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Freshman Friday Welcomes Mark Pope

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I think Pope will definitely play, he's too good to keep off the field. IMO he'll split time with Harley in the slot.
 
CashMoneyCane said:
I'm not as down on Rosier as most (not to say I think he's a great QB), but man thinking about all the speed at WR makes me really wish we had a guy who can actually sling it.

Super excited about Williams but we all know CMR loves experience and seniority in a QB. Regardless the WR's are absolutely sick. Praying for the very unlikely scenario that AR comes back for his senior year to win a ring and play with his little bro.
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I know exactly what you mean and I often find myself thinking the same thing. I really have no idea what to expect from Rosier if he is the starter. What I do know is that if we had a good passer behind center, this offense could be special. So many weapons. I expect our offense to be good as there is too much talent for them not to be. QB and OL will decide how good this offense will be which is why I fully expect 2019 to be one of the best and most potent in UM history. In 2019 our OL will be much more seasoned and experienced and one of Kosi, Jarren or Cade will be the starter. Jordan and Mallory will have a year under their belts as will Lingard, Ezzard, Hightower and Pope. Deejay, Thomas and Harley will be Juniors. The future is extremely bright and that future begins on September 2nd. Can't wait!
 
FrancisSaywer said:
I know exactly what you mean and I often find myself thinking the same thing. I really have no idea what to expect from Rosier if he is the starter. What I do know is that if we had a good passer behind center, this offense could be special. So many weapons. I expect our offense to be good as there is too much talent for them not to be. QB and OL will decide how good this offense will be which is why I fully expect 2019 to be one of the best and most potent in UM history. In 2019 our OL will be much more seasoned and experienced and one of Kosi, Jarren or Cade will be the starter. Jordan and Mallory will have a year under their belts as will Lingard, Ezzard, Hightower and Pope. Deejay, Thomas and Harley will be Juniors. The future is extremely bright and that future begins on September 2nd. Can't wait!
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If the Juniors come back, we'll be playoff calibur. I can see a scenario where Ahmmon, Shaq, Pink & Homer decide to stay for a ship if we get close this year. Shiit, I can see the us in the playoffs this year if Jarren is ready & takes QB1.
 
My expectations for Pope are not as high as Richards' Frosh impact but could be more like Thomas' impact from last season. There's not too many CB's on our schedule who can cover this kid one-on-one and I expect him to have isolated coverage a lot since we do have so many other proven weapons.
I believe Pope and Hightower will be opening some eyes here come Fall.
 
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Calvin said:
If pope had brad kayaa slinging rock he'd make more noise, if we can get rosier to stop throwing alley oop deep balls, they all should be straight. No doubt, jeff thomas should've easily had another 300 yards receiving last year, just see the clemson game where coach richt called the perfect play after clemson scored, jt was wide open, would've walked in the endzone, it was a minimum 55 plus yard bomb. Grant Malik's shoulder wasnt %100, so gotta give em the benefit of the doubt, but if healthy, we'll see this year, the main with rosier, at least team knows we can win with em!
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I was at the Clemson game sitting in the the upper deck with a perfect t view of that play being developed and could not believe the duck Rosier threw. Thomas had his man beat by 10yds. Imagine Stephen Morris as our qb with these weapons. We would be launching bombs all game!
 
The only thing that will stop Pope from putting up huge numbers this year and beyond is the massive amount of skill talent on this team. Simply not enough plays.

If we ran a more uptempo offense with this amount of depth of skill everywhere could you imagine the opposing defenses trying to keep up with us in the 4th quarter in 1999999 degree heat in Miami?
 
Too fast to keep off the field. Even if only to stretch defenses vertically out of the slot, he needs to be used to make things easier for others.
 
Hey Lawrence Cager!

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The quality depth that we'll have now at WR is overwhelming!

No matter how good a CB you are, the combinations of size, speed and size with speed MIami can now throw at an opponent will eventually wear down anyone.....IF we can consistently get the ball to them.

We can now substitute with little or no drop in quality....I doubt any of the defenses we'll face this year can say the same

These are the combo's of WR's and TE's that OC's dream about ....and DC's dread.
 
Love the talent pool that we have built at WR, you better bring it everyday in practice if you want to see the field this year. If we had a truly accurate passer at QB, it would be downright scary for opposing D's.

Also as a fellow Spartan, I'm pulling hard for Pope to succeed.
 
Get that oline worked out where it can shove the ball down the other teams throat in the run game.get a halfway decent qb with the talent we've got wed virtually be unstoppable.
 
I watched Pope play live a few times this year and i know im gonna catch flack for this but he reminds me of Antonio brown! the kid just knows how to get open despite the atrocious QB play southridge had this kid was making play after play. He is such a smooth receiver with extremely crisp routes and just this indescribable ability to get open and make plays.
 
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Dmorgan15 said:
Pope is instantly the third best wr on the team behind Richards and Thomas. Next year he can easily be the best Wr on the team.
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I gotta say that Hightower will have a dog in the fight with this take.

It will be interesting to see who has a bigger impact between those two this season.
 
Thanks for this, great feature. I was getting bored reading about VTs misfortune being the key to our season
 
Ayeplus said:
I gotta say that Hightower will have a dog in the fight with this take.

It will be interesting to see who has a bigger impact between those two this season.
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If I had to bet it would probably be Hightower because he seems like the type who can come in and help our third down conversion woes and red zone TD efficiency.

But if I had to put money on which one of the two will have more electrifying plays down field that make us all jump out of our seats it is Pope. He seems like he can run away from anyone. (Hopefully it translates at the college level too.)
 
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Cory Grimes said:
Freshman Friday
A common theme across the country as well as for the Hurricanes over the past couple of years is that freshman can and will make an impact immediately. We can expect that trend to continue as Richt’s highly touted Storm 18 class quickly gets acclimated this summer. In CIS’ latest installment, Freshman Friday, I’d like to help familiarize us with possible impact freshman by giving scouting reports and my predictions for the upcoming season.

The first new face I’d like to welcome is arguably the most anticipated addition from Richt’s Storm 18 class: local star Mark Pope. The Southridge Spartan and 2016 state champ leads a group of talented freshman wideouts. From what I have heard from fellow Canes’ faithful, we continue what we do best. We’ve already placed enormously high expectations on Pope. It seems many have already dubbed the hometown kid the next great Hurricanes pass catcher. But as I dig in to the Mark Pope files, it doesn’t take much convincing to believe that just might be the case.

Scouting Report
Also a track star, Pope ran a 10.53 in the 100m dash. He has obvious top end speed. But there are a lot of fast guys out there. The thing that impresses me most about Pope is his ability to effortlessly change speeds throughout his routes. He has a great feeling for knowing when to accelerate or decelerate to create separation. He is an incredibly smooth yet technical receiver who clearly pays attention to the details of running routes. Once he’s caught the ball, the show has only just begun. Whether it is after the catch or in the return game, he’s special with the ball in his hands. He is the kind of guy who can turn a good play into a game changing play. He’s fast but under control, and when he decides to hit that final gear, it’s goodnight sleep tight.

Pope is more than comfortable making contested catches. He catches the ball with ease. He made acrobatic catches in high pressure moments throughout his high school career including the game winning touchdown in the state championship. He seems to have an innate ability to control his body in the air as he contorts to come down with the ball any way possible. He stands at 6’1, but with his obvious flexibility and dexterity, his catch radius is that of someone much taller. In my opinion, Pope doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. He just needs to continue to hone his craft and progress to the level we all believe he can reach. Around 175 pounds, he’s a bit slight. He will certainly need to add some bulk in due time. With all the tools to be the next go-to receiver, the excitement around this young man is warranted.

2018 Predictions
Pope looks to find a role in a talented receiving corps right away. Ron Dugans has spoken highly of Pope’s impressive skillset. He can run a full route tree, and is quite capable of lining up inside or outside, which will help him get on the field quickly. However, with Dugans no nonsense approach to blocking, Pope will need to take his overall physicality to another level for him to play a consistent role in the offense this year. Mark’s skills in the return game will also help him get on the field. He is able to see several cuts ahead and use his patience to set up blocks and spring huge returns. Expect to see Pope get some opportunities to win a job returning kicks or punts.

I do believe Pope will see some rotational time on offense early on this season and could see a larger role as the year goes on. He is the kind of weapon who is hard to keep off the field. I could picture him making a couple of splash plays and making it hard for the coaches to resist. The potential for this man is unlimited, but let’s give him time. The physicality of playing receiver in high school vs. college is night and day. There will be growing pains, but I really believe he is a tough minded kid who will surely be able to adapt. I wouldn’t expect to see any crazy numbers from Pope this year, but I do expect to see some flashes of his expected greatness reminding us why many think this is the beginning of a future Hurricanes legend. The Pope has landed in Coral Gables, and he’s here to bless opposing DB’s.
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Are you still high on this kid Cory? In his limited play he has looked absolutely lost and out of place. I hope he comes back next season and all the things you saw in him are true. I never would have guessed that Wiggins would be the most active by far in this group. Hightower should be back this week if were told the truth about his planters fasciitis. So far I don’t see any stars in this class, I hope they kick *** as sophomores. To early to write them off true freshman,but their contributions this year are underwhelming especially given the tragic loss of AR.
 
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