4-8 this season.

[cophbulls]

We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.

I was a big "Leavitt Apologist," according to some.  I shall remain in the same optimistic camp.  While this season is all but lost, I still feel Holtz can turn it around.  I'll be a little more disappointed if we're in the same spot next year, but year three will be Holtz's do or die year.

GREAT POST! New coaches usually get 3 years to have the program in much better shape than the previous staff. Hopefully we can show some improvement this season.

Sorry guys but I don't think you call this season a success without some significant wins.  We weren't a 1-10 ECU team last year where a modicum of success should be seen as improvement.  We were a bowl team with great underclassmen who were highly recruited.  Sure we had some injuries and lost players to the draft but so does everyone else.  For the life of me, I do not understand this logic of acceptance of subpar years over the next couple of years.  I don't think you guys truly realize the impact this would have on the development of a fan base, recruiting, etc..  Therefore, I will be the opposite and very vocal of what I perceive to be evident and fixable problems and I certainly don't think that I am in a minority with that perspective.

OK, lets assume you are right, what are you going to do about it? That's right, nothing, because as individuals the team doesn't give two squirts what the fan thinks. No team does, as an entity it can't. So you can expend energy ******** or you can just have fun watching the games and being happy when they win or depressed when they lose. Bottom line, it's entertainment that you as an individual has no impact on.

[hbryan]

OK, lets assume you are right, what are you going to do about it? That's right, nothing, because as individuals the team doesn't give two squirts what the fan thinks. No team does, as an entity it can't. So you can expend energy ******** or you can just have fun watching the games and being happy when they win or depressed when they lose. Bottom line, it's entertainment that you as an individual has no impact on.

I contribute significantly to the athletic department unlike many on here who rarely go to every game. The only bowl game I have missed is Toronto and I travel to at least two away games a year. I have been a contributor since they raised their first $5M and I will be vocal if I so please.  You don't like it.....that's your friggin problem, not mine.