Somewhere near the end of the 2008 season, Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow came to a decision. Win or lose, Barlow decided he was going to run the ASU program the way he felt was best. He had a specific offensive system he liked, and he was willing to fire his second coordinator in two seasons in order to find a guy who shared his beliefs. He also had a specific defensive plan he felt would work best, and he was willing to fire a popular and successful defensive coordinator in order to run it.Last Wednesday, Barlow and his staff signed a class that reflected those new philosophies. And in terms of filling needs, it was a successful signing day. ASU welcomed in 28 players, almost all of which addressed a hole created by a graduating senior or a change in philosophy. Offensively, for example, Barlow's game plan is to create a hybrid-style offense that uses elements of the spread offense's short passes and the pro formation's power rushing attack.
As the Hornets learned last season, when they employed the spread, quick, agile receivers are a must. Without them, the short passes in the spread are just short passes. In one game, ASU completed 23 pass attempts for only 136 yards. To address that issue, the Hornets signed six receivers in this year's class. All of them have good speed and four of the six were signed specifically because of their ability to run after the catch.
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If you're operating a program that can't manage to obtain the necessities, you need to take a serious look at where you are and what your options might be. ASU is in that position now. And I'm not saying that simply because of the incident with Mapp and the dilapidated state of the "football offices." It's also the practice field, which is so riddled with holes that the team is avoiding it, and the compliance office, which still employs just two people.
