Christian Malloy has Entered the Transfer Portal

GTrob21

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He is a GT kid, and he wants to play. I don't blame him a bit, a little disappointed at some of the comments in this thread. Wish him well, support our young men.
 

jgtengineer

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He is a GT kid, and he wants to play. I don't blame him a bit, a little disappointed at some of the comments in this thread. Wish him well, support our young men.

I said expected because our backfield is definitely going to be changing around to more All purpose/ zone backs rather than power. JP got the start all last year because that is what he is even if he isn't as fast.
 

InsideLB

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The kid can play, but he’s stuck behind 3 potential NFL backs

Havent heard such a quote in some time regarding a position at GT. Agree JG and Gibbs cant yet be called pro prospects, but under Choice if they work hard and stay healthy they have a darn good chance.
 

Techster

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Havent heard such a quote in some time regarding a position at GT. Agree JG and Gibbs cant yet be called pro prospects, but under Choice if they work hard and stay healthy they have a darn good chance.

Kind of odd that other programs that were running CPJ's spread option have had runningbacks go to the NFL via free agency or drafted, but GT has struggled with it. I believe Zach Laskey was the last one to make a roster.
 

Cam

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Kind of odd that other programs that were running CPJ's spread option have had runningbacks go to the NFL via free agency or drafted, but GT has struggled with it. I believe Zach Laskey was the last one to make a roster.
We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.
 

Techster

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We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.

Left out Anthony Allen who got drafted and had a short career in the NFL.

The list gets longer if you add A-backs. GA Southern got Jerrick McKinnon drafted from the Aback position.
 

FlatsLander

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We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.
If you take the same look at QB you'll find we were possibly more cursed there. Just off the top of my head:

Ty Griffin - transferred once JT took over
Matthew Jordan - medically retired
Christian Campbell - Injured his hand and moved to DB
Jaylend Ratliffe - Medically retired from football after a serious brain injury

I think that the lack of performance on the field from 2017 and 2018 was due to these losses and the Bbacks (althouth JPM and Kirvonte held their own), and that 2019 with TO and Jordan Yates + JPM and JH and CM, the tides would have turned.

Having said that, I think we're on a good trajectory with QBs and RBs going forward and I'm ready to see what we look like in the fall!
 

takethepoints

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If you take the same look at QB you'll find we were possibly more cursed there. Just off the top of my head:

Ty Griffin - transferred once JT took over
Matthew Jordan - medically retired
Christian Campbell - Injured his hand and moved to DB
Jaylend Ratliffe - Medically retired from football after a serious brain injury

I think that the lack of performance on the field from 2017 and 2018 was due to these losses and the Bbacks (althouth JPM and Kirvonte held their own), and that 2019 with TO and Jordan Yates + JPM and JH and CM, the tides would have turned.

Having said that, I think we're on a good trajectory with QBs and RBs going forward and I'm ready to see what we look like in the fall!
Losing Ratliffe really hurt. He would have started for three years, imho. Second place is losing both Jordan and Mills. I was expecting our 2017 team to have Jordan at QB and Mills at BB. That would have been a team to fear. It would have been the reincarnation of the Will Wirth teams at Navy with more talent at BB. Ah, well. Too bad for us. And Paul, of course.
 

takethepoints

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Kind of odd that other programs that were running CPJ's spread option have had runningbacks go to the NFL via free agency or drafted, but GT has struggled with it. I believe Zach Laskey was the last one to make a roster.
Aside from what others have mentioned about injuries, there's also the way Paul structured his teams on offense. He was looking for very specific types to play different positions and the skill sets he valued were not compatible (usually) with what the pros were after. I've mentioned him before, but I think the best example of this is Embry Peeples. Peeples was, imho, the best pure AB we ever had at Tech during Paul's time: fast as lightening, very cute in his moves, an absolutely great downfield blocker, and he could catch. But … at 5'11" and 180 soaking wet, there was no way that a pro team would have touched him as a runner and they wanted bigger people at WR as well.

Laskey was what they were looking for: a 6'3" 225 RB who could cut a 4.5 forty. Pretty much the same as Dwyer, with less juke.
 

takethepoints

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And now Malloy. I still think he is talented enough to start at Tech in any RB position, but he was caught in a coaching transition that did not favor him.

It's a fact of college football life that when new coaches come in they normally favor players they have recruited, even if they are brand new. I've said here before that I think Malloy is as talented as Griffin, but a tie in this situation goes to the new recruit. This is even more the case when a back like Gibbs is coming up; he might be more talented then either of them. I don't blame Christian for leaving and I hope he has a chance for success wherever he ends up.
 

jgtengineer

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We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.

Allen also was drafted.

But yeah Skov also was injured which is why he didn't do well. He hurt his shoulder which well is a bad thing when you run like he did.
 

GTFLETCH

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We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.
Mikell Lands-Davis - Transferred down two levels (D2) & played with Custis

https://uwgsports.com/sports/football/roster/mikell-lands-davis/3453
 

GTFLETCH

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Messages
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We definitely had a weird history (and a lot of bad luck) with our B-Backs. I went through our recruiting classes from 2011 and here's what I found:
Zach Laskey (recruiting class of 2011) - Made the league as a UFA
Travis Custis (2013) - couldn't overcome academic credit hurdles
Donovan Wilson (2013) - Transferred down a level (playing time?)
CJ Leggett (2014) - Violated team rules, transferred down a level
Marcus Marshall (2015) - Transferred down a level due to lack of playing time (should have hung on another season...)
Quaide Weimerskirch (2015) - Graduated, then transferred down a level due to lack of playing time
Mikell Lands-Davis (2015) - Retired from football
Kirvonte Benson (2015) - Had like three bad knee injuries in 4-5 years, entered transfer portal
Patrick Skov (TR) - didn't quite take to the position well
Dedrick Mills (2016) - Failed too many of Sasquatch's drug tests (might get drafted next year)

Basically Dwyer got drafted and the position was forever cursed. I was always a little surprised that none of the elite RB recruits seemed to want to play our "premiere RB" position, but I get the feeling that most didn't want to get banged around so much (Marshall kind of said this). Seemed like we took a number of reaches at this position and most did not pan out.

Part of the downfall of CPJ Era was missing on Travis Custis(Academic) in 2013 & Dedrick Mills(WEED) in 2016. Plus Marcus Marshall transferred once D. Mills beat him out and kept smoking weed & then BJS deciding to play LB instead of BB really hurt GT. I do not think P. Swilling is/was a fan of CPJ "style" of football.
 

boger2337

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The KSU kid signed as a FA; didn’t get drafted despite running a 4.48 and benching more than everyone at the combine except 2 OL.
Went to high school with his older brother and knew him from playing ball with him.

He should make the ravens roster without of doubt. He ran an unofficial 40 in late winter at 4.42. Huge kid to run that fast.

Think Mike Alstott.
 

AE 87

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Aside from what others have mentioned about injuries, there's also the way Paul structured his teams on offense. He was looking for very specific types to play different positions and the skill sets he valued were not compatible (usually) with what the pros were after. I've mentioned him before, but I think the best example of this is Embry Peeples. Peeples was, imho, the best pure AB we ever had at Tech during Paul's time: fast as lightening, very cute in his moves, an absolutely great downfield blocker, and he could catch. But … at 5'11" and 180 soaking wet, there was no way that a pro team would have touched him as a runner and they wanted bigger people at WR as well.

Laskey was what they were looking for: a 6'3" 225 RB who could cut a 4.5 forty. Pretty much the same as Dwyer, with less juke.

I think CPJ was great at optimizing his players. As a result, he could use guys like Embry and Marcus Wright that other schools couldn't.

Fwiw, IIrc, Embry wasn't one of our top 2 A-Backs (plays, carries) during any season.
 
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