UDFA
- Thread starter ewglenn
- Start date
1 player with UDFA...lack of talent on the roster.
I thought this might be the case. I thought he proved himself to be worthy of at least a late round slot, though this may be more advantageous for him.
I wonder if the lack of respect for what he did on the field can be atributed what this program has not accomplished in recent years.
I wonder if the lack of respect for what he did on the field can be atributed what this program has not accomplished in recent years.
I think it boils down to size. He is on the short side and the NFL loves their measurables. I think he will make the roster.
So MTSU has the same number of UDFA as D2 Minnesota-Duluth (2) and zero draft picks in 2023. SMH
Schools With The Most FCS NFL Draft Picks In The Last 20 Years:
1. North Dakota State - 14
2. Montana - 11
3. App State - 9 (2003-2013)
T4. Delaware - 8
T4. Northern Iowa - 8
T6. Central Arkansas - 7
T6. Eastern Washington - 7
T6. Illinois State - 7
T6. SC State - 7
T6. Tennessee State - 7
T6. William & Mary - 7
1. North Dakota State - 14
2. Montana - 11
3. App State - 9 (2003-2013)
T4. Delaware - 8
T4. Northern Iowa - 8
T6. Central Arkansas - 7
T6. Eastern Washington - 7
T6. Illinois State - 7
T6. SC State - 7
T6. Tennessee State - 7
T6. William & Mary - 7
MTSU has had the exact same # of draftees as Tennessee State over the last 20 years - 7. Only 5 of those were Stock guys.
This is despite us having around a 30% larger roster/ships to offer every year.
There's our problem. They don't bother to recruit good players, so we don't have good players, so all we get are mediocre results.
This is despite us having around a 30% larger roster/ships to offer every year.
There's our problem. They don't bother to recruit good players, so we don't have good players, so all we get are mediocre results.
I was just thinking about this earlier. We actually have pretty good coordinators, but, it doesn't matter how well you can game plan and call plays on Saturday if your players are overmatched.
What's most frustrating is MT does have some pretty good players on the roster at all times. There's usually a handful of guys that are legit D1 players, grown ass men who can win their match ups on the vast majority of their plays. Some could even start for some of the premier programs across the country in the right circumstances.
But then beyond that we have some pretty bad weaknesses who consistently lose and get exploited. And college ball is all about match ups and exploiting those weaknesses. Good teams are able to do that to us way too easily and we've been helpless to deal with it. That's part of being a bottom tier FBS program unfortunately.
With the transfer portal and pay for play, our best players will be gone after each season. So those weaknesses discussed above grow even more. So how can a team like MT grow when it's core, key, young players leave after each season? I'll tell you this. The answer is not 3rd string bench players transferring out of bottom tier power 5 programs. Those programs will be happy to trade their busts for our booms. Every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
Everyone finds some gems from time to time.
The portal is going to really hurt low effort recruiting teams like ours. Every gem that we find, like a Byard, or Richie James or Jaylin Lane - they're going to be tampered and plucked away.
That's not the end of the world if we can keep the entry door moving with the exit door.
Guys who may have busted at the high end FBS level might just need to find the right level, which is our level - a kid might not be good enough to make a difference in an Alabama-Tennessee game, but that doesn't mean he can't play in an MTSU vs Kennesaw State game.
Plus, you might be surprised at how many of great G5 players leave to higher level FBS, and are never heard from again.
Also, I'm not sure this problem is going to be specific to us (notwithstanding our current specific circumstances). All the G5 is going to have this issue. Even lower end P5 teams get plucked as well (South Carolina lost guys to FSU, Oregon, etc).
I don't think the portal is going to put us specifically at a competitive disadvantage relative to the rest of our peers in CUSA.
We can just go down a level and do the same thing. It’s only a disadvantage if we allow it to be.
Debatable. From a macro perspective, we will all just suck even more now, and it's a big turn off in my eyes. The days of a team like MT going on the road and pistol whipping a Georgia Tech or beating Missouri in a track meet won't be happening any more. How could it happen when we are just swapping our best players for their busts after each season?
The portal is going to create an even larger gap between the haves and have nots. This creates an even bigger desire to not tune in and/or care anymore. College athletics has already transformed in a way that's a huge a turn off to people like myself (and many others)... And I do still think MT will suffer more from the portal than a place like let's say WKU. Their QB had some NLI offers and Power 5 opportunities. He came back to WKU instead. I could never see that happening with an MT. MT has no support, no funding, no desirability.
I don't have a problem with players getting paid but I do have a problem with all the baggage it brings (so I guess I do in fact have a problem with it). I'm not sure I could think of a singular thing that's more frustrating than the constant, incessant transferring across the college landscape. A huge part of the appeal of college athletics previously was that in most cases, players committed and played somewhere for 4-5 years, got their degree, and graduated. Fans got to know those players over the years, watch them grow up/develop, and formed a bit of a connection. Kind of hard to do that now with MT being forced into a glorified JUCO role.
Answer me this: Do you think Kermit's run, and in particular some of his best teams, would have been possible in today's landscape? Rhetorical question actually, because we all know it would have never happened. Several of his players would have had major opportunities in other places for big $$$ and they would have left. MT's tournament run and upsets over Mich St and Minnesota would have never happened under current NLI and transfer rules.
If our university and programs had any respectable funding, support, or leadership....I might feel differently. But in a pay to play environment, I just believe MT is totally screwed. There is no funding and no support. I mean jesus H christ, we have the associate athletic director posting on this message board asking if anyone has the interest/means to create a collective for our school so our athletes can get some money. That tells you everything you need to know about MT and it's ability to pay players.
I hate to be so negative. I really do. But I just cannot find any positives in the current situation/landscape. We are broke, we have no funding or community support, morale is at all time lows, and our leadership rewards .500 coaches and has bled our fanbase dry over the last 20 years. You can say everyone else in our conference and the G5 is in the same boat as us but I disagree. Many other G5 and even CUSA programs have superior fanbases, community support, and community funding. And even then, "Everyone else is just as screwed as we are, so don't worry about it" isn't exactly an exciting position to be in.
I guess hopefully, god willing, I will out-live the 3 stooges. So at some point, by the sheer nature of the circle of life, we will see different leadership and coaches.....eventually...maybe
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Kermit’s run was mostly due to major conference transfers and JUCO signees. Guys that most likely wouldn’t have transferred. Maybe Giddy and Reggie would’ve gotten some bigger offers, but who knows what they would have done.
Look, kids have to play somewhere. As long as we are in FBS, we will get kids looking for a good opportunity to play. I'm just not stressing all of this. It's sports, not life to me. I love my school/team but this is not life and death. Onve you get kids in here that produce, just show them the stats of those that leave. Very very few of them that standout here standout anywhere else they go. I call it the Dobson factor. Riley has stoodout a bit and Lane might but who else has? When you present the facts and evidence to those you have, retention becomes more of a reality. The glow factor of the portal is attracting a lot of kids because it's still a new concept but it will wear off once the real facts and stats about roster stacking comes out. Kids will still buzz in and out but if you play it right, convincing them to stay will get a little easier if the coaches are willing to take the time to work with these kids showing them the real damaging effect of chasing a potentailly empty bag when the opportunity to play is real now where they are.
My pitch would be simple. If the Power teams didn't recruit you then and they only want you when you are producing now, who's gonna have your back if you don't crack the starting lineup there? Who's gonna help you get the PT you need? If you are starting and shining here, that means we value you and have your back during the good and the bad. Move up and there are zero guarantees that you even see the field at all. Then what?
My pitch would be simple. If the Power teams didn't recruit you then and they only want you when you are producing now, who's gonna have your back if you don't crack the starting lineup there? Who's gonna help you get the PT you need? If you are starting and shining here, that means we value you and have your back during the good and the bad. Move up and there are zero guarantees that you even see the field at all. Then what?
I just don't think MT has anything "permanent" that prevents us from competing at the higher levels of G5. We have the demographics, budget, market, fan base (say what you will, we exist), location - all the things that are required to be good. Many of our peers don't have that.
What's holding us back is temporary - individual incompetent personnel and leadership. I don't know when we'll be out from under that self-inflicted weight. But it will happen.
If you're expecting MT to compete with Alabama - we'll, that's not my expectation. In theory though, with a G5 spot in the playoffs, we have more access than we've ever had.
Don't sweat the portal. In college, players have always come and gone - They always will. Even the generational players only had 4 years of eligibility anyways.
What's holding us back is temporary - individual incompetent personnel and leadership. I don't know when we'll be out from under that self-inflicted weight. But it will happen.
If you're expecting MT to compete with Alabama - we'll, that's not my expectation. In theory though, with a G5 spot in the playoffs, we have more access than we've ever had.
Don't sweat the portal. In college, players have always come and gone - They always will. Even the generational players only had 4 years of eligibility anyways.
I tend to agree there is nothing permanently holding MT back. The problem is, despite the amazing geographical footprint, community support is nonexistent. Both from a business standpoint and a butts-in-the-seats standpoint. It's sad how poorly supported MT is despite the university being the reason Murfreesboro is even on the map.
Look how small and poorly positioned Knoxville is. Yet one of the biggest stadiums and fanbases out there. Proximity doesn't seem to mean much in college athletics, just look at MT and its location and pathetic support.
It will take herculean and monumental changes in my eyes for MT to ever be anything. It needs a complete make-over. From the name, to the administrators, to the programs available (We must find a way to create some top professional programs like law schools, med schools, etc.) There's so much that has to be done and even then....it probably won't even matter. Look at a school like FIU. HUGE enrollment. Great academics and big time program options. As fertile recruiting ground as you can get. And one of the worst FBS programs in the country year in, year out, across all their sports.
MT might have a chance once McPhee and his cronies are gone. But that's only if the new President and new leadership are willing to do the hard work. It's honestly probably too late for a school like us. The system and landscape is shifting in a way that makes it harder and harder for us each year. If we couldn't get it done 10, 15, 20 years ago....it's extremely unlikely we get anything done in present or the future.
I don’t think it’s a shut door. Plenty of schools have done it. Louisville, UCF and Houston have moved up. USF and UCONN were in the Big East and got left behind. It just takes consistency and vision. We are in that group of schools that “could” make it happen one day. Hopefully the next president will make it happen.
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