[2023] Recruiting Class Grades Batch 5

[tsweezy]

It's that time of year again! Time to hand out recruiting class grades!

This is the fifth batch, and I have like 20 more teams to do so don't worry I'll (eventually) do you if you want me to

A quick note: everything should be explanatory, but the rankings are: ESPN and Rivals per the interface along with 247, Ezaco's SSEC rankings are without regional bonuses, and the top-15 versions are just taking into account the top-15 croots signed. Average Rank tosses out high and low ranks and averages remainder

 

Today's: @acewulf @Kirby @smackemz

 

 

:tulsa:

University of Tulsa

American Athletic Conference

2022: 5-7 (4-4)

 

 

Recruiting Class Basics:

TULS signed 9 4-stars, and 16 3-stars. They signed 3 players with B or higher potential and 3 players with B overalls. Rankings info below:

 

 

ESPN	Rivals	247	247-15	SSEC	SSEC-15
3	16	12	36	20	34

 

Average Rank: 20.5

 

Signees below:

 

 

Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
Tracey Wright	3	C	C	C	Run Blocking	Cordele	GA
Samuel Wiley	4	C+	D	DE	Balanced	Bessemer	AL
Jung Nayak	3	C	C	DE	Balanced	Chicago	IL
Jacob Diaz	3	C	D	DT	Pass Rusher	Watertown	CT
Ricky Foster	3	C	C	FS	Man Coverage	Villa Rica	GA
Jeffrey Adams	4	C+	C+	ILB	Run Stopper	Grapevine	TX
Stephen Mondragon	3	C	C-	ILB	Coverage	Mission Viejo	CA
David Wilson	3	C	C+	ILB	Coverage	Easley	SC
Christopher Krawczyk	3	C	C	K	Accuracy	Aurora	IN
Ernest Williams	4	B-	C+	OG	Balanced	Conroe	TX
Stephen Stedman	3	C	C+	OG	Run Blocking	Mobile	AL
Douglas Moreno	3	C	C	OG	Run Blocking	Wheaton	IL
Curtis Mcgill	3	C	A-	OLB	Pass Rush	Cache	OK
Pankaj Gao	4	B-	C	OT	Run Blocking	Plainfield	IL
Michael Taflinger	4	C+	C	OT	Run Blocking	Vero Beach	FL
Jeff Hawk	3	C	C	OT	Run Blocking	Cross River	NY
Benjamin Young	4	C+	C	P	Power	St. Peters	MO
Cesar Chacon	4	C+	B+	QB	Scrambler	Muskogee	OK
John Kramer	3	C	C+	QB	Scrambler	Mobile	AL
Charles Fuelling	3	C	C	RB	Speed	Gainesville	GA
Patrick Pate	3	C	C	RB	Speed	Buda	TX
Frederick Theriot	4	B-	B	SS	Man Coverage	Macedonia	OH
Ronald Byrne	4	C+	D	WR	Speed	Ocala	FL
Joseph Love	3	C	D	WR	Possesion	Copperas Cove	TX
Nick Carter	3	C	F	WR	Possesion	Satsuma	AL

 

 

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position.

 

 

Pos	Grade	Current Status	# Signed	Crooting Status	Croot Grade
C	B+	Really good shape here. An A overall senior starter is great to have anchoring the line, and they have a second player too who started as a 3-star, progressed to a B- as a sophomore and is now a B overall RS Soph with plenty of development expectations ahead of him	1	Signed a complete average 3 who will mostly be a depth / average dude in general	C
CB	C	Oof, you hate to see the scheme mismatches. They had 4 upperclassmen: 2 man cover guys, a zone, and a ballhawk. They also signed 4 players last year: 3 zones and a man. They are completely split numbers-wise and talent wise with which scheme to go with this year, although I guess for the future they can pick whichever one is easier to get talent. Definitely not a good sign for their depth pieces though	0	Hm. An odd position to punt on here. I get that 4 guys last year was a lot, but considering half their DC is going to be playing the wrong scheme you'd think they'd have added in one guy to keep it going	C-
DE	B	Freddy Gervacio shot up from B+ to an A overall last year as a RS JR, and having him for 2 years to terrorize opposing QBs is great. They pair him with a B+ RS SO for a very good top line, while they have more balanced and run stoppers as their backups. Last year they only picked up one guy, an average 3 star player so this year look for them to take 2 or 3	2	They did take 2, and pretty good 2 at that. Samuel Wiley got the 4 star billing, but with D potential he may be too college-ready in terms of development future. The other player is a 3 star with C potential so they'll be fine players, but not the all-conference candidate / defensive strength players Tulsa needs to get another championship	C+
DT	C+	A mixed bag here. Their 2 upperclassmen are good, but not star quality, and then it's a precipitous drop-off to last years signees who are too young to really make a good contribution (although with their potential, they should be improving quite rapidly)	1	Tossed in another 3 star (albeit with poor potential) to go with their redshirt from last year. Unfortunately Jacob Diaz is actually the worst player in the room, so Tulsa should probably look to recruit over him next cycle	C-
FB	D+	One player, a 2-star who came from Hawaii to Tulsa last year, but seemed to regress over the summer and is no better than he was last year as a freshman. No other options though	0	Still no other options, hopefully Cooks development makes a 180 soon	C-
FS	B-	Only 1 guy each class, but the RS's are coming in clutch. Joe Harris is the RS JR A overall, and is significantly better than true junio Lazard (B-). They should get 2 very good years out of Joe and then jump straight to Taylor Okoye, last years Ball Hawk signee who took a redshirt and still has 4 years to play	1	Add once a year, good spot. He is a great depth piece, but not quite as good as Okoye, and with worse potential it's hard to see this years signee seeing playing time except in relief situations	C
ILB	C+	Interesting. There are 3 players with junior eligibility (although only 2 have B overalls), while they added a pair of high potential 3s last season. This is the kind o room that looks solid, but is extremely un-inspiring if you're looking for a leader or nucleus for the defense.	3	Jeffrey Adams could be that nucleus. They signed 2 average 3 star coverage guys, but the blue chipper was Jeff, who brings above average talent and heart as a throwback middle linebacker who wants to stop the run	B-
K	C	They have 2 upperclassmen who haven't panned out super well: Looking extremely average in their careers	1	They added a nice accurate 3-star prospect to eventually take over	C
OG	C	They have an A- RS SO, which is a really good start on one side of the line. So why a C? Because they have nothing better than a B- anywhere else, and those 2 are graduating this year leaving them with only a single 2 star for the other side next year.	3	They didn't sign any last year, but added a very good trio this year with a balanced 4 star B overall, and 2 solid 3 star run blockers. Definitely needed this	B
OLB	C	A couple of old heads, but the only really good player is the RS SO B+ with B potential pass rusher. Last year they signed a trio of really good 3 stars, but they'll take another year or 2 to pay dividends. Either way, lots of pass rushers here, so are they turning into a 3-4 team?	1	After 3 last year and redshirting one of them they just stood pat with one signee this year, a 3 star A- overall (still good!). He is an in-state player and fits their pass rush desire so a great match	C+
OT	A-	Three A- players here, extremely deep with options, and they only lose 1 each year. All 5 of the guys in roster are starter-quality and the only knock is that they didn't sign any last year for some reason	3	Well, they left a gap year and signed their best position group here this season. Two 4-stars adds a lot of talent to an already stacked room, and then they tossed in another 3 for good measure. It's pretty clear they value having these super-star linemen (even if they're transitioning from pass blockers to run blockers)	B+
P	C+	A very good coffin corner punting senior is the leader here, but the junior behind him kinda sucks	1	Adding a 4 star punter is very very good considering how few of them there are and what good timing it is	B+
QB	B-	They have a nice chain of succession but not that many guys jump off the page. It took Maurquice Ekuale 5 years to reach this A- overall, but that is still pretty solid for the starting QB. Next years presumed starter is pocket man Cameron Larkin who should be B+/A- by then. After him though it's a bunch of just ok guys	2	I know the guys in Tulsa are super, super stoked about incoming Cesar Chacon. The interwebs are full of glowing reviews about how athletic he is and it's clear the coaching staff sees him as their future starting QB. Might take a year or 2 to focus on has passing mechanics though	B
RB	B	Wow they really had a good class a few years ago. Yet another RS SO who's at least a B+ overall. This time it's Josh Jernigan the power back with the starting designation, in a 1-2 punch with speedy Aaron Van Noy. Great future of the room, especially with the high potential 3 stars they signed last year	2	Lots of RB signees, three last years, 2 this year, all various flavors of 3-stars. I don't think any of them will be as good as Jernigan but there are certainly a lot of options	C
SS	C	Not a super promising room at the moment. 2 seniors with B overalls, and then a 2 star bad junior and their 3 star signee from last year. Should be a significant drop off next year unless they bring in somebody really good this year	1	Ooo they did add someone really good. Theriot was one of the hottest candidates at SS this cycle, and Tulsa brought him home. The B overall, B potential man coverage player is almost certain to start next year, and be a great secondary player for as long as he's in school	B+
TE	B	A really solid room, if a bit sparse. All 3 are vertical threats, and the senior has the B+ with the Jr at a B- and last years redshirt progressions to a B- as well. Overall they can roll out a star TE for years, but won't have quite enough depth to run punishing 2TE sets	0	Didn't sign any	C-
WR	A-	Whew boy, lots and lots of WR talent and the only one graduating is their 3rd best player. They have 5 star Possession receiver Tony Sherman (ANOTHER RS SO) along with 4 star JR Ben Bromley as the headliners and then several other B caliber players. In addition, last years class featured 3 players, all 3 stars with A- potential. They were all redshirted and are just on the cusp of hitting B overalls	3	Now they have 6(!) WRs with Freshman eligibility. The new additions have significantly lower potential (D,D,F) but they added their first blue chipper since Tony Sherman. Overall, tons of future talent coming through	C+

 

 

 

Overall this was... an average class. They very clearly have their OL as the engine of this team, and it is certainly strong, but there is somewhat of a dearth of impact players in this class, particularly as compared to how many game-changers they had the last two years. These signees will be good fillers and floor-raisers, capable of easily beating AI teams, but will they bring Tulsa back to a national championship? To be seen. Good news is the current roster is a clear threat to win the AAC this season

 

Class Grade: C

 

 

 

 

:mountaineer:

West Virginia University

Big 12 Conference

2022: 3-9 (1-8)

 

 

Recruiting Class Basics:

WVU signed a 6 4-stars, 15 3-stars, and 4 2-stars. They signed 9 players with B or higher potential and 3 players with B overalls. Rankings info below:

 

 

ESPN	Rivals	247	247-15	SSEC	SSEC-15
17	19	18	18	24	25

 

Average Rank: 19.75

 

Signees below:

 

 

Name	stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
Steven Feaster	3	C	C	C	Balanced	Klein	TX
Craig Francis	4	B-	C	CB	Ball Hawk	Elizabethtown	KY
Carl Wheeler	4	B-	B	CB	Zone Coverage	Delton	MI
Michael Root	3	C	A-	CB	Zone Coverage	Kirkwood	MO
Thomas Hubbard	4	C+	B	DE	Balanced	Wheeling	WV
Marc Winchell	3	C	C+	DE	Speed Rusher	Port Neches	TX
Russell Reed	3	C	D+	DT	Balanced	Scottsdale	AZ
Jeremy Kavouras	3	C	B-	FB	Blocking	Newhall	CA
Justin Hesse	4	C+	D-	FS	Zone Coverage	San Angelo	TX
Yi Banting	2	D	B+	ILB	Speed	Nederland	TX
William Knight	2	D	C+	K	Accuracy	Bremen	GA
Joseph Hattenbach	4	B-	C+	OG	Pass Blocking	Weirton	WV
Sean Williams	3	C	C+	OLB	Pass Rush	Lakeland	FL
Tom Hinkle	3	C	B	OLB	Coverage	Monticello	FL
Ignacio Alviter	3	C	C	OT	Balanced	Delano	CA
Jack Greathouse	3	C	A	P	Accuracy	Uniontown	OH
Brent Santisteban	3	C	C+	QB	Pocket	New Berlin	WI
Michael Kim	2	D	B+	QB	Pocket	Eureka	IL
Oscar Leighton	3	C+	B-	RB	Receiving	Washington	DC
Rohan Williams	3	C	C-	SS	Zone Coverage	El Reno	OK
Juan Corral	4	C+	B	TE	Vertical Threat	Virginia Beach	VA
Michael Gilreath	3	C+	C+	WR	Possesion	Cincinnati	OH
Graham Harrison	3	C+	C+	WR	Possesion	Lansdowne	PA
Jason Steele	3	C	C+	WR	Route Runner	Keyser	WV
David Brown	2	D	A-	WR	Red Zone Threat	Stem	NC

 

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position (if you read this line and post a bad noodle react you get to be next in grading).

 

 

Pos	Grade	Current Status	# signed	Crooting status	Croot Grade
C	C	Bad future prospects here. While Danny is a good strong senior, the only other player is Jack Day who has had two seasons in the program and is still in C overall purgatory. Need a floor raiser for sure	1	They signed a 3 star C overall. Wouldn't ordinarily be so impressive but for a team trying to pull themselves out of the absolute basement in terms of roster talent, I count this kind of signing as a win for them	C+
CB	C+	Wow, one of the rare rooms that is fully stocked with talent, WVU draws the short straw in terms of all of it mismatching scheme wise. Their best player is A- overall RS SO (man cover). Their 2 B+ players however are B+ senior zone coverage guys. So you think, play the seniors in zone and sucks for Bell? or do you go straight for Man scheme to match the RS SO duo and take the hit this year? Not really sure what the right answer is and they didn't sign any last year to make it clearer (also 4 is a pretty damn small CB room)	3	Well they rectified the numbers issue by signing a pair of B overall 4 stars and an A- potential 3 star. Phenomenal class. Exceptttt they're all zone guys who will be the only zone players on the roster next year and leave them with the same conundrum. Damper on it for sure	B
DE	B-	Good senior starter on one end, plus a solid 3 star and last years 4 star signee mean there is actually good talent here. Not much depth but last years signees are fast coming to the rescue	2	Another pair of really good additions, a high potential 4 star and an ok 3. The last 4 signees all offer the potential of getting right back in the Big 12 mix	B-
DT	B	Another deep class, and the DL has a bright future. They added a B potential 4 star last year and he joins a pair of good seniors and another high acheiving RS SO. They also redshirted a B- potential Balanced player last year and can run out a nice group for years to come	1	Added another 3 star to the room, albeit one with only a D+ potential. Not a big impact one way or another	C
FB	C+	The B overall Junior blocker is the guy in this room who can play well enough to protect the QB but shouldn't be asked to do much more.	1	They signed a B- potential 3 star here as the future of this position. Solid	C+
FS	B-	5 guys on the roster is a bit much.. especially wen they have a B- true sophomore as the future already (doubt anybody really overtakes him). Plenty of depth but they don't really need to sign anyone this year	1	They did get one, but as a blue chip 4 star that's still quite a good depth signing	C+
ILB	C+	Each year they sign an ok 3 star. Last year they signed 2! Great coverage in terms of archetypes though, and a solid floor	1	Disappointing this year. Only a 2 star D overall signee actually has a bit of a step down in terms of talent for this room	D+
K	D+	Dang, this is actually a bad room. A pair of Junior C+ overalls are not going to feel good to count on in the clutch moments, so an upgrade would be nice	1	Is.. this any better? Signing a D overall 2 star (with C+ potential) is just not going to cut it when going for a conference title in the future. I'm sure he'll be recruited over though	D
OG	C	A really, really empty room here. They havea B+ senior (pretty good) and then a B overall RS SO (eh, ok depth but not an ideal starter) followed by just one more player, last years 3 star signee. They need numbers ASAP	1	They did get high quality here with a 4 star B overall pass blocker, but next year will only have 3 OGs on the roster so look for them to sign 2 or 3 next cycle. At least Hattenbach is very good	B-
OLB	C	Two players each class is a good strategy, but the upperclassmen have been extremely whelming. Luckily last years signees featured a 4 star player (who did not seem to improve much during his RS year). Higher floor incoming though	2	Another 2 solid 3-stars here is the classic example of raising the floor of a mediocre position room	C+
OT	C	A pretty medium room. 6 players: 4 3-stars of relatively average potential and then 2 mediocre 2 stars. Solid but not flashy anywhere and susceptible to being beat by superstar DEs in the conference	1	Continuing that tradition is Ignacio Alviter, a completely average 3 star. I think the floor has been raised here and it's time for WVU to go after bigger game	C
P	F	They have no punters on roster. Desperation time	1	They needed a punter something fierce. A 3 star with A potential is a really good signee for the future, although this year and next will probably not be fantastic as he will be pressed into immediate action	C+
QB	B-	Who is the guy here? They have a really solid scrambler upperclassmen Craig Guzman, but last year was probably their swing at The Guy: Dzanan Reid. A pocket 4-star who took a redshirt, WVU is pinning their future hopes on Dzanan.	2	They signed 2 pocket guys to compete for the backup role in the future. I wouldn't pay too much attention to either since Dzanan will toast them both	C-
RB	B-	Chad Dolis is going to have 2 years as an above average starter, and he has a pair of So/Fr eligible B- players as the future behind him. Lots of options for archetypes as well	1	This year they signed a B- potential 3 star who can be good in the future depending on the talent development in Morgantown	C+
SS	B	A RS SO run stopping blue chip is the B+ overall presumed starter, with another B+ senior backing him up. That's it though, just those 2. They definitely need at least 1 signee to be a backup	1	A very average 3 star here but that's fine since his explicit role is backup	C
TE	D+	The bad version of the SS room. A B- senior and C+ RS SO makes for a very disappointing lack of good options. They need more players (and good ones)	1	Juan Corral is a very, very big upgrade. Great signee and he can play for years as a vertical threat for Dzanan to terrorize the Big 12 wih	B-
WR	D	Wow. This is probably one of the worst WR rooms I've seen. Nobody special, only 3 players better than a C-. No blue chips whatsoever. No high potential players either. Desperate need to get playmakers here	4	Well, the good thing is they'll have 5 3-stars with freshman eligibility. The best ones are B- potential though, so while they'll be competent it's unlikely they'll be the superstars WVU needs.	C

 

 

 

Hmm so I definitely knew WVU had one of the worst genned rosters in the country, but they've actually made significant strides towards improving it! Probably WR, K, and ILB are the last rooms left that need significant upgrades, but other than that I would consider the floor to be raised, and for WVU to start exploring some more electric talents in the next years without the burdon of a full roster turnaround

 

Class Grade: C+

 

 

 

 

:floridastate:

Florida State University

Atlantic Coast Conference

2022: 6-7 (4-4)

 

 

Recruiting Class Basics:

FSU signed a 5-star, 4 4-stars, 7 3-stars, 7 2-stars, and 6 1-stars. They signed 18 players with B or higher potential and 2 players with B overalls. Rankings info below:

 

 

ESPN	Rivals	247	247-15	SSEC	SSEC-15
58	24	21	6	28	7

 

Average Rank: 20

 

Signees below:

 

 

 

Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
Martin Kasal	1	D	A+	C	Line Captain	Marietta	GA
William Mcnair	3	C+	A	CB	Ball Hawk	Miami	FL
Michael Kennedy	2	C	C+	CB	Man Coverage	Blountsville	AL
John Campbell	2	C	B	CB	Man Coverage	Monticello	FL
David Owenby	4	C+	B-	DE	Balanced	Rossville	GA
Jose Ramos	4	C+	B-	DT	Balanced	Norcross	GA
James Brigham	2	D	A+	DT	Pass Rusher	Normal	IL
Edward Bailey	3	C	B+	FS	Ball Hawk	Cuero	TX
William Williams	1	D	F	ILB	Run Stopper	Midland City	AL
Ganesh Lee	1	D	A-	K	Power	Jacksonville	FL
Steven Webb	3	C	A	OG	Run Blocking	Snellville	GA
Steven Lott	3	C	A-	OG	Balanced	Trenton	MI
Victor Howard	4	C+	D+	OLB	Pass Rush	Navarre	FL
Calvin Stewart	3	C	B	OLB	Speed	Crestview	FL
George Hanes	3	C	A	OT	Pass Blocking	Lexington	SC
Jorge Gutierrez	2	C	A	OT	Pass Blocking	Seward	NE
Joshua Lynch	1	D	B-	P	Power	Loganville	GA
Colt McIntyre	4	B-	A	QB	Pocket	Orange Park	FL
Mark Poor	1	D	B-	QB	Scrambler	Weaver	AL
James Falkner	3	C	A	RB	Power	Riley	KS
Paul Orr	2	C	A+	RB	Receiving	Leesburg	GA
Dennis Gray	1	D	A+	SS	Run Stopper	Plant City	FL
Peter Basch	2	D	A+	TE	Vertical Threat	Tampa	FL
Brad Pogue	5	B+	A-	WR	Speed	Grove Hill	AL
Henry Garcia	2	C	B	WR	Possesion	Spokane	WA

 

 

 

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position.

 

 

 

Pos	Grade	Current Status	# Signed	Crooting Status	Croot Grade
C	C	Not really a lot here. Their upper classmen are not that good. Last year they signed an A- potential 3 star but he's another year or 2 away from true competency (especially in comparison to the rest of the roster)	1	Added a walkon who suckssssss and I don't think he should ever be on the field. Although with A+ potential if he gets a 5th or 6th year he may be passable	C-
CB	A	Wow. Three A overalls here. What a haul. Of course like most teams they have a weird mis match of Zone and Man. Not sure how they'll sort it out but they've got talent out the wazoo here	3	Two mediocre 2-stars and a ballhawking 3 star with A potential. William Mcnair is probably the only guy here who can live up to the no fly zone standard set by the previous groups	C+
DE	B+	Taijeron is gone and they replace him with... another A overall in Hunter Suh. They also have a B+ and a few B- players. None of them are Taijeron caliber though as they have a slight drop coming (although lots of high potential players).	1	Back to dipping in the talent well. They signed a 4 star with B- potential who does have a chance to be that wrecking ball in the future. Good snag by the Seminoles	B-
DT	B	Same story as the DEs, good upperclassmen and then a very soft middle of the roster. They definitely need better in the next cycles	1	Added basically the same guy they got at DE: a 4-star B- potential balanced DT. They also took an A+ potential 2 star for funsies and we will check to see how he develops	B-
FB	C	They took a 3 star last year and are using scholarships for other positions	0	Didn't sign any	-
FS	C	A little lacking here. They have nobody better than a 3 star with B potential in the room and teams are going to be desperately trying to get these matchups instead of all the superstars at CB and SS. A hole for sure, but the rest of the secondary can cover for it for now	1	3 star B+ potential, good for the future, won't be a hole forever if he develops well	C+
ILB	C+	Only 2 on the roster, a senior 3 star starter, and a RS SO 3 star backup. B+ and B are fine, but you need depth now that stamina and injuries matter	1	big big miss here. No scholarship signees as they signed the worst possible player, a 1 star D overall F potential. Next year they will have one ILB on roster worth a damn. That's got to be their top priority for the next class	F
K	B+	A 5 star senior kicker is rare, and Ike Tauchman is going to compete for the Groza award this year. They also have a B+ overall RS SO so they are well stocked	1	Took another walkon here (probably not by choice though)	C-
OG	B+	Not as many top flight starters as elsewhere on the roster, but they have 5 B overall players which is quite deep, especially when two of them have sophomore eligibility. Similar theme of strong upperclassmen, a down class, and then back to strengths	2	This year they signed a pair of A- potential 3s which is great considering they'll be on the bench waiting and developing for a few years anyways	B-
OLB	C+	Kind of empty. The token B+ senior and then the next best player is last years 4 star signee. Everyone else is fine for depth but not who a national title contender wants to start in any situation	2	Double freshman, a high potential 3 and a low potential 4. Should be interesting to see their career progressions and when their overalls cross over. Pass rushing vs. speed specialist means they can play in different schemes too	B-
OT	A-	Lots and lots of options here. double A- guys who will start , a pair of 4-star underclassmen who will be future anchors, this room is looking really good especially last years Alex Dunn (a RS FR 4 star B overall B potential)	2	Added two pass blockers with A potential this year which is great to aim for the future while they don't need contributions for a while	C
P	C+	They have a lot of options and they're all pretty good but not spectacular.I'd be happy with this room	1	a walkon, who cares	-
QB	B	Kelly Jarwin had a very disappointing 2022 campaign with the expectations so high replacing all-timer Matt Howard and the seminoles fell a long way from a title appearance. Another year of seasoning though and he's now a B+ overall pocket QB with 3 years of eligibility which means they have a lot of time to click and try to reach those Howard-esque highs (on-field version, not the illicit substance kind)	2	Cole McIntyre is actually an extremely good prospect with B overall and A potential out of Orange Park, FL. They pocket QB not only has a great name, but is a genuine threat to be better than Kelly in future years, although will probably have to take a RS to get more separation between the 2. We will see if he's the true heir apparent in the ACC	A-
RB	A-	Clayton McGee is a superstar, one of the best RBs in the country (and one of the only 5 stars) and thanks to a timely redshirt, will have 2 more years of playing time. Next year he and Kelly will be nigh-unstoppable (and he might well have that status this year as well). The only ding is that none of their underclassmen have shown out at all behind him for the future	2	Adding an A and an A+ potential player is again a smart move when neither has a chance to unseat Clayton or get snaps until 2025 anyways. Hopefully they learn a lot from him	C+
SS	A	Another 5-star prospect, Brandon Ioannidis is a powerful run stopping junior who is backed up by an extremely savvy senior zone cover safety. He is an eraser who is rangy enough to make up for the disappointment at FS and will be an early pick in 2 years time	1	They didn't have any signees last year, and this year only attracted one walkon (I hope?). They definitely need a starter caliber player next cycle	D
TE	C-	A bunch of 3 star prospects who have been developing quite poorly thus far, this is a disappointing room, although Florida State doesn't seem to be the type of school that values TE all that much anyways I think	1	An A+ potential 2 star is fine as a flyer when there is a lot of talent, but this TE room is not that. Could've used a player who could contribute sooner tbh	D+
WR	A-	Great options for Jarwin and with Clayton baiting the play action and drawing defensive focus. They have an A-/B+ senior combo (good) and A- RS SO (great) and another pair of B overalls including last years 4-star signee	2	They pile even more on! 5-star Brad Pogue out of Alabama was one of the most sought after WRs, and with A- potential it's clear why. He will be one of the best WRs in the country bar none after a couple of years and you have to think that he made fast friends with Kelly and/or Colt and they are thanking their lucky stars that Kirby was able to get this signature	A

 

 

 

This is an extremely boom or bust style roster. They are l o a d e d at the offensive skill positions, but do have some startling roster holes considering how much on-paper talent there is. Center, FS, ILB, TE are all way emptier than you would expect from a preseason top-5 team, but there are so many other 5 star / A overall players that you have to think they can cover up those holes. Kirby showed he has the potential to win every game, but his coaching aptitude will be tested a bit this year if he wants to meet expectations of winning the ACC and returning to the playoffs. Also I docked them a - because that ILB recruiting situation is just putrid looking

 

 

Class Grade: C+

[smackemz]

Really good stuff. Pretty good insight into where we are.

 

A little preview. Guzman is actually going to play RB and Dolis is going to play WR. They both end up being the best at their position. I'm going to give reps to March-Lliard, he's the 4 star RB I signed last season.

 

Definitely have had bad luck with WRs though. Missed out on a couple with some dice rolls that went against us.

[Kirby]

Great article and very fair in your assessment about us @tsweezy

 

I feel like I've got recruiting wrong the last couple of seasons tbh, hence why I've decided to beta test this time around. Although we have got reasonably solid classes, I do feel like I can do a bit better on that front. I've grabbed some great players but I've also neglected some other positions which you rightly highlighted. Hopefully this year we can break into the top 10 classes.