Amara Darboh catch in practice

Submitted by marti221 on

I'm not really sure if this is worth a new post, but I definitely got a kick out of it. Should give you a little preview as to what next year may be like with Darboh getting some significant time. May also get some people on this board to chill out regarding our WR situation. Star ratings, as we all know, aren't always a great reflection of how elite a player can be. I have no idea how to embed pics and tweets/instagram posts so ill just give you guys the link. http://instagram.com/p/TWSRwnTVHF/

Edit: link and name spelling fail, hopefully this works http://instagram.com/p/TWSRwnTVHF/

jmblue

December 17th, 2012 at 3:24 PM ^

Darboh will be a sophomore next season.  While it's uncommon for freshman WRs to make a big impact, It's not unusual for them make a big leap in production their sophomore season.  Besides Edwards, other examples are David Terrell, Jason Avant, Mario Manningham and Jeremy Gallon.  Also, Steve Breaston and Roy Roundtree redshirted and then had big RS frosh seasons.

WolvinLA2

December 17th, 2012 at 3:03 PM ^

I disagree, I think WR is one of the least correlative positions when it comes to star rankings. WRs need QBs to look good on film, or need to really hit the camp circuit. Braylon is far from the only example of this. Justin Blackmon was a three star, Michael Crabtree was outside of the Rivals 250. Junior Hemingway was a three star, so was Devin Smith at OSU and all those guys at MSU last year. Lots and lots of really good college receivers were three star recruits, so I wouldn't worry about it.

brewandbluesaturdays

December 17th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^

I agree with you. Also, just going off Rivals because I am a working citizen and need to do something productive with my time and not research these sorts of things... Darboh was a 4 star, inside the top 250 nationally, and also had offers from, but not limited too... Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and interest from USC & Oregon. No he's not ranked like Treadwell, but an offer list like that, + a top 250 ranking isn't something I will quite ever fret over with him making a catches like that. A game catch like that is always much more impressive, but it takes talent to do such things as that.

saveferris

December 17th, 2012 at 2:47 PM ^

May also get some people on this board to chill out regarding our WR situation. Star ratings, as we all know, aren't always a great reflection of how elite a player can be.

Darboh had 4 stars, was ranked 30th at his position, and was in the Top 250. Why is everyone acting like this kid is some under-the-radar type? We've been a little too starry-eyed watching Treadwell highlights this year.

News Flash. Darboh is good at football and his recruiting rankings reflect that.

Swazi

December 17th, 2012 at 2:50 PM ^

Is he red shirting? I remember the coaches praised him during Fall Ball then he disappeared come game time. wonder if Hoke kept him off to get a RS.

BlockM

December 17th, 2012 at 9:13 PM ^

Well, if they play freshmen people bitch because we're burning redshirts. If they play upperclassmen that are good (because special teams is VERY important) people bitch when they get hurt. 

Someone's gotta play special teams, and because points can get put up so fast it's a good idea to have the guys who are best at it on the field. I assume Darboh was good at covering kicks.

swan flu

December 17th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^

There is no one on this team that I would like to see succeed more than Darboh. His backstory is amazing, and he just seems like an incredible human being and an ideal ambassador for our school.

Hope he becomes an elite wideout for us.

roosterbaan

December 17th, 2012 at 4:15 PM ^

while i tend to agree that it seems to be a waste of a redshirt, sometimes getting kids in on special teams and just keeping them more involved in games builds some game experience so that they are more ready to contribute in a meaningful way. i'll defer to the coaching staff on balancing the multiple factors that seem to go into whether a redshirt is burned or not.

FrankMurphy

December 17th, 2012 at 6:33 PM ^

It seems like the decision on whether or not to redshirt a kid is one of those intangible things that the coaches get a feel for as they get to know the incoming freshmen. Some kids may be physically and mentally ready to see the field as true freshmen and would benefit from the experience. Other kids might not be. No one knows for sure except the coaches.  

bluewave720

December 18th, 2012 at 5:54 AM ^

I also think it's a lot more of a gray area than people want to admit.  If a kid is working hard in the flimroom and in practice, it's good for a team as a whole that he's rewarded and sees the field.  Also, based on maturity, it seems reasonable that a player may benefit greatly from even limited playing time.

We need WRs to step up next year pretty bad.  I would imagine Darboh is much better prepared for that now after getting his feet wet.

WolvinLA2

December 17th, 2012 at 6:56 PM ^

Not if he puts in a good game in the Outback Bowl now that Gardner is out of the WR group (and so is Jerald Robinson). 

Also, if we're going to rely and Darboh and Chesson as our outside receivers next year, it would be nice for one of them to have some in-game experience going into the season.

Sione's Flow

December 17th, 2012 at 4:25 PM ^

I think that the staff probably thought Chesson needed to put on some size before putting him on the field, they may have seen Darboh as having the frame to play early or maybe Darboh was a better athlete and could contribute on special teams early.