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2nd annual: Ranking the Understated 2024 Signees

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kedr said:
Ny Carr seems like a popular choice and he might be my favorite recruit, or at least the most fun. His highlight reel is just a ton of WOW plays. Straight-up burning defenders on go-routes, mossing guys, start-stop burst, acrobatic spinning one-handed grabs, he had it all. If I were at a game, I'd make sure to know his jersey number so that I could be like Belichick with his binoculars at the combine trying to find Carr on every play. Fantastic job by the staff to pull him from what I imagine is heavy SEC territory.

Honorable mention to Lofton. He can provide so much versatility to an offense: line up in the backfield, run the ball, screens, wheel routes, lead blocker, etc. I hope he gets the chance to be a swiss-army knife player. Lofton is not quite as big, but Jaheim Bell was a player that really worried me on FSU, although he had less production than I thought. That kind of player can have such an impact in a variety of ways.
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There is a catch that Ny made earlier this season that is mesmerizing. I watched the clip a dozen times and could not figure out how the F he came down with it. Amazing hands. Agile as ****, FAST....you name it. Sky's the limit for that kid.

Artavious is AWESOME.

Overall there is a LOT to like about this class.
 
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ajkreider said:
9. Nino Francavilla. Two-star, so anything at all from him is a win. Early enrollee. Obviously a smart kid, given his other offers. He will know the protections. Questions about how he will hold up against real players, but motor won't be an issue - as he plays on both sides of the line. Camped with us so the coaches have seen him in person. Expect a redshirt and, with a year of watching and lifting, to start as a freshman.
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I think Nino needs a year, but I think he will be a fixture at Center for us In the future
 
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Let's gush.

LB Size:
Hayes: 6'4 210
Pruitt: 6'3 187

Pair that with where last years LB size up now:
Malik Bryant: 6'2 225
Papo Aguirre: 6'2 233
Marcellius Pulliam: 6'3 235
Bobby Washington: 6'3 220



The different styles at WR.

JoJo, a route stud with pro ready hands

Ny Carr, a gamebreaker with the ball in his hands.

Chance Robinson, who is probably around 6'2 now, good at getting vertical on the outside but can handle various routes. Consistency of hands will put him on the field early as our chain mover and a Colbie Young replacement.
 
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GoldCane said:
I love McConathy. No way that dude is a 3 star. Has the measurables and the production against big time competition to match. Expecting him to be a big time player for us
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You don't see a lot of guys with his ranginess to be so **** twitchy and flexible. He changes directions fast for a tall guy, and tackles violently after doing so. His tape is freakish. Looks like he's doing Mortal Kombat "Finish him" tackles. He's not just trying to tackle ball carriers, he's trying to tackle them three plays down the line right now.

What excites me the most about him is the fact the dudes in the middle are so darn good that Cole will be left alone, and often. Best DL class I think I have ever seen. The amount of game changing quality is staggering.
 
LuCane said:
Here's the second version of this: https://www.canesinsight.com/threads/ranking-the-understated-2023-signees.182563/

You can go back and rate last year's list. As imagined, some of those players are still awaiting their opportunities.

My rankings are based on what I observe as perceived attention/mentions vs talent. To be clear, this isn't a "favorite" or "prediction of best" thread.

1. Artavius Jones - I've loved this recruit since the first time I watched him catch a TE screen and juke his way toward the sideline. Just elite feet for what will become a legit 300 pound man-child in the middle. It's easy to get "lost" when you committed relatively early and, right there next to you, is a 5 star recruit like Justin Scott. What I like most about Jones' game is that, while he has supposedly recorded some eye-popping strength numbers, those feet do work. He's a discus/shotput guy, so that's a hint. But, then he's a near double/double basketball player. I think the young kids say something like "tell me you can move without telling me you can move." We don't even need to play Jones early, but so happy to read that he's apparently an Early Enrollee.

2. Ny Carr and JoJo Trader WR duo - This is really a post about Ny Carr, but I'm mentioning JoJo Trader because he, too, can easily get lost in the attention because of his fellow 5 star teammate who went to OSU*. As for Ny, I often judge WRs by their movement skills and acceleration. For WRs, I consistently use a key metric: how badly can this guy scare our defense - specifically, with acceleration, cuts, and angles. I'm not comparing Ny to Santana because they're seemingly built (physique) differently. But, I saw some similarities in their movements: the gliding/hanging in the air for jump ball throws, the wicked acceleration off of one cut, and the ability to obliterate clear Safety angles. No idea about his verified times or weights. Just that this is a guy who I believe will produce far more than he's being given attention, which I guess makes some sense given the chase for the #1 recruit in the nation.

3. Marquise Lightfoot - He committed a while back. He stayed steady. He hasn't shown any drama. So, it's easy to forget a relatively high level 4 star DE. Will he make an immediate impact? I have no idea, but I've consistently said we need a leap from a Wide 9 type of Edge. Next year, Mesidor and Bain will presumably have the DE spots locked down. NKelly has not yet lived up to what we all hoped. Can Lightfoot gain the requisite weight and technical skills to make a move into the rotation? I hope so. Either way, his talent and frame indicate he will show out way above the attention I perceive he's been given.

4. Hayes and Pruitt LB duo - In a normal year, Hayes would be a superstar flip. Somehow, he went ho-hum because it came slightly after a perceived "big loss" on NLI day. This is a message about Hayes, but I wrote in Pruitt, too, because I see two sky high ceilings for the types of LBs I've begged we recruit: modern LBs who can run, run, run and cover. Will Hayes grow into a DE? To me, he looks like an OLB in a 3-4, a natural rusher in a 3-3-5, but someone with the skill to run sideline to sideline, too. Very excited to see him, though I don't expect a lineup breakthrough early on.

5. CJ Clark - This simply has not gotten the fan waves commensurate with the production I expect from him. We lost LTaylor and I expect CJ Clark, perhaps less naturally talented than LT, to replace his production and even give us a more natural fit in certain alignments. This was a great evaluation, IMO.

Honorable Mention:

A. Zach Carpenter - I had to balance this one out because lots of people have seemingly given this player credit as an "immediate starting" Center from the portal. However, this is a HUGE deal because it stabilizes the line. Rather than force someone to move inside and send a domino effect across the line, we now have the real option of trotting out a comfortable lineup that looks almost exactly like last year's. However, it gives us the flexibility to, who knows, try Rivers at LG and see if someone proves they're a better LT than Rivers was for us in 2023.

B. Elija Lofton - The quintessential "football player." He could likely play multiple positions for us and he was committed for so long and with minimal drama. He also doesn't have the "prototype" height for the TE position, so while many are excited about him, he simply doesn't get the attention and excitement his talent deserves. We shall see what we make of it.
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Lofton can be a Swiss Army knife on offense. He can play multiple spots, and has an intensity to his game. Reminds me a lot of Dmitri Flowers of Oklahoma who was used all over during the Baker Mayfield years..
 
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I’m going with nino as the next 2* that starts at Miami. The difference is this 2* will start on a very good OL…likely top 5.

Plazz is another 3star that likely gets 2-3 years of starts if he fills in.

chh and Cole are two others I feel comfortable saying that will play more than most 3star kids on top 5 classes.
 
JHallCanes said:
There were some absolutely freakish DTs in this years class. Breland, Stone, Scott….all wild to watch

But like you when I saw Jones’ film I’m like if you took away all the numbers and told me this dude is the #1 recruit in the country…I would be like yeah I get that. I’ve never really seen film like it before

Not putting those lofty expectations on him but just removing myself from the ranking biases

I’m also all about the LBs so everything you said was spot on
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But what's his bench press?👀👀
 
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hiphopanimal said:
Ny Carr looks like a first round pick waiting to happen
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I was going to post exactly this. his acceleration is crazy, teams have consistently paid up in the draft for these kinda players. if you go back and look at Evan Stewart's high school tape, Carr looks more explosive to me.
 
In terms of being underrated, I just go from the bottom of the composite and the names that pop for me are Wheatley-Humphrey and McConathy. How can a kid rush for 2K yards in one season in Broward and the #1 sack producer in Alabama BY FAR be low 3 stars!

So much talent in this class. My only question marks are QB and DB outside of Patterson. They were saying good things about Dylan Day on Locked On Canes, saying Guidry grabbed one right from under LSU. And Mack was born with a football in his hand. So I think we will be fine. But they are not highly rated overall.
 
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