Found this to be pretty interesting and a little worrisome. while kellys track record should always afford him the benefit of the doubt in regard to player evals, it is hard to understand why we dont see what literally EVERYONE else sees.

 

Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central linebacker Tim Kimbrough said he never paid much attention about what people say and added that once they see him play it is not long before the critics are silenced.

 

"I don't think it would really make any difference if I was 6-2 or 6-foot," Kimbrough said. "It doesn't slow me down, I can play, and I don't care what people say."

 

Kimbrough is listed at 6-foot-1 and 226 pounds. He is the first player from his storied high school to be a part of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

 

He elected to attend Georgia over 22 other FBS-level offers.

 

That number was one shy of what Kimbrough thought he deserved.

 

"Notre Dame still thinks I am too short," he said. "Wisconsin tried for a long time to think that, but they watched my tape and offered but Notre Dame just thinks I am short. They won't offer me.

 

 

 

Listed at 6-3, 300 pounds, is anyone calling Khaliel Rodgers small?

"I will just keep going out and playing."

 

Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt said that height does not limit Kimbrough.

 

"He is probably one of the hardest hitters I have seen this season," Helmholdt said. "Ask the receivers who come across the middle or the running backs that get stuck about him being too short."

Doesn't matter. Grades are an issue for this kid.

That's fine but I would rather him know that it is grades that are keeping him out and not his God given physical stature.

Kelly's staff has a plan and if u havent noticed, it's to be long and rangy, especially in the front seven. If the kid is too short for our staff he's too short. Who gives a flying f***? He's not a fit. Not everyone is. You seem to care more about his feelings than the truth. Liberalism...

I don't care if he thinks he's a good enough player to play here. He's not a tall enough player to fit into the specific system that Kelly has put in place.

 

And if you (or Tim) haven't noticed, those big athletes have helped Notre Dame get to the BCS Championship Game.

 

Sorry, bro. Have a good time at Georgia where you're obviously a size fit for their system.

I don't mean to pile on, but of all the positions to accuse our staff of "missing" on a guy, is it really LB?

 

It does make me wonder if someday this kid lays down the bowl-winning sack against the Irish, though...

I don't mean to pile on, but of all the positions to accuse our staff of "missing" on a guy, is it really LB?

 

It does make me wonder if someday this kid lays down the bowl-winning sack against the Irish, though...

 

He's going to Georgia, so he won't be laying down the bowl-winning sack against the Irish in a national championship game. I'll tell you that much, for sure.

Tim is one of the better linebackers in this class. His issue was addressed last year when Day was recruited. It's tough for us to take guys out of WC due to grades. Don't doubt the kids talent though bc I would drop some of our committed guys for him in a heartbeat. He's a Sunday player, mark my words.

I think its a stretch to say this kid will play on Sundays. One of the best linebackers of all time, Ray Lewis was considered too small to play in the NFL and he is listed at 6'1" and 240. He proved everyone wrong but my point is that if Kimbrough is listed at 6-1 he's likely an inch or 2 shorter and needs to have a Ray Lewis / Drew Brees type talent level to beat the odds.

 

As for college, I trust in the staff...esp at linebacker and would rather have absolute beasts in our front 7. I mean, Ishaq is 6-6 280 and playing OLB for us. Also, you know we're doing well in recruiting when TONS of people are interested in our last few spots and even in state studs like Kimbrough are pissed we didn't offer him.

Edited January 4, 201311 yr by DTCBND03

Ishaq is not a 280lb OLB, He's 255-260 lb. Exactly what you would expect out of 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE.

 

However I think excluding players based on height is a mistake but I'm not sure that's the case here with Kimbrough as I think this may be what he tells himself is the reason rather than saying it's grades or that he not a fit for other reasons.

Who was that other LB last year that ended up at Michigan who didn't get an offer who wanted to come to ND but was too short at 6'3" and he's still pissed? Kind of felt for the guy to be honest.

Who was that other LB last year that ended up at Michigan who didn't get an offer who wanted to come to ND but was too short at 6'3" and he's still pissed? Kind of felt for the guy to be honest.

 

Joe Bolden. Started for scUM as a Frosh and was VERY vocal about the snub from ND. He looks like a good player but have to agree we did ok with who we took in the class.

Kelly's staff has a plan and if u havent noticed, it's to be long and rangy, especially in the front seven. If the kid is too short for our staff he's too short. Who gives a flying f***? He's not a fit. Not everyone is. You seem to care more about his feelings than the truth. Liberalism...

 

Liberalism? What the - are you taking about? Look up the word. Words don't necessarily mean what Rush Limbaugh thinks they mean.

The staff's emphasis on length allows them to be flexible with position switching. You can't move Troy Niklas from OLB to TE if he doesn't have the applicable size needed. Same issue with our approach to DLine recruiting, and that Springmann, Day, and Tuitt have the size needed to play multiple alignments. In fact, Day BARELY fits into our size metric at 6'2" - maybe they see him sharing the load at nose a little more, and don't mind his height getting low on the pad level with opposing centers. Still, versatility is the theme behind our recruiting plan.

 

We're going to deviate every now and then with a guy like Day - and if Kelly was trying to be an NFL coach, I'd be more worried about drawing lines in the sand when the best of the best have already risen to the top as opposed to a sea full of 17 and 18 year olds who aren't done growing into their bodies yet. But in a situation where we're taking 20 new players every year and trying to sculpt a depth chart every fall, have a proven, successful game plan that allows for interchangeable parts means ore to me than passing on the handful of guys that don't fit into that system.

 

I feel bad for the Joe Boldens of the world, because he takes it as a personal slight when it really has more to do with coaches bringing in players they're comfortable developing and have a good idea on what to do. It'd be equally foolish for ND to take him in if they didn't feel like they could develop him or find a home for his abilities if one position already has a quality incumbent blocking his path. We shouldn't take kids just to take kids or because it'd be popular.

Edited January 4, 201311 yr by IrishCalves

We shouldn't take kids just to take kids or because it'd be popular.

cough "Gehrig Dieter" cough...............

That's fine but I would rather him know that it is grades that are keeping him out and not his God given physical stature.

 

Doesnt matter, if ND doesnt want him, they dont really need to give him a reason. If he is too short for ND's liking, then he isnt getting an offer. ND wants a certain type of player, and he didnt fit that mold. If you are trying to get us to feel sorry for the kid and shame ND for not offering him, then I am here to tell you that we dont feel sorry for him. We trust the ND staff and if a recruit doesnt fit their plan, then too bad.

Doesnt matter, if ND doesnt want him, they dont really need to give him a reason. If he is too short for ND's liking, then he isnt getting an offer. ND wants a certain type of player, and he didnt fit that mold. If you are trying to get us to feel sorry for the kid and shame ND for not offering him, then I am here to tell you that we dont feel sorry for him. We trust the ND staff and if a recruit doesnt fit their plan, then too bad.

 

Nope. I'm everything ND needs in a QB, I'm just a bit slow and not quite good enough of arm. But I am still pissed ND hasn't offered me.

Kelly's staff has a plan and if u havent noticed, it's to be long and rangy, especially in the front seven. If the kid is too short for our staff he's too short. Who gives a flying f***? He's not a fit. Not everyone is. You seem to care more about his feelings than the truth. Liberalism...

 

Ding ... ding ... ding. I wouldn't have put it so delicately though.

There are a bunch of reasons we didn't recruit Kimbrough.

1) grades. Typically kids don't openly say "yeahhh I'm not quite good enough at school"

2) he's lucky if he's Zeke Motta's size.

To add to what I and other users have already said, I really find it refreshing that Kelly and his staff have a firm plan in-place with regards to what they're looking for and what they need to run their system.

 

It's such a change from Weis or Willingham where you had absolutely no clue what they were trying to do. Weis was just going for any big-time recruit he could find, and Willingham wasn't going for anyone.

 

Sure, kids like Tim or Dieter or Bolden will come along and feel like they're being disrespected by the staff, but you know what? There's a good chance they wouldn't be big-time players here because of their limitations (See: Stockton, Tyler or Newman, Brandon). They can go to Michigan or Georgia or whatever Dieter is now and play in a system that's friendly to them. Win-win.

Edited January 4, 201311 yr by ColinKSU

To add to what I and other users have already said, I really find it refreshing that Kelly and his staff have a firm plan in-place with regards to what they're looking for and what they need to run their system.

 

It's such a change from Weis or Willingham where you had absolutely no clue what they were trying to do. Weis was just going for any big-time recruit he could find, and Willingham wasn't going for anyone.

 

Sure, kids like Tim or Dieter or Bolden will come along and feel like they're being disrespected by the staff, but you know what? There's a good chance they wouldn't be big-time players here because of their limitations (See: Stockton, Tyler or Newman, Brandon). They can go to Michigan or Georgia or whatever Dieter is now and play in a system that's friendly to them. Win-win.

 

Dieter is currently transferring from SMU to Bowling Green.