NSD 21: Best Player Signed or Committed Thus far

Here is the high-level view. As we wrote in the previous post, none of this is a guarantee.

I went through the list of signees and commits and here is a little bit about the best player (by 247 ranking) for each team.

UTEP: Jakolby Longino ☆☆☆ from Missouri City, Texas

A pro-style QB out of Hightower HS, he has not signed as of this writing but has been listed as a “hard commit” for a while. UTEP needs a guy to lead things and Longino could be part of that solution. The worry is that 247 lists Longino as the only guy on the recruiting rankings. We know Dana Dimel likes to keep it all close to the vest and do the big announcements in February. Still, considering the state of the program it is concerning.

WKU: Jarret Lucombe ☆☆☆ from Hendesonville, TN

A strong-side defensive end at 6’4″ 230, he has the frame to grow into a solid defender and maybe even drop back a bit into the linebacker role. The hybrid approach is the the modern way of doing things and so more versatility is better. From his tape, it looks like he is going to be a lineman — I mean, he is listed as strong-side defensive end.

MTSU: Nick Vattiato ☆☆☆ from Miami Gardens, FL

Nick is listed as a dual-threat guy, which just means he can run. He had offers from App State (good program), Cincinnati (another good one), Coastal (hey!) and FIU (okay not so great). This is a good-get and given the versatility of the offensive position at Middle right now, this looks like it is stocking up on more of the same.

Southern Miss: Ty Keyes ☆☆☆ from Taylorsville, MS

Keyes is a pro-style QB and was recruited by Chad Morris — a solid evaluator of talent at Auburn. He also turned down offers from Tulane, Kansas, and Louisiana. He has a good arm and will have weapons around him at USM. The tape shows a little bit of mobility also, but he won’t be putting up 1,000 yard seasons out here. He can probably work on his accuracy a bit but who doesn’t need to improve?

Marshall: Isaiah Finnie ☆☆☆ from Hollywood, FL

Marshall always has a good defense and Finnie is a linebacker with a smallish frame. I suspect he might move to safety or they think they can bulk him up in their strength program. I trust the Herd program’s ability to evaluate.

LaTech: J’Dan Burnett ☆☆☆ from Forth Worth, TX

It seems that all those DFW-area wins led to some recruiting wins? Arkansas State was also after this dude (good program). He is a little undersized, but that’s the nature of G5 recruiting. He likely will get moved around if he can do some pass-coverage stuff. He showed good tackling ability, and even nicer pass-rushing ability on the tape.

UAB: Tim Burns, Jr ☆☆☆ from Miami, FL

Burns is a corner, who is a little smallish. He was recruited by Miami and K-State and even Kentucky. He has shown some stuff at camps and things. I trust UAB to evaluate on defense and this is more talent for the best defense in the west division.

ODU: Jalen McCain ☆☆☆ from Bowie, MD

He’s a corner and was offered by UNC, BC, and Maryland. If you do not remember what ODU looked like on defense do not fret, because no one does. They did not play this season and so it is a bit of a mystery. Ricky Rahne will debut a whole year after being hired. He had time to work with his team. That’s always good.

UTSA: Jimmori Robinson ☆☆☆ from Alexandria, VA

This JUCO guy from Monroe CC is tall (6’6″) and big (248lbs). He’s ready to step in a be a pass-rushing force. Auburn looked at him and so did Herm Edwards at Arizona State. He has the tools, but as always, it is one thing to impress vs JUCO guys and quite another to step into a new culture and do it in CUSA.

FIU: Katravis Geter Jr ☆☆☆ from Opa Locka, FL

Geter is a running back from Miami Carol City HS. He had offers from Florida, Georgia, GT, and Kentucky but chose FIU over all of those. He is smallish and a little light, but like most backs, he can probably contribute soon. This is a big talent to get and keep home.

FAU: Fred Effort ☆☆☆ from Deerfield Beach, FL

One time Miami commit instead chose FAU. He’s smallish and didn’t help himself with a reported 4.72 40 time. Football speed is always different and Coastal Carolina was after him for a while as well. Willie Taggart has a reputation as a good recruiter and it continues here.

UNT: Var’Keyes Gumms ☆☆☆ from Houston, TX

Gumms is listed as a 230 lb TE but also played some DE. NT uses some H-back/TE type things and that could be more of a weapon but could really use a defensive end. He has great size for either position — nearly prototypical. After he adds a little college weight he should be ready to do damage. La Tech, LSU, and Houston were all after him.

Rice: DJ Arkansas ☆☆☆ from Denton, TX

Rice took a guy from under North Texas. He is a linebacker with decent size (a little short). He was looked at by Arkansas (confusing) and Boise St. He’s explosive and smart (Rice, duh) and should fit in in Bloomgren’s IntelligentBrutality defensive scheme. Rice showed how good they can be in their two games vs the championship entrants — a win over Marshall and a loss to UAB.

Charlotte: Jairus Mack ☆☆☆ from Athens, GA

He’s a smallish WR (about UNT’s Jaelon Darden size) and had one offer from Akron. He’s the “throw it to him in space and let him work” type. He has downfield speed also, and should be a weapon in Charlotte’s exciting offense in the future.