At least I didn’t go to a barn school and be born in Alabama the poorest state in the union
Matt Lee to enter the Portal 😳
- Thread starter tjb74
- Start date
LMAO. I have seen some bad takes but this is probably the worst.Lee is the best OL on the team and UCF’s highest graded offensive player .
Who are Malhazan and Hand going to bring in that’s anywhere as good as him. Give me a name?
If I could choose any three UCF players for a round of beer pong, Matt Lee would be my first pick. Dude just looks like he could kill case Milwaukee's best without batting an eye. Samuel Jackson and JRP would be my next choices.
Where were you when everyone on here said we needed to overhaul the offensive line? Make up your minds. Give you a name? Why? Are you saying Lee is the best center available throughout all of college football? If you feel that way then it doesn't matter what names you hear. However I for one don't feel that there is only one center in the nation who can help us. That seems pretty incredulous.
Did Lee grade higher than Kite who we just brought in? If not then he's no longer our highest graded lineman and it shows we are able to get higher graded guys than we have had, regardless of how they compared to our other linemen in the past. While you're basing your decisions on the past, I'm thinking more of what we need to do to be competitive in the future in the Big12.
Best rated at the position doesn't mean we can't improve or replace someone. Jay Flash was our best receiver and we now have Javon Baker AND Kobe Hudson. Tatum Bethune was our best linebacker and, while some may disagree, I believe Jason Johnson has been at least equally productive if not moreso. (Yes we do need more LB depth). But with Branden Jennings, Kam Moore's development, Troy Ford arriving and probably another impact LB acquired during this off season, we could be looking at a LB room that is stronger and deeper than what we had when Bethune was here.
We can't improve without embracing change, including change brought on by unfortunate necessity, such as Matt Lee departing.
I too hate to see Matt Lee leave but I don't think we should lie down and cry because of it. Let's let things develop before we decide whether we can adjust and adequately replace him. I don't have the infallible crystal ball that some profess to have. But I do have faith in Gus and the attractiveness of our program and brand.
He had something like 11 penalties in his first two games, against ECU and Tulsa. Against ECU I think it was literally three false starts in a row. Penalties were a massive problem at the start of the Heup/DG era, and Lee was a big culprit early on. He turned it around within a few games and had been rock solid ever since.
Would be interesting to hear an exit interview of all the players left to see what their reasonings were, some obvious, some not so much.
Malzahn also brought in a lot of transfers, a transfer has to be really unhappy if they want to transfer again and sit out a year.
In Lee’s defense, I heard that ECU was mimicking our verbal signals to snap (should be a penalty and wasn’t called) which contributed to a lot of the early pre-snap penalties. That problem went away when we switched to clapping to start plays.
Nobody. New recruits. You have to develop kids. People can't keep thinking every time there is adversity in the roster you can solve it with the portal. That's a recipe for disaster. We lack talented depth. Lee didn't just show up and was the player he is today. He was flat out horrible his first season, but we (and himself) developed him. Remember the OL seemingly had dozens of false starts in his first year? We have to build (more talented) depth. It's going to take multiple season of recruiting and development to do this.
This just isn't moving from one coach to another within the same conference where you were a top dog in (GOL --> Frosty --> Heup). This is changing coaches and stepping up to a new level of competition, in an environment where you basically have no control over your roster. It's a free-for-all for both players and schools right now. It's a chase for money and potential opportunity. I'm waiting for the first school (like a Bama or Ohio State) to just flat out pay salaries to players, and start "kicking" kids off their roster that aren't performing to their standards (whatever that means to that school). I think it is actually a vital need, and should be implemented by programs in the NIL era. Players want to get paid like a professional, then you should start to get treated like a professional as well. I think this would put brakes on kids bouncing around so much. Just my opinion.
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Lee was first team all conference in his first season as a starter. At this point we need a plug and play.
Also note, if the center comes from transfer portal. He and Plumlee will only have Fall camp to practice together. Not exactly ideal.
TCU's Ochaun Mathis (Nebraska), Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma), and Zach Evans (Ole Miss) among others all hit the transfer portal prior to this season. Most looked like good moves at the time. I bet they all wish they had stayed in Fort Worth.
Will Matt Lee?
Will Matt Lee?
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LMAO. You are a confirmed lunatic. Get out of your basement and breathe some fresh air.
Yeah, I’m sure Matt Lee would be happy in Ft Worth……just to get away from bland anglo Mexican food for startersTCU's Ochaun Mathis (Nebraska), Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma), and Zach Evans (Ole Miss) among others all hit the transfer portal prior to this season. Most looked like good moves at the time. I bet they all wish they had stayed in Fort Worth.
Will Matt Lee?
That's right. You just have to win more of the "portal combat" battles than you lose.
Does the center handle all the line protections like they normally do in the NFL or is it all still come from the sidelines?
Some of the same people crying about him leaving were calling him garbage and ready to take away his scholarship his first season after his first game….most players need time to grow and develop…it’s a huge jump going from HS to College….most 18 year olds are not ready physically or mentally to pick up the playbook and read offenses/defenses….I don’t expect any freshman to contribute….if they do….it’s a bonus and they’re gonna be pretty darn good.
It’s a good thing he didn’t get cut….he’s turned out to be a very good lineman at UCF….we’ll miss him
I don't know what you are talking about. #4 e. had a lot of things to clean up. Matt Lee was a leader on and off the field. Whoever gets him is getting lucky
I saw him in the parking garage when college gameday was here and he was a still a senior in high school and he was a big big kid. Became one of my favorite players like Schneider and Johnson for recent OL. Switched from usf to ucf in a second when ucf offered him. Best of luck #4 E
fans ranting during a game thread doesn’t mean they want a true freshman cut
one of the most annoying complaints on this board
Phd…I don’t know what you’re talking about….my post is clearly supportive of Matt Lee..sounds like you were one of the over reactive experts expecting Matt to not have any penalties as a freshman.
There‘s a difference between ranting and basically calling a player a POS. POS weren’t the exact words, but the sentiment was the same with personal attacks…The same ones were calling Matt a POS who wasn’t good enough, sucked, needed to be benched, blah blah blah…just like they basically called Mikey a POS with a noodle arm, long wind up, on and on incessantly.
Now the ones begging for JRP are calling for him to be benched too and over reactive in their criticism over a bad play or after a loss….ready to fire Gus, our AD and every coach ….emotional over reaction….now that’s annoying
JRP had an embarrassingly bad QBR in the bowl game and he is a Senior. So you are basically advocating for fan message boards to be shut down unless their is cult like devotion where no criticism is allowed
I agree. JRP had a bad game…but he also had good games helping us get to 9 wins. ….even MLB stadiums have “E” for error on the scoreboard…the best in the world make errors….I’m just not a fan of personal attacks, over reactions and calls to fire every player and coach after a bad play or loss.
I‘m realistic and more patient than some when it comes to player development…I’ve seen players who develop after not looking very good initially….but trust me…I’ll be vocal about making changes when I feel it’s warranted and players or coaches aren’t good enough.
I don’t think I’m keeping anyone from posting what they want.😄
Sorry Mike Lee. I was just trying to joke around. He has been the most consistent and reliable player for us in the past 4 years.
Guys.
Let go.
This is common for every team in every sport, just increased in frequency in CFB.
I love it. I am a fan of the program, not players (until they graduate). Keeps things interesting and dynamic. Hey, it gives you guys something to chat about too...
Enjoy the parity the portal causes. We want that, and it is why the playoffs ultimately expanded...high-prestige/long-time programs can't hoard, and keep, talent anymore.
Let go.
This is common for every team in every sport, just increased in frequency in CFB.
I love it. I am a fan of the program, not players (until they graduate). Keeps things interesting and dynamic. Hey, it gives you guys something to chat about too...
Enjoy the parity the portal causes. We want that, and it is why the playoffs ultimately expanded...high-prestige/long-time programs can't hoard, and keep, talent anymore.
Is that a rebuke of Gus, or expected? Gus didn’t recruit any of them here. They’re all Heupel recruits. A lot of guys leave immediately when a new coach comes on board. The players you listed all stuck with Gus for 2 years.
Mix, I’d say. I think O’Keefe and MK were underutilized and the others might even have stayed put without the recent NIL changes.
I would say...
O'Keefe didn't mesh with Chip Lindsay and wanted the ball more.
Lee didn't want to be at UCF without Samuel Jackson
JJB didn't fit TWill's desired description of a linebacker (fast but undersized; Jason Johnson may take a step back under Ernie Sims for that very reason.)
MK didn't fit Gus's system or plan.
Brown wanted to play with his brother.
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Wouldn't a lot of these lineman like the style of play? Not all that fast and a ton of run blocking....??
RoK seems like for sure wants to run actual routes, not sweeps. But also following the coach that recruited him. I have to think his highlight reel was pretty desirable for programs much better than BC. The coach feels like the biggest driver of that decision.
The Lee scenario is a bit different. Maybe it was SJ and things just aren't the same but that could be said for literally every other destination in the land. I think he believes he's elevated his scouting report during his time here, and he wants to see how much by learning what type of programs come calling now that he's a free agent. Almost like a pre-draft move to make it to a more prestigious program for increasing his profile nationally. Or hell, maybe he's just had enough of Herb.
Or it’s nothing at all but someone thinking that is a better situation, or getting paid more. I think we can say that after just a couple years of the portal, there is no general rhyme or reason why kids transfer.
If I get to a stop sign on a 4-way intersection, and decide to turn right, that is not necessarily a rebuke of turning left or going straight. It may be I don’t care which way I go, or I am lost and don’t know which way I want to go but have to do something, so I do something.
so he may be an opponent of UCF next year ..so no wish him well and hope Walker embarrasses him
The QB calls the line protection. That’s why JRP was getting sacked a lot. He was calling the wrong protection and also not comfortable in the pocket.
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