Montae Nicholson officially lost his starting job at MSU
- Thread starter thebadby2
- Start date
So did the other 32 guys in the 3 deep.
Not to mention the guys running the D now were his position coaches last year.
The MSU secondary played better yesterday than it has all season, and that's against the best team they have played all year.
There's a lot more to playing safety than size and athletic ability. They had high hopes for him coming into this year but at this point he may never be a starter there again. When you are outplayed by true freshmen the writing is on the wall. Unless something changes before seapn's end he very well may be looking to transfer. I would if I were him.
So, the question is, if he decides to transfer as has been rumored, do we want him?
Is he an over-hyped kid who has great athletic ability but isn't a very good football player at the college level?
Or does he just need a strong dose of Narduzzi to become a great player?
Is he an over-hyped kid who has great athletic ability but isn't a very good football player at the college level?
Or does he just need a strong dose of Narduzzi to become a great player?
Exactly, and can talk to recruits on how to stay home and learn at Pitt, let his play and Coach Pat & Staff do the talking! I Respect he is coming to Pitt and has work to do, and I trust coach Pat & Staff to do what they do best....they want to be at Pitt and they are coaching up Pitt Players but that takes time and Pitt is winning but not by much! So little done and so much to do by the Duzz!
Welcome to Pitt!
I think only his transfer to Pitt would answer that question. I suspect it's more the former than the latter as MSU is very well coaches even without the Duzz, but if you're Pitt, you take that chance that he can be a player. He'd have to sit a year which might be the best thing for him.
Where are you guys getting that he's "as good as gone"? They are sitting him because he's not getting it done on the field. What he does at year end is up to him.
You could be right too. I'm just saying after hearing rumors, if it's true, there is no point in still playing him. Didn't mean to make it sound like I know what's going on, but if they think and/or know he's going to leave, he realistically has probably played his last snap there and will just be a bystander for the rest of the season.
If he leaves MSU, you would think Duzz would be in the best position to know if he would be a fit at Pitt.
Absolutely. If he thinks he would fit I'd like the move. Pitt would be the most logical choice for him you'd think and obviously he knows Narduzzi's potential as a coach.
Make no mistake, if he was the best player at his position, MSU would be playing him regardless of his future intentions or rumors thereof. This isn't grade school politics--these coaches are trying to win football games, period. Their livelihoods depend on that. The coaches seem to be hinting that he's not grasping the mental end of the job, whether he's thinking too much or not enough is unclear. Last year he was surrounded by experienced DBs including a NFL first round CB and another excellent senior safety who is now in the NFL. He could get away with being out of position and some coverage mistakes. THis year he has been badly exposed, and what's more alarming than his coverage problems is his tackling-he has struggled badly in both areas.
An off year of learning under Narduzzi might be the best thing for him. He could potentially be a candidate for a position change as well, especially if we land the high profile DB prospects we're in the mix for. He's big enough to take a run at LB.
You're totally right about why he's not playing. Which is probably why he may be looking to transfer. In turn they now have basically given up on him. Yes, if they thought he was good enough he would still be playing. Basically I just look at it as a big circle of events of him not playing, leading to possible transfer talks, leading to even more time on the bench.
Badby is right about them playing him regardless of future intentions.
The perspective that they aren't playing him because of future intentions is just wrong, and it comes up all the time, in different ways. Coaches don't think that way. They want to win now -- this season, this game, this next play. They will play the best player for a position who will help them execute.
I always groan when someone suggests before a season that a team should play the younger, lesser QB instead of the better, but not great senior, to get the young guy ready for the FOLLOWING season. First of all, no coach will ever do that. If they don't win now, there may not be a next season. Even if they are secure in their job, they shouldn't and won't ever do that anyway.
Didn't Nicholson have Pitt as his third choice behind Florida State???? Maybe he wants to go there????
I am thinking that if we took him he would not be able to play til 2017. Our defensive backfield could very well be loaded with studs by then. So would he be just another player or would he make a good defensive backfield that much better? I'm thinking that ship could be much more valuable elsewhere.
I think we can trust The Dooz to make the best call for Pitt if this scenario actually arises.
Too bad for him.
Unless he wants to switch to WR I don't care where he transfers if he does. Which no one here has seen any evidence for other than reading what other people have said on the internet.
Pitt is gonna be stocked to the brim with DBs in six months. We need more skill players coming in to the program on the other side of the ball.
Unless he wants to switch to WR I don't care where he transfers if he does. Which no one here has seen any evidence for other than reading what other people have said on the internet.
Pitt is gonna be stocked to the brim with DBs in six months. We need more skill players coming in to the program on the other side of the ball.
Nicholson had a good freshman year, so I'm surprised at how he's struggling. I don't know what happening out there. He did switch from one safety position to the other so that may be part of it. The secondary also plays as a unit, so that could factor into his struggles. He doesn't have Waynes, Lippett, Drummond, and Williamson back there this year. All except Williamson are now in the NFL. The only holdover from last year's starters was Hicks (now injured and also recovering from mono) at corner who lost his spot last year to Lippett. Williamson got injured (season ending). Copeland got injured (season ending).
Right now, we have two true freshmen starting at safety in Miller and Willis. They are expected to be real good, but are true freshmen. Cox can play safety or corner, but is at corner right now. Colquhoun is at the other corner and is improving some after some major struggles.
Personally at this point, I think he'd probably be best playing receiver. My gut says he has confidence issues and is thinking too much and worried about screwing up.
If he transfers (and the only rumor I've heard was on the net), could Narduzzi turn it around with change of scenery? That's the million dollar question.
Right now, we have two true freshmen starting at safety in Miller and Willis. They are expected to be real good, but are true freshmen. Cox can play safety or corner, but is at corner right now. Colquhoun is at the other corner and is improving some after some major struggles.
Personally at this point, I think he'd probably be best playing receiver. My gut says he has confidence issues and is thinking too much and worried about screwing up.
If he transfers (and the only rumor I've heard was on the net), could Narduzzi turn it around with change of scenery? That's the million dollar question.
Montae isn't transferring. Leave a top contender in MSU, in the B1G, have to sit out a year to go to Pitt?
Not saying that playing for Pitt is bad choice, especially if you are a defensive player. But Dantonio is a great defensive coach himself.
To me, Nicholson just doesn't seem to have that physical instinct about him you like to see from safeties. He plays 'two hand touch' as Spielman says instead of running through the guys. Also has blown coverage a few times, just letting guys run behind him. He's too talented t let guys consistently get behind him.
I think its mental at this point. But yeah, on the road at UM...we had two true frosh at safety for a lot of the game with Montae being the nickel guy.
He is at MSU to play football and try to get to the next level, not to enjoy the ride. So why would he stay if he's going to sit behind two younger guys? And by the way, the MSU D played much better with Miller and Willis at safety and Cox moving to CB than it has been with Nicholson and Cox at safeties. That was not coincidental--Montae has been a very weak link in the MSU secondary. The real questions is, the way he has struggled, would he be able to get on the field at another P5 program? I think that;s very much in question at this point.
Along with Pitt, I follow MSU since I worked there for six years. The situation with Nicholson this year has puzzled me greatly. Last year, he was talked about as a star in the making. He played a lot and I think he may have even started a game or two because of injury. But this year is turning out to be a disaster, and it wasn't clear how much of a disaster until the coaches opted to start two true freshman against their most hated rival on the road this past Saturday. One of those safety spots would ordinarily be occupied by R.J. Williamson, a fifth year senior, but he is hurt. But Nicholson was the heir apparent for the other safety spot, and the coaches gave him every opportunity to fill that spot until now. I think a transfer may be good for him, and I would not be surprised if it would also be good for Pitt because I think Narduzzi could work with him.
I'm right there with you-Pitt first and MSU a pretty close second, big personal and family ties to both. I watch and root for Sparty every week. You are exactly right. Last year he looked like he'd be one of the best of a lot of excellent Spartan DBs under Dantonio and Dooz. This year he has been a catastrophe back there. It's one thing to be out of position and blow coverages, it's another to be physically manhandled on the field. He was worse as a tackler than he was in coverage. I thought he was supposed to be a big hitter, he was quite the opposite.
Those 2 freshmen were much better Saturday than Montae has been at any time this year. Maybe he has some personal stuff going on.
It does make you wonder if there is some personal stuff behind this. Furthermore, I think your point about being surrounded by high quality db teammates last year could be a factor, and R.J. getting hurt this year would make that situation worse. Maybe Coach Dooz not being there any longer is another factor. It would be interesting to see if being reunited with Dooz could help to get him back on track.
never really thought he was physical in high school honestly. maybe it is just the sophomore jinx thing tho
What cuts against those possible explanations is the fact that the other defensive players are doing great, including the freshman safeties who are now starting.
I wouldn't exactly say that Colquhoun is playing great (e.g. Rutgers), and Hicks doesn't seem to have improved much over last year. And, of course, the two freshman safeties never played for Dooz, so no adjustment to a new d-coordinator was needed there. All of this could be totally off base, but Nicholson's significant drop-off this year is so puzzling that I am searching for answers.
Nicholson is either a player or he isn't. This season it looks like he isn't. He played a ton as a fresh and earned a starting job as a sophomore. He lost it due to maddeningly poor performance. If he isn't good enough to start at MSU right now, he wouldn't be good enough to start here either.
Foster is a somewhat different story, but who knows? Maybe he isn't grasping the mental end of the job or the technique necessary to be a good WR at a P5 school. If that's the case, he probably wouldn't have done much better here.
Here we go again....another 3 page thread on Foster. My final comment will be that if the current staff was here that he would be at Pitt. If I remember correctly, comments being made at the time were that Alabama "wanted" him more and was more relentless in the recruiting the last few weeks as compared to the passive Chryst. I don't see Narduzzi being as passive.
Plus the mysterious briefcase probably helped to seal the deal as well.
He's young enough he's worth taking a chance on if he wants to come here. And he won't be tying up a scholly for 4 years so if he wants to transfer he's a good enough athlete take him.
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