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Rank the '21 class

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I think alot of people are getting the "the more you see them, the less you like them" syndrome here. Lol. Myself included. Lets put the cards on the table, this is a really good class all things considered. Alot of these kids are going to be superstars. Some of them will be busts. With the right coaching, we can minimize the busts.
 
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Liberty City El said:
Whatever Brantley lacks in raw physical traits he makes up for in competitive fire & internal drive...

He's a kid that plays with a 20lbs chip on his shoulder & is someone that is self motivated.

No, he'll never wow you with his physical ability, but he has the mental acuity to be a very good player because he's hungry & hates failure.

He's a kid that everyone will count out & then have to eat their words because his work ethic makes him the kinda player that elevates his play when the lights are the brightest.
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Aka..... he’s an dog when them lights on 😂😂💪🏾
 
frankthetank14 said:
Kinda crazy, but I can see him having a Berrios type career. Lacked all the physical abilities but outworked everyone and was a godsend his last year here.
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Berrios was short but to say he lacked all the physical abilities is incredibly wrong.

Berrios was an elite athlete and had some of the better testing numbers you'll see out of HS.

He had a verified:

40 inch vertical
4.5 40
3.81 shuttle
 
Liberty City El said:
1. Elijah Arroyo
2. Leonard Taylor
3. Kamren Kinchens
4. Chase Smith
5. Thad Franklin
6. Romello Brinson
7. Malik Curtis
8. Kahlil Brantley
9. Jacolby George
10. James Williams
11. Ryan Rodriguez
12. Laurence Seymore
13. Allan Haye
14. Jabari Ishmael
15. Thomas Davis
16. Brashard Smith
17. Tyler Johnson
18. Deshawn Troutman
19. Michael McLaughlin
20. Andres Borregales
21. Jake Garcia
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Double Take Reaction GIF by JustViral
 
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1. Leonard Taylor- Elite talent with game-changing ability. Unlimited upside.
2. James Williams- Freakish mix of size, athletism, and skillset. Incredibly productive player who makes game-winning plays consistently on defense and special teams.
3. Kamren Kinchens- Elite mix of tangible skills and intangible traits. Ultimate team leader and role model for hard work. A high IQ football player who makes game-winning plays against elite competition.
4. Elijah Arroyo- Most dynamic pass catcher at tight end I have seen Miami land since I've started following recruiting.
5. Chase Smith- Tall, long, athletic freak that this defense has been lacking.
6. Thad Franklin- Probably the best all-around athlete in the running back room. The perfect compliment to the 2020 haul.
7. Romello Brinson- Tall, long, fast receiver with strong hands, route running skill, and playmaking ability.
8. Ryan Rodriguez- Nasty lineman with an attitude. Future starting center.
9. Jacolby George- Mr. Wide Open. That is his real first and last name.
10. Laurence Seymore- High floor player with strong hands, the right attitude, and a future starter in the interior.
11. Brashard Smith- Game-changing speed at wide receiver in the body of a running back.
12. Thomas Davis- Undersized defensive end that should move to linebacker. Has the combination of size and athleticism that our linebacker room lacks.
13. Jake Garcia- Polished QB with above-average arm strength. Athleticism is my main concern.
14. Michael McLaughlin- One of the rawest offensive linemen Miami has signed since I've started following recruiting. Does have NFL size which can't be coached.
15. Jabari Ishmael- A defensive end with ideal length and frame who shows athletism playing in space. Lacks explosiveness.
16. Tyler Johnson- Has the explosives, athletism, and attitude you want from a linebacker. The only question is does he have the instincts to get it done.
17. Malik Curtis- Special teams threat if nothing else. Speedster that Miami will attempt to turn into a cornerback.
18. Khalil Brantley- Swiss army knife player with limited upside. Great culture guy to insert into the locker room.
19. Allen Haye- Nose tackle body with a basketball background and athletic bloodlines. Could have untapped potential.
20. Deshawn Troutman- Elite attitude and mindset with below-average body and frame. I hope I'm wrong.
21. Andres Borregales- Elite kicker but kickers are not people so he's ranked 21st.
 
Goulds Cane said:
I do my rankings a little differently

Kids I know will produce barring injury:
Leonard Taylor
Brashard Smith
Thad Franklin
Romello Brinson
Kahlil Brantley
Elijah Arroyo
Kam Kinchens
Laurence Seymore

Kids I like but I'm not 100% certain will produce:
James Williams
Chase Smith
Ryan Rodriguez
Malik Curtis

Boom or bust prospects:
Jake Garcia (All QBs are boom or bust)
Michael McLaughlin (Didn't impress me vs bad competition)
Thomas Davis (Size issues at DE, didn't impress me at LB)
Jabari Ishmael (Elite size, terrible production)

High floor/low ceilings:
Deshawn Troutman
Jacolby George
Tyler Johnson
Allan Haye

The kicker:
Andres Borregales
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This is how I prefer to separate them, too, assuming "produce" = "top quartile ACC or better" and "High floor/low ceilings" = "second quartile ACC"

My changes would be to put Chase Smith in the top category, Brantley and Ishmael in the High floor/low ceilings category, Curtis in the boom or bust category.

Normally, I'd have a JAG category. I don't see any JAGs in this class. I do question if Troutman, Davis and Haye fit our scheme.
 
Does McGlaughlin have good feet and strength? Many of our OTs seem to be missing one or the other lately.
 
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Arroyo is elite, but don’t forget about Brantley. He’s a winner and a leader. He knows how to get open and seems like a kid who could come in and learn the offense really quick. Not saying he’ll play his freshman year but he’ll be very reliable when he gets on the field.
 
Future All American potential
1. LT- Total freak. Length, quickness, explosive, good motor. Jumps off film. Like all prospects in the trenches will have to increase strength. Simpson will fine tune and refine his technique and hand usage.
2. Arroyo- Great measurables. Good speed for his size and excellent hands & body control. Has legit chance to become TE2 immediately and at worst should be a day 1 red zone threat.
3. Kinchens- Football IQ & intangibles off the charts. Shows great range, good closing speed, rarely out of position, and well developed physically.
4. J. Williams- Athletic specimen. Highly versatile, displayed ability to play in space and closer to LOS. But will he stay at safety ? Will he be a chess piece used differently based on our opponent ? Can this staff develop him to his fullest potential ?
5. C. Smith- High level two way player, excelled at multiple positions in high school. Explosive, rangy, big hitter. Had some wow moments on film. This should be the prototype at striker going forward.

All ACC Potential
6. Thad Franklin- big body, north-south runner who brings physicality to the rb room we currently lack. Not a burner by any means but still runs away from defenders frequently.
7. B. Smith- speed, agility, explosiveness, good hands. A receiver in a rb's body. Excels with YAC. Plays like a bully with the ball in hands.
8. Seymour- very strong with a nasty streak. Finishes blocks well, plays with above average leverage & technique. But only 6'1" with shorter arms.
9. Romello- big body at 6'2". Good speed, good hands. Film shows ability to make plays at short, intermediate, and deep. Needs to fill out thinner frame.
10. Jake Garcia- good size, good accuracy, adequate arm strength. Charismatic kid who others want to play with. Not an elite athlete with his feet but not a statue either, showed poise and toughness at Grayson making tough throws knowing he'd take a big hit. Has a chance to win backup job.

Future starter potential
11. Rodriguez- technically sound, aggressive, high IQ kid. Played mostly tackle in high school but should be able to adjust to center after redshirt year.
12. Curtis- lightning fast two way player and special teams contributer. Should be returning kicks day 1. Will transition to full time corner and posseses all the requisite traits to do so. Will be a great developmental project for DVD.
13. Jacolby- highly productive player who shows very good hands, route running, and body control. Needs to work on size and strength before he can contribute, went down way too often on first contact.
14. T. Davis- highly explosive, high motor, hits with bad intentions. Great first step, plays with good technique in a highly competitive classification of football in Georgia. Played some linebacker as a senior and positional debate now exists, but his film was more impressive at d end IMO albeit only 6'0".
15. Ishmael- prototype d end length & frame. Wasn't overly productive at Columbus but utilizes his length well. Will he be the next success story from a position group that has had a run of recent gems ?

Boom or Bust guys
16. Khalil- locker room leader. Alpha dog personality. Swiss army knife who won't wow you with any specific trait but does everything well and manages to make plays when it matters most. Will compete as an H-back and will bring constant energy to the program.
17. McLaughlin- ideal left tackle frame. Great feet and athleticism. Extremely raw and inexperienced playing o line. Never looked dominant even vs inferior competition. Will be a 2-3 year project but could pay off massively.
18. Haye- very big, strong, high motor, space eater DT. Technically raw & inexperienced.
19. Troutman- brings that old school Cane swagger. Downhill thumper who plays with passion and hits ball carriers with violent intentions. Known as a hot head, will have to learn to keep temper in check. Good tackler but takes bad angles too often and film shows very little of him in coverage.
20. T. Johnson- possesses length, speed, and instincts. Will be asked to go from hand in the dirt pass rusher to playing standing up, and how has that panned out recently for us ?
21. Borregales- he's a kicker. If he makes kicks we love him, if not, he'll immediately be vilified.
 
DMoney said:
If you haven't seen @Lance Roffers's detailed class breakdown, check it out here, here and here.

For the rest of us, I figured we'd resurrect the annual tradition of ranking the class. Post yours below. I broke mine down into tiers and then ranked them within the tier. In honor of spring training, I used baseball analogies.

Home Runs

Elite prospects with high ceilings and high floors. The true blue chippers.

1. Leonard Taylor- Prototypical 3-technique in Manny’s upfield defense. Still looks like a baby and is only scratching the surface physically.
2. James Williams- His physical tools stand out, but this is a high IQ player with a passion for football. Smart enough to play all over the defense.
3. Elijah Arroyo- Long, athletic, tough, natural pass catcher and route runner. Similar to Kellen Winslow II on the field.

Doubles

These are talented players who are easy to project to the next level. They aren’t as physically gifted as the first group, but they're very good.

4. Kamren Kinchens- Special intangibles and a complete skillset at safety. Bigger and more talented version of Jaquan Johnson.
5. Laurence Seymore- Five-star player in a two-star body. Quick, balanced athlete with a strong lower body and dynamite in his hands.
6. Chase Smith- An easy fit at striker. 6’4 with outstanding movement skills. Huge potential if he bulks up.
7. Thaddius Franklin- Smooth 225-pound athlete who played basketball and dabbled at QB. Ultra-productive and natural as a runner.
8. Romello Brinson- I have the receivers grouped close together, but Brinson is the most complete of the group. Dee Wiggins-type length and movement skills with much more toughness and better hands.
9. Brashard Smith- Big-play specialist with a RB build in the slot. Deceptive tackle-breaking ability similar to Kedarius Toney.
10. Jacolby George- Productive South Florida WR who makes it look easy. Plays faster than his speed by changing pace, and plays bigger than his size with strong hands.
11. Ryan Rodriguez- This guy screams “starter on a championship team.” Technician with impeccable hand placement. Bigger and more athletic than you’d expect in person.

Big Swings

Boom or bust. These kids have the NFL potential to land in the first group (often even more than the second group), but there is some significant projection involved.

12. Jake Garcia- Nearly every QB falls in this category. If they hit, they’re stars, if they bust, they transfer. Garcia has everything you want except quick-twitch athleticism. His ability to elude the first rusher will make him or break him.
13. Tyler Johnson- The strength of a wrestler and the movement skills of a safety. Ragdolled Julian Armella at times last year. Can he keep his temper in check and make the transition from EDGE to LB?
14. Thomas Davis- Big-time quickness and upfield explosion. The question is position- at 6’0, does he stay at DE or move to LB?
15. Jabari Ishmael- Long (6’6) projection player who was athletic enough to play as an off-ball LB. He needs to turn the tools into pass-rush production.
16. Michael McClaughlin- Has a lot of the uncoachables- size, IQ, intensity and movement. Used poor technique to dominate bad competition. Can he get more bend and roll his hips at 6'7?
17. Malik Curtis- Every week he made a highlight-reel play. Travis Benjamin-type speed with more size. He needs to prove he is tough enough to be a full-time defender.

Singles

Low-ceiling, high-floor guys who have the skills to be effective college players.

18. Deshawn Troutman- Fast, instinctual linebacker with tremendous production. Size and strength is the question with him.
19. Allan Haye- Limited by size, but an emerging converted BBall player who finds a way to hit the QB.
20. Kahlil Brantley- All-around football player who has played QB, WR, TE and LB. Outstanding hands but average physical traits. Similar to Larry Hodges.

The Kicker

21. Andres Borregales- Won’t claim to be able to evaluate Ks, but he seems to have a **** of a leg.
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I hope Kam Kinchens is what Gurvan Hall was supposed to be and not who he is.
 
Liberty City El said:
Whatever Brantley lacks in raw physical traits he makes up for in competitive fire & internal drive...

He's a kid that plays with a 20lbs chip on his shoulder & is someone that is self motivated.

No, he'll never wow you with his physical ability, but he has the mental acuity to be a very good player because he's hungry & hates failure.

He's a kid that everyone will count out & then have to eat their words because his work ethic makes him the kinda player that elevates his play when the lights are the brightest.
Click to expand...
You're more plugged into MNW than anybody, so you might know: Why didn't Brantley play more snaps on offense this year?

Maybe it was just the games I watched, but it seemed they were going 4 WR a lot. That's one of the only things spooking me with Brantley. He is a very good, versatile player.
 
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DMoney said:
You're more plugged into MNW than anybody, so you might know: Why didn't Brantley play more snaps on offense this year?

Maybe it was just the games I watched, but it seemed they were going 4 WR a lot. That's one of the only things spooking me with Brantley. He is a very good, versatile player.
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TBH, the lack of senior production from both Brantley and Brinson has me a little concerned. I loved their highlights going into 2020 season and I learned after Yearby/Cook that HS stats are not the most important factor for ball carriers. It still is a flag.
 
DMoney said:
You're more plugged into MNW than anybody, so you might know: Why didn't Brantley play more snaps on offense this year?

Maybe it was just the games I watched, but it seemed they were going 4 WR a lot. That's one of the only things spooking me with Brantley. He is a very good, versatile player.
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He had to sit out with Covid for a few games.

Plus MNW had a new OC last year & they went with a new offense than what lead them to a State title because we lost all our best RB's & they were trying to feature Tyger a lot more.

Brantley was mainly used as a WR in the first place, but once he was out Andy Jean, Jalen Rogers & Jamari Sharpe got the nod.
 
grover said:
TBH, the lack of senior production from both Brantley and Brinson has me a little concerned. I loved their highlights going into 2020 season and I learned after Yearby/Cook that HS stats are not the most important factor for ball carriers. It still is a flag.
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They didn't play a full season, there was only 5 games due to Covid.

Of course production would drop with less games.
 
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Liberty City El said:
As a multi-purpose Defender, line him up at S, LB or even have him collapsing the pocket on delayed Blitzes. Similar to how Isaiah Simmons, Derwin James, Hamsah Nasirildeen, Jayron Kearse etc were all used.

I don't think playing him at strictly Safety will be utilizing his skill set to our best advantage.
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I see him being used the same way Manny used Amari his freshman year....Amari was all over the DEF, playing STR/S and blitzing like a missile. Manny taking over the DEF is just what the doctor ordered. I would argue that this is the best DEF OVERALL from talent/depth/experience that he's had to work with since he started with UM as DC.
 
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