Deland McCullough leaving for NFL with the Raiders.
- Thread starter JimMc
- Start date
Good job maximizing the talent on the roster (e.g. developing talent)
Pretty ho-hum recruiter though.
No reason ND shouldn't have at least one high 4 star RB every class (a Jerimiyah love esque consensus top 75-top 100 prospect) given how much the school has to offer in NIL potential, academics, scheme, NFL laden OL, etc.
Top RBs should be banging down the door to play football at ND the fact that he couldn't close on any of the elite prospects at the position (outside of J Love in 2023) during his tenure is a big disappointment
Pretty ho-hum recruiter though.
No reason ND shouldn't have at least one high 4 star RB every class (a Jerimiyah love esque consensus top 75-top 100 prospect) given how much the school has to offer in NIL potential, academics, scheme, NFL laden OL, etc.
Top RBs should be banging down the door to play football at ND the fact that he couldn't close on any of the elite prospects at the position (outside of J Love in 2023) during his tenure is a big disappointment
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Our RB room of 3 & 4 star talent is good enough to beat the crap in the ACC and to hold its own in the first few rounds of the playoffs. But when you get to the tier 1 juggernauts in the sport you need multiple elite playmakers at the position so if one isnt having a great game the other hopefully might be.
I dont know if anybody has noticed but the running game against the best teams in the country has been completely shut down over the last ~20 years (i'm talking about vs USC in the 00s, vs Alabama or other elite SEC programs in the 10s, and now OSU most recently) and it makes sense because the holes are going to be smaller, and the players on the 2nd level are going to be bigger and faster -- and it feels like ND lacks the individual playmaking that that position requires against the best teams in the country
I dont know if anybody has noticed but the running game against the best teams in the country has been completely shut down over the last ~20 years (i'm talking about vs USC in the 00s, vs Alabama or other elite SEC programs in the 10s, and now OSU most recently) and it makes sense because the holes are going to be smaller, and the players on the 2nd level are going to be bigger and faster -- and it feels like ND lacks the individual playmaking that that position requires against the best teams in the country
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JL is the best running back in the country and barring injury & used properly will be in NYC as a true Junior next year! Nobody gives a shit about what you think is a 3, 4 or 5 star!! Period end of discussion!!!🍀
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i said "RB room" for a reason. JL is one guy. What happens when ND is playing a #1 defense instead of some scrub team in the ACC -- like OSU in a playoff game -- and JL is banged up and there's just too much of a drop off to the next couple of guys in the RB room? Spoiler alert: You don't move the football effectively and you lose the game.
This typically happens at any level, the loser of the championship game typically gets its running game shut down. Go look at elite RBs like Derrick Henry, Barry Sanders, Terrell
Davis. They’ve all been shut down in meaningful playoff games in losses on big stages. It’s not an indication of a weak RB room. The best team controls the line of scrimmage and dominates- there can only be 1 at the end of season.
I think many here expected Deland to land a better gig after this season. He’s highly regarded. Didn’t see the NFL as his landing spot, but as a Raiders fan, happy for him and the Raiders.
Me too. Sure knew how to pick and develop young RBs. A. Williams (#4 RB in his class on rivals) was the unsung hero (as a freshman) of our playoff run. Deland made him a solid blocker who could be trusted and a helluva a receiver. Young (#4 RB on 247) is another promising RB who Deland recruited -- at 229lb Bama sized RB with blazing speed. Add Love (#8 rivals, and currently a Heisman mention for '25) to his resume... and damn, we are going to miss Deland! Hopefully, Marcus can continue to make solid coaching decisions when it comes to finding the right coaching fits and talent (Parker was his only miss!)
Maybe you should try actually watching ND in stead of your keyboard.... We were playing with a totally overhauled offensive line. After losing two NFL Starters -- both of them juniors (and that is unusual, OLineman usually stay for their senior or 5th year, and the fact that both left early meant ND's offensive line was going to be a) very young and inexperienced b) a work in progress. Then, we lost our starting OT, and our starting OC. We later were playing without our starting replacement OT, and a banged up OG... so I don't blame Deland or our RB room -- in fact they over performed given the circumstances...
None of the teams you fawn over (alabama, georgia, etc.) except OSU even made the finals! We did and we nearly stole one for a generationally-talented OSU team.
Tom Brady is now a minority owner. And he didn’t purchase ownership in the Raiders to be embarrassed.
Like I said, Tom Brady is now a minority owner. And the dudes hands are now all over that organization. Which is why Pete Carroll was hired and Antonio Pierce, who was hired by the owner, was fired one year in.
Everytime ND gets ran over in the playoff they talk about the opponent like they are some historically great team. They say that every time. I remember mid-way through this past season many ND fans were laughing at the thought that F+ had OSU as the #1 team in the country now OSU is a "generationally-talented team"?
Fact is, NDs roster just isn't anywhere near the #1 team's roster in the country. And it has been that way dating back to the end of the Charlie Weis era. There isn't enough quality players at the high end of the roster comparatively which is why ND gets eliminated/beat/dominated by teams with more of those kinds of players when they face them (with very few exceptions).
MF had a great 3rd year regardless (the football team has progressed significantly in each of the last 3 seasons) but there's still some major areas of improvement needed programmatically to get ND back to the point where they are a legit threat for a national title trophy. If NDs roster doesn't improve dramatically going forward, this past 2024 season might be the best/highest season that ND experiences for a VERY long time.
It's very rare that a team of NDs collective talent makes it to a national championship game. That kind of game is usually reserved for the recruiting national champs (the programs dominating the recruiting & talent rankings). Moreover, you can't continue to let 8-12 other teams extract more talent on the recruiting trail than you do and then expect to beat those teams on the football field on any regular enough basis to be relevant at the highest level. You can't let a handful of teams spend upwards of $30M on their roster through NIL while you spend $5-$7M either.
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How many rosters are near the #1 team in a given year? The previous 6 national championship games were decided by an average of 28 points.
