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South Florida '22- The LBs

DMoney

DMoney

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Off-ball LB is a strange position in South Florida. Over the past 15 years, most of the great local LBs have ended up in the Big Ten. Miami's signees, with a couple exceptions like Spence and Perryman, struggled with injuries and position changes. Two big misses (Diego ***ot and Mikel Jones) really haunted Miami this year as it struggled to field a competent unit.

This class is stronger than usual with five P5 signees and a couple more FBS kids. Some of them need to transition to LB, but have tremendous athletic upside if they can handle the switch.

Wesley Bissainthe, 6’1, 205 (Central)- Best LB prospect in South Florida since Devin Bush. Long-armed, three-down defender. Wiry strong with deceptive ability to get off blocks. Knock-back tackler. Basketball player with fluidity. Capable in coverage for Immortals 7-on-7 team. Has some experience on edge, but mainly an off-ball LB. Three-time state champion with plus intangibles. Miami signee.




Omar Graham, 6’1, 220 (Stranahan)- Twitchy, underrated two-way player. Bigger than expected in person with true LB size. Mainly a stand-up rusher where his quickness and closing speed causes havoc. Wrestledown tackler but flashes strike. Excellent change of direction. Plays RB on offense and can generate big plays with burst. Needs experience as an off-ball LB, but has NFL upside if it clicks. FSU signee.




Trey Lathan, 6’1, 205 (Gulliver)- WR/DB with the body of a linebacker. Unique coverage ability at his size. Excelled at camp circuit and on Immortals 7-on-7 team. Linebacker MVP of Under Armour Camp. Good hands and ball skills on offense. Projects best as striker/big nickel. Needs to get more physical. Dragdown tackler. If he improves his physicality, has a chance to be very valuable. West Virginia signee.




Jaylin Marshall, 6’3, 195 (Western)- Another unique jumbo athlete. Played mostly CB as a senior. Well-rounded football player who has experience at LB, S, EDGE and special teams. Makes up for lack of fluidity in coverage with length. Does a nice job diagnosing. Well-traveled player- Everglades as a freshman, Chaminade as a sophomore, Hallandale as a junior and Western as a senior. Plays a little high but flashes striking ability and physicality. Big upside if he settles into a role. Georgia Tech signee.




Mekhi Mason, 6’1, 220 (Pace)- Traditional thumper that is hard to find in South Florida. College-ready frame. Solid straight-line speed and strong on contact. Wrap-up tackler. Good timing as a blitzer. Not as versatile as the other P5 signees but covered well enough on camp circuit. Syracuse signee.




Tray Brown, 6’0, 205 (Cardinal Gibbons)- Old-school LB who helped lead Gibbons to back-to-back state titles. Excels at sifting through traffic and finding the ball. True inside linebacker. Limited athletically and struggled in coverage during camp circuit. Excellent feel for the position. Bottom-heavy with the ability to deliver a jolt. Also plays rugby. Coastal Carolina signee.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9539075/614935cc4debad182477a5e0

Leon Hart, 6’0, 190 (Edison)- Undersized backer who plays bigger. Trust his eyes and flies downhill. Stopping power as a tackler. A little stiff but good straight-line speed. Plays off-ball LB already in high school and does not require much projection. Marshall signee.

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/12961532/61545f7aa022a710a0d64562
 
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I've said before, Bissainthe is the best linebacker prospect in South Florida since Matthew Thomas, and tbh, he's probably better, but whatever. I just think he's the complete package.

Guys like Graham and Lathan project, but they are really far out. They aren't Chase Smith types where you'll see them flash early. When I watched Lathan, he really looked like a striker, not a linebacker, to me. Graham is a good football player, idk where I'd ultimately play him. You'd figure linebacker, because that is where guys of his size end up...but I can see him playing in the backfield - at least sometimes - too.

With that said, I think the latter two are more like 3-star, role player types. We'll see. To me, its Bissainthe and a mile down the road are the next level guys.
 
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Wesley is a dawg, but he needs to get bigger. If he told y'all he weighed 200 pounds he'd be lying. I'm also curious about his shuttle time, as he seemed a little suspect in coverage when I saw him.

I really like Omar Graham. Did we push for him, or did FSU flat out beat us? I like Marshall but it's hard where to even project him. Lathan is best as a rover/striker. I also like Mason.
 
Goulds Cane said:
Wesley is a dawg, but he needs to get bigger. If he told y'all he weighed 200 pounds he'd be lying. I'm also curious about his shuttle time, as he seemed a little suspect in coverage when I saw him.

I really like Omar Graham. Did we push for him, or did FSU flat out beat us? I like Marshall but it's hard where to even project him. Lathan is best as a rover/striker. I also like Mason.
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I agree, like Bissainthe a lot but I don't think he is especially quick. More of a rangy heat seeker who can run plays down even from the backside. I can see him covering TEs down the seam or getting out on the perimeter to track down a rb flaring out but having trouble one on one with quick slot WRs.
 
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I do not see Mattew Thomas in Bissainthe. I see Jermaine Grace. I was worried about his lack of violence in earlier highlights. But that midseason HUDL that @DMoney put up shows he's become the full package. The kid is exactly what we need at LB. We just need 4 more of him. He also is a little too light in the pants, shouldn't count on him as a TF, needs a year or two in college S&C. But yeah, best of this bunch by far.
 
BoxingRobes said:
I've said before, Bissainthe is the best linebacker prospect in South Florida since Matthew Thomas, and tbh, he's probably better, but whatever. I just think he's the complete package.

Guys like Graham and Lathan project, but they are really far out. They aren't Chase Smith types where you'll see them flash early. When I watched Lathan, he really looked like a striker, not a linebacker, to me. Graham is a good football player, idk where I'd ultimately play him. You'd figure linebacker, because that is where guys of his size end up...but I can see him playing in the backfield - at least sometimes - too.

With that said, I think the latter two are more like 3-star, role player types. We'll see. To me, its Bissainthe and a mile down the road are the next level guys.
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Before Banda left he recruited Trey Lathan as a Striker, he absolutely plays like a Hybrid player.

They’ll play him at Will Backer in Jordan Lesley’s 3-3-5 Defense.

Agree with you on Bissainthe, easily the best of the bunch.
 
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Any chance Wes can play MLB? I am about to be crucified for this comparison, but the player he reminds me of from the MLB spot in terms of current size, ability to move and ability to hit is ….. Ray Lewis. I am not saying he will become Ray Lewis the HOFer. But he looks like Ray when he first arrived at UM. Wiry strong, can really run and can diagnose.
 
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AtlAtty said:
Any chance Wes can play MLB? I am about to be crucified for this comparison, but the player he reminds me of from the MLB spot in terms of current size, ability to move and ability to hit is ….. Ray Lewis. I am not saying he will become Ray Lewis the HOFer. But he looks like Ray when he first arrived at UM. Wiry strong, can really run and can diagnose.
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Will in the 3/4.
 
AtlAtty said:
Any chance Wes can play MLB? I am about to be crucified for this comparison, but the player he reminds me of from the MLB spot in terms of current size, ability to move and ability to hit is ….. Ray Lewis. I am not saying he will become Ray Lewis the HOFer. But he looks like Ray when he first arrived at UM. Wiry strong, can really run and can diagnose.
Click to expand...
crazy because I was thinking Pat Willis
 
AtlAtty said:
Any chance Wes can play MLB? I am about to be crucified for this comparison, but the player he reminds me of from the MLB spot in terms of current size, ability to move and ability to hit is ….. Ray Lewis. I am not saying he will become Ray Lewis the HOFer. But he looks like Ray when he first arrived at UM. Wiry strong, can really run and can diagnose.
Click to expand...
If we play in more 3-4 & 3-3-5 type alignments it'll definitely be interesting to see exactly where Wesley, Chase, and TAC are aligned more often than not.
 
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