Last night, the Rebels’ UN Delegation took home yet another (though under a new name) River Hills Cup by dropping the Dogs of Starkville for the 22nd straight time. Just take a second now, and think about that number—22. So is it possible to be disappointed after a win over a rival and our 10th straight River Hills Cup? When it’s the first time you’ve given up a point in six years, I think so.
In front of a hometown crowd and against another indigenous opponent, Devin Britton faced a lot of pressure, which may have contributed to his dizziness and ill feelings before the match. He played pretty poorly in doubles and the first set of singles but turned it around after calling the trainer out. Unfortunately, he fell just short in the third set tiebreaker but nonetheless showed himself as the superior player on the court. On the bright side, Devin is using up all his bad luck early in the season. I look for things to go up for him.
This put State on the board but was not a real cause of concern for me. The lack of ease with which we sealed off the win, however, is not a good sign. To compete with other top-10 teams, we need to be able to rely on the last three courts as we have in the past. While our shakiness against State worries me, I won’t speculate any further since only a week’s time will tell. We take on top-ranked Ohio State in Columbus on Wednesday and play at ITA National Indoors next weekend.
While none compares to the highlights Tucker Vorster is rocking right now, here are some of the better aspects of the match:
-Swedish dominance: The three Swedes (Jonas, Kalle, and Otto) all played great and were the only winners in singles for the Rebs.
-Dutch/Swedish bilateral cooperation: Our highly touted doubles pair of Jonas and Bram finally showed up and restored some hope to fans.
-Return of the African delegation: Playing with Chris Thiemann in the third doubles slot, Tucker made his return to the team. While he may not have played his best, the duo grabbed three breaks and sealed the doubles point.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Recruiting Analysis - Defensive Backs
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.
Recruiting Analysis - Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
I know we promised this to be delivered yesterday, but we suck. So, for today, enjoy our continued post signing day analysis with a look our incoming WR's and TE. Juco will (he better, dammit) deliver on his analysis of our new corners and safeties sometime today.
I have arranged them in order from most, errr, unique first name to least.
1. Ja-Mes Logan - WR - Westfield, HS - Houston, TX
He could have been named "James," but that's just too booooooorrrrrrrrriiiiinnnnggg for the Logan family. Instead, they threw a dash in there to confuse, intrigue, and mystify Ja-Mes' contemporaries. I still have yet to learn much about Mr. Logan, namely how one pronounces his first name (Juh-mez? Jay-meese? Hah-mess? James?), but I can tell why the coaches were high on getting his signature on signing day. He is tall (6'3") and has been clocked at having a sub-4.5 40 time. He had committable offers from Oregon, Mizzou, and Oklahoma State which are all schools which rely on offensive speed and depth to stretch the field as much as possible. Ja-Mes Logan is a good prospect, and we should be happy to have brought him to Oxford.
2. Montez Phillips - WR - Lafayette Co. HS - Oxford, MS
Oxford's own Montez Phillips was a prospect coveted by all of the Magnolia State's bowl subdivision* teams. He, like the rest of this excellent receiver class (6th best according to Rivals), is at least 6'3" tall. Ole Miss hasn't historically recruited Lafayette HS very well (at least when compared to Oxford HS) so I feel that Phillips' recruitment could open some more inroads within Mississippi.
3. Terrell Grant - WR - Cleveland HS - Cleveland, MS
Grant, another Mississippi prospect from the heart of the Mississippi Delta (the dirtiest part of the South, y'heard) has been discussed as a real sleeper. Perhaps this narcolepsy is why some see him has having issues qualifying *yuk yuk yuk*. In our liveblog we had a participant from Cleveland really talk Grant up and, if said participant would oblige, I'd like for whoever that was to leave a comment here and discuss what you've seen in the kid.
4. Zaccheus Mason - TE - Christ Presbyterian Academy - Nashville, TN
Hey, at least his name is Biblical. True story: when one Googles "Zaccheus," our new tight end is the third result listed. Football is quickly becoming our new Old Testament and I, for one, am totally cool with that. I could talk about Mason's size, speed, and athletic ability to demonstrate his value as a prospect, but I think his highlight video below will do just fine.
He looks like a varsity athlete who snuck onto some pop warner fields. He is bigger, faster, and stronger than seemingly every other player in these clips. He was lightly recruited at tight end simply because he decided very recently that he wanted to only play football at the next level. Before this decision, he was one of the most sought-after forward prospects in the Southeast, having earned several dozen offers. That, to me, shows that he's quick, has good hands, and some serious ups. He will be a serious redzone weapon for the Rebels.
5. Patrick Patterson - Patrick has the most boring first name of the bunch but more than makes up for it with his potential to be a real star in Oxford. He's already one of my favorite incoming freshmen simply because he pissed off a lot of these people on signing day. An Army All-American, Patterson was one of the nations most highly sought after prospects and is regarded has having some of the best hands in high school ball. If you watched the Army All-American game, you would have seen Patterson pull down a one-handed, 30-something yard touchdown catch over the head of his defender. If you didn't watch the Army All-American game, that's ok. My good pal Google found a clip of it for us.
All things considered, this is one of the nation's best group of upcoming freshman wideouts. Jevan Snead, Nathan Stanley, and Raymond Cotton should all be very excited about these tall, athletic targets.
*I know, I know, this terminology sucks and I suck for having used it.
I have arranged them in order from most, errr, unique first name to least.
1. Ja-Mes Logan - WR - Westfield, HS - Houston, TX
He could have been named "James," but that's just too booooooorrrrrrrrriiiiinnnnggg for the Logan family. Instead, they threw a dash in there to confuse, intrigue, and mystify Ja-Mes' contemporaries. I still have yet to learn much about Mr. Logan, namely how one pronounces his first name (Juh-mez? Jay-meese? Hah-mess? James?), but I can tell why the coaches were high on getting his signature on signing day. He is tall (6'3") and has been clocked at having a sub-4.5 40 time. He had committable offers from Oregon, Mizzou, and Oklahoma State which are all schools which rely on offensive speed and depth to stretch the field as much as possible. Ja-Mes Logan is a good prospect, and we should be happy to have brought him to Oxford.
2. Montez Phillips - WR - Lafayette Co. HS - Oxford, MS
Oxford's own Montez Phillips was a prospect coveted by all of the Magnolia State's bowl subdivision* teams. He, like the rest of this excellent receiver class (6th best according to Rivals), is at least 6'3" tall. Ole Miss hasn't historically recruited Lafayette HS very well (at least when compared to Oxford HS) so I feel that Phillips' recruitment could open some more inroads within Mississippi.
3. Terrell Grant - WR - Cleveland HS - Cleveland, MS
Grant, another Mississippi prospect from the heart of the Mississippi Delta (the dirtiest part of the South, y'heard) has been discussed as a real sleeper. Perhaps this narcolepsy is why some see him has having issues qualifying *yuk yuk yuk*. In our liveblog we had a participant from Cleveland really talk Grant up and, if said participant would oblige, I'd like for whoever that was to leave a comment here and discuss what you've seen in the kid.
4. Zaccheus Mason - TE - Christ Presbyterian Academy - Nashville, TN
Hey, at least his name is Biblical. True story: when one Googles "Zaccheus," our new tight end is the third result listed. Football is quickly becoming our new Old Testament and I, for one, am totally cool with that. I could talk about Mason's size, speed, and athletic ability to demonstrate his value as a prospect, but I think his highlight video below will do just fine.
He looks like a varsity athlete who snuck onto some pop warner fields. He is bigger, faster, and stronger than seemingly every other player in these clips. He was lightly recruited at tight end simply because he decided very recently that he wanted to only play football at the next level. Before this decision, he was one of the most sought-after forward prospects in the Southeast, having earned several dozen offers. That, to me, shows that he's quick, has good hands, and some serious ups. He will be a serious redzone weapon for the Rebels.
5. Patrick Patterson - Patrick has the most boring first name of the bunch but more than makes up for it with his potential to be a real star in Oxford. He's already one of my favorite incoming freshmen simply because he pissed off a lot of these people on signing day. An Army All-American, Patterson was one of the nations most highly sought after prospects and is regarded has having some of the best hands in high school ball. If you watched the Army All-American game, you would have seen Patterson pull down a one-handed, 30-something yard touchdown catch over the head of his defender. If you didn't watch the Army All-American game, that's ok. My good pal Google found a clip of it for us.
All things considered, this is one of the nation's best group of upcoming freshman wideouts. Jevan Snead, Nathan Stanley, and Raymond Cotton should all be very excited about these tall, athletic targets.
*I know, I know, this terminology sucks and I suck for having used it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
An Unnumbered List of Things That Are Comparable
Some of you may have heard that Nick Saban discovered late Tuesday night that he might lose some recruits to the University of Mississippi and, subsequently, contacted Houston Nutt with a series of scurrilous accusations of recruiting violations.
Pot. Kettle. Black.
This information, you may also know, inspired the following (herein paraphrased) comparison from one of my blolleagues, towit, "Being accused of cheating by Nick Saban is like reading 'On Child Raising' by Brittany Spears." Other comparisons below:
The dark period between national signing day and the last weekend in August is like a seventh-month Will and Grace marathon. Or worse.
The symbolic mudhole Bobbie Massie stomped into the hearts of Alabama fans is, while simultaneously sweet and sadistic, comparatively miniscule when viewed in perspective of the giant footsteps he will leave in his wake in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Starkville, etc.
In tonight's annual installment of the Mississippi Cup (formerly the River Hills Cup) - the annual non-conference tennis match between the Rebels and rival Mississippi State - the Rebel Netters are likely to abuse the Maroons with the same intensity with which Ed Orgeron treats the English language.
Andy Kennedy's basketball team has all the predictability and consistency of a joint news conference with Sarah Palin and Charles Manson.
The likelihood that the baseball stadium will be completed to such a reasonable degree that my opening baseball weekend will not be marked by leather-eating red mud is significant less than the likelihood that Mike Slive has engineered some way for the Southeastern Conference to get some sizable portion of President Obama's $900 billion stimulus plan.
Pot. Kettle. Black.
This information, you may also know, inspired the following (herein paraphrased) comparison from one of my blolleagues, towit, "Being accused of cheating by Nick Saban is like reading 'On Child Raising' by Brittany Spears." Other comparisons below:
The dark period between national signing day and the last weekend in August is like a seventh-month Will and Grace marathon. Or worse.
The symbolic mudhole Bobbie Massie stomped into the hearts of Alabama fans is, while simultaneously sweet and sadistic, comparatively miniscule when viewed in perspective of the giant footsteps he will leave in his wake in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Starkville, etc.
In tonight's annual installment of the Mississippi Cup (formerly the River Hills Cup) - the annual non-conference tennis match between the Rebels and rival Mississippi State - the Rebel Netters are likely to abuse the Maroons with the same intensity with which Ed Orgeron treats the English language.
Andy Kennedy's basketball team has all the predictability and consistency of a joint news conference with Sarah Palin and Charles Manson.
The likelihood that the baseball stadium will be completed to such a reasonable degree that my opening baseball weekend will not be marked by leather-eating red mud is significant less than the likelihood that Mike Slive has engineered some way for the Southeastern Conference to get some sizable portion of President Obama's $900 billion stimulus plan.
RSC Poll: Diamonds in the Rough?
.jpeg)
Of the several less-highly rated (gettin' PC here) signees we inked yesterday, who do you feel has the potential to be great and prove that their two or three stars were the product of either poor scouting or evaluation?
Your choices are:
Michael Brown - OT
Jesse Grandy - ATH
Terrell Grant - WR
Dele Junaid - DB
Ja-Mes Logan - WR
Emmanuel McCray - OT
Andrew Ritter - K
Charles Sawyer - DB
Alex Williams - DE
I whittled this down to a list of eight by removing the obviously grossly underrated (Z Mason, for example) and likely grade casualties (Eric Smiley, for example). My choice would most certainly be Dele Junaid. While was very lightly recruited and scouted, he was an All 5A safety in Texas. He's got a great frame on which to build and I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up at OLB after a couple of seasons spent in the weightroom as a result of him taking a redshirt and riding the pine.
Vote on the left and share your pick and reasoning if you please.
OMG WE BEAT STATE IN RECRUITING LET"S MAKE A VIDEO
I'll never understand when fans make stupid videos that they think are funny.
Wow... genius. That was clever. I see what you did there... ha. The bulldog... his face... eyes... mouth... hilarity.
Hey, at least it's funnier than this one.
Wow... genius. That was clever. I see what you did there... ha. The bulldog... his face... eyes... mouth... hilarity.
Hey, at least it's funnier than this one.
Bobbie Massie Spurns Alabama, Incites Riots...
...and likely subsequently gave very little of a fuck about it. You can't scare Bobbie Massie.
HT: RidgeReb of NAFOOM
HT: RidgeReb of NAFOOM
The Local Voice #74
Our piece for this edition of TLV is about how obsessive a few of us get over recruiting. Take it with a grain of salt, like always and don't forget to comment, criticize, or politicize below.
Click the image for the full PDF of the special Oxford Film Festival edition of TLV. After reading it I've realized that living a day's drive away from the Film Festival is making my soul cry.
Click the image for the full PDF of the special Oxford Film Festival edition of TLV. After reading it I've realized that living a day's drive away from the Film Festival is making my soul cry.
Football Recruiting: Sorority Rush for Men
This edition of the Red [REDACTED] Cup via TLV is written by guest columnist, Miss Samantha Marie Alford, the rush chairwoman for [sorority redacted]. Note: the views of Miss Alford do not necessarily reflect the views of the Red [REDACTED] Cup or any of its writers.
Hi y'all! This is Samantha Marie here! I want to first start off by saying "Hotty Toddy y'all!" Wow, I LOVE Dallas and to get to go there last month was great! I got to visit the Galleria and all of my friends from Highland Park which was super. Oh and the Rebs won! Hotty Toddy whooooooooo!
But, y'all, the time spent since the Cotton Bowl win has gotten me worried. Yeah we're excited fans and we should love Coach Nutt and the players more than ever now! But, in the last few weeks, my boyfriend, Kyle, and my Dad, Stanley, have just gotten really weird lately. I mean, they've always been real Rebels and loved Ole Miss but... but...
Ok, keep this a secret, y'all. The honor of [cuddly sorority mascot redacted] depends on it.
I think my boyfriend and dad have become gay for Ole Miss football. Now, y'all, don't worry. They are good, God-fearing men but, well, they just have really gotten into these football players. Like, really gotten into them. What's even worse is that they've taken it a step further and gotten all gross over boys in high school.
Just the other day, I was playing around on Kyle's computer when I noticed that he was still logged into Facebook. After looking through his profile and typing that I am one of his "interests" (hehe) I went into his message box to see that he had been sending these black kids in high school and Jr. College suggestive messages behind my back!
"I really, really want you to come to Ole Miss," he told a boy named "Raymond."
"Craig" got one saying that Kyle thinks his "videos on the websites are awesome!"
What websites?! He's even added a few dozen of them as friends and promised to meet up with them in the Grove or at the Library! WE used to meet up in the Grove or at the Library back when we were first dating! What is Kyle up to?! I've caught him staring at and buying drinks for dudes at the bar! Some of my friends have even seen him parking his car outside football practices and just watching them with a smile on his faces.
The other day, he even noticed that one of these little boy's "stars" or "rating" or something had changed and was all excited about it but he didn't even notice that I added marigold highlights to my hair! :(
If that isn't enough, I'll catch him talking to my dad about these boys and, somehow, my dad knows what he's talking about! My daddy's getting all weird too! He would tell Kyle about how he would "watch" these boys at their high school and really admired their "thick bodies" and "long legs."
He even promised Kyle he would do whatever it took to get some of these boys to come to Ole Miss. "You're really going to enjoy some of these upcoming freshmen," he told him. Guh-ross!
OH, and do you wanna know the worst part??! No one can give me any guidance! I tried to talk to my preacher about this one and visited his office. After knocking on the door like, I dunno, a bazillion times I just walked in and saw him staring at his computer screen with his mouth all, like, wide open and whatever. He didn't even see me and, THEN when I walked up to his desk, I saw a website with all of these photographs of sweaty boys scowling at the camera and videos of them running around and grappling each others bodies! This is not what Jesus would do. It was horrible, y'all! I ran out of there screaming and then I just cried.
I don't know what to do...
I mean, I can see people getting this excited over the Grove, cowboy boots, a new dress from Marimekko, frozen yogurt machines, candlelights, or Spring Formal (!!!!!) but not over this football recruiting. Maybe since I'm all burnt out after memorizing about all of these girls--their pictures, their hometowns, their interests, their hair color, their sense of fashion, their promiscuity--during rush that I can't see why boys want to do it too.
I thought they were supposed to get excited over, I dunno, bowl victories and stuff. The Local Voice readers, please help me and all of the other girls whose boyfriends and daddies have been taken over by their sinful, icky obsession with football recruits. Please!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Recruiting Analysis: Offensive Line
First of all, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the live blog with us. It went over really well and it was a lot of fun. We'll have to do it again sometime.
Second of all, we've somehow got a 4-4 SEC record in basketball. We beat somebody by 19 earlier tonight. I don't know if I'll ever figure Rebel basketball out.
Finally, here are the offensive linemen we signed today. I am listing them in the order of "least impressive to me" to "holy fuck it's Bobbie Massie and he's out to get me."
5. Evan Swindall - Center - La Fayette HS - La Fayette, Georgia
Swindall seems to have been signed for two reasons: added depth and his experience as a center. If you'll recall, this season's center, Daverin Geralds, was recruited as a defensive tackle. I feel that this staff felt it necessary to bring in someone with the goal of them being added to our center depth as opposed to simply converting someone in the future. This isn't to knock Geralds, as I feel he performed admirably this season, but you've gotta have true centers on the roster.
4. Logan Clair - Offensive Tackle - NE OK A&M JC - Miami, OK
Logan Clair is definitely a guy the expect to contribute right away. Rarely would a team deep in any position, let alone on the offensive line, bring in a JUCO player so seeing this leads me to assume that Clair will see limited time on the field next year. Clair has good size and his JUCO experience should have him ready to play marginally significant role on the line, even if it's only for two years.
3. Michael Brown - Offensive Guard - Lexington HS - Lexington, TX
Michael Brown most certainly has the size on paper, but his photographs suggest that he's somewhat soft. His photos remind me of seeing Bradley Sowell fresh out of high school. If he slims down somewhat and replaces his baby fat with muscle, he could be a very good guard for us. Get to work, Michael. Also, he's got a kinda bizarre, 1930's henchman look to him in some of his pictures which is an added bonus.
Do you see it?
2. Emmanuel McCray - Offensive Tackle - Forest Hill HS - Jackson, MS
McCray's greatest quality is that he, like Brown, is coming straight out of high school with offers from the three biggest programs in the Magnolia State. He hasn't exhausted any of his eligibility with Jr. Colleges so he'll have plenty of time to grow under Don Decker and Mike Markuson. If McCray grows a bit larger and ups his mass and strength, he could become a solid lineman for the Rebs.
1. Bobbie Fucking Massie - Devourer of Joy - Hell HS - Your worst nightmare
If you need an explanation as to why Mr. Massie is the greatest offensive lineman Ole Miss has recruited since Michael Oher (if not before then) then you should reconsider your fandom. Bobbie Massie is gigantic, strong, and out to prove a point.
What point, you ask?
That you're a little bitch, that's what. He won't fail in proving this, either.
He's also not afraid to hurt your feelings or torture you cat-and-mouse style. He enjoys the misery of his victims. Today's "I'm committing to Alabama... NOT!" hat episode was proof enough of this.
Of course, he wouldn't have any desire to come play for Hooten Dale and the Murray State Mafia down here in OxFART so we Ole Pi$$ Webbuhs had to pull off something shady to get him here, right?!? Eat my ass, State, Bama, and Arkansas. Have fun getting your shit pancaked over the next few years. You're going to need to prepare for this ent/hydra early and often. I'd suggest you invest in some of these:
Tomorrow I'll cover receivers and tight ends while Juco will cover cornerbacks and safeties. Hotty Toddy 'n' all that. Good night.
Second of all, we've somehow got a 4-4 SEC record in basketball. We beat somebody by 19 earlier tonight. I don't know if I'll ever figure Rebel basketball out.
Finally, here are the offensive linemen we signed today. I am listing them in the order of "least impressive to me" to "holy fuck it's Bobbie Massie and he's out to get me."
5. Evan Swindall - Center - La Fayette HS - La Fayette, Georgia
Swindall seems to have been signed for two reasons: added depth and his experience as a center. If you'll recall, this season's center, Daverin Geralds, was recruited as a defensive tackle. I feel that this staff felt it necessary to bring in someone with the goal of them being added to our center depth as opposed to simply converting someone in the future. This isn't to knock Geralds, as I feel he performed admirably this season, but you've gotta have true centers on the roster.
4. Logan Clair - Offensive Tackle - NE OK A&M JC - Miami, OK
Logan Clair is definitely a guy the expect to contribute right away. Rarely would a team deep in any position, let alone on the offensive line, bring in a JUCO player so seeing this leads me to assume that Clair will see limited time on the field next year. Clair has good size and his JUCO experience should have him ready to play marginally significant role on the line, even if it's only for two years.
3. Michael Brown - Offensive Guard - Lexington HS - Lexington, TX
Michael Brown most certainly has the size on paper, but his photographs suggest that he's somewhat soft. His photos remind me of seeing Bradley Sowell fresh out of high school. If he slims down somewhat and replaces his baby fat with muscle, he could be a very good guard for us. Get to work, Michael. Also, he's got a kinda bizarre, 1930's henchman look to him in some of his pictures which is an added bonus.
Do you see it?2. Emmanuel McCray - Offensive Tackle - Forest Hill HS - Jackson, MS
McCray's greatest quality is that he, like Brown, is coming straight out of high school with offers from the three biggest programs in the Magnolia State. He hasn't exhausted any of his eligibility with Jr. Colleges so he'll have plenty of time to grow under Don Decker and Mike Markuson. If McCray grows a bit larger and ups his mass and strength, he could become a solid lineman for the Rebs.
1. Bobbie Fucking Massie - Devourer of Joy - Hell HS - Your worst nightmare
If you need an explanation as to why Mr. Massie is the greatest offensive lineman Ole Miss has recruited since Michael Oher (if not before then) then you should reconsider your fandom. Bobbie Massie is gigantic, strong, and out to prove a point.What point, you ask?
That you're a little bitch, that's what. He won't fail in proving this, either.
He's also not afraid to hurt your feelings or torture you cat-and-mouse style. He enjoys the misery of his victims. Today's "I'm committing to Alabama... NOT!" hat episode was proof enough of this.
Of course, he wouldn't have any desire to come play for Hooten Dale and the Murray State Mafia down here in OxFART so we Ole Pi$$ Webbuhs had to pull off something shady to get him here, right?!? Eat my ass, State, Bama, and Arkansas. Have fun getting your shit pancaked over the next few years. You're going to need to prepare for this ent/hydra early and often. I'd suggest you invest in some of these:
Tomorrow I'll cover receivers and tight ends while Juco will cover cornerbacks and safeties. Hotty Toddy 'n' all that. Good night.
Recruiting Analysis: Defensive Line
We'll be doing these by position over the next few days. Let me just say that we're absolutely thrilled with the signing class. It has exceeded all of our expectations. This staff really put together an incredible class. So now for the analysis.
Defensive Ends:
Craig Drummond - With offers from everywhere imaginable, Drummond is the best defensive player that we signed. His video is just incredible.
Drummond will probably be in the rotation a little bit this season (since the coaches promised him they wouldn't redshirt him), but his real impact can be expected when the three senior DEs (Hardy, Tillman, Stephens) graduate. Drummond was a five-star before spending his senior year in street clothes due to injury. An uncanny pass-rusher and run-stuffer, he is a complete defensive end and is a huge recruit. My favorite thing about Drummond is that he appears to be unrefined and is still dominating. You can teach swim moves and spins, but you can't teach 260 pounds. Oh, did I mention that Drummond also ran track in high school, competing in hurdles?
Alex Williams - Williams is probably our second most heralded defensive end signee. With offers from Michigan, Tennessee, South Florida, Arkansas, and Iowa, Williams could develop into an elite pass rusher. He's only listed at 210 lbs., so he'll have to gain some weight, but he shows a knack for getting to the quarterback.
I expect Williams to redshirt based on the amount of depth we have returning at defensive end. He will be expected to contribute a good bit as a redshirt freshman though, since he'll probably be the 4th best DE on the team at the time. Williams' speed is incredible from the defensive end position, and he does a good job finsihing plays in his video. I hope he can get two hands on the ball carrier in college, but I'm sure that our coaches will work on that with him.
Cameron Whigham -
I'm not big on Whigham. I think he's overrated, and his video certainly doesn't look like a 6'3" 240 lb prospect. Certainly, he could be good, but I don't expect it. Maybe a greyshirt.
Defensive Tackle:
Corey Gaines -
Gaines is an Army All-American, and the coaches are really high on him. I can't give you an evaluation of him since I haven't seen any video of him playing defensive tackle. I can tell you two things about him:
1. He's big, and the coaches really like him a lot.
2. He was unimpressive at Center at Army All-American practices and didn't play in the game.
Gaines had offers from Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Rutgers and South Florida. As long as we're getting players that many other legitimate schools are going after, we're doing well.
Eric Smiley -
I'm going to talk about Eric Smiley even though he's probably a sign and place. Smiley is perplexing. He garnered early offers from USC among many other excellent schools and then fell off the map. Our friendly neighborhood Arkansas fan, GonzoHog, assures me that the only reason Eric Smiley was not recruited harder after his senior year was grades. Apparently, Smiley is a physical freak who is a great combination of size and speed. Unfortunately, his grades are, from all accounts, not good enough to get into college right now. I hope we can hold onto him after he finishes Butler CC.
Bo Tillman -
Again, probably not reasonable to talk about since he has already enrolled at a junior college and isn't even on our commitment lists, but it's worth noting that Tillman will only be there for three semesters. That means he'll be at Ole Miss in the fall of 2010 with four years to play three. That coincides well with the projected loss of Jerrell Powe (who will probably go pro after next season). Tillman was a great player in high school, and he will probably inject a lot of strength and size into the interior of our defensive line when he gets to Ole Miss. Tillman uses his sheer size to overpower offensive linemen. I hope we can teach him to really move when he gets here.
I do wish that we had gotten another immediate qualifier at defensive tackle, but it's not immediately necessary to have more than one. Returning Powe, Laurent, Scott, Smith and Sanders (yeah... I think he's still on the team) makes any recruits third teamers. That should give Gaines a while to learn, but we need to sign two qualifiers next year (one would be Tillman).
That's it for me. GOJC should have an offensive line analysis up later tonight. I'm sure it will be funnier but less analytical.
Defensive Ends:
Craig Drummond - With offers from everywhere imaginable, Drummond is the best defensive player that we signed. His video is just incredible.
Drummond will probably be in the rotation a little bit this season (since the coaches promised him they wouldn't redshirt him), but his real impact can be expected when the three senior DEs (Hardy, Tillman, Stephens) graduate. Drummond was a five-star before spending his senior year in street clothes due to injury. An uncanny pass-rusher and run-stuffer, he is a complete defensive end and is a huge recruit. My favorite thing about Drummond is that he appears to be unrefined and is still dominating. You can teach swim moves and spins, but you can't teach 260 pounds. Oh, did I mention that Drummond also ran track in high school, competing in hurdles?
Alex Williams - Williams is probably our second most heralded defensive end signee. With offers from Michigan, Tennessee, South Florida, Arkansas, and Iowa, Williams could develop into an elite pass rusher. He's only listed at 210 lbs., so he'll have to gain some weight, but he shows a knack for getting to the quarterback.
I expect Williams to redshirt based on the amount of depth we have returning at defensive end. He will be expected to contribute a good bit as a redshirt freshman though, since he'll probably be the 4th best DE on the team at the time. Williams' speed is incredible from the defensive end position, and he does a good job finsihing plays in his video. I hope he can get two hands on the ball carrier in college, but I'm sure that our coaches will work on that with him.
Cameron Whigham -
I'm not big on Whigham. I think he's overrated, and his video certainly doesn't look like a 6'3" 240 lb prospect. Certainly, he could be good, but I don't expect it. Maybe a greyshirt.
Defensive Tackle:
Corey Gaines -
Gaines is an Army All-American, and the coaches are really high on him. I can't give you an evaluation of him since I haven't seen any video of him playing defensive tackle. I can tell you two things about him:
1. He's big, and the coaches really like him a lot.
2. He was unimpressive at Center at Army All-American practices and didn't play in the game.
Gaines had offers from Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Rutgers and South Florida. As long as we're getting players that many other legitimate schools are going after, we're doing well.
Eric Smiley -
I'm going to talk about Eric Smiley even though he's probably a sign and place. Smiley is perplexing. He garnered early offers from USC among many other excellent schools and then fell off the map. Our friendly neighborhood Arkansas fan, GonzoHog, assures me that the only reason Eric Smiley was not recruited harder after his senior year was grades. Apparently, Smiley is a physical freak who is a great combination of size and speed. Unfortunately, his grades are, from all accounts, not good enough to get into college right now. I hope we can hold onto him after he finishes Butler CC.
Bo Tillman -
Again, probably not reasonable to talk about since he has already enrolled at a junior college and isn't even on our commitment lists, but it's worth noting that Tillman will only be there for three semesters. That means he'll be at Ole Miss in the fall of 2010 with four years to play three. That coincides well with the projected loss of Jerrell Powe (who will probably go pro after next season). Tillman was a great player in high school, and he will probably inject a lot of strength and size into the interior of our defensive line when he gets to Ole Miss. Tillman uses his sheer size to overpower offensive linemen. I hope we can teach him to really move when he gets here.
I do wish that we had gotten another immediate qualifier at defensive tackle, but it's not immediately necessary to have more than one. Returning Powe, Laurent, Scott, Smith and Sanders (yeah... I think he's still on the team) makes any recruits third teamers. That should give Gaines a while to learn, but we need to sign two qualifiers next year (one would be Tillman).
That's it for me. GOJC should have an offensive line analysis up later tonight. I'm sure it will be funnier but less analytical.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)