THE IUP Football Thread

[Fightingscot82]

Haven't seen a ton on him. From the measurables, he is smaller than his brother. I think he's generously listed at 6', while Tyson is legitimately 6'2", but I've heard the younger brother is closer to 5'10". Arm talent is tough to compare, but doesn't appear to have the zip his brother did either. I hope we get him, since he's got familiarity with the program and the offense from high school certainly translates to what the Rams run. Kid can grow too, work ethic in that family is top notch so I'd expect the younger brother to be in the same mold from that perspective.

Sounds a lot like Trevor and Cody Harris, two Edinboro QBs from a decade ago or more.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

#7 for Shepherd a real Ass hat, dude was chirping all game and after…His own team was telling him to shut up kinda funny. Thought Shepherd overall discipline and class was subpar #30 another dude that needs a talking to. Looks like big Ernie has minimal if any control…just sayin

We have a couple fools, too. Not as many as most years, however.

[Iupgh]

Haven't seen a ton on him. From the measurables, he is smaller than his brother. I think he's generously listed at 6', while Tyson is legitimately 6'2", but I've heard the younger brother is closer to 5'10". Arm talent is tough to compare, but doesn't appear to have the zip his brother did either. I hope we get him, since he's got familiarity with the program and the offense from high school certainly translates to what the Rams run. Kid can grow too, work ethic in that family is top notch so I'd expect the younger brother to be in the same mold from that perspective.

Where else would he go, he’s no FCS guy that’s for sure..

[Iupgh]

Just a guess ... but my money would be on No. 20?

He acted like a fool after the first game.

#7 for Shepherd a real Ass hat, dude was chirping all game and after…His own team was telling him to shut up kinda funny. Thought Shepherd overall discipline and class was subpar #30 another dude that needs a talking to. Looks like big Ernie has minimal if any control…just sayin

[IUPNation]

Tort took a massive freshmen class last year (31) and just three transfers (all D2 transfers). I think 25 or 26 redshirted this year.

He said tonight that had others (SRU was mentioned) been taking more HS players last year that they'd have never got all those guys.

Of course, now the question is how many can you keep here. Certainly, they probably have a couple that won't or didn't work out. I'll be curious to see how many of the 31 are here for Spring ball. If retention is high, that's an incredible building block for the years to come.

He said tonight they'll obviously hit the portal for some OL and DL this winter. But, as a whole, IUP isn't going to be a 'portal program'.

It was probably the best Hawk Talk of the year tonight. They took some crowd questions that were more pointed than we are used to on the show.

Tort is getting very good at spinning answers (not to Joe Lombardi's level but nonetheless). The crowd asked about the conditions of Miller, poor attendance at both playoff games, etc.

As some know, Lombardi is a very polished interviewer and can be asked a direct question about why grass is green and answer it with a 3-minute sermon about the type of soap he uses to wash his car. At the end of 3 minutes it sounds incredible but you realize he totally ignored the question.

Anyway, Tort said Pietropola is not coming back. That could change but as of now he's done. Dylan Grubbs likely is returning in the Fall. McClean Dojoha (sp) is returning in the Fall but has to sit out the spring as he's almost out of semesters.

Jack asked about the mythical Danielson DL from TJ. Tort didn't say much other than he'll join the team in the Spring.

Tort also said if his players enter the portal they can basically pack up and leave. They aren't taking them back. I beleive that for Average Joe. We'll see when a star enters. But, stars get treated differently. That's just reality.

My question: WTF was that?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You can see high school recruiting becoming a loser's game. Not entirely, but you certainly can't put as much stock in it as you used to. Pitt lost 7 verbal commitments this year, which is the most since Narduzzi has been head coach. And I'm convinced they'll probably get better guys in the portal who will contribute next year than they would with those recruits in the next 2 years. In high school, recruits are using non-elite P5 schools to get noticed, offered, and commit to early, get better their senior year, and drive their price up in terms of NIL, etc. They decommit and head to Clemson, or UGA, or ND, etc. Then those same kids transfer out in a year or two.

It's a 9-12 month commitment nowadays. Not 4 years.

They are advised that schools like Pitt will always be waiting for them. So they go get the back early.

Tort took a massive freshmen class last year (31) and just three transfers (all D2 transfers). I think 25 or 26 redshirted this year.

He said tonight that had others (SRU was mentioned) been taking more HS players last year that they'd have never got all those guys.

Of course, now the question is how many can you keep here. Certainly, they probably have a couple that won't or didn't work out. I'll be curious to see how many of the 31 are here for Spring ball. If retention is high, that's an incredible building block for the years to come.

He said tonight they'll obviously hit the portal for some OL and DL this winter. But, as a whole, IUP isn't going to be a 'portal program'.

It was probably the best Hawk Talk of the year tonight. They took some crowd questions that were more pointed than we are used to on the show.

Tort is getting very good at spinning answers (not to Joe Lombardi's level but nonetheless). The crowd asked about the conditions of Miller, poor attendance at both playoff games, etc.

As some know, Lombardi is a very polished interviewer and can be asked a direct question about why grass is green and answer it with a 3-minute sermon about the type of soap he uses to wash his car. At the end of 3 minutes it sounds incredible but you realize he totally ignored the question.

Anyway, Tort said Pietropola is not coming back. That could change but as of now he's done. Dylan Grubbs likely is returning in the Fall. McClean Dojoha (sp) is returning in the Fall but has to sit out the spring as he's almost out of semesters.

Jack asked about the mythical Danielson DL from TJ. Tort didn't say much other than he'll join the team in the Spring.

Tort also said if his players enter the portal they can basically pack up and leave. They aren't taking them back. I beleive that for Average Joe. We'll see when a star enters. But, stars get treated differently. That's just reality.

[IUP24]

You can see high school recruiting becoming a loser's game. Not entirely, but you certainly can't put as much stock in it as you used to. Pitt lost 7 verbal commitments this year, which is the most since Narduzzi has been head coach. And I'm convinced they'll probably get better guys in the portal who will contribute next year than they would with those recruits in the next 2 years. In high school, recruits are using non-elite P5 schools to get noticed, offered, and commit to early, get better their senior year, and drive their price up in terms of NIL, etc. They decommit and head to Clemson, or UGA, or ND, etc. Then those same kids transfer out in a year or two.

It's a 9-12 month commitment nowadays. Not 4 years.

They are advised that schools like Pitt will always be waiting for them. So they go get the bag early.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

That's literally 90% of all D2 transfers. If you aren't a legitimate starter, you are walking onto another d2 program or going d3 non scholarship. A lot of them get hit with that reality quickly, when nobody calls for the first couple weeks, while they are peddling grainy practice film of their "highlights" to every coach they can search for on twitter.

It's a big number, but perhaps not that big.

Many, many transfer players are just looking to move up in rank (i.e. get the heck out of Lock Haven and get to SRU, IUP, Shepherd, etc.).

These new rules have just about now made it impossible to win at many of our schools. You go to Clarion, LHU, etc., to get your foot in the door. The better programs are taking less and less high school recruits. Get some film and get the heck out of there.

As a whole, the Clarion's of the world don't have enough good players to compete, but they all have some players who could play/contribute at the better programs.

We're witnessing the creation of a feeder program within our own conference.


Obviously, coaching changes result in spikes, too. And, many of these coaches are like used car salesmen during the recruiting process. Some players just want to leave and get a fresh start.

[Ram040506]

Imagine being a player who goes into the portal
and nobody wants you, and you to face your current coaches as of now they really don’t like you anymore, since you pretty much said they sucked and tried to flee…

That's literally 90% of all D2 transfers. If you aren't a legitimate starter, you are walking onto another d2 program or going d3 non scholarship. A lot of them get hit with that reality quickly, when nobody calls for the first couple weeks, while they are peddling grainy practice film of their "highlights" to every coach they can search for on twitter.

[IUPNation]

Imagine being a player who goes into the portal
and nobody wants you, and you to face your current coaches as of now they really don’t like you anymore, since you pretty much said they sucked and tried to flee…

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The COVID bonus year certainly skews the numbers. But, that's a crazy big number that will only grow daily.

Yep.

The other big item coming ... the old report card day ... sends even more in to the portal. Academically ineligible at one school may not mean academically ineligible at your new school.

It could be a great off-season if you have coin to spend.

[Fightingscot82]

The COVID bonus year certainly skews the numbers. But, that's a crazy big number that will only grow daily.

Bonus year plus the new rule that every player gets one "free" transfer that can't be blocked and doesn't require them to sit out if they move up or over. I read that the bonus year is driving a lot of the graduate transfers.

[Pine Ridge]

972 football players in the D2 portal as of this morning. Good Lord.

The COVID bonus year certainly skews the numbers. But, that's a crazy big number that will only grow daily.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You had previously mentioned Pietropola coming back but he has honored on Senior Day which usually indicates not returning. Make no mistake, if he returns that is a big thing. Having 3 returnees from the outstanding OL, including the Center, is a lot better than having 2 and not including the Center. The hole on the defensive side at DT is clear but IUP should probably be in the market for OL, too. I don't know what the feelings are about this year's second-teamers but in an interview recently I heard Tort start to go off about a big dropoff from the starters to the backups and then he kinda caught himself.

Jack asked Pietropola point blank on the Tort Show a couple weeks ago and he said he hadn't made up his mind yet. Connor Kelly went through the same thing last year (walked on senior day, etc.) before deciding to come back. Once the dust settles a lot of these guys realize it's a lot to walk away from and decide to stay. Play college football in a fun college town for another year or start the 9-5 routine.

They get real young real fast on the OL behind this years group. Most of the backups were redshirt freshmen. I think they'll certainly add at least (1) OL via the portal.

[Ram Tough]

Just a guess ... but my money would be on No. 20?

He acted like a fool after the first game.

We have a winner. You can see him clearly on the WRNR feed taunting and acting like a loon. I'm not saying that there weren't players on each team chirping at each other, but his teammates kept yanking him away only for him to keep trotting back over.