[2024] Recruiting Class Grades Batch 5

[tsweezy]

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

This year obviously progressions happened way earlier so it's a bit different of a read.

 

 

Brigham Young University

Big 12 Conference

2023: 3-9 (0-9)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

BYU signed 4 4-stars, 6 3-stars, 4 2-stars, and 11 1-stars. They signed 4 players with B or better potentials and 4 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 79th
Rivals: 26th
247: 99th

Composite: 51st

 

Signees below:

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
BYU	Larry Ricke	1	D	C+	C	Balanced	Kiln	MS
BYU	Young Nguyen	4	B-	B-	CB	Man Coverage	Chandler	AZ
BYU	Robert Moore	3	C	B	DE	Balanced	Mint Hill	NC
BYU	Paul Buzbee	2	D	C+	DE	Speed Rusher	Miami	FL
BYU	Donald Redd	2	D	C+	DT	Balanced	Gas City	IN
BYU	Christopher Munafo	1	D	C-	ILB	Field General	Orlando	FL
BYU	Jeffrey Slack	1	D	C	ILB	Run Stopper	Sandy	UT
BYU	Rodney Conner	2	D	D+	K	Accuracy	Kennesaw	GA
BYU	Michael Remington	1	D	D+	K	Accuracy	Loomis	CA
BYU	Erik Cardenas	1	D	B	K	Accuracy	Lovelock	NV
BYU	Jesus Gonzalez	4	B-	C	OG	Pass Blocking	Draper	UT
BYU	Cory Hulings	3	C-	B-	OLB	Pass Rush	Bakersfield	CA
BYU	Mark Ratcliff	1	D	C+	OT	Pass Blocking	Lacey	WA
BYU	Joseph Rogers	1	D	C-	OT	Pass Blocking	Manteca	CA
BYU	Francisco Santos	3	C-	C	P	Power	Hobbs	NM
BYU	Joseph Bartels	2	D	A	P	Balanced	Logan	UT
BYU	Robert Justice	3	C	C	QB	Scrambler	Kailua	HI
BYU	Juan Ledezma	1	D	C	QB	Pocket	Wales	WI
BYU	Carlos Lemus	1	D	C+	QB	Balanced	Dothan	AL
BYU	David Gerritson	1	D	C+	QB	Pocket	Garland	UT
BYU	Sheela Ortiz	3	C	C+	SS	Man Coverage	Camarillo	CA
BYU	Stefan Crowley	3	C-	C	TE	Receiving	Jenison	MI
BYU	Thomas Snow	4	B-	C+	WR	Possesion	Manteca	CA
BYU	Nicholas Saenz	4	B-	C+	WR	Speed	Midland	TX
BYU	James Ford	1	D	A	WR	Route Runner	Cayuga	IN

 

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.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Croot Grade
C	C+	Tony Choo has had a phenomenal set of progressions for a 2-star and is their B- run blocking starter. Behind him is last years redshirted Cannella who's now a C+ with B- potential	1	Larry Ricke is their only signee. A 1-star from Mississippi he hopefully will never see the field	D
CB	B-	So they're in a tough spot here. Senior Cody Hedges is an A overall and by far the best CB in the room... except he's zone coverage and everyone else is man. So I'm assuming they'll just play him at a worse position and he won't really look like an A. Last cycle they got a 4 star who looks like a future alpha corner, and a couple other randoms on roster to backfill	1	They only signed one guy (I thought they'd want more), but Nguyen is a very good B/B man corner 4 star. I think he's the perfect complement alongside Norman and they'll make a no fly zone. I still think the roster is thin but the top is quite good now	B-
DE	B-	BYU has a great rotation with a trio of B+ senior 3-stars. They also have all 3 different archetypes so they can mix and match based on whatever works for the opponent which is nice. They have another couple 3 stars on roster too so it's pretty solid all around	2	This is... ok. Actually a slight step down from the current roster with Moore as the better of the 2 signees and Buzbee more of a cool name future backup	C
DT	B-	Just like DT, they have a good top-line rotation of B+ players, but a bit of a drop off to the next classes, and only signed a single 3 star last year	1	Signed a pretty bad 2 star so the room remains rather thin. I'm not entirely sure but my guess is they run a.. 4-3? I'm not sure	C
FB	C	Uh I think everyone knows I don't care about FBs. With that said, Touki Sanders is a B overall rushing threat and they have a few other 2 stars on the roster. Big fat meh from me	0	Didn't sign any	-
FS	B	Caleb Allen is a dope zone coverage guy who's already B+ as a junior and will be back next season too. He has capable backups, and last year they redshirted a pretty high potential ball hawk. Looks in solid shape here	0	Didn't sign any	-
ILB	B-	I'm assuming they're playing a 4-3 because Kila Ahmed is a perfect MLB. A field general from Roswell GA, he's a high B+ kinda guy and the heart of this defense making all the on-field adjustments. If they trot out a 3-4 I'd expect them to put in his understudy Brent Jackson alongside him. Last year they redshirted Scott Norton from nearby Payson UT while he took his mission and he's the only future prospect on the roster	2	Signed 2 1-stars, they suck	D
K	C+	Three kickers on the roster! All upperclassmen! None of them are better than C+! yeah this could be a weakness for the cougars this season, I'm not that trustworthy. Oh wait, the number one guy is Jim Chance a sophomore from last years cycle. Ok he'll probably grow into a pretty quality starter, I'm less alarmed now	3	??? Why are you signing 3 kickers? Did you turn on AI recruiting? They're all D overalls bby what are you doing	F
OG	C+	These guys are... alright. Bridges is the RS SR pass blocker on one side. Despite having all that experience though he's only a B overall. Next to him is RS JR Overton who's the same profile except a run blocker and has another year of eligibility (so actually much better). Despite them both being 2-stars it's clear Overton is the better player. Everyone else in this room is meh. Hartline had disappointing progressions from last cycle but he still has A+ potential so could break out	1	Jesus Gonzalez was a great pickup! In-state 4-star with B overall stats? That's phenomenal, and a pass blocker to protect Dick (like BYU loves). I think he'll slide right in to take over for Bridges next season	B
OLB	A-	Chandler Lamb is by FAR the best player on this roster not named Dick. Not surprising as he's the only other 5-star. This is his third consecutive year as an A overall and he's finally graduating and likely getting drafted in the first round after this season. A monster pass rusher he's the best player on the defense by a mile. Unfortunately, only one other player is above a C: Shaq Richards, a Junior run stopper with B- skill. Kinda unimpressed with him, but they did get 2 3-stars last year so the cabinet isn't that bare	1	Added another ok 3-star so they won't fall apart, but he's no Chandler that's for sure	C
OT	A-	This is potentially the best room on the roster. Swarzak is a top-5 player on the team and can paste opposing DEs to open up a hole. On the other side, RS SR Coghlan is a lockdown pass protector with an A-. The 3rd OT is another Senior B+ run blocker. This trio came up and trained hard together and its paid off. Last year they also signed an in-state run blocker 4-star who went from B- to B overall and will take over at LT next season	2	Ew. I loved this room but they really only signed a pair of 1 stars? What is with all the 1-stars in this class??	D
P	C-	Only one punter on the roster? Senior Senzatela isn't great but not a disaster. Of course there's currently nobody else rostered sooo they should probably identify a target	2	They got 2! Santos and Bartels will be in a duel (3 and 2 stars). I'm assuming Santos will be the long term guy, but Bartels does have much higher potential	C
QB	A	They got Dick last year. He played some and then peaced out for his mission. I'm looking forward to reading about his escapades but he's back now and the top freshman QB of all time (on paper). Just gotta convert that into game performance now. They also have a pair of backup seniors who are solid but I guess they should sign some injury insurance for the future	4	Four QBs?? What is this, Michigan-lite? Why are 3 of them 1-stars? Ignoring those guys, Robert Justice is the scrambler career backup. A 3 star from hawaii he's a missionary superstar, but maybe not one on the gridiron	C-
RB	A-	Willie Irving is the perfect complement to transition Dick into control of this offense. An A overall receiving back blue chip, Willie and Dick will be a potent combination to penetrate opposing Ds. He's a RS JR so he'll actually be a superstar next season too. Damn that's nice. They also signed a pair of 3 stars last year so depth is on lock	0	None signed	C-
SS	B+	The 5th A overall on this roster is Ryan Blacknall, an old school run stopper senior from Fort Worth Texas. He's had high potential and is probably getting drafted next year if he progresses as expected. I think he's a good complement for the defense and provides much needed run support. Unfortunately the 2 juniors are 2 star C guys who look meh and they didn't sign any last year	1	This year they did get 1, but Ortiz is just an average C/C 3-star so not much to say about him.	C
TE	B+	Oh ho ho, JoJo Glover is the guy here. Great name. B+ overall is.. good. A solid receiving threat for dick, he platoons with last years blue chip signee Robert Whitten. Those are the only 2 of note in this room	1	Crowley is fine I guess. A receiving 3-star who is C/C he doesn't inspire a ton of confidence that he'll be a star, but he probably won't be a dud either.	C
WR	C+	Dick doesn't have a fantastic room. Scott and Joe are the senior route runner B+ targets at the top. Behind them is junior blue chip Red Zone threat Ben bennett (dumb name). He's actually had a really disappointing last two progressions (D potential, go figure). Only a B- player with only 1 additional year of eligibility isn't ideal, but he looks like next year's number 1 threat. last yearthey signed a pair of 3-stars who are just kinda ok	3	Woah great signees. A pair of B overall 4-stars is one of the better WR groups in the country. Snow and Saenz are possession and Speed archetypes and walk in ready to start in the top-5 rotation. I'm curious if they get thrown out there right away, sit on the bench, or go on a mission. Either way, very good future targets for Dick.	A-

 

 

 

This is... interesting. I'm going to assume that BYU went hard in the first half of recruiting, got some really good position groups like WR, OG, and CB, and then just hit a wall and started AI recruiting? Idk, but half the class being 1-stars makes me gag.They definitely have holes on the roster, but at the same time, the "sexy" positions got a lot of focus. The offense looks in pretty good shape honestly and Dick has a good supporting cast coming up to grow with him. Unfortunately the defense is more hit and miss (aside from CB) and absolutely needs to be a higher priority next year. I think they're an ~8 win team in the big 12 this upcoming season

 

Class Grade: C

 

 

 

Florida State University

Atlantic Coast Conference

2023: 10-4 (7-2)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

FSU signed 8 4-stars, 5 3-stars, and 11 2-stars. They signed 8 players with B or better potentials and 4 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 30th
Rivals: 16th
247: 29th

Composite: 17th

 

Signees below:

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
FSU	Alfredo Salas	4	B-	B	CB	Man Coverage	Normal	IL
FSU	Salvador Gonzalez	4	B-	C+	CB	Man Coverage	Clearwater	FL
FSU	Ulberto Carrillo	3	C	D+	CB	Man Coverage	Sarasota	FL
FSU	Yanet Vazquez-Gomez	4	C+	A-	DE	Balanced	Doral	FL
FSU	Juan Gonzalez	3	C	B+	DE	Balanced	Spring Lake	NC
FSU	Joseph Stratigos	3	C	B+	DE	Balanced	Pella	IA
FSU	Javier Elmore	2	D	B	DT	Pass Rusher	Hemingway	SC
FSU	Frank Kuehl	3	C	C	FB	Balanced	Tampa	FL
FSU	Gary Janicki	4	C+	B-	FS	Man Coverage	Greenwich	CT
FSU	Vinny Rush	4	C+	C+	ILB	Field General	Tallahassee	FL
FSU	James Chapman	2	D	B-	ILB	Coverage	Sarasota	FL
FSU	Felipe Garcia	2	D	A-	K	Balanced	Bethany	OK
FSU	John Eccleston	2	C	B-	OG	Run Blocking	Fort Smith	AR
FSU	Darren Campbell	0	D	B-	OG	Pass Blocking	Jacksonville	FL
FSU	Henry Anderson	2	D	B-	OLB	Run Stopper	Westfield	IN
FSU	Neil Rupp	2	C	C+	OT	Pass Blocking	Wellington	TX
FSU	Mark Lancey	2	D	B-	P	Balanced	Sarasota	FL
FSU	Donald Leonard	2	D	B	QB	Pocket	Fairbury	IL
FSU	Paul Freese	2	C	C+	RB	Receiving	Peoria	AZ
FSU	Robert King	2	C	B-	SS	Zone Coverage	Groveland	FL
FSU	Lesly Howard	4	C+	C	TE	Vertical Threat	Miami	FL
FSU	Syed Park	2	D	B+	TE	Vertical Threat	Carlsbad	CA
FSU	Andrey Fuller	4	B-	C+	WR	Possesion	Athens	GA
FSU	Lee Jones	4	B-	C+	WR	Possesion	Palm Bay	FL
FSU	Joseph Nelson	3	C+	C+	WR	Route Runner	Cairo	GA

 

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.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Croot Grade
C	B-	Rashard Akins isn't going to be very good this season, but he's only a RS SO. The 3-star with A potential has gone from C+ to a true B overall in 1.5 seasons, so he looks like a gem in the rough. They'll have 2 great years from him after this average one. The downside is there's nobody else really good in this room	0	Didn't sign any	C-
CB	B+/A-	Wow, they are in GOOD shape at CB. Denker and Kalu are RS JRs who are already A/A- overall. This is a lockdown top-flight set with a zone guy and a ball hawk and both come back next year. At nickel is a B overall (SO) 4-star in Roark. Interestingly while those 3 are zone / ball hawks, the last class was all man / ball hawk so they may be transitioning schemes coming up	3	GREAT class. A pair of B overall 4-star man corners is one of the tops in the country and they threw in a 3-star for good measure. These are the future stars in a room that has historically been one of the most loaded in college football	A-
DE	B-	Not quite as good here. They've got another pair of (Jr) speed rushers at the top, but neither of these guys are [insert name of FSU superstar DE from last season who I'm blanking on]. Still though, they've got good depth and last year's 4-star took a redshirt and is a B overall now to provide good depth and future	3	Another big class with three signees. Not quite as good as CB though. All balanced players, they got 2 B+ potential 3-stars who should be good upperclassmen, and then an A- potential 4-star who is the headliner here.	B
DT	B	This is a good room for the 4-3 (this year and next). Almonte is the (Jr) nose tackle with absurd progression. As a 2-star he's gone C-C+-B--B+. About as good as you can ask for and he's a massive load up the middle to try and move. Behind him are a 3 and 4 star from the last 2 classes to maintain really high standards of play	1	Added another 2-star, but this guy starts as a D overall, definitely not going to follow the Almonte trajectory	C-
FB	C	Whatever, they have some average junior there. Don't care	1	Signed a completely unremarkable 3-star. cool	C
FS	B+	Damn, this (Jr) class was loaded. Chad Lopez is the guy in this room. An A- overall 3-star zone guy, he's got high potential and offers 2 years of great play. Behind him is last years 3-star signee who's nothing special	1	Janicki is their first FS blue chip and he is already walking in ahead of last years signee and should be the straight up backup in the room. With B- potential he's the heir apparent to Chad.	B-
ILB	C+	Luckily the DL is so well suited to the 4-3 because they are THIN at ILB. Only 2 guys in the room, the (Jr) coverage Hart who's a 3-star B+ overall and then backed up by last years 1-star. That is VERY not good and 1-injury away from disaster (unless they signed some big guys)	2	Oh nice, James Chapman is a bad 2-star, but Vinny Rush is a serviceable backup this season (albeit only C+) and as a 4-star is expected to take over once Hart graduates. Disaster (mostly) averted	B-
K	B-	One guy in the room, but he's very solid. Rosario has the nice balanced leg that leg men look for, and he's a B+ overall with 2 seasons remaining. Shouldn't let the team down.	1	They got a D overall 2 star here andddd even with A- potential I'm not convinced he's the right long term replacement plan	D+
OG	B	A little bit weaker of a position here this year. Jackson and LaFell are juniors with B+ overalls so next year it will be very good. Behind them, there's nothing really notable. A bunch of high potential 3 stars is good news but none are proven yet.	2	Meh, this was pretty rough. A 2 star is all they really got here and he's not that great. It wasn't a super high priority but still a miss	D+
OLB	C+	I'm very unimpressed with this room. Their starters are Taco Murphy (great name) a senior B overall and Parsons, a (So) B overall. Both are just replacement level guys, but at least Parsons has 2 more progressions. Both coverage guys too which fits in perfectly with the 4-3.	1	Only one signee, a 2 star run stopper? Anderson is all the way from Indiana but for a D overall? I'm not buying that he'll be a starter but they got some good signees last season so it's ok	C-
OT	B+/A-	Mejia is VERY good. A 4 star (Jr) from OH, he's the perfect blindside blocker with an A overall and another year of eligibility. Opposite him is likelye to be Alex Dunn, another 4-star (So) B+. With the extra years of growth this year and next are in excellent shape. Last cycle they signed a pair of high potential 3/2 stars	1	Only another 2 star. From texas this time too (what's the deal with not crooting florida heavily?)	C-
P	B-	It's fine for a punter room. Another (Jr) headliner but Norman is only a B overall. That's fine for a punter and they have a good (So) behind him	1	They signed a pretty rough 2-star who I hope isn't their actual succession plan but I guess he'd do in a pinch	C-
QB	A-	I think Jarwin is actually underrated. A pocket passer from VA, he took over after Matt Howard but hasn't been the offense's focus since then. He makes some great plays but in general hasn't been consistent. He made a huge stride from B+ to A overall in his (Jr) year and likely takes another step on the field since he'll be a much more central part of the offense without Clayton	1	Last year they redshirted Colt McIntyre who is the absolute QBOTF so there was really no point in taking anyone here, he's already got the future locked up. They took a 2 star anyways but I don't care much for him	C
RB	B	John Johnson is a big step down from Clayton, but he's still a good back. A senior A- overall, he's going to put up good numbers, but he is not able to shoulder the entire offense. They don't have any other blue chips in the pipeline either for the future but some really good A potential 3 star prospects	1	Another room where they only signed a 2-star? Last year was good but man this has been a lot of filler.	C-
SS	A-	Ioannidis is a MAN. I think he may actually be the best safety in the country. A hard hitting run stopping 5-star, this is his second year at A overall. I think he's going to be an easy first rounder next season and should be amazing this year. Unfortuantely the only other guy in the room is a 1-star from last season so uhhh it could be a steep drop off.	1	Yikes. Whoever they signed here was in line to start next season. A great opportunity to pitch early playing time to a blue chipper, but they wound up with a local 2 star zone coverage kid? A 2-star C overall, B- potential is NOT someone good enough to start next season. Maybe they'll get an instant impact guy nextcycle	C-
TE	B	Taijuan Fillmyer is the (Jr) in this room. At B+ overall, he's a dangerous vertical threat but not the focal point that the gameplan runs through. There's a big drop off to his backup (So) Taron Berry (C+) though, so I would not expect to see many 2 TE sets. Kinda mediocre room overall after Fillmyer	2	Good signees! Lesly Howard is a solid blue chip vertical threat and adds a good weapon to the offense for the future. They added another random 2 star who barely matters.	B
WR	A	Probably the best room on the roster? Brandon Anderson will be WR1 with an A overall (another (Jr) go figure). A lot of media attention will focus on last years 5-star signee Brad Pogue though. He's been derided as the "worst" A overall, but for a RS FR he's pretty stinking good. The two of them are speed archetypes who can stretch the field for Jarwin. WR3/4 are upperclassmen B+ which are more than a match for most safeties and LBs and nickelbacks they'll line up against. Very dangerous room and will be perhaps the best in the country next season.	3	After signing Pogue last year they really just needed depth. However they took even more big swings and signed a pair of B overall 4-stars in Possession guys Fuller and Jones. It's hard to get good WRs and getting 2 high end blue chips is a coup. They added a 3-star too, and frankly they're a top-5 WR room for at least a couple more years. Love it for Colt	A-

 

Alright, this is kinda insane. FSU has been in top-5 of talent every year and made some good runs but no title to show. This year is about the same in terms of talent level, but looking at the roster next season will be absolutely absurd considering how many positions already have a great (Jr). I think they're favorites to make the natty next season (maybe co-favorites with Baylor). In awe of that 2020 class they had. Also, they've had absurd progressions which I'm extremely jealous of. Unfortunately, 2021 was a bit of a dud of a class behind them comparatively. 2022 had some great pieces and now this class is... interesting. They have some quite good rooms but it seems like they put a lot of eggs in those baskets, as more than half of their positions are filled with random 2-stars. The WRs got a lot of attention and they picked up a good defensive group. Every other position is pretty meh though. I think next cycle is quite important if they want to stay a top-10 talent roster or slip back into the 10-25 range.

 

Class Grade: B-

 

 

University of Indiana

Big Ten Conference

2023: 4-8 (2-7)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

Indiana signed 2 5-stars, 3 4-stars, 13 3-stars, and 7 2-stars. They signed 5 players with B or better potentials and 1 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 12th
Rivals: 15th
247: 16th

Composite: 12th

 

Signees below:

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
IND	Matthew Mcallister	4	B-	C+	CB	Zone Coverage	Coalgate	OK
IND	Luis Ordonez	3	C	B-	CB	Zone Coverage	Stevenson	AL
IND	Daniel Becerra	2	C-	C	CB	Zone Coverage	Turlock	CA
IND	Daniel Sales	2	C-	A	CB	Zone Coverage	Oviedo	FL
IND	John Aube	3	C	C	DT	Nose Tackle	Orlando	FL
IND	Sergio Dominguez	3	C	C+	DT	Nose Tackle	Lakeland	FL
IND	Victor Botts	2	C-	B	FB	Blocking	Mentor	OH
IND	Glenn Wilson	4	C+	B+	ILB	Field General	Kingsland	GA
IND	Sean Slacum	3	C	C	ILB	Run Stopper	Marrero	LA
IND	Andrew Taiwo	3	C-	B	K	Power	Boise	ID
IND	Brian Norgaard	3	C	C+	OG	Pass Blocking	Tulsa	OK
IND	Christopher Hergert	2	C	B-	OG	Balanced	Emmaus	PA
IND	Felix Challe	2	C-	B-	OG	Pass Blocking	Edwardsburg	MI
IND	John Vickers	4	C+	C+	OLB	Pass Rush	Cochran	GA
IND	Nicholas Pemberton	3	C-	C+	OLB	Pass Rush	Gas City	IN
IND	Fernando Rodriguez	5	B+	D+	OT	Pass Blocking	Kennewick	WA
IND	Charles Estes	3	C+	C+	OT	Pass Blocking	Napoleonville	LA
IND	Michael Shackelford	2	C-	B-	OT	Pass Blocking	Tucker	GA
IND	David Medina	3	C-	B-	P	Balanced	Anaheim	CA
IND	William Harvill	3	C	C	RB	Receiving	Somerville	NJ
IND	Vincent Sills	3	C	C+	SS	Run Stopper	Downs	IL
IND	Robert Crowder	3	C-	C	TE	Receiving	Oak Park	MI
IND	J.J. Pilaf	5	B+	B-	WR	Speed	Columbus	IN
IND	Jason Pruitt	3	C+	B-	WR	Possesion	Bedford	IN
IND	Grant Sullivan	2	C-	B+	WR	Route Runner	Upland	CA

 

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.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Croot Grade
C	A	They got their guy last season. Tim Doak is a pass blocker from Florida who is the only 5 star on roster. Extremely technically proficient up the middle, he jumped from a B overall to A- in his sophomore year. That marks him as a legit good starter and he'll have 2 more years of solid A effort up the middle. Hard to beat this. They also have a B overall senior to back him up.	0	Didn't sign any. With Doak last year and 2 other 2-stars with soph eligibility it wasn't important	C
CB	B	They have a solid CB 1/2 this season with zone guys Gurka and Korkmaz. A overall and B+, the seniors are plenty good to cover just about any team. However, next year they'll be gone and you're staring down a 3 star from last cycle (C+) and a 2-star current (So) (C overall) as the starters. That is a significant downgrade and quite worrisome.	4	Huge haul here. Unfortunately 3 of them are 1 / 2 stars who will (hopefully) never play. The jewel though is Matt Mcallister, an Oklahoma kid who is a B overall already. I think he's the clearcut CB1 next season, and might well be the starting nickelback this season. Huge key for the defenses future	B
DE	C+	Pagnozzi is a pretty solid piece at B+ overall. A (Jr) run stopper he pairs well with last years freshman redshirted run stopper Pat Patton (nice name) who is a blue chip, but still only a C+ overall. Since they both come back next year it looks pretty good for the future but not there right now. They also have a smattering of average 2-stars on the roster of no real note.	0	No signees? A bit surprising. They did get a 3 and a 4 star last season who they redshirted, but they did not have good progressions. Would've liked to see one 3-star at least.	D+
DT	B-	I can't tell if they're setting up a 3-4 or a 4-3. The run stopping edges and field general ILBs, nose tackle DTs, pass rushing OLBS. I *think* they're going 3-4 and this is some solid evidence. Kyle Penna is a senior 4-star A overall who's one of the best on this team. behind him is Phil Otter a 3 star nose tackle from last class who's a B- now and is... fine for the next few seasons I guess but I don't love him.	2	Surprising to see them pick up a pair of 3 stars this cycle. Almost identical players (both from Florida), Indiana now has 3 3-star nose tackles with freshman eligibility. Since in a 3-4 they only play 1, this is a bit of a glut, which is a shame when you see them not get a DE this cycle	C
FB	B	They have a senior rushing FB who is an A- overall. This is pretty good for a run heavy offense but he's literally the only guy in the room (well, there's a 1 star D overall junior this year but he might as well not exist)	1	They signed a random 2-star blocking FB. He's fine if they occaisionally run an I-formation play in the future but not even a serious role player for the team	C
FS	C	A good pool of zone players, Cole Dennick is the senior best guy on paper, but last years 4-star signee Tim Moore is the clear heir apparent, and at a B- compared to a B overall, there's a good chance they go with the younger Moore and put Dennick as the veteran backup.	0	Didn't sign any. Moore is the futuer and has freshman eligibility, I'm fine with this	-
ILB	C+	I think this room is fine. They've got a coverage B+ senior at the top, and then a Jr Field general B- next to him. I don't love the field general and run stopper archetypes in this room, and last years double 3-star signees did not progress that well frankly. This definitely seems like a room in flux.	2	Great signings here and this looks better. Glenn Wilson is the blue chip B+ potential future starter. 3rd in line already in the room, he'll be starting next season. They also added a run stopper from LA who is a 3 star but a C overall C potential guy who is the definition of average	B-
K	B+	Sean Curtiss is good and here for another season. I think they'll be fine with getting points out of drives (though he isn't super accurate). Nobody in line behind him though	1	Got the future kicker here. Taiwo is a random 3 star so not a future star, but he is definitely good enough to be an average FBS kicker which is all you really need most of the time	C
OG	B+	Seantrel made a huge jump going into his senior year: from a B+ to a true A overall makes him the 1A/1B best OL player next to Doak. Definitely a wall that can keep out any opposing DTs. Next to him is going to be last years blue chip signee with a true B overall already. Behind those are some random 3/2 stars who are C/C+ overalls and going to be a slight drop-off next season	3	They put in more players, but more of the same. A pair of 2 star guys who are kinda whatever. The best player is Norgaard, a 3-star from Oklahoma with C/C+ ovr/pot. I guess he's fine for the future since he can sit for a few years but nobody captures my attention	C
OLB	C+?	Now this is interesting and scary. Marquez has been a gem of a 3-star with A- overall in his senior year. he's going to be fierce coming from one side. The other side is uh... not so hot. I guess they'll put in 2-star Senior Aquino? He's a C+ though, and not a particularly good one imo. They have 2 other guys behind them, both C overalls so not a strong pipeline for the future here. Worrisome	2	Ok this was a big help. Vickers is a High C+ as a Georgia 4-star. I think he may actually push Aquino for playing time. In addition they added another 3-star so now the OLB room actually has a future. Still won't be good next year but at least they have some talent coming up.	B
OT	C+	Another instance. McGrath and Taylor are pretty ok senior bookends at B+ overalls. Good pass blocking across the line actually. For the future though, they have 3 players and all are a C+. I'm not excited to see how they get 2 starters out of that group. Landis though is only a (Fr) so he could improve.	3	Bang! The second 5-star on the roster! Fernando Rodriguez was one of my sneaky targets out of Washington who I never targeted but I think Indiana got a good one. A high B+ overall already I genuinely think he's the clear RT this year and then has 3 seasons at LT after this. Also got another 3-star who projects as RT next season which is not very good, but better than nothing I guess	A-
P	C	Bierria is fine I guess? A junior B- player he probably won't lose games for them.	1	Got his backup, another random 3-star who's capable enough.	C+
QB	C+	Yikes, this is a tough room to try and pick someone in. Ebner is on paper the best guy, a senior pocket passer. Of course, "good" here means B/B- TP/TA and a D Football IQ. Not ideal to win a lot of games and seems like a guy who has a few flashes and a lot of bonehead plays. Of course they're biding their time until 4-star Sam Johnson starts. A (Fr) from Tennessee (who probably dreamed of playing for the Volunteers but too bad), Sam is also a B- but a bit lower He's a worse passer (C/C+ TP/TA) but a bit more escapable I guess? I think he's not the better option here, but getting a start this year could help his progression. Either way this is not going to be a team that throws the ball around a lot unless they want to take a bunch of INTs	0	Didn't sign any, Sam is their QBOTF as a (Fr)	-
RB	A-	now this is the engine of the team. Geoff Alburquerque might be the best RB in the Big 10 this season. A litany of A+s on his profile you have to assume Indiana goes to him on almost every play if able to. He's also spelled by Mike Bradley (RS JR from the same class). Mike is only an A- but is the fastest player on this team and I assume will also handle return duties. He's definitely the bell cow next season at a minimum. Nice pairing	1	They were a bit thin behind those 2 with only a 3-star in addition. They signed another one of those, a C/C guy out of NJ. He's probably not going to be a Mike Bradley, but you never know I guess	C
SS	C	Honestly kinda rough here. Cortes is a pretty mid player as a B- senior but he's all they've got. I have Porter as a borderline C/C+ as the RS FR from last cycle. That's another borderline C+/B- starter next year but it does trend up a bit from there I suppose	1	Vincent Sills is the same guy as Porter, but 1 class younger. Doesn't really change the trajectory of the room but gives it more depth	C
TE	C-	Not good at all. Another senior 2-star starting by default (C+ overall) I really hope they don't rely on his hands much this year. Last year they added a 3-star who didn't really progress, and that's about it in this room. Trouble with a capital T (because it's the first letter in the sentence)	1	I mean, Crowder is *an* addition. Another mid 3-star lifts this room, but not that high. I'm glad they got him but it's gonna be years to pay off	C
WR	B-	This room is... fine. Better than most of the roster. Troy Thomas is a good senior A- overall with good hands but average everywhere else. Looney was one of their early good gets but frankly has had some disappointing progressions. A B overall 4-star, he enters his (So) year as a B+ overall still. with B+ potential you know Pierce was hoping he'd be A- by now. Still, he's arguably as good as Thomas and is more than good enough to be a productive WR2. Behind that they have some random chaff who aren't that noteworty.	3	Wowzers. ANOTHER 5-STAR. Huge get for them as J.J. Pilaf is the fastest guy in the room already (though he needs to work on his hands/routes). The clear-cut WR3 this season, after a year of playing time I think he'll move up with Looney to A overalls next year which is a great multi-year combo to have. Pruitt is also a high 3-star who can work his way into a rotation down the line	A-

 

I'm not entirely sure how strictly to evaluate this. I know the AI left them with some holes (notable how steep the drop off between the seniors and next man up is in a lot of these rooms). I think last season was a good base-building class to get some more at minimum 3-star talent into the pipeline who will grow to be good contributors. They won't be ready for it next year though. Frankly this is kind of a similar class to last season. I think most position groups they just copy-pasted the guy they signed last year. With redshirts that means that most of the rooms are functionally going to be the exact same. On the other hand, with the additional coverage they finally have the ability to get creative on the trail and shouldn't feel so constrained. I think they could've had a different spread of focus, but it is what it is. On the bright side, they have soem real jewels in the program now. another pair of 5-stars brings them to 3 overall which is actually quite a bit better than most teams in the country. Overall I would've liked to see a few more 4-star signees, I think they were a tad too conservative beyond the home run swings but it's in the upper echelon of the conference at least.

 

Class Grade: B

 

 

[Curby4]

Not done getting WRs yet either. And yes I know Chandler Lamb is not replaceable but I'm trying.