I'm really starting to like this current freshman class. I think it is stronger than we first thought. I'm not going to mention the offensive players but it continues what we have been doing at tight end, the offensive line, wide receiver and quarterback. The one hole is running back and it only has 3 offensive linemen. We didn't need but three. We didn't need a quarter back. What we needed was defenders. We got em!!!

 

I think I have found 8 freshman defenders that are going to see the field this year. Part of it is necessity, but a lot of it is speed, size and athleticism. Kelly gave us 4 of them yesterday but I'm certain it will be more here is what I see.

 

1. Andrew Trumbetti~~6' 3'' 251..... Kelly didn't mention him but it was an oversight because he came in early and is seeing reps even with the first unit. He's backing up Okwara and making some noise. Great to have a guy like this for 4 more years.

 

2. Jhonny Williams ~~ 6' 4'' 252... At first I was disappointed that he shrunk two inches, but he is still a phenomenal athlete. This guy was a steal. We stole him from Missouri. He looks like he is shot out of a cannon and I hear he looks every bit of 6' 5''. This is a SEC type player. Big, very fast, agile and athletic. Another steal by Kelly.

 

3. Jonathan Bonner ~~ 6' 3'' 269....Much bigger than his recruiting listing. He has a 35 in vertical. That's amazing for his size. He dominated at camp and Missouri's camp. Another steal and another very good athlete. See the trend?? These guys were all 3 star players but they have 4 star talent. Look for special teams to take a big jump this year.

 

4. Daniel Cage~~6' 325....Superior player to Mokhuw (spelling?). I don't know a lot as I haven't seen any film, but Kelly says he is going to play. I think he will give us some pretty good minutes. I can tell you this, he looks very intimidating. He just needs to plug the middle and I think he can. So happy we got him or we would have a big hole in the middle.

 

5. Kolin Hill~~6' 1'' 230. Kid can flat out run and he has really hit the weights. He looked a bit Jaylon Smithish in is last photo. You would love his video. He really gets after it in a hurry but was a bit light and now he is over 230. Texas wanted him after we discovered him. Guys like this can really help special teams.

 

6. Nyles Morgan~~6' 1'' 230. Oddly Kelly didn't mention him. Seemed like he thought the learning curve was a bit steep for him. He's a very good looking athlete and a legitimate 4 star. I think he plays especially on special teams.

 

7. Drue Tranquill~~6' 1'' 225. Kelly didn't mention him but this kid can fly too. He's been running with the safeties but could end up at linebacker. Regardless, he would be a great addition to special teams and I have a feeling Kelly plays him. When you have all these fast linebackers you could really have a good kick off team.

 

8. Nick Watkins~~6' 194. Smooth and fluid corner with good size. We targeted this kid early and got him. I want to redshirt him but he is so good I had to list him here. I didn't list all the defenders, I listed the ones I expect to be starters at some point. When you can find 8 in one class you have a special class.

 

This is a very special class defensively. It is better than our offensive class and that is something I can rarely say. We always load up on 4 star O linemen, tight ends, receivers, running backs and even quarterbacks. But this class is a very special defensive class. These guys will stay all 4 years (mostly) and be major contributors. Do not let those stars fool you. We have talent and it will become great depth just like the offense. We just have gone about it a bit differently.

 

 

Just realized I found EIGHT good defenders. Will somebody please change the title to read 8 ???

Edited August 11, 201410 yr by OklahomaIrish

Not surprised Kelly did not mention Morgan. Watching his film he seems to rely mostly on his superior athletic ability to make plays. He plays very upright even on run plays which is the worst thing you can do as a MLB.

These are 3 clips from the same video.

 

you'll find

 

Hayes, Trumbetti, Williams and Watkins so far:

 

93 is Jay Hayes, Didn't look bad either

 

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98 is Andrew Trumbetti

 

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33 is Jhonny Williams

19 is Nick Watkins

Great thread Oklahoma. I think Trumbetti is going to be a good one. Kid seems tough and tenacious. Think he plays on pass rushing downs. Highly intrigued by Johnny Williams. Kid is lean, ripped, and very quick off the edge. How awesome would it be if this kid turned out to be Aaron Lynch type, on the field? I think Tranquill will be a player also. Kid is fast and seems to be hard-working. All in all, Kelly should get the most out of these kids.

Great thread Oklahoma. I think Trumbetti is going to be a good one. Kid seems tough and tenacious. Think he plays on pass rushing downs. Highly intrigued by Johnny Williams. Kid is lean, ripped, and very quick off the edge. How awesome would it be if this kid turned out to be Aaron Lynch type, on the field? I think Tranquill will be a player also. Kid is fast and seems to be hard-working. All in all, Kelly should get the most out of these kids.

 

Tranquill would make an elite MLB. Reminds me of Urlacher.

These are 3 clips from the same video.

 

you'll find

 

Hayes, Trumbetti, Williams and Watkins so far:

 

93 is Jay Hayes, Didn't look bad either

 

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98 is Andrew Trumbetti

 

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33 is Jhonny Williams

19 is Nick Watkins

 

Kelly did not mention Jay Hayes and I didn't even think of him. Could this number possibly be as high as 9 contributors?? I don't think so, but I would bet the house on 7, especially the ones that can play special teams. I would love to red shirt Hayes but if we take a couple of hits he will have to play.

 

We are seriously thin in the middle but this should all be rectified next year when the stars align even more perfectly than they do this year. Theme this year is out score them!!!

how's grant Blankenship doing? haven't heard a word about him.

 

yeah Williams is an intriguing player that im excited about, if theirs one thing mizzou is good at it's recruiting nfl DL.

 

im really stoked about kolin hill I think ND got a steal in him, so very very underrated imo. It would not surprise me if he ended up being the best LB in this class. he's got everything you would want in a LB.

 

with last years DB class and with Watkins this year ND is building some nice depth at CB.

I agree with this but I think Jay Hayes will contribute some. I don't think we'll see much of Watkins since we have so many upperclassmen at corner. Jalen Brown hasn't played a ton but always looks good when he's in there, and we have Atkinson.

 

I think the front seven is going to surprise many this year, and not surprised Morgan won't start. He's gotta learn the toughest position on defense and it was unrealistic to think he'd pick it up so quick.

I agree with this but I think Jay Hayes will contribute some. I don't think we'll see much of Watkins since we have so many upperclassmen at corner. Jalen Brown hasn't played a ton but always looks good when he's in there, and we have Atkinson.

 

I think the front seven is going to surprise many this year, and not surprised Morgan won't start. He's gotta learn the toughest position on defense and it was unrealistic to think he'd pick it up so quick.

From what I've gathered, I imagine Hayes will redshirt this year, bulk up some more, and then be moved to defensive tackle ultimately. Doesn't sound like a bad plan at all honestly. I expect this to happen unless more unforeseen injuries happen.

From what I've gathered, I imagine Hayes will redshirt this year, bulk up some more, and then be moved to defensive tackle ultimately. Doesn't sound like a bad plan at all honestly. I expect this to happen unless more unforeseen injuries happen.

 

In a perfect world, a lot of these freshman would be redshirting. Not that they can't contribute, but offensive and defensive lineman are two groups that can almost always benefit from a year of gainging muscle and size.

Tranquill would make an elite MLB. Reminds me of Urlacher.

 

I think Tranquill has been running a lot at safety. His size and speed and now strength bode pretty well at either position. I imagine he could put some big hits from that secondary position.

 

This class is going to look exceptionally strong in 2016-17.

I liked it better when nobody knew anything about the recruits and they were judged by their performance on the field. I think it was better for the kids as well. Today they get hyped, and then if they can't live up to the hype, they get mocked or deemed an underachiever and/or a disappointment. In the past, nobody knew. So, they were judged by what they did, not what people said they might/could/should/might be doing on the field.

how's grant Blankenship doing? haven't heard a word about him.

 

yeah Williams is an intriguing player that im excited about, if theirs one thing mizzou is good at it's recruiting nfl DL.

 

im really stoked about kolin hill I think ND got a steal in him, so very very underrated imo. It would not surprise me if he ended up being the best LB in this class. he's got everything you would want in a LB.

 

with last years DB class and with Watkins this year ND is building some nice depth at CB.

 

I haven't heard anything about Grant either.

I liked it better when nobody knew anything about the recruits and they were judged by their performance on the field. I think it was better for the kids as well. Today they get hyped, and then if they can't live up to the hype, they get mocked or deemed an underachiever and/or a disappointment. In the past, nobody knew. So, they were judged by what they did, not what people said they might/could/should/might be doing on the field.

 

I dont see an issue with discussing players and their potential.

 

But i do agree it is a bit much to suggest a bunch of freshman will be great before they play a down and compare kids to NFL Hall of Famers 1 week into their college careers.

I haven't heard anything about Grant either.

 

Something might be going on with Grant. He reportedly was getting near 280 and then he shows up at just over 250. Maybe they want him at outside linebacker. It didn't help that he is now only 6' 4'' and all the reports had him at 6' 6''. He's just a big question mark to me but he has some quality tape. He gets after it.

 

What excites me about this class and is evident in all the film is the speed of this class. you combine that with the work ethic in the weight room and you really have something special. It's perfectly fine to speculate. That's what fans do. If these guys were slow as in some previous classes you wouldn't see this thread. What I have always harped on is speed. That's what Barry Switzer constantly preached. He loved the term 'speed kills' and it sure enough did. Just ask Texas.

Kelly is raving about these freshmen is his press conference. He thinks they play with an edge and really get after it. Not thinking of them as a liability. He really likes Trumbetti and J. Williams. Kinda gets me excited!

Kelly is raving about these freshmen is his press conference. He thinks they play with an edge and really get after it. Not thinking of them as a liability. He really likes Trumbetti and J. Williams. Kinda gets me excited!

 

Was there a press conference thread about this? Could somebody post or link?

Was there a press conference thread about this? Could somebody post or link?

 

Also discussed in the fall camp thread

 

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This is almost ridiculous. Now I'm seeing 10 freshmen that could play on defense. Greer Martini is now backing up Jaylon Smith. Kelly was real high on his intelligence. Called him a bigger version of Joe Schmidt. Can this class really be that good?? Again, look out 2015. That would be a title run.

This is almost ridiculous. Now I'm seeing 10 freshmen that could play on defense. Greer Martini is now backing up Jaylon Smith. Kelly was real high on his intelligence. Called him a bigger version of Joe Schmidt. Can this class really be that good?? Again, look out 2015. That would be a title run.

 

I agree with you here.... I'm a bit taken-back by all the freshman talk... I hear alot of that sh!t out of Michigan fans every year and it rarely pans out....

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Edited August 14, 201410 yr by FaithInIrishForever