FC: CJF says decision to play FR LBs King and Buddin left to each player…

Midnighter

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Oct 7, 2021
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Not sure how much they could have helped but interesting. I guess they would have burned their RS so I get it. They need to make bowls not count towards eligibility.
 

s1uggo72

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Oct 12, 2021
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Fourth qtr!!! Still 16-14. SMH. Everything you trained for boys is right there for your taking!! Now go take it
 

blion72

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Oct 30, 2021
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Not sure how much they could have helped but interesting. I guess they would have burned their RS so I get it. They need to make bowls not count towards eligibility.
I think that in the world we are now, the RS needs to be preserved when players actually get injured and miss the season (i.e. Cain last year). Using them for "roster management" and building "older" teams is not where the elite teams are at. These teams play the best guys as soon as they can play. In fact, many UGA and Bama kids were FR or Soph players. If Buddin and King are no better than the guys who were in there, then playing them would have only helped the depth problem in the heat. It was my understanding that the players wanted to USE their RS for 2021 season.

We do need to change the term "burn" redshirt to "USE" redshirt. Once you use it, if you get hurt and lose a season like Cain, then the RS is not available. I think that is why they originally called this a redshirt = it was for injured players. Nebraska was the first to really use RS for roster management, so wound up with a lot of 5th year players. The mid and lower tier teams are still going to try and use RS for roster management to be OLD. They are working on the theory that a bunch of 22-24 year old 0-3* players can beat a roster full of young 4-5*, which is where the elite teams will be. One thing working against these teams is that the portal is now being used by their star players who they developed. These guys want to transfer to the big name schools to pump up their draft stock

Penn State is in a tough position here, as they are recruiting large numbers of 4* and some 5* players who come to PSU expecting to go to NFL in 3 years and play immediately. These guys for the most part do not expect to RS and sit = so most will hit the portal if you hold them back. Elite teams do not have a situation where their best players are not seen/not playing. For these teams the future is now. Not saying this is right or wrong - just where we are now.
 

PSUJam

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Oct 7, 2021
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Not sure how much they could have helped but interesting. I guess they would have burned their RS so I get it. They need to make bowls not count towards eligibility.
CJF said in one presser prior to the bowl he sits down those kids and their parents to make the best decision for them. I could see saving redshirts for medical reasons. I don't think medical redshirts have been discussed here much as of late.
 
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blion72

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CJF said in one presser prior to the bowl he sits down those kids and their parents to make the best decision for them. I could see saving redshirts for medical reasons. I don't think medical redshirts have been discussed here much as of late.
we rarely talk about RS for medical reasons, even though that is why it was created. It was to handle injuries when you are going to miss a season. When a player uses their RS for roster management, they lost it when they actually have a serious injury. Not sure how using the RS for this year helped King and Buddin benefited by using their RS this year. Now they lost it when they need it for injury. In the event either turns out to be a super star, we would expect to lose them after the 2023 season to NFL anyhow.
 
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loinfan01

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Oct 25, 2021
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I'm not making a value judgement here, but neither of these kids will be at UP for their fifth season. If they are good enough, they will be opting out for the NFL, and if they can't get on the field, they will transfer. I don't understand the concept of preserving a redshirt in today's game.
 

GregInPitt

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Oct 13, 2021
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Not sure how much they could have helped but interesting. I guess they would have burned their RS so I get it. They need to make bowls not count towards eligibility.

Yep, they get 4 games. And as early as the start of the season Franklin and his staff knew that he had 2 LB's (Smith and Brooks) very likely going to the NFL after the season, a limited LB roster, and that players do opt out of bowl games to focus on the NFL and prevent injuries. So why put those players in that situation going into the bowl game by playing them 4 games already before the bowl game.

Either play them the whole year, or play them 3 regular season games so that you have them for the bowl game. Just poor planning by Franklin and his staff.
 
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Bison13

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Oct 13, 2021
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Red shirts are still useful to get guys who might be great athletes and rated four stars but don't quite have the body yet to compete. But ultimately guys like King and buddin had the bodies to compete and should have been getting reps all year.
Unless it's a true stud red shirts really only work with lineman or potentially quarterbacks. Receivers, defensive backs and running backs need to figure out that first or second year if they are good enough because most of them are prima donnas who are going to leave if they're not playing.
 

Lionville

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Oct 19, 2021
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Lost on CJF is the concept of winning football games and putting the players the field that give you the best chance of doing so. I guess when you have a guaranteed 10
Year contract for high 8 figures you can do whatever you want.

This gives credence to the idea that this was a meaningless bowl game.

My other thought about Letting players make this decision is that it sounds like the inmates are running the asylum.
 

Bvillebaron

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Oct 12, 2021
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Yep, they get 4 games. And as early as the start of the season Franklin and his staff knew that he had 2 LB's (Smith and Brooks) very likely going to the NFL after the season, a limited LB roster, and that players do opt out of bowl games to focus on the NFL and prevent injuries. So why put those players in that situation going into the bowl game by playing them 4 games already before the bowl game.

Either play them the whole year, or play them 3 games so that you have them for the bowl game. Just poor planning by Franklin and his staff.
Boy you are a classic. Is Franklin responsible for the dinosaurs being extinct too? How conveniently you failed to mention that this was the first season with mass opt outs (I actually don’t think there were any before this season) If only everyone could be as clairvoyant as you.
 

GregInPitt

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Oct 13, 2021
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Boy you are a classic. Is Franklin responsible for the dinosaurs being extinct too? How conveniently you failed to mention that this was the first season with mass opt outs (I actually don’t think there were any before this season) If only everyone could be as clairvoyant as you.

No, you are a classic. You don't comprehend that Franklin is responsible for managing his roster?

Yes there were opt outs in college football before this season. PSU had more than most teams this season, so there is the possibility that Franklin advised his players to sit out and protect their NFL future. Only a few teams had dramatic increases in opt outs.

And Franklin prides himself in being a top communicator so he knew before the season who might be going to the NFL and he knew more regarding each players intentions as the season went along.

Franklin didn't have 3 LB's get hurt during the season or even after the season, he knew what his options were before and during the season, and at this position didn't set the world on fire with his planning and execution.

Roster management and communications, not clairvoyance.