'14 CO C Trenton "Tiny" Noller (Verbal to Navy)

[Quattro]

Max over at Rivals with a brief write up of him with more to come soon as well as a video of him at the recent CU big man camp:

http://colorado.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=422&tid=176026582&mid=176026582&sid=894&style=2
[video=youtube;SVIOWLemU0g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVIOWLemU0g[/video]

 

[Highlander27]

I've got some reservations. Height. Quickness. Strength. Athletic ability.

 

[Buffnik]

I've got some reservations. Height. Quickness. Strength. Athletic ability.

Eye of the beholder. He's right there with the best CO offensive linemen I've seen in recent years. I think he'll be one heck of a college center.

 

[MtnBuff]

Agree with Nick. He's plenty tall for a center and even to play guard at the D1 level. As to the other stuff he looks to be already on par with other guys being recruited at this level and he still has a couple of years to develop, he is just going to be a jr. this year.

I'd love to have him be an early commit for the 14 class.

 

[Highlander27]

I'll freely admit if i'm wrong but my thoughts are:

- He looks big, just needs to lose about 20-30lbs of the excess baggage variety. Height wise, it's hard to say. There are a lot taller kids at this camp he's at. It's a relative thing but I wonder what he measures in at. I know what he's listed at, but those often are inaccurate.
- Not overly explosive. Looks like he could have a hard time getting off to the 2nd level which I imagine will be huge in this offense. That could be a huge deal at center as they are often expected to double up w/ guards to the next level. I don't think he has the ability to pull effectively either at this point.
- Technique needs work. That's the least of my concern but he grabs at a lot of sleeves. He got better on that video as the tape when on, but a big thick kid like that needs keep his elbows in tight, EXPLODE his punch into the chest of the defender and take away his charge, lock out and sit his butt down. His lower body generally is behind his upper body and usually that's the sign of bad feet, sloppy technique and the precursor to a bunch of holding calls and/or missed blocks.

The good news is the kid is thick and he's got two years to work himself into good shape, lean out, and work on some explosive drills to get his COD and feet better. TN will be a inside player, there is no doubt. In the phone booth, he could take some perceived weaknesses and make them into strengths. It will be interesting to see how he progresses.

Again, this is not meant to be overly negative, just being honest w/ our evaluations on kids in regards to our future team. I've been through the HS & college game and some of these body types have trouble at the next level. Still a long time to go before he hits the show though so hopefully he proves me wrong on some of my thoughts.

 

[Buffnik]

I'll freely admit if i'm wrong but my thoughts are:

- He looks big, just needs to lose about 20-30lbs of the excess baggage variety. Height wise, it's hard to say. There are a lot taller kids at this camp he's at. It's a relative thing but I wonder what he measures in at. I know what he's listed at, but those often are inaccurate.
- Not overly explosive. Looks like he could have a hard time getting off to the 2nd level which I imagine will be huge in this offense. That could be a huge deal at center as they are often expected to double up w/ guards to the next level. I don't think he has the ability to pull effectively either at this point.
- Technique needs work. That's the least of my concern but he grabs at a lot of sleeves. He got better on that video as the tape when on, but a big thick kid like that needs keep his elbows in tight, EXPLODE his punch into the chest of the defender and take away his charge, lock out and sit his butt down. His lower body generally is behind his upper body and usually that's the sign of bad feet, sloppy technique and the precursor to a bunch of holding calls and/or missed blocks.

The good news is the kid is thick and he's got two years to work himself into good shape, lean out, and work on some explosive drills to get his COD and feet better. TN will be a inside player, there is no doubt. In the phone booth, he could take some perceived weaknesses and make them into strengths. It will be interesting to see how he progresses.

Again, this is not meant to be overly negative, just being honest w/ our evaluations on kids in regards to our future team. I've been through the HS & college game and some of these body types have trouble at the next level. Still a long time to go before he hits the show though so hopefully he proves me wrong on some of my thoughts.

Thank you for bringing an a well-considered critique to the board.

This is exactly the type of post that makes the recruiting forum better. Critiques are encouraged if they're based on physical limitation (a WR running a 4.7 forty, a 5'6" CB, a QB with a weak arm, etc.) or if there's real analysis of areas where a prospect needs to improve his game for the next level.

Rep.

 

[bigbang2]

I've got some reservations. Height. Quickness. Strength. Athletic ability.

Good looking prospect for a HS junior center.

 

[White_Rabbit]

Bigbang's analysis is in, take yours and shove it highlander!

 

[Duff Man]

I'll freely admit if i'm wrong but my thoughts are:

- He looks big, just needs to lose about 20-30lbs of the excess baggage variety. Height wise, it's hard to say. There are a lot taller kids at this camp he's at. It's a relative thing but I wonder what he measures in at. I know what he's listed at, but those often are inaccurate.
- Not overly explosive. Looks like he could have a hard time getting off to the 2nd level which I imagine will be huge in this offense. That could be a huge deal at center as they are often expected to double up w/ guards to the next level. I don't think he has the ability to pull effectively either at this point.
- Technique needs work. That's the least of my concern but he grabs at a lot of sleeves. He got better on that video as the tape when on, but a big thick kid like that needs keep his elbows in tight, EXPLODE his punch into the chest of the defender and take away his charge, lock out and sit his butt down. His lower body generally is behind his upper body and usually that's the sign of bad feet, sloppy technique and the precursor to a bunch of holding calls and/or missed blocks.

The good news is the kid is thick and he's got two years to work himself into good shape, lean out, and work on some explosive drills to get his COD and feet better. TN will be a inside player, there is no doubt. In the phone booth, he could take some perceived weaknesses and make them into strengths. It will be interesting to see how he progresses.

Again, this is not meant to be overly negative, just being honest w/ our evaluations on kids in regards to our future team. I've been through the HS & college game and some of these body types have trouble at the next level. Still a long time to go before he hits the show though so hopefully he proves me wrong on some of my thoughts.

Fair evaluation IMO. I viewed the highlights after reading your post and more than anything, I do tend to agree with you about him not being overly explosive. He could also stand to lean out a bit as well.

 

[Buffnik]

Fair evaluation IMO. I viewed the highlights after reading your post and more than anything, I do tend to agree with you about him not being overly explosive. He could also stand to lean out a bit as well.

That's great advice for any high school OL who has an opportunity to play college ball. College programs would much rather put weight on than take it off. 260 lbs of good weight is better than 285 lbs with some bad weight. Nearly all OLs at the NFL Combine will be between 15% and 30% body fat with the vast majority in the 20-25% range. That's what colleges want to see, too.

 

[Jaximus]

I'd like to point out that this kid is about to be a JUNIOR! He's got 2 more years of High School ball. He shows decent technique and foot speed and I'd expect him to only improve and continue to replace fat with muscle.

Unless this kid eats his way out of a scholarship (which I highly doubt because he and his family seem to have the right mindset), I'd love to see a big athletic mauler in the middle at CU.

 

[Highlander27]

I'm not here to bash anybody. Just calling it like i see it. Kids mature plenty in two years. TN is no different. I think most college coaches would like to trim up the mid-section and get some explosion out of him. Technique is always the first thing to improve under good coaching so i'm not as concerned about that.

I am wary that in the video, Embree is basically looking down at him. TN is listed as 6'4" on this profile and that's being generous. He looks like the smallest height wise on the field of all the HS kids and according to Embree's NFL.com bio, he's 6'2". That might be the biggest concern I have. You don't see many 6'1" centers in the league or on BCS teams anymore, let alone one's that don't have tremendous explosion and leverage as part of their game.

I'm skeptical but I love the homegrown kids so hopefully he proves me wrong.

 

[slider]

I'm surprised he is seriously interested in us. He actually lives in Severance, CO, which is even more "country" than Windsor (and FAR more so)

 

[96 Buff]

Windsor kids usually go to ****braska.

 

[mattrob]

I'm surprised he is seriously interested in us. He actually lives in Severance, CO, which is even more "country" than Windsor (and FAR more so)

Eh...Severance is just a bedroom community with cheaper home prices. Nobody's actually "from" Severance. I'm not sure what Tiny's background is, but I don't think the fact he lives in Severance changes anything.

 

[tinynoller76]

We were warned that eventually the haters would surface. I guess the time has come.

Embree put out a challenge to several of the in-state kids, Tiny being one of them. If you want a scholarship come to camp and compete. The others turned it down but he stepped up without hesitation. In fact, he told him on the spot that he'd be there and he was. The staff told him ahead of time that he'd be doing things that he's never done before against competition better than he's ever faced.

The video was intended to show him doing those very things. He's a right handed center that plays in a run early and run often triple option offense. He's done very little in the way of pass pro and they wanted to see if he could pick it up. The first time he's ever been asked to pull was last Saturday. You missed the fact that he's also being put through a lot of those drills from a left guard position with his left hand on the ground. The emphasis on the combination block was his first step which is backwards from what they run in Windsor (which btw is not out in the country and not sure we've ever had a kid go to Nebraska). If you were watching you'd have noticed that he's was being coached on it. Add it up and you have a right handed center that no longer has a ball in his hand, told to change his stance, put his left hand on the ground, and pull to the left which he's never done using a step he's never done before. That's a lot to ask from a kid that hasn't even gotten a driver's license yet and you want to criticize him for not being explosive on top of it all. They intentionally threw a lot of information at him to see how he'd respond and by their own account he did remarkably well. No offense if I put more stock in their critique than yours. They've invited Tiny to Boulder 3 times now and asked him to come up again in about a week so I'm fairly certain they're aware of how tall he is. He's been losing weight and is continuing to get lighter although Marshall specifically said he was just fine with where he's at. I have no idea why his strength is coming into question. Perhaps you should question his GPA too while you're at it.

On a more positive note (yes finally something positive in this thread) Dalton Risner from Wiggins really caught my eye as well as Steve Marshall's. He looked very polished and is very polite respectful kid. I think he'll be a hell of a prospect. I hope he does well this year and gets a fair look from whatever school he wants to go to.

Now I'll let you get back to the forum circuit to continue to bash Tiny every chance you get. Oh and if you run out of material there is another video clip from the spring scrimmage on youtube. You can skip the parts where he's putting the LBs on their ass at the second level because in your expert opinion he could have a hard time doing it. Maybe he'd be better at it if he had some strength. Who knows......... except for you I mean.

 

[slider]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that noller. I'm glad he has obviously shown the interest in making the trek up to Boulder multiple times. Hopefully he ends up a Buff

 

[J.R. Ewing]

tiny, don't mind too much what some say on the board. It's been a brutual half decade of football and fans are getting cranky.

 

[mattrob]

tiny, don't mind too much what some say on the board. It's been a brutual half decade of football and fans are getting cranky.

This.

Buff fans seem to be at a weird place right now where we're actually finding reasons NOT to like recruits. The last several years have been so bad that I think most of us are afraid to get our hopes up. If we see improvement on the field this year, that should start to change.

And to tinynoller76, there are plenty of Buff fans who want Tiny to be the first commit of our 2014 class and take over that starting Center spot in 2015. I think some of these critiques tend to get blown up, since Tiny seems to be caught in the wash over some personality conflicts on a couple of the premium sites.

 

[Highlander27]

My critique is just that. I played football on the HS and collegiate level on the OL. I've had people tell me I wasn't good enough and proved them wrong. I've also scouted professionally and have had to deliver bad news to folks. At the end of the day, the message is what people make of it. It can bring somebody down or inspire to improve. You call me a hater while I merely point out things that need to be worked on. Use it as motivation to drive TN to the next level. I pointed out that I hope I'm wrong about Trenton in a few years. I hope he smashes it. With that being said the kid should be working on pass pro every day. That should be mandatory for any aspiring OL. If the hs team runs the triple option, work on it after practice or at home. Work his kick slide. Power step. Quick set. Pound the post. Get TN using those strong looking arms to pop defenders in the chestplate, stop their charge and lock em out. Simulate close grip bench or get him trained up on working those muscles. Bring down slow and explode the bar up. Repeat. In regards to leaning out, that happens w/ maturity. All kids go through it. In the meantime incorporate planks into his workouts. It will build the core and lean the midsection. Quick feet are imperative moving forward and back. TN should be hitting the jump rope for 10-15 minutes a day to start.

Finally get used to lining up in a left handed stance or right. That will never go away so he might as well get comfortable doing it. Don't let that ever be an excuse. Versatility is imperative on the interior line.

Goodluck. We'll all be rooting for TN to do well.

 

[GoBuffs08]

I find it funny that people are ripping on a 15 year old's technique. 6'4" and 300lbs center and only 15. He will improve his techniques a ton with the proper coaching on the field and in the weight room.

I'm happy that the coaches have already gotten the him to CU for camps and that he has an interest in CU. We have lost way too many local kids.

Best of luck with the upcoming season. Keep us posted with videos of his games!

 

[MtnBuff]

I find it funny that people are ripping on a 15 year old's technique. 6'4" and 300lbs center and only 15. He will improve his techniques a ton with the proper coaching on the field and in the weight room.

I'm happy that the coaches have already gotten the him to CU for camps and that he has an interest in CU. We have lost way too many local kids.

Best of luck with the upcoming season. Keep us posted with videos of his games!

^^This^^

And ripping him based on a short video clip on a computer screen. The camp video especially because he is in an unfamiliar situation doing things that he hasn't been asked to do before in a non-game environment. I really hope to see Tiny in a CU uniform in the future.

 

[dio]

I find it funny that people are ripping on a 15 year old's technique. 6'4" and 300lbs center and only 15. He will improve his techniques a ton with the proper coaching on the field and in the weight room.

I'm happy that the coaches have already gotten the him to CU for camps and that he has an interest in CU. We have lost way too many local kids.

Best of luck with the upcoming season. Keep us posted with videos of his games!

'Ripping'?

I've pretty much only seen constructive criticism in this thread, and even that is sprinkled in with mostly positive comments. Criticism, as long as it is constructive, is allowed on the Allbuffs recruiting forum.

 

[Darth Snow]

'Ripping'?

I've pretty much only seen constructive criticism in this thread, and even that is sprinkled in with mostly positive comments. Criticism, as long as it is constructive, is allowed on the Allbuffs recruiting forum.

:nod: compare this to posts on other forums like rivals, where the criticism is general and generally of the lowest common denominator type (he "sucks") etc.

The posts were very clear in that no offense was meant, and were knowledgeable and based on what someone saw. That is never going to be prohibited from the Allbuffs recruit forum. This is a place to discuss CU football after all. Anyone who has been here a while knows that the other type of criticism is stomped on hard and with extreme prejudice. Unfortunately, it is totally understandable that sometimes constructive criticism is taken harshly. Especially if other boards and their low-brow comments have stoked the fire of the person connected to the recruit.

That said, sometimes parents and recruits should stay far far away from internet message boards. It's a rough and tumble world out there. There will always be criticism (****ing elway got criticized throughout his career as well, for example).

 

[Creebuzz]

One of the best aspects of the recruiting forum is that we have some coaches and former players that are willing to share their honest opinions with the rest of the group. These are critiques and shouldn't be viewed as bashing. In fact, Highlander went out of his way to say he wasn't bashing Noller and wished him nothing but the best. If you read this forum regularly, you would see that most on here have a particular fondness for the homegrown players and are happy when they get a football scholarship, whether that be CU, CSU, AFA, or anywhere else.

Having said that, the opinions that matter most are Embree, Marshall and the rest of the CU assistants. If they like Noller as a player, worked him at the camps, and offer him a scholarship, I'll take their opinion over anyone's here.

 

[tante]

tinynoller76

I don't think anyone was trying to hate on tiny, I think it was more to educate the rest of us on the site on what to look for in an offensive line recruit. There are some very experienced football fans on the site, but I think there are a few like me who just love football and don't really know what to look for in a highlight video (beside pancakes which we all LOVE to see).

 

[jcatcher]

Eh...Severance is just a bedroom community with cheaper home prices. Nobody's actually "from" Severance. I'm not sure what Tiny's background is, but I don't think the fact he lives in Severance changes anything.

Bull fries!

 

[Buffnik]

We were warned that eventually the haters would surface. I guess the time has come.

Embree put out a challenge to several of the in-state kids, Tiny being one of them. If you want a scholarship come to camp and compete. The others turned it down but he stepped up without hesitation. In fact, he told him on the spot that he'd be there and he was. The staff told him ahead of time that he'd be doing things that he's never done before against competition better than he's ever faced.

The video was intended to show him doing those very things. He's a right handed center that plays in a run early and run often triple option offense. He's done very little in the way of pass pro and they wanted to see if he could pick it up. The first time he's ever been asked to pull was last Saturday. You missed the fact that he's also being put through a lot of those drills from a left guard position with his left hand on the ground. The emphasis on the combination block was his first step which is backwards from what they run in Windsor (which btw is not out in the country and not sure we've ever had a kid go to Nebraska). If you were watching you'd have noticed that he's was being coached on it. Add it up and you have a right handed center that no longer has a ball in his hand, told to change his stance, put his left hand on the ground, and pull to the left which he's never done using a step he's never done before. That's a lot to ask from a kid that hasn't even gotten a driver's license yet and you want to criticize him for not being explosive on top of it all. They intentionally threw a lot of information at him to see how he'd respond and by their own account he did remarkably well. No offense if I put more stock in their critique than yours. They've invited Tiny to Boulder 3 times now and asked him to come up again in about a week so I'm fairly certain they're aware of how tall he is. He's been losing weight and is continuing to get lighter although Marshall specifically said he was just fine with where he's at. I have no idea why his strength is coming into question. Perhaps you should question his GPA too while you're at it.

On a more positive note (yes finally something positive in this thread) Dalton Risner from Wiggins really caught my eye as well as Steve Marshall's. He looked very polished and is very polite respectful kid. I think he'll be a hell of a prospect. I hope he does well this year and gets a fair look from whatever school he wants to go to.

Now I'll let you get back to the forum circuit to continue to bash Tiny every chance you get. Oh and if you run out of material there is another video clip from the spring scrimmage on youtube. You can skip the parts where he's putting the LBs on their ass at the second level because in your expert opinion he could have a hard time doing it. Maybe he'd be better at it if he had some strength. Who knows......... except for you I mean.

So, in essence, the camp was what it was supposed to be: a learning experience where Tiny was put through some drills he's not used to and was given some things to train on that will help him take his game to the next level.

Fantastic.

No one expects a kid to be a finished product after his 2nd year in high school.

I disagree with the opinion that anyone was "ripping" Tiny. If I'd felt that was going on, I would have deleted, moved or edited the offending post. What I read was someone saying that he's not seeing enough to justify the current hype and explaining why. It was an informed opinion even if I disagree with it. We've got to allow that and be more than cheerleader drones or this message board forum would completely suck.

 

[buffaholic]

Advice from a father of a D1 athlete with another class of 2014 one:

Don't read the boards, they will drive you insane (ours, or anyone else's).
Stick to coaches at the schools you are serious about.
Ignore us "experts".

 

[You Assholes]

We were warned that eventually the haters would surface. I guess the time has come.

Embree put out a challenge to several of the in-state kids, Tiny being one of them. If you want a scholarship come to camp and compete. The others turned it down but he stepped up without hesitation. In fact, he told him on the spot that he'd be there and he was. The staff told him ahead of time that he'd be doing things that he's never done before against competition better than he's ever faced.

The video was intended to show him doing those very things. He's a right handed center that plays in a run early and run often triple option offense. He's done very little in the way of pass pro and they wanted to see if he could pick it up. The first time he's ever been asked to pull was last Saturday. You missed the fact that he's also being put through a lot of those drills from a left guard position with his left hand on the ground. The emphasis on the combination block was his first step which is backwards from what they run in Windsor (which btw is not out in the country and not sure we've ever had a kid go to Nebraska). If you were watching you'd have noticed that he's was being coached on it. Add it up and you have a right handed center that no longer has a ball in his hand, told to change his stance, put his left hand on the ground, and pull to the left which he's never done using a step he's never done before. That's a lot to ask from a kid that hasn't even gotten a driver's license yet and you want to criticize him for not being explosive on top of it all. They intentionally threw a lot of information at him to see how he'd respond and by their own account he did remarkably well. No offense if I put more stock in their critique than yours. They've invited Tiny to Boulder 3 times now and asked him to come up again in about a week so I'm fairly certain they're aware of how tall he is. He's been losing weight and is continuing to get lighter although Marshall specifically said he was just fine with where he's at. I have no idea why his strength is coming into question. Perhaps you should question his GPA too while you're at it.

On a more positive note (yes finally something positive in this thread) Dalton Risner from Wiggins really caught my eye as well as Steve Marshall's. He looked very polished and is very polite respectful kid. I think he'll be a hell of a prospect. I hope he does well this year and gets a fair look from whatever school he wants to go to.

Now I'll let you get back to the forum circuit to continue to bash Tiny every chance you get. Oh and if you run out of material there is another video clip from the spring scrimmage on youtube. You can skip the parts where he's putting the LBs on their ass at the second level because in your expert opinion he could have a hard time doing it. Maybe he'd be better at it if he had some strength. Who knows......... except for you I mean.

F 'em up TN76! Go Buffs!