It was absolutely imperative that we recruit some potential contributors in the defensive secondary. I think that we recruited well in this are but could have done better. I really wish we had been able to sign a great corner. We were in on a good many but just couldn't close with any of them.
Cornerbacks:Ryan Campbell - 6'0" 180 lbs. - 4.5 (at combine)
I know that he wasn't rated as highly as Charles Sawyer on any of the recruiting sites, but I don't care about that. His video, height and speed excite me more than Charles Sawyer's. Campbell's video, while a highlight video, really shows his propensity for making plays. I can't find any free video, so I can't show you any. Suffice it to say that he actually is noticeably taller than most cornerback prospects and positions himself well when the ball is in the air.
Charles Sawyer - 5'10" 175 lbs. - 4.5 (reported)
Sawyer's video is made up mostly of him playing quarterback. While I know that it's common practice to move athletic high school quarterbacks to cornerback, I can judge very little based on these videos. He looks good at evading defenders, but that's not something he'll have to do at Ole Miss. His speed looks marginal, though I could just be missing it. In the few clips of his that showed man coverage, he really didn't play all that well, and his interceptions both (only two all of last year) appear to be a product of his being in the right place at the right time.
Jesse Grandy - 5'11" 165 lbs. - 4.4 (self-reported)
Grandy's only other worthwhile offer was from Arkansas. I know that I was supposed to be excited about this guy, but I'm not. He's too much of a question mark for my taste. His video is alright, but I prefer bigger, physical corners.
Overall, corner is the only position we recruited with which I'm really not satisfied. We needed to sign a big-time recruit, and we didn't.
Jamar Hornsby - 6'3" 200 lbs. - 4.5 (self-reported)
Hornsby is certainly an exciting prospect, but let's not go anointing him a star yet. Our fans are already saying that we signed a safety who started as a freshman for Florida. That's not at all true. His first season, he was redshirted. In his only season as an active player, he notched FIVE tackles and didn't get a single start. He only played in eight games. Basically, he had the impact at Florida that Fon Ingram has had at Ole Miss. Now, I'm sure he'll play a good bit, but there are already people saying he could steal Kendrick Lewis' spot as the starting FS (since "FS is his more natural position" according to John Spirivals.) Kendrick Lewis is a safety the likes of which we haven't had at Ole Miss in a long time. He's the most talented player in our secondary, and I'm thrilled to have him coming back. I will NEVER say that any recruit will unseat a player of that stature. Sure, Jamar will get a shot to win the starting SS job against Johnny Brown, but I favor Brown in that matchup. I hope Hornsby proves to be worth the inevitable discussions about his legal trouble whenever he does actually play.
Dele Junaid - 6'2" 177
Much like Hornsby, Junaid has the height necessary to be an elite safety. His video is impressive.
Junaid is an intriguing prospect because he was first team 5A all-state in Texas but was only ranked as a two-star on Rivals and Scout. Judging by the video, he appears to be VERY physical, and his ability when dropping into the zone appears adequate. While I think his future is at OLB, if he stayed at safety, he could become a very reliable player. At OLB, I think he could be a star.
Frank Crawford - 6'1" 161 lbs. - 4.6 (combine)
Crawford is the classic case of a player who wowed everyone before getting hurt and then totally disappeared from recruiting. Boasting early offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State, South Carolina, South Florida, Minnesota, etc. I was worried that we wouldn't stand a chance with him. The season was going well too. Crawford picked off passes in each of the first two games before tearing his ACL. After that, there wasn't really any news from him until he visited Ole Miss and eventually signed with us. His highlight video of his junior year is exceptional. He has good speed and awareness. Appears to see the play develop and react quickly.
Artice Kellam - 5'11" 175 4.55 (combine)
Not to sound too much like Chuck Rounsaville here, but you don't really know what you've got until you almost lose it. Kellam really went underappreciated throughout his entire recruitment. Once he took an under the radar official visit to Tennessee though, our fans went crazy. Rightfully so. Kellam's video looks a good bit like I imagine Jamarca Sanford's did coming out of high school. He's a phenomenal tackler who excels in stopping the run. I can't really tell how good he is in coverage, but a safety who is exceptional at stopping the run can really help a team in the right situation. Kellam is a big pickup, even though his offer list was less impressive than Crawford's.
I really like the way that we recruited safeties. I think we answered the immediate problem with Hornsby and built for the future with Kellam and Crawford. Also, many of you might be asking why I didn't profile Tig Barksdale. I think we're probably going to lump him in with a generic "athlete" post. We'll include Neat in that as well.
7 comments:
James Scott, the transfer CB from Ohio St., could legitimately be mentioned with this signing class since he'll be new to the depth chart this year.
The CB comments are right on, though. We just didn't do quite as well as there as at other positions. Missing on Dixon hurt.
That was the crunkest recruiting video I have ever watched. He does look really good though.
I totally agree with being less than wow'd by this CB class. But Anon is right--James Scott, a 4-star out of high school, will be in the mix in '09 too. I feel we'll be good enough at corner, but that is a top priority in '10.
Juco,
Just out of curiosity, where does this class really stand overall with you guys?
I've made mention of Orgeron's recruiting ability in the past, but according to comments you've made, they didn't pan out to exspectations. (over-rated)
So tell me, with as many as 37 recruits signed to this class, with 2 of those counted back to last years class, where do the other 10 over-signed recruits fit in?
Will Barksdale even see the field?
Knowone even seemed interested in offering him a scholorship until NSD. Not even Ole Miss.
I'm assuming this had something to do with his grades or ACT scores, since he's supposed to be such a highly rated recruit.
I also noticed that Rivals recruiting site had Ole Miss with 25 3-star recruits. How many of these guys are "sign and place" JUCO enrollees or Grey-shirt recruits just waiting on an opening?
Those names with the stars beside them look good on paper, but since there could be several of them either never see the field in an Ole Miss uniform, or not even play for your school until 1 or 2 more years, how could this years class be anything but over-rated?
Even the possible JUCO kids that could come back in a year or two, may not all come back.
If the grades are there, and they're still considered a top prospect, Ole Miss will still have to re-recruit that same kid.
It won't stop other schools offering, especially if they were in the running for his services when origionally recruited.
So tell me, if this happens to just 5 of the possible 10 recruits I mentioned,(with Barksdale possibly included) where would this class stand, compared to Orgeron's best class?
In Orgeron's best class, 2006, there were 9 4 and 5-stars. 7 had academic issues.
In Houston Nutt's 2009 class, there were 9 4 and 5-stars. 1 has academic issues.
All but 2 blue-chippers ended up making it into Ole Miss in 2006. 1 has sniffed the All-SEC list. Most of the contributers from that class were 3-stars and below. 7 of 30 were from Juco. In the 2009 class, 2 of 37 are from Juco.
I expect there to be a lot of sleepers in this class just like the 2006 class.
2006 class sleepers that have been good contributers(3 stars and under)
3* Corey Actis (juco)
2* Daverin Geralds
3* Greg Hardy
3* Shay Hodge
3* Rory Johnson (juco)
3* Kendrick Lewis
3* Dexter McCluster
2* Josh Shene
3* Cassius Vaughan
2009 sleeper that I expect to be good contributers
3* Michael Brown
3* Terrell Grant
2* Dele Junaid
3* Joel Kight
3* Ja-mes Logan
3* Mike Marry
3* Zaccheus Mason
3* Korvic Neat
3* Tim Simon
3* Alex Williams
Both 2* kickers
In my opinion, this class is better than Orgeron's best.
That still doesn't answer some of my questions.
You have 37 recruits, not 30.
If 2 count back to last years class, what happens to the other 10?
If they go JUCO, it will be 1 or 2 years before they see the field, and there's absolutely no garantee it will be Ole Miss's.
If they Greyshirt, who is going to leave to provide the opening?
Also, If several of the better would be contributers don't make it, how could this class be compared with another class, who's already been playing for 3 years?
Can anyone answer these questions?
Gonzo, I'll do what I can to address your points. Juco knows more about it than I but I don't know if he's seen this yet.
"Will Barksdale even see the field?
Knowone even seemed interested in offering him a scholorship until NSD. Not even Ole Miss."
We hope he will. Of our highly touted prospets, he's got the lowest chance of qualifying. Also, nobody was offering the kid besides Ole Miss because it was Ole Miss or bust for him. Coaches knew that and didn't waste their time trying to recruit him.
I also noticed that Rivals recruiting site had Ole Miss with 25 3-star recruits. How many of these guys are "sign and place" JUCO enrollees or Grey-shirt recruits just waiting on an opening?
Those names with the stars beside them look good on paper, but since there could be several of them either never see the field in an Ole Miss uniform, or not even play for your school until 1 or 2 more years, how could this years class be anything but over-rated?
Even the possible JUCO kids that could come back in a year or two, may not all come back.
Gonzo, unlike Ole Miss classes of the past (2007 cough cough) the highest rated prospects serve a better chance of making it than their lower rated and recruited. Furthermore, we'll be playing a lot of seniors this season so them not seeing the field likely wouldn't change if they were here or not.
"If the grades are there, and they're still considered a top prospect, Ole Miss will still have to re-recruit that same kid.
It won't stop other schools offering, especially if they were in the running for his services when origionally recruited."
Sign-and-place = Mostly Hargrave. When coaches place a kid in prep school who has committed to them, it's understood that that kid will eventually go back to that original school. Rarely does it work differently and the only real reason they change their commitments would be a coaching change (Enrique Davis, for example)
"So tell me, if this happens to just 5 of the possible 10 recruits I mentioned,(with Barksdale possibly included) where would this class stand, compared to Orgeron's best class?"
It'd still be better. Orgeron's 2006 class featured Brent Schaeffer (JUCO) and Jerrell Powe. Schaeffer was only going to get to play for two years anyway (which is exactly why I don't like centering a class around a JUCO kid) and was a "quick fix" that didn't work and Powe's five stars were being counted towards our rankings for the 2nd or 3rd consecutive season.
"If they Greyshirt, who is going to leave to provide the opening?"
You obviously don't understand how a Grayshirt works. A Grayshirted kid comes in and enrolls part time. This way he doesn't lose any eligibility but he also cannot be a part of the team. They really just hang out for a year working out and what not until a spot opens up (likely from graduation/draft) for them. Nobody is "going to leave" with the intention of freeing up a scholarship for a grayshirt, they'll leave because they've exhausted their own eligibility.
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