Today, we take a look at this past Saturday's Junior Day. Also inside is an early primer on several 2011 prospects you should know about.
The 2010 Recruiting Board has been updated. (Including VIDEOS!)
First off, a link dump. In this current season, some of you recruitniks might be starving for some info. With the WORTs becoming (basically) monthly for the time being, I understand. Here are a few sites that are great:
Tharinger - Will have free forums up soon, the guy there knows what he is doing.
FVSports.com - I would suggest signing up for their excellent forums.
SoFLAfootball.com - No explanation necessary. Video + SoFLA recruits + Luke's expertise = success
Sunshine Preps - A great site for videos and such.
Elite Scouting Services - A relative unknown, but two Florida high school scouts run the forums there. Not much activity right now but that may change.
If you want to go the premium route, I would suggest NoleInsider, a fairly new site. They have some great info. I will refer to CaStauch on this matter. You can direct your questions to him.
Now, for the actual Seminole recruiting.
95% |
75-95% |
50-74% |
25-49% |
1-25% |
| Darius Cummings (DE/DT) | Christian Green (WR) | Brandon Gainer (RB) | Lamarcus Joyner (CB) | Denzel McCoy (DT) |
| Ed Christian (OT) | Christian Jones (LB) | Eduardo Clements (RB) | Jeff Luc (LB) | Josh Reese (WR) |
| Chad Abrams (S) | Jared Haggins (DB) | Derek Owens (CB) | David Olson (QB) | Philip Sims (QB) |
| Brandon Willis (DT) | Fred Pickett (WR, if offered) | Kendrum Malcome (RB) | Cody Riggs (CB) | |
| Tavarres Barnes (DT) | Khiry McQuay (CB, if offer) | Chaz Green (OL) | Branden Smith (LB) | |
| DeJoshua Johnson (WR) | Camren Hudson (ATH, if offer) | Corey Miller (DE) | Marcus Lattimore (RB) | |
| David Perry (DE/ OT) | Gilbert St. Louis (ATH, if offer) | Darius Davis (LB) | Storm Johnson (RB) | |
| Kenny Shaw (WR) | Meril Noel (CB/S) | Terrence Mitchell (CB) | Solomon Patton (WR) | |
| Anthony McCloud (DT, JUCO 2008 Commit) | Da'Rick Rogers (ATH) | Markeith Ambles (WR) | ||
| Telvin Smith (DE/ OLB) | Chris Dunkley (WR) | Lynden Trail (DE) | ||
| Damien Robinson (OL) | B.J. Butler (DE/LB) | |||
| Kendall Moore (LB) | Tavadis Glenn (OT) | |||
| Calvin Smith (DT) | ||||
| Jordan Haden (S) | ||||
| Alec Ogletree (S/LB) | ||||
| Terrence Brooks (CB) | ||||
| Jaylen Watkins (CB) | ||||
| Delvin Jones (TE) |
As you can see, I've tried to harness our chances with players in one table. This is in no way representative of the Seminole coaching staff, just my best guess at our chances will some prospects. This will change many time throughout the year.
ADDED
- Chad Abrams, S, Committed yesterday.
- Meril Noel, CB, Pahokee HS
Dropped:
- Jalen Fields, DE, who committed to UGA
- Tai-Ler Jones, ATH, who did not include FSU in his top 7
- Tiger Powell, RB, committed to USF
- Greg Dent, DL, UF commit
- Michael McFarland, TE, UF commit
ESPN Scouting Reports are out. A few, at least. Here are some good ones.
Christian Green:
Green is your ideal dual-threat quarterback in the spread offense and we feel he is a better passer than in-state foe Trey Burton, but in all likelihood Green will be moved to either wide receiver or safety with his supreme blend of explosiveness and speed with the ball in his hands. He reminds us of a taller version of Burton Scott from the 2008 class. Green has good size and a sturdy build. He is a pretty well-rounded dual-threat prospect and shows solid arm strength consistent delivery mechanics. He is extremely dangerous when he breaks from the pocket and has shows excellent initial quickness to avoid and escape the rush. His lateral vision and jump-cut ability to make people miss in the open field is terrific and he shows explosive burst to the second level and then the speed to take it the distance. It is tough to gauge just how Green will translate to another skill position because we don't see his ball skills yet, but athletically he is extremely gifted with the ball in his hands so our comfort level with him making a smooth transition with very little learning curve is high. He will have to develop and learn to become a route runner if moved to wide receiver, but we like his savvy and competitiveness as an athlete. Overall, Green is a playmaker and can create mismatches in space with the ball in his hands. He has good speed and could develop into a homerun threat.
I have to laud Green's enormous talent. After his elite performance at the recent 7 on 7 in Tampa, some Florida scouts are thinking about moving him up to the #1 player in the state. I think he is the #3 player right now, but he could easily move up. He could commit to us any day now.
Christian Jones:
In terms of pure size and acceleration, there might not be a more impressive looking outside linebacker than Jones in this class. Prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker with his long frame, good pass-rushing skills and experience playing up on the line of scrimmage. This guy may be a bit raw at times and a 'tweener from a positional standpoint (OLB/DE) but he can blow up the perimeter run or make plays pursuing sideline-to-sideline. Has great height and wide frame that is well-defined but still has room for good physical development. Plays the game with an intense motor and shows great chase speed from the backside. Good vertical attacker with his long body, great initial burst and deceptively good bend. Turns and changes direction without a lot of wasted motion for his tall frame. Takes direct angles to the ball. Closes strong and is very solid tackler; breaks down well in the openfield for his size as well. Uses hands to shed and keep blockers off his body well as an outside rusher. Shows great speed on outside run support; difficult to outflank. Flashes the fluidity to slip under the cutoff when pursuing through traffic. However, we question his reactive athleticism at times. Needs to work on getting a quicker jump off the ball and attacking the outside half of the blocker when employed at end, susceptible to getting reached. At times lets blockers reach him at the 2nd level when employed at normal linebacker depth. A bit raw in his reads and fundamentals but can mask it at the high school level with his superior strength and physicality. Needs to make sure he is conscious of his leverage when trying to squeeze the run inside. Shows some stiffness in space as well when he plays without good knee bend. Overall, we feel Jones will polish up his technique and diagnosing skills when he concentrates on one position at the next level. You can't coach his great size and explosiveness or the high energy he plays the game with. Great prospect with a ton of versatility.
This is a tremendous write up. Jones is heading up this weekend and, like Green, could be one of our next commits.
Lamarcus Joyner
What Joyner lacks in size he makes up for in excellent speed and acceleration. A talented receiver and outstanding overall athlete, but we feel his future lies on defense at cornerback. Needs some polish in his technique but has all the coveted traits you look for accept ideal height. Does have long arms and wingspan to help mask shorter frame. Displays great range and makeup speed. His recovery burst and breaking quickness may be unparalleled in this class. Reads the play quickly and covers a ton of ground in a hurry. Closes hard and shows deceptive explosiveness on contact. Delivers a great pop and runs through all his tackles. Tight, quick twitched body allows him to play much bigger. His run support skills, nose for the football and overall physicality really surprise you for his size. Gets over trash quickly and looks comfortable playing near the line of scrimmage. Really feisty and difficult to seal off on the perimeter. Transitions quickly and takes direct angles to the ball. Definitely a guy who will be able to set the edge and flourish in a "hard" cover 2 scheme at the next level despite his diminutive size. Pedal and coverage technique will need some refinement but he has the loose hips and foot-quickness to mirror and play off-man and the physicality to press despite lacking long arms and great size. But we still feel he is better playing the ball in front of him and may be best suited in underneath zone schemes where he can get more involved than locked up on an island. Safety is not out of question in the right scheme and he should immediately challenge for early playing time as a nickel corner. Could get a look on offense in the slot with his great foot-speed and quickness needed to create mismatches in the slot. Overall, Joyner is an exciting athlete and potentially a future difference maker on defense. A guy who is consistently around the football making plays.
I have to wonder about the part saying (paraphrased), "Joyner can play the press despite lacking long arms." What? Joyner has ridiculously long arms for his size, one reason people think he will grow some more.
As you can see, I bolded the encouraging signs with these three prospects. I will try to do this every WORT.
Jacksonville Combine
The Jacksonville Combine took place a few weeks back and the following prospect stood out big time:
Tavares Barnes: (per ESPN)
Barnes had a tremendous showing. He measured in at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, the shuttle in 4.31, 7.4 in the L-cone drill and had a 32.5-inch vertical leap. His times in the 40, shuttle and L-cone all were highs for defensive linemen at the event.
Barnes also looked unstoppable during the one-on-one drills, using a variety of moves to blow past offensive linemen. He displayed advanced use of his hands, good footwork and strength. More good news about Barnes: He has a frame to get bigger than he already is, which should give him some versatility at the college level.
Barnes recently picked up a scholarship offer from North Carolina. The Tar Heels joined South Carolina, Maryland and South Florida in offering Barnes. Florida State and Florida also are showing interest.
Barnes recently picked up an offer from Florida State and we are in the drivers seat. Barnes, again, is one that could be one of our next commits. Barnes outshined Cane commit Louis Nix (regarded as one of the top 5 players in most circles) at the event.
Notes
Some have said that Lamarcus Joyner will be in the 5'11/6'0 range by the time he steps on campus. Can you imagine?
Commitment #3: Chad Abrams
The Noles picked up their third commit yesterday. Chad Abrams, a safety prospect from Lakeland (Kathleen) jumped on the train yesterday. Chad is 5'11, 190, and runs in the 4.5 - 4.7 range. Per ESPN, his vertical leap is 36.8 inches.
We told you about this yesterday, and other sources have confirmed.
He is playing in 5A competition, which is important. How can you evaluate someone's performance without knowing who they are playing?
First, the good. Abrams can really hit. He has good hip finish through the guy ballcarrier, and he also manages to use his arms. He appears to understand the game. I say this because he doesn't look to have great speed, but is usually around the ball. Also note that the balls he's intercepting aren't terribly thrown desperation chucks forced by extreme pressure-- balls that we saw Justin Bright intercept. I don't like saying someone is a "football player", because it's a cop out. He doesn't try to do more than he can (from what I've seen). His ball skills are really good.
Now the bad. His speed is not great, and his breaks on the ball aren't either. I'm slightly surprised we offered this kid so early, but maybe he has really grown since this film (4 months ago). I'm also somewhat concerned that they align him almost 30 yards off the ball at times, which is excessive and not something you'll be seeing much in the collegiate game.
Overall, I think he is a good player who will probably grade out as a high 3* recruit. He obviously impressed our coaches and if the coaches (who will probably be new coaches in 2010) use him in a role that fits him, he could be similar to UF's Major Wright. I also spoke with someone from his school and they said he was a good kid who is smart. Checked for his myspace as well and didn't find anything untoward. Sometimes, half the battle is being able to handle college.
I've also heard that we told him 6 DB's from this year will not be here when he steps on campus (2010), which isn't necessarily bad, but it does make you think about who Jimbo will boot. Cough... ED. I., Cough...