[FB Recruiting] 2020 Class Update
Hey Guys!
I thought I would give some quick updates on this class as well as some insight on how to know how good a player is based on his hudl tape.
HIT AND MISS
Hit: Let's start this off with the good news. DT WILLIS SINGLETON COMMITTED! His commitment was a need after the miss we had. He was the guy that the staff wants. He has a knack for getting into the backfield and causing constant pressure on the qb play in and play out. He's also as strong as an ox. There have been videos floating around twitter of him lifting heavy things. If we didn't land him, even this level headed staff would have been in panic mode. We did not land a DT last year and are losing a few at the end of this year.
Miss: DT Quay Mays committed to WVU. In hindsight, it's not as bad because I think we got a solid player in Singleton. He's a solid JUCO prospect, but there is no need to lose sleep over it.
NEW PROSPECTS
DT Dylan Davis: This guy looks like Taco from the League, only heavier. He's 6'4" 260 lbs. from FL. 0 stars. Very underrecruited. And I think the staff found a gem. I'm not going to coin him as a "freak", because that is for guys like Butler and McDonald. However, he has good speed and quickness for an interior lineman. He has a great read for how the play will unfold and his movement is very fluid to close in on the ballcarrier. He'll need to put on 20 lbs to see the ball in our system, but he would be a solid get for this class.
CB Dontae Manning: Going to keep this brief. Decommitted from OU a few days after my first post. He's a high 4 star. SUPER FAST. ISU was the first to offer, and he's visited and there may still be some interest. Would be the highest rated recruit in ISU history to commit if he does. Don't hold your breath.
MOVEMENT
I just wanted to reiterate the dead period is ending soon. Yessssss, it's been a month already. I believe there will be minimal movement from recruits. The only targets I possibly see commiting somewhere are Mason Chambers and Daniel Jackson (both out of Houston), but I'm unsure if even have a date yet. I could be wrong though.
GREAT ARTICLE BY STEVE WILTFONG
https://247sports.com/Article/Iowa-...-Campbell-and-his-staff-are-having-133697832/
Bam. Take a read through that. (Steve Wiltfong is one of the head guys over at 247sports)
Per my previous post, Steve and I are in agreement that RB Miyan Williams is ready to go and probably the best player committed.
HOW TO ANALYZE A HIGHLIGHT TAPE
I have been on this site now for quite a few years now. I love the interactions everyone has gushing over a recruit's highlight tape when either a recruit commits or signing day rolls around or whatever. However, there is always someone in every thread that points out "how much can we really tell from a highlight tape?"
Yes, Noel Devine had arguably one of the best high school highlight tapes. Sam McGuffie and Barry Sanders Jr. had a few plays that even made sportscenter (when that mattered). But, none of them sniffed the NFL.
And Yes, the recruits do compile a bunch of their best plays together to showcase their talent to a wide array of coaches. So I hear you guys when you say "That's just their best plays, not their body of work, blah blah blah." and "Everyone looks good on a highlight tape." But.... do they really?
Well, You and I are not at all the combines, or in the recruits living room, or on the visits, so the highlight tape is what we have to work with if WE want to make an analysis for ourselves. We don't know their work ethic, nor their personal values and aspirations, and even who they decide to hang out with. We mostly just have a hudl account, maybe some track times, a guess at the level of competition and height and weight.
So how do we make a judgement on a player based on their highlight tape?
Do not analyze the clip by the result, look for traits important for the position within each clip. It is easy to get distracted by thinking a "long run" is a "great play", when in fact it may not have been that special of a play.
Certain positions I'm better at understanding than others. For running backs, does this recruit shoot through the line of scrimmage like a bat out of hell? For D-Line, how quick do they get off the snap and into the backfield? Do the have fluid motions? For Linebackers, do they make plays laterally? do they have good pursuit angles? Do they arm tackle?
Look for the traits. They may look like a stud athlete, but focus on the details that college football players focus on. Every player is fast, every player is strong, do they have low hips? good side steps? and so on...
That was something that the Rhoad's staff misfired on A LOT. Apart from when they recruited and that a lot of the recruits were undersized, the Rhoad's staff would recruit guys who did not have the right traits. First of all, I'm unsure they ever had a philosophy of WHO was the right fit; nonetheless they failed to find recruit to properly fill the gaps.
I'm always hopeful in a coach that he can lead our team, but once Rhoad's recruited Seth Nerness, I knew the days were numbered. For one thing, he played eight man team until his senior year. Yes, he was DOMINANT in eight man football, but that doesn't mean much. Rhoad's wanted him bad and that always puzzled me. It wasn't the argument "He's unproven against real competition"; his mechanics and sense of the game were poor. He would get the tackle because he was SO MUCH bigger and stronger than everyone else he faced, and that changed FAST when he got to college. Yes I think 8 man hurt him.
I doubt Campbell would take a serious look at some like that.
I thought I would give some quick updates on this class as well as some insight on how to know how good a player is based on his hudl tape.
HIT AND MISS
Hit: Let's start this off with the good news. DT WILLIS SINGLETON COMMITTED! His commitment was a need after the miss we had. He was the guy that the staff wants. He has a knack for getting into the backfield and causing constant pressure on the qb play in and play out. He's also as strong as an ox. There have been videos floating around twitter of him lifting heavy things. If we didn't land him, even this level headed staff would have been in panic mode. We did not land a DT last year and are losing a few at the end of this year.
Miss: DT Quay Mays committed to WVU. In hindsight, it's not as bad because I think we got a solid player in Singleton. He's a solid JUCO prospect, but there is no need to lose sleep over it.
NEW PROSPECTS
DT Dylan Davis: This guy looks like Taco from the League, only heavier. He's 6'4" 260 lbs. from FL. 0 stars. Very underrecruited. And I think the staff found a gem. I'm not going to coin him as a "freak", because that is for guys like Butler and McDonald. However, he has good speed and quickness for an interior lineman. He has a great read for how the play will unfold and his movement is very fluid to close in on the ballcarrier. He'll need to put on 20 lbs to see the ball in our system, but he would be a solid get for this class.
CB Dontae Manning: Going to keep this brief. Decommitted from OU a few days after my first post. He's a high 4 star. SUPER FAST. ISU was the first to offer, and he's visited and there may still be some interest. Would be the highest rated recruit in ISU history to commit if he does. Don't hold your breath.
MOVEMENT
I just wanted to reiterate the dead period is ending soon. Yessssss, it's been a month already. I believe there will be minimal movement from recruits. The only targets I possibly see commiting somewhere are Mason Chambers and Daniel Jackson (both out of Houston), but I'm unsure if even have a date yet. I could be wrong though.
GREAT ARTICLE BY STEVE WILTFONG
https://247sports.com/Article/Iowa-...-Campbell-and-his-staff-are-having-133697832/
Bam. Take a read through that. (Steve Wiltfong is one of the head guys over at 247sports)
Per my previous post, Steve and I are in agreement that RB Miyan Williams is ready to go and probably the best player committed.
HOW TO ANALYZE A HIGHLIGHT TAPE
I have been on this site now for quite a few years now. I love the interactions everyone has gushing over a recruit's highlight tape when either a recruit commits or signing day rolls around or whatever. However, there is always someone in every thread that points out "how much can we really tell from a highlight tape?"
Yes, Noel Devine had arguably one of the best high school highlight tapes. Sam McGuffie and Barry Sanders Jr. had a few plays that even made sportscenter (when that mattered). But, none of them sniffed the NFL.
And Yes, the recruits do compile a bunch of their best plays together to showcase their talent to a wide array of coaches. So I hear you guys when you say "That's just their best plays, not their body of work, blah blah blah." and "Everyone looks good on a highlight tape." But.... do they really?
Well, You and I are not at all the combines, or in the recruits living room, or on the visits, so the highlight tape is what we have to work with if WE want to make an analysis for ourselves. We don't know their work ethic, nor their personal values and aspirations, and even who they decide to hang out with. We mostly just have a hudl account, maybe some track times, a guess at the level of competition and height and weight.
So how do we make a judgement on a player based on their highlight tape?
Do not analyze the clip by the result, look for traits important for the position within each clip. It is easy to get distracted by thinking a "long run" is a "great play", when in fact it may not have been that special of a play.
Certain positions I'm better at understanding than others. For running backs, does this recruit shoot through the line of scrimmage like a bat out of hell? For D-Line, how quick do they get off the snap and into the backfield? Do the have fluid motions? For Linebackers, do they make plays laterally? do they have good pursuit angles? Do they arm tackle?
Look for the traits. They may look like a stud athlete, but focus on the details that college football players focus on. Every player is fast, every player is strong, do they have low hips? good side steps? and so on...
That was something that the Rhoad's staff misfired on A LOT. Apart from when they recruited and that a lot of the recruits were undersized, the Rhoad's staff would recruit guys who did not have the right traits. First of all, I'm unsure they ever had a philosophy of WHO was the right fit; nonetheless they failed to find recruit to properly fill the gaps.
I'm always hopeful in a coach that he can lead our team, but once Rhoad's recruited Seth Nerness, I knew the days were numbered. For one thing, he played eight man team until his senior year. Yes, he was DOMINANT in eight man football, but that doesn't mean much. Rhoad's wanted him bad and that always puzzled me. It wasn't the argument "He's unproven against real competition"; his mechanics and sense of the game were poor. He would get the tackle because he was SO MUCH bigger and stronger than everyone else he faced, and that changed FAST when he got to college. Yes I think 8 man hurt him.
I doubt Campbell would take a serious look at some like that.
