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Impact Freshman

DisgruntledSebastianIbis

DisgruntledSebastianIbis

Freshman
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Oct 18, 2022
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We all knew that Bain was a 6 star coming out of HS and is in a league of his own, but are any of the incoming freshman going to show out and make a impact like Bain?
 
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Lofton, JoJo, or Carr is gonna make some noise this year on offense

On defense I gotta imagine someone like lightfoot or Cole might get some buzz stealing some sacks in blowouts
 
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Trader, possibly Lyle and Lofton depending on if Arroyo stays healthy. It's going to **** me off if Cam is the number 1 or 2 TE and Lofton is outplaying him all year and doesn't get more snaps.
 
Putting into perspective Mario’s recruiting classes and impact freshmen:

2023 class: Bain, Fletcher, Mauigoa, maybe you can say Damari but I personally am not. So 3.5 out of 26 recruits imo, 4 if you want to count Damari.

2022 class: Wes, Kelly (decent, not spectacular); 2 out of 15 recruits in a patchwork class

So, don’t expect more than 3 ish names imo to even be remotely contributing outside garbage time. That’s a good thing because a multitude of freshmen shouldn’t be making a severe impact year 1 if the 2022 and 2023 classes were properly developed + our transfer evals are on point. Especially at a position that we attacked in the portal with DL, which is where most of our higher rated 2024 recruits play.

With that being said, I’ll go…

1. JoJo as a 175-200 yd receiver (still think Horton and Ray Ray get more targets, provided they’re healthy

2. Pruitt as LB5 to start out

3. Patterson purely due to lack of depth at safety

Lofton looks versatile, but I think Arroyo has a big year and Riley Williams is being written off. Lofton might have some HB involvement, but he’ll cede TE snaps in this offense Year 1.

None will have a Bain-like impact though, imo.
 
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DisgruntledSebastianIbis said:
We all knew that Bain was a 6 star coming out of HS and is in a league of his own, but are any of the incoming freshman going to show out and make a impact like Bain?
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It would be exceedingly difficult for any true freshman to make an impact like Bain but so far the following true freshmen have stood out.....

TE Elija Lofton
WR Ny Carr
WR Jojo Trader
RB Jordan Lyle
LB Cam Pruitt
DT Justin Scott
DE Cole McConathy
DE Marquis Lightfoot
S Zaquan Patterson
CB OJ Frederique
CB Ryan Mack

The other factor is opportunity. Bain had opportunity last year as our pass rush was somewhat of a concern going into the season. This year we are very deep at DE and well off at WR and RB.

I think the following could have good solid promising true freshman campaigns based on what I have heard.

TE Elija Lofton. As a utility player and potential mismatch, Lofton could be very valuable. He can line up at TE, WR, HB, FB and RB.

DT Justin Scott. Size, strength, power, agility and explosiveness to go with maturity and a high football IQ. It's possible that Scott may be playing meaningful minutes by the end of the season.

LB Cam"Bobby"Pruitt. The LB corps is set for the most part but Pruitt has a real shot at the hybrid LB/S position and coach Guidry has very consistent in his praise of Pruitt.

S Zaquan Patterson. The type of kid who can impact the game in multiple phases. Explosive hitter/tackler with elite awareness, instincts and football IQ. May start or get major minutes by the end of the year as Safety is a very thin position. Until then should be a stalwart on special teams. Mario had been effusive in his praise of Patterson since he enrolled.

RB Jordan Lyle. Lyle shocked everyone when he arrived at 6' 200 lbs and jacked! Had a college ready frame and has been blowing away everyone since he started summer workouts. If Mark Fletcher is held back in any way, Lyle may shoot up to near the top of the depth chart behind Martinez. Even with Fletcher 100% healthy he will have opportunities.

WR. Jojo Trader. Early enrollee who has been impressing since his arrival in January. Cam Ward calls him elite and Trader has been getting reps with the 1s and the 2s esrly in Fall Camp. Trader is a natural with all the tools. He will be a star here sooner than later.

CB OJ Frederique. Initially not on the list above because he just got here but he has been singled out by Lance Guidry more than once not to mention that @DMoney has been talking about him lately which means people at the Hecht have been impressed with young Frederique. D$ says he has an NFL frame and has been opening eyes since his arrival. With the lack of depth at CB, any contribution by Frederique would be most welcome.

Everyone else on the list has a chance to impress in a backup role barring injuries but you never know what's going to happen.

Edit: I didn't include any redshirt freshmen as I understood the question to be about true freshmen like Bain was last year.
 
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I haven’t had the opportunity to see Lofton live - but do we really see him in a heavy pt rotation from jump? While versatile, I’m not seeing him pushing for startig reps at any of rb/wr/te positions due to people locked in at those spots. And that would have a big impact on actual stats he puts up.

I’m rooting for the kid for sure, but just trying to connect the dots from what he’s shown in limited time to actually getting coaching staff trust to get meaningful minutes alongside/right behind the starters.
 
Barring injury, I think the ones with the most first team reps will be:
1. Zay
2. Pick one from Mack/Frederique
3. Pick one from Scott/Jones
4. Lofton
5. Pruitt

Just too many WRs and DEs for me to believe the true freshman see a lot of first team snaps. But if we dominate teams like we hope to, I could see all those guys getting a lot of playing time as the coaches fold them in for game experience. And once on the field, they won't disappoint.
 
FrancisSawyer said:
It would be exceedingly difficult for any true freshman to make an impact like Bain but so far the following true freshmen have stood out.....

TE Elija Lofton
WR Ny Carr
WR Jojo Trader
RB Jordan Lyle
LB Cam Pruitt
DT Justin Scott
DE Cole McConathy
DE Marquis Lightfoot
S Zaquan Patterson
The other factor is opportunity. Bain had opportunity last year as our pass rush was somewhat of a concern going into the season. This year we are very deep at DE and well off at WR and RB.

I think the following could have good solid promising true freshman campaigns based on what I have heard.

TE Elija Lofton. As a utility player and potential mismatch, Lofton could be very valuable. He can line up at TE, WR, HB, FB and RB.

DT Justin Scott. Size, strength, power, agility and explosiveness to go with maturity and a high football IQ. It's possible that Scott may be playing meaningful minutes by the end of the season.

LB Cam"Bobby"Pruitt. The LB corps is set for the most part but Pruitt has a real shot at the hybrid LB/S position and coach Guidry has very consistent in his praise of Pruitt.

S Zaquan Patterson. The type of kid who can impact the game in multiple phases. Explosive hitter/tackler with elite awareness, instincts and football IQ. May start or get major minutes by the end of the year as Safety is a very thin position. Mario had been effusive in his praise of Patterson since he enrolled.

Everyone else on the list has a chance to impress in a backup role barring injuries but you never know what's going to happen.

Edit: I didn't include any redshirt freshmen as I understood the question to be about true freshmen like Bain was last year.
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Depth alone would say it's going to be a skilled position player. would love it to be at safety
 
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