With the likes of Allen Hurns, Phillip Dorsett, Reshawn Scott and Kendal Thompkins, any 'Canes fan worth their salt knew that recruiting the Wideout position would be a priority for our staff. Hurns and Dorsett were thrown into the fire and gave nice results and we should expect them to continue to flourish. Scott is an unknown at this point. The biggest disappointment thus far continues to be Thompkins. Many around the 'Canes interwebs message boards thought that he was the best of the MNW wideouts but he has shown zero for all that praise. This year will be his last so we can only hope that he has a breakout year much like Tommy did last year.
A trend that you'll notice when looking at the WR class is size....the only player that does not stand six feet is Malcolm Lewis and when you consider the Pro-Style approach of our offensive staff, it should come at no surprise that they recruited wideouts with size. What should also be noticed is that staff not only brought in quantity, but also quality.
Let's take a look at out WR class as we break down the positives, concerns and what we should expect from this group.
Angelo Jean-Louis
Stats- 6'0" 185 lbs
2011- 16 Catches, 316 Yards, 3 TDs
4.45 40
Positives- Fluid wideout. Plays the position so effortlessly that he makes playing the position look easy. You could possibly look at his numbers and wonder why I would lump such praise on him, but when you take a look at his highlights, you see why. Size, speed, catches the ball well...there's not much not to like about AJL. Another die hard 'Cane who never took visits once he committed.
Concerns- Grades. At this point it is unknown if he will have to go Prep and then enroll at UM in the winter. If that is the case, it will be a major hit to the position especially when you consider that he would very likely see the field early here. [video=youtube;gs9nF7mZsXg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9nF7mZsXg[/video]
Robert Lockhart
Stats- 6'3" 185 lbs
2010 Sr. stats from West Boca Raton HS- 34 Catches, 686 Yards, 6 TDs
4.5 40
Positives- Likely the most complete prospect in the WR class. It looks as if he's wearing a cape when he's jumping for a ball. Shows great burst out of his breaks and has a great understanding of the position. Attended Fork Union Prep after not qualifying at VT and switched to us late in the game. Side note, Coach Beamer must really hate Coach Golden for snatching 2 of his prized recruits.
Concerns- A bit lanky and at 185 lbs, he'll need to bulk up if he wants to continue to dominate in the air. [video=youtube;UATMofusXnM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UATMofusXnM[/video]
Malcolm Lewis
Stats- 5'10" 175 lbs
2011- 56 Catches, 729 Yards, 8 TDs
4.43 40
Positives- When you take a look at his film you wonder why his name wasn't mentioned with the other elite national wideouts...kid just dominates. Speed, hands, routes and an incredible knowledge of the position. It also doesn't hurt that he helped bring his Bestfriend Tracy Howard to UM.
Concerns- He's the shortest of the group, but that's just nit-picking. Other than that.....kid is the goods. [video=youtube;G04XiWAKS_4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G04XiWAKS_4[/video]
Jontavious Carter
Stats- 6'3" 195 lbs
2011- 32 Catches, 600 Yards, 5 TDs
4.59 40
Positives- Young Man catches everything that hits his hands and with Coach McDonald, that should continue to be a strength of his along with running precise routes...but his "biggest" attribute is his size and with the departure of Streeter that was something that was needed in this class. Kid also bleeds Orange and Green. Never waivered on his commitment and took no visits.
Concerns- Lack of homerun speed although some of the best WRs to come through The U haven't been burners. When you have a big physical wideout that catches everything thrown at him and runs excellent routes....speed becomes a minimal issue.
*No video located*
Herb Waters
Stats- 6'1" 175 lbs
2011- 23 Catches, 372 Yards, 4 TDs
4.5 40
Positives- Incredible athlete with great size and speed. Excellent burst and can jump out of a building. Also, even when his team mates Burgess and Sibiea decided to go to Louisville, he stood with Miami and never waivered.
Concerns- Still learning to play the position as he was asked to play many at Homestead HS but when you consider he earned MVP Honors at the Nike Miami Camp, learning to play the position shouldn't be a problem.
[video=youtube;o7vTxtT6pEo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7vTxtT6pEo[/video]
D'Mauri Jones
Stats- 6'4" 190 lbs
2011- 38 Catches, 524 Yards, 8 TDs
4.5 40
Positives- Reminds me of Hankerson. Physical at the line of scrimmage, great body control and snatches balls out the air. Had offers from many BCS programs but once he committed he never took visits.
Concerns- Not going to get many YAC as he's not a burner. His HS level of comp isn't great so you wonder if his stats and highlight videos benefit from it. [video=youtube;DKa9C3_1XuI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKa9C3_1XuI[/video]
Most likely to contribute- Malcolm Lewis. Would not surprise me if Malcolm is in the starting lineup come Week 1.
Most underrated- D'Mauri Jones. Many people scratched their heads or asked "who?" when they heard he committed, but the kid has tons of upside. It's likely and would be wise that he redshirts. That'll allow him to bulk up and get him on the practice squad so he can be ready to go in 2013.
