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Teq's 2024 HS Recruiting Class Thoughts
Tequilla
Member Posts: 20,098
Format of this is going to be some very high level comments/views on players with ceilings, comparable players, etc. highlighted if they jumped out at me of the HS only players that have to date committed and signed their NLI. I'll be talking about each player from top down as it pertains to the recruiting ratings of the class and breaking it up over a series of 3 posts.
Overall Class
A lot of very solid players in the class where I agree with Coker's assessment on X/Twitter where he noted that there wasn't a wasted scholarship given. With that said, I see most of the players in this class as being more on the developmental side (notably in gaining the required size to play in college) with most ticketed to a 2024 redshirt and honestly probably only a handful working their way into their respective positional rotations in 2025 ... 2026 should be when you start to see a lot of the guys in this class really pop and hit the tip of the tongue.
Noah Carter - EDGE
You can't watch 5 seconds of his tape without the athleticism popping off the screen ... I'm always encouraged when I see an edge player that has a foundation as a skill position player offensively in HS (although typically it is as of a RB/QB) and not a WR who also returns punts. That's absolutely crazy. We're talking about FREAK athleticism here and if he can maintain that athleticism as he hits the weight room and gets to that minimum 255-265 range that you need to play the edge at a high level both against the pass but just as importantly against the run (particularly with the move to the Big10), the sky is absolutely the limit because his ability to disrupt is obvious and there's instincts to match it.
This is a player that has Day 1 pick all over him if his development goes right at UW. I can see him playing 3-4 games as a true freshman in some of the garbage time minutes to get on the field and gain experience with the hope/goal of being in the rotation in 2025 with probably a lean towards passing downs as I suspect he'll be on the lighter end of the weight range at that point. Come 2026 ... get the popcorn ready.
Dermericus Davis - QB
This is a really interesting prospect to me because he's got the height and the smoothness of his throws is there ... I'd definitely say he's more of an accurate thrower of the ball than he is one with a rocket arm. The footwork is definitely solid for a HS prospect although he doesn't quite get onto his front side stepping into his throws as much as I'd like to see and may be an area to focus in on in developing additional arm strength. He's decisive in his decision making and doesn't hold onto the ball unnecessarily so it's not hard to see that popping for the staff. My biggest worry with him is that his throwing motion has a lower release than you'd like (Penix has shown that you can work around that) but more concerning is that unlike Penix the motion required to deliver the ball definitely has a loop in it It's not necessarily uncommon for QBs at this age but getting the ball out quickly is really a requirement as you advance in football.
Outlook wise, this is a tough one to really call out. If you go back and watch Mack's Junior film and compare it to the Senior film for Davis, even Grandpa Sankey can see the obvious difference. While I don't look ahead to future recruits until they sign their NLIs, timing wise it just feels like next year is the near where we need to make sure that we hit on a QB in recruiting. I'm not saying that Davis can't or won't develop, but a lot will need to play out right in development to advance past Mack over the next say 3 years (remember, if Mack leaves as a RS Junior as a 2 year starter he'll be draft eligible at the age of 20 which is still crazy young for a QB). My best guess is that Davis likely portals out of the program after a few years of development looking for an opportunity to play elsewhere.
Paki Finau - OL
One of the things that I learned quickly over the years talking recruiting with DDY and Coker is that when evaluating OL talent, the most important thing to look at is their feet. When you look at this year's UW OL, the thing that really sets them apart for me is how mobile they are whether in the athleticism that they display in their pass sets by being able to get balanced and anchor accordingly or getting out and lead blocking which is not the easiest when arguably your bread and butter run play is a toss sweep to an offset back. When I look at Finau, his feet are fabulous and he's got that nasty streak in him that you know that Scott Huff loves in his OL. When he sets in pass protection, it looks super natural and that's a requirement for playing OL in a DeBoer/Grubb system. A continuing theme here though is that development is a requirement and with him being listed at 253 pounds, you're looking at a minimum of 40 pounds and more realistically 50 pounds of good weight being needed before he's realistically ready to see the field.
He's an interesting player because the athleticism and nastiness gives options. The feet give you the ability to get out to the outside and be a T ... there's the potential to do what Troy has done there. On the other hand, the nasty and athleticism have the opportunity to play perfectly inside as a guard and his ability to pull and lead on tosses and counters is also really exciting. I'd be very surprised if Paki didn't end up as a multi-year starter in his UW career assuming he gets to where he needs to get to in his weight room development.
Ratumana Bulabalavu - DL/DT
Tuli's cousin - so by default you know he's a player. Second, assuming we continue the tradition with Tuli of not even trying to say his entire name, I hope we come up with a better one for Ratumana than Rat. That being said, it might fit because the feet jump off the tape as his quickness and movement skills consistently show not only the ability to disrupt with instant penetration but also in a high motor that shows itself in pursuit situations. What may be the most impressive thing though in his film isn't necessarily the highlights but that he has an understanding of carrying out his role and doing what is asked of him (i.e. setting an edge defensively) ... it's definitely not something that you typically see on film when looking at a high-end recruit who can frankly out athlete his competition.
At 285 and what doesn't appear to be much bad weight on him, he's probably got a shorter developmental path than others in this class although there is room to continue filling out and developing. I could absolutely see him as someone that hits the field faster than others in this class. It's always difficult to say that a true freshman on the DL will get games as a true freshman but it's possible he earns some snaps in September. I fully expect to see him in the DL rotation in 2025 and a very likely starter in 2026. There's a lot to really like here and assuming he's able to maintain the athleticism as he develops in the weight room, UW may have a real penetrating threat at DT for the first time in quite awhile.
Overall Class
A lot of very solid players in the class where I agree with Coker's assessment on X/Twitter where he noted that there wasn't a wasted scholarship given. With that said, I see most of the players in this class as being more on the developmental side (notably in gaining the required size to play in college) with most ticketed to a 2024 redshirt and honestly probably only a handful working their way into their respective positional rotations in 2025 ... 2026 should be when you start to see a lot of the guys in this class really pop and hit the tip of the tongue.
Noah Carter - EDGE
You can't watch 5 seconds of his tape without the athleticism popping off the screen ... I'm always encouraged when I see an edge player that has a foundation as a skill position player offensively in HS (although typically it is as of a RB/QB) and not a WR who also returns punts. That's absolutely crazy. We're talking about FREAK athleticism here and if he can maintain that athleticism as he hits the weight room and gets to that minimum 255-265 range that you need to play the edge at a high level both against the pass but just as importantly against the run (particularly with the move to the Big10), the sky is absolutely the limit because his ability to disrupt is obvious and there's instincts to match it.
This is a player that has Day 1 pick all over him if his development goes right at UW. I can see him playing 3-4 games as a true freshman in some of the garbage time minutes to get on the field and gain experience with the hope/goal of being in the rotation in 2025 with probably a lean towards passing downs as I suspect he'll be on the lighter end of the weight range at that point. Come 2026 ... get the popcorn ready.
Dermericus Davis - QB
This is a really interesting prospect to me because he's got the height and the smoothness of his throws is there ... I'd definitely say he's more of an accurate thrower of the ball than he is one with a rocket arm. The footwork is definitely solid for a HS prospect although he doesn't quite get onto his front side stepping into his throws as much as I'd like to see and may be an area to focus in on in developing additional arm strength. He's decisive in his decision making and doesn't hold onto the ball unnecessarily so it's not hard to see that popping for the staff. My biggest worry with him is that his throwing motion has a lower release than you'd like (Penix has shown that you can work around that) but more concerning is that unlike Penix the motion required to deliver the ball definitely has a loop in it It's not necessarily uncommon for QBs at this age but getting the ball out quickly is really a requirement as you advance in football.
Outlook wise, this is a tough one to really call out. If you go back and watch Mack's Junior film and compare it to the Senior film for Davis, even Grandpa Sankey can see the obvious difference. While I don't look ahead to future recruits until they sign their NLIs, timing wise it just feels like next year is the near where we need to make sure that we hit on a QB in recruiting. I'm not saying that Davis can't or won't develop, but a lot will need to play out right in development to advance past Mack over the next say 3 years (remember, if Mack leaves as a RS Junior as a 2 year starter he'll be draft eligible at the age of 20 which is still crazy young for a QB). My best guess is that Davis likely portals out of the program after a few years of development looking for an opportunity to play elsewhere.
Paki Finau - OL
One of the things that I learned quickly over the years talking recruiting with DDY and Coker is that when evaluating OL talent, the most important thing to look at is their feet. When you look at this year's UW OL, the thing that really sets them apart for me is how mobile they are whether in the athleticism that they display in their pass sets by being able to get balanced and anchor accordingly or getting out and lead blocking which is not the easiest when arguably your bread and butter run play is a toss sweep to an offset back. When I look at Finau, his feet are fabulous and he's got that nasty streak in him that you know that Scott Huff loves in his OL. When he sets in pass protection, it looks super natural and that's a requirement for playing OL in a DeBoer/Grubb system. A continuing theme here though is that development is a requirement and with him being listed at 253 pounds, you're looking at a minimum of 40 pounds and more realistically 50 pounds of good weight being needed before he's realistically ready to see the field.
He's an interesting player because the athleticism and nastiness gives options. The feet give you the ability to get out to the outside and be a T ... there's the potential to do what Troy has done there. On the other hand, the nasty and athleticism have the opportunity to play perfectly inside as a guard and his ability to pull and lead on tosses and counters is also really exciting. I'd be very surprised if Paki didn't end up as a multi-year starter in his UW career assuming he gets to where he needs to get to in his weight room development.
Ratumana Bulabalavu - DL/DT
Tuli's cousin - so by default you know he's a player. Second, assuming we continue the tradition with Tuli of not even trying to say his entire name, I hope we come up with a better one for Ratumana than Rat. That being said, it might fit because the feet jump off the tape as his quickness and movement skills consistently show not only the ability to disrupt with instant penetration but also in a high motor that shows itself in pursuit situations. What may be the most impressive thing though in his film isn't necessarily the highlights but that he has an understanding of carrying out his role and doing what is asked of him (i.e. setting an edge defensively) ... it's definitely not something that you typically see on film when looking at a high-end recruit who can frankly out athlete his competition.
At 285 and what doesn't appear to be much bad weight on him, he's probably got a shorter developmental path than others in this class although there is room to continue filling out and developing. I could absolutely see him as someone that hits the field faster than others in this class. It's always difficult to say that a true freshman on the DL will get games as a true freshman but it's possible he earns some snaps in September. I fully expect to see him in the DL rotation in 2025 and a very likely starter in 2026. There's a lot to really like here and assuming he's able to maintain the athleticism as he develops in the weight room, UW may have a real penetrating threat at DT for the first time in quite awhile.
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Peyton Waters - S
By the list, there's 3 safeties in this class (although I may argue that there's 4) ... Waters is the highest rated. He's a very smooth athlete with good hands that you can see in his WR highlights. There's a lot of positional awareness from him that I'd expect to land him as more of a CF FS type in our defense. Unlike some FS types that aren't necessarily inclined to be physical, Waters shows a willingness to stick his nose in on tackles and land some shots ... although I wouldn't call that his strength. What's hard for me to judge on the film is that his athleticism doesn't necessarily pop to me on the screen when I watch but that also isn't necessarily uncommon when you're watching smooth athletes that look like they're gliding.
At 171 pounds, the development curve for Waters is going to take some time. It's hard for me to imagine playing FS in the B10 at anything less than 195-200 so you're looking at 25-30 pounds needing to be added before really expecting a strong on-field impact. That's almost assuredly going to be a RS season in 2024 and my guess a potential race to see if he can get on the field in 2025 as the numbers in the position room are frankly lacking. While there's opportunity I expect that he'll be depth and playing special teams in 2025 (think what Dunn has done this year) and be in position to start come 2026 as a RS Soph.
Joshua Lair - S
If you like safeties that are looking to lay wood every opportunity that they get, then Joshua Lair is your kind of safety. To say he's looking to leave a mark with his hits is an understatement ... but what is perhaps more impressive to me was that I didn't necessarily see him losing fundamentals of getting out of position to make hits. His hitting comes second to making sure he's making the tackle. This is a guy that you're looking at playing down hill and it's not hard to envision him being groomed to play the HUSKY position. He's not as long as Dom is but similar to Dom he's not stiff in coverage so you can definitely see him finding his role there.
Outlook wise, at 178 pounds, he's got a ways to go to get to where you want for a HUSKY that's more in the 215-220 range at minimum. But that 25-30 pound gain range is pretty much the bar for this class so the development curve is going to probably look similar. Redshirt in 2024. Likely special teams and depth in 2025. Ready to compete for a starting spot come 2026. The unique thing about the safety position for UW is that anybody in this group can fast track their way onto the field if they throw themselves head first into the weight room and on-field development.
Decker DeGraaf - TE
This might be the most ready contributor in this class ... at least from a receiving standpoint at TE. He's a natural ball catcher and his catch radius is super strong showing the ability to go up/down and extend sideways not only in both directions but from high to low as well. Simply put, if you throw it he's going to catch it as the part that really exploded off the screen to me is how many contested catches he makes. That's not saying that he wasn't getting separation (important to note that he often was going against DBs when lining up outside and often doubled), but the ability to just go get the ball despite what's going on around you is just a special unique skill that frankly not every receiver has. I wouldn't say Decker wows you as an athletic freak (going back to my comments on separation) so that does create some opportunity for him to work in his development some burst and short-area quickness to become a massive matchup problem. There wasn't a ton of blocking tape on his film but there is definitely a willingness to block when asked.
If someone doesn't redshirt in 2024, my bet would be on DeGraaf. At 230 today, I think you'd like to see him get up more in the 245-255 range by the time he leaves UW but there's no reason he couldn't be a receiving option next year in a pinch. Ideally though I think you get him some reps in 2024 as you maintain his redshirt and he's firmly in the TE rotation come 2025 ... his ability to catch the ball is just not common for his size.
Justice Williams - WR
While some will probably be upset about losing Butler to Texas/Sark and question how or why we slow played him, I'd tell you that I'm not worried because of the WRs already in this class. Williams pops on film as his athleticism really pops to me while also being super smooth and graceful in his movements. His ability to create separation at the HS level highlights an understanding of how to leverage his athleticism favorably and should only improve with coaching. The things I typically really look for in film are if there's signs that you really want it ... is there some DAWG in you ... are you willing to do the dirty work that doesn't show up in the stats but win you games. For Williams, you see in his highlight tape the desire to physically destroy his blocker or chase down plays (i.e. INTs) from a distance simply because he loves to compete. That's what I want to see and a great indicator to me of whether you're willing to put in the work to be great. If I had one complaint with Williams in his film, it's that I think he can get a little lazy at times and catch the ball more with his body than his hands ... but that should be fixable because his hards are just fine.
This is a guy that I expect to be a significant contributor at UW. Sometimes I watch film and I just don't understand how some of these guys aren't getting bigger offers and perhaps it's a narrative on the current world of CFB where more developmental players aren't being prioritized as they used to be and teams just default to the portal. This is definitely somebody that I could see on the field in 2025 for sure. 6'4" WRs with really strong athleticism and fluidity don't grow on trees ... blows my mind he's not rated higher.
Jason Robinson - WR
Speaking of players I don't understand how they aren't rated higher, that's Jason Robinson. At 5'10" and 151 ... I can see why he's not rated higher based on that. But when I watch the film ... what I see is the definition of smooth. It's not common that I see a HS WR that I'd just characterize as a smooth technician and the reason I say that is when you watch him make cuts ... there's absolutely no breaking of stride or losing speed. So yes, he needs to add some muscle so some DE doesn't break him into pieces. So yes, he probably has room to add some additional short area burst and quickness to become even more dangerous. But when you look at the skills of playing WR ... he catches the ball smoothly ... he runs strong routes ... he doesn't lose speed changing direction ... he's got a tremendous starter kit to playing a high end of WR.
Robinson is probably the player I took the least amount of notes on because it took me about 90 seconds to realize that he reminded me of Tyler Lockett ... there's nothing about Lockett that necessarily wows you in his film. Lockett's not the fastest, the tallest, the strongest, the whatever -est ... but what he does and does at a really high level is consistently get open ... consistently makes catches ... and consistently produces. That's what I expect out of Robinson. While I hesitate saying Robinson could play more in 2024 than the 4 games to burn the redshirt year, I really hope that he's allowed a year to just get stronger and handle the rigors of playing at this level. But I have full confidence that he can play and play early ... I'd be shocked if he's not in the WR rotation in 2025 and while I'm sure he'll always face doubts because of his size ... he's just a guy that is going to make plays pure and simple. -
Paul Mencke - S
His smarts are obvious when you watch him play ... he's not only got really strong awareness of what's going on around him but his fundamentals are super strong. There's not really an attribute that you look at and say that he's sloppy in ... he knows what he's doing in coverage ... he squares up consistently in his tackling ... has really strong awareness of what's going on. To think of him as a potential defensive leader is not hard to imagine. He's a hard one for me to peg at where to slot though defensively though because he doesn't have that natural fluid athleticism that Waters has ... it's really my biggest negative in watching Mencke's film is that he doesn't WOW you athletically and you can tell that he needs to add some power and burst. But I'd also tell you that Mencke doesn't have that hammer that Lair has ...
The good news is that you have options and the ability for the players to sort themselves out. I probably like Mencke's ability to tackle better than Waters so perhaps that moves him closer to the LOS and a role similar to what Powell has played. But on the other hand, I like Waters athletic ability better and that might be a better fit in coverages against slot players. Regardless, it's not hard to see where Mencke's got an ability to get on the field relatively early. I would expect him to RS in 2024 as he puts on some weight and increases his athleticism a bit but his cerebral game is going to carry him sooner than later. I'd expect him to be getting some decent snaps in 2025 and be in the conversation to start by no later than 2026. If there was one thing we noticed this year with all of the S injuries we had it was how important it is to have someone on the back end of things that simply just knows where to be at all times ... Mencke is that kind of player.
Keona Wilhite - EDGE
So I'm going to disagree with Wilhite listed as an EDGE because I just frankly don't see it. If we're talking EDGE as an option against run dominant Big10 teams ... I can see that. What I don't see is the speed and quickness that you want in an EDGE and really not the burst that you'd want to see off the edge in passing situations. Wilhite to me profiles as an interior player (listed already at 287 is growing out of an EDGE anyway) and it's a spot where I could see the athleticism that he does possess being an advantage ... but let's be clear it's not in the same athleticism class that Ratumana is at. The positives with Wilhite is that he shows some good feet and pursuit tendencies so there is a mold of clay to work with. But as he moves to the inside, he's going to have to learn to play with a lower pad level and frankly play more physical.
DL prospects can be some of the more difficult prospects to evaluate because what they are today is going to change drastically from where they are 2-3 years from now with development. Make no mistake, I'd be surprised if Wilhite was part of the DL rotation in 2024 or 2025. Even as it comes to 2026, I'd project more as a rotation player than a starter ... 4th or 5th year starter is possible. There are attributes to work from here and the size definitely gives a chance to be a future contributor. That said, his success will ultimately come down to embracing a move to the inside and likely more into a role of a stuffer/role player as I just don't see the athleticism to be a difference maker. If his mindset is on playing on the edge ... then I really don't see the athleticism at this point and for him to be successful he's going to likely have to drop some weight and dramatically transform his body and attributes in the weight room.
Khmori House - LB
This is the 4th potential safety in the class for me because while House is listed as a LB, at 6'0" and 187 I think you could easily envision a world where the HUSKY spot is a possibility. That said ... this is potentially one of my favorite players in the class and it's for more than his name (all name team). He absolutely understands space and shows solid solid awareness in coverage and the instincts also show up in the run game as well. His instincts are super solid and he consistently shows the ability to knife through the OL to get into the backfield when playing on the inside. That said, his film probably leans to him playing a little more outside and he also shows a great ability there to get into the backfield including backside pursuit down the LOS. What is most encouraging to me is that he's doing all of this while playing in arguably the best HS league in the country and that generally speaking, UW's success rate with players from St John Bosco is quite high.
Outlook wise I think it's really about finding the right fit for him and ensuring that his weight gets there. Assuming the goal is to keep him at LB, looking at a 30-40 pound weight gain required to get up to that 220-230 range that is almost assuredly required to play in the B10 against teams that just want to line up and play downhill with road graders. That said, this is somebody I have high hopes for and really feel has the ability to outplay his ranking. It's hard for me to say that I expect him to play in 2024 with the weight gain required. I absolutely can see him playing in 2025 if nothing else on special teams and in the depth (particularly in passing packages). This is someone that has multi-year starter written all over them assuming that he can put on the good weight and maintain that athleticism he has ... instinctually he'll play and play well. -
Elias Johnson - CB
The only pure outside DB in this class fits the mold of what we've been looking for as of late with our DBs in that they are long and lanky. Johnson shows good drive on passes played in front of him in zone coverage and also shows the ability to turn the hips (everybody take a drink) and run with WRs ... although I'd say that turning and finding the ball in those situations is an area where he could definitely improve. What stood out to me was that Johnson looked far more natural playing CB than he did as a WR or returning punts ... so that potentially speaks to his ability to really dig into being a strong practioner of his craft. He shows a willingness to run support on the outside and in general shows solid awareness. His athletic ability is solid but isn't necessarily a jump off the screen type.
It's a broken record in this class, but weight room development is needed here as he's listed at 155 today. At minimum he needs to get stronger to get on the field. The reality is he probably needs 1-2 years of going against our WRs in practice to really master the craft. A RS year is definitely in the cards for 2024 and I'd be surprised if he pops in 2025 into anything more than maybe some special teams and depth work. 2026 I could definitely see getting some run as part of the CB rotation and in the starting conversation as a RS Junior forward. Opportunity may get him on the field in advance of that (future recruiting will be a factor here obviously). He's a really tough evaluation for me because I could see him getting on the field and staying by 2026 or I could see us recruiting stronger CBs ahead of him in the coming classes and he ultimately transfers out for opportunity. My gut says the latter but I do think there's a path for him to develop into a player here.
Davit Boyajyan - OL
This is one of those test examples to me of how OL prospects are so hard to evaluate and recruit. Just looking at the offer list, this is the definition of a late bloomer. But let's be very clear here, his movement POPS and he looks like a dancing bear out there ... this is the exact thing that you're looking for with OL prospects. He shows tremendous get off at the snap and it positions him with a tremendous foundation in his pass protection setup ... but what it really highlights is his ability to just destroy people in the run game. The constant in his run blocking is that he's NEVER finished with a block ... he will drive his blocker as far and as hard down the field as he can before the whistle blows. But there's also finesse in is game as the short area quickness in his get off allows him to be agile enough to get in front of blockers and wall them off effectively. At 6'5" and 294 already, he's an absolute mountain but there's still some really strong opportunity for him to add some good lower body weight and strength while developing his upper body some (he looks just a tad top heavy at present) ...
When I see tape like this what I see is a future multi-year starter ... it just checks all the boxes that you're looking for in an OL prospect. The challenge obviously is where to play him. For me, Davit is a very very strong RT candidate and is someone that I could see competing for playing time as early as 2025 but as a starter by 2026 at the latest. While playing inside may be a path to get on the field earlier given that it's in theory easier to play ... what I see what Davit is just an anchor that he can drop out there where he can defeat anybody across from him with pure size but has the agility to stay with those playing a speed game. And let's be clear, once he gets his hands on you ... it will likely be over.
Omar Khan - DT
Khan is a great example of why it's so important for us to have a presence in Texas because 6'3" 285 DL prospects are far more plentiful there. Khan's film doesn't necessarily wow you but he does show a solid combination of strength and movement. He shows a very decent motor and has the feet to be effective in pursuit situations. His strength is noticeable as there's power in his bull rush. As with most HS DL prospects, they need to learn how to play lower and get up and under OL ... particularly on the interior.
Khan's a guy that I would say may not have the raw skills that Wilhite has but he may have a better initial understanding of what playing on the interior looks like. What I see with Khan is a player that has the ability to be a productive part of the DL rotation as time progresses. I don't know if I see a guy that is going to pop as an all-conference type player but to say that he'll be part of a strong rotation is probably not a stretch. Almost assuredly a 2024 redshirt and probably even 2025 at the backend of the depth makes sense working on the body and getting ready to play at the B10 level. I can definitely see him in the rotation come 2026 and while I don't know if he'll ever become a starter at a place like UW, I could see him being a very solid contributor when he graduates (not comparing him to Fat Tui or Bandes but in that ilk). -
This is the best contribution that's ever been offered on this site, let's be clear. Agree or disagree with the takes, it's fantastic. Tequila, despite my qualms with his takes throughout history, has really outdone himself this time. In a good way. Someday I hope to lay on my sheepskin rug next to my indoor cozy wood-burning fireplace with my cat and read the whole thing. But, alas, there is no roof. I am homeless. I have no cat.
JK I have two little smurfbubbles and they are my everything. -
I laughed.CallMeBigErn said:This is the best contribution that's ever been offered on this site, let's be clear. Agree or disagree with the takes, it's fantastic. Tequila, despite my qualms with his takes throughout history, has really outdone himself this time. In a good way. Someday I hope to lay on my sheepskin rug next to my indoor cozy wood-burning fireplace with my cat and read the whole thing. But, alas, there is no roof. I am homeless. I have no cat.
JK I have two little smurfbubbles and they are my everything. -
Oh, so you think being a Cat Man is funny. Hilarious. Grow up, man.CFetters_Nacho_Lover said:
I laughed.CallMeBigErn said:This is the best contribution that's ever been offered on this site, let's be clear. Agree or disagree with the takes, it's fantastic. Tequila, despite my qualms with his takes throughout history, has really outdone himself this time. In a good way. Someday I hope to lay on my sheepskin rug next to my indoor cozy wood-burning fireplace with my cat and read the whole thing. But, alas, there is no roof. I am homeless. I have no cat.
JK I have two little smurfbubbles and they are my everything. -
If you want to build continuity in your team, maybe given the portal, the approach is to get the best high ceiling developmental players you can, build and develop them, and then supplement them with portal players in a couple of years to cover your misses?
In a couple of years, you know what you’re missing and you have a strong team culture.
Other thing I noticed is emphasis on the DL. With Khan, Ratu and Wilhite, (plus Valdez and Jones through the portal) they’re building depth and size in that room. -
Nice write up. Overall I like this class and I think that if we continue to see the kind of development we've seen so far by this staff, we'll see some stars emerge. I'm most intrigued by Bulabalavu who put up unreal #s (albeit in a lower division) but is now 285 and could be an absolute beast inside in a couple years. The late bloomer OL we got is also interesting. He already has the size and seems to have just had the technique click for him this year. His high school team was great. I think we got a steal here.
Really happy with the portal players we got too. Hopefully Green gets in. -
I'll add that in terms of pure "crootin", the 2024 performance by our coaches was pretty mediocre-bad, especially at LB, DT, and RB. We should have a lot of NIL money left over.
Hand those giant bags to DJ, JMac, Polk, Roger, Muhammad, and even try with Faatanu. Then send a giant bag to Yurosek and the Cal receiver. The most important recruiting is yet to be done. Bring back all those guys and next year looks promising -
so we went from looking at teenboys hips to their feet now
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Do we know when the weights were measured? I'm assuming they were all taken on the officials, so June for most of them.
I would be pretty concerned about Robinson, Johnson and House if that's their current weight. -
You talking about Hunter from Cal? I like that kid he's a baller. They need to be all over Yurosek not just because of his cool name. That kid along with Cuevas?? Lord the nightmares opposing LB would have.bananasnblondes said:I'll add that in terms of pure "crootin", the 2024 performance by our coaches was pretty mediocre-bad, especially at LB, DT, and RB. We should have a lot of NIL money left over.
Hand those giant bags to DJ, JMac, Polk, Roger, Muhammad, and even try with Faatanu. Then send a giant bag to Yurosek and the Cal receiver. The most important recruiting is yet to be done. Bring back all those guys and next year looks promising
I think the coaches are learning that just winning isn't enough to grab whatever talent you want. Soon DeBoer will be making 8+ million a season. We need the developmental kids but we also need the marquee athletes that people want to see. I thought Courtney Morgan was going to have a bit more sway with some of these kids.
I like the spot we're in for now. We have kids that didn't have the silver spoons and were slept on and those are the kids the come in and out hustle their higher regarded HS counterparts. We have a good amount of kids with a lot to prove.
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Surprised you're not getting more Tequilla-long hate, but as a windbag myself, I always read and appreciate.
What you really need to do, though, is pry DDY away from @trublue, get Coker to the low-T clinic, get the band back together, and give the peoples their signing day pod. Trust me, all these shit-talking jilted lovers would listen. TSIO signing day pod is a tradition that needs to come back!
I need to know who's a DDY3, dammit! -
I left this place for a few years because I hated it but I've returned and it mostly seems fine, I guess, for now, as long as I don't look at the Tug. Same as it ever was.1to392831weretaken said:Surprised you're not getting more Tequilla-long hate, but as a windbag myself, I always read and appreciate.
What you really need to do, though, is pry DDY away from @trublue, get Coker to the low-T clinic, get the band back together, and give the peoples their signing day pod. Trust me, all these shit-talking jilted lovers would listen. TSIO signing day pod is a tradition that needs to come back!
I need to know who's a DDY3, dammit!
That's been my experience. What will be DDYs?
#RedemptionArc -
Good job @Tequilla. This keeps me from being tempted to do a recruit writeup.
I'm a big fan of Justice Williams too. Craig Chambers like imo but a bit taller and looks to play with more edge. -
Ratumana Bulabalavu - Ratatuli
Sorry. -
Mana or Buladirtysouwfdawg said:Ratumana Bulabalavu - Ratatuli
Sorry. -
Mr. Labalaba
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Too easy. I know you’ve seen Ratatouille.backthepack said:
Mana or Buladirtysouwfdawg said:Ratumana Bulabalavu - Ratatuli
Sorry. -
Thanks Teq! Good chit my man.
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I am higher on Wilhite, apparently he has an 80 inch wing span and I think he has good athleticism along with the mentality to be strong against the run. He needs to improve his burst off the snap. I don't see him being an 8 or 10 sack guy as he'll probably be a strong-side DE and then move inside on passing downs. Perhaps a Rich Man's Sekai Asoau-Afoa and with a higher ceiling.Tequilla said:Paul Mencke - S
His smarts are obvious when you watch him play ... he's not only got really strong awareness of what's going on around him but his fundamentals are super strong. There's not really an attribute that you look at and say that he's sloppy in ... he knows what he's doing in coverage ... he squares up consistently in his tackling ... has really strong awareness of what's going on. To think of him as a potential defensive leader is not hard to imagine. He's a hard one for me to peg at where to slot though defensively though because he doesn't have that natural fluid athleticism that Waters has ... it's really my biggest negative in watching Mencke's film is that he doesn't WOW you athletically and you can tell that he needs to add some power and burst. But I'd also tell you that Mencke doesn't have that hammer that Lair has ...
The good news is that you have options and the ability for the players to sort themselves out. I probably like Mencke's ability to tackle better than Waters so perhaps that moves him closer to the LOS and a role similar to what Powell has played. But on the other hand, I like Waters athletic ability better and that might be a better fit in coverages against slot players. Regardless, it's not hard to see where Mencke's got an ability to get on the field relatively early. I would expect him to RS in 2024 as he puts on some weight and increases his athleticism a bit but his cerebral game is going to carry him sooner than later. I'd expect him to be getting some decent snaps in 2025 and be in the conversation to start by no later than 2026. If there was one thing we noticed this year with all of the S injuries we had it was how important it is to have someone on the back end of things that simply just knows where to be at all times ... Mencke is that kind of player.
Keona Wilhite - EDGE
So I'm going to disagree with Wilhite listed as an EDGE because I just frankly don't see it. If we're talking EDGE as an option against run dominant Big10 teams ... I can see that. What I don't see is the speed and quickness that you want in an EDGE and really not the burst that you'd want to see off the edge in passing situations. Wilhite to me profiles as an interior player (listed already at 287 is growing out of an EDGE anyway) and it's a spot where I could see the athleticism that he does possess being an advantage ... but let's be clear it's not in the same athleticism class that Ratumana is at. The positives with Wilhite is that he shows some good feet and pursuit tendencies so there is a mold of clay to work with. But as he moves to the inside, he's going to have to learn to play with a lower pad level and frankly play more physical.
DL prospects can be some of the more difficult prospects to evaluate because what they are today is going to change drastically from where they are 2-3 years from now with development. Make no mistake, I'd be surprised if Wilhite was part of the DL rotation in 2024 or 2025. Even as it comes to 2026, I'd project more as a rotation player than a starter ... 4th or 5th year starter is possible. There are attributes to work from here and the size definitely gives a chance to be a future contributor. That said, his success will ultimately come down to embracing a move to the inside and likely more into a role of a stuffer/role player as I just don't see the athleticism to be a difference maker. If his mindset is on playing on the edge ... then I really don't see the athleticism at this point and for him to be successful he's going to likely have to drop some weight and dramatically transform his body and attributes in the weight room.
Khmori House - LB
This is the 4th potential safety in the class for me because while House is listed as a LB, at 6'0" and 187 I think you could easily envision a world where the HUSKY spot is a possibility. That said ... this is potentially one of my favorite players in the class and it's for more than his name (all name team). He absolutely understands space and shows solid solid awareness in coverage and the instincts also show up in the run game as well. His instincts are super solid and he consistently shows the ability to knife through the OL to get into the backfield when playing on the inside. That said, his film probably leans to him playing a little more outside and he also shows a great ability there to get into the backfield including backside pursuit down the LOS. What is most encouraging to me is that he's doing all of this while playing in arguably the best HS league in the country and that generally speaking, UW's success rate with players from St John Bosco is quite high.
Outlook wise I think it's really about finding the right fit for him and ensuring that his weight gets there. Assuming the goal is to keep him at LB, looking at a 30-40 pound weight gain required to get up to that 220-230 range that is almost assuredly required to play in the B10 against teams that just want to line up and play downhill with road graders. That said, this is somebody I have high hopes for and really feel has the ability to outplay his ranking. It's hard for me to say that I expect him to play in 2024 with the weight gain required. I absolutely can see him playing in 2025 if nothing else on special teams and in the depth (particularly in passing packages). This is someone that has multi-year starter written all over them assuming that he can put on the good weight and maintain that athleticism he has ... instinctually he'll play and play well. -
I can definitely see Wilhite being very productive for all the reasons you mentioned
If he embraces playing that run focused role I think he’s got a chance
If his mindset is that he wants to be an edge pass rusher … I don’t see that
I’m definitely intrigued -
