re: Sign the top 2 Louisiana quarterbacks

Here's a novel idea: sign QB's that actually fit the system your run. You know pocket passers who can take a snap from under center where speed is a luxury and not a necessity.

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You sign at least two every year. LSU has to quit this exclusivity crap. Sign them, let them compete...but quit zeroing in on one guy just hoping he will marry you at the end of a long date.

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Nobody signs 2 QBs a year, every year. There are years where it makes sense to get 2, but as long as you get one guy a year who you feel can compete by his Junior year, that's good most of the time. Then you supplement from there.

Now, I agree with not marrying yourself to one guy for an entire class. That puts you in a very disadvantageous position if he bails, like with Franks this year. You have to keep recruiting other guys, no matter how good you feel about them. If a highly touted QB can't understand that, then let him move on. If they have a clear understanding of how recruiting works, they will understand that a school has to cover themselves and build depth.

McMillan is a good example of this. He knew he would redshirt this year, and was still very excited about coming, and made that public. You need guys like that who are willing to come in, be developed, and wait. I agree that these types of guys are important. However, on the flip side, you can't take all projects either. Other than Harris, everyone we've taken recently is a true project. Jennings. McMillan. Etling has question marks and just one year in a bad program. Even Franks is pretty raw. Hell, Harris may have the tools, but we've seen that he still has plenty of developing to do over the next two years. The last 4* pure pro style guy we recruited was probably Rettig, and Cam ran him off.

Eventually, you do have to go after a guy like Haskins, who looks a little more polished right out of high school. You can't put all of your eggs in the project guy basket at a school as big as LSU. Who are the projects that have panned out here? Herb Tyler. Matt Mauck. Was Rohan Davey really a project? Even if you count him, that's 3 guys in 20 years. Should LSU hitch its wagon to the best available in LA, and just call it a day?

The staff has to find a balance with the QB position between chasing stars, developing project guys, and keeping QB depth at a reasonable level. They have obviously struggled to do so for many years. Even Saban and Jimbo were caught with nothing but raw and unprepared guys in 02 and 04. DiNardo flat out got lucky with Herb Tyler. This isn't anything new.

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has anyone here watched chase fourcade from rummel? seems to be a good kid and pretty good player from the one game i watched on tv and from what i read.

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I like Fourcade. He's solid. A winner.

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Look at the guys who were successful here in the past. Only J. Russell was highly touted. I would take a Matt Flynn or Matt Mauck any day --- they lead, they fight, and eventually they deliver.

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Recruiting has become such a "camp" thing these days. Watch the film. Level of competition. Impact on the HS program. IQ. And don't offer just because everyone else has.

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Impact on the HS program. IQ. And don't offer just because everyone else has.

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These look to have been factors in recruiting McMillan.

I would take Wudtee before Kelly. The latter has baggage.

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You seem to be forgetting our recent history. Remember Rivers and Hatch?

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This. Out of the project guys you bring in, 1 in every 4 or 5 will be a contributor. The rest will ride the pine, get a degree, and enjoy the experience, or will transfer out to somewhere they can get on the field. This is just reality.

Again, I'm not opposed to bringing a guy like this in every other class, but we can't expect to win depending on one out of a bunch of guys who are unknowns panning out every year. That's how we end up with Jennings and Hatch starting in the SEC.

Is it too much to ask to have a QB with some pocket awareness, is accurate and can understand the game of football?

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Part of the problem is that many high school programs run offenses that do not require or facilitate the development of any of these skills.

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This is the key here. Anyone saying that good pocket passing, pro style quarterbacks are all over Louisiana are fooling themselves.

Go watch any of the programs in our state play. The QB is almost ALWAYS a dual threat. They all take from shotgun. They are all glorified running backs. That's how Louisiana high school football has been played for the last 20 years or so.

The teams fell in love with not having to teach passing mechanics so they started putting the best athletes on the team at QB. Not the guy that can actually sling it. Once the spread offense came out it made it even easier on these "dual threat" QBs to eat up defenses with a subpar understanding of the passing game.

TL:DR You don't go to Louisiana for a true pro style pocket passer anymore.