Class Impact: AJ Mathis to Miami

[canenok]

When it comes to Tampa defensive players, I trust @Tee3000 and his judgment.

I must have missed it. What did Tee3000 say about Mathis?

 

[pacusmc]

i was reading on twitter somewhere flowe has ties to rohan marley. anyone else heard this?

Rohan tweeted something about meeting a young lion when flowe was on his visit. I think he was referring to flowe.
As far as any other ties would have to ask the boys on here from Yard if he’s related in any way.
Like I’ve said. He looked like he was really vibing during his visit at the spring game. But having a good time and making friends doesn’t mean he’s committing. But said he will definitely OV.

Edit: here’s the tweet

 

[COCane4Life]

Like **** ain't **** good enough for you crybaby *** fans tf just take it and be HAPPY that we GOT A COMMITMENT yo you guys ***** about everything WE GOT DUDE IN A MONTH we're doing something positive

Do you like every recruit we take? What’s wrong with me saying I’m not high on him? Nobody’s crying, I’m not mad at the commitment and I clearly said that. Relax ALL CAPS. Take that energy elsewhere!

 

[MotoSniper]

Mathis, Kinsler, and 1 of Flowe/Simpson would be an elite haul. I still wouldn't mind trying to get Hyppolite in the class as well. I know we are thin at LB but taking anymore than 4 seems ludicrous since we are moving to move of a 4-2-5 defense.

 

[mikemike]

Am I missing something? I watch the film and he looks aight. Seems like a high 3* guy. We need him for depth but I don’t see mike Pinckney not nearly as explosive and definitely need time to get stronger. I’m cool with the pickup but we gotta find a way to land Flowe

Im not impressed

We neee that LB from camden NJ

 

[Paranos]

Im not impressed

We neee that LB from camden NJ

Are you referring to


Go Canes

 

[Astcloud11]

We only play 2 LBs at a time, so I disagree with the notion that it is in "dire" shape. (If you're counting strikers as LBs, then you need to add Frierson to that list, as well as consider the potential of using Carter and both Smiths in that role.) You also forgot to mention Joyner.

-If you exclude striker, it's 4-6 guys, plus freshmen (currently 1 commit), for 2 spots.
-If you include striker, it's 5-10 guys, plus freshmen (currently 3 commits), for 3 spots.

I think all of the fretting over our LB depth is just off-season boredom...

You're thinking of the depth as an "on paper" situation.
Think of it as an Miami Hurricanes team.

Ideally, we need 2 LBs who are All-Conference capable, and 2 more who won't be targeted when they are in the game.
Same for striker, you'd want 2 guys who can make plays in the open field.
Now here's the kicker, you should NEVER count on a freshman.

So now, because we dont know if we can accomplish the ideal scenario (due to injury problems of returning players), we have to shore up the numbers, plus an extra body or 2 just incase someone doesnt pan out.

 

[FrancisSawyer]

Mathis, Kinsler, and 1 of Flowe/Simpson would be an elite haul. I still wouldn't mind trying to get Hyppolite in the class as well. I know we are thin at LB but taking anymore than 4 seems ludicrous since we are moving to move of a 4-2-5 defense.

We get Flowe and the haul is elite no matter who the other 3 are. Pair Flowe with Simpson and that's the best pair of frosh LBs in the country. I've got this gut feeling that the above is in no way out of the question. Mathis is a nice pickup. I expect him to have a great senior year and get that 4th star.

 

[ALLoverCANE]

You're thinking of the depth as an "on paper" situation.
Think of it as an Miami Hurricanes team.

Ideally, we need 2 LBs who are All-Conference capable, and 2 more who won't be targeted when they are in the game.
Same for striker, you'd want 2 guys who can make plays in the open field.
Now here's the kicker, you should NEVER count on a freshman.

So now, because we dont know if we can accomplish the ideal scenario (due to injury problems of returning players), we have to shore up the numbers, plus an extra body or 2 just incase someone doesnt pan out.

This is college football. You have to develop new stars every year. Guys like Jennings, Huff, Frierson etc. need to develop into the type of players you described by the time fall 2020 rolls around. Are they stars today? No. It's May 2019.

You shouldn't overly rely on freshmen, but if you're not getting major contributions from freshmen in this day and age of college football, you're not winning anything. We're two years removed from exclusively starting freshmen at an entire position group...

...which happens to be the exact same position group we're talking about.

 

[S.O.M.]

Need an "ace" recruiter on the defensive side of the ball. Cooney is getting the job done but he's not on the coaching staff. Rumph is the lead candidate to step in and fill that "ace" role. I believe Field has that role on offense. It's still really early but our defense should be the side pulling ELITE recruits. Our scheme will make good look great and great look elite.

We have needed but haven't had an ace recruiter on the defensive side for years now. I was really hoping Manny knew that and made a small tweak to the defensive staff when he was hired.

If Rumph is the guy we're targeting for that role then we're screwed. Good teacher, but he'd struggle to "recruit" a bunch of 10 yr olds into a swimming pool in the middle of summer. I think Banda or Patke are the guys more likely to fill that role, but neither is proving to be "the natural" I think Manny hoped they'd be. Even a small improvement in our defensive recruiting would elevate our defense immensely.

 

[S.O.M.]

Like **** ain't **** good enough for you crybaby *** fans tf just take it and be HAPPY that we GOT A COMMITMENT yo you guys ***** about everything WE GOT DUDE IN A MONTH we're doing something positive

I hear you in that he doesn't jump off the screen or show that explosiveness in his highlights we'd all like to see, but I like this kid. Smart, instinctual, gets off blocks and looks like a solid tackler. I see why people on different sites keep bringing Vilma up as a comparison. Good enough size as well - bigger than Vilma at the same point (by a lot most likely).

There are a lot of kids who look like they were shot out of a cannon but they can't get off blocks, over-run plays, or just get lost in the wash. This kid picks his way through traffic over and over to get to the ball. Love having a kid with these traits among the 4 or whatever guys who end up in this LB class.

 

[S.O.M.]

its really not that dire as some people make it, and taking 3-4 LBs in one class is normal **** happens all the time. People like you are overreacting about something that can't be fix for this upcoming season, everybody knows we need 3-4 LBs, and you do not know that the staff wants 4 backers you are just assuming that.

I'm not sure why you continue to talk about "making an impact this upcoming season" when we're talking about the '20 recruiting class, but certainly no one can accuse you of being a quitter.

 

[RedPill Stepdad]

We have needed but haven't had an ace recruiter on the defensive side for years now. I was really hoping Manny knew that and made a small tweak to the defensive staff when he was hired.

If Rumph is the guy we're targeting for that role then we're screwed. Good teacher, but he'd struggle to "recruit" a bunch of 10 yr olds into a swimming pool in the middle of summer. I think Banda or Patke are the guys more likely to fill that role, but neither is proving to be "the natural" I think Manny hoped they'd be. Even a small improvement in our defensive recruiting would elevate our defense immensely.

I think Rumph has more potential than Banda or a Patke though. Former player at The U, is African American so he at least can relate to the culture these kids are in.

I agree that he needs to tweak the defensive side of the ball next season. Wouldn't surprise me to see a coach leave and take another job.

 

[pacusmc]

We keep talking about recruiting and hownor defensive staff has sht the bed.
Really have they? Since golden left we’ve inenthe coastal once. We just barely made a bowl game. And lost.
But who did our allegedly sorry recruiters lose the elite sofla kids to? Who were these magical ace recruiters that could pull 5 star sofla recruits to a college team in Canada. That’s how awesome those dudes are.
Let’s see. Ladson-Clemson, Ryque- uga, Jeudy- Bama, Ingraham- Bama, Neal-Bama, ps2-Bama, Campbell Uga, Battle-Bama.
3 schools that right now have been dropping money all over sofla like Charles Barkley at a casino.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

I must have missed it. What did Tee3000 say about Mathis?

I think that Tee has commented in the past, and on Page 2 of this thread, he said: "Kid has all the tools..ALL of them. Only criticism I have is that he needs some fire under his *** & needs to play faster."

 

[chilltill]

Portal is an issue at any time during the year, but you can target JuCo now. The point is, we got lightning in a bottle with 3 freshmen a few years ago, but you rarely get so lucky to get 3 immediate starters. We can sign 3 freshmen, but with this new striker position, we only really have 2 full-time positions, and we have been cursed by injuries.

So make things clear, target 3 freshmen, but identify 1 JuCo and swap it out to a Portal kid if the right one comes along. The reason I suggested JuCo is for immediate eligibility in 2020, as the NCAA might be cutting back on waivers in the near future.

I feel you on trying to rely on freshman next year but if it's true we're going to a 4-2-5 I think we would be good but you not wrong with the juco idea cause experience won't hurt but man these kids dawgs nowadays all this football being played if we get 3 Fresh and only 1-2 of them can play that'll good. especially with Joyner huff brooks BJ wilder

 

[HighSeas]

My initial reaction was that Mathis has good movement skills and is a secure tackler but needs to get bigger, improve his diagnostic skills and overall technique, and play with more urgency and physicality.

Then I realized I had watched his 2017 highlights on 247. I'm glad I did though because his progression to 2018 is remarkable.

He had long arms and a decent frame before but it's evident he put on at least 20 lbs. in 1 year and it transformed his game. He became a full-time LB and he's a natural for the position. His stance went from sloppy to perfect, his reads went from laggy to aggressive and decisive, he changed from a catch tackler to a guy who delivers blows, he showed more physicality with blockers, etc.

His only flaw is straight-line speed but the same could be said for Sean Spence, Anthony Solomon and many other quality LBs in this archetype. Flexibility, lateral movement and mental processing are far more important traits than speed and Mathis excels in those areas.

I think this is a great pickup and fills a massive need at WILL after Solomon decommitted last year. I expect Mathis to start by 2021.

 

[Jaxson Villain]

So 247 gives Alvin Mathis a drop in the rankings immediately following his commitment to UM?

Sorry about that Alvin, it’s the Hurricane recruiting bump... glad to have him on board though.

 

[brcane1]

So 247 gives Alvin Mathis a drop in the rankings immediately following his commitment to UM?

Sorry about that Alvin, it’s the Hurricane recruiting bump... glad to have him on board though.

He was previously unranked on 247 and Rivals. 247 just ranked him with a mid-3* grade, probably as a placeholder. That brought down his composite, since ESPN has him as a high 3*

This kids ranking is totally irrelevant until we get measurables and a camp appearance.

 

[Cribby]

When it comes to Tampa defensive players, I trust @Tee3000 and his judgment.

Tee is bat **** crazy, he scares me and I think he should be banned