ORLANDO, Fla. - The Mind of Mike is a scary place. We delve into the mind of National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell after day two of Under Armour practice.
UNDER ARMOUR GAME WEEK: Farrell's thoughts | Five players who could earn a fifth star | Players predict where uncommitted will land | Darnell Washington | Sedrick Van Pran | Avantae Williams | Jayson Jones
WASHINGTON STRUGGLES A BIT
Five-star Darnell Washington, a likely Georgia signee, is an impressive specimen of a human being at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds. He’s a huge target, but he was a little slow footed on Monday and that has been the knock against him. I’m not saying he’s not a rare five-star prospect, because he is, but he can really struggle at times with routes and turning.
FRAZIARS LOOKS THE PART
Florida signee Ja'Quavion Fraziars is one of the best looking receivers you’ll see on the hoof and he’s been running good routes this week. The big knock against him is consistency with his hands and he’s up and down with that. If he can put it together the Gators will have a big bodied red zone threat.
SIGNAL CALLERS PICKED IT UP ON DAY 2
The quarterbacks were a little better on Monday as they became more comfortable with their receivers. Hudson Card, headed to Texas, had a solid day and Jeff Sims, headed to Georgia Tech, was better. Drew Pyne (Notre Dame) and Haynes King (Texas A&M) continue to be the best over two days.
DEXTER CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Florida signee Gervon Dexter continued to impress on Monday and showed off a lot of the power we have seen on film. He was continually pushing offensive linemen into the backfield in team action and showed off his quickness off the snap in one on ones.
SELDON PLAYING ABOVE HIS SIZE
Michigan signee Andre Seldon is the smallest of the defensive backs but he’s arguably the most active. He is in constant motion and always closing on the football. He has a knack for getting his hands on the ball.
JONES CONTINUES TO LEAD DB GROUP
The best defensive back through two days has been Jaylon Jones who is headed to Texas A&M. He could end up as a safety in college but either way he’s going to make a ton of plays with his speed and length.
FUTURE SEMINOLES PERFORM WELL
Florida State signees Demorie Tate and Jaylon McCluster had their moments on Monday. Tate elevates very well for the football and is excellent at defending the 50-50 ball while McCluster has improved his ability to diagnose and make plays in the backfield.
RANKING THE WIDE RECEIVERS
Maryland signee Rakim Jarrett leads a strong group of wide receivers. This is how I rank the ones who have stood out through the first two days in Orlando.
2. EJ Williams
7. Brenden Rice
RUNNING BACKS IMPRESS
I love the running backs group overall led by Zachary Evans (likely Georgia?) and Tank Bigsby (Auburn). EJ Smith and Jaylon Knighton, headed to Stanford and Miami respectively, have also been impressive.
OFFENSIVE LINE THOUGHTS
Offensive tackle Marcus Dumervill is going to be a good one for LSU. I've also decided that Broderick Jones is a freak of nature despite his weight loss. He said he weighs 284 and some think it could be more. He looks thin compared to the rest of the linemen but when you’re up close never to him he’s a monster. Auburn is trending for him.
OTHER NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
I really like defensive back Dontae Manning and his range and size. Oregon seems to have the inside track here, but Manning he will be a great fit in whatever defense he decides to play in.
Penn State defensive back signee Enzo Jennings has also been excellent and has very good size for the position. He’s also had a couple of picks through two days.
Defensive back Avantae Williams had another nice day which included a pick-six in skelly play. He’s very athletic and has excellent ball skills. Most think he’ll end up at Florida.
Florida signee Jahari Rogers has been very good through two days and also shows excellent ball skills and good size.
I’ve also been impressed with Penn State linebacker commitment Curtis Jacobs through two days as he’s been excellent in coverage and knows how to get the proper depth in his drops.
Georgia signee Arian Smith barely defeated Notre Dame signee Chris Tyree to win the fastest man competition. Both players can absolutely fly and will be immediate impact guys in college.
Penn State tight end signee Theo Johnson appeared to dislocate his shoulder and had his day cut short. I doubt we see him the rest of the week.
Alabama signee Chris Braswell has been excellent as an outside pass rusher so far. I’ve been a bit disappointed in Washington signee Sav’ell Smalls however as he hasn’t shown the athleticism I expected.
