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Let's say for the sake of argument that nothing else happens with this class between now and signing day (we know it will, but for the purpose of this exercise just bear with me.)
I like to look at two-year spans to judge positions, so here's what I have, and my thoughts on each:
QB: Kaaya, Rosier, Olsen
My Thoughts - Instant depth and competition at this position. LOVE Kaaya, love(d) Olsen before all the drama, and Rosier is no slouch and gives us a dimension we've never really had here before. Get one big-time QB in 2015 and we're rolling.
RB: Yearby, Edwards
My Thoughts - Yearby is a stud. I always figured the Big 3 schools would each get one of the Big 3 RBs this year - Sony went to UGA, but the premise still holds. Edwards will be a good one after a year in the weight room and some coaching. That said, I would have liked one more "complete" RB in one of the last two classes, given the position's penchant for injury.
WR: Berrios, Langham, Brady, Coley
My Thoughts - Coley makes this a good two-year haul. We missed on some good WRs this year, but if there's one position I'm rarely worried about talent-wise in South Florida, it's WR. I don't think any of the guys we missed on this year are on Coley's level. Berrios has a chip on his shoulder and I think will be a good slot receiver here. Brady and Langham add some depth (as would Lenius if we add him,) and I expect us to go hard in 2015 at this position.
TE: Njoku, Herndon, Dobard, Sandland
My Thoughts - Sandland could be a good one if anybody would throw to him. Dobard has the frame to be a beast, and I like Herndon's toughness at the position. Njoku lessens the need to sign more than 1-2 TE next year - impressed with him as a pass-catcher and will be very good after a RS year, IMO.
OL: McDermott, Darling, Linder, Odogwu, Gall, Knighton
My Thoughts - KC might be our best pure OL recruit ever. Seriously. I see him starting at one of the tackle spots by mid-year this year and not looking back until draft day. We rounded out the 2-year OL class with a very balanced line - tackles, guards, and a center. I always want to take 3-4 OL every year if possible, and 2015 should be no different.
DE: Thomas, Jackson, Harris, Smith?, AQM
My Thoughts - Smith is a question mark only because he's a "tweener". He could play OLB but I put him here for now simply because whether his hand is up or down, he's going to rush the passer. AMAZING haul at DE - instant upgrade to by far our worst defensive position. Thomas and AQM are studs, Harris has a Olivier Vernon-esque first step, and Jackson's ceiling is through the roof. Love this position going forward.
DT: Moten, Heurtelou, Jenkins, Wyche, Kamalu
My Thoughts - Losing Valentine hurts (though the writing has been on that particular wall for a while, IMO.) *2/5 update - yeah, nothing new here for over a month.* That said, we desperately needed JUCO help and got it, and Moten is a very good developmental DT. I listed Kamalu here rather than DE because I believe he slides into Olsen Pierre's slot in the future at 3-tech.
LB: Owens, Young, McCray, Figueroa, Grace
My Thoughts - I LOVE Juwon Young's game. He and Figs bring some much-needed anger to this position. In Grace, we have someone who can cover a lot of ground in a hurry - Ramon Buchanon with better hips and a bigger frame, IMO. McCray and Owens will redshirt and provide depth going forward. Overall, I would have liked another pure LB in this class, and expect LB to be a major focus in 2015.
CB: Mayes, Burns, Elder
My Thoughts - With a plethora of young CBs already in the fold, this is a small 2-year grab. Burns will be a stud here before he's done. Elder has enormous upside and has played earlier than I thought he would. Like WR, this is another position that is typically stacked in South Florida, so I see no reason not to load up again in 2015 and 16.
S: Hester, Gayot, Carter
My Thoughts - Another major roster upgrade here (not hard, I know, given what we've had.) Hester is the centerfielder of the future - maybe the 2nd or 3rd most talented overall recruit in this class behind KC and Yearby. When Carter sees the field, I think we'll FINALLY be back to seeing safety play better suited to Miami (FL) than Miami (OH). I still expect us to take a safety or two in 2015.
K/P: O'Donnell, Semerene (PWO)
My Thoughts - What a pick-up O'Donnell turned out to be! Maybe the single-most important "waiver-wire" recruit, and that's saying something. K/P is hard to predict, recruiting-wise, since so often this position is filled with preferred walk-ons, graduated transfers like O'Donnell, etc. Speaking of walk-ons, Semerene may turn out to be the biggest coup in this year's class. BEAST of a kicker.
ATH: Gray, RL3
My Thoughts - Gray is an off-the-charts athletic freak, if he has the grades to get in. RL3 has no position until he can prove that he does, if you get my meaning.
Overall 2-Year Thoughts Are there holes in the haul? Yes. I'd like to see us go HARD after LB, RB, and CB next year. Were there misses on blue-chip recruits? Absolutely. Cook or Michel would have fixed our RB depth. Valentine is a major loss. Any one of the WRs we missed on would have helped tremendously.
However, there's really no denying this - on paper, Al Golden has completely changed the face of this roster via the 2013 and 2014 classes with major talent upgrades at every position. Regardless of your feelings on Golden's coaching acumen, defensive philosophies, etc. etc., I defy you to look at these two classes and not giggle a little inside.
In terms of how this haul translates to the field, I look for 2015 and 2016 (when the current recruits are sophomores and juniors) to be very special years.
As always, I welcome the board's thoughts!
I like to look at two-year spans to judge positions, so here's what I have, and my thoughts on each:
QB: Kaaya, Rosier, Olsen
My Thoughts - Instant depth and competition at this position. LOVE Kaaya, love(d) Olsen before all the drama, and Rosier is no slouch and gives us a dimension we've never really had here before. Get one big-time QB in 2015 and we're rolling.
RB: Yearby, Edwards
My Thoughts - Yearby is a stud. I always figured the Big 3 schools would each get one of the Big 3 RBs this year - Sony went to UGA, but the premise still holds. Edwards will be a good one after a year in the weight room and some coaching. That said, I would have liked one more "complete" RB in one of the last two classes, given the position's penchant for injury.
WR: Berrios, Langham, Brady, Coley
My Thoughts - Coley makes this a good two-year haul. We missed on some good WRs this year, but if there's one position I'm rarely worried about talent-wise in South Florida, it's WR. I don't think any of the guys we missed on this year are on Coley's level. Berrios has a chip on his shoulder and I think will be a good slot receiver here. Brady and Langham add some depth (as would Lenius if we add him,) and I expect us to go hard in 2015 at this position.
TE: Njoku, Herndon, Dobard, Sandland
My Thoughts - Sandland could be a good one if anybody would throw to him. Dobard has the frame to be a beast, and I like Herndon's toughness at the position. Njoku lessens the need to sign more than 1-2 TE next year - impressed with him as a pass-catcher and will be very good after a RS year, IMO.
OL: McDermott, Darling, Linder, Odogwu, Gall, Knighton
My Thoughts - KC might be our best pure OL recruit ever. Seriously. I see him starting at one of the tackle spots by mid-year this year and not looking back until draft day. We rounded out the 2-year OL class with a very balanced line - tackles, guards, and a center. I always want to take 3-4 OL every year if possible, and 2015 should be no different.
DE: Thomas, Jackson, Harris, Smith?, AQM
My Thoughts - Smith is a question mark only because he's a "tweener". He could play OLB but I put him here for now simply because whether his hand is up or down, he's going to rush the passer. AMAZING haul at DE - instant upgrade to by far our worst defensive position. Thomas and AQM are studs, Harris has a Olivier Vernon-esque first step, and Jackson's ceiling is through the roof. Love this position going forward.
DT: Moten, Heurtelou, Jenkins, Wyche, Kamalu
My Thoughts - Losing Valentine hurts (though the writing has been on that particular wall for a while, IMO.) *2/5 update - yeah, nothing new here for over a month.* That said, we desperately needed JUCO help and got it, and Moten is a very good developmental DT. I listed Kamalu here rather than DE because I believe he slides into Olsen Pierre's slot in the future at 3-tech.
LB: Owens, Young, McCray, Figueroa, Grace
My Thoughts - I LOVE Juwon Young's game. He and Figs bring some much-needed anger to this position. In Grace, we have someone who can cover a lot of ground in a hurry - Ramon Buchanon with better hips and a bigger frame, IMO. McCray and Owens will redshirt and provide depth going forward. Overall, I would have liked another pure LB in this class, and expect LB to be a major focus in 2015.
CB: Mayes, Burns, Elder
My Thoughts - With a plethora of young CBs already in the fold, this is a small 2-year grab. Burns will be a stud here before he's done. Elder has enormous upside and has played earlier than I thought he would. Like WR, this is another position that is typically stacked in South Florida, so I see no reason not to load up again in 2015 and 16.
S: Hester, Gayot, Carter
My Thoughts - Another major roster upgrade here (not hard, I know, given what we've had.) Hester is the centerfielder of the future - maybe the 2nd or 3rd most talented overall recruit in this class behind KC and Yearby. When Carter sees the field, I think we'll FINALLY be back to seeing safety play better suited to Miami (FL) than Miami (OH). I still expect us to take a safety or two in 2015.
K/P: O'Donnell, Semerene (PWO)
My Thoughts - What a pick-up O'Donnell turned out to be! Maybe the single-most important "waiver-wire" recruit, and that's saying something. K/P is hard to predict, recruiting-wise, since so often this position is filled with preferred walk-ons, graduated transfers like O'Donnell, etc. Speaking of walk-ons, Semerene may turn out to be the biggest coup in this year's class. BEAST of a kicker.
ATH: Gray, RL3
My Thoughts - Gray is an off-the-charts athletic freak, if he has the grades to get in. RL3 has no position until he can prove that he does, if you get my meaning.
Overall 2-Year Thoughts Are there holes in the haul? Yes. I'd like to see us go HARD after LB, RB, and CB next year. Were there misses on blue-chip recruits? Absolutely. Cook or Michel would have fixed our RB depth. Valentine is a major loss. Any one of the WRs we missed on would have helped tremendously.
However, there's really no denying this - on paper, Al Golden has completely changed the face of this roster via the 2013 and 2014 classes with major talent upgrades at every position. Regardless of your feelings on Golden's coaching acumen, defensive philosophies, etc. etc., I defy you to look at these two classes and not giggle a little inside.
In terms of how this haul translates to the field, I look for 2015 and 2016 (when the current recruits are sophomores and juniors) to be very special years.
As always, I welcome the board's thoughts!
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