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Posted on 6/11/15 at 10:45 am to TideSaint
It probably wouldn't have even matter if Bama got his commitment yesterday, you can't send a Canadian to the west coast and expect him to choose the south over it.
He had a few CA schools on his college tour, looks to be where his mind was at...
He had a few CA schools on his college tour, looks to be where his mind was at...
This post was edited on 6/11/15 at 10:46 am
Posted on 6/11/15 at 10:58 am to MagillaGuerilla
Hopefully we can pull Pineiro.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:01 am to TideSaint
quote:
BALTIMORE -- Kendell Jones laughed at the question.
How did you get the nickname 'Hulk'?
Sitting by the locker next to Jones, four-star offensive tackle Frank Martin also chuckled when he heard the query. Martin is big, too -- 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds -- but he looks like a ragdoll next to Jones. Almost everybody does.
Jones, the Killeen (Texas) Shoemaker defensive tackle, is 6-feet-5 and a smidge over 350 pounds of pure muscle. Everything really must be bigger in Texas.
In a way, the Alabama commit is all-encompassing. At the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour last weekend, Jones was easily the biggest prospect at M&T Bank Stadium. He even made camp coach George Hegamin, a former NFL player who is 6-foot-7 and 331 pounds, look miniature.
"I eyeballed him around 6-5 or so and he weighed in at 351 pounds with no bad weight at all," Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. "This is the kind of kid, at least physically, that if he stays injury-free and has a somewhat productive career in college, that NFL scouts will not be able to resist. He's a physical freak and just being around him in one-on-ones and having him run by you, the sheer force of his power is better than advertised. He just accidentally pushed OL coach George Hegamin at the end of a rep and sent him off balance. That's amazing."
Another amazing thing about Jones: The four-star prospect can squat 800 pounds. When asked about it, Jones looked even a little embarrassed that he could handle that amount of weight. It looked like he realized that, yes, he isn't exactly a normal teenage football player.
"I did it long ago," Jones said. "It was pretty easy but it wasn't easy at the same time because you have to be careful."
So how did he get that nickname? As the character is described, Hulk possesses immense superhuman strength and great invulnerability. That's not exactly why Jones landed it though.
Instead, Jones was just always bigger than everyone else for as long as he could remember. Starting in the eighth grade, Jones played offensive line, was moved to defensive line, dominated everybody and the moniker just stuck. Compared against his peers, even today, he looks like something out of a comic book.
"There is a picture on my Instragram and it's a transformation from my eighth grade year to now," Jones said. "It's a humongous transformation. I was smaller, but I was big small. I was smaller but I was bigger than everybody in my class in middle school. I was always the bigger one."
Rated as the ninth-best defensive tackle and the No. 86 prospect in the 2016 class, Jones had a nice performance at the Five-Star Challenge, but he didn't outright dominate the event.
The Killeen Shoemaker prospect is still perfecting his techniques, still learning the finer points of playing defensive tackle. He's larger than everyone else, but big-time offensive linemen like he saw this past weekend are not going to back down one inch. If anything, Jones is a target.
"I need to keep learning techniques," Jones said. "Actually, that has probably been the hardest thing. As long as I have the right coaches and my dad is like a dad to me plus a coach, so as long as I have him I feel confident that my craft will get better."
Everywhere Jones goes, he's noticed. Like Friday night at Under Armour headquarters, when Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh was the guest speaker. Jones was singled out and Harbaugh had a look of awe and amazement when he saw Jones stand up. This is a coach in the NFL who was taken aback by the sheer size of a football player, especially one that young.
In malls, out clothes shopping, walking down the street, it's hard not to stare in wonder. Jones doesn't seem to mind. Not only is he used to it, but he takes that attention as a compliment.
"I do get looked at all the time," Jones said. "I mean, yeah. I'm just used to it. It can't get annoying. It's cool being noticed. They didn't even give me tights or socks here because they were too small. They wouldn't fit. I wouldn't mind squeezing those bad boys on though."
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:02 am to TideSaint
quote:
BALTIMORE - Eight of the top prospects from the Midwest region took part in this past weekend's Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour. Here is how their performances ranked amongst one another.
quote:
7 DE
Xavier Kelly
Wichita (Kan.) East
If we had done an All-Lobby team during Friday's registration, Kelly would likely have made the list. The 6-foot-4, 241-pound defensive end certainly looks the part with long arms and good bulk on his frame. Similar to his showing at RCS: St. Louis, though, it took Kelly some time to adjust to the talent in Baltimore. He has the explosiveness to come off the edge and does a decent job handling the point of attack with those long arms, but his repertoire of pass rush moves is limited and once linemen figured out Kelly liked to go inside, they were able to stop him.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:03 am to TideSaint
quote:
BALTIMORE -- The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour took place last weekend and many of the players in attendance were from the Mid-Atlantic. Here are the ones that represented their region the best against elite competition from across the country.
quote:
2 DL
Rashan Gary
Paramus (N.J.) Paramus Catholic
It was very difficult to pick between Gary and Dexter Lawrence, because both played very well. In the camp setting, Gary looked just a shade better. It's just amazing to see someone that big, fast and aggressive. He finished every one-on-one rep at the quarterback whether he won the rep or not. A lot of times, you'll see skill position players with a bounce in their step. Gary has the bounce and that's pretty rare in big defensive tackles.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:04 am to TideSaint
quote:
3 DL
Dexter Lawrence
Wake Forest, N.C.
The newly minted No. 1 player in the Rivals100 lived up to the hype. Lawrence beat the best offensive linemen in the country and won when it counted, in the final round of the Big Man Challenge. His quickness for being 6-foot-5 and well over 300-pounds is exceptional. Lawrence has a large arsenal of pass rushing moves and his rip move was very effective because of how low he stays throughout the rep and how he uses his leverage.
Lawrence is planning to visit Alabama soon.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:04 am to TideSaint
quote:
7 DB
Devon Hunter (2017)
Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River
One of the signs of a good defensive back is that you don't call his name very often. That's exactly what happened with Hunter in the seven-on-seven tournament. Hunter has great range and did a good job of covering slot receivers and tight ends in space. In one-on-ones, Hunter stayed with all the wide receivers he matched up with and made it tough for quarterbacks.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:05 am to TideSaint
quote:
8 LB
Jaquan Yulee
Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River
Alabama's newest commitment, Yulee showed good speed for an inside linebacker of his size. As long as he stays around 230- or 235-pounds, Yulee should be able to run sideline-to-sideline with the best. During the seven-on-seven tournament, Yulee seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. He dropped two pick-sixes that were right in his hands, but it was good to seem him get deep enough in his drops in time to make a play.
This makes me feel a little better. Watching him in that highlight video wasn't pretty.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:06 am to TideSaint
quote:
BALTIMORE - Players can improve or hurt their stock based on performance at any event and the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Presented by Under Armour was no different. While some players clearly had off weekends and others were on fire, it was also clear who raised their game in the face of elevated competition and who didn't.
Note: This list is ordered alphabetically and only includes 2016 prospects. Keep in mind some prospects that excelled didn't make this list because they are already ranked where we think they should be or don't have much room to move up.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:07 am to TideSaint
quote:
DOWN DT
Derrick Brown
Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier
Brown came into this event looking for, and needing, vengeance for a poor performance last year when he was easily handled by older linemen and some in his age group. It didn't happen. He was once again too upright coming out of his stance, seemingly indecisive as to what he was going to do or how he would counter contact, and only showed a couple of glimpses of the speed at his position he's known for. Many of us have seen Brown numerous times and were a bit disappointed while others eyeballing him for the first time were puzzled at his No. 10 national ranking, especially with Dexter Lawrence and Rashan Gary on hand.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:07 am to TideSaint
quote:
DOWN WR
Darnell Salomon
Miami (Fla.) Central
Man, this is tough. The player myself and the analysts absolutely fell in love with at RCS: Miami for the regional against a loaded receiver group and a solid group of defensive backs had a serious case of the drops all day long. In drills he dropped passes, in one-on-ones he dropped passes and in the 7-on-7, even though he had the most inexperienced group of quarterbacks on one team, he dropped some passes that would have helped out his signal callers. He didn't make any plays where you said, "that's the five-star" and that was puzzling and disappointing. We will see how he rebounds this summer as there are many key events left, but this one was rough.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:10 am to TideSaint
quote:
Alabama extended an offer to Marvin Wilson, a 2017 five-star defensive tackle from Bellaire, Texas (Episcopal), on Wednesday. Wilson is considered one of the top prospects in the country, holding offers from a long list of schools including LSU, Michigan and Texas.
DT Marvin Wilson Highlights
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:12 am to TideSaint
quote:
Before the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge and the Rivals Quarterback Challenge Finals, both Presented by Under Armour, I decided it would be fun to have each of our seven regional analysts make three bold predictions on Thursday before the action started and I would review them a week later. As you can see below, some of them hit it out of the park, but some of the predictions are downright awful. The fun part? I get to call them out for the bad ones. Here's a look.
quote:
Nate McBride will officially have his coming out party.
Class of 2017 Nate McBride hails from the town of Vidalia, Ga., a city more known for producing onions than producing quality football talent. But Georgia, Michigan and Alabama have already taken notice of McBride, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound four-star linebacker who recently won the state championship in the 100 meters. McBride's speed and physicality make him a rare prospect, but his off-the-radar style has made him a tough guy to quantify. With only 16 linebackers in attendance, McBride will have his chance to shine, not only against other 2017 prospects, but five-stars in the class of 2016. If he can do what he's capable of, McBride will state his case as one of the top overall prospects in the country, not just the Southeast.
Farrell's Take: I really like McBride a ton and he was good enough to make our First-Team All Challenge list with two five-star linebackers from the 2016 class, so this is a ding ding ding! prediction. This kid is special with his size and speed combination, instincts and ability to turn and run with receivers. It's hard for linebackers to stand out at these events as their job is to keep running backs in front of them and the middle of the field clean while also covering slot receivers. Most struggle with those responsibilities, but McBride impressed everyone who saw him.
This post was edited on 6/11/15 at 11:13 am
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:14 am to TideSaint
quote:
The 2017 defensive backs will look best.
There are plenty of highly-respected defensive backs coming to the event. Don't be surprised if it's the underclassmen who shine the most. DeAngelo Gibbs, Thomas Graham, Richard LeCounte, Isaiah Pryor, Stanford Samuels, William Poole III and others are all 2017 prospects who could shine in a major way. The 2016 prospects could hold their own, but there will be some major performances from underclassmen prospects.
Farrell's Take: Gorney was on point here to some extent as two of the 2017 prospects made First-Team All-Challenge, but the one he didn't mention, LaMont Wade, was the best of the bunch. With four of the top eight All-Challenge first- and second-teamers being underclassmen, I'll give him this one despite not mentioning Wade.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:14 am to TideSaint
quote:
No. 1 will be further complicated.
More than any year I can remember, the No. 1 spot in the Rivals100 is more up for grabs than ever. Wake Forest, N.C., defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is the new top-rated prospect, taking over the top spot from five-star quarterback Jacob Eason, but there's no guarantee Lawrence will stay there either. The five-star will have his shot to solidify that spot in Baltimore this weekend and he has the talent to prove himself, but many others sense blood in the water and know they can move way up in the rankings with a big performance as well. After this weekend, there could be a lot more debate about who should sit atop the rankings.
Farrell's Take: I'd agree with this one. Lawrence was good, he made our First-Team All-Challenge and after an average No. 11 finish on the morning's Top Performers list, he rebounded to finish No. 1 in the Big Man Challenge. However, his performance wasn't jaw-dropping enough to say he's a lock for No. 1. I think Rashan Gary made a push closer to Lawrence and the quarterbacks this summer will be important to watch. It's too bad Marlon Davidson was out with an injury because that would have been a great battle.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:15 am to TideSaint
quote:
Demetris Robertson will dominate.
Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian School's Demetris Robertson was the best offensive underclassman at the Five-Star Challenge last summer and he'll be back to prove it again. The former Alabama commit is hungry to continue to move up the charts -- he's seventh overall in the Rivals.com rankings -- and Baltimore (once again) will be his proving ground that he should be considered for the No. 1 spot in this class. Robertson has tremendous explosiveness and playmaking ability and he has proven time and again that he's basically unstoppable in setting after setting.
Farrell's Take: Robertson was very good in Baltimore, but he didn't dominate like he did the year before and played too much defense in the one-on-ones, where he struggled a bit. On offense, he was his unstoppable self, but his team (Team Swarm, the winner of the 7-on-7) had so much talent that he wasn't the go-to guy and he was outperformed by Trevon Sidney and Sam Bruce on his own team. However, despite messing around on defense, he was still our Top Performer from the morning, so it's not like he hurt his stock. He just didn't dominate at the finish.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:17 am to TideSaint
quote:
Caleb Kelly will bounce back.
Heading into the event, the five-star outside linebacker wrote on his Twitter account, "I'm going on this plane mad this weekend." It might or might not have been a subtle message after Kelly lost his No. 1 standing in the California rankings to new five-star Mique Juarez, but either way, it was good to see a fiery side from the highly regarded prospect. At RCS: Los Angeles last month, Kelly didn't compete during the one-on-one portion, but with many of the nation's elite in Baltimore, Kelly will rise to the challenge and prove again why he's so highly thought of.
Farrell's Take: Kelly was solid, I'll give him that, and he had a big pick in 7-on-7 play, a rarity for linebackers not named Lyndell Wilson, but I don't think he made the statement he was looking for. This linebacker group was so loaded that it was hard to stand out. Don't get me wrong, Kelly held his own with the other five stars and did a good job in all aspects, so I guess that's bouncing back, but I think Mr. Angulo meant he would re-claim that No. 1 spot in California and that's debatable.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:18 am to TideSaint
quote:
Derrick Brown will rebound after last year's subpar performance.
Brown was underwhelming at last year's Five-Star Challenge. Since then, he has gotten bigger, stronger and improved his technique. The added experience should help Brown as well. There is no doubt he will try to redeem himself after what happened last year.
Farrell's Take: Ehhhhhhhhnt! Brown didn't struggle as much as he did at last year's Five-Star Challenge, but for the No. 10 player in the country and a five-star, he didn't stand out much either. He didn't make the Defensive Top Performers list from the morning or the Big Man Challenge Top Performers list from the evening and he was outplayed by both Dexter Lawrence and Rashan Gary as well as 2017 stud Marvin Wilson amongst others. Brown wanted to avenge last year's performance, but he wasn't consistently quick off the snap and had no counter attack planned for when his initial move didn't work. There were a few reps where he was amazing and looked like the guy we expected, but they were much less than the average or bad ones.
Posted on 6/11/15 at 11:19 am to TideSaint
quote:
Michael Divinity will record more interceptions than any other defender.
From the first Rivals Camp Divinity attended in New Orleans in 2014, it became very apparent he was very skilled in pass coverage. He is comfortable in space and he attacks the ball. There are several skilled linebackers, but Divinity may be the most skilled in pass coverage. He is capable of covering running backs, slot receivers, and tight ends and I predict he will put himself in a position to record more interceptions than any other defender in Baltimore.
Farrell's Take: Divinity held his own and I have him down for a few pass breakups and an interception in the morning, but Lyndell Wilson and Devin Bush had more picks by my count overall from the linebacker spot and I know defensive backs like Savion Smith had more interceptions as well. Wilson was the best linebacker in coverage, followed by Ben Davis, Nate McBride, Devin Bush and then after that you could put Divinity in the discussion, so this is another fail for Howell.
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