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Legs Race Part III- (Roster Analysis)

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Lance Roffers

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The dust has settled on the class of ’19 and the portal has closed (for now). The roster appears to be pretty much set, other than the inevitable transfer or two after spring ball concludes. With that in mind, I wanted to take a holistic look at the roster from an athleticism standpoint and build on part I and part II of this series that focuses on college football’s legs race in athleticism testing. Rather than go back through the intention of the study, I would refer you back to earlier parts if you have questions on methodology.

Positions

I’m going to walk through each of the positional groupings and list their testing results and what it tells us about each of them. I will also show any other Miami players at the positions and their results to provide context, even though the players are no longer on the roster. I will put together a color coded depth chart at the end of the article as a sort of TL:DR version and to help those who like more succinct information rather than the full-blown profile. Data next to position is the average P5 All-Conference player for that position.

Quarterbacks- 199 pounds, 4.86 40, 4.36 SH, 35' Powerball, 30" Vertical, 84 SPARQ

The position that gets the headlines is also the position that Miami has struggled with in recent years. Miami recently added two QB’s to the roster to go along with the holdovers from last year.

Tate Martell- 205 pounds, 4.72 40, 4.03 SH, 37’ Powerball, 36.8” Vertical, 114.78 SPARQ

Martell hits every metric that you can ask for in a QB. There are some who point to his height, but that has proven to be negligible in importance. Martell exceeds even the averages for all metrics of All-Conference QB’s and his short shuttle really stands out. Since 2014 his 4.03 short-shuttle ranks third in my database of prospects. The two who finished ahead of him? Will Grier and McKenzie Milton. A 98th percentile athlete, I am confident that with good health he will be at least a 2nd team All-ACC player during his career.

N’Kosi Perry- 178 pounds, 4.86 40, 4.35 SH, 36’ Powerball, 35.9” Vertical, 88.26 SPARQ

Perry is an interesting prospect because he hits the marks on many of the areas you want to see from successful QB’s. I mentioned earlier that height had proven to be insignificant, but weight has shown to be quite significant in projecting players forward. The only QB in the database that I would deem to end up being successful with a weight less than Perry’s would be Milton. Grier came in at 181. It’s a significant hurdle for Perry in any data-driven study. Perry checks most boxes, but his profile is that of a good starter, rather than All-Conference player as an underweight 77th percentile athlete. Perry gets a boost in SPARQ due to a solid vertical, which is the one metric that shows to be meaningless.

Jarren Williams- 201 pounds, 4.83 40, 4.45 SH, 37’ Powerball, 30.9” Vertical, 85.08 SPARQ

Williams’ profile is one that sneaks inside the marks for every area that showed significance at the position (Vertical did not prove to hold any significance at QB). He has the potential to make an All-Conference team, but his data profile is again that of a good starter, rather than more. The short shuttle showed heavy significance in making All-Conference teams and Williams was just average in this area. He did come in above average in every metric, which would give me a little more confidence in his profile over that of Perry’s. A 75th percentile athlete overall.

Cade Weldon- 204 pounds, 37’ Powerball, 28.9” Vertical

Weldon did not test in the running drills, but on tape looks to be a solid-average athlete. His profile is that of a depth player. Someone who can be used in a QB-run based offense and specialty plays.

Peyton Matocha- 193 pounds, 4.84 40, 4.33 SH, 37’ Powerball, 28.7” Vertical, 83.55 SPARQ

Matocha tested like a supercharged Perry in every area other than vertical (insignificant). He’s bigger, a tick faster, quicker, stronger Perry. If the results from QB’s show us anything, it’s that slow feet don’t eat and Matocha has the requisite quick feet. Matocha profiles as a good starter with the potential for more if he develops.

No Longer on Roster

Malik Rosier- 197 pounds, 4.69 40, 4.54 SH, 37’ Powerball, 33.4” Vertical, 81.57 SPARQ

Rosier is no longer on the roster, why profile him? Again, I want to give context on players who we know how their careers went here at Miami. Rosier had an excellent profile in every area but one; his short-shuttle exposed slow feet. I tend to call them “dead feet” in the pocket and are symbolic of either a disconnect between mind and feet, or just an inability to get off one spot quickly and on to the next and reset the feet for accuracy. A 65th percentile athlete, Rosier profiled as a depth player and though he started a bunch of games at Miami, most would agree that he was a low-end starter to excellent backup, just as the data suggests he would be.

Running Backs- 203 pounds, 4.57 40, 4.27 SH, 37’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 110 SPARQ

As you might expect given that “running” is in the title, but the position with the highest average SPARQ for all-conference players is RB. Miami has some nice players at this position, but loses a good one.

Robert Burns- 215 pounds, 4.57 40, 4.41 SH, 41’ Powerball, 42” Vertical, 122.91 SPARQ

On the surface, Burns’ profile looks to be excellent. Big, with solid speed and excellent explosion in the vertical, but if you look a bit closer there are red flags. He misses the cutoff at short-shuttle for RB’s, where all but one All-Conference (AC) RB ran faster than a 4.40 SH. The lack of wiggle and creativity as a runner has shown up in his limited exposures as well. Big, strong, explosive props up his overall SPARQ, but he’s just average in the speed and change-of-direction areas. His profile is that of a starting player, but there are reasons to doubt the 94th percentile athlete reaches that designation.

Lorenzo Lingard- 195 pounds, 4.53 40, 4.34 SH, 40’ Powerball, 37” Vertical, 104.49 SPARQ

Lingard hits every box of an AC RB. He has speed, change-of-direction, strength and explosion. The concern with Lingard hitting that profile is his contact balance appears to be below average. If he remains healthy and improves his contact balance he could make some form of All-ACC during his career.

Cam’Ron Davis- 190 pounds, 4.50 40, 4.34 SH, 39’ Powerball, 31.4” Vertical, 91.89 SPARQ

It might surprise many to see Davis check every box for an AC RB as well as Lingard does. Lingard tested slightly better, but Davis is the far superior receiving option. For that reason, Davis profiles with a slightly higher chance of reaching All-ACC status than Lingard.

DeeJay Dallas- Did not Test

Dallas did not test. I would assume that he profiles as an above-average mover, with average speed. At 190 pounds coming out of HS his profile would most likely look like that of a solid starter.

Asa Martin- 195 pounds, 4.76 40, 4.32 SH, 31” Vertical

Martin didn’t test in the Powerball so we do not have a SPARQ score, but the rest of his testing shows a smaller RB who lacks true speed. He has decent feet and profiles as a backend starter. He will be a nice depth piece for Miami, but I do not see star potential.

No Longer on Roster

Mark Walton- 182 pounds, 4.63 40, 4.34 SH, 35’ Powerball, 31.3” Vertical, 88.86 SPARQ

I was surprised when I saw Walton’s results, as he tested like a solid starter, rather than an AC player. Walton was below the average AC RB in every metric, but had a very nice career at Miami. At the Combine, Walton ran a 4.60 40, 31.5” Vertical, 18 reps on the bench. Basically, his testing data did not change from HS to NFL. He made a 3rd-team All-ACC as a sophomore, though I only count 1st & 2nd teams in my AC designations.

Joseph Yearby- 191 pounds, 4.58 40, 4.21 SH, 32’ Powerball, 35.6” Vertical, 96.21 SPARQ

Yearby tested better than I remembered playing at Miami. This profile is that of a solid-starter to backend AC player. At Miami’s Pro Day, Yearby clocked a 4.73 40 and that’s more indicative of the type of player I saw in college. That type of athlete profiles as a good starter, which is more what the 59th percentile athlete that Yearby was in his career. He did make All-ACC third team in 2015.

Trayone Gray- 197 pounds, 4.66 40, 4.69 SH, 37’ Powerball, 32.1” Vertical, 85.23 SPARQ

Gray had a fatal flaw in his inability to change directions quickly. This showed on tape and it showed in his testing. His profile was that of a depth player or fringe contributor. That is exactly how his Miami career turned out.

Wide Receivers- 183 pounds, 4.64 40, 4.34 SH, 34’ Powerball, 32” Vertical, 91 SPARQ

If there is a position where athletic testing has shown an inability to project players to the next level it would be at WR. The only testing metric that showed any significance in projecting forward was short-shuttle. Basically, the ability to carry speed in-and-out of breaks seems to be a key skill at this position.

Jeremiah Payton- 190 pounds, 4.74 40, 4.22 SH, 40’ Powerball, 33” Vertical, 100.86 SPARQ

A smooth receiver with excellent change-of-direction skills, Payton profiles well. It’s difficult to place starter/AC/depth labels on WR’s due to the athletic testing lack of significance, but if you are going to pick a profile, having nice height, long arms, excellent change-of-direction skills and strength is a nice profile to pick. 73rd percentile athlete.

Mike Harley- 155 pounds, 4.52 40, 4.00 SH, 33’ Powerball, 34.3”, 93.09 SPARQ

Interesting profile in that he is so slight of frame. Excellent change-of-direction skills. 59th percentile athlete is an excellent blocker.

No Longer on Roster

Ahmonn Richards- 175 pounds, 4.68 40, 4.66 SH, 36’ Powerball, 37.4” Vertical, 85.11 SPARQ

I try to be transparent in my studies and be open when the results do not show much in the way of correlation to what I am testing. Richards shows some of the WR testing being insignificant. He tested poorly in everything but Vertical, but was an excellent receiver right away at Miami. The 43rd percentile athlete had his career cut short due to injury.

Braxton Berrios- 180 pounds, 4.52 40, 3.81 SH, 38’ Powerball, 40” Vertical, 131.37 SPARQ

By both percentile (98th) and SPARQ (131.37) Berrios is the best testing athlete to attend Miami in my database. His 3.81 SH is freaky and really showed the type of player that he was, relying on quickness and toughness to make plays. Berrios is one of many players to test similarly coming out of HS as he does college. He ran a 4.47 40 at 184 pounds, vertical leaped 36”, and ran the SH in 4.02 (he said he slipped).

Sam Bruce- 183 pounds, 4.53 40, 4.18 SH, 34’ Powerball, 34” Vertical, 99.81 SPARQ

Tested like a poor man’s Berrios.

Marquez Ezzard- 213 pounds, 4.79 40, 4.32 SH, 38’ Powerball, 30” Vertical, 94.02 SPARQ

I was intrigued by Ezzard and his change-of-direction skills at that weight. Explosion tested poorly.
 
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Tight End- 223 pounds, 4.85 40, 4.46 SH, 37’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 90 SPARQ

It appears that pass catching is not a skill that pure athleticism drives. If WR is the number one position in difficult to project, TE is number two. In many ways, this shows reliability in that aspect that both the pass catching-heavy positions show little significance with athletic testing. 40-yard dash and Powerball were the only two metrics to show correlation of a decent significance.

Brevin Jordan- 250 pounds, 4.78 40, 4.21 SH, 41’ Powerball, 28” Vertical, 97.26 SPARQ

I mentioned that Ezzard had nice change-of-direction at his size, but Jordan was much bigger and actually ran faster and had freaky change-of-direction skills. You see some of the silliness with SPARQ calculations when because of a subpar vertical jump his SPARQ is barely above a player he outweighed by 37 pounds, yet tested better in every event but vertical. Jordan profiles as an AC player, and it wouldn’t shock me to see the 67th percentile athlete make some All-American teams before his career is over.

Will Mallory- 207 pounds, 4.68 40, 4.41 SH, 43’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 105.69 SPARQ

Mallory meets every criteria to be a successful ‘Y’ TE, who splits out wide and makes plays in the seam. His height, straightline speed, and strength should allow him to be a solid starter. If not for Jordan, he would have the tools to be an AC player, though his SH is merely average for AC players. 84th percentile athlete.

Brian Polendey- 223 pounds, 4.88 40, 4.42 SH, 40’ Powerball, 33” Vertical, 98.22 SPARQ

Again, you see the limitations with the way SPARQ encompasses all events into its score as Polendey has a higher score than Jordan, yet weighs 27 pounds less and only did better than Jordan in the vertical. Polendey has better athleticism than you would expect from his film and profiles as a nice depth player.

Larry Hodges- 231 pounds, 5.05 40, 4.41 SH, 43’ Powerball, 26” Vertical, 66.81 SPARQ

Hodges performed in a do-it-all role for his team this year but is a subpar athlete despite his versatility. Look for Hodges to be used as an H TE who has the look of a FB on many plays. His athleticism does not paint a great outlook for the 13th percentile athlete but, again, the TE position did not correlate well with the athletic testing on the whole.

No Longer on Roster

Christopher Herndon- 231 pounds, 4.86 40, 4.50 SH, 40’ Powerball, 30” Vertical, 84.74 SPARQ

Those who have read my articles for a few years know of my affinity for Herndon. His toughness, ability to make catches in tight quarters, and blocking ability made him a favorite of mine and allowed him to overcome his relative lack of athleticism. Herndon did not work out at the NFL Combine or Pro Day to re-test his numbers.

Offensive Tackle- 287 pounds, 5.35 40, 4.82 SH, 37’ Powerball, 26” Vertical, 81 SPARQ

When we think of the OT position we think of size, of bulk, and of power. One of the positions that surprised me is just how well athleticism translates to the offensive line in general. Players who are in the 270+ range with good movement skills who then gained weight and strength in college tended to fare better than those who needed to lose immediate weight once they reached campus.

Delone Scaife- 305 pounds, 5.33 40, 5.06 SH, 39’ Powerball, 28” Vertical, 86.82 SPARQ

You could make an argument to include Scaife as a G, but Miami has been playing him at T, so I’ve measured him against tackles. Scaife fared better than the average AC OT at every metric but the one that’s probably the most important- Short Shuttle. 82% of AC OT’s ran faster than a 4.95 SH and Scaife came in well above that mark at 5.06. Because of the lack of movement skills, I only feel confident predicting Scaife as a solid starter, rather than as an AC performer. It is possible he could be an outlier if he is able to gain some of that flexibility and foot quickness through S & C.

Kai-Leon Herbert- 282 pounds, 5.30 40, 4.90 SH, 42’ Powerball, 27” Vertical, 81.66 SPARQ

If you’re looking for a player currently on the roster who has the most tools to become a good LT, it’s probably Herbert, but even Herbert looks more like a good starting player rather than an AC OT. The movement skills are simply not up to an elite standard. It will be interesting to see how Herbert develops under the new S & C staff.

Zion Nelson- 240 pounds

Nelson did not test, but is said to have extreme level athleticism for the position. His obvious hindrance will be his weight and a demonstration of the toughness necessary to play the position at a high level. The S & C staff say that Nelson is already up to 265 pounds, so at least the initial reports show he has some ability to put on the weight.

Offensive Guard- 288 pounds, 5.38 40, 4.85 SH, 37’ Powerball, 26” Vertical, 75 SPARQ

Just as you’d expect with the move to G, they tended to test slightly slower and less explosive than their OT counterparts.

Navaughn Donaldson- 345 pounds, 5.29 40, 4.78 SH, 36’ Powerball, 21” Vertical, 82.11 SPARQ

Donaldson is a very good athlete for his weight, as his +80 SPARQ score reflects. To have the straight-line speed and change-of-direction skills that he has at 345 pounds is highly impressive. Like many HS OL he needs to continue to lose weight and get into better shape to unlock his potential. Going into year three at Miami, Donaldson has the potential to be an above-average starter and might even profile for an AC team of some sort. This is the first offseason he will have at just one position and that focus gives him a chance to improve quickly.

Cleveland Reed- 327 pounds, 5.10 SH, 38’ Power Throw, 19” Vertical

Reed did not complete all tests to compile a SPARQ score, but you can see from the events he did test in that he is a below-average athlete. More of a power G, Reed had a tough transition to the speed and explosiveness of college football. Reed has the profile of a depth player, but with improved conditioning could work his way into solid starter territory.

Moose Griffith- 308 pounds, 5.50 40, 5.00 SH, 42’ Powerball, 27” Vertical, 92.19 SPARQ

Bonus profile for the walk-on G. A bit tight in the hips, but possessing excellent strength, he has the athleticism and explosion to be the perfect walk-on with a chance to make an impact later in his career.

No Longer on Roster

Trevor Darling- 327 pounds, 5.73 40, 5.06 SH, 43’ Powerball, 19” Vertical, 79.56 SPARQ

Darling is another example of one outlier metric providing the impetus for a SPARQ rating that does not match up with the player’s athleticism. Darling was heavy-footed and limited athletically, but as the Powerball shows, did have some nice power. He was a marginal-to-solid starter in his time here at LG.

Brendan Loftus- 281 pounds, 5.42 40, 4.75 SH, 34’ Powerball, 24” Vertical, 65.46 SPARQ

Loftus was a marginal athlete but had decent foot quickness to perhaps provide depth on the OL. Eventually, Loftus saw that he was unlikely to get playing time and transferred to Samford.

Bar Milo- 276 pounds, 5.66 40, 5.12 SH, 36’ Powerball, 21” Vertical, 56.19 SPARQ

Milo sort of represents a poster-child for the failings of Miami’s OL recruiting in regards to athleticism. The 11th percentile athlete was doomed from the start as a slow-moving, heavy-footed OL prospect who did not possess a single standout skill.

Center- 289 pounds, 5.38 40, 4.80 SH, 37’ Powerball, 24” Vertical, 78 SPARQ

It’s interesting that the three OL positions all test fairly similarly at the average AC level. They also make sense too, as T’s are slightly the most athletic, followed by C, then followed by G. That’s how most would describe the positions if asked to generalize.

Corey Gaynor- 280 pounds, 6.05 40, 5.23 SH, 44’ Powerball, 21” Vertical, 68.04 SPARQ

Gaynor tests exactly like he plays on the field. Heavy-footed and heavy-handed, he will be tested in his move to Center this year. If Miami wants to have Gaynor pull and release on screens he is going to need to improve his athleticism quite a bit. At the moment, it would be disingenuous to project great things for Gaynor from the purposes of this data. The 40th percentile athlete will need to make up for low athleticism with power and tenacity.

Defensive End- 235 pounds, 4.98 40, 4.58 SH, 38’ Powerball, 33” Vertical, 94 SPARQ

Jonathan Garvin- 222 pounds, 4.87 40, 4.40 SH, 36’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 97.89 SPARQ

Essentially the model for what a pass rushing AC DE looks like, Garvin checks all the boxes athletically. I expect him to push for AC of some sort this season. 100% of AC DE’s ran specific SH, Powerball, Vertical. Garvin hits all of the metrics easily. 80th percentile athlete.

Greg Rousseau- 209 pounds, 4.87 40, 4.43 SH, 36’ Powerball, 35” Vertical, 95.23 SPARQ

If Garvin is the model, Rousseau is the raw tools version. Rousseau immediately put on weight once he reached campus (now listed at 250 pounds) and reportedly did not lose any athleticism at all. Another player who hits every metric to make an AC team in his time here. 74th percentile athlete.

Scott Patchan- 228 pounds, 4.81 40, 4.63 SH, 38’ Powerball, 32” Vertical, 89.79 SPARQ

Pre-injury Patchan was a plus athlete who profiled as an above-average starter. Injuries have sapped some of the explosiveness and the lack of bend around the edge has become more pronounced. Patchan has settled in as a nice depth player along the defensive line. 64th percentile athlete.

Jaelan Phillips- 241 pounds, 4.65 40, 4.50 SH, 47’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 111.18 SPARQ

Phillips will not play this year as he works his way back from multiple injuries while at UCLA. While he will not be play in games, he will still be able to help the OL get ready for opponents on scout team where his plus strength and athleticism will mirror any opponent’s skill level. A 93rd percentile athlete, Phillips profiles as an AC player who can slide inside to DT on passing downs and win with quickness and his freaky power.

Cameron Williams- 225 pounds, 4.83 40, 4.75 SH, 35’ Powerball, 29” Vertical, 82.38 SPARQ

Williams was productive and highly regard in HS, but his athletic profile is that of a solid starter rather than an AC player. He meets all minimum thresholds for the position, but lacks the change-of-direction skills to be an elite edge rusher.

No Longer on Roster

Chad Thomas- 240 pounds, 4.85 40, 4.37 SH, 43’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 108 SPARQ

Thomas profiled very similarly to Phillips. Thomas was a bit better at changing directions and Phillips was a bit faster in a straight line. Thomas profiled as an AC DE but underachieved a bit in his time at Miami. At the Combine, Thomas ran a 4.92 40, had a 29” Vertical but he did so at 281 pounds.

Joe Jackson- 237 pounds, 4.83 40, 4.93 SH, 35’ Powerball, 32” Vertical, 80.31 SPARQ

Jackson profiled as more of a solid-to-great starter than an All-ACC player and that’s mostly how his career turned out. I always felt his work against the run was a bit underrated, but the lack of change-of-direction showed up often as he would get pressures, but not always be able to actually turn the edge. At the Combine, Jackson did not run the 40, but had only 27” of Vertical Leap. His 22 bench reps was also an average number and really mirrored the fairly average Powerball number coming out of high school. Was honorable-mention All-ACC his junior year.

Defensive Tackle- 279 pounds, 5.15 40, 4.72 SH, 38’ Powerball, 28” Vertical, 88 SPARQ

Nesta Silvera- 307 pounds, 5.36 40, 5.13 SH, 40’ Powerball, 26” Vertical, 84.69 SPARQ

Silvera is a nice prospect but does not profile as an AC DT athletically. 100% of AC DT’s ran a 4.90 SH or better and Silvera is not close to that number. Very possible his strength and just pure meanness allows him to play above his 67th percentile athletic testing would present.

Jason Blissett- 271 pounds, 5.13 40, 4.40 SH, 38’ Powerball, 30” Vertical, 94.44 SPARQ

Of all the DT’s on the roster, Blissett profiles as the one with the potential to be special athletically. The short shuttle continues to be the one event above all others that portends to college success. Blissett recorded the 7th best short shuttle in my database and all of the previous players were successful and even All-Americans. 85th percentile athlete.

Tyreic Martin- 265 pounds, 5.13 40, 4.87 SH, 33’ Powerball, 24” Vertical, 60.93 SPARQ

Martin simply didn’t have the athletic profile to be successful in the scheme that Miami employs. A 12th percentile athlete, he profiles as a depth player or DII player.

No Longer on Roster

Gerald Willis- 275 pounds, 5.20 40, 4.32 SH, 37’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 99.30 SPARQ

I mentioned that only six players had a better short shuttle in the database and Willis was one of the six. His burst and explosiveness was evident on the field this season. 90th percentile athlete was an All-American player who was an AC DT.

Anthony Moten- 292 pounds, 5.17 40, 4.72 SH, 41’ Powerball, 27” Vertical, 93.9 SPARQ

Moten profiles surprisingly well as an athlete. 84th percentile athlete hit pretty much all of the averages for AC DT’s and profiled as a very good starter to borderline AC DT. His career was less than that, honestly.

Courtel Jenkins- 318 pounds, 5.73 40, 5.43 SH, 36’ Powerball, 18” Vertical, 48.63 SPARQ

Jenkins tested lowest of any DT who signed DI in my database and only three DT’s period tested lower than Jenkins. The 1st percentile athlete had a forgettable career at Miami and transferred to Rutgers.
 
Linebackers- 216 pounds, 4.77 40, 4.40 SH, 36’ Powerball, 32” Vertical, 93 SPARQ

Linebacker is a position that asked different things from different places, but with the interchangeable nature of the position, it is difficult to separate them into SAM, WLB, MLB.

Sam Brooks- 194 pounds, 4.62 40, 4.20 SH, 42’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 116.91 SPARQ

Several of our recruits got fanfare from recruiting analysts this year, but Brooks seemed to be overlooked. His profile is that of a high-end AC player. His production was top-shelf and his athletic testing matched. 92nd percentile athlete.

Waynmon Steed- 221 pounds, 4.73 40, 4.33 SH, 40’ Powerball, 31” Vertical, 102.36 SPARQ

Much like Brooks, Steed had a leg injury to rehab and overcome. Steed has played sparingly the first few seasons, but has the athletic testing to be a quality starter. If Steed regains all of his athleticism, he can even be an AC level performer. 79th percentile athlete.

Zach McCloud- 220 pounds, 4.83 40, 4.55 SH, 34’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 88.05 SPARQ

McCloud is a 49th percentile athlete who profiles as a solid starter. I would say his career has been exactly that to this point.

DeAndre Wilder- 189 pounds, 4.67 40, 4.43 SH, 36’ Powerball, 29” Vertical, 78.99 SPARQ

Wilder is an interesting profile as he is underweight, but does meet the other criteria athletically outside of vertical jump. More of a pass rusher in HS, Wilder has the profile of a depth player.

Bradley Jennings- 218 pounds, 4.43 SH, 33’ Powerball, 31” Vertical

Jennings didn’t run the 40 so he doesn’t have a SPARQ score, but he profiles as a player with good change-of-direction skills but less-than-stellar explosiveness and power. This profile is that of a depth player and to this point he has played to that level.

No Longer on Roster

Charles Perry- 203 pounds, 4.67 40, 4.68 SH, 35’ Powerball, 37” Vertical, 88.98 SPARQ

Perry tested like a good athlete, but it is highly unusual to have a short shuttle slower than your 40. A 51st percentile athlete, his stiff hips limited his ability on the field. A depth player who showed flashes of more.

Mike Smith- 210 pounds, 4.86 40, 4.53 SH, 33’ Powerball, 30” Vertical. 72.66 SPARQ

Smith developed slowly and improved each year at Miami. Eventually he filled a role as a Senior and was adequate in that role. His lack of power really showed up in his tackling, as he was often in the right place, but would miss a tackle. Looking at his athletic data it is obvious he got the most of his ability as he profiled as a depth player or DII player as a 20th percentile athlete.

James King- 187 pounds, 4.91 40, 4.38 SH, 35’ Powerball, 27” Vertical, 72.03 SPARQ

Slow afoot, and lacking explosion, King did last long on the Miami roster as a 19th percentile athlete. He profiled as a depth player or DII player and that is how his career turned out.

Terry McCray- 205 pounds, 4.92 40, 4.63 SH, 34’ Powerball, 30” Vertical, 65.91 SPARQ

McCray was a hard-working pass rushing convert who did not profile as a DI player and his career really went that way. The 10th percentile athlete will leave with a degree.

Cornerbacks- 178 pounds, 4.60 40, 4.28 SH, 34’ Powerball, 34” Vertical, 92 SPARQ

The fact that cornerbacks need excellent change-of-direction skills to profile as an AC player is not surprising, but it is a bit surprising that the position didn’t have more pure speed and SPARQ ratings. One area that has shown a high correlation at both the college and NFL level for CB’s is that of upper-body strength. Bench press profiles to NFL and Powerball translates to college. The guess is that the strength comes into play with jamming, hand fighting, and tackling, but that’s speculation on my part.

Trajan Bandy- 182 pounds, 4.51 40, 4.23 SH, 40’ Powerball, 34” Vertical, 111.96 SPARQ

Bandy hits every mark that you could ask for from the CB position and profiles as an AC player. To this point, that is exactly the expectation for Bandy this season for the 87th percentile athlete.

Al Blades Jr.- 173 pounds, 4.57 40, 3.95 SH, 38’ Powerball, 34” Vertical, 108.56 SPARQ

The slot corner position in a Manny Diaz defense is one of the most important spots because of what they’re asked to do. Bandy has been asked to handle that role many times in his time at Miami but Blades has the athletic profile to free Bandy from needing to be a slot. Blades has a SH (just a tick ahead of Deionte Thompson of Alabama) nearly two standard deviations below the mean and the 85th percentile athlete profiles as an AC performer during his time at Miami.

Tecory Couch- 148 pounds, 4.51 40, 4.25 SH, 36’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 96.45 SPARQ

Obviously, the weight is an issue for Couch, as it is fairly unprecedented for a player of his weight to make AC. The trump card for the 65th percentile athlete is that he has is his length is that of a much bigger player and how physical he is. Outside of weight he profiles almost exactly like Bandy, which is that of an AC CB in his career here.

Nigel Bethel- 160 pounds, 4.61 40, 4.44 SH, 30’ Powerball, 32” Vertical, 74.34 SPARQ

Bethel profiles as a depth player only, as he is well below average in all areas. As a 23rd percentile athlete he is going to have to surprise to play a meaningful role at Miami.

Christian Williams- 182 pounds, 4.64 40, 4.38 SH, 32’ Powerball, 35” Vertical, 86.38 SPARQ

Williams meets the minimum thresholds of all categories just barely and profiles a little under the average AC CB. He looks to be a good starter profile as a 45th percentile athlete and has the type of tools that can overcome the average athleticism due to his length.

DJ Ivey- 171 pounds, 4.20 SH, 36” Vertical

Limited in his testing, Ivey showed the requisite change-of-direction skills and explosion with his vertical to profile very well at the CB position.

No Longer on Roster

Mike Jackson- 189 pounds, 4.67 40, 4.29 SH, 35’ Powerball, 35” Vertical, 95.76 SPARQ

Jackson is a player who simply worked his way into being a player. A perfect example of Coach Rumph helping to develop a player with technique and their hard work, Jackson improved his testing at the Combine. At 210 pounds, Jackson ran a 4.45 40, 4.12 SH, and benched an average 13 reps with 32.5” arms. That athletic profile is that of an AC CB and he hit that mark as a junior. As a senior, he made honorable-mention All-ACC.

Safety- 187 pounds, 4.64 40, 4.26 SH, 36’ Powerball, 35” Vertical, 102 SPARQ

A position that is difficult to separate from CB due to the overlap a lot of players experience as they move from high school to college, it is interesting that safeties are actually more athletic than their CB counterparts at the AC level.

Bubba Bolden- 188 pounds, 4.57 40, 4.46 SH, 36’ Powerball, 33” Vertical, 91.96 SPARQ

Bolden profiles as a very good starter to borderline AC player. Weight, speed, strength are all in-line with the average AC S, but change-of-direction and explosion are a bit behind. Pedigree and film lend themselves to big things for the 55th percentile athlete.

Keontra Smith- 195 pounds, 4.55 40, 4.35 SH, 39’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 103.95 SPARQ

If Bolden falls just short of profiling as an AC S, Keontra Smith profiles as the prototypical AC player. His speed and power are top-notch, while overall profile comes in at the 61st percentile.

Derrick Smith- 196 pounds, 4.68 SH, 29’ Powerball

Smith did not complete the testing, but the events he did participate in paint a picture of a depth player. Both his SH and his Powerball were well below average numbers.

Robert Knowles- 190 pounds, 4.81 40, 5.41 SH, 32’ Powerball, 29” Vertical, 54.33 SPARQ

Knowles is a try-hard player who by all accounts works hard, but his profile is that of a DII player. The SH time I almost throw out because he must have fallen down, but that number is so poor it is dead last among all players at the position by over half a second. The only player who tested worse than the 2nd percentile Knowles signed at the DII level. The one just ahead went FCS. Knowles career to this point has been that of a special team’s player and a defensive player that has proven not to be capable at this level.

No Longer on Roster

Sheldrick Redwine- 183 pounds, 4.77 40, 4.74 SH, 37’ Powerball, 36” Vertical, 83.40 SPARQ

It is very difficult to change your athletic profile regardless of age, but with hard work and some technique improvements, you can improve your testing numbers. Redwine falls into the outlier category, as out of HS he tested as a depth player. That said, if you look at his Powerball and Vertical numbers, you can see explosion was in the player, but the running times were not good. At the Combine, Redwine improved himself all the way to a 4.44 40, 4.14 SH, 39” Vertical with no bench. The improvement in his SH is the single biggest improvement that any player has made in my database from HS to NFL Combine. That profile is an AC profile, while out of HS he profiled as depth only.

Jaquan Johnson- 182 pounds, 4.75 40, 4.28 SH, 34’ Powerball, 33” Vertical, 87.78 SPARQ

Jaquan profiled as a very good starter coming out of HS, but as we’ve seen all along, movement skills are kind and Jaquan showed those at an AC level. He hit the All-Conference designation in his time here. Unlike Redwine, Johnson did not improve substantially at the Combine, running a 4.69 40 with the same 33” Vertical. I believe the movement skills and instincts will allow him to be successful at the NFL level.

Overall Depth Chart
This article was a lot of words and I know many of you look for the TL:DR version, so here it is in depth chart form. * means the player did not test. The scale goes from dark green for All-Conference profile, to pale green, which is a depth player only. A yellow player is not this level of player.

82053


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Final tally:
Offense:
All-Conference- 4
Great Starter- 4
Starter- 9
Depth- 3
Non-Athletic- 2
Did not Test- 15

Defense:
All-Conference- 9
Great Starter- 5
Starter- 6
Depth- 0
Non-Athletic- 3
Did not Test- 17
 
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Great stuff. Overall talent on the roster remains way short of championship level. Couple of thoughts:

* need that waiver for Tate Martell. His numbers were much more impressive than I anticipated.

* OL measurables are abysmal. Coach Barry has a massive job in the developmemt of our roster and recruitment of our future roster.

* Blissett at DT is a source of hope. Top athlete. How about his NY buddy, Mr. Hunte? I suspect his athleticism is terrific as well. Nesta was underwhelming.

* Blades at CB looks better than I anticipated. Will he start?

* the improvements achieved by Mike Jackson and Sheldrick Redwine are amazing. Here’s hoping our S&C staff can produce similar improvements for many more players.
 
Cortez55403 said:
Great stuff. Overall talent on the roster remains way short of championship level. Couple of thoughts:

* need that waiver for Tate Martell. His numbers were much more impressive than I anticipated.

* OL measurables are abysmal. Coach Barry has a massive job in the developmemt of our roster and recruitment of our future roster.

* Blissett at DT is a source of hope. Top athlete. How about his NY buddy, Mr. Hunte? I suspect his athleticism is terrific as well. Nesta was underwhelming.

* Blades at CB looks better than I anticipated. Will he start?

* the improvements achieved by Mike Jackson and Sheldrick Redwine are amazing. Here’s hoping our S&C staff can produce similar improvements for many more players.
Click to expand...

If they aren't listed in the positional groupings they'll most likely be marked with * in the depth chart at the end, signifying they did not test. Like you, I would guess that Harrison-Hunte tests well.
 
Cortez55403 said:
Great stuff. Overall talent on the roster remains way short of championship level. Couple of thoughts:

* need that waiver for Tate Martell. His numbers were much more impressive than I anticipated.

* OL measurables are abysmal. Coach Barry has a massive job in the developmemt of our roster and recruitment of our future roster.

* Blissett at DT is a source of hope. Top athlete. How about his NY buddy, Mr. Hunte? I suspect his athleticism is terrific as well. Nesta was underwhelming.

* Blades at CB looks better than I anticipated. Will he start?

* the improvements achieved by Mike Jackson and Sheldrick Redwine are amazing. Here’s hoping our S&C staff can produce similar improvements for many more players.
Click to expand...

Blissett and Silvera seem like a great duo in the future, Silvera has brute strength and power and Blissett can be the disruptive force getting in the backfield.
 
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Robert Burns- 215 pounds, 4.57 40, 4.41 SH, 41’ Powerball, 42” Vertical, 122.91 SPARQ

Wow! Would love to see this translate to a great season somehow. No idea what to make of this kid so far. Best of luck to him.
 
Excellent analysis @Lance Roffers!!! Very telling how individual performance translates to their actual performance in ACC play. Looks like we are starting to fill the roster with athletes who are posting better number which is always a great thing to do.
 
Amazing article Lance. Will be interesting monitoring the progression of our players this year in correlation to your leg race.
 
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You only mentioned two of our WRs. What about Thomas, Pope, Hightower, Wiggins, and Njoku?
 
Lol
Robert Knowles- 190 pounds, 4.81 40, 5.41 SH, 32’ Powerball, 29” Vertical, 54.33 SPARQ

Knowles is a try-hard player who by all accounts works hard, but his profile is that of a DII player. The SH time I almost throw out because he must have fallen down, but that number is so poor it is dead last among all players at the position by over half a second. The only player who tested worse than the 2nd percentile Knowles signed at the DII level. The one just ahead went FCS. Knowles career to this point has been that of a special team’s player and a defensive player that has proven not to be capable at this level

Sheesh
 
Lance just a quick question but in the listings you used the players best recorded times at the opening from freshman to senior years correct? Because i know cam Davis ran a 4.50 as a sophomore but he didn’t run that as a senior at the event
 
Outstanding work! CIS should aim to incorporate these metrics with recruiting coverage (understanding that often times there aren't complete or accurate times/measurements available)
 
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