I gotta say, this years team has taken me by surprise

[gamecock stock]

Stock - I've already posted some of your gems from this forum. Below is a sample platter from the ON3 Forum -- all from this season. I've also got the sceenshots if you need those.

Everyone knows USC has never been a recruiting juggernaut. We've discussed this ad nauseum on this site - including resources, location, etc.

The piece you continue to miss is that we've got a compounded issue now with the NIL/Portal and the fact we can't hold onto our best players and buy big high school recruits only serves to make the job that much more difficult.

Back to my point, if you're expecting to praise Beamer is these "up" seasons when the pieces come together like they did two years ago, don't be the guy who is giving him hell and talk about other coaches because of a season where it doesn't all connect. And saying stuff like "It's Year 4, Beamer MUST win" runs completely against the staff is having to do with recruits and the portal.

Year 4 means little when you're having to switch out some of your best players each season. Again, the UGA's of college football don't have this issue. They can buy these guys out of high school and they are there for the long haul. That's a very big deal. Because regardless of what we pick up in the portal from year-to-year, it's hard to get these guys on the same page (esp. QBs and WRs) when you're switching them out yearly.

Peace.

---------------

"I'd take Mullen to replace Beamer tonight, if that was an option. Beamer is a cheerleader. Mullen is a coach."

"My response to Beamer would be the words of my old high school football coach: "If you (Beamer) had a brain, you'd take it out and play with it."

"Beamer may be a nice guy, but he is not Head Coach material"

"I wonder what those former players who pushed Beamer to the Board and Tanner are thinking these days about their recommendation?"

"Beamer had 2 weeks to prepare for this game. And that was the best he could do, and at HOME, no less? smh"

"I think Beamer is better than Muschamp. But that's like saying Melissa McCarthy is better than Rosie O'Donnell."

"The bar has been set so low for Beamer with the schedule excuse, you are probably right."

"That comment by Beamer sounds like someone who is in a state of panic."

Ward, I said from the get-go I was not in favor of the Beamer hire. But I praised his performance after years 1 and 2. When facts change, I change. And if the facts change again, I will change again. I give no coach a blank check.

You continue to miss my point regarding recruiting. NIL or no NIL, we will never be able to recruit with the big boys.

Same peace to you 😊

 

[Ward Jr]

Ward, I said from the get-go I was not in favor of the Beamer hire. But I praised his performance after years 1 and 2. When facts change, I change. And if the facts change again, I will change again. I give no coach a blank check.

You continue to miss my point regarding recruiting. NIL or no NIL, we will never be able to recruit with the big boys.

Same peace to you 😊

Sounds good.

Just a quick note though -- those quotes from above are during this season of play.

In the name of fairness, I made certain it wasn't based around last season's outcomes.

 

[uscwatson21]

Believe it's reached the point where you're owed a refund from USC.

You can use your content on this site as evidence for qualification.

I'm sure Biden will hook you up with a reimbursement before he.....oh, wait a minute, the election is over.

At least I actually went to USC...

 

[Ward Jr]

At least I actually went to USC...

And that's an indictment of our University.

 

[gamecock stock]

Sounds good.

Just a quick note though -- those quotes from above are during this season of play.

In the name of fairness, I made certain it wasn't based around last season's outcomes.

Did you include the quote that I recently wrote @On3 that he ought to get a contract extension? As I said, when the facts change, I change my opinion. I believe in verification. That's how I do my investments. I don't jump to conclusions. There's a reason why my average investment returns coming into this year were 30% annually and are up 48% this year.

 

[Ward Jr]

Did you include the quote that I recently wrote @On3 that he ought to get a contract extension? As I said, when the facts change, I change my opinion. I believe in verification. That's how I do my investments. I don't jump to conclusions. There's a reason why my average investment returns coming into this year were 30% annually and are up 48% this year.

You're a Renaissance Man, Stock. Keep on doing what you do.

 

[gamecock stock]

You're a Renaissance Man, Stock. Keep on doing what you do.

Ward, there are only 2 things that I'm really good at: 1. Keeping secrets and 2. Investing.

 

[uscwatson21]

And that's an indictment of our University.

The data shows most faculty would agree with me and find your "logic" to be very irrational.

 

[gamecock stock]

Stock - You were also an unapologetic Harris supporter. Any reflections post election?

You win some you lose some. I want Trump to succeed. I have been hollering about the debt and deficit for awhile. We need to cut it. If not, we will have a debt crisis in then next 2-4 years, probably closer to 2 years. In a debt crisis, we all will suffer.

 

[AikenGameFan]

This whole team has improved. Looking at our offense:
Sellers has come so far this year. By next year he might be a Heisman candidate.
The OL has had great success and they are able to rotate the bench in so much that all our starters stay healthy.
I hope Rocket and JuJu still have the Covid year left. But we have 2 Soph. Braswell is one, and 2 Fresh. On the roster. Maybe they will be ready to shine next season. I would love to see Traevon hit the portal and come back home. He had over 3000 yards and 42 TDs his Sr. year and was 4A player of the year. Hardesty probably got fired for not offering him.
We got about 15 WR coming back next year. Hope they continue to get better.

Our D looked good since the end of last year. White just kept that going.
Just such a good looking team now and being better each week. Can you say 9-3. I think if they keep playing like these last 3 games, they will win the next 3.
Beamer is not going anywhere. He loves it here.

 

[gamecock stock]

I just want to pop in for a second. It looks like we will win at least 7 games this season. Who had even partial clue whatsoever?

LOL

 

[gamecock stock]

21st in the new playoff ranking. Impressive. Clemson is 20th. Still don't think we can get into the playoff. But wipe the field with Missouri and Clemson like we performed in the last 3 games.....well, stranger things have happened.

I've said it many times. I don't expect us to ever win the national championship nor even the SEC. BUT, if we can make the playoffs, to me, that would be like winning the national championship.

 

[DeeDave]

I just want to pop in for a second. It looks like we will win at least 7 games this season. Who had even partial clue whatsoever?

LOL

I think I said I was hoping for 6 wins. So I'm pleased for the season.

I think we can get to 7 wins, 8 would be icing on the cake but I'm happy with 7 and a bowl game.

 

[gamecock stock]

I think I said I was hoping for 6 wins. So I'm pleased for the season.

I think we can get to 7 wins, 8 would be icing on the cake but I'm happy with 7 and a bowl game.

I looked at it as we beat Kentucky in 2022 and 23. We beat Texas A&M at home in 2022 and beat Clemson in Beamer's 2nd season in 2022. I looked at this as being Beamer's 4th season. A program should be way further along in Year 4 than in Year 2. So, why not having the ability to win 7 games in Year 4, after winning 8 in Year 2 ? Now I admit my bias WANTING to win clouded my expectations when I predicted no less than 7 wins this season ....GUILTY as Charged. But still, expecting progress from Year 2 to Year 4 seemed reasonable to me. AND, last but not least, I mentioned the Top 10 Transfer Portal Class we had this past year, would have an impact. We had a Top 10 Transfer Portal Class coming in going into the successful 2022 season. We had a disappointing Transfer Portal class before the disappointing 2023 season. The Top 10 Transfer Portal class, prior to this season, certainly has had a positive impact. Hopefully, Beamer can keep up the good work in the Transfer Portal this coming year. NONE of us KNOW what we have to offer prospects. Speculating means nothing. Speculation is not KNOWING. Besides, you can have a lot of money to invest but still make poor investment decisions. The same thing holds true in recruiting football players. How you use the money available cannot be underestimated. What matters is how you use your available resources. Does anyone think we have better talent than Oklahoma and Texas A&M? Does anyone think we are close in talent to Alabama and LSU?

We certainly have to replace a lot of good players on defense. Hopefully, the Transfer Portal will be fruitful for us. What worries me about next season is if we have to replace DC Clayton White. I have been a fan of White from the get go and have stated so on this site. I know there is talk linking him to the HC job at East Carolina. If he gets the job, I wish him well. But I selfishly hope we keep him.

 

[DeeDave]

I looked at it as we beat Kentucky in 2022 and 23. We beat Texas A&M at home in 2022 and beat Clemson in Beamer's 2nd season in 2022. I looked at this as being Beamer's 4th season. A program should be way further along in Year 4 than in Year 2. So, why not having the ability to win 7 games in Year 4, after winning 8 in Year 2 ? Now I admit my bias WANTING to win clouded my expectations when I predicted no less than 7 wins this season ....GUILTY as Charged. But still, expecting progress from Year 2 to Year 4 seemed reasonable to me. AND, last but not least, I mentioned the Top 10 Transfer Portal Class we had this past year, would have an impact. We had a Top 10 Transfer Portal Class coming in going into the successful 2022 season. We had a disappointing Transfer Portal class before the disappointing 2023 season. The Top 10 Transfer Portal class, prior to this season, certainly has had a positive impact. Hopefully, Beamer can keep up the good work in the Transfer Portal this coming year. NONE of us KNOW what we have to offer prospects. Speculating means nothing. Speculation is not KNOWING.

We certainly have to replace a lot of good players on defense. Hopefully, the Transfer Portal will be fruitful for us. What worries me about next season is if we have to replace DC Clayton White. I have been a fan of White from the get go and have stated so on this site. I know there is talk linking him to the HC job at East Carolina. If he gets the job, I wish him well. But I selfishly hope we keep him.

Our defensive job is a better job than the head job at East Carolina (and I have a Masters from there). It's a dead end job big time- especially for defensive coaches.

I hope he has a better opportunity or stays here.

 

[sclawman77]

Ward, I said from the get-go I was not in favor of the Beamer hire. But I praised his performance after years 1 and 2. When facts change, I change. And if the facts change again, I will change again. I give no coach a blank check.

You continue to miss my point regarding recruiting. NIL or no NIL, we will never be able to recruit with the big boys.

Same peace to you 😊

Precisely my take on Beamer as well. If I'm not pleased with performance like last season I'll call it out. Tanner screwed up the previous hire and we took a risk on Shane so it's completely fair for fans to have had reservations. That said, he's proven himself this season. This has been a fun team to watch. I'll wait until season's end but he's probably coaching his way into an extension if we continue to win. 20 years ago, we would have let him coach his fifth season and then started potential new contract negotiations. Different world today in college football. He's starting to get national hype too so I'm assuming the administration will want to lock him down.

 

[uscwatson21]

He's starting to get national hype too so I'm assuming the administration will want to lock him down.

Then next year we will realize this year was a fluke and be stuck.

Classic Carolina.

 

[sclawman77]

Then next year we will realize this year was a fluke and be stuck.

Classic Carolina.

We shall see. Coaching today (agree or disagree) is "what have you done for me lately" not "he'll earn his keep next year when the defense may not be as good with all the players leaving".

 

[Lurker123]

I looked at it as we beat Kentucky in 2022 and 23. We beat Texas A&M at home in 2022 and beat Clemson in Beamer's 2nd season in 2022. I looked at this as being Beamer's 4th season. A program should be way further along in Year 4 than in Year 2. So, why not having the ability to win 7 games in Year 4, after winning 8 in Year 2 ? Now I admit my bias WANTING to win clouded my expectations when I predicted no less than 7 wins this season ....GUILTY as Charged. But still, expecting progress from Year 2 to Year 4 seemed reasonable to me. AND, last but not least, I mentioned the Top 10 Transfer Portal Class we had this past year, would have an impact. We had a Top 10 Transfer Portal Class coming in going into the successful 2022 season. We had a disappointing Transfer Portal class before the disappointing 2023 season. The Top 10 Transfer Portal class, prior to this season, certainly has had a positive impact. Hopefully, Beamer can keep up the good work in the Transfer Portal this coming year. NONE of us KNOW what we have to offer prospects. Speculating means nothing. Speculation is not KNOWING. Besides, you can have a lot of money to invest but still make poor investment decisions. The same thing holds true in recruiting football players. How you use the money available cannot be underestimated. What matters is how you use your available resources. Does anyone think we have better talent than Oklahoma and Texas A&M? Does anyone think we are close in talent to Alabama and LSU?

We certainly have to replace a lot of good players on defense. Hopefully, the Transfer Portal will be fruitful for us. What worries me about next season is if we have to replace DC Clayton White. I have been a fan of White from the get go and have stated so on this site. I know there is talk linking him to the HC job at East Carolina. If he gets the job, I wish him well. But I selfishly hope we keep him.

I thought you were ragged on pretty hard for saying you expected 7 wins, weren't you?

Regardless, the transfer portal rankings you bring up seem to be very indicative of our seasons at this point.

Which means we'll all be staring at those even harder now.

As for lawman's extension? It's customary ro have at least 4 years out to show you are "committed" to the coach. The only thing that matters is the buyout. And if Shane REALLY "wants to be here", then he already got the larger buyout, and doesn't need more.

We need to learn from history, not repeat it.

But he succeeded this year, so the new AD probably won't pull the trigger as early as next year.

 

[gamecock stock]

I thought you were ragged on pretty hard for saying you expected 7 wins, weren't you?

Regardless, the transfer portal rankings you bring up seem to be very indicative of our seasons at this point.

Which means we'll all be staring at those even harder now.

As for lawman's extension? It's customary ro have at least 4 years out to show you are "committed" to the coach. The only thing that matters is the buyout. And if Shane REALLY "wants to be here", then he already got the larger buyout, and doesn't need more.

We need to learn from history, not repeat it.

But he succeeded this year, so the new AD probably won't pull the trigger as early as next year.

Yes, I was ragged pretty hard.

You are spot on. We need to learn from history.

 

[gamecock stock]

Precisely my take on Beamer as well. If I'm not pleased with performance like last season I'll call it out. Tanner screwed up the previous hire and we took a risk on Shane so it's completely fair for fans to have had reservations. That said, he's proven himself this season. This has been a fun team to watch. I'll wait until season's end but he's probably coaching his way into an extension if we continue to win. 20 years ago, we would have let him coach his fifth season and then started potential new contract negotiations. Different world today in college football. He's starting to get national hype too so I'm assuming the administration will want to lock him down.

Agree. You can't be married to a position. You have to be flexible in your thinking. That's life in all things. Being stubborn is no way to go through in life.

 

[Ward Jr]

Yes, I was ragged pretty hard.

You are spot on. We need to learn from history.

I really enjoy when you and your Doppelganger do the alley-oop thing.

 

[gamecock stock]

I really enjoy when you and your Doppelganger do the alley-oop thing.

Believe it or not, I always get a "kick" out of your reaction.

 

[Ward Jr]

Agree. You can't be married to a position. You have to be flexible in your thinking. That's life in all things. Being stubborn is no way to go through in life.

"Flexible" being defined as you have a slew of BOTs all predicting different things and then ride the best horse during any given scenario.

 

[gamecock stock]

"Flexible" being defined as you have a slew of BOTs all predicting different things and then ride the best horse during any given scenario.

It's a judgment call, no doubt.

While on an errand (just got back), I thought more on my Bitcoin move. Going to post my current "flexible" call at the other thread.

 

[hahnenkampf]

You act as if whatever team we play won't have the same thing happening, if not worse. That is a college football problem, not someone unique to us.

Also, I suddenly feel winning your bowl game, or hell even making one may not be important as it once was.. for some reason...

I didn’t say anything about another team’s issues. I don’t care about their issues…just ours.