Rellyrell’s Review (Class of ‘23)

[CANEMC]

A- for OL are you high?

 

[Gocanes1990]

What would you grade each pickup individually?
Samson A
Francis A
Cohen A
Lee A
Frankie B-
Tripp B
Kinsler B+
I didn't grow up with A+ .

Respect your opinion

- Samson is an A but needs a year or two
- Francis he’s A+ plug and play.
- Lee & Cohen spot on
- Frankie is a better project than Trip… he’s probably a C, I doubt he ever plays here but respect him and his fam for being class leaders

- Kinsler is the steal of the class

All in all I expect an SEC level line next year and an elite SEC line in ‘24 and thereafter

 

[WeBallinBoyz]

Think Rell hit it spot on. Bryant seems to be holding out and waiting for us, so you have to think that if he likes the hire, he’s coming. Need another WR on top of that.

DT and Safety are 100% factual as well. That Kentucky DT would have been massive (literally). Hopefully the spring portal treats us well.

 

[Dwinstitles]

Those are 3 terrible spots to be in trouble. Add in health questions in the RB room and question marks at WR and we are just a rolling Incomplete as a team right now in spite of all the high quality in this class

Agree we are fuqed next year even with all this talent. It will take another class to fix things. Hopefully most guys we hit on and their aren't too many busts. QB position (most important) I believe isn't good right now. I saw enough of TVD last year to jump off that ship, I don't think he corrects it next season either. Not a believer anymore.

 

[dk72]

I personally think Lee > Cohen man I’m excited about that kid

Agreed. Finally having someone at Center with the proven ability to both block well AND to LEAD the OL and help make it more cohesive is huge. Something we havent had in a long time.

 

[JHallCanes]

Agreed. Finally having someone at Center with the proven ability to both block well AND to LEAD the OL and help make it more cohesive is huge. Something we havent had in a long time.

Yeah I mean we saw how much our line instantly got better when Clark took over for Gaynor (though obviously still not great haha). I think Lee is that big a jump over Clark

He will just make everyone else better

 

[JHallCanes]

Respect your opinion

- Samson is an A but needs a year or two
- Francis he’s A+ plug and play.
- Lee & Cohen spot on
- Frankie is a better project than Trip… he’s probably a C, I doubt he ever plays here but respect him and his fam for being class leaders

- Kinsler is the steal of the class

All in all I expect an SEC level line next year and an elite SEC line in ‘24 and thereafter

Should be interesting to see how Samson and Mauigoa contribute this year

I personally think technique wise Samson is more ready to play right now but could also see your scenario playing out because Mauigoa is just such a physical beast

 

[Brains]

So is Mauigoa gonna be Frank, Paco, Pancho, or Isco?

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

Now that all of the signing periods have been completed, with Miami coming up empty on NSD, I wanted to assess our current class, including the transfer portal.

First off, kudos to Mario & the staff to navigate a tumultuous season, while pulling in a solid class in his first, full cycle. The 2008 Class, however, taught me a valuable lesson; never fully focus on the team ranking per recruiting services vs. evaluating the totality of the class, itself. As an example, Team A can recruit 25 kids that included 10-5* & 15-4*. On paper, that would be the #1 class in the nation, but if 50% of that class are strictly DEs, & the other 50% are strictly LBs…u get the point.

So here are my grades for our class, per position:

QB: C+
Though I soured on Rashada as his season progressed, the fact is we solely focused on him, when red flags began to present themselves. Our QB room is a mess, & relying upon one QB via the HS ranks, a 3* at that, is risky. This is not to say Williams won’t be the next Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, or Justin Herbert, but it is to say our QB room is in dire straights & this not the way to repair it in 2023.

RB: A-
We missed on Baxter & Young, but what a great consolation prize securing the #7 RB in the nation in Fletcher & a surging 4* RB in Chris Johnson. Fletcher showed his value & abilities in The Army All American game. He appears to be the anti-Thad Franklin, & we have a great change of pace duo in the class of ‘23. We saw the RB room look good on paper, to becoming a sore spot in the blink of an eye in ‘22, & these two immensely help restore this room.

WR: B-
This is a room that needed an infusion of talent. This is also a position that had so much talent in our back yard where we left a lot of meat on the bones (pause) from a HS & Portal standpoint. We added two dynamic guys w/ the ball in their hand, but both are on the smallish side. While they will be dynamic playmakers, neither feel like a WR1 as opposed to WR2’s. It would’ve been great if they were paired with some of the other beast that were available.

OL: A+
What an absolute haul, both recruiting via HS & Portal! If there was any position on the field I was least concerned w/, it was OL. Both Mario & Alex know what it looks like, can drop names of guys they’ve coached up to the next level, & it paid dividends this cycle.

TE: A
The room already is stacked, & adding a top 5 TE in the nation, along w/ an in-line TE that can be flexed makes this a good haul that’ll shore up an already nice room

LB: A-
Best LB recruiting we’ve had in quite some time, & got **** did we need it! Hit on 3 absolute studs w/ Papo, Malik, & Francissssssssssco Mauioga, along w/ a newly minted 4-star LB in Bobby Washington. Also, picked up some nice depth pieces in Spencer & Pulliam. Not being able to snag Hill after the smoke build up sucked, but Strong & Company identified another weak spot, & absolutely attacked it.

DE: A
Deep, rotational class. Some raw talent (Acheampong, Horton) mixed in w/ some guys who should see the field early (Bain, Wayne), along w/ a vet who will see significant time via from The Portal in Deen. This room is already primed to be the anchor of the defense, & it just got better.

DT: D-
INEXCUSABLE RECRUITING HERE. Literally whiffed on everyone. The only reason y this room is not a complete F is b/c at least we were able to snag a G5 DL from The Portal (Gore) who can play all across the line. This room has been a thorn in our side for a while, & it’s unimaginable for a school that’s produced Sapp, Brown, Wilfork, Tez, Maryland, Joseph, etc. have struggled mightily to recruit here. Not in love w/ that room as a whole, so really dropped the ball here.

S: D
Again, a lot of meat left on the bones (pause) from this position. Love Antoine as a prospect, but right now we have Kam, JW0, & Markeith Williams in the entire S room. 3 guys. This was a room where we needed to recruit, at an absolute minimum, 2 guys & we didn’t fulfill that. Here’s praying to Kam & JDub stay healthy all season.

CB: B
Listen, picking up the Brown brothers, along w/ Stafford was good, but let’s keep it 100, substituting an oft injured CB in Roberts via The Portal for arguably a top 5 player in the nation regardless of position, absolutely sucks ***. I’m not going to lose sleep over any recruit who spurns us, but I’m not going to CIS the situation either & act like that chit didn’t sting. Cormani immediately changes the dynamic of the squad, especially this room. Nevertheless, a very good haul under the circumstances.

ST: N/A
Replacing Hedley “The Gawd” is going to be tough. Just b/c Joyce is from Australia like Lou doesn’t mean he’ll be Lou II, & b/c I’m not familiar w/ his game, I can’t comment on him. Just hoping he’s of the same caliber. ****, as long as he’s not remotely like Feagles, I’ll be happy.


Overall, I give this class a B+ as it took care a couple of needs (OL, LB, RB), added to others (DE, TE, CB), while leaving other rooms head scratching (DT, S, WR). Hopefully with the portal reopening later this yr, we’ll be able to change some of these rooms with better impact/depth players.

Thoughts & Discussion?

Excellent post and pretty spot on grades.

I do think Deen will ultimately spend most of his time as an interior DL. He's around 280 lbs. at this point, allegedly. Horton is another one they see as an interior dude (also up around 285 lbs.), but expecting anything out of him in the next 1-2 seasons is a big ask. Spencer may be a guy who plays in that hybrid S/LB role.

Looking at the roster, I see big holes at X WR, NT, and CB. Right now it seems like we're asking for a huge improvement from CY, Ladson, and Jacolby at WR and that scares me. Ladson is what he is at this point, IMO. I'm not sure Jacolby is mature enough to take the next step. CY disappeared after showing out, but that could be more on Gattis's incompetence and TVD getting hurt. Would love to see Bryant pick us, but even then he's not quite the body type we need out wide. We badly need a big, fully grown, space eating NT. We have a bunch of undersized, athletic types, and a couple of hard-nosed grinders, but the middle of our defense lacks size and strength. Losing Stephenson hurts. Davante Brown can take one starting CB spot, but we really haven't seen anything from the young CBs on the roster last year. I like Roberts, but expecting him to stay healthy all season seems like a recipe for failure and disappointment. Porter? Maybe at nickel.

From a quality depth perspective, I still see needs at QB, RB, and S. We have even less behind TVD this season than we did last season. Hopefully he is 100% healthy. Regardless, if I am Mario it's red jerseys every **** day for QB1, and I would make it a point to destroy and bench the first defensive player to even lay a finger on TVD in practice. RB depth scares me. Yeah, we picked up good talent, but it doesn't get here until the summer. It's Parrish and Chaney (with his own injury history and barely playing last season) for the spring. Praying Citizen gets healthy in time for the season. And hoping two promising TFs show up ready to carry the load. At safety the depth will only be worse if Balom leaves in May, as is expected. Starters are good and I like Markeith to get some snaps, but we need bodies.

If I am Mario once this OC situation gets handled and we're winding down Spring ball, I'm back-channeling kids into the portal like crazy looking for starters at X WR, NT, CB, plus at least one veteran RB and S to come in and compete for PT. He probably won't be able to get a half-decent QB in this season, so we'll have to pray TVD is healthy and we can get a top 2024 kid + a starting-caliber portal addition come December.

 

[Rellyrell]

Excellent post and pretty spot on grades.

I do think Deen will ultimately spend most of his time as an interior DL. He's around 280 lbs. at this point, allegedly. Horton is another one they see as an interior dude (also up around 285 lbs.), but expecting anything out of him in the next 1-2 seasons is a big ask. Spencer may be a guy who plays in that hybrid S/LB role.

Looking at the roster, I see big holes at X WR, NT, and CB. Right now it seems like we're asking for a huge improvement from CY, Ladson, and Jacolby at WR and that scares me. Ladson is what he is at this point, IMO. I'm not sure Jacolby is mature enough to take the next step. CY disappeared after showing out, but that could be more on Gattis's incompetence and TVD getting hurt. Would love to see Bryant pick us, but even then he's not quite the body type we need out wide. We badly need a big, fully grown, space eating NT. We have a bunch of undersized, athletic types, and a couple of hard-nosed grinders, but the middle of our defense lacks size and strength. Losing Stephenson hurts. Davante Brown can take one starting CB spot, but we really haven't seen anything from the young CBs on the roster last year. I like Roberts, but expecting him to stay healthy all season seems like a recipe for failure and disappointment. Porter? Maybe at nickel.

From a quality depth perspective, I still see needs at QB, RB, and S. We have even less behind TVD this season than we did last season. Hopefully he is 100% healthy. Regardless, if I am Mario it's red jerseys every **** day for QB1, and I would make it a point to destroy and bench the first defensive player to even lay a finger on TVD in practice. RB depth scares me. Yeah, we picked up good talent, but it doesn't get here until the summer. It's Parrish and Chaney (with his own injury history and barely playing last season) for the spring. Praying Citizen gets healthy in time for the season. And hoping two promising TFs show up ready to carry the load. At safety the depth will only be worse if Balom leaves in May, as is expected. Starters are good and I like Markeith to get some snaps, but we need bodies.

If I am Mario once this OC situation gets handled and we're winding down Spring ball, I'm back-channeling kids into the portal like crazy looking for starters at X WR, NT, CB, plus at least one veteran RB and S to come in and compete for PT. He probably won't be able to get a half-decent QB in this season, so we'll have to pray TVD is healthy and we can get a top 2024 kid + a starting-caliber portal addition come December.

I saw Deen listed as 255 coming over in the Portal. If his weight is different than that, then I apologize. And I agree on Horton, I think he’ll be kicked inside eventually, but man there was some real hogs available on the interior.

 

[Rellyrell]

The good news is that Deen is actually 285 now. I'm not a sunshine pumper by any means lol and I like the Deen pickup a lot. Hes legit.

he is not the war daddy type of player we needed and were gonna get with the Kentucky transfer, so its not all good at DT. But Deen is super legit at DT.

Oh, that’s solid then. 247’s Portal Ranking (4-star) had him as a 255 transfer. I knew the idea floated on him primarily being on the interior, but saw that weight & got shook. Lol. But at 285, that’s a different story. Still, that room scares tf outta me, & with so many “war daddies” available, just not impressed w/ us attacking it appropriately, not just for today, but for the future.

 

[No_Fly_Zone]

I saw Deen listed as 255 coming over in the Portal. If his weight is different than that, then I apologize. And I agree on Horton, I think he’ll be kicked inside eventually, but man there was some real hogs available on the interior.

Nah, you're good. I think that was Deen's weight back in HS and 247 never changed it, but Purdue had him listed at 280 lbs.

There were a lot of big boys available that we missed on, for sure. Both at the HS level and in the portal. My best guess is Jackson leaving must have taken the staff by surprise and they were scrambling from that point to try and replace him.

 

[Rellyrell]

@Rellyrell you are the man for this. Hard for me to put a top 7/8 class in the B+ category but I think you broke it down perfectly. I’m a little more bullish bc I think Roberts could kick out to Safety if need be. Supposedly guys in the team think Markeith Williams could be better than Kam.

Although it’s an unknown, I have a high degree of confidence we will get a WR1 this spring and probably another one. Potentially a DT and safety as well. A new OC and spring ball will be a boon to this team

Thanks brotha; I’ve been looking at hella film, talking to ppl over the past week or so. I think if our OC situation was 100, we would’ve hit on more of our targets particularly at the WR position. However, these grades can & will change next portal cycle IF we can bring in more talent. But all things considered, with the season we had, the staff dysfunction we had, bringing in the caliber of HS guys we did is pretty remarkable.

 

[Damiencane86]

Agree I don't like our qbs now so we in trouble there, also DT is in terrible shape and S as well. Need absolute monsters next cycle that everyone wants no 4 star fillers.

Early reports are looking good for us on 2024 and the S position. But the pressure will be high to grab high quality at QB, DT, and outside receiver.

 

[Rellyrell]

So when the portal opens back up, hopefully we can get a minimum of a high quality player at DT, S, and WR.. preferably two of each?

That’s the hope & need bro. Not only does it fortify & sharpens the room, but we literally need it. If last season taught me anything is football is a contact sport. Lol. Look how many players we lost in the blink of an eye! Those aforementioned rooms need fortification, period.

 

[DTP]

Can’t disagree with the grades. Pretty spot on. If I had to push back on anything, I’d probably knock WR down to a C and bump DT up to a C. The two receivers we got are premium players but the fact that we couldn’t sign any outside WR when we have almost no competition there and multiple top guys were actually interested in Miami really blows. This is very much the Gattis effect. I can’t blame receivers for not wanting to be part of his offense.

The DT transfers helped ease the pain of whiffing on high school guys. We’re still in trouble there because we’re tiny at the position and it’s going to take some creativity to keep us from getting stampeded in the run game.

Overall, you have to really like the class. Best OL group we’ve ever signed. LB recruiting was as good as we’ve had in a while. I love both running backs. Losing Cormani sucks but we still pulled a great haul at CB. Overall I’m in that A-/B+ range. A little extra help at QB, WR and DT would make it an A+ class

 

[BostonCanes47]

I love the depth of this class. Aside from maybe 3-4 guys, I expect all to contribute here.

Great write up!

 

[Ziggy]

Overall, I'd give the class an A-. There were some gaps at certain positions but the amount of talent we added to the roster was top notch. I was a little disappointed with the portal additions so far. Also, our two or three deep at certain positions seem non existent or extremely bare. I trust Mario to continue to add talent during the spring or after spring. Great job by the staff and department!

 

[itsdolphhh]

QB - C
RB - A
WR - C+
TE - A+
OL - A+++
DE - A+
DT - A-
LB - A+++
CB - B-
S - C+

 

[NorthEastCane]

Lee and Cohen were great pickups. Kinsler, Tripp, and Frankie are projects anyway you slice it.

That's the case with almost all offensive linemen. It's a development position. The two 5* OL will get significant burn but if they're both starting next year, I'm feeling unformattable.

I like the body tyles(bigger pause) but none of those guys are contributing the next 2 seasons. When half a position group is projects that is top heavy. I like my grade.

Neither should they. As already stated this is a developmental position. With the bottom end of the class it's all about evaluations. If there is one position I'm comfortable with Cristobal and Mirabel evaluating and developing, it's OL.

I think you expect too much from these kids.