They liked Williams from the time he returned last year from a multi year recovery from injury.
They started playing Simpson as soon as he recovered from an injury and at a point where he didn’t play in too many games to redshirt.
Apparently they preferred both over Gale. A number of players lost playing time under new management.
No question. I think with Williams his versatility looks great in shells at 3/4 speed but it never really translates to game day and he’s not an H. Simpson is a different story that dude can play.
When top recruits who haven’t played enough to show anything, or former starters find themselves buried in the depth charts choose to leave, all we as fans can do is hope they got a fair evaluation and wish them well.
FWIW, Cody Hawkins sacked his DC before the last game. "The move comes after the Bengals surrendered 478 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in a 77-42 loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday, dropping the club to 5-6 on the season."
CH tabbed Webber's co-defensive coordinator, Grant Duff, as his new DC.
Fall portal is closed so we didn’t lose much (sorry to see Bains in there). I feared the Connor twins and Gbhatu would be targets. Let’s hope they’re with us in the fall.
We've had a number of defensive players make the NFL - Mike Wise, Bo Eason, Casey Merrill, etc. It seems the twins could be a top-tier defensive force next year, instead of the risk of being a small fish in a big FBS pond.
kids can get picked up anytime; it’s just a deadline for declaring yourself in the portal. I think we got payers last year well after spring/winter ball.
There’s another portal window in the spring, 4/16-4/25. I guess for players who see their future playing time limits based on spring practices.
Because you get paid in that pond and those Aggie names were 100 years ago. Surprised Bains hasn’t found higher level interest as an experienced depth piece.
Just to amplify that.......zero Big Sky players were drafted last year. The MVFC had 2. In the past few seasons, the high was 2 drafted in 2022 (both from Montana State). from 2022-2024, about 20 guys a year get a camp invite.
NFL Coach Ron Gould said the NFL will find you if you can play. Let's take two pertinent examples.
Heard of Alex Cappa? A 6'6" 235# TE / DE / OL, 0 stars, out of Dublin HS. ZERO. A nobody. Attended Humboldt State, DII no man's land. Never transferred. Balled out at the Senior Bowl, selected in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Current contract is $35M, but he'll be a free agent next year. (He's now 305#s.)
Jordan Allen, a 6'4" 238# LB / TE that we were very high on and Coach Gould's staff inked. A talent, another potential Keelan Doss find. RG departed, Allen bounced to CCSF, where he was a 4-star coveted Juco top-20 recruit. He went to Tennessee, played a handful of games in 3 years, transfered to Weber, and poof. Over. Four schools. He could have had stability here, stood out, and family support locally.
Nobody is debating that the NFL will find NFL talent. Most guys are not NFL talent. The roster spot alone in the SEC pays 100k, compared to 0 at the lower levels. Most guys do and probably should take that bag of cash.
You're only considering 2 or 3 factors. Look at how Jordan Allen disappeared. Injured, and quickly buried behind multiple other 4-star recruits. Bigger rosters, more competition, more chance to get injured competing against numerous 300-pound linemen and 4- and 5-star recruits.
Not to mention the lure of illegal angles. Steroids are present at even some DII schools, but I'm sure the pressures at SEC programs are off the charts. Student athletes at Davis are treated as individuals with limited amount of alumni or program pressure.
I mentioned problems in DII and the proportional aspect. Maybe the best route for some is a mid-level place like Cal. (Buchanan)
Every NFL team has seen Aggie Lan Larison, likely multiple times, and they'll see him at the NFL Scouting Combine, at private workouts, and maybe at an all star game. We've had a couple dozen players in the Show.
the NFL is an entertainment venture. Winning is the best and most profitable entertainment. But all other things equal, unique stories like steer wrestling make for good television.