TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Where the Cats Stand One Month From National Signing Day

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Posted by eleem (Member # 884) on 01-04-2015, 10:23 PM:

As the Big Blue World wonders what will happen to Stoops’ superstar recruiter Vince Marrow, let’s take a look at what he’s helped put together so far in the Class of 2015.

The Rundown

– 17 Commitments

– Four 4-star players, according to 24/7 Composite

– Ranked 29th Nationally, 11th in the SEC

– 7 Players from Ohio, 3 from Florida, 2 from Kentucky

– And twiiiiiiiiiiiins….

Filling Areas in Need of Improvement

Tight End: The tight end position has been virtually non-existent through Stoops first two years, combining for only 431 yards on 34 catches and 2 touchdowns (ZERO TDs in 2014). An important part of the Air Raid system, drag routes across the middle of the field could easily become the bread-and-butter of Shannon Dawson’s offense with the right players in place. CJ Conrad is arguably the best tight end in the country. A participant in Nike’s prestigious camp, The Opening, he will enroll early in January to get a head start. Alongside RS freshman Darryl Long, who people around the program continue to speak highly of, the Cats should have a pair of big targets to get the ball to in 2015.

Linebacker: Mark Stoops didn’t sign a linebacker in his first class, but has gotten some of the best since. Eli Brown of Bowling Green, Ky. is the consensus #2 player in the state behind Damien Harris. The exceptional athlete can cover the pass well from the outside position. Stoops went home to Cardinal Mooney to pick up Jordan Jones, another outstanding outside linebacker who has a knack for making plays. Not to mention the three linebackers that wore the redshirt this year – Nico Firios, Kobie Walker and Dorian Hendrix – all of whom should see quality playing time.

Offensive Line: The best way to get the best running back in the country, is to recruit the best linemen in the country. Four offensive lineman are poised to sign next month, including 247’s 4-star offensive tackle, George Asafo-Adjei. The group will likely stick with Stoops’ plan to redshirt their first year, just like the four freshman OLinemen from 2014. The way the 14ers’ changed their bodies and got their mind right for college is only encouraging for more bigger bodies in the future to lead the way for elite talent in the backfield.

In the Crosshairs

With only 31 short days left til National Signing Day, the Cats could still pull in their two biggest homeruns of the class: #1 running back Damien Harris and Top Ten cornerback and former Florida commit Marcus Lewis, a pair of UnderArmour All-Americans. Getting both might be wishful thinking, but in elite college football recruiting, anything is possible

Link

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-09-2015, 09:46 AM:

It's awfully tough out recruiting the other SEC teams and it shows every year in the league standings.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-09-2015, 03:25 PM:

Looks like we missed mentioning running backs. Since we didn't get Harris I'm figuring opur running game may not even be as good as last year. All of our running backs are small guys who are just average runners. Unless we find someone out there that can really do a great job our goose is cooked as far as the running game.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-09-2015, 05:49 PM:

We have a number of returning backs and hopefully one of them steps up and becomes a star.

Posted by Green-Bean (Member # 13551) on 01-09-2015, 05:52 PM:

THE BIG BACK FROM WEST CHESTER OHIO WILL DO JUST FINE. WE HAVE GOOD BACKS, THIS CORDINATOR WILL RUN THEM NORTH TO SOUTH, INSTEAD OF EAST TO WEST.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-09-2015, 06:04 PM:

We had 3 running backs that had over 70 carries last season that averaged over 5 yards a carry.

..................Carries...Yds...Ave..Long....TD
Boom Williams...74... 486...6.6...58......5
Braylon Heard...73....368...5.0...73......4
Jojo Kemp........70....323...4.6...43......4

Posted by m hamilton (Member # 127) on 01-09-2015, 08:30 PM:

Give Boom a little time to mature. He's an explosive athlete

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-09-2015, 08:40 PM:

You can see by the stats Boom looks to be the top back but you never know especially with the possibility of injuries. There is nothing we can do about it but it would have been great to have Harris playing for us.

Posted by m hamilton (Member # 127) on 01-09-2015, 09:14 PM:

By the same token, we rode Kemp's coat tails to a victory over South Carolina this past season!

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-11-2015, 06:14 PM:

That was one game but one of our best victorys in a long time.

Posted by m hamilton (Member # 127) on 01-11-2015, 07:40 PM:

It was a game that we weren't expected to win this past season!

Posted by Green-Bean (Member # 13551) on 01-11-2015, 11:34 PM:

heard is a good back, pretty big and strong too.

Posted by m hamilton (Member # 127) on 01-12-2015, 06:41 AM:

Our offensive line needs to be stronger and faster. Most of these SEC games are won and lost in the trenches!

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-12-2015, 11:46 AM:

We do have depth at the position that is a big help.

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-12-2015, 11:50 AM:

Our offensive line will be a big factor on helping our backs have good years. If they don't open up some holes for our backs to run through they are not going to perform that well. Let's hope they open up some holes and our running backs have career numbers.

[ 01-12-2015, 11:50 AM: Message edited by: catmandoo ]

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-12-2015, 11:52 AM:

If the running backs have some good numbers next season it will help our passing game too.

Posted by m hamilton (Member # 127) on 01-12-2015, 09:35 PM:

One helps the other. Passing game opens up the run and vice versa!

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 01-13-2015, 10:02 AM:

It looks like with the talent we have signed we can hopefully improve on both sides of the ball and get to the point where we play in some bowl games. We were real close this past season and just need a couple more talented players to get us over the hump.