Eight players at Nike's football recruit training camp ended the day with invites to The Opening.
The Nike football recruit training camp was excellent Sunday, despite some rainy and cold conditions. Eight players earned invites to The Opening, and over 150 FBS-level players were in attendance.
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Chuma Edoga, of Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern, had a fantastic day in earning an invite to The Opening. The 2015 offensive linemen is set to decide on May 25, and I have a write-up coming on his decision. Edoga came in at 6'3.5, 277 pounds, and ran an amazing 4.86 40-yard dash. It was extremely impressive, as were his other testing numbers, like a 4.46 shuttle and a 32" vertical jump.
But Edoga was not just a workout warrior. He showed good footwork in drills, and was fantastic in one-on-ones, showing quickness, aggressiveness and balance. I'll be interested to see how Edoga does as he adds the 30 or so pounds he needs for college, and am excited to see more of him at The Opening.
Dallas Warmack, the younger brother of Chance Warmack, also earned an invite to The Opening. The 6'2, 305-pounder is committed to follow in his brother's footsteps at Alabama. Warmack has excellent balance and power for an interior player, and is built much like his brother. However, he did not wear a belly shirt.
I still think Clemson commit Mitch Hyatt, of Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett, is one of, if not the best offensive tackle prospect in the country, but he came in considerably lighter than expected at 6'6, 258 pounds, which is very, very light. I know Hyatt is playing basketball and that the sport contributes to weight loss, but keeping on muscle is a trait, and I want to see Hyatt maintain a higher level of muscle mass.
Hyatt was fantastic in drills, but he did not do well in one-on-ones, and did not earn an invite to The Opening.
Chris Barnes, of Leesburg (Ga.) Lee County, is a fantastic 2016 prospect, showing great balance and feet. He should have many offers within the year. And Ben Cleveland is one of the best looking underclassmen prospects you'll ever see, at 6'7, 314 pounds with a 5.11 40-yard dash. Unlike Barnes, Cleveland is a known commodity and has tons of offers.
The defensive line was just as loaded, with numerous elite prospects showing out, though none received invites to The Opening.
Austin Bryant, of Thomasville (Fla.) Thomas County Central showed his trademark burst off the ball, and bested everyone but Edoga. The 6'4, 245-pounder is one of the ten best defensive ends I've seen this year, and a natural pass rusher. He backed up his four-star rating.
Walker discusses his recruiting
UGA commitment Chauncey Rivers isn't the biggest (6'2, 245 pounds), but he also showed good quickness off the edge. D'Andre Walker, of Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes, showed much of the same, though he is thinner than Rivers. Walker has Georgia and Tennessee standing out. Both are quite quick off the edge. Natriz Patrick, another four-star weak-side end from Atlanta (Ga.) Mays, also fits that mold. Atlanta was filled with good pass rushers.
Michael Barnett, of Dorchester (S.C.) Woodand, caught my eye as one of the top strong-side type ends, and has excellent length.
Two underclassmen were the best at defensive tackle: Julian Rochester, of Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern, and Derrick Brown, of Buford (Ga.) Lanier. I think Rochester could also be an excellent offensive tackle with his length.
WR/TE/DB -- by Jason Kirk
2017 Suwanee, GA defensive back DeAngelo Gibbs made at least as much of an impact as any junior or senior. At 6'2, 200 pounds, he already has a full, powerful frame, which he knows how to use well. At one point, he jammed a receiver so hard the smaller upperclassmen left the drill and went back to stand in line -- Gibbs ended a play before it had even started. He blew an assignment while lined up at safety, but it's easy to see why he has offers from Baylor, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina as a sophomore.
The most eye-catching receiver was 6'4 2015 Tennessee commit Preston Williams. Some regard Williams as the top receiver in the country. His physique made him too much for any of the corners to consistently handle, and he's a receiver to the core (for better and worse -- he dragged a little during non-catching drills and flipped a caught ball or two back in his opponents' faces). Williams received an invite to The Opening.
Georgia commit Terry Godwin was the most complete and polished receiver. The 165-pound senior from Callaway, GA runs routes well and got open without much stress during seven-on-seven drills. And while he played receiver on the day, Godwin is also a talented defensive back. Godwin also received an invite to The Opening.
Josh Imatorbhebhe, a 6'1 junior out of North Gwinnett, GA, also excelled against defensive backs. He claims a Boston College offer.
Junior Demetris Robertson, a 6'1 athlete from Savannah who claims offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and others, impressed in just about everything he did, from agility drills to one-on-ones.
Mechane Slade, a 5'10 running back from Roswell, GA, ran routes and caught better than most of the receivers, suggesting he'll be a capable dual threat in college.
Kevin Toliver II, considered by most to be the best cornerback in the country, also received an invite to The Opening despite sitting out for a while with an apparent leg injury.
RB/LB -- by Ingram Smith
Griffin shows off his quickness
Despite being on the shorter side, running back Taj Griffin, of Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern, stood tall over all other backs on the day. Griffin was way too much for any running back to consistently handle. Griffin is incredibly quick, and has good top-end speed. And he changes directions quite well, adjusting to throws. Griffin has some size limitations, but he is excellent at being a multi-purpose back. For his efforts, he received an invite to The Opening.
Kyle Davis, a talented 2016 recruit out of Lawrencevile (Ga.) Archer, with offers from Miami and Mississippi State, had a very good day.
On the linebacker side, two stars earned invites to The Opening.
Quarte Sapp, of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton, had a strong day, showing his quickness. The 6'2, 205-pounder must add good weight, but he has the athleticism to back up his major offers. The same goes for Montezuma (Ga.) Macon County's Roquan Smith, who is also 6'1, 200 pounds, with great quickness, but in need of size.
Miami (Fla.) Gulliver Prep recruits Dionte Mullins (2016 WR), Robert Burns (2017 RB), Cedrick Wright (I think that's Wright, a 2016 DB) and Dominic Shepard (2015 LB) stopped by FSU this morning for a visit. Many prospects are visiting this month because they have off from school for spring break.
On a field with more than 150 FBS-level football football recruits, offensive lineman Chuma Edoga stole the show at the Atlanta Nike football recruit camp. Out of Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern, the 6'3, 277-pound Edoga turned in an incredible 4.86 40-yard dash, and other impressive testing numbers as well. But he wasn't just a workout warrior -- he also dominated during 1-on-1s, showing very quick feet and a mean streak. For his efforts, he earned an invite to The Opening (the premiere football recruiting summer showcase, hosted at Nike's headquarters).
"It's good, and the competition is getting better," Edoga said of the experience. "It helps me foster my skills and is a good, fun opportunity."
Edoga has offers from all across the country.
"I narrowed it down to a top four of Tennessee, USC, UGA and Stanford," Edoga said of his recruiting while wearing an Auburn visor. "Auburn is sort of a dark horse," he added when asked about the Tigers.
Born in Virginia but raised in Georgia, he rooted for the Bulldogs coming up. Despite that, his leader, ever so slightly, is the Tennessee Volunteers.
"Right now Tennessee has a slight edge," Edoga said. "They are recruiting me the hardest and I have a good relationship with their coaches."
His mom is not yet sold on Tennessee. But Edoga plans to visit Knoxville with her for Tennessee's spring game.
"You have to win over my mom," Edoga said. "And of course I need good academics. I want to major in aeronautics engineering. UGA doesn't have it, but their program builds to it. All the other schools do offer it"
"She likes Stanford," Edoga said of his mother's choice. "We have a lot of family in California and they have great academics."
Edoga will have a chance to see Stanford, along with USC, during the first week of April when he takes a recruiting trip to the West Coast.
Given that his recruitment is at an advanced stage, Edoga has tentative plans to commit on May 25, his birthday.
Cole Minshew, of Douglas (Ga.) Coffee County, is one of the top offensive linemen in the Southeast. Sunday, he competed at the Nike football recruit training camp in Atlanta. And while Minshew did not stand out in 1-on-1s, he did come in at an impressive 6'6, 319, and looked good in drills.
"It's a great environment to be able to compete against the top athletes in Georgia," Minshew said of the Nike event.
Before the event, I spoke with Minshew, who has been committed to Florida State for about a month.
"I'm probably 75 percent committed to Florida State, but there is one school that might change my mind," Minshew said.
The school? The in-state Georgia Bulldogs, who have not yet offered Minshew.
"I grew up a pretty big Georgia fan," Minshew said.
Despite that, Minshew has a better current relationship with FSU's coaches.
"My relationship with Florida State is closer than my relationship with Georgia, because Florida State was on me earlier," Minshew said.
Could a Georgia offer come soon?
"Yessir, they are evaluating me and said an offer could come at any time," Minshew said of the Bulldogs.
Minshew will look to further his relationship with FSU this week, when he visits Tallahassee.
He also is looking to visit South Carolina after his FSU visit, as the Gamecocks have been pressing hard for him to make the trip.
Coming in at 6'6 and 319, I wondered if some teams are looking at Minshew as a tackle and not just a guard or center -- which FSU is currently wanting him to play.
"It's about the same with everyone, really," Minshew said.
The star linebacker is taking his time and planning visits.
Out of Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett, Adonis Thomas is one of the best linebackers in the Southeast. The four-star set out to prove just that Sunday at the Atlanta stop of the Nike Football Recruit Training Camp Tour. The 6'4, 215-pounder was excited to compete.
"It's really big. That's why I'm here, to compete," Thomas said. "We all know each other because we played in the Georgia Rising Seniors game. We're all cool, but at the same time, when it's time to compete, it's time to go."
What makes Thomas confident in his abilities?
"My speed, definitely my speed," Thomas said. "And my recognition. I can read a play real fast."
Thomas has offers from almost every major school in the country, but a few stand out at this point.
"Florida, Alabama, UCLA, Stanford, Texas A&M, Georgia," Thomas said. He also noted that he has not talked with Ohio State recently.
"I've always been a fan of Florida football, and I grew up a Miami fan, but at the same time I watched Florida and Florida State," Thomas said of his rooting interests growing up.
What sticks out about the Florida Gators?
"The way they're recruiting me," Thomas said. "They have good DCs. Coach Muschamp is a DC, and Coach Durkin is a DC."
Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, recently hired from Florida State, is also making a difference.
"Coach Pruitt is changing the defense," Thomas said. "He loves speed, so I think I fit there, too."
"Georgia and Florida are recruiting me to play all four linebacker positions, but I'm playing middle this year," he added.
Thomas is lining up some visit plans.
"I'm going to Florida next week, Alabama the week after that and Florida (again) for the spring game," Thomas said.
And he wants to see even more schools over the summer and fall.
"I'm going to try to go to Georgia, Florida, UCLA, Stanford and Texas A&M, too," Thomas said of his plans over the summer, but noted that some of the trips are far away and might have to wait until he takes his official visits.
What will it take for a school to land Thomas' commitment?
"Academics come first, and having my mom out there and making sure she's confident in my choice," Thomas said of the factors that matter in his recruitment. "I'm going to be a C.P.A. I want my own business. I like math."
Given that he wants to take all of his official visits, Thomas won't be committing anytime soon. He wants to do it on National Signing Day, or perhaps slightly before at a postseason All-Star game.
Michael Barnett, of Dorchester (S.C.) Woodland, was one of the top competitors at the Atlanta Nike football recruit camp. Barnett has the ideal frame for a strong-side defensive end, at 6'4 and 245 pounds, with length to add more good size. He is a consensus four-star recruit, and decommitted from Virginia Tech in early February. I spoke with Barnett about his recruitment and the chance to compete at the Atlanta Nike.
"It's a great opportunity to show my skills. I hate losing, and I want to show my high motor," Barnett said.
Since decommitting from Virginia Tech, many big schools have been showing interest in Barnett.
"N.C. State, Florida, Florida State, Clemson and Georgia," Barnett said. "And Alabama is showing interest as well. It would be nice to have an offer from Oregon because of their uniforms, and I want to see their facility."
Several schools stick out to Barnett: N.C. Sate, Virginia Tech, FSU, UGA and Clemson.
Barnett is being recruited by coaches Elliot and Hoby from Clemson.
"A lot of people from my school, like Ty Hill and Robert Smith have graduated from Clemson," Barnett said. "Clemson is a good school. They tell me it's a Clemson school and I should go to Clemson. But I'm more open. I have a chance to explore all my options."
Coach Graham is recruiting him for the Seminoles.
"He tells me that he wants a spear on my helmet, it's a great program, and I could fit in very well there," Barnett said of his interactions with coach Graham at Florida State.
Barnett has already seen N.C. State several times.
"I like N.C. State and know their coaching staff well," Barnett said.
And the big defensive end wants to visit Georgia soon.
"I've watched Georgia growing up, and I really want to see them during the spring," Barnett said.
Barnett wants to make his decision after his senior season.
The final offensive and defensive line reps from the Atlanta Nike Camp. Stars like Chuma Edoga and Dallas Warmack are included, along with Austin Bryant.
Good video. Bits of the logo (removing the "Florida State" from the feather and replacing it with "FSU" further up) are revealed. It's consistent with the image I've seen.
Josh Sweat is one of the top defensive end recruits in the country.
Josh Sweat, a weak-side defensive end out of Oscar Smith High School (Va.), is one of the top defensive prospects in the country.
Sweat, who is 6'5, 230 pounds (and growing), is rated by the 247 composite as the 33rd best player in the 2015 class. He is also listed as the fourth best weak-side defensive end and the second-best player from Virginia. The recruiting analysts at 24/7Sports think very highly of Sweat, slotting him as the sixth best player overall in their top-247 list. ESPN and Rivals list Sweat as a four-star prospect in their top-100 lists.
Sweat has pulled in scholarship offers from schools all over the country, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. Despite only being a junior, he has already received upwards of 25 offers.
First, Sweat has the desired size for a weak-side defensive end. At 6'5 and 230 or so pounds, Sweat has the length teams are looking for, and yet has room to add 20 pounds of muscle so that he won't be a liability against the run.
But what really stands out about Sweat is the ridiculous, incredible burst that most great weak-side pass rushers. He explodes at the snap and overwhelms blockers with his speed. Defensive ends either have this or they don't. And Sweat does.
And it's not just the speed. Sweat converts speed to power quite well. That's because he plays with solid bend and lean, driving through his hips and extending his arms. As Sweat matures as a pass rusher, he'll be able to work better counter moves off that power and speed, swimming back to the inside.
I also like Sweat's determination to fight through blocks and hustle, cleaning up some trash plays. He seems to have good football instincts, and breaks down well when making tackles.
Sweat is exactly what colleges want at weak-side defensive end. He projects as a multi-year starter at a major school and a potential NFL player.
Calvin Ridley is one of the best receiver recruits in the country.
Calvin Ridley, a speedy wide receiver out of Monarch High School (Fla.), is one of the top offensive prospects in the 2015 class.
Ridley -- who is 6'2, 170 pounds -- is rated by the 247 Sports composite as the No. 41 player overall in his class. Rivals thinks highest of him, ranking him as the No. 1 wideout. The composite list has him as the third-best wide receiver, as well as the 10th-best player from the Sunshine State. That is not a knock on Ridley at all, but rather a testament to how many talented soon-to-be seniors are in Florida right now.
Ridley holds scholarship offers to big time programs all around the country, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee and USC. He unofficially visited the Hurricanes back in December and also attended their pro day in January.
What makes Ridley so coveted by major colleges? Let's take a look.
There's a lot to like about Calvin Ridley. He offers good size at 6'2 and 175 pounds, with the frame to add more good weight. And he combines that size with a smooth climb to top speed.
Ridley is a bit of a strider, but not to the extent that it is a weakness. He can change directions quite well, and his strides don't seem to limit him too much when running routes, although route running is something for him to refine in college.
The best part of Ridley's game is his ability to win contested throws. He has big, soft hands and doesn't fight the football at all. He effortlessly plucks it, making it look easy. On jump balls, he times his elevation quite well to match the trajectory of the football, extending his hands away from his body to snatch the football away from defenders.
Ridley is also really adept at over-the-shoulder catches, which allows him to not lost his advantage on corners, posts, and streaks, ensuring that he can take them the distance.
Ridley can be a multi-year starter at the BCS level and a potential NFL player.
Taj Griffin is one of the most explosive running back recruits in the country.
Taj Griffin is one of the top running backs in the nation, and the Georgia prospect is being pursued by schools across the country vying for his services.
Griffin attends Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern High School, and is projected to play running back at the next level. He is listed at 5'10 and weighs in at 170 pounds.
Griffin is rated as a five-star prospect by 247sports, and a four-star by Rivals, Scout and ESPN. The 247sports composite, which aggregates the ratings of the four major services, considers him a four-star running back. The composite also ranks him as the 38th-best player in the nation and considers him to be the top all-purpose back in the class of 2015 and the fifth-best player in the state of Georgia.
The rising senior claims offers from Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Georgia, among others. He can be found on Twitter @TG_7.
What makes Griffin so coveted by college coaches?
Griffin is all about explosion. It is tough for a player of his size to be truly elite, but Griffin indeed has the athleticism and explosive speed to be just that.
Griffin has very good top-end speed and he reaches is extremely quickly while showing great acceleration. He is very difficult to tackle in the open field, as his speed and quickness destroy angles. He seems to lose very little of his speed when cutting or cornering.
But Griffin also has a good feel for playing running back, though I wish he would cut fewer runs to the perimeter. He's not all that strong, but is quite strong for his size. And he runs low, a with good center of gravity.
Griffin is capable of making an immediate impact at the highest levels of college football both at running back and in the return game thanks to his rare explosive abilities.
Desean Holmes is one of the top playmakers in the country, and the Californian prospect in the class of 2015 is gaining widespread interest across the nation.
Holmes attends Pasadena (Calif.) John Muir High School. He is projected to play wide receiver at the next level. Holmes is listed at 5'10.5 and weighs in at 170 pounds.
The wide receiver is a consensus four-star prospect, receiving the rating from 247sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. Scout is highest on him, considering him the seventh-best receiver in the nation, but Rivals and ESPN also rank him among the top 20 receivers. The 247sports composite, which aggregates the ratings of all four major recruiting services, considers Holmes a four-star, ranking him as the 12th-best wide receiver in the country and the 19th-best player in the state of California.
Unsurprisingly, Holmes sports a number of high-profile offers from programs across the country. Oklahoma, USC, California, Nebraska, UCLA and Washington are some of the bigger ones.
Scouting by Derrell Warren (@yssd): Holmes is recruit who's seen some snaps on the defensive side of the ball, but is almost exclusively being recruited to play wide receiver.
Holmes Isn't the tallest receiver. He's far from being filled out at this stage so there's definitely room to add weight to his frame.
Holmes has good overall playing speed. But he isn't necessarily a player with elite or track type of speed. He is smooth in his movements and shows good burst, cleanly gliding away from defensive backs on in-breaking routes. Those are the types of cuts in which he creates the most consistent separation at this stage.
It would probably be a safer bet to project HoImes to the slot, considering it's a question if Holmes will develop the upper body strength to consistently break jams at the line of scrimmage. At this stage, would probably project better as a slot or motion receiver where he'll gain free releases and not be able to easier get into his routes.
That said, I would like to see him play a bit more physically when releasing off the line of scrimmage, and at the break point as well. He does play above his size going up in the air and high pointing the ball.
Holmes has good speed. But even more impressive is the burst he shows in and out of cuts and his burst to the ball on deep throws. He transitions smoothly in and out of cuts in the open field and loses little speed in transition.
Equanimeous St. Brown is the holder of easily one of the best names in sports history, but is also one of the top playmakers in the class of 2015.
St. Brown attends Anaheim (Calif.) Servite High School, and is projected to play wide receiver at the next level. He's a tall wideout, listed at 6'4, and weighs in at 190 pounds.
The prospect is a consensus four-star, receiving the rating from 247sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. Scout is highest on St. Brown, rating him as the ninth-best wide receiver in the nation. ESPN, 247sports and Rivals all rank him among their top-20 wideouts in the nation. The 247sports composite, which combines the ratings of all four major recruiting services, considers him a four-star, ranking him as the 10th-best wide receiver in the country and the 14th-best player in the state of California.
St. Brown has a number of notable high-profile offers from across the nation, including Notre Dame, Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Kentucky, Penn State and Tennessee. He can be found on Twitter @Equanimeous.
Scouting by Derrell Warren (@yssd): St. Brown is a huge target. He has a slender build and is a bit thin through the hips, but has room up top for additional mass. He should eventually top out close to 225 pounds.
Despite his thin frame, St. Brown is physical versus press coverage. He has quick and strong hands, which he uses to keep defensive backs out of his frame coming off the line. St. Brown is a bit of a tight mover, however. He does take some time to accelerate, however, and doesn't project to win off the line with a burst.
St. Brown has plus-level ball skills. He picks up the ball early in flight and has the body control to adjust his frame, so he is able to get proper positioning and attack the ball at its highest point. St. Brown flashes better short-area quickness once he has some momentum going. He can chop his feet at the top of his routes and he gets in and out of cuts cleanly for such a taller receiver.
I would like to see St. Brown show more wiggle in the open field. He is not the most elusive athlete which restricts his run after catch ability. He could improve his balance as well. At times he seems to get tripped up in the open field more often than he should.
St. Brown has a great understanding of leverage. Operating against off-coverage he'll break down a defender's cushion and use shoulder and head fakes to induce them to open up their hips.
As he develops, he will have to refine his route running at the collegiate level in order to ensure that he's able to win at the break point versus, better more athletic defenders. He uses a nice stick moves at the top of his routes and drive his momentum in the opposite direction of where the defensive back has leveraged (or turned) himself.
Is DeChaun Holiday (@DechaunCHoliday) a cornerback or safety recruit?
DeChaun Holiday is one of the most highly coveted players in the state of California, and is garnering interest from schools around the country.
Holiday attends San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills High School and is projected to play defensive back at the next level. He is listed at 6'2 and weighs in at 195 pounds.
He is a consensus four-star prospect, receiving the rating from 247sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. Rivals, Scout and ESPN list him as a cornerback, while 247sports lists him as a safety. The former three consider him one of the top 20 cornerbacks in the country, while 247sports ranks him as the sixth-best safety in the nation. The 247sports composite, which aggregates the ratings of all four major recruiting services, considers him a four-star recruit, ranking him as the eighth-best safety in the nation and the 16th-best player in the state of California.
Holiday has a number of high-profile offers, including Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Florida State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Texas A&M. He can be found on Twitter @DechaunCHoliday.
Scouting by Derrell Warren (@yssd): Holiday is a recruit who carries premium-level size and length. He has above-average speed but possesses the length and body type college and NFL coaching staffs are increasingly beginning to covet.
While Holiday is featured on both of sides of the ball on his high school team, his eventual ceiling is highest as a defensive back. Most services have him listed as a safety recruit. However, in the right system one could definitely see him staying at cornerback (his high school position).
On tape, Holiday plays his share of off-coverage. This doesn't give an ideal opportunity to see his ability to flip his hips and turn and run with receivers. However, he shows good hip fluidity out in space. In off-coverage, he can attach himself to receivers coming out of their breaks. I do wonder how he would fare in press-man and whether he'd be able to win at the break point of routes against shiftier receivers.
Playing press coverage at the college level, he'll likely have to play aggressively with his hands at the line of scrimmage. He's a bit high cut, therefore a long strider. He doesn't show the burst in short areas to mirror more explosive receivers through their initial release. I would like to see more of him using his hands to disrupt and re-route receivers at the line as he develops.
As a backline defender, Holiday would probably be a better fit at free safety. While a committed tackler, he's not a knockout hitter, so he'd better project as a deep safety operating in tandem with a more physical defender down in the box.
Another reason analysts like Holiday so much at safety is his nearly peerless ball skills. There are receivers in this class who don't make as many impressive plays on the ball as Holiday. He drives on intermediate routes very well.
His experience as a receiver comes to the forefront as he times his jumps well, able to pluck the ball at its highest point and away from his frame. His upper flexibility and body control allow him to contort his frame and adjust mid-air to position himself to make a play on the ball. He often does a better job doing this than the receivers the passes are intended for.
While it's possible that he could play corner in certain systems, the safer projection for him would be free safety. He has high-BCS-starter-level ability at the position with his length and the ball skills necessary to finish plays by creating turnovers.
Isaiah Langley is one of the top playmakers in the nation, and the Californian prospect is being recruited heavily by schools across the nation.
Langley attends Pleasanton (Calif.) Foothill High School, and is projected to play either cornerback or wide receiver, depending on which recruiting service you believe. He is listed at 5'11 and weighs in at 170 pounds.
Langley is a consensus four-star recruit, given the rating by 247Sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. Rivals, 247Sports and Scout each consider him a cornerback, ranking him among the top 15 in the nation at the position, while ESPN considers him the 33rd-best wide receiver in the class. The 247Sports Composite, which aggregates the ratings of all four major recruiting services, considers Langley a four-star, rating him as the 12th-best cornerback in the country and the 18th-best player in the state of California.
He holds a number of high-profile offers, including from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, USC, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, UCLA and Cal. He can be found on Twitter @_IsaiahLangley.
Scouting by Derrell Warren (@yssd): Bay Area athlete Isaiah Langley is a dynamic talent who is a big-time playmaker on both sides of the ball. He is being recruited primarily as a defensive back by his many suitors.
Langley is an athletic player with adequate size. On film he often appears to be the fastest player on the field and runs away from opposing players in the instances in which he has the ball in his hands, so even though he might not necessarily have elite track speed, his long speed isn't a question at all.
Even more impressive, perhaps, is Langley's fluidity and quickness. He has elite-level, quick-twitch explosiveness. He's a smooth mover who effortlessly changes direction.
At times Langley needs to do a better job staying patient, as it looks as if he wants to jump routes too early, which leaves him susceptible to double moves. He would be better letting the routes develop a bit more, allowing receivers to tip their breaks and then driving on them as opposed to being reactive to every subtle move.
Not many receivers possess the explosiveness to beat Langley at the break point. Better route recognition would likely phase out this tendency.
He tracks the ball in the air and shows playmaking skills with his ability to elevate and then high-point to the ball in the air. Very good body control. He's able to redirect his momentum effortlessly.
Langley plays bigger than his listed size. He is physical off the line, chucking receivers with off-hand jams. He's also physical at the top of routes, not shy about swatting receivers' hands away who attempt subtle push-offs and hand swipes they'll use to try to create late separation.
That said, not sure how he'd translate as a press corner at the college level. I'm also not certain if that press-man would be the best use of his overall skill set.
He tracks the ball in the air and shows playmaking skills with his ability to elevate and high-point the ball at its highest point. He finishes plays with interceptions. He has good hands and is an explosive leaper who attacks the ball.
A scheme with zone principles would probably make best use of his short-area explosiveness and ball skills.
SB Nation talked to national recruiting directors at ESPN, Scout, and 247 Sports about how the recruiting industry is improving (and, in Part 2, what it still needs to work on).
But have recruiting rankings improved that much over time?The experts say yes. I spoke with national recruiting directors Tom Luginbill of ESPN, Scott Kennedy of Scout.com, and JC Shurburtt of 247 Sports. Each has more than a decade in the business of ranking college football recruits.
"Oh I think they've improved a lot," said Kennedy. "The old standby is you judge based on the offers, and most of the time you're going to get them right if you go with the kid who gets the most offers, and those are usually the best players -- but that's not always."
One of the most noticeable differences between the rankings from the early beginnings of the industry (around the turn of the century) and now is the smaller percentage of elite players who fall through the cracks.
"I think we do a better job these days of finding the in-state talents who stay in the state, from-a-smaller-place kind of guy. Like a Darren McFadden, who picked Arkansas and is from Arkansas, and no one else really paid close attention to him [Scout ranked McFadden the No. 9 running back nationally]," Kennedy said. "Twenty years ago, maybe no one paid attention to him at all. Now, everybody is going to see a guy like Darren McFadden, even in a small state like Arkansas, even though he stayed home and didn't do the publicity tour like many of these guys have."
Schools offering players scholarships earlierearlier in the annual recruiting calendar has also helped the industry get a head start on finding the best of the best.
"Five, 10 years ago, in-state schools usually waited to offer their best in-state players until the end," Kennedy said. "So the old saying was: offer the guys you're not going to get first. And that still happens to a certain extent, but if I'm in the state of Georgia, as soon as Georgia offers a guy, that sends a signal that this is the guy -- who's going to know the state of Georgia better than Georgia? So, basically, as soon as Georgia would offer a guy, then everybody else in the world would offer a guy."
And in turn, that causes the recruiting analysts to go out and attempt to find the players earlier than ever.
"Well, Georgia can't afford to wait anymore, because there's 10 scouts working for media companies telling everybody how good this kid is," Kennedy said. "The in-state schools can't wait to offer the in-state guys the way they used to."
The nine-year-old YouTube and its successive digital video providers were repeatedly cited as the most important driving force that allows recruiting rankings to become more accurate and comprehensive. It is exceedingly rare for a player not to have digital film that is easily accessible.
"I'd probably say that the biggest change to affect everybody is internet-based film," Luginbill said. "That more than anything, especially with YouTube, Hudl and XOS, that's really changed everything in the recruiting industry. It's changed the job of every coach at every university."
"It is more difficult [for players to fall through the cracks]," Luginbill said. "I think without a doubt, it's provided more opportunities for more kids. In the past, [coaches] could say, 'Well, we didn't send any foot traffic in [to a school], because in the past, they didn't have any kids. Not worth our time.' Well now, you don't have to send any foot traffic in there. If you can see ahead of time that there's somebody there, you can make your assessment and then decide if you need to go. I do believe that it's enhanced opportunities for a lot of kids, but maybe more than anything, it's taken the opportunity for the college coaches and folks like ourselves to get an early start on building a database, putting together each and every class."
Having digital film has also allowed the media outlets to shift their resources from preparation to evaluation.
At Rivals, we'd go on the road and come back with a box of film. We'd have to UPS it back to the office.
"It's made it a lot easier," Shurburtt said. "Our job's easier as far as time resources spent on collecting film. At Rivals.com, I remember we'd go on the road and come back with a box of film. We'd have to UPS it back to the office to get them to cut it up. Now with everything on Hudl -- and the guys at Hudl do a great job; that's probably the number one online resource for high school teams, high school players, recruits, and college coaches, in my opinion. Just because it's all out there, you can get game film, highlights, just about every player is on it, etc. It's a great resource for us, too, from an evaluation standpoint."
Viewing the film beforehand makes the in-person evaluation that much more efficient.
"If you know going into a combine or a camp or an all-star game or a school's practice, you've already watched some film on those guys," Shurburtt said. "At that point it's not about going out there and making a call on the evaluation. You've got an idea in your head. It's about going out there and seeing if the film checks out."
LSU's Leonard Fournette, 2014's No. 1 freshman. Kim Klement, USA Today
Digital film also allows ranking services to more closely emulate the processes used by colleges.
"That's sort of how they do it at the college level," Shurburtt said. "The film is broken down and all that, and the in-person thing is more about to see, well, is this guy really this fast, or is this guy really gonna move this way, or is he really shaped this way? With the different states and different competition levels and the way you can kind of make film look, there's a BS factor you have to consider, so you have to fact-check it in person. Because we have so much film available to us, it gives us a chance to go and complete an evaluation by seeing a kid in person rather than that being the starting point of the evaluation."
The quality of the film has also improved the accuracy of evaluations. Details are more easily picked out.
"To me, that's the biggest difference. Good, quality video is easier to come by," Kennedy said. "There's no excuse for not having good video anymore. Seven years ago, digital cameras dropped under $1,000. Every school should have a digital camera. Now, they're part of someone's phone. Your [cell phone] shoots better video than anything I saw 10 years ago."
The new college sports order
NCAA president Mark Emmert and union movement leader Kain Colter.
While the availability of digital film is the most significant change to the evaluation process over the last decade, other developments have also contributed.
One of the biggest is the explosion of the camp, combine, and seven-on-seven schedule. Camps allow potentially good players to get on the radars of recruiting services before they break out on the field -- sometimes even before they enter high school. I can remember seeing superstar athlete Jacques Patrick in March of 2012 at a rather small camp when he had no scholarship offers. Now, entering his senior season, he has more than 30. If Patrick had not gone to that camp, and others that spring, it might have been a little while before he emerged on the scene. Sure, Patrick would still have received all of his eventual offers, but the recruiting media has had a chance to see him for four years.
"It's tenfold," Luginbill said when asked to compare the camp and combine landscape today against a decade ago. "It's dramatically enhanced. There's so many more opportunities now for kids, whether it's the Under Armour camps or the Nike camps or The Opening. All that stuff."
"If you include all the seven-on-sevens it's probably quintupled, at least," Kennedy said. The number of seven-on-sevens, it used to just be Nike. Then Adidas dabbled around for a few years, Scout had a combine series for a couple years, Rivals just got into one and filled the space Scout had as the No. 2 camp behind Nike."
Using camps to confirm what an analyst sees on film, or as cause to go back and reevaluate, is a common theme. Is the player as tall or as fast as he or his coach says? What about his wingspan? How are his frame and bone structure put together?
I think too often, because we're all sportswriters, we we want a scoreboard.
"Yeah, they're either going to confirm or prove us wrong," Luginbill said. "And then flexibility, which is really important, in our opinion, when it comes to linemen. You can see a lot of that stuff in a camp and combine setting, which is valuable."
Because levels of competition in high school can vary to such a great extent, camps also offer an opportunity for comparison.
"And also athleticism. How quick is this DT really?" Shurburtt asked. "Or is he up against OL who are slower than owl poop? It's a confirmation. I try to tell my guys all the time at 247 -- and this is a work in progress to be quite frank -- don't write about a guy at a camp that because he lost reps or because he won all these reps he's great, and all the sudden a Division I guy. Those are just reps. That's not football. If he lost a bunch of reps, why is it? Is it because he was slow? Or is it because he's 6'8, 350 and he's going up against a guy that's 5'11, 150 in that drill where the guy can take five yards and go around him? I think too often, because we're all sportswriters, we sit there and we want a scoreboard. 'Seven reps to two, okay that means this guy ...' well, it's not that kind of deal. It's more of an evaluation rather than a test, if that's a good way to put it. It's not an exam. It's an evaluation."
Kennedy also noted that camps and competitions can be important to gauge how a player acts, competes, and interacts with his teammates or competitors.
Not all analysts agree that more camps are a good thing.
"I think there's too many of them," Shurburtt said. "I think there's too many guys out there that are good guys, that their heart's in the right place, that think they can make a lot of money doing it and demand exposure. It causes hard feelings with the media, because we can't get out and cover every single thing out there. It's diluted.Whereas you used to have one or two camp circuits a year; you could just about see everybody, and you could use those as great tools. Nowadays, with the way it's diluted, if you go to one camp and there's 10 D-I guys on a local level, you're fired up about it. Especially in the current cycle."
Opinions were more mixed on the specific value of seven-on-seven competitions. For the most part, camps consist of drills and individual competition, while seven-on-seven is a team competition, usually in a tournament format and essentially football without linemen or running the football, all for the purpose of improving passing game fundamentals.
"To me seven-on-seven is more valuable than the camp and combine stuff," Luginbill said. "It really is. You have one-on-one matchups, you have competitive temperament, you have a variation of the game actually being played. Those things are all valuable tools and have provided more opportunities and exposure to make assessments more accurately."
Shurburtt also had an interesting take on the seven-on-seven phenomenon as it pertains to quarterback evaluations:
JC Shurburtt: Well, it depends on which position. I think receivers and DBs, it pretty much is what it is. It's one-on-one. Can a guy cover, can a guy make a good catch?
I think it's hurt the quarterback position. I think so much of playing quarterback at a high level is about competing and competition and pressure. There's no pressure in seven-on-seven. There's no pressure literally coming from a defensive lineman, and there's no pressure figuratively to win, because these are basically just backyard football scrimmages.
One thing I liked about Teddy Bridgewater when he came out was when he played seven-on-seven he almost put some pressure on himself for his team to win. That was rare. I saw Teddy drive his team down the field and win down at The Opening one year. They were behind, and it was just like he had this look in his eye. I always respected that about him. A lot of these quarterbacks are just out there throwing, going through the motions. It doesn't really matter.
All of us -- coaches, analysts, scouts -- we get a look at quarterbacks throwing without pressure so many times, it's easier to go, 'Hey, this guy's got a great arm," or, 'He's got this, he's got that.' We're all guilty of it.
But a lot of times these guys, when they get to college, are really bad. Because they fall apart when the physical part of the game comes and they've been working on playing quarterback against air and no pads for most of the year at specialized quarterback camps or whatnot, trying to get the fundamentals down and all that. When the lights come on at that next level, it's a different thing.
I think the guy that goes out and plays baseball or that goes out and is part of a state championship basketball team, and maybe isn't out there doing seven-on-sevens the entire offseason, maybe isn't working with the quarterbacks coach: I'll take that guy. Because I'll tell you, the college coaches are going to teach him and develop him. There's something to be said about having experience in high-pressure situations when you have to compete at that position, and I‘m sorry, but seven-on-seven doesn't do it. Private quarterback coaching camps don't do it. If you're on a high school team where you're running a spread offense tempo and you never get touched and you're in the shotgun the whole time, I'm sorry, that's not going to do it.
As far as the realities of college football -- Jameis Winston, one of the reasons I'm convinced he was so good this year is he's used to competing.
BE: He's Florida State's closer in baseball.
JS: If Jameis had come out and never played any other sports and just kind of been a quarterback prodigy, my guess is he probably wouldn't have been as good. It probably would have been a lot like a Jimmy Clausen situation or something.
I think there's something to be said about that. So as far as quarterback evaluations go, I think it's given us a lot of false sense of potential and has led to a lot of mis-evals, both in terms of guys going up and guys being ranked too low.
BE: As evaluators, do you think we put too much on seven-on-seven quarterbacks who do really well and maybe we need to focus on the negative a little more, like "Why are they still bad throwing picks in no-pressure situations?" as opposed to "Hey, they're doing so well." Maybe what we need to look for is red flags that emerge when no pressure is even on.
JS: Yes, and there's two ways to look at that, too. Because at times, there's guys that when there's no pressure, they can't perform.
BE: Sure, some kids suck in practice.
JS: But I think you're on to something there as far as if a guy lights up a seven-on-seven, how's he doing it? What's he missing? Is he throwing the ball into tight spaces? Is it the things in a game that will help him, or is it just he's good at running tempo and has great chemistry with his receivers and all that? That's the difference there.
I do think as an industry we have to start looking more at how we look at quarterbacks when we look at them in seven-on-seven.
In the next installment of our conversation, we'll expand on Shurburtt's comments and discuss how the industry and ranking process can improve.
Release from the Kidz1stFund on Bowden helping to fight Fanconi...
Bobby's Back! Join legendary Coach Bobby Bowden in the Union on April 3rd as he rallies for a cure against Fanconi anemia, the rare genetic disease diagnosed in Coach Jimbo Fisher's young son. The event begins at 9:30am with introductions by Kidz1stFund Chairwoman and wife of FSU head football coach, Candi Fisher. Admission is FREE. Autographs and photo session will be available. While you are there, join the Be The Match registry for FREE (just a simple cheek swab!) and you may one day help save the life of a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant! pic.twitter.com/PqnT10gwDA
On Saturday, April 5th, KRunners and FSULAW present the FIGHT FOR A CURE 5K benefitting Jimbo & Candi Fisher's Kidz1stFund. The race will start at the Unconquered Statue and loop 3.1 miles through scenic FSU campus. From there, the post-race party will kick off with live music, awards, raffle, and a complimentary beverage of choice for each runner, courtesy of Madison Social. Race MC will be none other than Heisman Trophy and Biletnikoff Award candidate, Florida State University Hall of Fame Inductee, and MVP of the '99 BCS National Championship Game Peter Warrick! Considered one of the best players in FSU history, come help welcome #9 back to Doak! Register for the race online at http://www.active.com/tallahassee-fl/running/distance-running-races/fsu-law-and-krunners-present-fight-for-a-cure-5k-benefiting-kidz1stfund-2014 and for more information on Kidz1stFund and the fight against Fanconi anemia, please visitwww.Kidz1stFund.com.
Click here to join the Facebook Public Event page to get all of the up-to-date information on the April 3rd Bobby Bowden Rally and April 5th FIGHT FOR A CURE 5K: https://www.facebook.com/events/765832306762471
LSU's Leonard Fournette, 2014's No. 1 freshman. Kim Klement, USA Today
