2024 Elija Lofton 4* TE from Bishop Gorman (aka Mini Brevin)

[supacane]

Absolutely your highness.

First off he’s very undersized. At 6’2’’ 220 lb he’s basically a Khalil Brantley clone (and probably closer to 6’ 1.5’’). He’s an H-back that doesn’t possess phenomenal speed, and like @htownkidd said, I think he leans on the side of being physically maxed out; especially when you consider his “eye-popping” strength numbers as a high schooler with that body type. The fact that Miami was intrigued about his ability to play linebacker less a month ago just doesn’t sit right with me.

But again I’m not going to crap on Woodiel because he knows his ish and has brought onboard a plethora of talented TE’s. Hope I’m wrong, wish we were going to land Odom or Jackson though (amongst others).

*Edited because my dumbass put in Field instead of Woodiel

Why do you say he probably closer to 6'1.5?

 

[Zbrod95]

I remember WVU taking a kid like this. His name was CJ Donaldson…heard he’s pretty good.

 

[CaneLos]

Meh

 

[RVACane]

lol nole

Lol WeBallinNolz????

 

[WeBallinBoyz]

lol nole

 

[Grandpa794]

Per Gabby sometime today

 

[supacane]

Not sure why man mad at this possible pick up. I decided to go watch his film to have a honest opinion of him. First thing i notice is he has long arms, so it helps him with blocking and extending his catch radius. He pancaked a DE that was atleast a couple inches on him . Also his hustle, saved atleast 2 TDs on picks. And finally, not sure where man coming off saying he not fast, he is a TE at 220 pounds, he is plenty fast. From said chase downs to catching multiple deep TDs where he is split wide.

So really when it comes down to it, and this is my opinion, people are mad, he not 6'5. Its not his play or talent. Done.

 

[htownkidd]

People complain every year about our teams lacking tough football players. Lofton is a blue-chip talent that produces on offense in multiple ways and looks to knock people out. Give me more of those guys.

I will acknowledge this and give him this, these are facts. He is a mean SOB. By no means would I question the take or be upset or anything, I just think he is limited on this level and think there are better options out there. We MUST pair him with a big time receiving option though.

 

[JZCane0825]

He's an inch shorter Brevin Jordan. Take all day.

 

[Cane44]

Not sure why man mad at this possible pick up. I decided to go watch his film to have a honest opinion of him. First thing i notice is he has long arms, so it helps him with blocking and extending his catch radius. He pancaked a DE that was atleast a couple inches on him . Also his hustle, saved atleast 2 TDs on picks. And finally, not sure where man coming off saying he not fast, he is a TE at 220 pounds, he is plenty fast. From said chase downs to catching multiple deep TDs where he is split wide.

So really when it comes down to it, and this is my opinion, people are mad, he not 6'5. Its not his play or talent. Done.

I dnt think anyone is mad at this potential pickup. We were just debating higher needs at other positions that we need to stack extra spots with. So, taking two TE’s again wasnt a must. Think most here prefer a couple of the bigger TE options we’re going hard after. But would still be a really good pickup!

 

[supacane]

I dnt think anyone is mad at this potential pickup. We were just debating higher needs at other positions that we need to stack extra spots with. So, taking two TE’s again wasnt a must. Think most here prefer a couple of the bigger TE options we’re going hard after. But would still be a really good pickup!

Yeah i been reading through the posts and multiple man questioning the pick up. So whether mad or not its some variation of disappointment, which for me is unjustified.

 

[01Canes]

A grand slam TE class, IMO, would include 2 of the following 3:

Caleb Odom
Amir Jackson
Davon Mitchell (if he reclassifies)

I think some of the skepticism surrounding Lofton is that he's clearly a notch below those three. His measurables will likely relegate him to a more limited, niche role wherever he ends up. Lofton seems athletic and physical, which is great, but I assume those who aren't thrilled about possibly landing him are more bullish on the other TE's we're rumored to be in the running for.

 

[WeBallinBoyz]

A grand slam TE class, IMO, would include 2 of the following 3:

Caleb Odom
Amir Jackson
Davon Mitchell (if he reclassifies)

I think some of the skepticism surrounding Lofton is that he's clearly a notch below those three. His measurables will likely relegate him to a more limited, niche role wherever he ends up. Lofton seems athletic and physical, which is great, but I assume those who aren't thrilled about possibly landing him are more bullish on the other TE's we're rumored to be in the running for.

Well said. I’m never going to crap on a kid for wanting to be a Cane. I just don’t see the reason for a two tight-end class, especially after we snagged Riley and Carver last cycle…and I don’t see Lofton as a TE1. So what’s it going to be?

Also @supacane forgot to respond but I always take off at least half an inch from measurables on a recruiting site. Not sure what Miami said he looked like in-person, but people fudge numbers all the time. Heck I’m just a tad over 6’1’’ and they let me put 6’3’’ for roster info.

 

[SCarolina Ibis]

Well said. I’m never going to crap on a kid for wanting to be a Cane. I just don’t see the reason for a two tight-end class, especially after we snagged Riley and Carver last cycle…and I don’t see Lofton as a TE1. So what’s it going to be?

Also @supacane forgot to respond but I always take off at least half an inch from measurables on a recruiting site. Not sure what Miami said he looked like in-person, but people fudge numbers all the time. Heck I’m just a tad over 6’1’’ and they let me put 6’3’’ for roster info.

I agree with you about Lofton not being a #1. So I'm just going to throw a theory out there. I suspect the staff might view Lofton as another relationship building block with Bishop Gorman.

Just like they've done with IMG. Might as well throw Mater Dei in there too, with all the top names they're at least trying to recruit from there. Mario is pretty clearly trying to establish a Miami presence in those types of schools.

I'd definitely take Lofton if he helps us at Bishop Gorman in the future.

 

[DMoney]

The plan was always to pair Lofton with a longer receiving option like Jackson or Odom. That plan hasn’t changed.

The great minds in recent NFL history- Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan- all prioritize versatile, physical players in the Lofton mold. They don’t stack their roster with only jumbo WRs who can’t block. It’s a mix.

Lofton lines up wide and is a natural receiver. He takes hand offs from the backfield. He is a weight room beast who blocks. His verified athletic testing is Top 10% and better than Brevin Jordan. Most importantly, his motor and instincts jump off the tape.

Al Golden used to say, “toughness is a learned skill.” I don’t buy that. If you want a tough team, you need to prioritize recruiting tough players. That’s Lofton.

 

[supacane]

The plan was always to pair Lofton with a longer receiving option like Jackson or Odom. That plan hasn’t changed.

The great minds in recent NFL history- Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan- all prioritize versatile, physical players in the Lofton mold. They don’t stack their roster with only jumbo WRs who can’t block. It’s a mix.

Lofton lines up wide and is a natural receiver. He takes hand offs from the backfield. He is a weight room beast who blocks. His verified athletic testing is Top 10% and better than Brevin Jordan. Most importantly, his motor and instincts jump off the tape.

Al Golden used to say, “toughness is a learned skill.” I don’t buy that. If you want a tough team, you need to prioritize recruiting tough players. That’s Lofton.

These people skeptical about him are putting their misgivings about his height on his skills. Not sure why. Alot of what people are saying is not on film. He looks like a polished player in all aspects of the game. I dont have much misgivings about his height because he has long arms.

 

[lindend]

After checking around about his OV, Donno just dropped a Donnoball for the good guys on the latest Locked on Canes Episode .

 

[lindend]

@DMoney from the 6/8 Bank

TE Elija Lofton (Las Vegas) is visiting this weekend and Miami is looking to close the deal. Unlike many of the other targets visiting this weekend, I think this one needs to end with a commitment. Otherwise, he may be headed to Texas.​

Donno's hearing the UT visit is likely to be cancelled.

 

[PennsylvaniaCane]

The plan was always to pair Lofton with a longer receiving option like Jackson or Odom. That plan hasn’t changed.

The great minds in recent NFL history- Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan- all prioritize versatile, physical players in the Lofton mold. They don’t stack their roster with only jumbo WRs who can’t block. It’s a mix.

Lofton lines up wide and is a natural receiver. He takes hand offs from the backfield. He is a weight room beast who blocks. His verified athletic testing is Top 10% and better than Brevin Jordan. Most importantly, his motor and instincts jump off the tape.

Al Golden used to say, “toughness is a learned skill.” I don’t buy that. If you want a tough team, you need to prioritize recruiting tough players. That’s Lofton.

“If they don’t bite as puppies, they usually won’t bite”.

- Bill Parcells

 

[JgDaCane]

The plan was always to pair Lofton with a longer receiving option like Jackson or Odom. That plan hasn’t changed.

The great minds in recent NFL history- Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan- all prioritize versatile, physical players in the Lofton mold. They don’t stack their roster with only jumbo WRs who can’t block. It’s a mix.

Lofton lines up wide and is a natural receiver. He takes hand offs from the backfield. He is a weight room beast who blocks. His verified athletic testing is Top 10% and better than Brevin Jordan. Most importantly, his motor and instincts jump off the tape.

Al Golden used to say, “toughness is a learned skill.” I don’t buy that. If you want a tough team, you need to prioritize recruiting tough players. That’s Lofton.

Seems like this class is gonna be yugee.