07-19-2022, 12:25 PM
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#3
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Hall Of Fame
OVR: 41
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Tennessee
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Re: Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?
I can't remember names at this point, but back when I played the NCAA games more regularly I always was a defensive first guy. It's just how I was. It wasn't intentional, I was just someone who had stick skills on defense and not so much on offense.
When I'd play as Miami I'd often have a top 10 defense each year, but my offenses were never really close to elite. I'd recruit really good backs and have some solid rushing attacks, but my passing attacks were always bland and most of my QBs were game managers.
Well, one year I need multiple QB commits, so I took my usual pocket passing 4* with my first commit, but with my second commitment I went with a 3* scrambling type because I didn't need to pump many resources into getting him and never thought he would play much anyways.
In that same draft class I landed my usual decent WR prospects, nothing special since I didn't pass an extraordinary amount. There was one unusual guy, however. A 6'6" 3* WR with decent speed, great jumping, and good carch in traffic.
I was excited about his potential in the red zone and thought about playing around and making him a TE, but I kept him as a WR. He didn't see the field much his first two years and neither did his classmate, the scrambling QB.
Fast forward to their 3rd years in college and for whatever reason both of them hit the progression goldmine each offseason and were actually both in starting roles by their overall. The QB got lucky and came in as a 70 something overall kid and by his true junior year was a 90+ starter without any significant snaps under his belt.
The WR wasn't as good, but he was a high 80's overall and ready to log some time.
I was excited for potentially having a different offensive year from my usual self given my QB was not the typical pocket passing game manager I was used to, but I never could have predicted how the season would end up going.
Long story short my QB threw for nearly 4,000 yards, had nearly 60 total TDs, ran for another 1,000+, the WR was unstoppable and became my first ever 1,000 yard receiver in an NCAA game, he smashed the Miami single season TD record, and my QB won my first ever Heisman award in a Dynasty.
Combine that with my typical elite defense and I fielded probably the best team I've ever had production wise in a dynasty and if it were real life that team would have given the 01 Miami team a run for their money as best ever.
I tried recruiting more athletic QBs, but I never could recreate the magic that I had that year. I eventually went back to my pocket passing game manager type of ways after a couple of "failed" QBs. I think I was pressing too much after that special QB and WR combo left school and ended up making their successors play worse, but I chalked it up to just being a magical couple of years while they started.
I've never seen, or at least paid enough attention, a particular player get so lucky in their progression each off season and grow by so many points in just a couple of years, but I'm glad that QB did. That season was one of my most memorable years in sports gaming and it's a shame I can't remember any of the player names.
I'm hoping the upcoming college game next year is able to offer as many memorable moments in dynasty mode. I just need a game that is challenging on and off the field and the magical moments will come naturally. That's what made that season so special. I had my sliders tuned to where I struggled to even win the Coastal some years. Making the national title was truly difficult and even losing it was a success in that dynasty. So having a couple of projects progress together and help create arguably the best team of all time actually felt special. Blowing everyone out left and right was unusual for that dynasty and I was sure something would go wrong eventually, but it didn't. That team just blew the doors off of everyone that first season. Then I failed to make the title their senior years, but I still won the Orange Bowl so they had a good send-off.
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“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.”
― Plato
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