This team, while talented, and tough, is just clunky. The parts never gelled... and frankly, I don't think the coaching, for the first time in Kirby's tenure, is that great. It happened with Saban in the end too. Continuity is tough when you win. Coley (and I like him) and Williams were dismal. Searals blew. I think not having Pittman's talent started catching up, and I think that trend will continue in '25, if I'm being honest.
I feel fine about the defense overall going into next year, but not giddy. There are players on the DL and secondary we would have landed three years ago, but simply couldn't outbid the compeition. I think we could be a top 5 defense, but I'm not entirely sure that should be an expectation anymore. ILB is the only position where we are freaky, and I don't think that trend will end. Not so much because of CGS, but pedigree and ILB's seem to be the one positon teams in which aren't spending a ton.
I still think we're going to have to rely on grinding games out and hoping the defense bails us out. I don't see the offense getting sexier. Stockton is who I thought he was (got roasted for that), our OL won't improve and we can't stay in the arms race for premium skill players.
We have come down to Earth. It's more about the zeitgeist of the sport than anything else. I think we will be contenders most years in the SEC. I don't believe the expectation of being a top 3 team every year should be a thing, but then again, few teams in history have had a run where that should be an expectation every year. It's not about Kirby's ability to recruit the old fashioned way, it's simply about the abiility of certain programs to nab difference makers that we can't.
You can have top 3 overall talent all day, but it's hard to have top 3 overall results when you can't afford the difference makers.
I think we'll be more consistent than most teams. I think Kirby's philosophy of developing and keeping seasoned players will allow us to reliably maintain top 8ish status most years, where I think most teams will have more ebbs and flows. I just think the ability to bring in mercs for immediate help, will keep us behind tOSU, Texas and probably Oregon most years going forward.
I feel fine about the defense overall going into next year, but not giddy. There are players on the DL and secondary we would have landed three years ago, but simply couldn't outbid the compeition. I think we could be a top 5 defense, but I'm not entirely sure that should be an expectation anymore. ILB is the only position where we are freaky, and I don't think that trend will end. Not so much because of CGS, but pedigree and ILB's seem to be the one positon teams in which aren't spending a ton.
I still think we're going to have to rely on grinding games out and hoping the defense bails us out. I don't see the offense getting sexier. Stockton is who I thought he was (got roasted for that), our OL won't improve and we can't stay in the arms race for premium skill players.
We have come down to Earth. It's more about the zeitgeist of the sport than anything else. I think we will be contenders most years in the SEC. I don't believe the expectation of being a top 3 team every year should be a thing, but then again, few teams in history have had a run where that should be an expectation every year. It's not about Kirby's ability to recruit the old fashioned way, it's simply about the abiility of certain programs to nab difference makers that we can't.
You can have top 3 overall talent all day, but it's hard to have top 3 overall results when you can't afford the difference makers.
I think we'll be more consistent than most teams. I think Kirby's philosophy of developing and keeping seasoned players will allow us to reliably maintain top 8ish status most years, where I think most teams will have more ebbs and flows. I just think the ability to bring in mercs for immediate help, will keep us behind tOSU, Texas and probably Oregon most years going forward.
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