Check out the latest batch of weekly answers…
1) You mentioned Harkey’s maturation and Fauria contributing to a ‘tight end emphasis’ this season … Were Paulsen and Moya so very far behind those guys? – Anonymous
The problem with Paulsen and Moya was they were pretty similar receivers – both were mid-range guys. I think Fauria is developing into a more versatile tight end, even the routes they’re running him. Harkey, meanwhile, is more in the traditional tight end role. Good balance between the two.
2) You know what I liked best about the 2006 Final Four team? Except the Cameroun Connection, all the players were basically from L.A. Erego, why is Howland so obsessed with guys in Michigan? Why not just lock up the best players from the City Section each year? – Anonymous
I’ve wondered the same. Before the ’08 class, Howland seemed to have his best success with a mixture of local guys and one big name a year. The ’08 class was all big names. I think he should go back to what worked, but maybe those Final Four runs overinflated the need for getting MAJOR recruits. These are interesting times.
3) A lot of the football recruits expressed confidence in major playing time, or even starting, as freshmen. What’s it going to be like when they start competing with guys who may have thought they won a position in spring or who think their previous experience puts them higher on the depth chart? – Anonymous
Like death, taxes and Simon Cowell, that will never go away. Freshmen always come in and think they’ll be the best freshman in the country. Comes with the gig. They’ll learn very quickly how they stack up. They always do.
4) Aside from playing with his father at Detroit, what school has the next best chance of landing Ray McCallum? Also, with the open coaching vacancies, and since both McCallum’s and Zeigler’s fathers are coaches at mid-major schools, do you see any potential “package deals,” whereby Howland hires either or both their fathers in order to successfully recruit Ray Jr. and Trey? – trueblue
I don’t really see a package deal happening. Yeah, I guess it “could” happen, but I doubt it. McCallum is playing it pretty close to the vest, and the longer Zeigler waits, the worse it bodes for UCLA.
5) Do you think D4 gets into the competition for the SS spot this year, or does he red shirt? I know he was talking about being a freshman all-american when he announced for UCLA so i dont think he wants to red shirt. Thanks – 909Bruin
Not many actually want to redshirt. I think he ends up in that awkward in-between stage between 2nd string and 3rd string, where it becomes really difficult to crack the field. Then again, he’s a real ballplayer, and he could win the job.