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Most Improved?

sstcane

sstcane

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What player do you feel gas made the biggest jump in their development this year?

Dallas Crawford - has stepped up as a great compliment to Duke. Leads the team with 8 TD's. Runs hard and excels in short yardage situations.

Jared Wheeler - the more I watch him, the more impressed I am. Finishes blocks, gets downfield and is nasty. When he's in the run blocking is much better.

Allen Hurns - I thought he was going to get lost in the mix with all the talented receivers. But he has emerged as a go-to guy for Morris. He had been breaking tackles and making big plays.

Shayon Green - I'll admit that I was hoping Gilbert was going to take his spot. He was a liability in pass rush and made tackles downfield, but nothing in the backfield. He has stepped up this year with sacks, fumbles and TFL's. I think he's better with less snaps than last year.

Thurston Armbrister - he had put on size/strength and has made an impact at SLB. I thought that he and Cornelius should be on ST only at the beginning of the year, but he has made alot of impact plays on D.

Ladarius Gunter - making less mental mistakes and playing very physical. He seems faster and more fluid than last season.

Rayshawn Jenkins - he is coming up on the run and making big hits, but also doing a better job against the pass. Big interceptions against Florida and GT where he reacted much faster than last year and made a big play. Want to see him and Bush get the majority of snaps during the stretch run.
 
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Well you nearly named everybody....I would like to throw Tracy Howard into the discussion as well.
 
Thurston and its not close

Tyrone and Rodgers have gotten better

Dallas continues to improve

Ryan Williams is vastly improved

Shayon Green, Tracy Howard


I wouldnt put Hurns on this list. He has improved just as everyone else had but I think alot of people werent sure about what Hurns could do due to his injury riddled (even though he played) season last year. Hurns has been consistently solid throughout his career. Definitely our number one receiver.
 
Albeit somewhat limited playing time, McCord has made huge strides from year 1 to 2.

But pcity mentioned Rodgers....hed have to be considered after the liability he's been over the past two seasons. Playing solid this year.
 
Green and though he's not a player - Coach D! Love the game planning and in-game adjustments.
 
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TheU1984 said:
Albeit somewhat limited playing time, McCord has made huge strides from year 1 to 2.

But pcity mentioned Rodgers....hed have to be considered after the liability he's been over the past two seasons. Playing solid this year.
Click to expand...

He is very good in run support this year. Still like to see how he holds up vs UNC and FSU, teams that can actually throw the ball effectively.
 
pcitycane said:
TheU1984 said:
Albjoin eit somewhat limited playing time, McCord has made huge strides from year 1 to 2.

But pcity mentioned Rodgers....hed have to be considered after the liability he's been over the past two seasons. Playing solid this year.
Click to expand...

He is very good in run support this year. Still like to see how he holds up vs UNC and FSU, teams that can actually throw the ball effectively.
Click to expand...
I think that applies to the whole secondary. Is it Thursday yet?
 
Thurston Armbrister is by far the most improved player on this team. I for one have always been high on him, but there are only a very small few on this board who did not label Thurston a "JAG". It got to the point that every time his name was mentioned the jag and temple recruit comments would take over the conversation. This kid has went from a 0 star no name undersized safety, to a beast making plays all over the field. He is a smarter player, he knows the position, he is very athletic, and his instincts has improved like no other.

Size 6-3 195 when he arrived to 6-3 335
Speed has remained the same 4.6 rang

1.jpg

High School SR

6_1024710.jpg

Redshirt SO

What's even more exciting is this kid still has 2 more years to develop. He could be 6-3 255 running 4.6 as a redshirt SR :D
 
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Hstokes1447 said:
Thurston Armbrister is by far the most improved player on this team. I for one have always been high on him, but there are only a very small few on this board who did not label Thurston a "JAG". It got to the point that every time his name was mentioned the jag and temple recruit comments would take over the conversation. This kid has went from a 0 star no name undersized safety, to a beast making plays all over the field. He is a smarter player, he knows the position, he is very athletic, and his instincts has improved like no other.

Size 6-3 195 when he arrived to 6-3 335
Speed has remained the same 4.6 rang

1.jpg

High School SR


Redshirt SO

What's even more exciting is this kid still has 2 more years to develop. He could be 6-3 255 running 4.6 as a redshirt SR :D
Click to expand...

WTF? 255 is entirely too big for armbrister ...240 is the max he should play there aren't many NFL lbs weighing 255
 
I'm going with all the seniors except Henderson, they are all playing at high levels. they bought in and I think we are all going to be very happy come the middle of January 2014...something to be said about a team led by experienced seniors that are all pulling the rope the same way...
 
I would have to go with Howard.
Last year the coaches couldn't trust him to play a single down against GT.
This year he has been a blanket corner. He has maybe 2 completions against him in 5 games, and none of any significance.

2nd would be Kacy Rodgers.
Went from being less than a JAG for 3 years to being a good safety. People still doubt him, particularly any pro prospects he might have, but the safety play in the NFL is pretty bad these days.
In last weeks Chicago/New York Giants game I saw some of the worst safeties in the league who both happened to be former gators.
If Will Hill and Major Wright are NFL starters then I like Rodgers' pro possibilities.
 
All those plus the rest of D. But I am going with Williams because QB is most important position and last year he looked so shaky. Now, when Morris has gone out, Williams brings in new dimensions to the offense we don't see with Morris. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I do not live in the same fear of Morris getting hurt as I did last year. He is a backup but given the position, I will throw him in.

If not him, then I go with Wheeler. He went from "who the **** is that" to getting shot at center and playing into "how do you take him off the field"!
 
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Def Thurston. Rodgers ATM is a close second. Green cant be it because say what you want about him but he had 90+ tackles for us last year. I cant give it to Howard yet until we play FSU. When he has to go up against Greene/Benjamin.

Thurston has come out of nowhere and been really steady for us. The extra weight gain has helped him and he is making plays. A 5-headed monster of Perryman-Kirby-Figs-Thurston-McCord should be FUN to watch next year. (I dont think Perryman leaves early)
 
How nice is it to have a legitimate debate among several players over who has improved the most? Speaks volumes about the coaching staff and the players' work ethic.

This is a completely different program than it was even 2 years ago.
 
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It's Green for me. Never thought he'd be a pass rush threat for us but he's been solid there so far. Also helping in pass coverage when asked and has always been good in run support.

Although a lot of the second year guys improved, wouldn't name any of them because you expect a good jump from year one to year two as they get bigger and get more comfortable.
 
For me it's Chickillo. After a great freshman campaign, he fell sharply off the map during his sophomore season. He seems to have regained the speed he lost during his second year
 
K. Rodgers and P. Dorsett (I no longer cringe when I see the ball heading his way, muffed punt returns notwithstanding).
 
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