JULY 21 SUNDAY

BUSY DAYS FOR COACH GILBERT

Thursday Coach Gilbert was in Houston addressing the media for the 2019 season. His staff remained back in Lake Charles and carried on normal activities.

C.E King coaching staff spent the afternoon with the McNeese staff on Thursday. McNeese is recruiting a player or two off this program. Will Evans (DE) has already been offered by McNeese at the camp. It looks like DL coach Ben Olson giving a few tips to Will.

FRIDAY: GOLF TOURNAMENT

Coach Gilbert and staff hosted 15 teams of golfers on Friday at Gray Plantation, so another opportunity to socialize with some of the Pokes biggest boosters.

SATURDAY MORNING

McNeese head coach Sterlin Gilbert spoke at the 100 Man Breakfast at Greater St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday morning. Over 130 men showed up for the breakfast which created another opportunity for the community to meet and great the new coach.

Coach Gilbert and staff took several McNeese football players to the LC Civic Center to be ambassadors to children who were being treated to “Back to School ” supplies from CPSB and their sponsors. It was great seeing so many players engage with the youth. It is rewarding for the players as well as for the kids. They probably picked up a fan for life from a few of these kids.

RECRUITING TIP

I know detailed oriented fans do their research on recruits that I mention in this column. It always reminds me that when I am checking track and field times of juniors, they are no where near their PRs that will occur in the spring of their senior year. I have to remind myself if I see a junior who could use some extra weight, or has less than stellar statistics, that he has not played his most productive season. They are still a year away from entering college, so the larger the school they are coming from, the more likely their senior year will be more productive.

In my opinion, this is why I like to “draft and follow” to borrow a MLB phrase. Many baseball organizations will scout a high school player with the intentions on not signing them, but following them if they go to JC or a university. In McNeese’s case, make contact and see just how they start to perform when they get the full stage to perform. In this regards, I think programs that fill-up in July are betting against the odds. In other words, they are gambling that junior performance and camp performance in tee shirts tell more about a player than his senior year performance. Of course, this does not necessarily apply to Power 5 programs because they are going after the elite player.

But all of these guys with 2 and 3 stars based on perceived offers may not have anymore upside than a kid not evaluated in June due to not attending all the big camps that Rivals and 247 Sports sponsor.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL JUST AROUND THE CORNER

The Allen Eagle Band Boosters and QB Club are sponsoring the annual Eagle Fan Fest on August 2 at Watters Creek Retail area. The band will march through the streets of this area of shops and the football team, coaches, cheer squad, and dance line will give out posters, pose for pictures, and sell ads for the football program. The community is behind this venue and advertise on their billboards. It is basically a pep rally to get behind the start of the football season.

 

LAST CHANCE U IS BACK

Netflex has posted Season Four of the hit TV series “Last Chance U”. I have watched three episodes and can already see why this season turns into a disaster. The unbelievable Coach Jason Brown will destroy himself this season prior to applying for the McNeese State head coaching job.  I must warn any first time readers that are not familiar with this program that it is “R+” rated. It follows year three of Jason Brown’s tenure as head coach at Independence, Kansas CC. Last year Indy won the conference championship and went to the finals of the playoffs.

This season will be a great study in how a team can become divided over greed and selfishness. I am already seeing the characteristics in the first three shows. It also re-enforces why so many JUCO kids in football are both liabilities in the classroom as well as having checkered past. Of course, this is not to stereotype all JUCO players with one sweep of a brush. It is probably a small percentage in some of the more reputable JC’s, but the name “Last Chance U” comes from the fact that both schools that have been featured admitted to taking a ton of dismissed players from Power 5 programs.

Many do admit they are not there for an education, but to get to D1 and then to the NFL. Once again, we are talking about the 4 and 5 star players, not the non-rated, 2 and 3 star players who are busting their butts to be recognized and continue  their education and careers.

One thing most viewers will admit to is that this is the real life of many JUCO facilities. It is Reality TV at its best if you can stomach the foul language and the reality of this coach’s mental illness (LOL).

Speaking of JC’s, one of my favorite McNeese freshman for the Class of 2018 is getting rave reviews at various camps. John Blunt, Jr. left McNeese in May to return closer to home and be marketed for a larger program. Yes, the Transfer Portal is affecting FCS programs. John has a mentor who is sending out emails and letters on his behalf that he is on the open market. He was invited to the TCU camp two weeks ago and got on their radar due to running a 4.45 forty and shutting down some of the best WRs at the camp. He is now telling his followers that SMU, Baylor, and TCU have invited him for visits. However, it appears he will have to wait on the offers.

As with Last Chance U, John is going to have to start his journey at Cicso Junior College out in Cisco, Texas. I stopped and toured this place two years ago when I was headed to the ACU game. I had heard how bad it was, so I wanted to see with my own eyes. This is probably their best sports facility. The day I was there was a soccer match in front of about 10 people.

 

Of course, the objective is to improve and put up numbers so the athletes can be re-recruited by an FBS program/FCS/ or D2 program to prolong their careers. I wish him well because he handled it the right way and was very humble in his comments about his one year at McNeese. He was recruited to Lake Charles by Carlos Perez who is now a high school coach in Dallas.

If you remember the class of 2016 when I wrote about how excited I was to have signed Stephen Guidry. He had some grade problems and left in January for a Mississippi JC before signing with Mississippi State. Here are a few highlights that I wished were from McNeese.

RECRUITING NEWS

There about 10 days for over 200 players in the transfer portal to find a new home. Former LSU WR Jonathan Giles has made a decision. He is headed to Texas Southern.