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Ranking the Understated 2023 Signees

LuCane said:
My rankings are based on what I observe as perceived attention/mentions vs talent.

1. Robert Stafford - Easy to lose sight of this kid's talent when we're chasing the #1 CB in the nation (who's eating max attention). Nonetheless, love Stafford's skill set and feet. He rarely gets mentioned, so I think the mentions:talent ratio is highest for him. Because of bulk issues, he may not play absolutely immediately, but we'll check back on this one in a couple years.

2. Riley Williams - I debated dropping him a couple spots down the list, but kept noticing how little he gets mentioned. The dude is a seam buster from Day 1. He has size, straight line speed, and yet is a relative after thought in the class because of so many other needs and highly ranked players. I hope Arroyo returns and Skinner adds the necessary mass, but I suspect Riley immediately sees the field regardless. Part of this is that I expect/hope/pray we move to a different style of offense than we just endured, so his diverse skill set fits in multiple scenarios.

3. Bobby Washington - Overshadowed by his explosive brother and strangely low ranking. A few meme level highlight clips from his senior season raised his profile, but I don't think enough. If you had the chance to watch his dad run, you see a similar stride with this kid. He closes with ease, and outside of discipline issues some have mentioned (which I don't personally know about, but recognize others have referenced), the biggest factor holding him back will likely be how he processes what he sees at a faster college level. Haven't seen enough of him to judge that aspect, but the upside is huge here - regardless of ranking. Surprisingly, the floor (for us) is pretty high, too. He should immediately contribute on PR and KO.

4. Francisco Mauigoa - Overshadowed by his highly ranked brother and a tremendous LB class. I've already read some mention him as just a "solid" or "ok" depth addition. I disagree. I think he's immediately in the rotation and provides an incredible complement to Bissainthe. I hope Chase Smith sticks around and learns/grows right behind him, as now we have more than a few modern LBs who can cover. We might actually finally shrink the previously enormous curl/flat and slant zone gaps.

5. Tommy Kinsler - Again, easy to get overlooked when a couple of your classmates are Top 3 in the nation at their position. I haven't seen him listed as an EE, so this may take some time to come to fruition. I view him a lot like I viewed Anez Cooper last year: an absolute mammoth OL with plus feet. The questions will be around worth ethic, motor, and if he can refine his body composition as he gets developed by Mario/Mirabal. Really great upside here.

Honorable mention:

A. Frankie Tinilau - I actually got to watch a bit of Frankie this season and he can move far better than I had previously thought. So, this is mostly based on size/movement attributes vs being the "worst rated" OL in his very strong class.

B. Davonte Brown - The kid may very well be a starter next season, and yet for a number of reasons - Cormani, his brother choosing us over Bama, etc. - rarely gets mentioned.
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You're missing Jackson Carver.

Not sure he's the no. 1 most underrated recruit, but he's up there.

I will not be shocked if he ends up a serious player. Both here and at the next level
 
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RedSquare said:
You're missing Jackson Carver.

Not sure he's the no. 1 most underrated recruit, but he's up there.

I will not be shocked if he ends up a serious player. Both here and at the next level
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I agree with you that he has huge upside as DE. He's not JJ Watt, but there are some similarities in background and body type. Watt started his career as a TE.
 
DMoney said:
I agree with you that he has huge upside as DE. He's not JJ Watt, but there are some similarities in background and body type. Watt started his career as a TE.
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he could also get a look at TE as well. studied his lax tape pretty closely, and i'm thinking TE could easily be in his future
 
LuCane said:
****. I totally missed it, as I usually do with morning posts. Was trying to keep the content flowing. Would have saved myself half an hour. I’ll check it out on the ride home today.
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No worries, this is good stuff.
 
DMoney said:
I agree with you that he has huge upside as DE. He's not JJ Watt, but there are some similarities in background and body type. Watt started his career as a TE.
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So is Carver going to be a DE for us? Or is it a Greentree decision?
 
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Normally I have multiple question marks related to recruiting classes. This class is vastly superior to the others I've seen over the past 18 years or so, particularly in the fact that even the lowest ranked kids look legit athletically and temperamentally. Pulliam is the one guy I didn't like on film, and like @LuCane I can't recall even seeing Spencer's film. But Charlie Strong is a genius, so I trust he has a role in mind.

The amount of instant 2-deep guys in this class (including portalers) is INSANE. And we still have 5-10 more to go before it's all over. Talk about quality depth (finally)!
 
hurricane04 said:
Im intrigued by Kaleb Spencer. He might be the christmas present we've been hoping for at the LB spot in the near future. His hs coach called him a 5 star player. He just didnt do many camps. We may have gotten a steal in that flip.
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Agreed. He may eventually grow into a LB but I like him as a strong safety. I can see him carving a role on special teams and being a guy who slowly climbs the depth chart over time.
 
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DMoney said:
I think he starts at TE.
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Love how lacrosse translates for a TE. The mix of physicality and hand-eye coordination is such a match for that position.

Think about how often your hands/arms are getting whacked in lacrosse and then translate that to a contested catch situation or a block where the defender does a chop across your arms.

There is definitely upside at DE, but I’d start him at TE and see how he takes. His straight line speed and built in physicality will play immediately on specials.

The number of big bodies with speed and physicality in this class will finally transform special teams, which are normally littered with LB’s, TE’s, S’s.
 
I think Collins Acheampong is underrated too. There are a handful of edge prospects I liked better, but not that many. He is long, quick, and has a thick frame. He should have been a high 4* imo. We all were a little let down because his commitment was a huge tease, but he is an excellent prospect nonetheless.
 
As a team, we need to do a better job year over year of processing the fat (least talented players) into muscle (new, better players). Upgrade all positions all the time. I’m specifically talking about the last 20 years, not this one recruiting class. Process the players. All good teams do it.
 
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Didn't realize Tinilau is from down under.

We're gonna have a koala lining up in the slot at this rate.
 
LuCane said:
My rankings are based on what I observe as perceived attention/mentions vs talent.

1. Robert Stafford - Easy to lose sight of this kid's talent when we're chasing the #1 CB in the nation (who's eating max attention). Nonetheless, love Stafford's skill set and feet. He rarely gets mentioned, so I think the mentions:talent ratio is highest for him. Because of bulk issues, he may not play absolutely immediately, but we'll check back on this one in a couple years.

2. Riley Williams - I debated dropping him a couple spots down the list, but kept noticing how little he gets mentioned. The dude is a seam buster from Day 1. He has size, straight line speed, and yet is a relative after thought in the class because of so many other needs and highly ranked players. I hope Arroyo returns and Skinner adds the necessary mass, but I suspect Riley immediately sees the field regardless. Part of this is that I expect/hope/pray we move to a different style of offense than we just endured, so his diverse skill set fits in multiple scenarios.

3. Bobby Washington - Overshadowed by his explosive brother and strangely low ranking. A few meme level highlight clips from his senior season raised his profile, but I don't think enough. If you had the chance to watch his dad run, you see a similar stride with this kid. He closes with ease, and outside of discipline issues some have mentioned (which I don't personally know about, but recognize others have referenced), the biggest factor holding him back will likely be how he processes what he sees at a faster college level. Haven't seen enough of him to judge that aspect, but the upside is huge here - regardless of ranking. Surprisingly, the floor (for us) is pretty high, too. He should immediately contribute on PR and KO.

4. Francisco Mauigoa - Overshadowed by his highly ranked brother and a tremendous LB class. I've already read some mention him as just a "solid" or "ok" depth addition. I disagree. I think he's immediately in the rotation and provides an incredible complement to Bissainthe. I hope Chase Smith sticks around and learns/grows right behind him, as now we have more than a few modern LBs who can cover. We might actually finally shrink the previously enormous curl/flat and slant zone gaps.

5. Tommy Kinsler - Again, easy to get overlooked when a couple of your classmates are Top 3 in the nation at their position. I haven't seen him listed as an EE, so this may take some time to come to fruition. I view him a lot like I viewed Anez Cooper last year: an absolute mammoth OL with plus feet. The questions will be around worth ethic, motor, and if he can refine his body composition as he gets developed by Mario/Mirabal. Really great upside here.

Honorable mention:

A. Frankie Tinilau - I actually got to watch a bit of Frankie this season and he can move far better than I had previously thought. So, this is mostly based on size/movement attributes vs being the "worst rated" OL in his very strong class.

B. Davonte Brown - The kid may very well be a starter next season, and yet for a number of reasons - Cormani, his brother choosing us over Bama, etc. - rarely gets mentioned.
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Went back and watched Stafford's and Bobby Washington's HUDLs. Big smiles. Stafford can open field tackle with the best of them. Kam won't be the only guy who brings it next season. Bobby is going to be special at MLB. He's a head hunter with legit burst and speed.

These guys are so underrated it's ridiculous. All of your 7 guys listed plus Carver are legit. So excited about this class, and it's not even close to being complete. Expect at least 5 probably 7+ HS and portal adds. We're fuccin.
 
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