[2024] Recruiting Class Grades Batch 5

[tsweezy]

tis everyone's favorite time of year!! Recruiting class grades are BACK. Prepare for me to scrutinize your roster and recruiting class and tell you how good or bad it was.

Without further ado:

@DarthJarJar @Curby4 @acewulf

University of New Mexico

Mountain West Conference

2024: 13-2 (7-1)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

UNM signed 2 4-stars, 9 3-stars, 7 2-stars, and 1 1-star. They signed 17 players with B or better potentials and 2 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 153rd
Rivals: 62nd
247: 73rd

Composite: 56th

 

Signees below:

 

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
UNM	Ramon Moreno	3	C-	A-	C	Balanced	Waco	TX
UNM	Anh Ra	0	D	F	C	Pass Blocking	Taos	NM
UNM	Johnny Castillo	2	C-	A	CB	Man Coverage	Trophy Club	TX
UNM	Israel Montes	0	D+	F	CB	Man Coverage	Avondale	AZ
UNM	Calvin Boone	3	C	A	DE	Speed Rusher	Houston	TX
UNM	Daniel Mattox	3	C	A+	DE	Run Stopper	Bristol	VA
UNM	James Hooten	3	C	A-	DT	Pass Rusher	Florence	MS
UNM	David Perkins	0	D	C	DT	Balanced	Phoenix	AZ
UNM	Robert Shiers	3	C	A-	FB	Rushing	Silverton	OR
UNM	Mark Vonesh	3	C	A-	OG	Run Blocking	Susanville	CA
UNM	Michael Ames	2	C-	A-	OG	Pass Blocking	Gnadenhutten	OH
UNM	Joseph Smithson	3	C	A-	OLB	Coverage	Stafford	VA
UNM	Terrence French	0	D	F	OLB	Run Stopper	Gilbert	AZ
UNM	Carl Stanford	1	D	A-	OLB	Speed	Shaker Heights	OH
UNM	Tommy Alcantara	4	B-	C	OT	Run Blocking	Boca Raton	FL
UNM	James Gunter	3	C	A	QB	Balanced	Greenville	SC
UNM	Dick Biswas	4	B	C+	RB	Balanced	Haymarket	VA
UNM	Jeremy Garrison	0	D	D-	RB	Receiving	Brock	TX
UNM	Lauro Mosqueda	3	C	A-	TE	Receiving	Sunrise	FL
UNM	Glenn Guetersloh	0	D	D+	TE	Receiving	Queen Creek	AZ
UNM	Bradley Crofoot	2	C	A	WR	Speed	Rockwall	TX
UNM	Juan Cooley	2	C	A	WR	Speed	Brownsville	TX
UNM	Kelleen May	2	C-	B+	WR	Route Runner	Columbia Station	OH
UNM	Jing Cheng	2	C-	B	WR	Possession	Mission Viejo	CA
UNM	Bernard Roberts	2	C-	B	WR	Possession	Talladega	AL

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Grade
C	C+	This is not a great year, with no true centers above C+ overall. LUCKILY their best option, Vincent Brune, is jsut a true soph, C+, and A+ potential. That actually bodes well for his progression with starting snaps, so take a year of lumps and then a big jump inbound.	2	Signed a random 3 star with A- potential. Not great yet, but it's a long term play, keeps the room on the up	C+
CB	B	They've been successfully transitioning from a zone to a man coverage scheme. Darwin hawkins is their number 1 A- guy but he's still a senior zone. They've got a trio of returning man corners B-/B overall which is fine for 2-4 this year and should improve to a solid set for the next year. Overall a pretty fine setup for their conference competitiveness.	2	Ok so they only took 1 CB the last two cycles and only took 1 this year. A 2 star C-/A guy. That simply isn't enough long term to only have 1 per year (especially when he isn't very good). Definitely need to try and get 2 high profile guys this upcoming cycle	D
DE	B/B+	Very full of run stoppers here. Assuming that's their 3-4 plan, it's going pretty well. An A-/B+ starting lineup is pretty solid, they've got good returning players and bright future with high potential underclassmen Solid looking squad except for the fact that they didn't sign any last year	2	After 0 last year they took 2 this year. More importantly the two are both 3-stars with A/A+ potential so they fit the mold of waiting 3 season then havign 2 breakout years of their own. Good sequencing work	B
DT	C+	Hm, I thought they'd be hitting that 3-4 but DT isn't super set for it? They have a single nose tackle, B- 3-star from last year. He is progressing well though. Potentially could unseat Yimi Beachum, the (Sr) B Balanced player above him but we'll see. Looks like a room that hasn't seen much focus yet	2	This year they took just 1, but surprisingly it was a pass rusher 3-star? Definitely not a good fit for a 3-4, but the room is very sparse to be running a 4-3. This is going to end up being a weakness up the middle unless they hit the portal and make strategic changes for future cycle recruiting	D+/C-
FB	B-	There are a bunch of solid young fullbacks. It's fine, they can play well enough	1	Got an average 3-star. Good enough for this position	C+
FS	B+	Kind of all over the place archetype-wise (same with SS) meaning not a lot of synergy and continuity. That's a bit worrisome, but the actual talent in the room is good. Theyve signed a high potential 3-star each of the last 4 cycles and the current (Sr) is an A overall so they have progressed well. This is about as good as you can set it up in that sense outside of getting a big star so it's definitely not a concern	0	Didn't sign any. Broke their streak of good work, gotta get back on track next year	-
ILB	B	Again, I thought they wanted a 3-4 but they only have 4 total ILBs. The top 2 are B+ run stoppers though, so the thumpers are rostered. Hastert is one of the few blue chips on the roster as a true junior and I really like him as a player. Sanchez is the (Sr) starter though. Curious how this room gets used since the other 2 are coverage guys	0	Didn't sign any. Really confused what they're expecting out of the middle of their defense with the lack of emphasis put on it.	-
K	C+	Pretty meh here. C+ starting kicker, but he's only a true sophomore and has A potential so he should have the position locked down for a few years	0	Didn't sign any	-
OG	B	Very OL driven program I think, and they're sticking to their run blocking plans. A-/B+ starting seniors this year, plus a couple of 3 star B overall guys as backups. Good enough for now albeit a little light in numbers	2	Signed two guys, but neither moves the needle for me. Vonesh is another 3-star A- potential run blocker who keeps the room same as it has been. Ames is a 2-star pass blocker who I think won't ever play here if things go well	C
OLB	C+	Again, not super sure what this teams identity is at LB. They're pretty split between pass rushers and run stoppers, and unfortunately their two best players are only B- and one is graduating. Not a signifcant amount of talent in the pipeline either by the looks of it. A very average position room by MWC standards and not what UNM wants to see.	3	They signed a pair of players here, but one was a 1 -star who won't ever matter. The other was a coverage (???) 3-star with A- potential. I mean on paper he's fine I guess, but I think the staff needs a hard look in the mirror at what kind of defensive team they want to be because this hodgepodge of players does not look super cohesive	C-
OT	B+	Ladler ain't walking back through that door, but the OTs are still really well stocked. Seems to be a point of pride for the team. Dunbar is the pass blocking A overall in the room and actually they have a lot fewer run blockers than the interior OL. Graham likely takes over at RT as a blue chip (So) B overall. Then they have a few other high potential B overalls to slide in next year to replace Dunbar.	1	They got back to their run blockers with Tommy from Boca Raton. A blue chip B overall, he idolized Ladler and they want him to live up to that standard (he won't but he should still be quite a good player).	B/B+
P	C	They have some mediocre punters and they're all upperclassmen	0	Didn't sign any, kind of dangerous, should definitely sign one this upcoming year	D
QB	A-	Darvish is that guy. One of the best QBs in the country this year he's looking to put enough on tape to get him drafted, and he has a solid chance at it too.Balanced QB with A potential and A overall he should be capable of playing in almost any style and it'll be fun to see how he gets used. Of course the downside is that basically every other QB in this room kinda sucks.	1	They signed a 3 star James Gunter with A potential and balanced. Honestly though, neither this guy nor Trinnaman can even fill Darvish's shoes halfway. GET YOUR FUTURE GUY THIS YEAR. It's DESPERATELY needed	C
RB	A	Flagel comes back and could be the number 1 RB in the country this year. A receiving back, he should shine more in outside runs so it will hurt to go from Ladler to a pass blocking OT but this man can single handedly win most of the games on their schedule before getting drafted. There are also a few B overall guys on the roster to spell him, so this should work well	2	Dick Biswas comes in as a really highly touted prospect from VA (Same as Flagel) and is a B overall with the 2nd highest overall in the room immediately. We'll see if he ends up winning that spot but he's very clearly the future starter in this room and one of the brightest future spots of the team.	B+
SS	C+	Like I mentioned with FS, this room is all over the place, all 4 players are a different archetype. They are also a cut below the FS's and nobody really projects to ever be an A overall player. Kinda disappointing but at least they aren't actively bad	0	Didn't sign any	-
TE	B+	Trae is a great A- receiving weapon. The blue chip out of GA is a (Jr) with one year remaining and sets the standard for the room. The other two guys are 3 star underclassmen who are still C+ players though, so maybe not living up to that standard. All of them return though which means next year can only be bbetter		Signed a receiving 3-star A- potential player. Good long term play as he gets a guaranteed 2 years of development before needing to do anything	C/C+
WR	D	Oh my god, this is one of the worst receiving rooms I've ever seen. They have THREE total scholarship players right now. All of them are C+ players and only one is a 3-star. Simply abysmal. Darvish is going to need to make chicken salad out of chicken shit if they can't portal some good options	5	I mean... They went big to add some more players, signing FIVE players this cycle. Now for the sad news: All 5 were 2-stars :sadparty: and none of them are going to contribute any time soon. At least everybody in this room has B or higher potential?	C

 

Ok, so they made the playoffs last year so this is clearly a great coaching staff. However they lost some players and this roster is ehhhh. Darvish and Flagel can get them a run through the conference but with the WRs and nebulous defense that's probably their ceiling. Once those two leave next year is going to be a true rebuild. This is probably the most critical signing cycle of the programs history and will show whether they stay in the upper tier of programs or fall back to earth a bit. If coach is smart he'll immediately sign a big contract off the back of this years run, or leverage it to jump ship after this season to a bigger program or he's going to have some hard work re-assembling a championship caliber roster. Still, they have some good pieces in isolation and with the transfer portal there's a possibility for them to stay great (and basically the entire roster has super high potential so they can blossom very quickly)

 

Class Grade: C-

 

 

Brigham Young University

Big 12 Conference

2024: 7-6 (5-4)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

BYU signed 7 4-stars, 5 3-stars, and 8 2-stars. They signed 8 players with B or better potentials and 5 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 80th
Rivals: 38th
247: 42nd

Composite: 43rd

 

Signees below:

 

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
BYU	Matthew Emry	2	C	C+	ATH	Strongside	Orem	UT
BYU	Abel Vega	2	D	C+	ATH	Wingback	Las Vegas	NV
BYU	John Comstock	4	B-	B	CB	Man Coverage	McKinney	TX
BYU	Tommy Childs	4	B-	C+	DE	Speed Rusher	Calabasas	CA
BYU	James Holland	4	B-	C	DE	Balanced	Murrieta	CA
BYU	Lawrence Cook	2	D	C+	DE	Balanced	Garland	UT
BYU	Michael Clanton	4	C+	A-	DT	Pass Rusher	Payson	UT
BYU	Enrique Moncada	3	C	B+	DT	Pass Rusher	La Canada	CA
BYU	Michael Ramadan	0	D	C	FB	Blocking	Scottsdale	AZ
BYU	Grant Dewese	4	C+	A-	ILB	Field General	Shafter	CA
BYU	John Miller	3	C	A-	ILB	Field General	Petoskey	MI
BYU	Chris Hartman	0	D	C	ILB	Run Stopper	Pocatello	ID
BYU	Paul Klein	0	D	A	ILB	Speed	Orem	UT
BYU	Michael Gatto	2	C	C	OG	Pass Blocking	Newhall	CA
BYU	Marlon White	0	D	A	OG	Pass Blocking	Meridian	ID
BYU	Robert Garoutte	3	C	B-	OLB	Pass Rush	Orlando	FL
BYU	Alvin Novotny	2	D	C	OLB	Speed	Wailuku	HI
BYU	Brian Bramlage	3	C	C+	OT	Pass Blocking	Baldwin	FL
BYU	Yana Walczynski	2	C	B-	OT	Balanced	Pearland	TX
BYU	Charles Hall	2	C	B-	OT	Pass Blocking	Santa Maria	CA
BYU	Daniel Toliver	3	C	C	QB	Field General	Roy	UT
BYU	Robert Sweeney	2	C	C	RB	Receiving	Phoenix	AZ
BYU	Richard Ruggiero	4	B-	B-	SS	Man Coverage	Brookfield	CT
BYU	Earl Delandro	0	D	B+	TE	Vertical Threat	Pocatello	ID
BYU	Samuel Brown	4	B-	C+	WR	Speed	St. George	UT

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Grade
C	C	They've got a couple ok run blockers. Tony Choo is going to be the B overall (Sr) starter but honestly this room is pretty meh at the moment.	0	Didn't sign any, disappointing	D
CB	B	A man corner team through and through. They don't have any particular stars yet, but a really deep roster to sift through. A pair of 4-star B+/B overalls will be starting (and returning next season) so they have room for growth and probably are good enough this season	1	John Comstock is very aptly named, because he does indeed prevent the transportation of certain materials (the ball through the air). He's the only signee this year but a 4-star B overall with B potential who will make a bid for getting onto the field this year	B
DE	C+	None of these guys are very good sadly. Both upperclassmen are B- and should've progressed to B overalls but did not. Pretty eh overall, could use a shot in the arm	3	Big swings! A pair of blue chip B overalls is a massive win for any team at a position. Tommy Childs is immediately the best player in this room, and frankly Holland could be a starter too. All of a sudden DE is set for years to come and I'm very impressed with this haul	A-/A
DT	C	Grabbag of different archetypes and none of them are real standouts. Extremely whelmed by this group	2	Again a nice pick up. They definitely made nice moves for the DL this year. Clanton was the blue chip signing, one of the rare ones from Utah. The pass rusher specialist may be able to take a redshirt year but should be pressed into duty by next season as a long term starter. They also added a good B+ potential 3 star for good measure	B
FB	C	They have a few 2 stars, whatever	1	Didn't sign any	-
FS	B	They have an A- starter which is a plus. However, 3/4 of the room are seniors and they only have a (So) 3-star returning for next season. Need some depth here.	0	Didn't sign any. Flirting with danger here I think	-
ILB	C+	Nothing special. A lot of seniors and nobody stands out of the young guns. Probably need to focus this	4	Signed a 4 star A- potenial field general. Dewese should be in contention for a starting job next season and again locks it down for a couple of seasons. They added another 3 star for depth and just like that the prognosis is flipped around.	B+
K	C-	Why do they have so many kickers? Six of them rostered is kinda crazy. Even crazier is none of them are better than C+. Low key :grimacing: bit of wasted schollies here	0	Didn't sign any	-
OG	C+/B-	Some ok pieces here. Hartline is a nice B/A+ junior pass blocker. Jesus Gonzalez was their 4-star last cycle who's a B overall now. A bit thin though	2	Added a 2-star C/C. That's not really anything to me and next season they'll only have 2 "real" OGs on the roster. Load up more!	D+/C-
OLB	C+	Again, a couple ok seniors .and then some fluff 3-stars in the middle. Not really a great prospect to point to as a future star. This is a position where a blue chip could be a game changer for the room as a whole	2	Sadly they did not end up getting one. They added a pretty average 3 star and a mediocre 2-star and neither will be ready for starting anytime soon. Don't love the mismatched archetypes either.	C-
OT	B-	The junior class is doing some heavy lifting. Michael Parsons is the high B+ run blocker from St. George who can clear an outside running path on one end. On the other side it's Hagadone as a B overall senior pass blocker. It does seem like they're going to eventually switch over to pass blockers	3	Again, they sign a trio but I don't love any of these guys. Bramlage is the best of the bunch but he's only a C/C+ 3-star. The other two are random 2-stars who'd better not play in the next 3 years. Could do with a big focus on upgrading here next cycle	C-/C
P	C	They signed a pair of average punters last year, good for a bit going forward	0	Didn't sign any	-
QB	A	I mean, they got Dick Dick himself in 2022, nobody else can even compare. However, having nobody better than C+ behind him is risking injury so that holds them back from an A+. Hopefully this is the year Dick shows why he was the #1 QB prospect in his class	1	Signed an in-state 3-star field general. I mean this guy is destined to be a backup so it's fine, but next cycle they might want to get somebody to groom as Dick's replacement, it has to happen sometime	C
RB	B+	Willie Irving is a phenomenal player. TBH I have him as potentially one of the best RBs in the country this season! Combined with Dick that makes for a scary ass backfield. Unfortunately he leaves after this season and there are only C+ behind him. I guess Washington is the (So) C+ with the best hope for being a starter caliber in the future but still.	1	They signed a mid 2-star. This room is not going to be up to par with the passing game anytime soon. Definitely prime for some focus soon	C-
SS	C	They have a B- senior who is a zone coverage guy which is good coverage for this year. He's not great but not horrible. Next year though they have a single SS projected on the team: A 3-star from last cycle. Depth is much needed here	1	Great pickup! Ruggiero is a B-/B- 4-star. He's a man coverage so not really a scheme fit this season, but with a year of prep time he should swap over nicely into the starting position next season and lock it down for a while. Great timing	B+
TE	B/B+	I quite like Robert Whitten, another in state star, and I think he will go from all-conference contender to all-american contender with another year of work. for now though, he's the main guy in this room with Crowley as last years 3-star C+ player the only other real option here. I think they'll be more WR heavy, but should still try to keep 3-4 TEs rostered imo	1	Didn't sign any	-
WR	B+	Well this is where all the offensive depth lives I guess lol. They've got a trio of 4-star B overalls at the top, two of them from last year as they looked to get Dick some weapons. The room has a solid future prognosis and is quite deep. The main complaint would be the lack of a true alpha WR1, but that can be schemed aroun and maybe Saenz becomes that eventually.	1	Like I said, with a deep room they didn't need more bodies. Instead they got another blue chip Speed B- player. Sam Brown continues the surprisingly fertile pipeline of St. George and now the WR room looks very impressive indeed for the underclassmen. Time will tell if they want to get the track star any snaps this season or redshirt him.	B

 

This was kind of an interesting class to look at. They actually hit it out of the park on defensive recruiting. I was really impressed with some of those position group signings. It was dramatically one-sided though as while I liked almost all of the defensive positions, I only liked one offensive signing: their WR. All of their other offensive rooms kinda had me scratching my head about why they didn't seem to care. I mean they do have Dick and the WRs so frankly they could afford it in the short term but that's a lot of pressure on him. Was it planned? Are they cycling and this upcoming year will be filled with offensive talent? Only time will tell, but I will definitely be keeping tabs on how they manage this roster

 

 

Class Grade: C
 

University of Tulsa

American Athletic Conference

2024: 14-1 (9-0)
 

Recruiting Class Basics:

TULS signed 12 4-stars, 8 3-star, and 3 1-stars. They signed 2 players with B or better potentials and 4 B overalls. Rankings below:

ESPN: 21st
Rivals: 42nd
247: 21st

Composite: 21st

 

Signees below:

 

School	Name	Stars	Ovr	Pot	Pos	Archetype	City	State
TULS	Victor Rodenberger	4	B-	B	ATH	Strongside	Bethany	OK
TULS	Danny Teague	4	B-	C+	ATH	Wingback	Covington	OH
TULS	Richard Smith	4	C+	C+	ATH	Weakside	Bamberg	SC
TULS	Nicholas Brewer	3	C+	C+	ATH	Strongside	Idabel	OK
TULS	Robert Richter	3	C+	D	ATH	Slotback	Jefferson Hills	PA
TULS	Harjinder Lie	3	C	C	ATH	Triple-Threat	Montvale	NJ
TULS	Peter Ventura	4	C+	C+	C	Pass Blocking	Whiteland	IN
TULS	John Goodrich	4	B-	C	CB	Zone Coverage	Conyers	GA
TULS	Edgar Navas	4	C+	C-	DE	Speed Rusher	Brock	TX
TULS	Kevin Mascaro	1	D	D-	DE	Speed Rusher	Wheeling	WV
TULS	Gilberto Castro	1	D	D+	DE	Balanced	Atwater	CA
TULS	Ronnie Ross	4	B	C+	DT	Pass Rusher	Perry	GA
TULS	Eddie Dukes	4	C+	C+	K	Power	Saraland	AL
TULS	David Knapik	3	C	C+	OG	Run Blocking	Roosevelt	UT
TULS	Israel Rathbone	3	C	C	OG	Balanced	The Woodlands	TX
TULS	Noe Petillo	4	C+	C+	OLB	Coverage	Henderson	TX
TULS	Marco Delgado	3	C	C	QB	Balanced	Venice	FL
TULS	Harry Ouimette	4	C	C	RB	Speed	Malakoff	TX
TULS	Thomas Mcclanahan	4	C	C+	RB	Speed	Pleasant Grove	AL
TULS	Glenn Leiphart	3	C	C+	SS	Ball Hawk	Pelham	GA
TULS	Andrew Mckiernan	4	C+	C	TE	Receiving	Mission Hills	CA
TULS	Michael Curlee	3	C	B	TE	Vertical Threat	Brownsville	TX
TULS	Michael Schwabauer	1	D	C+	WR	Speed	Melville	NY

 

Below is a breakdown position-by-position of (from L-R) their current roster, what they did on the trail, and the grade I gave them in recruiting that position.

 

Position	Current position grade	Current status	Number signed	Recruiting status	Grade
C	B+	Jon Redmond is their A overall 5th year senior starter. A very good run blocker it's about as a team can expect in the middle of the OL. Looking to the future, they only have one other center currently on the roster, junior Tracey Wright: another run blocker. He's a B- and should be a downgrade but relatively fine next year. Of course after that there are currently no C's on the roster so it's relatively important to get one here	1	They did just that. Peter Ventura is one of the few blue chip centers and he adds a great dimension to the offense. He does switch the position from run blocking to pass blocking which is interesting with the scramblers coming in at QB.	B
CB	A-	They've phased out their man scheme into a zone scheme and have a lot of depth here. an A and a pair of B+ players at the top are good if not excellent. More importantly, two of them are (Jr)s so another year of improvement for them in the future. In addition they signed a pair of blue chips last year who are B overalls now so they are pretty set for the future here	1	After 4 signees last year it made sense to have fewer this cycle. They still aimed high though getting a blue chip B overall zone over guy:John Goodrich from GA. Really no complaints about the room, great long term health	B+
DE	B/B+	This is a good room, if not as stacked as the CBs. A/B+/B at the top, in descending class years so the high end talen is fine. Wiley is probably the best upcoming prospect as a 4-star (So) but aside from that I don't see a lot of superstars. The assumption is a 4-3 team based on the speed rushers. I think it's in the upper reaches of the conference but not quite the upper reaches of the country.	3	They went kinda big this cycle. The pure speed rusher 4-star is a pretty high C+ and a classically good pick up at the position. This cycle they also went really hard on the athletes. A pair of strongside athletes and a weakside to boot. Victor Rodenberger is the best of the bunch as a B-/B guy, but the others are fine 3 stars and 4 total possible line players is a great haul	A-
DT	B+/A-	Again a really good room here but just shy of excellent (for now). At the top s Chris Basham but next to him is last years 5-star signee Michael Harris. They somehow convinced him to redshirt so he's going to be a 4-year starter. Past that they have a few ok backups	1	They got Harris last year so not that important now, plus there's a strong chance that the strongside athletes could end up at DT so there are a wealth of good options. Even still, they also signed another B overall 4-star with Ronnie Ross. This DT room is now VERY full of talent. Great work	A-
FB	C	Two very mediocre players but it's FB, who cares	0	Didn't sign any	-
FS	B	Bright future, just ok for now. They have a pair of B- juniors which is not Tulsa standard, but luckily they signed a superstar last year. Jon Luke is a high end 4-star who is a (Fr) but already took over the starting position as a high B overall. Lock down man coverage for years.	0	Didn't sign any	-
ILB	B	With the 4-3 scheme they really only need 1 starter here and they have a few options. Weirdly they have 4 juniors rostered and one (So) who's already surpassed them all. Jeffrey Adams is a higher B overall who's got a couple years of starting coming up and then the glut of juniors will leave	0	Didn't sign any	-
K	C/C+	A B- junior is a meh starter, it's fine I guess at this position, sign a new guy	1	Good timing. Eddie Dukes is the rare blue chip kicker which makes him a great signing. Only question is if he steals the job or waits in line	A-
OG	B+	They seem to have transitioned from run blockers to pass blockers but still have plenty of good starting options. Drew Howell is the (Sr) big time A overall and then on the opposite side are a pair of blue chip (So)/(Fr) options. They've got a couple mid backup options	2	They signed a pair of 3-stars who are just fine. The rare not inspiring room of signings for this team but they should have a fine future.	C
OLB	B+	Another quite good room.They are mixing pass rushers and coverage OLBs so hopefully that fits the scheme. Again, the (Sr) is the superstar A overall of the room. On the opposite side is a battle between a trio of (Jr)s. Nobody stands out as a future star though	1	I suppose they're switching to coverage as it turns out. This year they finally pull in another blue chip (quite hard at OLB). Noe Petillo is going to be a good player and is a nice addition. I think it's also possible that their weakside ATH pickup could end up here as well?	B/B+
OT	A-	Basically the same setup as OG but with a little more talent. Castro is the A overall (Sr) here and then below are a pair of (So) blue chip run blockers for the opposite side. Both of those set up nicely for the future. A bit thin outside that trio though.	0	None signed, could do with grabbing a pair next year	-
P	B+	A relatively young blue chip. Not much more to say, they're in a good spot	0	Didn't sign any	-
QB	B/B+	Well, the time has finally come. Cesar Chacon has been immensely hyped and seen some playing time. Now it's time to put on his big boy pants and lead an ultra talented team. I don't *love* scramblers and I think it's scary to go through the season with no QBs having TP or TA above a C, especially with the move to pass blockers. I think this could end up really good or very much not so good and I'm quite interested in seeing.	1	They took Ashok LeJeune last cycle who's the Chacon backup. This cycle was kind of a throwaway. Marco Delgado is a random 3-star. Harjinder Lie is a triple threat athlete 3-star who could maybe play QB but nobody this cycle was planned to be important	C+
RB	B+/A-	Yet another room where they have a superstar (Sr). Jernigan is a power back with a good A overall and hits right up the middle. Behind him is a quintet of B overall upperclassmen if a change of pace is needed. Nothing in the pipe under a junior though	2	Very, very deep group of pickups here. a pair of speed 4-stars (albeit C overalls) are a good start but Tulsa didn't stop there. The athlete experience continued with a pair of RB possibilities. Danny Teague is a B wingback (I wanted him for a bit myself). Rob Richter is also a nice slotback pickup. Both of them are fleet footed and I'm curious if they go RB or WR at this point.	B+
SS	B/B+	A complimentary man coverage starter here, I was high on Theriot when they signed him and he's now a B+ (So) so they still have a few years with him. Just an average (Jr) backup behind him but the starters make up a really good, young safety tandem	1	Signed an average 3 star. Good for depth but not Theriot's jockstrap-holding level	C
TE	B/B+	A pair of 4-stars in his room. Both are vertical threats which maybe not the perfect match for a scrambling QB but good enough to make up for that. Wilds is the (Jr) starter A-overall, like him. Bitzan is a (Fr) and you have to be a little disappointed that in his second season a blue chip player is still a C+ overall. Again, a little thin here but the starters are good	2	Good time to get two and get a deep room. Mckiernan is exactly the guy they should have gone for, a receiving 4-star. Curlee is probably career depth but this is now a good room which is perfect for those scrambler archetypes	B+
WR	A-	I don't know how the hell they convinced Tony Sherman to come back for a 5th year, that guy was in the running for a first round slot and now he'll be a top-5 player in all of college football. Absolute superstar at the top. Behind him are a trio of A- potential (Jr)s who are high Bs. Good options but not game breakers quite yet. And then the last two cycles saw a trio of blue chips, all B- overalls as of now as underclassmen. In general, 8 B- to B+ players all returning next season is a monster base to have for the future.	1	Didn't sign any. They had a great pair last year but I feel like you need to sign at least 1 good WR a year	D+

 

To jump in front of it, this is a very good roster this year and the future, any qualms are mostly nitpicks. Anyways, this year they still have some of their S-tier 5th year seniors, and those are the guys who elevate this roster into potential title contention. They've done a great job of supplementing the stars with deep talent up and down the roster. It's plenty good to contend with anybody for years to come, although of course there are some relative strengths and weaknesses. I think they've shaped the offense pretty well for a scrambling QB, but I think that is what the fans will have to hold their breaths for. It's rare to see a scrambler really make national noise unless they're one of the best in the nation and Cesar to my eyes falls just a little short of that standard. Still, this is the best opportunity to see if they'll flip that wisdom on it's head and show that with a great supporting cast he can be successful. The defense is pretty much solild everywhere. I don't see any real holes and they've set themselves up for years of success. Stat that might surprise you: after Sherman leaves there will only be one 5-star on the roster, and bumping that number up is really the only spot this roster has room to level up in. Otherwise the classes will be similar to this one. Near the top of the nation but mostly just continuing what's already there rather than elevating

 

 

Class Grade: B

 

A little something new. Cheat sheet to see the last 3 cycle class grades

School	2022 Grade	2023 Grade	2024 Grade
Western Michigan	B-	B+	B+
Georgia	B	B-	B/B+
Stanford	-	B	B+/A-
West Virginia	C+	C+/B-	B
Illinois		C/C+	C+
Alabama			A-
Indiana	B-	C+/B-	B
Ball State	C-	C+	C+
New Mexico			C-
BYU	B	C+	C
Tulsa	C	B	B
Utah State	C+	B
North Carolina
Tennessee	B+	A
Kansas	B-
Colorado State
Michigan	B
Utah	B	B+

[kgreene829]

Great stuff as always also do Tulane you coward.

[PoopyRhinoPickle]

Can you please do bowling green 

[Viselli]

Would love to know how I did as Duke in my first season! Great job on these!

[BabaYaga]

Do me sometime please.