Sound like that including myself, Backer. Cool, let's see how this transpires
Maiava in the portal
- Thread starter Rebelbacker
- Start date
Maybe its a bad take, I don’t know. I agree that the moment they accept money, they are professionals. I believe that should also mean that you shouldn’t “skip” bowl games unless you’re injured or sick if you have any amount of NiL. You’re getting paid. Do your job. Take some pride in the fanbase thats paying you. More than that, take some pride for the teammates around you that might not play on that helped you get there.
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Here are my thoughts on everything;
I believe that we are past treating people like kids. Once you are playing in front of thousands of people for money, then are subject to any type of critique. Maiava and anyone else can be praised right? Maiava and other players are getting awards. On the flip side, that comes with criticism. If you can receive praise, you can receive criticism. Of course we arent okay with personal attacks and threats, but just as people are praising and tweeting about accomplishments, we can also criticize players for performing terribly. Thats part of the game. Cant have it both ways and move the goal posts. Same situation as the McKie drop. He has barely seen the field since. I wonder why? He isnt reliable enough to be on the field. Him riding the bench is hurting his feelings more than any post or comment.
All in all, this shit is a business. Stop coddling these players because if they received a certain amount of money and guarantees, they'd leave tomorrow without saying bye.
In terms of bringing in a portal QB, here are my thoughts;
Its safe to assume that Doug and Friel will not take a meaningful snap at UNLV again. That probably leads both of them into the portal. I can see Friel staying and working his way into a GA position after he graduates. But lets say for the sake of this argument that both are gone.
We would be stuck with Maiava, Bo, and Lucas Lenhoff. No 2024 QB as of now. So thats 3 people and 1 is a walkon. Will Maiava make the strides we want if he isnt pushed? We play at Houston, at Kansas, and Boise State. Is Maiava ready for that? Will he make the necessary improvements to make us competitive? We dont know the future, but the answer right now is no. So if there is a good QB in the portal that Marion knows or any QB that is solid and interested, do we just leave him in the portal and not try to snag him because Maiava is young and has potential?
If we play how most of the fanbase wants us to play and be competitive and Maiava has a great year, theres a chance he dips and transfers up. So what is the difference between that and getting a 1 year QB rental? Everyone is saying Maiava will improve and be one of the best QBs in the conference and what not and how hes the national freshman of the week, etc. So by that measure, he should improve over the offseason and put up insane numbers and pick up wins next season. He does that and hes in the portal next offseason.
All of this is to say, if theres a talented QB or talented anything and they fit with our agenda, we try to recruit them. We cannot base decisions on Maiava balling out as a freshman and improving. College football is now a year to year thing.
I will guarantee it rn, if we do not play well next season, everyone and i mean everyone is going to say that we should have gotten a QB from the portal because Maiava struggled at the end of this season. Thats what will be said. So we might as well jump on that now. If a qb comes in and Maiava beats him, great! He is who we know he can be. Then we move forward with him. There is no guarantee on how we do next season and you guys all know that fans can flip quick. If we regress next season, people are going to be shitting on Odom and blame Marion for having his foot out the door again. Because of all of this, we need to field the most competitive team possible. Feelings are out of this.
I believe that we are past treating people like kids. Once you are playing in front of thousands of people for money, then are subject to any type of critique. Maiava and anyone else can be praised right? Maiava and other players are getting awards. On the flip side, that comes with criticism. If you can receive praise, you can receive criticism. Of course we arent okay with personal attacks and threats, but just as people are praising and tweeting about accomplishments, we can also criticize players for performing terribly. Thats part of the game. Cant have it both ways and move the goal posts. Same situation as the McKie drop. He has barely seen the field since. I wonder why? He isnt reliable enough to be on the field. Him riding the bench is hurting his feelings more than any post or comment.
All in all, this shit is a business. Stop coddling these players because if they received a certain amount of money and guarantees, they'd leave tomorrow without saying bye.
In terms of bringing in a portal QB, here are my thoughts;
Its safe to assume that Doug and Friel will not take a meaningful snap at UNLV again. That probably leads both of them into the portal. I can see Friel staying and working his way into a GA position after he graduates. But lets say for the sake of this argument that both are gone.
We would be stuck with Maiava, Bo, and Lucas Lenhoff. No 2024 QB as of now. So thats 3 people and 1 is a walkon. Will Maiava make the strides we want if he isnt pushed? We play at Houston, at Kansas, and Boise State. Is Maiava ready for that? Will he make the necessary improvements to make us competitive? We dont know the future, but the answer right now is no. So if there is a good QB in the portal that Marion knows or any QB that is solid and interested, do we just leave him in the portal and not try to snag him because Maiava is young and has potential?
If we play how most of the fanbase wants us to play and be competitive and Maiava has a great year, theres a chance he dips and transfers up. So what is the difference between that and getting a 1 year QB rental? Everyone is saying Maiava will improve and be one of the best QBs in the conference and what not and how hes the national freshman of the week, etc. So by that measure, he should improve over the offseason and put up insane numbers and pick up wins next season. He does that and hes in the portal next offseason.
All of this is to say, if theres a talented QB or talented anything and they fit with our agenda, we try to recruit them. We cannot base decisions on Maiava balling out as a freshman and improving. College football is now a year to year thing.
I will guarantee it rn, if we do not play well next season, everyone and i mean everyone is going to say that we should have gotten a QB from the portal because Maiava struggled at the end of this season. Thats what will be said. So we might as well jump on that now. If a qb comes in and Maiava beats him, great! He is who we know he can be. Then we move forward with him. There is no guarantee on how we do next season and you guys all know that fans can flip quick. If we regress next season, people are going to be shitting on Odom and blame Marion for having his foot out the door again. Because of all of this, we need to field the most competitive team possible. Feelings are out of this.
One comment. Marion is a whore. F*ck him if he stays or go. Put some limitations on his ass if he is staying.
OK one more comment: Maiava needs developments. I mean he needs a Tom Brady's type of school of hard knocks. His mechanics are fantastic and so are his heart but he just need some big game experiences knowledge.
Good thoughts. I think with everything that’s transpired the past 2 games, that a portal QB would be a smart move. JM seemed to ”plateau” at best and possibly regress somewhat. There are so many moving parts, it’s hard to say there is any one definitive answer. Tried to keep up with everything going on yesterday and today, but still not sure what to make of the Marion and Maiava news/non news and their relationship and where Marion fits into UNLV or whether he still does, etc.
CFB is definitely a year to year thing now, especially at a G5 school. If you can improve your team, you do it. Whether it’s a direct replacement or, at the very least, improved competition.
It's out in the open now.
You wanted to be compensated like a professional you become a professional.
You want your name in lights. You want to do commercials etc. You have to accept everything that comes with it. Good and bad.
I go back to what I said for years.
I don't want to hear 'he's a fine young man' when dudes are pillars in the community and then hear 'well he's a kid' when they screw up.
Gotta pick one.
Competition breeds success, BO and Marion need to get another QB. You look at Tom Brady at Michigan, he was yanked around his whole tenure there and always had competition. Lloyd Carr made him work for it and Brady had an offer to go back home to Cal where he was promised playing time. Yet he stayed at Michigan.
Another situation was Urban Meyer recruiting Tebow, arguably one of the top recruits in the country but he wasn’t given the reigns. Leak was the starter and Tebow was just a situational jag his freshman year. Tebow could have went to Alabama and got playing time. Point is, bringing in someone doesn’t necessarily supplant the starter. It just ups the ante and forces guys to stay sharp.
I’d like Marion to bring in a dual threat QB for situational plays and to push Maiava. But we also have needs all over the roster at WR, RB, OL depth and on defense more LBers and secondary guys. We got 9/10 wins and we’re just scratching the surface of this thing, we can get much better across the board and Barry Odom knows it.
Another situation was Urban Meyer recruiting Tebow, arguably one of the top recruits in the country but he wasn’t given the reigns. Leak was the starter and Tebow was just a situational jag his freshman year. Tebow could have went to Alabama and got playing time. Point is, bringing in someone doesn’t necessarily supplant the starter. It just ups the ante and forces guys to stay sharp.
I’d like Marion to bring in a dual threat QB for situational plays and to push Maiava. But we also have needs all over the roster at WR, RB, OL depth and on defense more LBers and secondary guys. We got 9/10 wins and we’re just scratching the surface of this thing, we can get much better across the board and Barry Odom knows it.
He's an OC looking to become a HC. If that opportunity presents itself he absolutely should take it.
If Texas A&M came to Barry Odom and Saud here's 6 million dollars a year for 5 years..Thank's Barry and good luck. That is life changing money. Not just for you but your kids and possibly their kids if you're smart with it.
If I worked at MCDONALD'S and Burber King says 'Hey you're currently making $15 an hour we will pay you $20 an hour' Screw that damn clown..
So because the kid get an NIL money he doesn't deserve to be treated as a student athlete rather like a professional?
Heck more recently. Ohio State had three NFL QBs on one roster. They didn't think 'oh jeez we don't want to upset Justin Fields we better not recruit anymore QBs'..
Yes. He's being paid/compensated to play football not dissect a frog.
We had Karson Gordon in the fold, but he reneged and committed to ucla. I hope Marion & co go after a similar type of QB. A dual threat QB just adds another dynamic to this offense, imo.
With all the social media criticism of Maiava after the last two games, it wouldn't surprise me if he looked around a little, but that is what is expected in these days of instant gratification and the ability to move around so easily. Maiava has a nice upside, but this was a learning year, with next year being the year to find out if he can be a leader in games against better competition!
Hopefully the recruiting can fix the secondary and other holes that were obvious verse BSU and SJSU.
Now a chance to play Kansas who are arguably the second best team UNLV will play this year!
Hopefully the recruiting can fix the secondary and other holes that were obvious verse BSU and SJSU.
Now a chance to play Kansas who are arguably the second best team UNLV will play this year!
I agree. Ideally (for me at least) we are able to grab a QB to compete with Maiava that can threaten a defense with his legs, but we aren't reliant on it to win games if that makes any sense.
JM won the spot this year by filling in for a injured 2 year starter. He has to realize that the coaches with the portal can't afford to owe anyone loyalty because anyone can leave at anytime for any reason. I would want the staff to bring in someone they think can beat out Maiava and hope that iron sharpens iron. If he wins the spot against competition, he'll be better for it. If he loses his spot then the team is clearly better for it.
Outside of Ricky White and maybe Pizano, I don't see any player on the roster who couldn't be upgraded on. You get the best players you can get, period. Competition breeds success. If they don't want the competition, they aren't a dawg like lobby said. Also, if we don't get a portal QB and Maiava gets injured next year, we are totally fooked.
I'm not against bringing in QB competition. Especially if we are losing 1 or 2 guys in the QB room. You need at least quality depth.
I am also not against bringing in a quality transfer that will push him.
All of that being said.
What is not being said much here is the whole idea of developing a promising young player into a special player.
Maiava has warts, but he also has a lot of promise and some qualities that hard difficult to coach up.
And yes I think there is potential to fix his issues. He is a freaking freshman. You don't think with extra practices for a bowl game, all of spring, and all of summer camp with him being a starter would not make him better?
What happen if you bring in a 2 year portal transfer that is great for this system, but then Marion leaves next year? Then Maiava transfers out, and the guy you have isn't a great fit for the next system.
Maiava may not be the best fit, but he can work. And almost more importantly he is likely more versatile.
I guess what I am saying, that we have the FOY at QB who was second team all conference. I think the first priority should be to retain and develop him. Continue to recruit quality HS's and bring in a quality transfer to push, but with the primary initial plan to roll with Maiava until proven otherwise.
I am also not against bringing in a quality transfer that will push him.
All of that being said.
What is not being said much here is the whole idea of developing a promising young player into a special player.
Maiava has warts, but he also has a lot of promise and some qualities that hard difficult to coach up.
And yes I think there is potential to fix his issues. He is a freaking freshman. You don't think with extra practices for a bowl game, all of spring, and all of summer camp with him being a starter would not make him better?
What happen if you bring in a 2 year portal transfer that is great for this system, but then Marion leaves next year? Then Maiava transfers out, and the guy you have isn't a great fit for the next system.
Maiava may not be the best fit, but he can work. And almost more importantly he is likely more versatile.
I guess what I am saying, that we have the FOY at QB who was second team all conference. I think the first priority should be to retain and develop him. Continue to recruit quality HS's and bring in a quality transfer to push, but with the primary initial plan to roll with Maiava until proven otherwise.
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Simple as: Do we enter the season without a good qualified backup?
That means we need 2 good qualified QB's no matter what their names are. Same for every other position on the team. If the staff tried to do that an d couldn't, well that is our limitation. If you didn't try then that is a dereliction of their duties.
That means we need 2 good qualified QB's no matter what their names are. Same for every other position on the team. If the staff tried to do that an d couldn't, well that is our limitation. If you didn't try then that is a dereliction of their duties.
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I know I prefer to go with the known commodity in Maiava. Bring in an experienced backup yes. How many highly rated transfers have we had that didn’t pan out? Also how much of his regression would be Marion’s fault with 1 foot out the door focusing on his next job opportunity and not focusing on the job at hand.
Ever since the AFA game Maiava has been off. I believe he got banged up mentally and physically. This most likely put some doubts in his head. He will work through it and be a stronger QB for it.
Maiava is our QB and I want him back next year. Physically I never worry about the kid. At least not like DB who I always worried that he was one hit from getting hurt. Mentally, Maiava needs to see a sports psychologist. Not as a negative thing but to help him learn to shed the self criticism he seems imo to pour on himself when he makes a gametime mistake.
Where Maiava also needs help is with some more receivers like White that can actually get open, catch, and hold onto a pass. Balunguy is good and De Jesus can get out of the backfield and catch and make plays but nobody else is really standing out to me that can get open, catch, and make a difference. Our number one priority is to get better receivers this off season. Maiava will only go as far as our guys can catch and do something with the ball.
Some more food for thought;
I wonder if the staff thought clearly about our former QB commit's situation with track and field. Before he committed, he was already a well known commodity and one of the best triple jumpers in the nation. Did he tell the staff that he solely wanted to play football in college? Or was track and field always on his mind?
I have to think it's the latter. You don't just decide on a whim to pursue another sport that you're elite at on a whim. Plus, he took an unofficial the day before nationals at Oregon.
So if this is the case, then that's disappointing. There was another QB that was considering UNLV for real and we took our former commit instead. The other prospect is very close to several staff members and they go back a long way. I expressed to some people involved that the commit wouldn't stay committed for various reasons and they responded to me like I was dumb and didn't know what I was talking about. Fast forward months later, he's gone and the staff contacted the P5 QB commit. He said he wasn't interested at all.
I wonder if the staff thought clearly about our former QB commit's situation with track and field. Before he committed, he was already a well known commodity and one of the best triple jumpers in the nation. Did he tell the staff that he solely wanted to play football in college? Or was track and field always on his mind?
I have to think it's the latter. You don't just decide on a whim to pursue another sport that you're elite at on a whim. Plus, he took an unofficial the day before nationals at Oregon.
So if this is the case, then that's disappointing. There was another QB that was considering UNLV for real and we took our former commit instead. The other prospect is very close to several staff members and they go back a long way. I expressed to some people involved that the commit wouldn't stay committed for various reasons and they responded to me like I was dumb and didn't know what I was talking about. Fast forward months later, he's gone and the staff contacted the P5 QB commit. He said he wasn't interested at all.
IDK, Maiava threw a pick at the worst time against Vandy but then came back the next series and threw a beautiful strike downfield to White that set up the win. He seems like he can bounce back from a bad mistake but I do agree with you that something happened later in the season to cause him to think more. Maybe it was just the pressure and expectations building to a point that exceeded his freshman ability to manage it. That would be understandable. Either way I’d like him to stay and for BO help him reach his zenith in college… and get a competitive back up.
Well said. I agree early on I didn't notice it. As the season got to a point where everyone started to say how important this game was or that game was perhaps the pressure started to build. I really first noticed it at the AF game. I sat 6 rows from the field. Maiava, between offensive series stood maybe 40 feet in front of me. That stood out to me.
Since the kicker is in his last year, we will need to find a new kicker!
yeah, especially in the MWC title game, you could see how frustrated he was and he definitely knew there was pressure that was unexpected. Lots of pressure for a young QB.
Not necessarily, we have a few kicker walkons. I remember we got Fresnos kicker last year in the portal. Meono.
Good call. Can Pizano apply for a grad year or is his eligibility expired?
Someone tell Pizano to get his 2nd degree.
Send some people to scout France or some other communist country where kicking a ball is considered a sport.
We been fortunate with landing quality kickers. Hope our luck continues.
Odom said Maiava's work ethic with teammates on the field and in the weight room was to behave QB1 even when he was behind Brumfield--I don't think he's the kind of kid that would run away from competition at his position. He's never once shown that kind of entitlement. Of course Odom will attempt to add someone to push Maiava and both will flourish from the competition.
I thought Gute the Boot was a very good kicker last year, potentially even better. He definitely had a stronger leg. Didn't have the same opportunities as Pizano did this season.
We have been very fortunate the past few seasons indeed.
We have been very fortunate the past few seasons indeed.
