4/27/2020 football Edit

BeaversEdge Mailbag: Will We See Football In 2020?

Jared Halus and Brenden Slaughter

BeaversEdge Staff

We're back with another BeaversEdge Mailbag!

Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter and Recruiting Analyst Jared Halus heard your questions posed on THE DAM BOARD and we've got answers! This week, Slaughter and Halus answer questions related to the upcoming football season, this year's recruiting class, women's basketball signees and more!

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Jpost12 asks: (1) What's your first activity going to be once all the stay at home stuff is lifted? (2) With everything being pushed back in the world of recruiting, do you see the February signing date being a bigger deal than the last couple of years? (3) What is your go to delivery food during this time?

Jared: (1) Always appreciate the fun questions jpost. It is mostly dependent on what time of year it is, but hopefully I'll be able to go to the pool or the lake with some friends and take the girlfriend on a date.

(2) It will depend on when the dead period ends and the kids are allowed to take visits again. If it is sooner than later, you may still see one or two recruits waiting for February. If we're talking late fall or some time around there, I think you will see February become a bigger deal.

(3) Some people might consider where I live to be the country. I don't, but no restaurants deliver here, so maybe it is. I still have been frequenting some Mexican spots for takeout and then there is the occasional Chick-Fil-A/Zaxby's run sprinkled in.

Brenden: (1) Hmm... That's a good question. I was planning on attending a few concerts over the summer that are probably out the window now, so I'd say a concert is high on my priority list once everything is over. Being able to socialize and be around people is something I really miss.

(2) Not really. Despite the recruiting being pushed back, I don't anticipate it affecting the December signing period since everything is mostly digital. Kids are usually recruited before their senior seasons, so I don't imagine it being a big hair in the soup. However, it's still all very fluid at this point, so it's hard to say.

(3) Easy... Jersey Mikes Subs... Go-to sandwich is the #44 which is a Buffalo Chicken Cheese Steak.

From BigPearn: What do you think the chances are that college football is played in empty stadiums this fall?

Brenden: Very likely. It's my guess at this point that sports will return without fans. When you consider that a vaccine for COVID-19 is still a year out and there's no chance you're six feet apart in a jam-packed stadium, it's really hard to see fans being allowed at games. Add in the fact that a recent poll said 70% of fans won't attend a sporting event until there is a vaccine and I see a recipe for at least starting the season without fans.

Jared: I go back and forth with this one. I and everyone else would hate for that to be necessary, but it seems like there is a decent chance it will be. It is my hope that we are able to find a safe way to put butts in seats, but as of now it does not seem incredibly likely.

CAPTJohnS asks: How about some write-ups on the WBB signees?

Brenden: Absolutely. I'll try and get those in the works soon.

Jared: Stay tuned!

QBeaver asks: (1) Is it possible to play football in the spring (real games) if social distancing and loss of revenue is a huge concern this fall? (2) How much time this fall would be enough in terms of practice to allow players to prepare to play games? (3) Why do people think the signing class will be so small coming up? We have a small senior class, but if history is any indicator, we will lose 8-10 more athletes by December.

Jared: (1) Anything seems possible at this point. Would have never thought in my life that this conversation would be possible, so I am not ruling anything out. That said, logistically I don't know if a spring season would work out.

(2) To me, if they were going to practice in the fall, they'd likely just have a season in the fall without fans. Regardless of what happens, the practice part is what is going to be tricky depending on how much normal practice time is lost prior to the season.

(3) I am going mostly off of what I hear. Last year's class was pretty big and the staff is already appearing to be a bit more selective in this cycle. Anything can happen between now and December/February though and I have no doubts that the staff will address the needs no matter how big the class ends up being.

Brenden: At the end of the day, TV is where all the $ is. Despite the massive financial shortfalls that would come by not having fans in stadiums, it would be cataclysmic for just about every school across the country if the TV revenue didn't come. So, with that being said, it's my opinion that we're trending towards at least starting the season without fans.

(3) Fair question, but I think it's a bit naive to automatically think 8-10 guys will be gone by the end of next season. Some attrition is possible in any given year, but usually, by year three of a new regime, you have the guys that want to be here and are all-in for the long haul. After the 2020 season, you'll only have a handful of GA recruits left with the rest being Smith guys, so I don't see massive departures anytime soon. With that being said, the graduating class is quite small, so it's possible we could see a more specialized recruiting class.

From JRU1: (1) How do you think we look at OL in 2021? (2) 2022 recruiting is going to be interesting, with so many graduating do you think they will try and get quite a few JC transfers and/or regular transfers to try and equal out the classes?

Brenden: (1) At the end of the day, I trust offensive line coach Jim Michalczik as much as anyone on the Beavers' staff. He's not only a great recruiter, but also a tremendous developer of talent. The Beavs might not always bring in the highest-rated guys, but he's got them playing beyond their capabilities when everything is in sync. Given that the Beavs added four quality future pieces in Jacob Ferenczi, Cooper Darling, Taliese Fuaga & Tyler Morano and have quality young guys in the pipeline, I'm not worried about the future of the line.

Jared: (1) Definitely lost some good guys after this season, but just adding to what Brenden said, I think you added some horses in the 2020 class and are already looking to continue that trend for 2021.

(2) Oregon State does a great job of evaluating the JUCO guys and analyzing their portal options, so I definitely think you'll see those things in 2022 and beyond.

GoBeavs77 asks: (1) Who do you believe are the next recruits to commit to CJS? (2) If we have a 2020 football season do we make a bowl game? Why or why not?

Brenden: (1) Great question! I'm still sticking to my gut from several mailbags ago when I said Jefferson RB Damir Collins. RB's coach Michael Pitre is a stud on the recruiting trail and I think when it's all said and done he'll be a Beaver. Will he be the next? Hard to say, but he's a really solid choice.

(2) Yes. Entering year three of the Jonathan Smith era, there's no doubt in my mind that the team has all the pieces necessary to return to the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Beavers came oh-so-close last season and I expect them to take the next step in 2020. Sure, the offensive line needs to come together and the Beavers need to get strong production from assumed-starter Tristan Gebbia, but outside of those two question marks, all the pieces are there to make a lot of noise. As long as we play football this season, it's going to be a fun year...

Jared: (1) Harder now to answer than ever. Without saying a name, I think you might see a skill position guy like a quarterback, running back or receiver try to lock in their spot soon.

(2) They definitely should. They were truly only a few plays away from one in 2019, so if everyone does a good job staying in shape in the mean time then I think they could definitely win six.