OrangeBowlMagic
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College coaches like to look at classes stacked in 2 year windows....aka if you sign 5 DBs in a class, you probably don't need many the next year, unless you have massive attrition/odd circumstances where kids leave, career injuries, etc.
So, as the dust settles on ESD 2020 and we look towards February, how does this class stack up when matched with the 2019 class?
QB: Peyton Matocha (2019)/Tyler Van Dyke (2020) -- I won't break down the QBs much, since it's simply the hardest position in sports to project from one level to the next. So whether these kids are low 3 stars or 5 stars, you're really not going to know what you have here until the bullets are live. But I'll say this, you MUST get a QB in every class, and Miami did in both 2019 and 2020. Van Dyke surely has the physical skills. We'll see if he can play (and who will be coaching him). Tate Martell was also brought in with the 2019 class. So far, that seems like a miss.
RB: Asa Martin (2019)/Don Chaney, Jaylan Knighton (2020) -- With Martin already portaling out of here, it was absolutely imperative Miami sign 2 backs this class. Well, all they did was sign the best RB class in the entire country. A+ job by the staff here. Nobody in America will bring 2 better backs into their program today. We should all be thrilled to watch these kids develop and grow over the next few years. Absolute elite haul.
Pass Catchers: Jeremiah Payton, Larry Hodges (2019)/Michael Redding, Daz Worsham, Dom Mammarelli (2020) -- Only got 1 WR last year, but it's a kid who the staff really likes and looks poised to be a player going forward. Also picked up Hodges, who got some burn this year before redshirting and looked the part. I'd have liked to have seen 3 WRs in this class, but they did pick up 2 who were very highly regarded, although Worsham does come with some pause due to hip surgeries. Mammarelli was a high 4-star kid for a long time who committed early and is as big of a Cane as a recruit can be. His HS system and lack of camps knocked him down a bit, but Miami has high hopes for him and neither side ever waivered after his initial commitment. I think this is a good group. Worsham's health will determine the full potential of it, though. A 3rd stud WR would have been a cherry, but that's a pretty good 2 year haul. 2021 needs to have at least 3 WRs, though.
OL: Zion Nelson, Jakai Clark, Ousman Traore, Adam El-Gammal (2019)/Jalen Rivers, Chris Washington (2020) -- This one is obviously the hot-button topic right now, and deservedly so. Miami's OL was brutal this year, and must improve in a hurry in order to get this program headed in the right direction. Taking 4 last class was fine....I think Miami obviously wanted to get a 3rd for this class, attempting to flip Baynes at the 11th hour. So I can't say that the 2 we got is a great haul, but I do think there are workable numbers here. The key is, are any of the 4 you signed last year any good? If they are all busts, well, I don't think anyone could have worked a miracle in 2020. But Jalen Rivers is an excellent looking prospect. Washington is a big, athletic body. But Miami seems to have a lot of those...the question is, can they develop them into competent players? Nelson and Clark played a lot this season...Nelson starting every game, obviously. Every single member of the OL from 2019 is back, and in 2020 you'll find out if El-Gammal or Traore are players, as well as get a look at Rivers and Washington. So yes, this is not a great haul, especially when you consider kids like Evan Neal last class, Marcus Dumervil and Issiah Walker in this class who you'd love to have gotten, among several others. But there are numbers here, there are bodies, there are young kids with size and athleticism....coach the **** kids up and hire a coordinator who can run a system that will maximize the abilities they do have. Overall, not great, but not the catastrophe people are making this out to be.
DL: Jahfari Harvey, Jason Blissett, Jalar Holley, Cam Williams, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jaelan Phillips (2019)/Chantz Williams, Elijah Roberts, Quentin Williams, Willie Moise (2020) -- Obviously losing Romello Height hurts, but this is a VERY impressive haul the past 2 classes. Miami has had very little problems bringing in/developing impact DL talent the last few years, and 2020 looks to have added to that. The 2019 DT class has been absolutely lauded so far...let's see what happens when they get on the field. Harvey has drawn rave reviews. IMO Chantz Williams is the #1 pass rusher in the state this year. Elijah Roberts is a high-character, local, winner who is a heck of a prospect. Quentin Williams is a physical freak of nature. But IMO this class pairs perfectly with last year's DT heavy class. An excellent haul here, and hats off to Coach Stroud. He's got a really nice group of talent to work with the next couple years.
LB: Sam Brooks, Avery Huff (2019)/Tirek Austin-Cave, Corey Flagg (2020) -- Another hot button topic, and IMO Miami really did need another body here, especially when you consider kids like Derek Wingo, Ruben Hyppolite, Keyshawn Greene, Ladarius Tennison, and a few others were kids the staff targeted and missed on. Overall, probably a C+ type 2 year haul here *on paper*. Sam Brooks is fast as **** and may turn out to be a star, and Avery Huff, while taking an academic redshirt this season, has been killing people on the scout team. Can Austin-Cave and/or Flagg turn out to be high level starters? We'll see. I'd have liked to have added 1 or 2 of the aforementioned local kids to this group just in case neither OOS kids pan out. If they don't, this is a scary haul. If they do, there are numbers here to thrive, especially when you consider Miami plays 2 LBs most of the time on defense. Again, not a disaster, but too many misses here locally to feel great about this 2 year picture
Safety/Striker: Keontra Smith, Bubba Bolden (transfer) (2019)/Jalen Harrell, Keshawn Washington, Brian Balom (2020) -- This is actually my biggest source of frustration for this class so far, along with CB which I'll touch on in a minute. I lumped all the strikers in with the safeties, just because this early in their careers, we're not exactly sure where these kids will end up, but they have similar skill sets as of now. In 2019, only brining in 1 HS recruit and banking on Bolden was risky as ****. I think it may wind up working out, because Smith looks the part early on and Bolden was able to get in (albeit after a month) and looked excellent for a few weeks before getting hurt against FSU. Those 2 should be solid going forward. But with only getting 1 HS kid and a transfer, you had to load up this class. And there is 3 bodies here. But I'm not sold on any of these 3 kids (and I hope this gets drudged up in 3 years and I look like a fool). But we really needed some elite level kids here, and didn't get any. Maybe Tae Williams can sign in February, although he has some red flags as well. I just don't feel great about the mix of numbers and talent here. At Miami, this group should be better.
CB: Christian Williams, Te'Cory Couch (2019)/Marcus Clarke (2020) -- Someone needs to explain to me how Mike Rumph still has a job here. Does he have pictures of the administrators/Manny with farm animals? I don't get it. How in the **** can you pull that 2 year haul at a school like Miami? Jesus H. Christ. If you want to gripe about the class, start here. Yes, Rumph is a solid teacher. No doubt. But this guy gets dumped more than a trash can. Stud recruit after stud recruit have told this guy to kick rocks the last 4 years, yet we're still here. I could go on for an hour about this, but it is what it is. This is simply not good enough at Miami. Period. Miami needs to find at least 2 more corners somewhere between now and February. Grad transfers, late signees, whatever. This is brutal, and by far the biggest miss of the entire class.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Xavier Restrepo, who will fit somewhere in here. I just don't know where. But the kid is a football player and a leader, and he's going to make some room better. I just don't know where to slot him in. But wherever he winds up, he will improve that group and needs to be counted as a win this class.
Overall, all things considered, this is a good class and a good job by the staff. Their ability to coach football is a whole 'nother topic, but this is a very good job considering you just went 6-6 and lost to FIU and Duke. It's a consensus Top 15 class, and you have to keep that in perspective when you see teams like USC toiling in the 70s and FSU well behind as well. Could it have been better? Absolutely. The DB class is not good enough. The OL class needs another body. There are some holes here...it's certainly not perfect. But when you look at the 2 class picture, there are groups here that we should be excited about. The DL should be downright filthy. The 2 LBs last class are as athletic as we've had here since Jermaine Grace, and the 2 coming this year are incredibly productive players at the HS level. We got 2 QBs. The RB class this year is out of this world. So yes, we can lament on the misses, for sure. We should. We should always demand the best it can possibly be, and this is certainly not it. HOWEVER, for a 6-6 team that has had 1 good season in over a decade, this is NOT a disaster of a class and, aside from the CB's, the 2 year look is promising at **** near every spot.
Now, for the love of Christ, go find and hire an offensive coordinator who can make the most of these kids' skills.
So, as the dust settles on ESD 2020 and we look towards February, how does this class stack up when matched with the 2019 class?
QB: Peyton Matocha (2019)/Tyler Van Dyke (2020) -- I won't break down the QBs much, since it's simply the hardest position in sports to project from one level to the next. So whether these kids are low 3 stars or 5 stars, you're really not going to know what you have here until the bullets are live. But I'll say this, you MUST get a QB in every class, and Miami did in both 2019 and 2020. Van Dyke surely has the physical skills. We'll see if he can play (and who will be coaching him). Tate Martell was also brought in with the 2019 class. So far, that seems like a miss.
RB: Asa Martin (2019)/Don Chaney, Jaylan Knighton (2020) -- With Martin already portaling out of here, it was absolutely imperative Miami sign 2 backs this class. Well, all they did was sign the best RB class in the entire country. A+ job by the staff here. Nobody in America will bring 2 better backs into their program today. We should all be thrilled to watch these kids develop and grow over the next few years. Absolute elite haul.
Pass Catchers: Jeremiah Payton, Larry Hodges (2019)/Michael Redding, Daz Worsham, Dom Mammarelli (2020) -- Only got 1 WR last year, but it's a kid who the staff really likes and looks poised to be a player going forward. Also picked up Hodges, who got some burn this year before redshirting and looked the part. I'd have liked to have seen 3 WRs in this class, but they did pick up 2 who were very highly regarded, although Worsham does come with some pause due to hip surgeries. Mammarelli was a high 4-star kid for a long time who committed early and is as big of a Cane as a recruit can be. His HS system and lack of camps knocked him down a bit, but Miami has high hopes for him and neither side ever waivered after his initial commitment. I think this is a good group. Worsham's health will determine the full potential of it, though. A 3rd stud WR would have been a cherry, but that's a pretty good 2 year haul. 2021 needs to have at least 3 WRs, though.
OL: Zion Nelson, Jakai Clark, Ousman Traore, Adam El-Gammal (2019)/Jalen Rivers, Chris Washington (2020) -- This one is obviously the hot-button topic right now, and deservedly so. Miami's OL was brutal this year, and must improve in a hurry in order to get this program headed in the right direction. Taking 4 last class was fine....I think Miami obviously wanted to get a 3rd for this class, attempting to flip Baynes at the 11th hour. So I can't say that the 2 we got is a great haul, but I do think there are workable numbers here. The key is, are any of the 4 you signed last year any good? If they are all busts, well, I don't think anyone could have worked a miracle in 2020. But Jalen Rivers is an excellent looking prospect. Washington is a big, athletic body. But Miami seems to have a lot of those...the question is, can they develop them into competent players? Nelson and Clark played a lot this season...Nelson starting every game, obviously. Every single member of the OL from 2019 is back, and in 2020 you'll find out if El-Gammal or Traore are players, as well as get a look at Rivers and Washington. So yes, this is not a great haul, especially when you consider kids like Evan Neal last class, Marcus Dumervil and Issiah Walker in this class who you'd love to have gotten, among several others. But there are numbers here, there are bodies, there are young kids with size and athleticism....coach the **** kids up and hire a coordinator who can run a system that will maximize the abilities they do have. Overall, not great, but not the catastrophe people are making this out to be.
DL: Jahfari Harvey, Jason Blissett, Jalar Holley, Cam Williams, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Jaelan Phillips (2019)/Chantz Williams, Elijah Roberts, Quentin Williams, Willie Moise (2020) -- Obviously losing Romello Height hurts, but this is a VERY impressive haul the past 2 classes. Miami has had very little problems bringing in/developing impact DL talent the last few years, and 2020 looks to have added to that. The 2019 DT class has been absolutely lauded so far...let's see what happens when they get on the field. Harvey has drawn rave reviews. IMO Chantz Williams is the #1 pass rusher in the state this year. Elijah Roberts is a high-character, local, winner who is a heck of a prospect. Quentin Williams is a physical freak of nature. But IMO this class pairs perfectly with last year's DT heavy class. An excellent haul here, and hats off to Coach Stroud. He's got a really nice group of talent to work with the next couple years.
LB: Sam Brooks, Avery Huff (2019)/Tirek Austin-Cave, Corey Flagg (2020) -- Another hot button topic, and IMO Miami really did need another body here, especially when you consider kids like Derek Wingo, Ruben Hyppolite, Keyshawn Greene, Ladarius Tennison, and a few others were kids the staff targeted and missed on. Overall, probably a C+ type 2 year haul here *on paper*. Sam Brooks is fast as **** and may turn out to be a star, and Avery Huff, while taking an academic redshirt this season, has been killing people on the scout team. Can Austin-Cave and/or Flagg turn out to be high level starters? We'll see. I'd have liked to have added 1 or 2 of the aforementioned local kids to this group just in case neither OOS kids pan out. If they don't, this is a scary haul. If they do, there are numbers here to thrive, especially when you consider Miami plays 2 LBs most of the time on defense. Again, not a disaster, but too many misses here locally to feel great about this 2 year picture
Safety/Striker: Keontra Smith, Bubba Bolden (transfer) (2019)/Jalen Harrell, Keshawn Washington, Brian Balom (2020) -- This is actually my biggest source of frustration for this class so far, along with CB which I'll touch on in a minute. I lumped all the strikers in with the safeties, just because this early in their careers, we're not exactly sure where these kids will end up, but they have similar skill sets as of now. In 2019, only brining in 1 HS recruit and banking on Bolden was risky as ****. I think it may wind up working out, because Smith looks the part early on and Bolden was able to get in (albeit after a month) and looked excellent for a few weeks before getting hurt against FSU. Those 2 should be solid going forward. But with only getting 1 HS kid and a transfer, you had to load up this class. And there is 3 bodies here. But I'm not sold on any of these 3 kids (and I hope this gets drudged up in 3 years and I look like a fool). But we really needed some elite level kids here, and didn't get any. Maybe Tae Williams can sign in February, although he has some red flags as well. I just don't feel great about the mix of numbers and talent here. At Miami, this group should be better.
CB: Christian Williams, Te'Cory Couch (2019)/Marcus Clarke (2020) -- Someone needs to explain to me how Mike Rumph still has a job here. Does he have pictures of the administrators/Manny with farm animals? I don't get it. How in the **** can you pull that 2 year haul at a school like Miami? Jesus H. Christ. If you want to gripe about the class, start here. Yes, Rumph is a solid teacher. No doubt. But this guy gets dumped more than a trash can. Stud recruit after stud recruit have told this guy to kick rocks the last 4 years, yet we're still here. I could go on for an hour about this, but it is what it is. This is simply not good enough at Miami. Period. Miami needs to find at least 2 more corners somewhere between now and February. Grad transfers, late signees, whatever. This is brutal, and by far the biggest miss of the entire class.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Xavier Restrepo, who will fit somewhere in here. I just don't know where. But the kid is a football player and a leader, and he's going to make some room better. I just don't know where to slot him in. But wherever he winds up, he will improve that group and needs to be counted as a win this class.
Overall, all things considered, this is a good class and a good job by the staff. Their ability to coach football is a whole 'nother topic, but this is a very good job considering you just went 6-6 and lost to FIU and Duke. It's a consensus Top 15 class, and you have to keep that in perspective when you see teams like USC toiling in the 70s and FSU well behind as well. Could it have been better? Absolutely. The DB class is not good enough. The OL class needs another body. There are some holes here...it's certainly not perfect. But when you look at the 2 class picture, there are groups here that we should be excited about. The DL should be downright filthy. The 2 LBs last class are as athletic as we've had here since Jermaine Grace, and the 2 coming this year are incredibly productive players at the HS level. We got 2 QBs. The RB class this year is out of this world. So yes, we can lament on the misses, for sure. We should. We should always demand the best it can possibly be, and this is certainly not it. HOWEVER, for a 6-6 team that has had 1 good season in over a decade, this is NOT a disaster of a class and, aside from the CB's, the 2 year look is promising at **** near every spot.
Now, for the love of Christ, go find and hire an offensive coordinator who can make the most of these kids' skills.
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