re: Do you feel Tiger fans are putting unfair expectations on LF for next season?

No. I think the ones who think he does great are exactly like the ones who saw Hilliard go from back of the pack his true freshman year, to scoring 9 TDs in 6 games.

Or saw true freshman Hill run for 740 yards and 12 TDs in 8 games his true freshman year. BTW, each backfield had four other players, almost all with two years more of experience.

Or maybe they've seen that since 2010 there has been a true freshman back in the SEC with at least 850 yards rushing. Or maybe the fact that 5 true freshman backs since 2010, have gone over 1000 yards rushing, in the SEC alone.




Who cares about our expectations? They aren't hurting him. Every year, these players are coming out more and more prepared, and are putting up gaudy numbers in year one. I'm going to believe he totals 1200-1500 yards and 14-16 TDs until he doesn't.

Unfair? Probably.

Warranted? Perhaps.

We shall see. I honestly didn't believe the hype on Hill untill he exploded in the USCe game.

Regardless, LF will be a solid back. Our offense is built for him to excell.

However, I think his stats next year will depend a lot on how well the passing attack can rebound after losing Beckham, Landry, and Mett.

If Jennings and company struggle next year, then I expect a lot of stacked boxes.

I think it's unrealistic to think LF comes in and blows it up his freshman year, but he very well could. The key is that we return all but one starter on the O-line so he will be running behind a solid line which will set him up for good success. Caveat that we have picked up what hopefully is an upgrade at O-line coach.

The one negative will be that without Mett you know opponents will stack the box even more than they did last season. There will be no respect for our passing game until AJ, Harris or whoever gets the QB spot burns a few teams that cheat up on us. I think we will see a lot of close games next season and hopefully our line and run game will impose its will in the 4th qtr and close games out.

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I honestly didn't believe the hype on Hill untill he exploded in the USCe game.

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So glad that was the game I picked to attend that season. Watching Hill bust on to the scene live was incredible.

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Tiger fans... unfair expectations

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Is this even a real question?

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I mean the kid got 238 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first high school game.
That's not normal.

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Maybe not, but I find it really hard to watch HS tape. You can tell the guys are good, but they are often far more physically developed for their age than any other player on the field. This is rarely the case once they get to college. Which is why I think a lot of line recruits struggle to make the jump from HS to college because they are no longer the biggest player on the field. It takes time to learn technique when you have been using sheer size your whole life.

I wouldn't be surprised if LF needs time to adjust to the speed of the college game. As others have said, I expect Magee to get the lion's share of the carries early on as the ease LF into the offense.

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Maybe not, but I find it really hard to watch HS tape. You can tell the guys are good, but they are often far more physically developed for their age than any other player on the field. This is rarely the case once they get to college. Which is why I think a lot of line recruits struggle to make the jump from HS to college because they are no longer the biggest player on the field. It takes time to learn technique when you have been using sheer size your whole life.

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OH, I certainly agree. I'm not saying that will translate to equal stats at the college level.
There is no comparison between HS and College level.
But he has the size, speed, and vision (as a freshman) to be a top 5 college RB.
Whether or not he realizes that lies a lot with Magees performance and the teams ability to complete a pass.
But he's a rare "turn-key" recruit who is ready to go right away.
Even if he averages under half of the stat line he put up as a 14 year old - you're still looking at a pretty special freshman.

He said he was going to win the Heisman and national championship. I think he has the bases covered on the expectations front.

No. He's the number one player in high school football. Should be no excuses.

We have seen frosh blow up at seasons end. Jv, hilliard, hill. Not saying they tore the sec up, but with lack of depth they might have seen more carries earlier on. That is the diff, we lack depth now.