Goins' accomplishments look good on paper, but that first team all-region is misleading given that the Offensive Player of the Year was a quarterback and was not in contention for all region teams. I can't say that I was pleased with the quarterback play last year, all-region or not. In years past, with guys like Cory Watson, Dawson Halliday, Zach Long, and Jamie Crawford in the conference, Goins would not have even sniffed the all-region team. Call it what you will, but that much is very clear. His best game to date occurred during his sophomore year. He certainly has some tools to work with, but we haven't seen much improvement to date, which makes me wonder if we have a capable quarterback coach. I'm not as in touch as I used to be, and I only know what I see from the stands or hear from others, so I'm not sure who handles the quarterbacks.
As for athletes capable of playing college ball, Ausmus and Mason are the two that stick out in my mind. Unfortunately, I hear Mason doesn't quite have it together off the field but, both, from a talent standpoint, could without a doubt play somewhere. Like it was said before me, it takes a combination of talent and work ethic that I don't see out of anyone else on the team. Kids simply aren't as driven as they were back in my time. I remember we'd have guys who lived in that weight room and others who were just "country strong". Either way we understood what hard work meant and weren't afraid of it.