Rankings Rewind: Luck living up to hype
Advertisement
Jacoby Brissett and N.C. State put a scare into No. 1 Florida State on Saturday.
A great deal was expected out of quarterback Jacoby Brissett coming out of high school, and while it took a little longer than expected, that is finally happening at N.C. State. Despite a 56-41 loss to top-ranked Florida State on Saturday, the Florida transfer completed 32 of 38 passes for 359 yards with three touchdowns, while rushing for 38 yards.
Brissett started his college career at Florida, where he started two games in 2011. As a sophomore in 2012, he once again saw minimal action, but did start the game during a win over Jacksonville State. After his sophomore season, Brissett decided to transfer and made his way to N.C. State, where he was named the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year in 2013 while sitting out his mandatory season. This season, as the fulltime starter, Brissett has already completed 115 of 167 passes for 1,364 yards and 13 touchdowns, while only throwing one interception.
Playing at Dwyer High in West Palm Beach, Fla., he helped lead the program to its first ever state championship during his junior season. As a senior, Brissett passed for 2,743 yards and 32 touchdowns, with only one interception, while rushing for 368 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished his high school career by playing in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
The first three offers to come in for Brissett, by the middle of his junior season, were from West Virginia, Boston College and FIU. By the spring of 2010, Brissett added additional offers from Wisconsin, Georgia, Minnesota and Rutgers. As the offers began to pile up, and with no interest in making a quick decision, Brissett trimmed his list down to Notre Dame, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Florida State, USF, LSU and South Carolina in the summer. After some maneuvering on his list, official visits were taken to Wisconsin, LSU, Notre Dame, Washington and Miami. Signing Day came and went and Brissett still had not made a decision, but trimmed his list to Miami, Wisconsin and Florida, where he did not even take an official visit. Originally taking the offered greyshirt by Florida as a sign of disrespect, Brissett changed his mind and committed to the Gators two days after National Signing Day after many expected him to join Al Golden and the 'Canes.
Brissett was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2011, the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback nationally, the No. 18 recruit in Florida and the No. 75 overall recruit nationally. At his position, Brissett was only ranked behind Braxton Miller and Brett Hundley, plus ahead of other players like Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, Johnny Manziel and Everett Golson. In Florida, Brissett was ranked behind a number of player who have already impressed, such as Kelvin Benjamin, Sammy Watkins and Hasean Clinton-Dix. Basically, while Brissett is off to a fantastic start in 2014, he has to continue this level of play if he hopes to be mentioned with all of these players in the coming years. I always liked Brissett better than Jeff Driskel, who also signed with the Gators that year and was ranked No. 32 nationally, but Brissett's love of basketball and desire to play both in high school made me a bit gun-shy. Brissett has the talent to do that. The sky is the limit.
CB
Four-star, class of 2012
Ishmael Adams had an interception return and kickoff return for touchdowns against Arizona State.
With a game that ended 62-27, you would think that it might be difficult to find any impressive defensive performances, but UCLA defensive back Ishmael Adams definitely stood out. Adams contributed with a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown and then added a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown during the big victory at Arizona State last Thursday night.
Adams saw playing time as a true freshman in 2012, but after two games, a nagging injury basically ended his season. In 2013, he returned as a starter in all 13 games and led the team with four interceptions while finishing seventh in tackles with 61. He also took over kick return duties late in the season. This season, through four games, he currently leads the team with two interceptions and five passes defended. He is also averaging 15.4 yards per punt return and 28.2 yards per kickoff return.
Adams played his high school football at Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian. As a junior, Adams definitely made his mark on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he finished with 52 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Offensively he added 1,006 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, while grabbing 13 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns. In 2011, he totaled 34 tackles and two interceptions, while rushing for 717 yards and nine touchdowns on only 89 carries. He finished his high school career in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he had an interception.
The first offers to come in for Adams were from Washington and SMU at the conclusion of his junior season. By the spring of 2011, he had additional offers from UCLA, Arizona State, UNC, Notre Dame, Oregon, Colorado and Georgia Tech. As his senior season approached, and the realization set in that he would like to play college ball closer to home, Adams named UCLA and Cal as his leaders. During his season, Adams took official visits to Notre Dame, Arizona State and Cal, but after taking an unofficial visit to UCLA in late December to meet new coach Jim Mora, Adams abruptly ended his recruiting process with a commitment to the Bruins.
Adams was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2012, the No. 10 ranked cornerback nationally, No. 20 ranked recruit in California and the No. 117 overall recruit nationally. Looking back at his ranking, it is still a little early to fully assess if Adams deserved more of a bump. At the cornerback position Tracy Howard and Ronald Darby held down the first two spots, while in California it was Shaq Thompson and Kyle Murphy. Adams is obviously on a good path and if he continues his current level of play, it's likely that he should have been ranked a little higher, but overall his high four-star ranking was correct as he continues to prove himself as one of the better young cover corners in the country.
LB
Three-star, class of 2011
Denzel Perryman dropped an interception and did some pushups against Duke, four plays before making the game-clinching INT.
There have been a number of question marks regarding the Miami program in recent years, but one of the more stabilizing forces for the Hurricanes has been linebacker Denzel Perryman. During an important 22-10 victory over Duke, Perryman continued to lead by example after he forced a fumble and grabbed an interception with under two minutes remaining that sealed the win.
Perryman immediately saw action at Miami as a true freshman in 2011, playing in all 12 games and starting five. He finished first among ACC freshmen with 69 tackles, which also placed him second on the team. As a sophomore, Perryman played in nine games and started six, finishing with 64 tackles and six tackles for a loss. He missed a couple of games due to a high ankle sprain. Healthy last fall, Perryman started all 13 games and led the team with 108 tackles, which earned him First-Team All-ACC honors. This season, through five games, Perryman has accumulated 36 tackles, four tackles for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble and an interception.
Playing his high school football at Coral Gables, Perryman began to get noticed as a sophomore when he finished with 105 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions. As a junior, he totaled 126 tackles, while as a senior he had 137 tackles, four sacks and one interception.
Being from Coral Gables, the pull was always there for Perryman to play for the Hurricanes, however he did not rush into his decision. Miami was one of Perryman's first offers, but they were joined by an impressive group led by Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Notre Dame, Tennessee and South Carolina. With the offers piling up, Perryman trimmed his list to seven by the start of his senior season; Miami, FSU, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Nebraska. With National Signing Day approaching, Perryman lined up official visits to Florida State, Florida and Miami in January, with the Canes getting the last shot. While the coaching change to Al Golden may have given the Seminoles and Gators more of a chance, at the end of the process Perryman realized that he wanted to stay close to home and play for the Hurricanes.
Perryman was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2011, the No. 25 inside linebacker nationally, the No. 59 recruit in Florida, but was not ranked overall nationally. At his position and in Florida, Perryman has already proven enough at Miami that he deserved a bump in both rankings. His 6-foot height may diminish his chances of making a huge impact in the NFL, but at the college level, he has definitely left his mark in Coral Gables.
WR
Four star, class of 2004, signed with Virginia Tech
Eddie Royal caught two touchdown passes against the Jaguars on Sunday.
Four weeks into this NFL season, the San Diego Chargers have quietly become one of the more impressive teams in the league. One player who has helped that happen is wide receiver Eddie Royal, who continued his quick start during Sunday's victory over Jacksonville with five receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-14 victory.
Royal was a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos, No. 42 overall, in the 2008 NFL Draft. Royal had an amazing rookie season with Denver, finishing sixth in the NFL with 1,829 combined yards, while grabbing 91 receptions and five touchdowns. In 2009 he set a Denver record for most receptions through a player's first two years, 128, while totaling the second-most receiving yards, 1,325, during this span. The 2010 and 2011 seasons saw a decline in playing time and production, so in 2012 Royal made his move to San Diego. He made his mark in 2013 by leading the team with eight touchdown receptions, despite dealing with a nagging toe injury.
Royal was drafted by the Broncos out of Virginia Tech, where he had a fantastic career. He finished in Blacksburg with a school-record 4,686 all-purpose yards, while finishing fourth in receptions with 119, fifth in receiving touchdowns with 12 and sixth in receiving yards with 1,778. He was named second-team All-ACC after his junior season and first-team All-ACC after his senior season.
Royal played his high school football at Herndon (Va.) Westfield. As a junior, Royal totaled 49 receptions for 905 yards and 16 touchdowns and then added 45 receptions for 920 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. Royal's first offer came from Marshall, but after several successful summer camps in 2003, additional offers came in from Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Syracuse, Kent State, and then Virginia. Royal trimmed his list to Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Virginia and Marshall before scheduling official visits to all but the Vols. Choosing between the Hokies, Cavs and Herd on National Signing Day, Royal decided to play his college football at Virginia Tech.
Royal was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2004, the No. 13 wide receiver nationally and the No. 15 recruit in Virginia. He was not ranked overall nationally. At the position, it was definitely not a group that flourished overall, aside from Calvin Johnson, who was ranked No. 6. In Virginia, the results were also similar, with only Chris Long and Ahmad Bradshaw really making an impact in the NFL. While it is doubtful Royal will ever be a star in the NFL, he has shown that he has the ability to have a long and productive career. He has proven his four-star ranking over the years, so we definitely got this one right.
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
Click Here to view this Link.