Florida’s leading tackler last year joining the team.
It would be great if Diabate could get here soon to absorb the culture and maybe get some overlap time with Lloyd and Sewell, who will be healing up and working out for the combine.
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Getting to the Rose Bowl pays off
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WOW talk about awkward timing… first game is against the team he left?? o.0
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I’m curious. When athletes leave a team, how much of the playbook is generic opposed to real intelligence data on schemes, play calls and other "inside knowledge?
I wondered this when Nacua joined his brother down south (and those whom have jumped to our side?). It would seem fair to hold him for the game, but that’s probably ridiculous… Whether he plays or not, I imagine Florida has to come up with a completely different playbook for their first game, or is it really not that consequential? How often do teams change their play designs?
I was told by a friend at the Rose Bowl game that the problem our D suffered was that OSU has “multiple schemes” which vexed our D. Now our D is elite, but we don’t often confront a program with such talent, depth and complexity in their plays. What do those who understand the internal workings think?
Did we gain a gifted Linebacker, or also a trove of highly classified data?
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I don’t think transfer players bring much secret data but they do bring some insight into tendencies. I’m not sure that’s really earth shattering though as most coaches can gain that information from film study anyway.
You DO realize that Florida will have a new head coach when we play them? Mullen was fired and they hired a guy from Louisiana, so I doubt that we gain any insight into the Florida playbook.
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Probably not much on schemes, given a new coach there. But possibly he has some insight into the abilities and weaknesses of some of the players.
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Schemes, plays, blitzes, coverages… all those are on film.
Coaches readily mimic other coach’s work if they’re effective, such as the triple option with the shovel pass Meyer used in '03-'04, which didn’t follow Meyer in the SEC but was still being run at the G5 level several years later.
Within a season, and game to game, things change depending on matchups, tendencies, etc.
Back when he was playing, I asked Scalley how many blitzes we had on defense - he said about 40 or 50, but in any given week they might use 5-10. That was way back in '04, and things are more sophisticated now.
On offense, Ludwig has a playbook of about 500 plays, but in any given season they may use 100 of them, depending on personnel, execution, etc. As the year goes on, more plays get inserted.
By the end of the year, and in a bowl game that both teams take seriously, it boils down to execution as much as anything.
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The kids are not the intelligence boon. Grabbing coaches from other schools brings more to the table in that regard.
Like @Ma-ake noted, the competition intelligence really comes from the coaching staff breaking down game films on the opposition. Of course, stealing the opposition’s play call signs can allow you to drub your opponent (TCU anyone?).
Looking at this transfer’s numbers, he should be a good fit in our defensive system.
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Love to see @Ma-ake analysis of the big game, or even a year in review of what seemed to work for is and what didn’t 
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I wonder how much intelligence SC gains by bringing in Coach McDonald. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
I was thinking the same thing, especially considering the fact that the two teams have met only once, and that was 45 years ago. Not sure we have ever had a UofF transfer either, which would make it even crazier. And his farewell tweet said “I will always be a gator”. Fine, but he’s gonna have to compromise that promise right out of the gate.
Not much in this case since the entire coaching staff and presumably the entire scheme will be different.
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