The Commits (14)
QB Aidan Smith (junior tape here/summer tape here) -- More athlete than QB on junior tape, seems to have cleaned up his mechanics this summer and gone on a tear. Hopefully he can continue that momentum and he has plenty of room to develop behind Alviti and Thorson.
WR Ben Skowonek -- A big, tall, long wideout who I thought might bulk up to play Superback, but that seems unlikely with the addition of Eshoo. He's not an explosive athlete by BCS standards, so hopefully he can continue using his size and length to make plays downfield. May need a redshirt year to work on his speed/explosiveness.
WR Riley Lees -- I really, REALLY like to watch this kid's tape. This is a kid whose tape is in no way reflective of the lack of fanfare/rankings. He's flat-out electric with the ball in his hands at QB because he's clearly the best athlete on his team who can get away with it on pure athleticism alone. He might need some time to settle in as a full-time wideout in running consistent routes and catching the ball with a redshirt year, but at least he played the position more as a sophomore in high school.
SB Eric Eshoo -- Another pretty big kid who seems to have the athleticism to do everything asked of our SBs. If he's measured at 6-5 225 and still running a 4.6, there's at least a little bit to work with there. Always good when a kid earns an offer after an in-person evaluation. Has to get more physical in the run game, but that could be helped out significantly by the 25+ pounds of muscle he's put on since last year. This is exactly the kind of local kid we should be looking for... and also beat the Illini on every single time. Redshirt decision will likely depend on his size, but he's also got to beat out a pretty darn good looking player in Dickerson for time.
OL Cameron Kolwich -- Versatile guy who could probably play inside or outside. Definitely athletic enough to be a "left side" player in any event (though LG more likely than LT) and is pretty light on his feet for a kid who already has decent size. Plays a little mean, which is a great thing. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Jesse Meyler -- Another versatile, athletic guy. He's pretty big in the lower half, but doesn't lose athleticism as a result (which is another positive). Was very glad that we got him on campus when we did as I was perplexed on why he didn't have more offers (Wisconsin and Maryland came in after his visit). Even then, I think his tape is better than his offer list. Glad he's a Cat. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Nik Urban -- More of a road-grading type, it seems pretty clear that our staff offered Nik with the idea of bringing more physicality to our OL. He's in the mold of a Matt Ulrich or (Glades' favorite) Dan Feeney, a more physical, aggressive interior lineman. He's able to translate his athleticism and physicality to defense, where he's not bad either. I'm not sure whether it was ever explicitly mentioned to him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at center during his collegiate career. He has the kind of punch that you look for at that position, where "small space athleticism/strength" is crucial. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Gunnar Vogel -- It almost seems like looking at his junior tape isn't fair, as he's a self-reported 6-6 290 at this point compared to 6-5 240 on tape. Even if he's smaller than that, it's a HUGE difference from what he played at his junior year. Even then, he shows the tendencies you want in your OL and was athletic enough at the bigger size to earn an offer after an in-person evaluation. Good enough for me. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
DL Alex Miller -- Plays "big boy" football in Texas and has pretty good size, but is going to have to get a lot more explosive to be an effective DT at the BCS level. More of a project take, I'm encouraged by some of his BCS offers. Give him some time and see what he works himself into as a player. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most DL.
DL Jake Saunders -- Shows a bit more of the "pop" you want to see from your DTs and reminds me a lot of Kuhar on junior tape. A bit under-the-radar because he didn't do much press in his process, he's a pretty big-time player. Might be able to contribute sooner than later if he's anything close to his reported height/weight.
DL Tommy Carnifax -- Really like his tape and growth potential. Even if he weren't a Howland Tiger, he would remind me a lot of Tyler Scott on junior film. Isn't the biggest dude ever at this point, but has good playing strength that should translate to playing as a BCS DE. Might not be an elite pass rush threat, but should be a solid all-around, every-down DE.
LB Jango Glackin (junior tape here/spring tape here) -- Shows pretty solid downhill playmaking ability, but don't see him in coverage a whole heck of a lot. Will have to add some pretty significant size to play at the BCS level. I imagine that spending the rest of the year at IMG will be helpful due to their round-the-clock training schedule, but he's probably looking at a redshirt year to bulk up a bit.
DB Roderick Campbell -- Purely a corner, he's the kind of long, gliding CB that can be extremely successful in our defensive scheme. Based on purely the "look test," he's the kid you want out there at corner. He's not a burner, but doesn't have to be. Easy to see why he was highly-recruited, but will be fighting for time in a pretty stacked group of CBs (Harris, Westphal, McShepard, Watkins, Mayo, and Williams will all be on the roster by the time he reports). It's never a bad thing to have too many corners, but he might redshirt by default.
DB Brian Bullock -- A bit of a "tweener," Bullock plays corner in HS but probably fits best at safety on the BCS level. He makes some plays out on the corner and shows a decent pedal, but his speed and aggressive tackling probably play better at safety. Comes off as more solid than spectacular, he should at least be a solid teams player with a chance to develop into more.
QB Aidan Smith (junior tape here/summer tape here) -- More athlete than QB on junior tape, seems to have cleaned up his mechanics this summer and gone on a tear. Hopefully he can continue that momentum and he has plenty of room to develop behind Alviti and Thorson.
WR Ben Skowonek -- A big, tall, long wideout who I thought might bulk up to play Superback, but that seems unlikely with the addition of Eshoo. He's not an explosive athlete by BCS standards, so hopefully he can continue using his size and length to make plays downfield. May need a redshirt year to work on his speed/explosiveness.
WR Riley Lees -- I really, REALLY like to watch this kid's tape. This is a kid whose tape is in no way reflective of the lack of fanfare/rankings. He's flat-out electric with the ball in his hands at QB because he's clearly the best athlete on his team who can get away with it on pure athleticism alone. He might need some time to settle in as a full-time wideout in running consistent routes and catching the ball with a redshirt year, but at least he played the position more as a sophomore in high school.
SB Eric Eshoo -- Another pretty big kid who seems to have the athleticism to do everything asked of our SBs. If he's measured at 6-5 225 and still running a 4.6, there's at least a little bit to work with there. Always good when a kid earns an offer after an in-person evaluation. Has to get more physical in the run game, but that could be helped out significantly by the 25+ pounds of muscle he's put on since last year. This is exactly the kind of local kid we should be looking for... and also beat the Illini on every single time. Redshirt decision will likely depend on his size, but he's also got to beat out a pretty darn good looking player in Dickerson for time.
OL Cameron Kolwich -- Versatile guy who could probably play inside or outside. Definitely athletic enough to be a "left side" player in any event (though LG more likely than LT) and is pretty light on his feet for a kid who already has decent size. Plays a little mean, which is a great thing. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Jesse Meyler -- Another versatile, athletic guy. He's pretty big in the lower half, but doesn't lose athleticism as a result (which is another positive). Was very glad that we got him on campus when we did as I was perplexed on why he didn't have more offers (Wisconsin and Maryland came in after his visit). Even then, I think his tape is better than his offer list. Glad he's a Cat. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Nik Urban -- More of a road-grading type, it seems pretty clear that our staff offered Nik with the idea of bringing more physicality to our OL. He's in the mold of a Matt Ulrich or (Glades' favorite) Dan Feeney, a more physical, aggressive interior lineman. He's able to translate his athleticism and physicality to defense, where he's not bad either. I'm not sure whether it was ever explicitly mentioned to him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at center during his collegiate career. He has the kind of punch that you look for at that position, where "small space athleticism/strength" is crucial. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
OL Gunnar Vogel -- It almost seems like looking at his junior tape isn't fair, as he's a self-reported 6-6 290 at this point compared to 6-5 240 on tape. Even if he's smaller than that, it's a HUGE difference from what he played at his junior year. Even then, he shows the tendencies you want in your OL and was athletic enough at the bigger size to earn an offer after an in-person evaluation. Good enough for me. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most OL.
DL Alex Miller -- Plays "big boy" football in Texas and has pretty good size, but is going to have to get a lot more explosive to be an effective DT at the BCS level. More of a project take, I'm encouraged by some of his BCS offers. Give him some time and see what he works himself into as a player. Redshirt probably in order, as is the case for most DL.
DL Jake Saunders -- Shows a bit more of the "pop" you want to see from your DTs and reminds me a lot of Kuhar on junior tape. A bit under-the-radar because he didn't do much press in his process, he's a pretty big-time player. Might be able to contribute sooner than later if he's anything close to his reported height/weight.
DL Tommy Carnifax -- Really like his tape and growth potential. Even if he weren't a Howland Tiger, he would remind me a lot of Tyler Scott on junior film. Isn't the biggest dude ever at this point, but has good playing strength that should translate to playing as a BCS DE. Might not be an elite pass rush threat, but should be a solid all-around, every-down DE.
LB Jango Glackin (junior tape here/spring tape here) -- Shows pretty solid downhill playmaking ability, but don't see him in coverage a whole heck of a lot. Will have to add some pretty significant size to play at the BCS level. I imagine that spending the rest of the year at IMG will be helpful due to their round-the-clock training schedule, but he's probably looking at a redshirt year to bulk up a bit.
DB Roderick Campbell -- Purely a corner, he's the kind of long, gliding CB that can be extremely successful in our defensive scheme. Based on purely the "look test," he's the kid you want out there at corner. He's not a burner, but doesn't have to be. Easy to see why he was highly-recruited, but will be fighting for time in a pretty stacked group of CBs (Harris, Westphal, McShepard, Watkins, Mayo, and Williams will all be on the roster by the time he reports). It's never a bad thing to have too many corners, but he might redshirt by default.
DB Brian Bullock -- A bit of a "tweener," Bullock plays corner in HS but probably fits best at safety on the BCS level. He makes some plays out on the corner and shows a decent pedal, but his speed and aggressive tackling probably play better at safety. Comes off as more solid than spectacular, he should at least be a solid teams player with a chance to develop into more.
