Reggie Gandy

[SDSUAlum08]

Verballed to South Dakota State. Was wondering why he wasn't FBS material considering he's the MN AP player of the year (I know its just an award). I don't know anything about him so I'm looking for information on him.


Thanks

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Hey SDSUalum, this is just my opinion and i've only seen him play maybe 5 times in his career.

However, I just don't think he has really good speed or size. He seems to be a pretty good runner but even his cuts don't seem to be super crisp either. I think his biggest issues are that he doesn't have top end speed for a guy who isn't that big (and doesn't break that many tackles). His HS is also a good school for athletics but it doesn't play against the big boys (Wayzata, Cretin, Eden Praire, Rosemount, etc.), so his numbers and even his highlights should probably be viewed within the context that he isn't playing great competition.

He will be good for you guys but I really don't think he was FBS material.

 

[WHB Brewer]

Most likely he is considered too small. When you watch his highlight film, he is always the shortest guy on the field, which is pretty telling. He is listed at 5'8" which means he is more likely closer to 5'6"

 

[cncmin]

Most likely he is considered too small. When you watch his highlight film, he is always the shortest guy on the field, which is pretty telling. He is listed at 5'8" which means he is more likely closer to 5'6"

Well, Barry Sanders wasn't exactly big...
Amir Pinnix was pretty good for not exactly being a huge RB.

I think the "undersized" argument is a bad one, and I hope that isn't the reason we are not considering him. I heard Drew Brees is "undersized" as well. Guess that explains why Brees is pretty worthless.

Being short has a lot of advantages as a RB, primarily that (1) it's more difficult for the defense to see you behind the linemen, (2) you have a lower center of gravity, making you more difficult to tackle and making cuts easier, physically, and (3) you have less mass to grab ahold of.

If the guy can run, then size is a horrible factor to keep someone away, IMO.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Well, Barry Sanders wasn't exactly big...
Amir Pinnix was pretty good for not exactly being a huge RB.

I think the "undersized" argument is a bad one, and I hope that isn't the reason we are not considering him. I heard Drew Brees is "undersized" as well. Guess that explains why Brees is pretty worthless.

Being short has a lot of advantages as a RB, primarily that (1) it's more difficult for the defense to see you behind the linemen, (2) you have a lower center of gravity, making you more difficult to tackle and making cuts easier, physically, and (3) you have less mass to grab ahold of.

If the guy can run, then size is a horrible factor to keep someone away, IMO.

Size is one of the most important factors. It is fine to be a small RB if you also happen to be the single most dynamic person in the world with a ball in your hand (Sanders). You can't be without legit size unless you are exceptionally quick, exceptionally good at cutting, dynamic, etc. But if you are just pretty quick and a decent runner than size obviously matters.

If Gandy was 5'10" 200 lbs he probably would be a Gopher, but with his size, his skillset doesn't translate to the Big 10 (and no MAC coaches even think it translates to the MAC).