Took some time to check out some highlights of our incoming freshman. Love seeing the next wave! Here's some extremely amatuer feedback on some of the guys:
OT Leatherwood - Massive dude with great strength great hands. Not sure his feet/quickness will be ready to start from day 1 at tackle like Williams/Robinson/etc., but there's no doubt he's got a chance to be special eventually.
WR Jeudy - Blown away by how smooth/calm/natural he looks. Amari Cooper type of demeanor running routes and with the ball. Fast as heck with long strides... Great size. Can't see him not playing next year, he's really gifted.
LB Benton - Impressive all around talent! For a kid that plays mostly on the edge he can run like a deer. Assuming he would be a little undersized for JLB/SLB so he would play MLB for us, because he looks like a perfect fit. Great instincts and the speed/strength to bring some pain. Looks pretty natural in pass coverage too. Could be a long term answer at MLB with our current top 3 dudes finishing up soon.
OT Baker (juco) - Hard to see how his game will translate considering the JUCO coaches have him standing straight up on the snap. Clearly has impressive athleticism for a 300lb dude. Doesn't seem over powering though and may need to add a few lbs to run block the way we like em'. Makes sense for the staff to take a big time JUCO prospect with our depth at tackle, but I'd be surprised if he wins a job next season. Seems like all our JUCO OL's since Carpenter have been in that boat.
QB Tua - This is my guy! Just looks like a natural athlete. He's strong & explosive for a QB... Tremendous speed and looks great on the run. Does have a long "wind up" on the shorter throws which could be an issue if Sark decides to all the sideways plays, but his deep ball looks great. Love what Saban is doing at the QB.. Now has a virtual clone of Hurt's physical ability while both are really high character kids. The Dual threat is so valuable. Entering the golden era of Saban QB play?! Absolutely.
DT Byers - As previously mentioned, I love this kid. His game fits perfectly for as a 3-4 DE and/or 4-3 DT. If he picks things up quickly he would be hard to keep off the field. Big enough, fast enough, strong & explosive... Could be the whole package if he's got it mentally
DB Wright - This dude flies around! For a guy who's fairly skinny, he plays with aggression an pops people. Works well since he's so dang fast. Listed anywhere from 167-187 so probably in between. Could be a perfect fit at safety since we've been more focused on pass coverage... Fast enough to cover WR's and still make plays in the run game when necessary. Probably have to put on some weight before he plays but I'm pumped to see him play.
WR Shavers - Intiguing player because you don't see many 6'6 WR's. He's pretty smooth wants he gets going and looks pretty natural running routes for his size. The issue I've always considered with the tall & skinny WR's is getting punked at the LOS by the shoter/stronger DB's. We haven't seen the payoff yet of recruiting these types of bodies at WR between Falkins, Keif, and Sims (Sims may be close?). If a kid with this size and speed pans out he could be unstoppable, especially with the added potential of run blocking,but it seems like he will need some type to add strength.
OLB Allen - Have we seen a more physically ready OLB prospect?! Usually our studs come in more slight and fast, needing to add the weight before playing on run downs (Miller, Evans, Williams), but Allen looks like a grown ass man. And the fact he was playing MLB shows he's got instincts also! Same HS as Tim Williams, but he's probably 15-20 pounds heavier and stronger. Doesn't have that elite edge speed but is still plenty fast enough to chase down QB's. Coming in at a very deep position but I'm super intrigued on what he can do when a few move on. Could be one of those rare 3 down OLB's like Upshaw & Anderson!
Going to watch some more Tomorrow (or today). RTR