Notwithstanding Austin Uke's decision today to head West, it was an interesting year for NU football recruiting. Here are my thoughts on what ought to be a very strong class in filling Fitz' most pressing needs.
1. The Jewell: Ryan Hilinski hands down. The former high 4 star has the inside track to start from day one. Fills the team's biggest need in a big way. I watched his true freshman film. He has all the mental and physical tools to allow the Cats to reload at QB. Without him, Mosley and Johnson become much harder sells.
2. The Headliners: We had to get better on the offensive side of the ball with this class. So here's your headliners with validating HS offers/comments:
- 4 star QB R. Hilinski. (Ohio St.) Big and strong. A rifle arm and cool demeanor under pressure.
- 4 star RB A. Tyus. (Iowa St.) A punishing physical specimen with some wiggle.
- 4 star OT C. Tiernan. (Ohio St.) A massive and athletic true LOT.
- 4 star WR J. Mosley. (Oregon) Very athletic, very fast.
- 3 star WR C. J. Johnson (Penn St.) Very athletic, very quick.
- 3 star OL J. Thompson ( As good or better an OL prospect as Austin Uke.)
- 3 star TE L. Albright ( Fla.) A true vertical threat at the TE position.
3. Fish that got away: J.J. McCarthy. With the coaching changes we've made and the significant improvement we've seen in our OL and WR recruiting I don't think we lose the next hot shot gunslinger from our own backyard.
4. Most Underrated: I have been bullish on Josh Thompson since day one. His senior film validated that confidence. Very large. Very athletic. This year's Matt O'Dwyer Mr. Nasty Award recipient. The DFP Dream Teamer never got the 4 star rating he very much deserved. Didn't even come close. Honorable mention goes to Theron Johnson. Kid can ball and has some nasty swag to him.
5. Super Sleeper: True sleepers are a dying breed in NU football recruiting. Which is of course a good sign. So with more of an emphasis on sleeper than super, I'm going with WR Donnie Gray. He is a very fluid athlete with strong instincts, good size, good hands, adequate speed and the versatility to play DB if needed.
6. Boom or Busters: I'm going with Garner Wallace and Najee Story on this one. Cats took a chance on Wallace in the belief he could mature into a S or OLB or even a WR or TE. As large a projection of a recruit as I have seen at NU. We're at least 30-50 lbs. from seeing how this experiment with a high ceiling 6-5 185 lb. athlete goes. Najee Story has gone from his pre-injury perch as an elite OSU/Bama DL recruit to the path of recovering from a serious leg injury. Here's hoping he can return to much of what made him a high 4 star recruit.
7. Recruits with the most to Prove: Story joins Hilinski here. Both of these guys were the elite of the elite in football recruiting just 2 years ago. NU gives both the opportunity to prove they can still play at a very high level.
8. Most likely to Burn a Shirt: Tyus, Mosley and Johnson.
9. Projected multiple year starters: See the Headliners and add LB M. Uihlein, DB T. Johnson and N. Story in an 8 man DL rotation.
10. The GOU Wrap: Kudos to the staff for getting through Covid Recruiting -- without the benefit of official/unofficial visits and that personal touch we're known for. I think we hit a home run in upgrading all of our offensive positional groups. Not a grand slam, but a solid A- in our quest to get back to Indy with an offense that can win big games.
GOUNUII
1. The Jewell: Ryan Hilinski hands down. The former high 4 star has the inside track to start from day one. Fills the team's biggest need in a big way. I watched his true freshman film. He has all the mental and physical tools to allow the Cats to reload at QB. Without him, Mosley and Johnson become much harder sells.
2. The Headliners: We had to get better on the offensive side of the ball with this class. So here's your headliners with validating HS offers/comments:
- 4 star QB R. Hilinski. (Ohio St.) Big and strong. A rifle arm and cool demeanor under pressure.
- 4 star RB A. Tyus. (Iowa St.) A punishing physical specimen with some wiggle.
- 4 star OT C. Tiernan. (Ohio St.) A massive and athletic true LOT.
- 4 star WR J. Mosley. (Oregon) Very athletic, very fast.
- 3 star WR C. J. Johnson (Penn St.) Very athletic, very quick.
- 3 star OL J. Thompson ( As good or better an OL prospect as Austin Uke.)
- 3 star TE L. Albright ( Fla.) A true vertical threat at the TE position.
3. Fish that got away: J.J. McCarthy. With the coaching changes we've made and the significant improvement we've seen in our OL and WR recruiting I don't think we lose the next hot shot gunslinger from our own backyard.
4. Most Underrated: I have been bullish on Josh Thompson since day one. His senior film validated that confidence. Very large. Very athletic. This year's Matt O'Dwyer Mr. Nasty Award recipient. The DFP Dream Teamer never got the 4 star rating he very much deserved. Didn't even come close. Honorable mention goes to Theron Johnson. Kid can ball and has some nasty swag to him.
5. Super Sleeper: True sleepers are a dying breed in NU football recruiting. Which is of course a good sign. So with more of an emphasis on sleeper than super, I'm going with WR Donnie Gray. He is a very fluid athlete with strong instincts, good size, good hands, adequate speed and the versatility to play DB if needed.
6. Boom or Busters: I'm going with Garner Wallace and Najee Story on this one. Cats took a chance on Wallace in the belief he could mature into a S or OLB or even a WR or TE. As large a projection of a recruit as I have seen at NU. We're at least 30-50 lbs. from seeing how this experiment with a high ceiling 6-5 185 lb. athlete goes. Najee Story has gone from his pre-injury perch as an elite OSU/Bama DL recruit to the path of recovering from a serious leg injury. Here's hoping he can return to much of what made him a high 4 star recruit.
7. Recruits with the most to Prove: Story joins Hilinski here. Both of these guys were the elite of the elite in football recruiting just 2 years ago. NU gives both the opportunity to prove they can still play at a very high level.
8. Most likely to Burn a Shirt: Tyus, Mosley and Johnson.
9. Projected multiple year starters: See the Headliners and add LB M. Uihlein, DB T. Johnson and N. Story in an 8 man DL rotation.
10. The GOU Wrap: Kudos to the staff for getting through Covid Recruiting -- without the benefit of official/unofficial visits and that personal touch we're known for. I think we hit a home run in upgrading all of our offensive positional groups. Not a grand slam, but a solid A- in our quest to get back to Indy with an offense that can win big games.
GOUNUII
