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Posted by Scipio Tex on February 7th, 2008 under Football, Recruiting
Overall:
A B+ kind of class. Overall, I think the top 10 guys are an extremely stout group, there are some good role players/projects after that and then I see some drop-off in the late teens to twenty. This class also lacks the singular star power of a Darrell Scott, Julio Jones or Lizza Minnelli. Be warned: my comments are informed by watching lots of grainy highlight films, viewing All-Star games, talking to Texas high school coaches, chatting with friends who are big enough losers to attend high school football games on Friday nights, and irresponsible rumor and objectionable hearsay.
Class Strength:
Many of the guys at DB and WR; both guys on our DL.
Class Weakness:
RB was a need and we didn’t land a Superman – we got a committee. LB and OL weren’t needs, but there are no crystal clear superstars here. Selective OOS recruiting bricked mightily.
Position breakdown:
Offense:
RB
We’re missing a single-solution, every down, 25 carries, put-the-offense-on-my-shoulders badass. Thanks Ms. Scott. This class screams situational runner. That’s not a bad thing; it’s just not the best thing.
Tre Newton RB 6-0 200 4.6
Judging from his SLC highlights, Tre is a guy who has shown a consistent ability to run adeptly through large holes. He’s a value-added kind of guy who blocks and catches well. His raw running ability doesn’t really do it for me, though, in fairness, he played his senior year with a gimpy knee and no one really knows what he could be when he fills out and gets healthy. He has a good frame and I think his most likely upside is as a 225 pound situational back. An upgraded Chris Oingo-Boingo. Program kid.
Ryan Roberson RB 5-10 225 4.5
Powerful guy. Not a natural runner. I’m perfectly fine with him if you appreciate what he is providing, though the presence of a FB on the field outside of short yardage situations drives me to cattle rape. He could play LB, but I’m not sure I see it. He’ll pack on weight and strength easily – look at the dude’s frame. A good niche guy.
Jeremy Hills RB 5-10 185 4.45
Hills has really grown on me after some initial reservations. He has a lot of quickness and very solid running instincts. He’s not fucking around in the hole like so many finesse guys with his body type. He’s running with intent, he’s moving his feet, and he’s finishing runs as best he can. Physically weak for the college game at this stage. I’d like to see him shirt.
WR
Some exceptional players here. A definite need answered emphatically with Buckner, Grant & Hales.
Dan Buckner WR 6-4 215 4.5
Great size, underrated speed, uses his body to get separation and then goes and gets it. Could he be a Finley guy that eventually projects to TE? Maybe. I like him as a WR in the Sweed mode. His weird decline in the rankings was quickly righted when he showed up at the All-Star practices. Recruiting dorks are so fickle.
Brock Fitzhenry WR 5-9 180 4.4
He will be called a “Wes Welker” type in every game that he catches a 2 yard bubble screen. The question here is not whether he’s a good athlete and a productive HS player. The question is what he offers in the slot that DeSean Hales does not already provide. From the optimist’s perspective, you can’t fake a staff hand-timed 4.4 40 and he’s as strong as a mule; from the pessimist’s perspective he’s already 19, played against poor competition, and may already be physically maxed out.
DeSean Hales WR 5-10 165 4.4
Elite quickness, great speed, superior creativity. This guy is a no-brainer and it takes about three frames of highlight tape to understand that. His potential for making plays in the punting game is signficant (yes, it is possible not to fair catch all punts). If he has a knock, it’s that he’s small, but no one is advocating he be our goal line back.
D.J. Grant WR 6-2 200 4.5
Good get. Big frame, good hands, smooth strider. AISD competition challenges him like Dungeons & Dragons trivia does Henry James. Our only Fall commit looked damn good in the Click-Clack All-Star game. Coaches that I know in Austin say that he also has a nasty streak: he’ll earhole a LB. I like this guy – he has very little experience at the position and as he learns, his upside should increase commensurately.
Antoine Hicks ATH 6-2 205 4.5
Antoine is an Af-o-lete but I’m putting him at WR, primarily because I can. He’s clearly a nice jack-of-all-trades, but where’s the mastery? Very Eric Foreman. I don’t mean that as a knock necessarily – it’s just that he could project a lot of places. This is clearly a guy who could weigh 220 and be pretty interesting as a possession wide receiver or, if he likes contact, a physical safety or OLB. Projecting a guy like Hicks is an impossible exercise since so much of it depends on his mentality.
OL
We’re clearly trying to get away from Lionel Garr types. I don’t have a problem with that per se, but these kinds of rangy fast OL absolutely demand a redshirt and patience. I hope Mack’s “Everyone plays!” rants of late don’t apply to OL.
Mark Buchanan OL 6-6 275 4.8
Aside from the egregious sin of attending Austin High, I like him. He’s going to struggle against more physically developed peers right now – please ignore that bullshit. It’s irrelevant. He’s got sweet feet, the frame, speed, and the mindset. What he needs is three years uninterrupted getting practice reps and hitting a weight room. And – dare I say it – a redshirt.
Luke Poehlmann OL 6-7 260 5.0
He’ll struggle at the point of attack with elite DL recruits because he’s basically a power forward at this stage in his development. He’s got the feet that you want. See Buchanan. Put him in a Han Solo carbon freeze, add three years of power cleans and skill drills, don’t let Mad Dog give him permission to become a fat fuck, and he should be fine.
David Snow OL 6-4 300 5.3
Our only plugger. Strong. He’s clearly an interior OL all of the way. Unlike a Buchanan, his technique isn’t all there and he’s going to struggle with some quicker guys in space. He reminds me of former Longhorn Will Allen. He’s a screener – not a driver. His pads are too high – you’d like to see a flat back and an explosion off of the ball rather than a step straight up and an attempt to screen.
Defense:
LB
We only took two. Both have some question marks in my mind, though not in any way related to pure athletic ability.
Emmanuel Acho LB 6-2 220 4.65
Acho has grown on me after seeing some updated film. He’s playing against future yacht owners and your average private school batty boy, but his physical abilities are obvious. I have no idea if he knows how to play LB since he basically stunts on every play and looks for kids with trust funds to knock unconscious. Can we teach this position? History says no. I hope Muschamp can reverse that.
Dravannti Johnson LB 6-2 230 4.6
He’s got the physical attributes, four stars, and the added benefit of having crapped on the Aggies with his decommitment, but watching his film there’s just something missing. Great effort. Intensity. Hits people. But he’s stiff as a board. Change of direction is only OK. I’ll say it: I see some Robert Killebrew there. He should become a weight room monster though.
DB
Two exceptional talents here. The other two guys are credits to their race. Our safety recruiting suggests a shift away from the Four Corners philosophy. These are Cover 2 safeties.
Nolan Brewster DB 6-1 205 4.55
I generally don’t like Whitey in my defensive backfield. I watched his film pretty closely and was unimpressed. He was being sold as a hitter and I wasn’t buying. The U.S Army All-Star game did a lot to recalibrate my opinion with respect to his athleticism and his ability to hold up against quality athletes. I still have reservations about him in straight coverage though. Frame for OLB in the Matt Grootegoed mold? Dunno.
Blake Gideon DB 6-1 200 4.5
He’s a cracker! A rather controversial take, to put it mildly. Lots of firm handshake jokes. Blake certainly did his part to vindicate the coaching staff with an All-State team selection while dominating a strong district at Leander. The gap between Gideon and Brewster certainly isn’t discernible on film. He has solid straight line speed – but quickness? I don’t see how he cracks the lineup given the DB talent in the last couple of classes.
D.J. Monroe DB 5-9 165 4.4
The defensive version of DeSean Hales. Holy shit speed. Concerned about his size? We’d all love 6-1 CBs – but they don’t grow on trees. There’s always room on the football field for hyper-competitive mean little shits. See: Vasher, Nathan. Monroe is fearless and he’s out there lighting people up. He’ll add muscle and be just fine throwing his body around at 180-185. Another guy who adds a great deal to our special teams game. This is a recruit to be excited about.
Aaron Williams DB 6-0 185 4.4
Great player. Smooth as silk and that grace belies his true speed. Like DJ Monroe, he’ll put his head in there and knock someone out. If he avoids injury this is probably your safest choice for an All-Big 12 guy from the entire class. He’ll start at corner, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the coaches plug and play him wherever he can get on the field the earliest.
DL
Not many bodies here, but they’re both exactly the kinds of guys that we want.
Jarvis Humphrey DT 6-2 290 5.0
If you read the book Meat Market, Ed Orgeron describes the perfect DT in very specific detail. He describes Jarvis Humphrey. I love him under 300. I truly hope Muschamp can impress upon Mad Dog the value of that quickness in a 3 technique as a disruptor rather than just a 325 pound space eater.
Kheeston Randall DT 6-6 290 5.0
This was a great find by the staff and my preferred type of sleeper – East Texas, a great athlete growing into his body, good feet, basketball background, late to football. Yep. I see that and I pray we can get in his head before LSU discovers him – which is how it played out. Absolutely the guy I take a flyer on over a maxed out high school suburb super-program kid every time. He has a few technique issues, but those are all coachable moments. This is basically Marcus Tubbs. If we let him get twenty five pounds north of 300 and allow him to lose his motor, I will attack Mad Dog with a fruit juicer. Also, a nice OL prospect if he doesn’t pan on DL.
K
Justin Tucker K 6-1 175 4.6
Look, I have no clue. We ruin these can’t miss guys with such regularity that I happily endorse the Ryan Bailey open tryout solution for our kicking woes. Or go for two. Just please kick it out of the end zone occasionally.
My Top 10 recruits
1. Aaron Williams
2. Jarvis Humphrey
3. DeSean Hales
4. DJ Monroe
5. Dan Buckner
6. Mark Buchanan
7. Jeremy Hills
8. DJ Grant
9. Kheeston Randall
10. Emmanuel Acho (call it a hunch)
As always, I’m interested in your thoughts, quibbles, outrage.
Huckleberry said:
February 7th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
MARK BUCHANAN IS THE GREATEST RECRUIT WE’VE EVER SIGNED!
ONLY EMORY BLAKE COULD POSSIBLY SURPASS HIM!
ChrisApplewhite said:
February 7th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
My scattershot thoughts:
I’m in love with Antoine Hicks. I have no idea how skilled he is in whatever trade he ends up, but he is very quick for his size. Powerful cuts. I like him at WR, and I think eventually he could be a great plant and cut guy with size like Vince was, although obviously not that good.
Jeremy Hills I like a lot. He’s fast and doesn’t hesitate. He’s the kind of slasher that can kill you in the spread offenses today. Davis would fuck him up but Major or any other competent coach could get a lot out of someone like this. If he can catch, he is going to be a great threat.
It’s going to be a tight race to get on the field for all the young WRs, because which ever 3-4 get up early are going to be good for a long time.
I agree on Dravannti Johnson. I didn’t see it on his film and I have no idea what the big deal is. I’m not saying it’s not there, I just didn’t see it.
On your Top 10 list I would bump DJ Monroe down, because of how “well” our last undersized track star CBs did.
Gideon flat out is not fast enough to play here. End of story. He sure gets his hips down when he tackles though, so we might get some use out of him.
Jarvis Humphrey and Aaron Williams are my two favorite recruits. Those guys are going to be monsters, either on the field or as a fantastic crime-committing duo like our last dynamite pairing my DB and DT.
And F Scipio, AHS forever baby. Plus Mark Buchanan’s favorite show is The Office, so he wins points there, too.
Huckleberry said:
February 7th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
You need to clarify your AHS. Just like A&M is the Harvard of the West, Anderson is the Austin High of the North Side.
ChrisApplewhite said:
February 7th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Austin High forever. Minus the pinky thing. I always thought that was stupid.
And tell Dusty Dvorcek Will Allen isn’t a driver. You don’t need to be a driver in the zone scheme, although you do need to not be weak as fuck like our current Anderson Trojan.
Also, Matt ANDERSON. Just saying.
RansomStoddard said:
February 8th, 2008 at 4:53 am
The worst thing about this class is how so many of them need coaching in order to develop into good players. Not sure where, on this staff, that is going to come from.
SlickStreet said:
February 8th, 2008 at 6:12 am
RS–hater! ;)
Minnesotahorn said:
February 8th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Excellent.
Some stuff and things:
Yeah I’d agree. I suppose my biggest problem with this class is that it’s such a great foundation when what I was looking for out of it was plug and play stars to complement the last two great classes and boost their shot at national contention for the ‘08 season. I suppose Hales, Buckner and Humphrey could somewhat be defined that way but the lack of a superstar RB is a big disappointment. Obviously it’d be better for me to focus on the hits rather than the misses but such is my right as a petulant recruiting fan with a massive sense of entitlement.
Short trip.
Yeah although I’m hoping to see production out of him sooner then Sweed. We need an outside threat this year and Buckner looks like one of our only possibilities.
Yep. He offers a skill set unlike anyone on our current roster. Needs to play this year.
Yep. Overall it’s a fine OL class that should be the heart of a damn good 2010-2012 unit.
I watched him several times in high school and thought that North Texas would likely get themselves a fine player. His offer by and commitment to Texas frustrated me to the point of calling the entire class a ‘retarded collection of schleps.’ That’s unfair and untrue but a good tantrum can be so therapeutic. I see Gideon’s ceiling as Michael Ungar.
CA I think Monroe’s got more athletic ability than either Palmer or Foster. Rod Babers was no skyscraper either and I’d take him on my college team every single time.
Unbiased Horn said:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:18 am
“I see Gideon’s ceiling as Michael Ungar.”
I wouldn’t put him that high. I think he has more likely the potential of that white safety atm had a few years back. He made a lot of tackles but there was a reason they gave up so many big plays and guys like that should never be starting at elite college football schools.
RansomStoddard said:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I get frustrated by systemic underachievement.
Minnesotahorn said:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:55 am
I will add that my one other concern with this class is that it could possibly provide a large number of Jason Glynns/Rashad Bobinos/Everick Rawls that impede the contributions of more talented players that follow them.
Richard Belding said:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I always thought of Stansbury as the “Harvard of the West.”
Facebook User said:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Mack’s take: LINK
McLovin said:
February 8th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Does Grant make up for completely ignoring Stonum as a recruit?
History tells us we don’t necessarily do so well with slotting kids with ability and potential into the right roles/position. So I have low expectations for Hicks and Brewster to have the chance for meaningful contributions, and imagine the next time I hear Roberson’s name he will be transferring or graduating.
Does Johnson project as a DE moreso than a LB?
The wild cards here are Applewhite and Muschamp. Potentially two pretty significant wild cards I grant you, but this program has a hard time changing direction.
Chaz Ritchie III said:
February 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Acho punched me in the nuts during a game last season.
Minnesotahorn said:
February 8th, 2008 at 11:22 am
From Sailor’s link:
“Kheeston Randall: Kheeston Randall has gained weight, he’s at least 6-5 maybe 6-6, he’s 290 pounds. I was at his school at Kelly last week. In fact Coach Long, Dustin Long’s dad is the coach at Kelly in Beaumont. We feel like he will definitely play next year inside. He’s a basketball player. He’s got great feet. His mom was a great basketball player at LSU. He’s a guy that can dominate the line of scrimmage. He’s really quick at 6-5, 290 pounds. He’s about a 3.5 student. He walked in my office last spring in a coat and tie and said ‘Coach, I’d like to come to Texas,’ and I said, ‘I don’t know who you are but you can.’ (laughing).”
That story made me laugh too. But it was that kind of nervous, forced laughter like you do with your IRS auditer.
Earl T said:
February 8th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
You guys CHEATED to get Dravannti Johnson away from the Aggies!
No doubt about it! His mom’s driving a new Chevy Cavalier as I type!
PURE EVIL it is!
Minnesotahorn said:
February 8th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
You’re awesome. I mean it.
beowulf said:
February 8th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
I harken back to the year when we signed the Vincent Young class and you said that Vince would never win a Heisman.
Ha!
Keep your day job, Scip.
Billy Don Malone said:
February 8th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Scipio and I still stay in touch.
Bubble Trouble said:
February 8th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Mack said it in the presser. This class is about speed and it’s about team. Clearly the two criteria this year (besides, Does he have Texas stuff in his dresser drawer) were Is he fast and Is he not a selfish jerk. Look at the 40 times up there (BTW, Grant looks sub 4.5 to me and his obviously unbiased coach thinks so too). We did get speed. Most guys seem like they know there’s no I in Team. So now we are some game experience and two Blalocks away from being where we need to be.
CallKevin said:
February 8th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
While I realize that AP All-State teams (decided before playoffs) mean very little, I thought it interesting that we got:
4A Defensive POY Dravannti Johnson (Offensive POY Jacquizz Rodgers is headed to Oregon State)
Our recent top commit, QB Gilbert, was 2nd-team behind JR Tyrik Rollison of Sulpher Springs.
DJ Monroe made 2nd-team as a DB. The first team was Brashard Booker (Northwestern State), Trenston Hill (Baylor), Markelle Martin (OK State), and Kydarian Wilkins (Baylor).
Jermie Calhoun (OU) was the 3A OPOY. 2009 recruit Chris Whaley joined him on the 1st-team. Our Brock Fitzhenry was 2nd-team QB–JR Richard Morrison was 1st.
5A OPOY was Marcus Wright, headed for Georgia Tech. JR Chris Williams was DPOY. Dan Buckner, Blake Gideon, and Aaron Williams were 1st-teamers. DeSean Hales, Jeremy Hills, Tre’ Newton, & Jarvis Humphrey made 2nd-team. None of our OL made any of the teams.
Here’s the AP 5A: LINK
echeese in Groucho glasses said:
February 8th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Out of state players are fags.
DBH said:
February 8th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Thoughts?
Uninspired by this class, which reflects a couple of seasons of shameful complacency. Hopefully, the perception that Mack finally grew a pair will pay dividends with the 2009 class.
I laughed at these lines:
“He’s playing against future yacht owners…”
“I generally don’t like Whitey in my defensive backfield.”
Facebook User said:
February 8th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Tom Lemming was also apparently put into carbon freeze. h/t EDSBS.
Dravanti's Dad said:
February 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I like Johnson’s motor. He does a good job of keeping people off of him with his hands. I think you may have missed with the Kill comparison. At least I hope so.