re: Jelani Watkins has entered the Portal

I’m not tripping about a WR but this is so frickimg stupid. You didn’t even play with the current staff. Now we will pretty much have a completely new staff, why not wait to see how you fit in with this new offense?

No OL...the defense was getting to the qb as fast as the receivers could get off the line

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Don’t understand this one.

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What is so hard to understand, he was never going to play here

If he’s good as the hype here he may wind up sticking around.

You don’t transfer out as a WR if you’re going to start for a coach incoming who typically has offenses dropping 500+ yds per game.

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If he’s good as the hype here he may wind up sticking around.

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The hype here about him as a football player is not warranted. This thread is ridiculous.

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You don’t transfer out as a WR if you’re going to start for a coach incoming who typically has offenses dropping 500+ yds per game.

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He’s not really a WR, though. He’s like 5’9” 170 pounds. He’s not running routes down the field. He’s a gadget guy that is probably only really good for jet sweeps or other gadget plays around the LOS. And the effectiveness of that is negated by everybody knowing this whenever he’s on the field. And he’s not a great decoy because he’s not strong enough to block.

Our horizontal offense this year suggested he’s not strong enough to break tackles either, because if he could, he would have played. But all those horizontal screens this year required our WR to make at least the 1st guy miss and probably breaking a 2nd. Our offense sucked and did the WRs no favors, but if he had that in his game, he would have played.

He’s not big enough to get off the LOS and get downfield just running GO routes. At his size, he would have to be an incredible route runner, which he’s not. His WR development was no doubt stunted by track career.

I’m not criticizing him at all. He’s just too special at track to give up any time devoted to it. And he can’t put on any weight for football that would slow him down for track. So he’s a tiny WR who spends most of his time running in a straight line. He doesn’t have that Aaron Anderson route running ability, which he’d have to, because he hasn’t been able to develop it due to his focus on track. And a lot of that is innate anyway.

I hope he stays for track. And I’d prefer he stay for football, but we’re gonna have to bring in some real, all around WRs, and I don’t think there’s a whole lot of money for Watkins as a WR. So this is smart by him. He’d be much more valuable as a football player somewhere else where he wouldn’t be 6th on the depth chart. If he’s looking for money, I hope he gets it. But he may find out there’s not a big market for him, because of his physical limitations and all the football development he’ll—rightfully—miss due to his track commitments.

Kiffin has not probably had a chance to talk with him.

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So like a Holiday? 170lbs is not too small to throw a block from the WR position.

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Holiday was a RB. He lined up at WR some, but I don’t remember boxing being a part of his game. But he had that quickness and cutting ability that he developed as a RB. Don’t think Watkins has that. If he did, he would have played.

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m not saying he’s great (I don’t have a clue) this just seems a little overly dismissive.

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I’m not dismissing him as a football player, I’m complimenting him as a track athlete. He’s on another level than Trindon. You don’t make it to the Olympics without spending as much time as you can on it. At that level, technique—getting of the block—can be the difference in standing on the podium and not making the team.

Again, I hope he stays. Entering the portal doesn’t prevent that. He’s testing his market as a forkball player. Unfortunately, I think he’ll find it’s not as high as he’d like. Not a slight on him as a football player, just a realization of how special he is at track.

Good luck to him!

Kiffin and staff need to go back after him. He has internationally elite speed and can play. Kelly didn't know what he had and ignored him. Had no plan. Kiffin will.