Epps playing as a Freshman?

[RustShack]

@AlexHalsted: Paul Rhoads said true freshman WR Carson Epps has impressed and emerged and is a go to play this season. Along with RB Joshua Thomas.

Interesting with our stacked WR corps.

 

[upstateclone]

He did look good in the "Plays of the Day". He must be pretty damn good to have his redshirt pulled with this corp. Anxious to see if he's used more than Wesley was last year.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

I'd pull out all the stops if I was him as well. Can't benefit from a kid's redshirt year if you aren't there. Although I really have a hard time believing he is good enough to contribute much with our wide receiving corp that is currently out there.

If he is then that's going to be a big deal.

 

[QCCyclone]

This is going to rub a lot of Rhoads haters the wrong way. Very interesting development, I must say.

 

[xboxfever]

He was one of the 3-4 kids I thought had a chance to play early. Not surprised by this. I think he was an over looked recruit.

 

[Yellow Snow]

I'd pull out all the stops if I was him as well. Can't benefit from a kid's redshirt year if you aren't there. Although I really have a hard time believing he is good enough to contribute much with our wide receiving corp that is currently out there.

If he is then that's going to be a big deal.

I agree. What does Rhoads have to lose at this point? Maybe the dude is a stud punt returner, or he will be back on KO returns. If it keeps QB or AL out of those type things.... play the dude. I don't think this has anything to do with the quality of our receiving corps.

 

[Wesley]

@AlexHalsted: Paul Rhoads said true freshman WR Carson Epps has impressed and emerged and is a go to play this season. Along with RB Joshua Thomas.

Interesting with our stacked WR corps.

Maybe we can send in a new crew every play.

For the record and comparison, Nebby has eleven freshmen/redshirt freshman on their three deeps.

 

[Judoka]

I dislike this. Why waste a redshirt to give him a couple plays a game? You are robbing the team of a much more productive redshirt senior year in the future. Rhoads does this to a few players every year and I never agree. Only pull a redshirt if a kid is going to challenge to start.

 

[Beyerball]

Epps might play more than u think. He's more of a slot guy and has some speed. He can compliment Bundrage well and if Bundrage needs a spell Epps could be that guy. At this point go for it. We have some very good WRs but we only have 1-2 that have better than avg speed IMO. WR hasn't really been a position we've struggled to get talent at so one guy burning a redshirt...meh.

 

[RustShack]

I dislike this. Why waste a redshirt to give him a couple plays a game? You are robbing the team of a much more productive redshirt senior year in the future. Rhoads does this to a few players every year and I never agree. Only pull a redshirt if a kid is going to challenge to start.

Well if he's a slot receiver he could play a good amount along with Wesley.

 

[upstateclone]

Could just be better than Salters. Doesn't have to be head and shoulders above Lazard, Montgomery, and Bundrage to be an asset to the team.

 

[00clone]

I dislike this. Why waste a redshirt to give him a couple plays a game? You are robbing the team of a much more productive redshirt senior year in the future. Rhoads does this to a few players every year and I never agree. Only pull a redshirt if a kid is going to challenge to start.

Because Rhoads might not be able to have the opportunity to care about that 5th year? Not trying to drumbeat him out, but his back seems to be against a wall, he's gonna do whatever he needs to to win now.

 

[Beyerball]

Because Rhoads might not be able to have the opportunity to care about that 5th year? Not trying to drumbeat him out, but his back seems to be against a wall, he's gonna do whatever he needs to to win now.

Agree. In our offense u need 5-6 WRs who can play and play well. Chances are someone will get dinged up during the season..happens every year.

 

[BBHMagic]

Does anybody know the story on this guy (if there is one)? We are his only FBS offer and he's already good enough to play Big XII ball on a team that's deepest position is WR. Were in on him really early or something?

 

[Scott34]

I have no problem with burning a redshirt if the guy has talent. There is no reason to have it sit on the bench if he has the ability to play. ISU doesn't have an overload of great talent, so they need to play the ones that can make an impact right away.

 

[Judoka]

Because Rhoads might not be able to have the opportunity to care about that 5th year? Not trying to drumbeat him out, but his back seems to be against a wall, he's gonna do whatever he needs to to win now.

Sure, but he's been doing that ever since he showed up. Knott, Klein, and George all didn't redshirt. As true freshman they had 23, 17, and 4 tackles respectively. We gave up George's fifth year for 4 tackles! 4! Compare that to their 4th years when they had 79 (despite missing half the season with an injury), 117, and 133 tackles respectively. We gave up fifth years from each of those three guys, when they would have been at least All Big XII and probably an All American honor or two, in exchange for 44 tackles.

Do you think we only win three games in 2013 with Knott and Klein in the defensive backfield? Or that George wouldn't have been worth at least one more win last year?

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

Sure, but he's been doing that ever since he showed up. Knott, Klein, and George all didn't redshirt. As true freshman they had 23, 17, and 4 tackles respectively. We gave up George's fifth year for 4 tackles! 4! Compare that to their 4th years when they had 79 (despite missing half the season with an injury), 117, and 133 tackles respectively. We gave up fifth years from each of those three guys, when they would have been at least All Big XII and probably an All American honor or two, in exchange for 44 tackles.

Do you think we only win three games in 2013 with Knott and Klein in the defensive backfield? Or that George wouldn't have been worth at least one more win last year?

Do you think any of them regret not redshirting?

 

[BCClone]

I haven't known a football player that, if they have a chance to see the field, wanted to redshirt rather than play.

 

[RustShack]

Sure, but he's been doing that ever since he showed up. Knott, Klein, and George all didn't redshirt. As true freshman they had 23, 17, and 4 tackles respectively. We gave up George's fifth year for 4 tackles! 4! Compare that to their 4th years when they had 79 (despite missing half the season with an injury), 117, and 133 tackles respectively. We gave up fifth years from each of those three guys, when they would have been at least All Big XII and probably an All American honor or two, in exchange for 44 tackles.

Do you think we only win three games in 2013 with Knott and Klein in the defensive backfield? Or that George wouldn't have been worth at least one more win last year?

Playing as freshman because we had no depth back then even if it was just as a lot of ST's and spot minutes on defense played a role in them being ready to play those next years.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

I haven't known a football player that, if they have a chance to see the field, wanted to redshirt rather than play.

How many RS SRs who have big years would tell you it was the wrong choice?

Humans as a species have absolutely terrible ability to conceptualize waiting for something on the scale of 4 years in the future vs instant gratification. People also generally think what has happened to them is the best way for things to have happened, you can rationalize anything.

That's one of the reasons Rhoads is paid millions of dollars to make those decisions.

And hilariously, one of Rhoads' calling cards and a big point of pride for him before was redshirting every single kid.

Now that he's on the hot seat, that has changed. Can't blame him, but rationalizing it as definitely 100% the right move all the time is stupid. If this was 2010 he would redshirt, and our WRs were way worse then.