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Rank the '21 class

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13 players from SFLa....14 if you count McLaughlin which I didn't but I suppose you could. TX (Arroyo) is big time football, Lowndes GA (TD) is big time football, Malik Curtis is a Fort Myers kid so technically not SFla but kid is lightning in a bottle with the ball in his hands, Garcia doing all that moving during Covid tells me this guy is all about FOOTBALL...then he goes and meshes with the GA boys which ALSO says a lot about him as a person (FL dogs will ride w/Jake win-lose and you need that).....Chase Smith doesn't need an intro on CIS (STUD)....Trout has a boulder on his shoulder and a mean streak at LB while also being a natural LB that was very productive (FL version of TX Corey Flagg).....everyone else has been through the competitive grind known as the SFla football machine......add Tyrique and Deandre and that's 15 (16 counting our K) from SFLa and then add Rambo and ditto per the comments on Arroyo/TX big time football.......

16 of 24 SoFla monsters
2 TX HS football players
1 GA kid from a powerhouse program
1 productive LB from very competitive football in Orlando FL
1 lightning in a bottle big play waiting to happen DB/WR/ATH/PR from Fort Myers FL
1 absolute monster of an athlete that played S/LB/WR from Melbourne FL
1 Cali QB turned GA boy...showed undervalued intangible of blending in and being one of the guys...oh and btw won a state title in GA
1 OT currently in SFLa with tremendous athleticism as a former TE with dynamic measurables (6'6-6'7 290) originally from the Midwest (IN)
 
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I feel pretty **** good about the class with the exception of:

Feel Negative:
Ryan Rodriguez: Not big enough, heavy enough or strong enough. To put weight on an already slow guy will limit his already restricted skill set. Seems like another Gaynor that will get pushed into the backfield against top competition. Hopefully Seymore can hold things down for 3 years at center.

Khalil Brantley: Not fast. Not Big. Not a true TE. Probably won't be able to block DE or LB effectively.

Feel Good:
Malik Curtis: Dude is an explosive playmaker. His blazing speed and athleticism makes me believe he can become a glue stick CB.

Deshawn Troutman: I try not to get over analytical. Dude has speed, instinct and desire to tackle. Can't coach that. ***** the size crap, he will have a year to get bigger, stronger and even faster.

Thomas Davis: Just **** good. Thick kid that wants to hit. Say what you want, but we been lacking a LB like this. Good size and really good speed.

Tyler Johnson: "Keep temper in check" TF! Say something enough and people will believe it's true. Another LB with safety skills and speed. We need more guys to play with an attitude.

Chase Smith: Only mentioning him because we all agree he's the goods, but he elevates this LB/Striker group into the best core group for 2021 Class IMO.

Hoping Like **** they Pan Out:

Michael McLaughlin: He would give us 3/4 high potential Tackles in he, Walker, Nelson (1 year) and John Campbell. Was hoping Rivers would be a tackle, but I guess they pegged him at guard.

Jake Garcia: We due to strike gold at QB. Kid has all the tangibles, but like D Money said, it's wait and see.
 
Liberty City El said:
1. Elijah Arroyo
2. Leonard Taylor
3. Kamren Kinchens
4. Chase Smith
5. Thad Franklin
6. Romello Brinson
7. Malik Curtis
8. Kahlil Brantley
9. Jacolby George
10. James Williams
11. Ryan Rodriguez
12. Laurence Seymore
13. Allan Haye
14. Jabari Ishmael
15. Thomas Davis
16. Brashard Smith
17. Tyler Johnson
18. Deshawn Troutman
19. Michael McLaughlin
20. Andres Borregales
21. Jake Garcia
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Shocked you are so high on Brantley. He seems to have limited physical ability to improve so much that he can live up to that ranking. Same with George. Good players..where is there top out point?
 
Yall may not want to rank the kicker but if hes as good as his brother put him in your top group because he will be as important as anyone else on that list.were not exactly beating teams by 30 these days so most games will be decided by the kicker till we stack some top recruiting classes on top of this one.
 
I do my rankings a little differently

Kids I know will produce barring injury:
Leonard Taylor
Brashard Smith
Thad Franklin
Romello Brinson
Kahlil Brantley
Elijah Arroyo
Kam Kinchens
Laurence Seymore

Kids I like but I'm not 100% certain will produce:
James Williams
Chase Smith
Ryan Rodriguez
Malik Curtis

Boom or bust prospects:
Jake Garcia (All QBs are boom or bust)
Michael McLaughlin (Didn't impress me vs bad competition)
Thomas Davis (Size issues at DE, didn't impress me at LB)
Jabari Ishmael (Elite size, terrible production)

High floor/low ceilings:
Deshawn Troutman
Jacolby George
Tyler Johnson
Allan Haye

The kicker:
Andres Borregales
 
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Love the top half of the class — best since the Shannon years imo. I think Smith and Arroyo could turn out to be the cream of that crop. And I believe Brinson is a legitimate WR prospect, the best since AR, who could be a 3 year starter. The bottom half is decent but still relatively typical of Miami classes with too many low ceiling or developmental prospects to be competitive with the elite programs.
 
this class is the one that helps us turn the corner towards another NC...We just need to back it up with a couple more to have enough elite players to create stud player depth at all positions.
With last years class and now this one we are definitely headed in the right direction.
 
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dycane said:
Love the top half of the class — best since the Shannon years imo. I think Smith and Arroyo could turn out to be the cream of that crop. And I believe Brinson is a legitimate WR prospect, the best since AR, who could be a 3 year starter. The bottom half is decent but still relatively typical of Miami classes with too many low ceiling or developmental prospects to be competitive with the elite programs.
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I see just the opposite. I see very few low ceiling or developmental guys. Maybe 4-5 tops. Alot of these kids will play and be starters and contribute on some very good UM teams in the coming years.

We talk about development but we have some big time coaches who will develop these guys. Simpson, T-Rob, Justice and I really like Likens too. If we were handing these guys to some of the prior coaches, I would understand the skepticism.

I'll buy all the call options available expiring in 2023 on many of these kids panning out.
 
Top 5

1. James Williams: People are nitpicking trying to find reasons he won't succeed. He was a 5 star and played like a 5 star. Best safety we've had here since the late GREAT ST21.

2. Kam Kitch: Kid is going to be the QB of the defence. banda left us in a great spot at safety.

3. Thad Franklin: I love the way this guy runs. I don't think that he'll be easy to tackle come the 4th quarter.

4. E Arroyo: TE U... we are in good hands.

5. Chase Smith: Pedigree and measurables. the kid should be able to play striker at a level we haven't seen yet. (Gil might get there this year)


Next 5

6. Leanord Taylor: He didn't put up eye-popping numbers his senior season. i hope he can reach his potential.

7. Mello Brinson: SIZE OUT WIDE. Need this kid to come in and compete. He's got it all.

8. Brashard Smith: height is the only thing he's missing. I love the YAC potential.

9. Jake Garcia: Baller. Winner. Gamer.

10. Jacolby George: Smooooooooth, I get an AB vibe from him. Can he add the strength needed to bulk up?

Make or break 5

Laurence Seymore: He's performed at the high school level, can he do it in college?

Malik Curtis: I don't see him at corner at all. WR and ST are where he belongs. Cant teach that speed.

Thomas Davis: If he plays as a situational pass rusher I like him. Anywhere else and he's got Georgia Southern transfer vibes in his future.

Tyler Johnson: Our staff has no clue how to recruit the linebackers that actually fit their scheme. I'm hoping this kid has the football IQ to make these idiots look good.

Jabari Ishmeal: Knows what it takes to succeed in the weight room and has been around college ball. I think he became overlooked and could prove us wrong.

Bottom 5

Kahlil Brantley: Probably belongs in the group above but I get nervous. most of the guys who come to Miami talking don't back it up.

M Mclaughlin: Has the body... he has had the body.

Ryan Rodriguez: you lost me at undersized.

Allan Haye: we take a lot of developmental tackles... we don't often develop them.

Troutman: Old school linebacker he will struggle in today's college game.


Kicker:

Borregales: Welcome to Miami. I hope you have your brothers leg!
 
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DMoney said:
If you haven't seen @Lance Roffers's detailed class breakdown, check it out here, here and here.

For the rest of us, I figured we'd resurrect the annual tradition of ranking the class. Post yours below. I broke mine down into tiers and then ranked them within the tier. In honor of spring training, I used baseball analogies.

Home Runs

Elite prospects with high ceilings and high floors. The true blue chippers.

1. Leonard Taylor- Prototypical 3-technique in Manny’s upfield defense. Still looks like a baby and is only scratching the surface physically.
2. James Williams- His physical tools stand out, but this is a high IQ player with a passion for football. Smart enough to play all over the defense.
3. Elijah Arroyo- Long, athletic, tough, natural pass catcher and route runner. Similar to Kellen Winslow II on the field.

Doubles

These are talented players who are easy to project to the next level. They aren’t as physically gifted as the first group, but they're very good.

4. Kamren Kinchens- Special intangibles and a complete skillset at safety. Bigger and more talented version of Jaquan Johnson.
5. Laurence Seymore- Five-star player in a two-star body. Quick, balanced athlete with a strong lower body and dynamite in his hands.
6. Chase Smith- An easy fit at striker. 6’4 with outstanding movement skills. Huge potential if he bulks up.
7. Thaddius Franklin- Smooth 225-pound athlete who played basketball and dabbled at QB. Ultra-productive and natural as a runner.
8. Romello Brinson- I have the receivers grouped close together, but Brinson is the most complete of the group. Dee Wiggins-type length and movement skills with much more toughness and better hands.
9. Brashard Smith- Big-play specialist with a RB build in the slot. Deceptive tackle-breaking ability similar to Kedarius Toney.
10. Jacolby George- Productive South Florida WR who makes it look easy. Plays faster than his speed by changing pace, and plays bigger than his size with strong hands.
11. Ryan Rodriguez- This guy screams “starter on a championship team.” Technician with impeccable hand placement. Bigger and more athletic than you’d expect in person.

Big Swings

Boom or bust. These kids have the NFL potential to land in the first group (often even more than the second group), but there is some significant projection involved.

12. Jake Garcia- Nearly every QB falls in this category. If they hit, they’re stars, if they bust, they transfer. Garcia has everything you want except quick-twitch athleticism. His ability to elude the first rusher will make him or break him.
13. Tyler Johnson- The strength of a wrestler and the movement skills of a safety. Ragdolled Julian Armella at times last year. Can he keep his temper in check and make the transition from EDGE to LB?
14. Thomas Davis- Big-time quickness and upfield explosion. The question is position- at 6’0, does he stay at DE or move to LB?
15. Jabari Ishmael- Long (6’6) projection player who was athletic enough to play as an off-ball LB. He needs to turn the tools into pass-rush production.
16. Michael McClaughlin- Has a lot of the uncoachables- size, IQ, intensity and movement. Used poor technique to dominate bad competition. Can he get more bend and roll his hips at 6'7?
17. Malik Curtis- Every week he made a highlight-reel play. Travis Benjamin-type speed with more size. He needs to prove he is tough enough to be a full-time defender.

Singles

Low-ceiling, high-floor guys who have the skills to be effective college players.

18. Deshawn Troutman- Fast, instinctual linebacker with tremendous production. Size and strength is the question with him.
19. Allan Haye- Limited by size, but an emerging converted BBall player who finds a way to hit the QB.
20. Kahlil Brantley- All-around football player who has played QB, WR, TE and LB. Outstanding hands but average physical traits. Similar to Larry Hodges.

The Kicker

21. Andres Borregales- Won’t claim to be able to evaluate Ks, but he seems to have a **** of a leg.
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Love that you did this. I put a version of the list up yesterday in one of these threads, and was going to come back with almost the framework you used, but shifted the focus to which were the critical evals (for the purposes of what I was discussing).

I had the same 'high ceiling, high floor' kids as you, and then had an 'easy take' group that maps relatively closely to your doubles group. Then I had a 'pure evals' group the purpose of which is to highlight the kids the coaches are making tougher bets on that we should watch out for.

I had a few of the WRs as pure evals, because I think they are, and had Garcia as an 'easy take' because I think he was. Those aren't predictions, just a way for me to narrow the focus on which the key eval bets really were. Obviously getting any evals bad is a real world issue, but given where we were at the time we took his commitment, it was basically Garcia or bust at QB, which made him an 'easy take' for me. If we'd have taken his commitment a year earlier, I'd have probably considered him a pure eval. I know I'm redundant on this stuff but I'm interested in the success rate of the real choices the staff makes on evals.

Off memory, here's the way I grouped it:

No Brainers: JW, LT, Arroyo
Easy takes: Garcia, C. Smith, Thad Franklin, Curtis (because of dire need at CB), Seymour, Rodriguez, Borregales
Pure Evals: Kinchens (because of alternatives at the position), Brinson, George, Haye, McLaughlin, B. Smith, Ishmael, Davis, Johnson, Troutman, McLaughlin, Brantley

I'm not dissing Kinchens by putting him in the eval category - he was that - there were other options including higher rated ones at S that we evaluated him as superior to. That's exactly what you hope to see if you have a staff that knows how to evaluate.
 
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dycane said:
Love the top half of the class — best since the Shannon years imo. I think Smith and Arroyo could turn out to be the cream of that crop. And I believe Brinson is a legitimate WR prospect, the best since AR, who could be a 3 year starter. The bottom half is decent but still relatively typical of Miami classes with too many low ceiling or developmental prospects to be competitive with the elite programs.
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This is my view also. I think it's a good collection of kids, not the 'OMG' that some say. On the other hand, 12 legit players in a class is a solid enough outcome, particularly given our recent history.

If we get a legit DT in Taylor, either of Kinchens or C. Smith is what people want, one of the WRs is a standout contributor, Curtis is a legit starter at CB, two of the OL are solid contributors, Borregales can hold the K spot and EITHER JW or Garcia is a legit player, this is a good class. If you get one more good player from the either/or combinations, and a couple of the other kids produce acceptably, it's a really good class. If one of the OL is a true all conference type and 2 out of the DEs/LBs are legit players, I'll start to believe in this staff's evaluations. Most important kid is still Garcia - a legit leader at CB is just worth so much.
 
Liberty City El said:
Whatever Brantley lacks in raw physical traits he makes up for in competitive fire & internal drive...

He's a kid that plays with a 20lbs chip on his shoulder & is someone that is self motivated.

No, he'll never wow you with his physical ability, but he has the mental acuity to be a very good player because he's hungry & hates failure.

He's a kid that everyone will count out & then have to eat their words because his work ethic makes him the kinda player that elevates his play when the lights are the brightest.
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Kinda crazy, but I can see him having a Berrios type career. Lacked all the physical abilities but outworked everyone and was a godsend his last year here.
 
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