New Football Roster

Back-to-back PL champs 2016 and 2017.... but need to get back to relevance in the national FCS scene.
TMH
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by TMH » Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:08 pm

Expectations

Patience is only half the problem. I knew that there would be a lot of disappointment among a segment of our fan base when for whatever reason they assessed that Lehigh had the talent to win the PL when our latest coach was hired. Unrealistic expectations has no upside.

So how bare were the cupboards when Gilmore took over?

Defense

In 2018, Lehigh had one of the worst defenses in FCS football allowing 35 ppg and it wasn't just one year. See the earlier illustration. There should have been no doubt in anyone's mind that this should be priority #1 for any new coach and was likely the key reason we hired Gilmore.

Offense

In 2017, the Lehigh offense was in the Top 10 nationally in the FCS, obviously our strength. We had 3 offensive getting All-American recognition including a 1st Team RB. We averaged 36 ppg while giving up 41. In 2018, 3 long time and much decorated OL graduated and the other 2 got hurt. Bragalone went from 126 ypg (5.5 pc) to 75 yd pg and (3.5 pc). The All American QB (Mays) went from 324 ypg passing completing 64% of his passes to 189 ypg and 51%. The team scored 16 ppg and when the new coach took over he had an even more decimated OL and the the All-Americans had graduated. Only 1 QB on the roster had minimal experience and even less success.


Special Teams


For the 4 years prior to Gilmore's arrival, Ed Mish did virtually all the kicking and punting and did it well. He too graduated and left an unknown as to what would follow.

Any objective observer would need to admit that aspirations for a PL championship was an absolute long shot.

The problems don't end there though. Gilmore isn't hired January 8. That is approx 1 month before the signing period begins for football. There are only 11 recruits signed in the early period and about 30 spots to fill. In the month, he has to assemble a coaching staff. Identify needs and target remaining prospects and get their signature on paper. This is not an excuse. It is a fact. Only then can this staff begin to evaluate what they even have before spring practices begin a month later.


TMH
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by TMH » Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:39 pm

The last part of my 3 part segment :-)

The 76ers have a philosophy of "Trust The Process".

So, how is the process going because that is what I'm going to be looking for this season? Please keep in mind that this past spring was NOT a real season in anyone but the most avid fan's mind. It was nothing more than the annual spring workouts with a few scrimmages. Actually, the normal spring workouts would have been preceded by summer workouts followed by a real football season. For many, this was probably one of the first times working as a unit in about a year. Place to credence in it.

So IMO, priority one was to fix the defense. You can't win titles when you give up 35 ppg. The defense improved significantly in year one and seemed to be improving again in this abomination of a spring season. On paper, it seems to have gone from a real weakness to our strength. Check that box.

Now I want to see the offense progress. I have no idea how effective our skill players can be without a solid, co-hesive offensive line (See 2018) however the coaching staff has brought in a 3-star QB to compete with all the others in house. Any QB though will need effective practice time to develop the synergy needed to get the best results. Wilkinson will have that opportunity for the first time this summer. The running back corp which is think is underrated because of the O-Line situation will be bolstered significantly with the addition of a pair of absolute studs in Hartman and Garcia. Suddenly, we may have one of the most talented and deepest RB corp in the PL but again see the OL.
So the next step in the process is the Offensive line which will need to be built from the inside out with Gurth at center. There was a lot of movement in the OL in the spring, trying to evaluate who fits in where. The long term answer may be in Gilmore's last recruiting class which includes two 3*** offensive linemen including a 6-9, 315# mountain plus one of the top OG in PA. If these guys can gel and stay healthy, we may have the pieces for an offensive juggernaut again but it may not come overnight. That's where we trust the process. Developing an effective OL typically doesn't happen overnight but I certainly like the direction we are heading in.
Lehigh74
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by Lehigh74 » Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:13 pm

Great analysis TMH. Makes me feel a lot more positive about the upcoming season.
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van
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by van » Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:37 pm

Lehigh74 wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:13 pm Great analysis TMH. Makes me feel a lot more positive about the upcoming season.
i think we all can agree that this years success rides on the backs of the OL and kicking
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:50 pm

TMH,

This best part of this debate is the season is right around the corner so the everyone will lay their cards on the table for all to see. While the defense has improved significantly under Gilmore the offense has regressed to the point where it's a net wash. I have zero faith in Brisson as an OC and a developer of talent. He's Troy Brown 2.0, perhaps even worse. Granted, Cecchini and Folmar were homerun OC's so the bar was/should be very high. I have very little faith in QB development and the OL still lacks continuity (personnel/coaching) as well as depth. I just don't see the staff being up to cover up those warts.

The spring was an excellent time to see what you had and build momentum into the fall. Holy Cross continues to build momentum under Chesney and got to travel to Brookings to play SDSU. That's an awesome experience and momentum builder! Plus they likely found their QB of the future in Sluka. Cecchini had Bucknell one win away from the spring playoffs. That's a confidence builder for a program who's experienced very little success since Tom Gadd passed away. Look at the noise Fordham and their offense made during the spring. The Holy Cross faithful know the Rams are a legit threat to their throne in 2021. Lehigh on the other hand went through he motions en route to a winless spring which I predicted would happen (look it up in the spring thread). Lafayette has more mojo going after their first winning campaign since 2009 and are riding a 2 straight winning wave over Lehigh.

I respect your posts TMH but I will stand by my posts too. I've put in a tremendous amount of time, LFN too, researching and understanding the nuances and minutiae of PL/FCS football. My track record is pretty damn good quite frankly.

What's your record prediction? I have 3-8 with a real shot at 2-9/1-10. I put the odds of a winning season at 10%. Obviously I want to be wrong but I do not like what I see/hear....

Villanova, Richmond, Princeton, Colgate, Yale, Penn, Fordham, Holy Cross and Bucknell to start. I love it!!
Last edited by Go Lehigh TU Owl on Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TMH
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by TMH » Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:55 pm

TMH wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:39 pm The last part of my 3 part segment :-)

The 76ers have a philosophy of "Trust The Process".

So, how is the process going because that is what I'm going to be looking for this season? Please keep in mind that this past spring was NOT a real season in anyone but the most avid fan's mind. It was nothing more than the annual spring workouts with a few scrimmages. Actually, the normal spring workouts would have been preceded by summer workouts followed by a real football season. For many, this was probably one of the first times working as a unit in about a year. Place no credence in it.

So IMO, priority one was to fix the defense. You can't win titles when you give up 35 ppg. The defense improved significantly in year one and seemed to be improving again in this abomination of a spring season. On paper, it seems to have gone from a real weakness to our strength. Check that box.

Now I want to see the offense progress. I have no idea how effective our skill players can be without a solid, co-hesive offensive line (See 2018) however the coaching staff has brought in a 3-star QB to compete with all the others in house. Any QB though will need effective practice time to develop the synergy needed to get the best results. Wilkinson will have that opportunity for the first time this summer. The running back corp which I think is underrated because of the O-Line situation will be bolstered significantly with the addition of a pair of absolute studs in Hartman and Garcia. Suddenly, we may have one of the most talented and deepest RB corp in the PL but again see the OL.
So the next step in the process is the Offensive line which will need to be built from the inside out with Gurth at center. There was a lot of movement in the OL in the spring, trying to evaluate who fits in where. The long term answer may be in Gilmore's last recruiting class which includes two 3*** offensive linemen including a 6-9, 315# mountain plus one of the top OG in PA. If these guys can gel and stay healthy, we may have the pieces for an offensive juggernaut again but it may not come overnight. That's where we trust the process. Developing an effective OL typically doesn't happen overnight but I certainly like the direction we are heading in.
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:05 pm

van wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:37 pm
Lehigh74 wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:13 pm Great analysis TMH. Makes me feel a lot more positive about the upcoming season.
i think we all can agree that this years success rides on the backs of the OL and kicking
I personally think it comes down to coaching and player development.

Who is going to be the QB? That's still a major question mark too.
Go Lehigh TU Owl
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by Go Lehigh TU Owl » Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:39 pm

TMH wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:08 pm The problems don't end there though. Gilmore isn't hired January 8. That is approx 1 month before the signing period begins for football. There are only 11 recruits signed in the early period and about 30 spots to fill. In the month, he has to assemble a coaching staff. Identify needs and target remaining prospects and get their signature on paper. This is not an excuse. It is a fact. Only then can this staff begin to evaluate what they even have before spring practices begin a month later.
Bucknell hired Dave Cecchini February 6th 2019, nearly a month after Sterrett hired Gilmore. Dave was able to maintain a very solid recruiting class in 2019. Getting hired from December through early February is not unheard of. It's simply part of being a head coach/athletic director.

How about Temple in 2018? Hired Manny Diaz on December 13th, he leaves for Miami on December 30th. Then we hire, err, settle for, Rod Carey on January 10th.
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by LUopa » Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:48 am

We have to get the metrics right. The last full season in 2019 we were 4-7, 3-3 in league with a super difficult OOC schedule. The defense will be better in fall 2021 with an opportunity to be special. I think we could have 4 or 5 1st team All league players on defense. Compared to 2019 season, the OL and QB play should be better. We have the RBs, WRs and TE. I would like to see a little more under center snaps with play action since some of that seemed to work in 2019. 6-5 overall and a 4-2 in league seems like a reasonable goal for this team.
TMH
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Re: New Football Roster

Post by TMH » Mon Jul 12, 2021 10:08 am

Go Lehigh TU Owl wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 11:39 pm
TMH wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 1:08 pm The problems don't end there though. Gilmore isn't hired January 8. That is approx 1 month before the signing period begins for football. There are only 11 recruits signed in the early period and about 30 spots to fill. In the month, he has to assemble a coaching staff. Identify needs and target remaining prospects and get their signature on paper. This is not an excuse. It is a fact. Only then can this staff begin to evaluate what they even have before spring practices begin a month later.
Bucknell hired Dave Cecchini February 6th 2019, nearly a month after Sterrett hired Gilmore. Dave was able to maintain a very solid recruiting class in 2019. Getting hired from December through early February is not unheard of. It's simply part of being a head coach/athletic director.

How about Temple in 2018? Hired Manny Diaz on December 13th, he leaves for Miami on December 30th. Then we hire, err, settle for, Rod Carey on January 10th.
I'm not sure what maintaining a very solid recruiting class means so I had to look it up. Cecchini had 21 freshmen on his 2019 roster. Bucknell reported 16 signings before Dave ever arrived. Dave apparently added 5 walk-ons to fill his roster. One third of that class (7) is now gone after 2 years.

In contrast, There were 12 recruits signed in the early period prior to Gilmore's arrival. The problem was that Lehigh needed 31 bodies to fill the roster. Huge difference.

BTW, I thought that Lehigh will have a really young roster this season. Bucknell's is just as young.
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