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Alvin Mathis senior tape

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nycane said:
give him greenes speed and hes a 5 star
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I’m sure we could say that about many kids.

But they don’t and that’s the problem in today’s open sets. He makes some nice plays inside and in blitzes but things wide usually take him 10 yards to catch up. We’ve seen that too much over the years. We need LBs so it’s not a surprise the coaches took some that may have question marks. But if they are saying he’s a better take or fit than Hyppolite? No way
 
First off, I respect Mathis for being committed and being a true cane. With that said, I watched his tape and then watched Hyppolite's since they are the same position and the speed/instincts difference is glaring. Mathis had some nice up the middle blitzes but he looks like he was in quicksand compared to the same play for Hyppolite. Maybe he will turn out down the line but I just don't see the pop, speed, size, instincts of a Miami LB.
 
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Footage of Mathis stealing home last spring

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If we land Greene or Hyppolite, then no problem with keeping AJ in this class, if they don't then they're gonna need a Grad Transfer LB for depth, because AJ is a developmental player that will no longer be an EE & will not be ready to contribute til at least his Red Soph season.

He's a physical specimen that I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops once in the S&C program, but there's some areas of his game that need serious improvement before he can be depended on to hit the field.

Tirek Austin-Cave is going to be star, great eval by the staff, but this kid they're taking a total flyer on, he's a productive tackler & shows some ability but his deficiencies are a bit concerning. I was one of the few that actually liked this kid when he was at Pinellas Park, maybe it's the system at Largo but I feel his Junior tape looked better.

Either way, it is what it is... Also, for anybody that has made the "if Hyppolite was so good how come only Maryland is after him" argument, you can't justifiably say that while being okay with us taking Mathis... He's slower, ranked lower, less instinctual, not as game ready day 1 & isn't being pursued by anybody else at all lol.

Again, don't have a problem with the take, but let's not act like this isn't a questionable one by Baker/Patke.
 
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I don’t know how tall Mathis is, and whether he’s big enough to play d-end, but I Don’t see him playing linebacker with the way he moves. He isn’t fluid. He seems better setting an edge and then discarding the blocker. And he seems strong enough to play d-end. Depends on the rest of the measurable but he won’t play linebacker IMO.
 
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To me Hypolite is better and I think everyone can agree which is why I keep asking whats going on with Hyppolite? There HAS to be something else. Uf only has 1 linebacker committed in Derek Wingo and they still arent going after him. FSU thinks Mccluster, Dix and Greene are all better takes. Im watching Hyppolite and saying this guys is a stud he just pops out on film yet no one in the big 3 seems to want him that bad. Why? Most confusing player in the cycle. Is it grades? Is it that he only measure in at 5'11 in February? Is it that teams feel he is maxed out physically? Has to be something.
 
I liked the progress he showed from Soph to Jr film. I'm not seeing any further improvement here. It's hard to point to any traits or skills that Mathis does well. He's a small dive/lunge arm tackler with below-average athleticism. He's not physical in traffic and he's slow to attack the perimeter. He can probably do an OK job in zone coverage and special teams.

I concur with @gogeta4 here. I'm not sure what the staff is looking for with LBs. They're all over the map with Brooks, Flagg, Mathis, Joyner, etc. Some guys are stiff, some are slow, some are inexperienced, some are highly intuitive and productive. It makes you wonder how involved Diaz is with evals because this is stuff you'd expect from a guy who doesn't have meaningful experience at the LB position. Baker at least played LB at Tulane for whatever that's worth.
 
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