** I posted this on the Hive, but here it is for those that can read from that site. **
I think the coolest part of the Signing Day Banquet this year was that the coaches actually had film put together of all of our signees. That alone was worth the price of admission. There are several players that I haven't even seen pictures of, much less film. I know the quick clips aren't much, but you can glean something about a player with not a lot of film. I won't have great comments on all of them because in some cases you couldn't tell much and sometimes it was hard to follow the player. Here are some of my quick impressions:
Leshawn Newberry - Coach Nix said that he is close to breaking several weight lifting records for the state of Florida. Also from watching some film of him, he was very Sapp-like. He kept a low center of gravity and had surprising quickness for a guy that big. He was in the backfield in a split second. Speaking of split, Coach Wilson said that you won't see too many 300-pound guys do a split, but Leshawn can. He also said that Newberry was great on his official visit; he said about 5 words the whole time and followed him around like a puppy dog. He also plays on the basketball team. He'll be a fine addition!
Chris Dunlap - Finally got a glimpse of Dunlap. They showed a couple of plays for him, one a kick return and one a reception, that he took all the way to the house. He wasn't really talked about during recruiting as having game-breaking speed but from film, he looked like he had it. I've played WR all of my life so I pay close attention to those recruits. He really seems like a guy that has that instinct for scoring, not just making yards. I'll be very interested to see how his instincts play out in practice & on the field. I was pleasantly surprised from what I saw though.
Adamm Oliver - Thump! Adamm got the biggest "wow's" from me with his work on film. This guy looks unstoppable. Most of the film of him showed him on offense... Yikes! He was a big, Alstott-looking guy but faster than Mike. He cut to the outside and the little defensive backs couldn't catch him. He also absolutely plowed some kids on both offense and defense. I wish you all could have seen him, his film was very eye-catching. It's easy to see what the coaches liked about him. Perhaps he could be our Patrick Kerney.
Pat Carter & Reshaun Grant seemed to have unusually great bursts of speed. Carter was running toward the sideline on one play and when he got there and cut up field, it looked like they had hit fast forward for a split second. Grant to me didn't look as big as he's listed but the coaches seem pretty sure he's around 190 pounds. He really reminds me of Nick Maddox of FSU. He's very fast and is not afraid to take the ball inside and bang helmets too. Like Hollings, he has deadly breakaway speed. Leave him an opening and it's 6 points.
Coach Wilson said that three guys in particular with the meanest dispositions on the field were Kevin Tuminello, Joe Anoai (pronounced almost like Hawaii, An-O-Wa-E), & Nick Moore. It was hard to see Tuminello in the clips because he was playing Center. Moore and Anoai were brutal hitters. Anoai's speed looks as good as advertised. I love both of our defensive ends.
Sam Williams had some good "ups". He really went up high to grab some picks.
Phillip Wheeler - They showed him scoop a fumble and take it to the house. Also, Wheeler made a very Key Fox-like play from the defensive end position. The play ran opposite of his side but he ran the back down from behind anyway. He seems to have explosive bursts, but I had that same impression before from watching him in the HS playoffs.
Eddy Parker & Matt Rhodes both seemed to move well "in space". I mentioned that about Rhodes in my analysis yesterday and I see what his coach meant by it. It was honestly hard to see a lot from watching the OL on film but it's apparent (and Coach Nix said so) that we aren't looking for any "stiff" offensive linemen. They want guys that are agile and can move well for big guys. It seemed like both of these guys had the quickness to "pull" when they needed to.
Avery Roberson looked like Terrance Holt (although I really don't like that guy personally) the way he came around the end to block a punt on special teams.
Al Peña broke off a few nice runs. For a big guy, he looked good breaking one play for a long running touchdown. He seemed to have a "big" arm too.
Coach Wilson said that Reggie Ball has great character. He said, he'll stare straight into your eyes when talking to you and is a very honest kid. He sounds like a real future leader to me from listening to Coach talk about him. Wilson also pointed out for us to watch the effort on a particular goal line run where he ran to the corner and threw his body in the air and took the punishment to get the touchdown. He looked very accurate on his passes too.
Kenny Scott - I did not see as much on him as I wanted. I had trouble picking him up until it was clear which one he was. He took one pick to the house and he was so fast there was just no chance of catching him. He also ran down the QB (or RB, I don't remember) in the backfield when he tried to run. It was a nice open field play.
KaMichael Hall had good instincts and chased down & closed well on ball carriers.
Mansfield Wrotto is huge. He crushed a poor kid that didn't see him coming on a pull block from the offensive line.
Joe Gaston showed good speed & toughness as both a defensive back and a running back. He didn't look real big on film but the coaches said he favored a shorter Jeremy Muyres. The coaches figured other schools probably doubted he was actually as fast as he showed at the Nike Camp but that we know he is.
Brian Fleuridor looked a little thicker than his bio says. I'd imagine he'll play at a bigger weight than what he is currently listed at. Coaches seem to think he could contribute fairly early on.
Kyle Pupello - It was tough to pick him up quickly in film but he played some offense and defense. Coaches like his size and versatility.
If others that were there have more to add, feel free to chime in. Thanks!
I think the coolest part of the Signing Day Banquet this year was that the coaches actually had film put together of all of our signees. That alone was worth the price of admission. There are several players that I haven't even seen pictures of, much less film. I know the quick clips aren't much, but you can glean something about a player with not a lot of film. I won't have great comments on all of them because in some cases you couldn't tell much and sometimes it was hard to follow the player. Here are some of my quick impressions:
Leshawn Newberry - Coach Nix said that he is close to breaking several weight lifting records for the state of Florida. Also from watching some film of him, he was very Sapp-like. He kept a low center of gravity and had surprising quickness for a guy that big. He was in the backfield in a split second. Speaking of split, Coach Wilson said that you won't see too many 300-pound guys do a split, but Leshawn can. He also said that Newberry was great on his official visit; he said about 5 words the whole time and followed him around like a puppy dog. He also plays on the basketball team. He'll be a fine addition!
Chris Dunlap - Finally got a glimpse of Dunlap. They showed a couple of plays for him, one a kick return and one a reception, that he took all the way to the house. He wasn't really talked about during recruiting as having game-breaking speed but from film, he looked like he had it. I've played WR all of my life so I pay close attention to those recruits. He really seems like a guy that has that instinct for scoring, not just making yards. I'll be very interested to see how his instincts play out in practice & on the field. I was pleasantly surprised from what I saw though.
Adamm Oliver - Thump! Adamm got the biggest "wow's" from me with his work on film. This guy looks unstoppable. Most of the film of him showed him on offense... Yikes! He was a big, Alstott-looking guy but faster than Mike. He cut to the outside and the little defensive backs couldn't catch him. He also absolutely plowed some kids on both offense and defense. I wish you all could have seen him, his film was very eye-catching. It's easy to see what the coaches liked about him. Perhaps he could be our Patrick Kerney.
Pat Carter & Reshaun Grant seemed to have unusually great bursts of speed. Carter was running toward the sideline on one play and when he got there and cut up field, it looked like they had hit fast forward for a split second. Grant to me didn't look as big as he's listed but the coaches seem pretty sure he's around 190 pounds. He really reminds me of Nick Maddox of FSU. He's very fast and is not afraid to take the ball inside and bang helmets too. Like Hollings, he has deadly breakaway speed. Leave him an opening and it's 6 points.
Coach Wilson said that three guys in particular with the meanest dispositions on the field were Kevin Tuminello, Joe Anoai (pronounced almost like Hawaii, An-O-Wa-E), & Nick Moore. It was hard to see Tuminello in the clips because he was playing Center. Moore and Anoai were brutal hitters. Anoai's speed looks as good as advertised. I love both of our defensive ends.
Sam Williams had some good "ups". He really went up high to grab some picks.
Phillip Wheeler - They showed him scoop a fumble and take it to the house. Also, Wheeler made a very Key Fox-like play from the defensive end position. The play ran opposite of his side but he ran the back down from behind anyway. He seems to have explosive bursts, but I had that same impression before from watching him in the HS playoffs.
Eddy Parker & Matt Rhodes both seemed to move well "in space". I mentioned that about Rhodes in my analysis yesterday and I see what his coach meant by it. It was honestly hard to see a lot from watching the OL on film but it's apparent (and Coach Nix said so) that we aren't looking for any "stiff" offensive linemen. They want guys that are agile and can move well for big guys. It seemed like both of these guys had the quickness to "pull" when they needed to.
Avery Roberson looked like Terrance Holt (although I really don't like that guy personally) the way he came around the end to block a punt on special teams.
Al Peña broke off a few nice runs. For a big guy, he looked good breaking one play for a long running touchdown. He seemed to have a "big" arm too.
Coach Wilson said that Reggie Ball has great character. He said, he'll stare straight into your eyes when talking to you and is a very honest kid. He sounds like a real future leader to me from listening to Coach talk about him. Wilson also pointed out for us to watch the effort on a particular goal line run where he ran to the corner and threw his body in the air and took the punishment to get the touchdown. He looked very accurate on his passes too.
Kenny Scott - I did not see as much on him as I wanted. I had trouble picking him up until it was clear which one he was. He took one pick to the house and he was so fast there was just no chance of catching him. He also ran down the QB (or RB, I don't remember) in the backfield when he tried to run. It was a nice open field play.
KaMichael Hall had good instincts and chased down & closed well on ball carriers.
Mansfield Wrotto is huge. He crushed a poor kid that didn't see him coming on a pull block from the offensive line.
Joe Gaston showed good speed & toughness as both a defensive back and a running back. He didn't look real big on film but the coaches said he favored a shorter Jeremy Muyres. The coaches figured other schools probably doubted he was actually as fast as he showed at the Nike Camp but that we know he is.
Brian Fleuridor looked a little thicker than his bio says. I'd imagine he'll play at a bigger weight than what he is currently listed at. Coaches seem to think he could contribute fairly early on.
Kyle Pupello - It was tough to pick him up quickly in film but he played some offense and defense. Coaches like his size and versatility.
If others that were there have more to add, feel free to chime in. Thanks!