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One defensive recruit from every team I'm excited to watch next year (SEC West)
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:37 pm
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:37 pm
Alabama - Kendall Sheffield/Minkah Fitzpatrick, CB
I know I'm cheating already by picking 2 players instead of one, but I'm so excited to watch each of these guys play next year. Both have incredible strength and size for the CB position and should compete for playing time right away. Both players are also ridiculously fast and have great agility (Sheffield looked faster, Fitzpatrick looked quicker) that should be huge in pass coverage. I'm glad we play relatively early in the year, because this combo will be brutal for everyone else over their next 3+ years in Tuscaloosa.
Arkansas - Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT
Ledbetter is a JUCO player from Hutchinson CC and should compete with others including incoming freshman Hjalte Frodholt for playing time alongside Bijhon Jackson. Ledbetter has a knack for finding the QB and had 16 sacks last year. He shows incredible athleticism for a guy of his size (6-3, 280) and could potentially play DE if Arkansas needed him to. Arkansas' D line was a big strength last season, and reloading with incoming recruits like Ledbetter should help them continue to have one of the better run defenses in the SEC.
Auburn - Byron Cowart, DE
Cowart was the #1 DE in the class of 2015 and the #1 player according to Rivals. He will be big for an Auburn team that really struggled to rush the passer last season. We know Will Muschamp can develop good pass rushers (Orakpo, Fowler, Groves, Kindle, Acho) and he has the benefit of already having an incredible one on the roster in Carl Lawson. The addition of Cowart is massive because he has the opportunity (especially if he plays the BUCK) of taking advantage of mismatches because so much attention (rightfully so) will be paid to Lawson. Cowart has great strength and quickness off the line and I'm not looking forward to seeing him take on UGA the next 3 years.
LSU - Arden Key, DE
I believe Kevin Tolliver will be an absolute beast over the next few years, but the DB position is so much more set than the DL, especially DE so I'm very excited to see what kind of an impact Key can have next year. Key is at the disadvantage of not having participated in summer camp because of grade issues, but he still has a good chance to compete for serious playing time this year. Tehumea was underwhelming last year, and I don't believe the two projected starters as of this time have more than 2 sacks in their career combined. Key has a little bit of a lanky frame (6-5, 230), but he still has incredible strength for that size. I wish he could have gotten in the college weight room a little bit earlier, but he still should have a big impact this season and will get even better as the season goes on.
Mississippi St. - Leo Lewis, LB
I'm not sure there's a single incoming recruit who loves hitting his opponent as much as Leo Lewis does. Lewis is a very aggressive player who flies all over the field making tackles and disrupting receivers. I believe Beniquez Brown is the only linebacker who has his starting spot secured, but if Lewis starts this season I don't see it being until a little later after he's gotten a little bit more experience. I do expect him to be used in situations where a little bit more speed is needed because he definitely provides more of that than Richie Brown. Lewis will also definitely soften the loss of Benardrick Mckinney as well. He truly will be a special talent in the SEC and will be a starter for years to come at MSU (as long as he can be more decisive on the football field than he was in his recruiting).
Ole Miss - D.J. Jones, DT
I don't expect Ole Miss to have a ton of Freshmen play this year because of their depth already on that side of the ball, but one player who might see some significant playing time is JUCO recruit D.J. Jones. Jones can eat up some space (6-0, 325) and will definitely be a good addition to the Rebels' run defense which struggled at points last year. For his size, Jones also does a very good job of shedding blocks and getting to the quarterback (8 sacks last year at East Mississippi C.C.) Nkemdiche is definitely the star of the D Line, but guys like Jones who are able to give Nkemdiche a little bit of a rest will be huge so he doesn't tire down in the 4th quarter.
Texas A&M - Daylon Mack
Mack absolutely destroyed at the Under All-American game last year, and he might be one of the fast 330 pound dudes in the history of the world. Mack is probably the most explosive DT I remember in recent memory. He is a huge addition to a Texas A&M defense that has really struggled to stop the run under Sumlin and Mack along with sophomore Zaycoven Henderson (and the help of John Chavis) may be bright spots in the middle of the defense. A little bit more depth would be nice so Mack wouldn't have to be so important right off the bat, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was up to the challenge. Along with his impact on run defense, he will also get to the QB, especially with Myles Garrett being blocked by two guys as often as he will be. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mack in on in goal line packages on offense as well at the FB position and just pound some defenders into the end zone. What a freaking get for the Ags.
I know I'm cheating already by picking 2 players instead of one, but I'm so excited to watch each of these guys play next year. Both have incredible strength and size for the CB position and should compete for playing time right away. Both players are also ridiculously fast and have great agility (Sheffield looked faster, Fitzpatrick looked quicker) that should be huge in pass coverage. I'm glad we play relatively early in the year, because this combo will be brutal for everyone else over their next 3+ years in Tuscaloosa.
Arkansas - Jeremiah Ledbetter, DT
Ledbetter is a JUCO player from Hutchinson CC and should compete with others including incoming freshman Hjalte Frodholt for playing time alongside Bijhon Jackson. Ledbetter has a knack for finding the QB and had 16 sacks last year. He shows incredible athleticism for a guy of his size (6-3, 280) and could potentially play DE if Arkansas needed him to. Arkansas' D line was a big strength last season, and reloading with incoming recruits like Ledbetter should help them continue to have one of the better run defenses in the SEC.
Auburn - Byron Cowart, DE
Cowart was the #1 DE in the class of 2015 and the #1 player according to Rivals. He will be big for an Auburn team that really struggled to rush the passer last season. We know Will Muschamp can develop good pass rushers (Orakpo, Fowler, Groves, Kindle, Acho) and he has the benefit of already having an incredible one on the roster in Carl Lawson. The addition of Cowart is massive because he has the opportunity (especially if he plays the BUCK) of taking advantage of mismatches because so much attention (rightfully so) will be paid to Lawson. Cowart has great strength and quickness off the line and I'm not looking forward to seeing him take on UGA the next 3 years.
LSU - Arden Key, DE
I believe Kevin Tolliver will be an absolute beast over the next few years, but the DB position is so much more set than the DL, especially DE so I'm very excited to see what kind of an impact Key can have next year. Key is at the disadvantage of not having participated in summer camp because of grade issues, but he still has a good chance to compete for serious playing time this year. Tehumea was underwhelming last year, and I don't believe the two projected starters as of this time have more than 2 sacks in their career combined. Key has a little bit of a lanky frame (6-5, 230), but he still has incredible strength for that size. I wish he could have gotten in the college weight room a little bit earlier, but he still should have a big impact this season and will get even better as the season goes on.
Mississippi St. - Leo Lewis, LB
I'm not sure there's a single incoming recruit who loves hitting his opponent as much as Leo Lewis does. Lewis is a very aggressive player who flies all over the field making tackles and disrupting receivers. I believe Beniquez Brown is the only linebacker who has his starting spot secured, but if Lewis starts this season I don't see it being until a little later after he's gotten a little bit more experience. I do expect him to be used in situations where a little bit more speed is needed because he definitely provides more of that than Richie Brown. Lewis will also definitely soften the loss of Benardrick Mckinney as well. He truly will be a special talent in the SEC and will be a starter for years to come at MSU (as long as he can be more decisive on the football field than he was in his recruiting).
Ole Miss - D.J. Jones, DT
I don't expect Ole Miss to have a ton of Freshmen play this year because of their depth already on that side of the ball, but one player who might see some significant playing time is JUCO recruit D.J. Jones. Jones can eat up some space (6-0, 325) and will definitely be a good addition to the Rebels' run defense which struggled at points last year. For his size, Jones also does a very good job of shedding blocks and getting to the quarterback (8 sacks last year at East Mississippi C.C.) Nkemdiche is definitely the star of the D Line, but guys like Jones who are able to give Nkemdiche a little bit of a rest will be huge so he doesn't tire down in the 4th quarter.
Texas A&M - Daylon Mack
Mack absolutely destroyed at the Under All-American game last year, and he might be one of the fast 330 pound dudes in the history of the world. Mack is probably the most explosive DT I remember in recent memory. He is a huge addition to a Texas A&M defense that has really struggled to stop the run under Sumlin and Mack along with sophomore Zaycoven Henderson (and the help of John Chavis) may be bright spots in the middle of the defense. A little bit more depth would be nice so Mack wouldn't have to be so important right off the bat, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was up to the challenge. Along with his impact on run defense, he will also get to the QB, especially with Myles Garrett being blocked by two guys as often as he will be. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mack in on in goal line packages on offense as well at the FB position and just pound some defenders into the end zone. What a freaking get for the Ags.
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:37 pm to Dawgsontop34
I'll get to the East tomorrow.
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:41 pm to Dawgsontop34
Kendell Sheffield will eat opposing offenses.
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:41 pm to Dawgsontop34
Great post!!! Those are pretty well lacking around here. Kudos!!
Can't wait to se what Lawson and Cowart can do together as the bookends of the D-Line!!
Can't wait to se what Lawson and Cowart can do together as the bookends of the D-Line!!
This post was edited on 7/25/15 at 10:43 pm
Posted on 7/25/15 at 10:50 pm to Dawgsontop34
Didn't Leo Lewis go to JUCO?
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:10 pm to Dawgsontop34
Do you mean Tony Brown or Kendall?
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:12 pm to agregime1
quote:
Do you mean Tony Brown or Kendall?
wat...
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:12 pm to Dawgsontop34
Leo won't be starting at LB. he'll play on special teams and get some mop up duty but that's about it.
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:13 pm to rmnldr
quote:
Didn't Leo Lewis go to JUCO?
No
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:14 pm to jumbo
So he's not in JUCO. Being misinformed by the Tiger Rant is one of my favorite pastimes.
Posted on 7/25/15 at 11:25 pm to Dawgsontop34
Thanks for the write up.
Curious to see how Mack and the aggie D do this year.
Cowart and Lawson should be exciting as well.
Curious to see how Mack and the aggie D do this year.
Cowart and Lawson should be exciting as well.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 12:23 am to rmnldr
quote:
Didn't Leo Lewis go to JUCO?
No, however that is what most LSU fans told themselves so they could feel better. He was never really in doubt.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 12:26 am to Rayburn8
Oh okay. I was told that by someone on the TR when I said it was a big miss for us. Makes sense now
Posted on 7/26/15 at 12:49 am to rmnldr
I doubt Kendall Sheffield plays a whole lot this year. He's pretty raw as a corner. I'd be surprised if he isn't a pretty high draft pick in a couple years though.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 1:10 am to Dawgsontop34
quote:
Mississippi St. - Leo Lewis, LB
I'm not sure there's a single incoming recruit who loves hitting his opponent as much as Leo Lewis does. Lewis is a very aggressive player who flies all over the field making tackles and disrupting receivers. I believe Beniquez Brown is the only linebacker who has his starting spot secured, but if Lewis starts this season I don't see it being until a little later after he's gotten a little bit more experience. I do expect him to be used in situations where a little bit more speed is needed because he definitely provides more of that than Richie Brown. Lewis will also definitely soften the loss of Benardrick Mckinney as well. He truly will be a special talent in the SEC and will be a starter for years to come at MSU (as long as he can be more decisive on the football field than he was in his recruiting).
Leo Lewis
Posted on 7/26/15 at 8:33 am to agregime1
quote:
Do you mean Tony Brown or Kendall?
I meant Kendall. Both are track guys from Texas I believe, but Tony isn't an incoming recruit so I wouldn't include him on this list.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 8:46 am to Dawgsontop34
Leo will have a hard time starting this year. He may play though. Richie Brown will play in the NFL. Gerri green is complete stud.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 9:31 am to Dawgsontop34
This post is a unicorn.
1. Not started by an arkansas troll.
2. Not started by a tennessee troll.
3. No mention of bammer national championships or saban as a coach.
4. No calling of Auburn as lil bro.
5. Not one use of the word landmass or big 6.
6. No comments on texas A&M's sexuality.
Archive it to the post hall of fame.
1. Not started by an arkansas troll.
2. Not started by a tennessee troll.
3. No mention of bammer national championships or saban as a coach.
4. No calling of Auburn as lil bro.
5. Not one use of the word landmass or big 6.
6. No comments on texas A&M's sexuality.
Archive it to the post hall of fame.
Posted on 7/26/15 at 9:49 am to Dawgsontop34
quote:
Tehumea was underwhelming last year
Who expected him to contribute as a true frosh or ever?
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