In your opinion, is it too late to burn a redshirt?

[BatesvilleHOG]

It's week 9 and:

Vandy is on their fourth QB
Driskel sucks
LSU doesn't know what the hell is going on at QB
Arkansas can't field a punt

Is it worth it to burn redshirts this late in the season? I understand that all the situations are different so discuss.

[Dropkick]

I think it is too late in our situation.

[Cylinder]

It's according to where the team is situated. If the team has a path to the playoff and a sudden need, hell no.

If they are staring at two losses and can see a path to a conference championship or something like a premium bowl for a team not accustomed to that level of success, probably not.

If the staff is on the cusp of the hotseat...not the best motive but this is business...

For a team like Florida (or Arkansas), it would be stupid at this point to use a redshirt with nothing really to gain unless some extraordinary intervening factor asserts itself where the problem become fielding a complete team.

[eusebius]

My general rule would be only burning a redshirt when:

1. I still have more than 3/4 of the season left, so nothing after game four.

2. When the player is going to start or definitely play significant minutes.

I would not burn a redshirt just to experiment. Must have a plan in mind.   
 

[Fayettechill14]

Nutt was AWFUL at roster management, but I thought burning Casey Dick's redshirt with four games left ended up working out. Dick played better than RoJo had been, and got experience that helped him the rest of his career.

Remember, the redshirt year wouldn't have helped Dick at all. the extra year gained would have been 2009....and there's no way he beats out Mallett.

[sickboy]

Interesting topic. If you're talking about the Hogs... or rebuilds in general... then I don't think you burn redshirts this late in the season. Putting a kid in that's on your redshirt program at this point would only be done if you're desperate for wins or you have no depth and starters are hurt. Right now, we're not challenging for anything that's worth burning redshirts for and, touch wood, we don't have massive amounts of injuries where we need to burn shirts.

Assuming the kid is a freshman, then throwing a kid in at this point would be, essentially, tossing 1/8th of his career out the window. That seems wasteful to me.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It's week 9 and:

Vandy is on their fourth QB
Driskel sucks
LSU doesn't know what the hell is going on at QB
Arkansas can't field a punt

Is it worth it to burn redshirts this late in the season? I understand that all the situations are different so discuss.

Yes, learning curve and potentially not being able to perform at the highest level, throwing INT's vs. SEC speed Secondaries that disguise their coverage packages particularly against a QB that hasn't had a single snap of experience against SEC defenses? You guys would be dissing Peavey two games in, and that is most likely why this staff hasn't chosen to subject him to this, particularly with the fact that Austin has demonstrated that he is the second most qualified QB according to the staff.

Yeah, insert Peavey as many of you desire because many of you think he is the better QB, though not adequately prepared, lose the last five with him running the offense and then you are justified in saying, "fire Bielema and Chaney", though they might have played your choice for starting QB.

Some of you guys need to do some coaching and interact with players before you invest yourselves in emphatic statements.

[TrueBlue]

Coach B said that he gives the freshmen (that are "ready") the choice of red-shirting or playing their freshman year.

Who is to say that the above mentioned had chosen to be red-shirted?

[sickboy]

Coach B said that he gives the freshmen (that are "ready") the choice of red-shirting or playing their freshman year.

Who is to say that the above mentioned had chosen to be red-shirted?

If I was a QB... unless I'm tearing it up in fall camp my Freshman year and I feel extremely confident... I'd probably want to redshirt so I can put myself in the best position to excel from my first start. Especially in the SEC.

[sickboy]

The flip-side of that argument though is that we really can't tell what's coming down the pipe for us in 4 years at any given position, and that particular kid may have no playing time available to him down the road. 

It may or may not be too late to drastically affect this season, but a player could gain valuable experience from playing the remaining schedule this year, and not immediately assume it will 'damage' them. 

I assume you're talking about the Peavy/Storey situation. If Peavy is thrown in and gets valuable time now... what's the point either way if you think he's not even going to be playing next year because of Storey? Just because he's better than Allen?

I'd hedge my bets and give him more time to learn so that he could potentially come out and beat a guy next season. That's just me.

[Atlhogfan1]

Depends on the situation but I would lean to yes in most cases.

QBs are a little different since there is only one spot to compete for and it is rare for qb's to share snaps in games.  Spreading out the classes between qb's is a good idea if you can do so. 

JoJo would have played earlier had he not had the injury.  Would be great to have not only a punt returner but a player who can stretch the field these last SEC games. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Coach B said that he gives the freshmen (that are "ready") the choice of red-shirting or playing their freshman year.

Who is to say that the above mentioned had chosen to be red-shirted?

You just said it, "that are ready". Obviously Peavey wasn't ready in the opinion of the staff. If he were considered to be "ready" and would have given us a better chance to win this season than with any other QB that we have, would he really have been issued a R/S? I kinda doubt it. You don't pass up a natural talent that is capable of playing at a high level in his Freshman year, if he is capable of doing so and providing you with a greater opportunity to win.

[elksnort]

The Hedlund redshirt is very confusing... has to be more to that story than needing more time to mature physically. 

The Hedlund deal must have been a mis evaluation. 

Is he on scholarship?
And he is a kicker. 
Then, why is he not kicking?
Or, why is he on scholarship?

[BatesvilleHOG]

Coach B said that he gives the freshmen (that are "ready") the choice of red-shirting or playing their freshman year.

Who is to say that the above mentioned had chosen to be red-shirted?

in our situation, JoJo was injured at the beginning of the season and likely would have been getting reps at WR and returning punts/KO's. Now that we're in the heart of SEC play, special teams can be the deciding factor in a win or a loss. (See Bama game)

I agree with Bielema's decision to redshirt JoJo and Cole. An extra year to get stronger and grow accustom to the speed of the game can put those guys on another level next year. But also seeing that they are two kids who could have likely contributed in a close game where we win instead of lose, hurts.

[bphi11ips]

The Hedlund deal must have been a mis evaluation. 

Is he on scholarship?
And he is a kicker. 
Then, why is he not kicking?
Or, why is he on scholarship?

Evaluation?  Check
Miscalculation?  Check
Admit a mistake?  Fugedhaboudit

Not to worry.  Hogs are set at punter and placekicker for 4 years.

[wachhog]

Burning a red shirt could not accomplish more than  getting CBB a couple of wins in the SEC, so NO! The players' careers are important.  The coaches are being compensated to the tune of from hundreds of thousands to multi millions. No kid's career should suffer to benefit the coaching staff, as horrible or wonderful as it may be.

[Mike Irwin]

Exactly the thought w/ Peavey.  If we're led to believe Storey is our QB of the future, then there was no reason not to give Peavey a shot at being the QB of the now.

They gave him a shot. It happened last spring and in August. They determined he was the number three QB. You don't start your number three QB unless the other two are hurt.

[texas tush hog]

Burning a red shirt could not accomplish more than  getting CBB a couple of wins in the SEC, so NO! The players' careers are important.  The coaches are being compensated to the tune of from hundreds of thousands to multi millions. No kid's career should suffer to benefit the coaching staff, as horrible or wonderful as it may be.

You don't burn a redshirt in a dumpster fire.

[Mike Irwin]

The Hedlund deal must have been a mis evaluation. 

Is he on scholarship?
And he is a kicker. 
Then, why is he not kicking?
Or, why is he on scholarship?

Looks like to me they missed on Adam McFain. He seems to be doing a good job so far. Better late than never.

[jjdlc]

Exactly the thought w/ Peavey.  If we're led to believe Storey is our QB of the future, then there was no reason not to give Peavey a shot at being the QB of the now.

Actually, history says it is a terrible idea to start a true freshman QB.  Here is a nice article on the subject.

http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2013/8/17/4630390/so-youre-starting-a-true-freshman-quarterback

You stand a lot higher chance of completely destroying a young players confidence than having any real success under normal circumstances.  Add into that our schedule this year, and well, it isn't even worth thinking about.

Now, I do agree with you on the Hedlund thing, only thing I can figure is that there was either a problem with his mechanics, or an injury that wasn't reported.  Might have been a misevaluation, but if it was, a lot of coaches were misled by the kid.

[texas tush hog]

Looks like to me they missed on Adam McFain. He seems to be doing a good job so far. Better late than never.

So if McFain turns out to be our kicker, what do you do with Hedlund?

[PonderinHog]

I'm undecided at this time.  I'll revisit this topic after ten weeks.

[Mike Irwin]

So if McFain turns out to be our kicker, what do you do with Hedlund?

See if Hedlund is good enough to beat him out next year. Keep in mind their main reason for redshirting him was to get him stronger in the weight room. I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll win the job next year but if he doesn't then McFain is just better.

[Danny J]

Looks like to me they missed on Adam McFain. He seems to be doing a good job so far. Better late than never.

I will also add that during a interview today, maybe yesterday, when asked about being nervous he said without hesitation.....nope. It was not so much the words he used but the way he said them. That kid is really confident in his abilities and I for one LOVED hearing him speak. Talk about confidence.

[texas tush hog]

See if Hedlund is good enough to beat him out next year. Keep in mind their main reason for redshirting him was to get him stronger in the weight room. I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll win the job next year but if he doesn't then McFain is just better.

I'll buy that. Just can't see how he digressed so much since I saw him at Argyle last year.

[ChicoHog]

I think our coaches should have made moves sooner.  But anyone studying Bielema before his time here has to know that he's stubborn to a fault. 

Cole Hedlund - heard 'he had problems kicking off the turf'.  Doesn't look like it - http://kohlskicking.com/profile/cole-hedlund/8402/

Rafe Peavey

JoJo Robinson

It's very possible that any one of those players could have helped us win an SEC game before now. 

You don't think BB wanted hedlund to win that job?  He's on scholarship.  IOf course he expected Hedlund to beat out henson but he did not so he went with Henson. 

we have no idea how good Peavey is unless you go to practice. 

robinson was hurt and could not play in the first few games so why burn it?

And BTW, Go Royals!  (2-2 right now). 

[BatesvilleHOG]

I'll buy that. Just can't see how he digressed so much since I saw him at Argyle last year.

I don't believe there is a high school program in America that can truly get their kids ready to play on the SEC level as true freshman. Now there are freaks of nature, 5 and 4 star recruits who transition well on a personal level. Nothing In my opinion can get you ready for the SEC other than baptism by fire in the SEC.

[bphi11ips]

I don't believe there is a high school program in America that can truly get their kids ready to play on the SEC level as true freshman. Now there are freaks of nature, 5 and 4 star recruits who transition well on a personal level. Nothing In my opinion can get you ready for the SEC other than baptism by fire in the SEC.

Russellville did a pretty good job with Hocker. 

Kickers don't need to get ready for the SEC. 

[ArkansasI]

No, it is not too late to burn a redshirt. That stated, I have no idea whose redshirt should be burned to improve this team.

[elksnort]

Looks like to me they missed on Adam McFain. He seems to be doing a good job so far. Better late than never.

McFain looked solid the other day.  He might win us a game yet. 

[texas tush hog]

McFain looked solid the other day.  He might win us a game yet. 

One 49 yard field goal does not a Jan Stenurud make.

[jm]

At this point I wouldnt give up the red shirt unless the player is by far the better player or the only choice due to injuries.

[elksnort]

Plus one for the Jan Stenerud reference.   

McFain showed we have a kicker that CAN make 40+ yard fg. 

Glad we have him. 

[phadedhawg]

way too late.  Unfair to the student too.

[PORKULATOR]

Yes... WAAAAAAY to late

[Mike Irwin]

Argyle, Texas had one last year who did. Don't ever think the Texas high school coaches are not taking note.

Are you indicating that Texas High School coaches will hold it against Bielema that he redshirted Hedlund? If so why would they care? It's not like Bielema kicked the kid off the team or has written him off.

[Bacons Rebellion]

One 49 yard field goal does not a Jan Stenurud make.

That's okay.
Jan Stenerud hit 68% of his field goals.
Zac Hocker hit 77 %.

[texas tush hog]

That's okay.
Jan Stenerud hit 68% of his field goals.
Zac Hocker hit 77 %.

Jan Stenurud was not cut his rookie year, or for that matter the next 19 years. To compare Hocker with the only NFL kicker to make the hall of fame is more than laughable.

[Wild Bill Hog]

Absolutely too late.  It won't happen anyway.

[BigPapaHawg]

Way to late!

[A_R_K_A_N_S_A_S]

I think you have to look at each player and situation individually. I don't know what's going on in practices and don't know how much any of these redshirted players have progressed since August. August to November is a long time when it comes to football.

If a player can help us win a couple more games this year and the player and CBB wants to pull the shirt, then I won't second guess it. A couple more wins means a bowl game with extra practices for the entire team and extra exposure to the recruits. It's a big step forward.

My guess is we won't be pulling anymore redshirts this year.

[Torqued pork]

^^see above ^^

[Hogwild]

It is never too late to burn a red shirt, if it will help the team achieve their goals.

Nick Saban at both Alabama & LSU burnt redshirts AFTER the regular season was over.  Twice he played a freshman DBs in the SEC Championship game, that hadn't played a down in the regular season.

If burning a redshirt means we end the longest conference losing streak in the nation & we get to go bowling, I am all for it.

[hogsanity]

OF the main red shirts in question, Jo Jo and Rp, no to doing it now for either of them.

Jo Jo - are we talking strictly for PR duties?  Don't burn him for at most 5 games, games where the other team may not punt very much, and even if they do it may be in situations where there is going to be no return. Now, if they also plan to use him at WR, then MAYBE.

RP - to burn his redshirt requires 3 things - 1. Benching BA, and BA has done nothing to warrant being benched. 2. Bypassing Austin Allen, who has been listed as #2 since the spring, has not gotten much chance to play, there fore has done nothing, at least that we have seen outside of practice, to warrant being by passed. 3. Writing off the rest of the season. The only justifiable way to take the RS is if they plan to let him play all of the snaps in the last 4 games.

[pitbull1]

YES!!
BA will finish out the year and will be the QB next year.

[scorekeeper]

YES!!
BA will finish out the year and will be the QB next year.

This is true. I wonder how many of BA's problems are due to receivers. He seems to hit the TE's with ease. Will our receivers be much better next year. BA should use Edwards like Johnny used Evans just throw it up let him get it.

[hoghiker]

It is never too late to burn a red shirt, if it will help the team achieve their goals.

Nick Saban at both Alabama & LSU burnt redshirts AFTER the regular season was over.  Twice he played a freshman DBs in the SEC Championship game, that hadn't played a down in the regular season.

If burning a redshirt means we end the longest conference losing streak in the nation & we get to go bowling, I am all for it.

Saban is a great coach but burning a redshirt post season seems out of line for whats best for a kid. Just a thought and not an argument.

[hogsanity]

Saban is a great coach but burning a redshirt post season seems out of line for whats best for a kid. Just a thought and not an argument.

I'd have to go back and check, but I think the instances of burning a RS in post season were the result of multiple injuries.  I know Saban burned a LB RS with 2 games left in the regular season once, because they lost 5 lb's to injury in a 2 game span. In some rare cases a coach HAS to burn a RS, their is no such HAVE TO need at UA right now.

[PonderinHog]

Jan Stenurud was not cut his rookie year, or for that matter the next 19 years. To compare Hocker with the only NFL kicker to make the hall of fame is more than laughable.

Wait, are you saying George Blanda isn't in the NFL Hall of Fame    

[Piggfoot]

I think you have to consider the kids wishes.