Pick your Impact Recruit of 2019

[Trueblue25]

Anyone hear how monroe mentioned Nunn could be used as a wildcat QB?


He was more than likely just saying that. But wow this kids crazy gifted.

 

[Oildrilling]

Watch Benson's film. How is he not rated higher? This could be the case of not going to all the "camps." This kid is super athletic and crazy fast. I think one of the coaches said sub 10.8! Watching him split the middle of the field is going to be fun (if he stays at TE).

 

[tep624]

Tisdale and one of the Lber's on the immediate 2 deep. The need is there due to depth, and we lose both starting OT's and 2 starting Lber's.

I also like Jordan, Nunn and Jackson a lot.

 

[timkay99]

Early impact suggests you need to look at your January enrollees (like Cisco).

The obvious focus on these have been on LB's and Jordan, but Courtney Jackson is here in January, Nykeim didn't exactly show the best hands and Courtney ran a very similar route tree in HS. If it's an under the radar dude, it is him.

I personally would be surprised if neither Jones or Kpogba get any run next fall. Would expect one of them to see the field with their combination of athleticism and being here in January.

Benson is the wildcard, depends how predictable we want to be with personnel, as he needs to add weight to be able to handle blocking responsibilities in the ACC, but is a receiving threat that we haven't seen here. It may come down to how the OL looks.

Tisdale should start, don't typically recruit a JUCO OT with both starters graduating. If he gets beat out, I think that's a good thing for the team and not a mis-evaluation of Tisdale, means a couple dudes stepped up bigly in the spring and in developing their bodies.

It's a super exciting class with athleticism up and down I don't think Syracuse has seen in a class in a long time.

I am most excited for the future, the DE's with 20 pounds on them and Cantin-Arku once he learns the intricacies of playing LB in this system. Having played CB in high school probably means he has a bigger developmental curve, but that ceiling is ginormous.

 

[AAM62]

No I don't, but Clifton Smith did it and then Andre Cisco became a 3rd team AA at safety ...

Jones gets the jump with spring ball. I don't think it's out of the question if we play a 4-3

I think its easier for a safety because they don't have to shed blocks from offensive linemen

 

[blizz]

Watch Benson's film. How is he not rated higher? This could be the case of not going to all the "camps." This kid is super athletic and crazy fast. I think one of the coaches said sub 10.8! Watching him split the middle of the field is going to be fun (if he stays at TE).

Sub 10.8 at 6'3", 235. Good luck defending the vertical in 2 high. Kid is going to be a problem.

 

[TheCusian]

You guys really think they're going to start a freshman linebacker? maybe one can crack the rotation but i dont think a freshman will get a ton of snaps.

I didn't think they'd start a freshman safety.

 

[corpjet]

My pick is a February signee, 4* kid that's not on our radar yet!

 

[weedsportwarriors]

Probably not next year, but once Benson adds some weight he is going to be that threat down the middle that will open up the whole field. He will be able to out run the LBs and probably many safeties as well. Overall, I think one of the LBs (Kpogba, Jones, Cantu) will end up being the star of this class.

 

[IthacaMatt]

You guys really think they're going to start a freshman linebacker? maybe one can crack the rotation but i dont think a freshman will get a ton of snaps.

He's going to be on campus for eight months prior to his first game.

For all 8 of those guys coming in early, that's almost like they will have their redshirt year behind them before the season starts, and lots of practices and S&C work to get used to the system.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I'm going out on a limb and say no one makes a significant impact. This isn't a bad thing. Give these guys a year or two to develop and watch out.

I like the sentiment but there are too many good players coming in. A bunch of them are going to play, and make a difference.

 

[gbo]

Andrew Booth. He's going to be a star.

 

[shu 49]

Early impact suggests you need to look at your January enrollees (like Cisco).

The obvious focus on these have been on LB's and Jordan, but Courtney Jackson is here in January, Nykeim didn't exactly show the best hands and Courtney ran a very similar route tree in HS. If it's an under the radar dude, it is him.

I personally would be surprised if neither Jones or Kpogba get any run next fall. Would expect one of them to see the field with their combination of athleticism and being here in January.

Benson is the wildcard, depends how predictable we want to be with personnel, as he needs to add weight to be able to handle blocking responsibilities in the ACC, but is a receiving threat that we haven't seen here. It may come down to how the OL looks.

Tisdale should start, don't typically recruit a JUCO OT with both starters graduating. If he gets beat out, I think that's a good thing for the team and not a mis-evaluation of Tisdale, means a couple dudes stepped up bigly in the spring and in developing their bodies.

It's a super exciting class with athleticism up and down I don't think Syracuse has seen in a class in a long time.

I am most excited for the future, the DE's with 20 pounds on them and Cantin-Arku once he learns the intricacies of playing LB in this system. Having played CB in high school probably means he has a bigger developmental curve, but that ceiling is ginormous.

When didn’t Nykeim have great hands. One game I believe he dropped Td throw at Nd. Other than that he made some terrific catches and was extremely consistent.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

When didn’t Nykeim have great hands. One game I believe he dropped Td throw at Nd. Other than that he made some terrific catches and was extremely consistent.

He had a couple of bad drops his freshman year.

 

[shu 49]

He had a couple of bad drops his freshman year.

Right but this year he stepped up big time and he tends to get really open a lot.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I think Dawson has already made a great impact.

 

[JackBauer44]

My personal opinion.

Anthony Red. Give him one year as a redshirt and he will be a 4 year starter. Physical, agile, great feet, and comes in with a solid foundation.

 

[shu 49]

My personal opinion.

Anthony Red. Give him one year as a redshirt and he will be a 4 year starter. Physical, agile, great feet, and comes in with a solid foundation.

I always get nervous when a red shirt frosh starts though don’t u. It seems that position needs seasoned guys to gell really well. We haven’t had a frosh oline start in a while have we?

 

[timkay99]

When didn’t Nykeim have great hands. One game I believe he dropped Td throw at Nd. Other than that he made some terrific catches and was extremely consistent.

Great hands? For me, his hands were slightly ahead of Custis, just Custis had a much larger catch radius.

He had the third best hands, IMO, of the 4 WR's who got a lot of run as it settled in, as I personally thought Riley and Harris had better hands.

For context, great means above average to a plus tool. We don't have a WR with above average to plus hands yet.

 

[reedny]

Sub 10.8 at 6'3", 235. Good luck defending the vertical in 2 high. Kid is going to be a problem.

Totally. My post mentions his speed .. unbelievable at his size - an immediate upgrade and matchup problem for opposing teams. Baber's air raid offensive approach is up-tempo, but it's possession at the same time .. over the middle stuff to the slot guys, TE, WR screens and then deep on occasion (maybe we'll get to see T-Jackson in the CWB). TE speed like Benson's is really going to be hard for teams to defend against with all the other threats in this offense.

 

[javadoc]

Read this closely:

signing day video commentary - per Coach Ward ..."Mikel Jones comes highly recommended by my good friend Kevin Wright at IMG Academy. He'll play either inside LB spot for us and what attracted me to him is his football intelligence, he has an incredibly high IQ, he's a leader, he encompasses all the qualities we're looking for in a LB in our system, we expect Mikel to have an impact early."


FWIW, Kevin Wright is the IMG Academy head coach. Nice friend for us to have. Juan Wallace, Andre Cisco and now Mikel Jones.

Wonder how many NY coaches, especially in the NYC area, have the same attitude.

Going to stop there before I get banned.

 

[sutomcat]

If the question is short term (which will make the biggest impact in 2019), it would surely be one of the early enrollees.

Mikel Jones - LB (Signed LOI) *** O/D ALL AMERICAN***
Lee Kpogba - LB (Signed LOI)
Jawhar Jordan - RB (Signed LOI) (Grayshirt)
Andrew Tuazama - DE (Signed LOI) (Prep)
Courtney Jackson- WR (Signed LOI)
Adrian Cole - CB (Signed LOI)
Cooper Dawson - DL (Signed LOI)
Anthony Red- OT (Signed LOI)

There is little opportunity for immediate playing time at RB or WR, so let's eliminate Jordan and Jackson.
There is even less opportunity for a CB, so I am going to eliminate Cole.

2 of the 2.5 spots at LB are open, so there is ample opportunity there, but there are a number of more experienced guys in front of the frosh. That being said, I think Brian Ward places a high priority at LB for making the right reads and completing assignments. The LB positions at SU are not a good place to bring in a true frsoh great athlete and let him free lance and makes plays based on athletic ability alone. So I hesitate to include either of these really talented youngsters.

That leaves DE, with Tua and Dawson. I see Tua as being more of a power guy, and ultimately destined for DT. Don't see him playing right away. Dawson has a really impressive blend of size, quickness and power. I could see him possibly breaking into the two deep, joining Coleman, Robinson and Jonathan.

There is an opportunity for immediate PT for Red, regardless of whether he is put at OG, OT (or C for that matter). Still, it is hard for a frosh OL to make an immediate impact, especially when there is a gaggle of more experienced, bigger, more mature players in front of him.

So if the question is immediate impact, I think Dawson might, but we have enough depth at DE that I don't think he needs to play right away and probably will not.

Long term, I think Benson or Dawson. Could be a lot of these kids; lots of impressive athletic ability in this class. But Benson is truly unique. He has elite speed, his hands look terrific, he is physical and looks like a hell of a blocker too. We don't have anyone else on the team like him. While we haven't used the TE much in the Babers era, I think that is going to change. Hopefully we can red-shirt him but watch out in 2020-2023!

 

[Shenexon]

If the question is short term (which will make the biggest impact in 2019), it would surely be one of the early enrollees.

Mikel Jones - LB (Signed LOI) *** O/D ALL AMERICAN***
Lee Kpogba - LB (Signed LOI)
Jawhar Jordan - RB (Signed LOI) (Grayshirt)
Andrew Tuazama - DE (Signed LOI) (Prep)
Courtney Jackson- WR (Signed LOI)
Adrian Cole - CB (Signed LOI)
Cooper Dawson - DL (Signed LOI)
Anthony Red- OT (Signed LOI)

There is little opportunity for immediate playing time at RB or WR, so let's eliminate Jordan and Jackson.
There is even less opportunity for a CB, so I am going to eliminate Cole.

2 of the 2.5 spots at LB are open, so there is ample opportunity there, but there are a number of more experienced guys in front of the frosh. That being said, I think Brian Ward places a high priority at LB for making the right reads and completing assignments. The LB positions at SU are not a good place to bring in a true frsoh great athlete and let him free lance and makes plays based on athletic ability alone. So I hesitate to include either of these really talented youngsters.

That leaves DE, with Tua and Dawson. I see Tua as being more of a power guy, and ultimately destined for DT. Don't see him playing right away. Dawson has a really impressive blend of size, quickness and power. I could see him possibly breaking into the two deep, joining Coleman, Robinson and Jonathan.

There is an opportunity for immediate PT for Red, regardless of whether he is put at OG, OT (or C for that matter). Still, it is hard for a frosh OL to make an immediate impact, especially when there is a gaggle of more experienced, bigger, more mature players in front of him.

So if the question is immediate impact, I think Dawson might, but we have enough depth at DE that I don't think he needs to play right away and probably will not.

Long term, I think Benson or Dawson. Could be a lot of these kids; lots of impressive athletic ability in this class. But Benson is truly unique. He has elite speed, his hands look terrific, he is physical and looks like a hell of a blocker too. We don't have anyone else on the team like him. While we haven't used the TE much in the Babers era, I think that is going to change. Hopefully we can red-shirt him but watch out in 2020-2023!

Thanks for your thoughts on Benson. He seems to have a burst of acceleration that could meld well with Devito's skills. We've had some great tight ends and it would be wonderful to add another name to that list.

 

[721Comstock]

If the question is short term (which will make the biggest impact in 2019), it would surely be one of the early enrollees.

Mikel Jones - LB (Signed LOI) *** O/D ALL AMERICAN***
Lee Kpogba - LB (Signed LOI)
Jawhar Jordan - RB (Signed LOI) (Grayshirt)
Andrew Tuazama - DE (Signed LOI) (Prep)
Courtney Jackson- WR (Signed LOI)
Adrian Cole - CB (Signed LOI)
Cooper Dawson - DL (Signed LOI)
Anthony Red- OT (Signed LOI)

There is little opportunity for immediate playing time at RB or WR, so let's eliminate Jordan and Jackson.
There is even less opportunity for a CB, so I am going to eliminate Cole.

2 of the 2.5 spots at LB are open, so there is ample opportunity there, but there are a number of more experienced guys in front of the frosh. That being said, I think Brian Ward places a high priority at LB for making the right reads and completing assignments. The LB positions at SU are not a good place to bring in a true frsoh great athlete and let him free lance and makes plays based on athletic ability alone. So I hesitate to include either of these really talented youngsters.

That leaves DE, with Tua and Dawson. I see Tua as being more of a power guy, and ultimately destined for DT. Don't see him playing right away. Dawson has a really impressive blend of size, quickness and power. I could see him possibly breaking into the two deep, joining Coleman, Robinson and Jonathan.

There is an opportunity for immediate PT for Red, regardless of whether he is put at OG, OT (or C for that matter). Still, it is hard for a frosh OL to make an immediate impact, especially when there is a gaggle of more experienced, bigger, more mature players in front of him.

So if the question is immediate impact, I think Dawson might, but we have enough depth at DE that I don't think he needs to play right away and probably will not.

Long term, I think Benson or Dawson. Could be a lot of these kids; lots of impressive athletic ability in this class. But Benson is truly unique. He has elite speed, his hands look terrific, he is physical and looks like a hell of a blocker too. We don't have anyone else on the team like him. While we haven't used the TE much in the Babers era, I think that is going to change. Hopefully we can red-shirt him but watch out in 2020-2023!

Solid take, down the line.

But - I'll beg to differ about PT at WR -
in theory, Taj wouldn't have gotten much run this year, behind our "bell cow" WR Butler.
But the Butler did NOT do it, so Taj made the most of it, and usurped that role as the season wore on.

And at RB, Jawhar might just be explosive enough to earn some PT, in spite of us having Moe, Adams, and Jarveon ahead of him.

In a perfect world, our returning crop of LB's is good enough to hold off Jones & Kpogba, but we don't live in a perfect world, so I'd imagine at least one of them makes the 2-deep, if not both.
Army & Shy your likely starters, but the other 3-4 slots in the LB rotation are WIDE open.

IF Benson can make the blocks needed, he could be a very valuable weapon at TE.

Can Cole crack the secondary 2-deep, next to Cisco?
There's a lot of returning talent there.

I agree 100% that the DL is pretty established, so it's unlikely any of these guys contributes there early.
(Dawson is still coming off ACL, so I'd imagine its very unlikely he plays at all.)
But down the line, several could be impact players.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

Could Jackson or Jordan break through returning kicks?