re: Barbe's QB Kennon Fontenot should garner serious consideration

quote:

---

It rivals "____ doesn't have the chest."

---

Yep. Also: Wait till Moffit gets a holt to 'im.

quote:

---

The risk for taking him is the same or less of taking a player that fits the physical bill, but playing at a school at A or AA against lesser competition in some cases.

---

Who are we taking that fits this description?

quote:

---

All recruiting sites say 5'10",

---

I'd be surprised if he's 5'10. I'd say 5-8/5-9, somewhere in there. Perhaps he's hit a growth spurt though.

But when I saw him during the season, he was 5'9" tops.

As for Flutie, he was a dying breed. He played in the early 80s, as offenses were shifting to taller offensive lines as they adjusted to the still relatively new rules on what was construed as holding (the NFL changed the interpretation in 1978 that allowed linemen to extend their hands...I think colleges changed a bit later). The change had a profound impact because it sort of changed what an offensive lineman needed to look like.

As coaches figured out the importance of being able to reach out and get your hands on somebody (remember, in the 70's that would have been called holding and linemen were required to keep their hands on while pass blocking) linemen started getting taller as height and wingspan became more important traits.

The days of the 6-foot center who plays "low" are over. Nobody's diving at feet in the running game except the service academies. Lines are 6'3" and above across-the-board. The 5-foot-9 QB gets swallowed up more than ever.

That said, I don't think Kennon won't get opportunities. I just think he knows he's a better baseball prospect and he's sent out the smoke signals that baseball is his sport for the next level.

If he wanted to play college QB, I think he could, but probably at the FCS or maybe Sun Belt level. Don't be surprised if ULL and McNeese don't try to bring him in with the promise of being able to play both sports. With the relative parity in college baseball because of the 11.7-schollie limit, it's not the same big drop in competition from LSU to ULL or even LSU to McNeese like it is in football.

If he wants to play two sports, the state schools could be a great option. I'm wondering if Tulane tries to offer that too.

At the end of the day, I don't think it's going to matter. I think the kid eliminates football himself, so he'll take an SEC baseball scholarship.

quote:

---

Who are we taking that fits this description

---

From the recent past, the kid from Elton. Great physical specimen and dominant in the lower classifications. I don't want to be negative about any of our recruits, just trying to be comparative in the risks encountered.

Fontenot has performed at a high level against the best competition in Louisiana and that has to be weighed in as much as his height or lack thereof.

quote:

---

The comparison I gave was valid.

---

I don't think the comparison is valid at all. A 5A player who has big stats is more likely to "just" be a good high school player than a kid in Class 1A who has all the measureables AND dominates on the field.

You take 10 5A players who put up huge numbers in high schools but lack the measurables and 10 1A-2A players who have all the measureables and dominated their class and I'll take the small school guys any day of the week. Eight out of 10 times the kid with the physical tools will be the one who succeeds. You'll always get your underachievers and your overachievers.

quote:

---

Read my post dude

---

I did. You suggested Fontenot should get a shot over a guy from a small school because he has proven himself against 5A competition.

Dude, 5A is full of good high school football players whose talents don't translate to the college level. Sure there are plenty of 5A players who pan out, but there are busts too.

At Fontenot's own school, the late Scott Ayers (RIP) was a great 2,000-yard rusher, but his talents did not translate to LSU. Similarly, Chad Cooley was running for a 1,000 yards as a sophomore, but his future was clearly baseball.

At the other end, you've had guys like Bennie Logan do very well coming out of tiny, rural schools and I bet Ronald Martin does more than hold his own as a starting safety next year.

Talk to 10 recruiters and every single one will tell you to let them take those 10 guys that look good off the bus and let's figure out which ones can play. If there are any spots left when that's done, they may take one or two of your overachievers to fill spots.

Again, if Al Woods is your example of what LSU should avoid to make room for the Kennon Fontenots of the world, that's a bad example. If Elton had another player that was big like Al and moved like Al tomorrow, I'd take him in a heartbeat. I don't care if his only experience has been beating up on 145-pound guards from Hamilton and Rosepine, I'm taking the 6-5, 300-pounder who scores touchdowns as a fullback and is a man amongst boys.

Will the next Class 1A player who looks like Al Woods also have trouble playing with a low pad level? Maybe. Maybe not. Will the next 5A quarterback who is 5-foot-9 have trouble seeing over the line? I guarantee you he will.

quote:

---

Take all the measureables into your class that you want coach. You'll have a great looking team getting off the bus and get your arse handed to you on gameday.

---

Michael Clayton, Marcus Spears, Eric Edwards, Rudy Niswanger, Bennie Logan, Odell Beckham, Daniel Francis, Corey Webster, we should never recruit 1A or 2A again.

quote:

---

Well, where have you been? Nice posts. You kind of remind me of Prominentwon before he lost his chest.

---

Lost it in South Bend somewhere?

He would get destroyed in SEC competition. He is very elusive but we played him the playoffs and we lit him up pretty good to the point he was dragging arse at half time. They started handing off to their RB and relying on their quick passing game so he wouldn't take as many hits.

With all that being said, I was very impressed with his grit and quickness and he did throw an accurate ball, but I can't see him holding up as a QB in D1.