Good start

I looked at some bio info on Tom Williams, "retired" after two seasons ('70 & '71). No idea why, and he appeared in 27 games over the two seasons according to what I saw, "anchoring the Defensive Line".

Plenty of guys have lived in training rooms and locker rooms, especially during the summer. You have everything you need right there and most coaches or staff tend to turn a blind eye. Players also camp out in cars sometimes in extreme cases. I have heard Plough speak continually about the need for funding summer living expenses, as well as program nutrition. The struggle is real for these kids who are expected to stick around all year, but only get covered for 10/12 months. Funding summer living would be a huge step in the right direction for the program.

As much help as the Connors Bros. will bring, the schematic tweaks are probably more important. I noticed, especially late in the season/playoffs, that teams were able to manipulate the box and displace one of the two inside backers, forcing a safety into the box fit which is less than ideal. Especially vs. playoff caliber competition.

Agreed on Bell and Faulkner, both capable.

Forty times are definitely overrated. Biletnikoff is an interesting comp; very similar to Kupp I would say on the field from what I remember. Hell of a route runner, physical, caught everything. Kupp is probably faster than Fred was though, but that's just a guess. And it really doesn't matter. How fast can you play and does the QB trust you?

40 times and straight line speed is sexy for coaches and scouts. Route running, hands, willingness and ability to block, elusiveness, those sort of things probably matter more. The dirty work of the receiver position. A lot of times at this level, the Kupps of the world are brought in as walk ons and become the feel good stories down the road in their career.

It is my opinion that the Aggies may have the best starting Corners in the country. Who are #3 and #4 is the question.

I was poking around on the Hero Sports site and read the Montana preview. They spent some money in the portal, that's for certain. Defense needed it as they lost a lot of talent. I really like the fact that they play the Beavs in Corvallis the week before seeing the Aggies in Davis.

I think is spot-on regarding John and Richardson. This deal is a statistical beauty pageant, which those guys don't have. We know we're stacked on the back end.

Cal Poly Linebackers, two in the top 11, get recognized because their team sucks and they're on the field a long time so they get monster stats :rofl: With all due respect, D'Amato is a ball hawk, kid makes plays on top of plays. The other guy, Olson, is just a rock solid run stuffer type. They have an outstanding duo there. I think Seivers will make the list next year but he's a year away. I remember looking at Niekamp going into the ISU game, he's a man. Davy from URI as well, good football player.

Go watch Grayson's basketball clips on his X account from December 28. Kid has really nice feet and is an interior OL at our level, probably Guard, maybe a Right Tackle depending on his length. Might have the feet to play RT.

McKenna can play Center and Guard. A little stiff, not quite the feet like Grayson, but holy cow does that kid FINISH! If you have a son or grandkid playing O-line, show him McKenna's highlights and tell him to end plays like he does. I love the nastiness! Looks to have really good upper body strength. Future bouncer downtown.

Both are welcome additions, looking forward to tracking their careers. Go Ags!

Good pod. Recruiting Hawaii takes contacts, hard work, and local knowledge. Seems like the Ags are scratching the surface on being a top destination for high academic kids from the Islands. Being able to pipeline some of those guys, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, will be important moving forward.

Both the OL commits come from top HS programs, fired up to welcome those cats

Two nice gets from big time high school programs. Go Ags!

Truedat

Agree 100%. It's good to finally see them escalate. Everyone thinks they're non-scholarship, and while it is hard to get into those places, there are plenty of players on all their rosters paying $0 to attend (or with the money to pay full boat). Same with the Pioneer schools; the top of that conference gets very creative with financial aid

It can get sneaky hot there. The campus is on a hill so parking and flat areas are at a premium. Probably best next to the Jenny Craig? We'll figure it out. Or we can rally in Old Town and convince the trolley driver to take us up the hill maybe. Yankees visit Petco the same weekend the Ags are in town. If you haven't visited Petco Park, especially on a Sunday afternoon when the young Marines from the Depot march to the ballpark, it might be worth staying for. I hate the Padres and most things about them, but their ballpark and their early-80s uniforms are among the finest.

It would be a big deal for the bullfighters to beat the Ags. Bigger in 2008 than in 2026 since USD has made a playoff appearance now, but with Davis likely rolling into town with a Top 5 ranking, this is a classic trap game. Plough coaching in his home town will mean something, hopefully a large margin of victory!

Road night games can be tricky, even against lesser competition. Same with empty stadiums. We are their opener, school should be in session, hopefully a decent crowd and pre-game tailgate scene.

I think I could live in Old Town. Just find myself a little adobe hut and I can be the town blacksmith or bartender or something. Get me a floppy Bangora with an oversized brim, good livin'!

Saw that the first kickoff time for 2026 was listed, 7pm at University of San Diego. Gives us time for an 11pm victory parade through the Gaslamp, quick crossover into TJ, then hit any burrito joint ending in -berto's on the way back? Oh, to be 22 again

If you want to get into some Civic Stadium/Providence Park nostalgia, check outThe Battered Bastards of Baseball on Netflix from around 10 years ago. If you're a baseball nerd and enjoy good storytelling, this might be worth a watch over the weekend. Cheers!

Yes I do, absolutely. Pinnick had the same experience to open 2025 as any of these three guys do in 2026. The only thing I am the least bit concerned about really (aside from TE depth) is trying to get too cute or throw the ball two much when/if they can grind someone.

Good to know, thanks. That's why I am only a commenter and not a previewer!

Distillery Row

ALL pre-season rankings are crapshoots... I've professed my childhood love for pre-season college football magazines, I couldn't imagine trying to crank those things to publication in February given today's college football landscape!

Ags may be unproved at LT, but that group can move people and run the ball. We are deep and very talented at RB. Those two things are very nice luxuries for a young QB.

Nice breakdown! The biggest challenge in this game is playing at that empty rec center field out in Hillsboro. I'm not serious with that comment, but that deal is bad.

Fisk is a good football coach. They'll try to run the ball and play good defense. A novel concept, but one that wins a lot of championships at every level of football. They'll probably have a couple guys from Central that will be culture guys and tone setters, and I'm guessing they're slightly less talented than usual but will fight.

Year 3 for Plough, second trip to PSU as a HC, I'm sure there will be some things from the 2024 experience that will be addressed going into 2026. He knows they're walking into an ambush. Biggest thing is to take away hope early, make them think "here we go again". I would go up tempo as fast and furious as possible Offensively for the first 3-5 drives and load the box to stop the run on D. Our Corners can handle anything, so hit their QB, take away what they want to do, and dictate the terms of engagement. Show them what a pissed off Top 5 team in FCS looks like. That's more on the players than the coaches, but that would be my approach.