Three-Point Stance: Prime, coordinators to watch, Midwest underclassmen
Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove has thoughts on whether opposing coaches are ganging up on Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, three coordinators who could be in line for head coaching jobs and three underclassmen who are making some noise in the Midwest.
MORE THREE-POINT STANCE: FSU-Clemson, West Virginia, Charles Huff
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1. Are coaches teaming up to beat Deion Sanders?
After Colorado's loss to Oregon over the weekend former NFL receiver and current TV commentator Keyshawn Johnson said that he spoke to someone in the coaching fraternity and was basically told a coach had never heard of so much information being shared with an opposing staff for game planning use than the information Oregon's staff received prior to their game with Colorado.
As a former college coach I can attest that this is common practice in the coaching world, and although it is outwardly frowned upon it occurs on a weekly basis. I've heard some wild stories of intel exchange in my days, but one of my favorite stories of an opposing coach attempting to gain an advantage against an opponent occurred while I was in the office doing game prep during my coaching days.
The staff I was on at the time had a coaching change in the offseason and the former coach's replacement yelled out to me, laughing from his office and begging me to come in and listen to the voicemail he had just received. A coach from our opponent that week thought he was calling the cell phone of our former coach who had the office and proceeded to leave a voicemail that you would have had to have heard to believe. Unfortunately for the coach leaving the voicemail, it was not on our former coach's cell phone, but instead the office phone of the coach who replaced him. This opposing coach was asking for intimate details of our program that ranged from personnel and scheme weakness to the actual signals we used to call in our plays.
Luckily for the opposing staff, we went on to win by a pretty good margin that week and nothing was made of it – aside from an inside joke that carries on among those of us who were on that staff.
I share this story as an extreme example of how common intel sharing is throughout the college coaching world. Most coaches are a little more discreet with their attempts to gain intel and not all cases are this imbecilic, but coaching is a cutthroat business. Throw in the fact that Deion Sanders' approach has rubbed a few coaches the wrong way, and his instant turnaround could be seen as a threat to veteran coaches who have been in the game much longer with less success, and this is to be expected.
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2. Three coordinators who could be in line for major head coaching jobs.
SHANNON DAWSON: Offensive coordinator, Miami. Through four games Dawson's Hurricane offense has put up a whopping 43.8 points per game while averaging 519 yards and 8.24 yards per play. This is a far cry from the 2022 Miami offense that ranked 97th in scoring offense with 23.6 points per game. While the opposition hasn't been amazing, the early results have and Dawson will likely be a hot name should the Hurricanes remain hot on offense.
BLAKE BAKER: Defensive coordinator, Missouri. The Tigers are off to an unexpected 4-0 start, which includes a signature win over then No. 15-ranked Kansas State, a game in which Baker's defense held the Wildcats' offense to 27 points. That is well under K-State's 39.5 points per game average, which currently ranks No. 19 in the nation. The Tigers' defense ranks No. 50 in scoring this season, giving up a respectable 20.8 points per game. And while that may not be a mind-blowing statistic, you have to look at Baker's defensive performance with some context. The year before Baker arrived in Columbia, Missouri's defense was absolutely atrocious, giving up 33.8 points per game, which ranked No. 113 overall. Baker should be heavily considered by any school looking for a defensive head coach come season's end.
Sean Lewis: Offensive coordinator, Colorado. Lewis has experience as a head coach at Kent State, and after achieving a level of success the Golden Flash program had not seen prior to his tenure Lewis decided to go back to his roots by accepting the offensive coordinator job at Colorado in the offseason. The Buffaloes may have not lit up the scoreboard against Oregon this past weekend, but you cannot deny the performance Colorado's offense has had under Lewis' direction. Not only is Lewis one of the best offensive minds in football he is a proven head coach, and after a year with Coach Prime he will be on almost every school's short list come hiring time.
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3. Three Midwest underclassmen who are blowing up.
Dawayne Galloway: As of Sept.18 Galloway's offer sheet consisted of FCS schools Campbell and Florida A&M. A day later came Central Michigan followed by fellow MAC schools Toledo and Miami (Ohio). Then Sept. 25 hit and the Columbus (Ohio) Marion-Franklin hidden gem received his first Power Five offer from Maryland. Georgia followed suit the same day then Michigan and Penn State offered a day later. This is likely just the beginning for the track standout who has run 10.42 in the 100 meters, has a great frame and position versatility to go with his blazing speed. Expect Galloway to be a national recruit sooner than later.
Dejarrian Miller: The St. Louis Cardinal Ritter high three-star receiver has a tremendous skill-set, and although he had early offers from Wisconsin and UNLV prior to spring of his junior year, things have taken off since and his offer list is starting to reflect the player he has a chance to be. Starting with an offer from Michigan on April 20, Miller has been on a tear with offers pouring in from the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Miami, Nebraska, Missouri and Tennessee. Expect the long and athletic pass catcher to continue his run of impressive offers and become a national name.
Nizyi Davis: The 6-foot-6 tight end was virtually unknown two weeks ago without a single offer to his name. Then Sept. 15 hit and Marshall put Davis on the map by extending an offer, kicking off what will likely be an action-packed recruitment. Cincinnati offered the following day and both Michigan State and Wisconsin have since thrown their hat in the ring, making Davis one of the fastest rising recruits in the region. The Indianapolis Lawrence Central standout is a raw talent with limitless upside, and he is another Midwest recruit who should reach double-digit Power Five offers in no time.