Elite run blocker who has some issues in pass protection. Not a complete liability but he needs to improve there. Likely an upgrade over what we had with Baker but not a significant one (Baker was horrendous to start the season but quickly improved). The debate about Sprague really comes down to how you evaluate Baker at guard. If that transition works out and you can get average or above average guard play with Baker then it is a great move. If not and it turns into a disaster there... well you basically threw a bunch of money at a side grade. Guarnera, the C who was playing RG for them this year, is the better player of the two. He was one of the best guards in the BIG this year as a true SO and would potentially be the first elite center we've had since.. fucking hell since maybe the Mack Brown era? Am I forgetting someone? Majors was good last year but far from great. When was the last time we had an actually All-Conference caliber center? Maybe I am blanking out and forgetting someone but it feels like a decade plus.
"After Simmons threw me around like a rag doll for the sixth snap in a row I couldn't help but think I wanted to play for the one team I know for certain will never face him again.. his own"
So current best (reasonable) case scenario for the portal would be something like~ Pitt LB (or Woodward from Auburn), Rutgers corner, FSU safety, Florida freshman edge, Arkansas NT on defense. Coleman WR, Baugh RB1 + Brown RB2, that more inline TE from (Florida I think also?), Sprauge + Guarnera + some other proven guard.. JMU kid maybe? Maybe a second WR as well who is more of a speed threat though I don't know how much else we do at WR if we land Coleman. edit: I would have included KSU LB as well but there was a report last night he is basically locked in with a team already.
Sprague + Guarnera and then go get the best true LG you can find. At that point if you want to gamble with Baker at RG you can reasonably afford to do so (since worst case if it fails Robertson starts at C next year and Guarnera plays RG). Would be very happy with that outcome.
Guarnera is the prize of those two Michigan OL. Played RG for them this year due to injuries but is more naturally a center (was still damned good at guard though). Would give us some flexibility we are losing with Hutson's graduation.
There is a very good chance that our reporters gaslit those morons into meeting Reed's absurd financial ask with all the shit they were stirring the past 24 hours.
What about the Texas State kid makes you think he would be a nice addition? Genuinely asking. Looked him up and he wasn't even first or second team All-Conference in the Sun Belt. I don't follow Texas State at all so just curious. Flood deserves zero benefit of the doubt in who he targets.
Fucking sucks that we are apparently missing on Woodward to Miami. He would have been an excellent fit playing alongside Smith. Not sure we have much chance at that LB from Pitt.
More than Wisner? Wisner was a JAG asking for RB1 money. Maybe we will soon find out that Livingstone was also making absurdly unrealistic asks but I highly doubt it. Livingstone is also a fairly average outside WR. Wisner was considerably below average by every objective measure.
The only way this makes sense is if we are bringing in a bigger outside portal WR. Otherwise what the fuck we doing man? Livingstone has limitations but he provides that security blanket along the sideline. No one else we have can do that and it showed all season. edit: Just saw all the Coleman shit update after submitting. I mean that would explain this but I still think that is a snowball chance in hell type situation. We need so much else in the portal I don't see how a ~2.5M WR makes sense.
Have there been any rumblings about Nansen yet? I will be surprised if he survives the Muschamp transition and it shouldn't be that difficult to find him a DC gig somewhere as a soft landing.
I really like Wingo and his upside is clear but he isn't nearly productive nor consistent enough to be demanding the kind of money he is. Is he even really that much better than Livingstone? I'm not so sure. He is certainly a lot closer to someone like Livingstone than he is someone like Jeremiah Smith and the kind of money he is demanding does not reflect that. He and his agent need to start being realistic or we need to move on.
Robertson having such a poor game it should (hopefully) kill any lingering chance of these morons deciding to move forward with him as the planned starter next year. Wingo playing like a massive pussy with concentration issues as he has all year. Dropped the TD and killed another drive with a terrible drop as well. I like the kid and think it would be silly to go throw stupid money at someone like Coleman but holy fuck he is just NOT worth top WR1 money. If the numbers I've heard about his ask are accurate and don't change just let him fuck off.
FWIW I was speaking to a member of our coaching staff this morning and they said Wisner was shown an early preview of the Surly site rework and you could just see in that moment him making his decision to leave Austin.