Ok, here is my mostly annual ranking. First, please know that I am 100% accurate with these, I am more of an expert than our staff, I have seen all of them live and in color in every game, I have never been wrong.
Okay, now that we have that disclaimer out of the way here are my silly, absurd rankings and a few comments. To rank I watched all available film I had, looked at their offer lists, and gave a number based on how I think they will perform relative to SEC competition. A "10" would be "dominate SEC player for at least a few years" and so forth from there.
One more note. If you talked to a typical fan and said "not all of our recruits will pan out" I imagine almost all would agree. If you had that same person comment on each individual commitment, however, I think most would project great things for each and every one. One way to look at this, then, are as my personal odds on the likelihood of great versus not contributing. Again though, none of us will know for a few years. Take these with a germ of slugs.
1. Josh Smith 9.5
Elite athlete, fast twitch muscle but also plays with discipline. Will play early.
2. Donovan Sheffield 9.4
Fluid, pure athlete who breaks on the ball very well. I think he starts this year, at least after a few games.
3. Kyle Anderton 9.1
I love this kid. He is like Tim Tebow without the absurd insistence of playing QB. His size and athleticism are a rare combo for Vandy.
4. Jordan Griffin 9.0
Explosive athlete who has wonderful tackling skills. He won't frustrate us with missed tackles.
5. Dare O. 8.8
I generally don't like big bags as much and I love him. I hope we see him at RB first, and I think he would have a great career on D. but we need him on O and I think he could be a Lacy type.
6. Caleb Peart 8.7
Killer instincts and closes well. Seems disruptive. Kind of guy you don't want to have read to much, just fire him away.
7. Darion DeBrossard 8.6
For a mammoth, has nice footwork and great arm extension. he plays a bit rigid and seems like he holds too much, though.
8. Jared Southers 8.5
Great leverage and leg drive. pulls fluidly.
9. Ean Pfiefer 8.5
Whatever country strong is, that is him. I like that even when the D slants o the ball, he can take them down.
10. Jared Pinkney 7.6.
I like him in goal line and against zone. Nice body and hands, poor speed.
11. Justin Skule 7.5
Not quite as agile or technically skilled looking as the other OL, but still a mobile mass with upside.
12. Kyle Shurmer 7.4
Slowish deliver, poor mobility and only moderate arm strength are the negatives. His intangibles are harder to see without real game film but I'm going to guess huge.
13. Nehemiah Mitchell 7.0
Moves well in space, hard to trap keeps head on swivel. Needs strength. Maybe hard to find a position for?
14. Josh Crawford 6.5
Cuts back and out well. like that he can go either way. I don't think he will look as powerful at the next level and I question his speed.
15. Sam Dobbs 6.5
Wonderfully soft hands. Lacks size and speed. Maybe if we can bulk him up he will be a Pat Akos type
16. Andrew Rector 6.3
Aggressive as hell. Will he be a tweener though, not athletic enough in open space and in coverage but too small at LB?
17. Jay Hockaday 5.0
I see him being recruited over at LB.
18. Jaire George 4.9
Despite his last name, it is really hard for me to get excited about someone who pathetic me had more yards rushing on my first carry of my senior year than he did his entire SR year (47). His lack of offers plus lack of true film just have me with many more questions than optimism. I liked several people late game who apparently we did not offer than I did him. Odd offer to me.
So A at LB and OL, F at RB for me, unless Dare plays RB.
This post was edited on 2/26 3:17 PM by Warrikk
Okay, now that we have that disclaimer out of the way here are my silly, absurd rankings and a few comments. To rank I watched all available film I had, looked at their offer lists, and gave a number based on how I think they will perform relative to SEC competition. A "10" would be "dominate SEC player for at least a few years" and so forth from there.
One more note. If you talked to a typical fan and said "not all of our recruits will pan out" I imagine almost all would agree. If you had that same person comment on each individual commitment, however, I think most would project great things for each and every one. One way to look at this, then, are as my personal odds on the likelihood of great versus not contributing. Again though, none of us will know for a few years. Take these with a germ of slugs.
1. Josh Smith 9.5
Elite athlete, fast twitch muscle but also plays with discipline. Will play early.
2. Donovan Sheffield 9.4
Fluid, pure athlete who breaks on the ball very well. I think he starts this year, at least after a few games.
3. Kyle Anderton 9.1
I love this kid. He is like Tim Tebow without the absurd insistence of playing QB. His size and athleticism are a rare combo for Vandy.
4. Jordan Griffin 9.0
Explosive athlete who has wonderful tackling skills. He won't frustrate us with missed tackles.
5. Dare O. 8.8
I generally don't like big bags as much and I love him. I hope we see him at RB first, and I think he would have a great career on D. but we need him on O and I think he could be a Lacy type.
6. Caleb Peart 8.7
Killer instincts and closes well. Seems disruptive. Kind of guy you don't want to have read to much, just fire him away.
7. Darion DeBrossard 8.6
For a mammoth, has nice footwork and great arm extension. he plays a bit rigid and seems like he holds too much, though.
8. Jared Southers 8.5
Great leverage and leg drive. pulls fluidly.
9. Ean Pfiefer 8.5
Whatever country strong is, that is him. I like that even when the D slants o the ball, he can take them down.
10. Jared Pinkney 7.6.
I like him in goal line and against zone. Nice body and hands, poor speed.
11. Justin Skule 7.5
Not quite as agile or technically skilled looking as the other OL, but still a mobile mass with upside.
12. Kyle Shurmer 7.4
Slowish deliver, poor mobility and only moderate arm strength are the negatives. His intangibles are harder to see without real game film but I'm going to guess huge.
13. Nehemiah Mitchell 7.0
Moves well in space, hard to trap keeps head on swivel. Needs strength. Maybe hard to find a position for?
14. Josh Crawford 6.5
Cuts back and out well. like that he can go either way. I don't think he will look as powerful at the next level and I question his speed.
15. Sam Dobbs 6.5
Wonderfully soft hands. Lacks size and speed. Maybe if we can bulk him up he will be a Pat Akos type
16. Andrew Rector 6.3
Aggressive as hell. Will he be a tweener though, not athletic enough in open space and in coverage but too small at LB?
17. Jay Hockaday 5.0
I see him being recruited over at LB.
18. Jaire George 4.9
Despite his last name, it is really hard for me to get excited about someone who pathetic me had more yards rushing on my first carry of my senior year than he did his entire SR year (47). His lack of offers plus lack of true film just have me with many more questions than optimism. I liked several people late game who apparently we did not offer than I did him. Odd offer to me.
So A at LB and OL, F at RB for me, unless Dare plays RB.
This post was edited on 2/26 3:17 PM by Warrikk
