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Thread: 2020 wrap up

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    2020 wrap up

    Made this same post a year ago about the 2019 class. If I leave one off its bc I dont know enough about them to give a summary but for those interested in my worthless opinion, here goes


    Joquavius Marks- Never seen him play a snap but his highlights and from all the talk, how he is off the field means we got a hell of a player that has a chance to come in and not only play but make a huge impact. He may cause Dillon Johnson to play some slot bc Marks is the real deal. The other kids in this class will tell you he is for real for real. He is explosive and has great hands. He may be one of the few on the roster that can take it to the house on a given play. I love Kylin (sometimes) but he aint taking it 88 and out the gate. Marks can.


    Jordan Davis- When Bama wants you as a DL you are probably pretty good. Not much else to say here. He will come in and play early for us in 2020. He has extremely long arms, prolly could have played basketball if he wanted too. Reminds me a bit of Chauncey Rivers. I would take another Chauncey


    Malik Heath- I will be 100 percent honest, I have my doubts about him. Seen him since he was a JR in HS. He is a character and that is putting it nicely. I know several JUCO coaches that said they didnt want him out of HS bc of his immaturity. But his HC at Co Lin says he is a great kid. This same HC used to coach for us so TIFWIW. But...if he can put it together he is explosive with the ball in his hands. His ability after the catch is pretty rare. 6'3 210ish and can run is not something we have had a lot at WR. He will need to be great for us to have a big time year next year.


    Tyrus Wheat- Striker. He will rock your ass. He was the best player on defense for Co Lin all season long IMO. He runs better than LL and ET. Him and ET on the inside are going to punish people. He will have some work to do as far as technique and his reads will be different bc I doubt he has ever played in the stack but he is strong enough to be the walk down Sam backer, mean enough to play the Mike and athletic enough to play in space. I think he will start from the jump. Really high on him.



    Janari Dean- Has a chance to end up as the best player in the class. He could play RB but the carries at SP took a load on him as he had some injuries. But he was one of, probably the best back in the state when he is healthy. He will be hell as the ''aztec'' S for us. He is just a football player. He looks to create contact not avoid it. Great kid and has great intangibles. You dont have to be around him long to realize he is the real deal. He just carries himself differently. Him and Rogers are very close and they are a lot alike. They both love the game and love MSU.



    Will Rogers- Leach was the first one to offer him in HS. That tells you all you need to know. I have made my opinion on him well known on this board. He is made for this system and this coach. You cant really dream it up any better for him. Him and Minshew are very close. He is Minshew with a stronger arm. Thats about the only difference in them. The rest of it, they are a lot alike. Gym and film junkie. He has been leading the throwing sessions since he enrolled early. When he steps on the field you cant help but think you have a shot to win the whole thing. He will need to put on weight but mentally and accuracy wise, he is the best we have on campus at the QB spot. He can make every throw you need and get you in the right play when you need it. Been running a version of the air raid since 7th grade. Him and Dean may end up being the best players in the class IMO.


    Tulu Griffin- Fast. Thats his best attribute. He is raw and it showed at MS/AL but he can roll. Video of him on twitter had him keeping pace with a car going 22 mph. He will end up being a good slot for us but he needs to learn how to run routes and the offense. He has played some DB but he is a WR. It may take him a year or so but he will be a weapon once he figures it out. He has a teammate at Philly that is pretty good too that we are high on so hopefully he helps us with him.


    Dillon Johnson- Dominated in HS. I normally am skeptical on private school guys but when you know you know and he is a good player. He could play RB or slot for us. We need to get him the ball bc he is great with it in his hands. He is another one that needs more time in the weight room but he will get there. If he plays slot he could see a lot of time this year bc I think he is a better athlete than a lot of what we have there at the moment.


    Jevon Banks- He was a huge reason Olive Branch won as many games as they did and a big reason why the shut down Jimmy Holiday and MC. He is one of the most physical guys I have seen play in a long time. He is a freak. Long arms but he is solid. Aint no fat on him. He had a great MS/AL week and game. He could probably put on weight and play DT. Thats how nasty this kid is. He has a chip on his shoulder and he plays with it. He is also athletic enough to play stand up DE (walk down LB in the stack) or a 0 Mike. He could RS but I think he will contribute before 2020 is over.


    Jaden Walley- Another kid who is great with the ball in his hands. Has never really played WR and when he did it was run a fade,slant, or a hitch. He ran the Wing T as a QB at Diberville and made a lot of plays. He can actually throw the ball pretty well but his future is at WR. He will need to learn how to play it but he has a high ceiling. Long and can run pretty well. I think he could play CB if the need be. He did it in HS in the clutch time, didnt like contact a whole lot but not everybody does. Wasnt crazy about blocking but it didnt matter bc he had the ball more times than not. I like Jaden a lot but His brother is probably better than he is. But that is just my opinion. His brother aint as tall but he is faster and he just looks different with the ball in his hands and he will bust you in the mouth.


    Armondous Cooley- Cooley and Banks may be the most underrated defensive players in the state. Cooley is a tailor made DT. He will be a good NG or a 4i in the stack. He also had a great week and game at MS/AL. Him and Banks have been out to prove they are just as good if not better than Jackson and they played like it. They whipped Alabamas ass up front during the game. Cooley is a sneaky athlete he made several tackles playing flat down the line on stretch that were very impressive. Our staff were higher on him than they were Jackson FWIW. He was listed at 300 so he probably needs to put on 20 pounds or so but he will get there. He is capable of two gapping and being a menace inside.


    Calvin McMillan- This kid reminds me of the OL we used to get under Mullen. Raw out of Houston HS but with a huge frame and long arms. (Chris Jones) I am really high on him. He is listed at 6'5 but I think he is closer to 6'6-6'7 than he is 6'5. He will probably start at RT then he could move to LT as he progresses. This will be a whole new ball game for him as he has never seen the splits or vertical sets that we are going to do under Leach. He will have to learn but the frame is there to play in the NFL before its over with. He handled his recruitment as well as any I've ever seen. Handled his business and no drama.


    Rufus Harvey- In my opinion he is the best WR in the state. He is definitely the most polished and ready to play college football. He is twitchy. He was the best WR MS had in the all star game but he went home to take the ACT. He is much more ready to play than Adams or Tulu is right now. He can flat out get open. And we need that desperately. Him and Leach are perfect match for each other. I think he plays in 2020 and plays well. He can return kicks and punts and has done both for 4 years in HS. He made plays against the best 6A teams in the state. MC, Brandon, Pearl, Petal, South Panola, they will all tell you this kid is legit. He will need to hit the weights too but he will. I think he was a huge steal and we were lucky to hold onto him. He is Jameon Lewis with better hands. He will also block. He is on the smaller side but he makes up for it between the ears. Gamer. Typical Mike Leach WR. Rufus, Johnson, Tulu, Marks, Rogers and Walley are a pretty damn good group to be rolling with into the future at the skill positions.




    Emmanuel Forbes- Prototypical NFL CB frame. You can see it already. Long and can make a guy look covered when he isnt. He had a good week and game at MS/AL and they didnt try him very much during the game. He could play as a freshman and he will push Jones and the other young CBs. He reminds me a lot of Tyler Williams except Forbes was more highly recruited bc he killed it at the camp circuits. He isnt that fast but when you are that long it doesnt matter. I like him a lot and he may have been the overall best player in the state this year. He will probably play on Sundays when all is said and done. Him and Selmon are a good combo. I never saw Selmon much but I did think he made the UA All American game so there is that. Selmon is thicker than Forbes is. Probably more of a S than a CB.

  2. #2
    Senior Member ShotgunDawg's Avatar
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    Outstanding stuff. Thanks
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    Senior Member BeardoMSU's Avatar
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    Good stuff, Bucky.

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    Senior Member Todd4State's Avatar
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    Nice write up! I think Dillion Johnson may be moved to safety at some point. Either way a heck of an athlete for sure.

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    Senior Member ShotgunDawg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Todd4State View Post
    Nice write up! I think Dillion Johnson may be moved to safety at some point. Either way a heck of an athlete for sure.
    Yeah. Dillon doesn't look like a slot at all
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg View Post
    Yeah. Dillon doesn't look like a slot at all
    They dont have to be short and quick to play inside. He could play it easily. He is probably a natural RB but he could move to WR and be fine. He is kind of a tweener. I would be surprised if he plays defense

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    Senior Member Todd4State's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB**** View Post
    They dont have to be short and quick to play inside. He could play it easily. He is probably a natural RB but he could move to WR and be fine. He is kind of a tweener. I would be surprised if he plays defense
    Do you think he's not physical enough to play safety? Or is he just explosive with the ball in his hands?

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    On Dillon Johnson you mention you are skeptical on private school guys. Who is the last private school guy we signed who didn't make a sizeable contribution?

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    Senior Member KOdawg1's Avatar
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    Good write up. Forbes needs to hit a weight room if he wants to play early. He's a good player that's deserving of his ranking, but his legs are twigs. He's 165 lbs soaking wet and he struggles to put on weight. Maybe college S&C can help with that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by KOdawg1 View Post
    Good write up. Forbes needs to hit a weight room if he wants to play early. He's a good player that's deserving of his ranking, but his legs are twigs. He's 165 lbs soaking wet and he struggles to put on weight. Maybe college S&C can help with that.
    I think so too but he is gritty. I still think he has NFL written all over him especially since people love the bigger WRs now

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    Quote Originally Posted by Todd4State View Post
    Do you think he's not physical enough to play safety? Or is he just explosive with the ball in his hands?
    I dont know if he would be physical or not. I do know that against Carroll Academy (one of the most physical teams in that league) they put up a year low of 20 points and won by 2. I dont say that to say he aint physical Im just saying I think he is an offensive player. He would be a good WR or RB for us. He is more athletic than some of our WRs we have on the roster. We need guys that can take it yonder way really quick and he can do that
    Last edited by BuckyIsAB****; 02-06-2020 at 11:57 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by somebodyshotmypaw View Post
    On Dillon Johnson you mention you are skeptical on private school guys. Who is the last private school guy we signed who didn't make a sizeable contribution?
    We havent signed very many from private schools in MS. The most memorable one in my mind is Jamaal Clayborn but we have signed several private school guys from other states. Korey Charles and Tyler Dunning didnt contribute much at all and they were private school kids. Ben Beckwith was from Benton Academy I think I could be wrong.

    The reason I am skeptical is bc take Johnson for example, he plays in a league where you have about 20-25 kids on the team. Max. And for the most part they rung up 50 a game on offense. They had about 1 maybe 2 games all year where it was in doubt who could win. Pillow and Carroll...The competition level is just not the same. Yes I know Prep beat Taylorsville but there is a reason Prep, MRA, JA and others aint lining up to play any of the metro schools. Im not anti private school I think there is some good ball played there, Im all for it... but it doesnt take a genius to see the competition and commitment level is just different at some places compared to others

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    Quote Originally Posted by ShotgunDawg View Post
    Yeah. Dillon doesn't look like a slot at all
    If you put that kid on a SEC football field right now, you would think the only chance he has is at WR or DB. If he's gonna play RB he needs time in the weight room. If you've seen him and Trey Benson in person, Benson is much thicker and its why he was the RB. Johnson is pretty slim he might be 185-190. He may look bigger on film but he wont be playing those kids on Saturdays or lining up against them at practice.
    Last edited by BuckyIsAB****; 02-07-2020 at 12:04 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB**** View Post
    We havent signed very many from private schools in MS. The most memorable one in my mind is Jamaal Clayborn but we have signed several private school guys from other states. Korey Charles and Tyler Dunning didnt contribute much at all and they were private school kids. Ben Beckwith was from Benton Academy I think I could be wrong.

    The reason I am skeptical is bc take Johnson for example, he plays in a league where you have about 20-25 kids on the team. Max. And for the most part they rung up 50 a game on offense. They had about 1 maybe 2 games all year where it was in doubt who could win. Pillow and Carroll...The competition level is just not the same. Yes I know Prep beat Taylorsville but there is a reason Prep, MRA, JA and others aint lining up to play any of the metro schools. Im not anti private school I think there is some good ball played there, Im all for it... but it doesnt take a genius to see the competition and commitment level is just different at some places compared to others
    Ms private schools

    Justin Malone
    Addison Lawrence
    Cam Lawrence
    Ben Beckwith (walkon)
    Jamal Clayborn

    Those are the ones off the top of my head and they all contributed. So while we certainly haven't signed many, there hasn't been a single bust among them. The bust to success ratio has been vastly higher with MS private school signees versus public school signees that attend SEC schools. It ain't even close. Very possibly because colleges are more cautious about who they sign from the private school ranks.

    Anthony Steen at Bama, Steven Ridley at LSU, Sahdiq Charles at LSU, Jerrion Ealy at Ole Miss, Cody Prewitt at Ole Miss, Matt Womack at LSU, Sean Rawlings at Ole Miss. All contributed early and mightily. All started tons of games.

    Absolutely the competition level is different. But we signed Dicenzo Miller and Jon Banks. Ever seen their competition level? We sign 1A and 2A public dudes all the time. Those dudes could flat play. But their competition sucked.
    Last edited by somebodyshotmypaw; 02-07-2020 at 07:54 AM.

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    Are there any updated 2020 crootin' rankings ? it seems 247's site didn't update after all the transfers and Feb signers rolled in.

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    Did we sign a long snapper ? ..... or was he a walk-on ?
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    Senior Member Coursesuper's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by somebodyshotmypaw View Post
    Ms private schools

    Justin Malone
    Addison Lawrence
    Cam Lawrence
    Ben Beckwith (walkon)
    Jamal Clayborn

    Those are the ones off the top of my head and they all contributed. So while we certainly haven't signed many, there hasn't been a single bust among them. The bust to success ratio has been vastly higher with MS private school signees versus public school signees that attend SEC schools. It ain't even close. Very possibly because colleges are more cautious about who they sign from the private school ranks.

    Anthony Steen at Bama, Steven Ridley at LSU, Sahdiq Charles at LSU, Jerrion Ealy at Ole Miss, Cody Prewitt at Ole Miss, Matt Womack at LSU, Sean Rawlings at Ole Miss. All contributed early and mightily. All started tons of games.

    Absolutely the competition level is different. But we signed Dicenzo Miller and Jon Banks. Ever seen their competition level? We sign 1A and 2A public dudes all the time. Those dudes could flat play. But their competition sucked.
    I officiated a bunch of games the Dicenzo Miller played and a load of 1A and 2A games in old district 4 back then. There were some very high quality coaches and football played there at that time. Ricky Woods at Ackerman and then Eupora, Ray Self at Moor High, Ricky Black at Kosciusko and Joe Gant at Weir. There was some excellent football played and the level of competition was well above what one would think of as normal 1A football.

    I think the reason for that higher level in that are was two fold there were some really good players that went on to the next level not only at MSU. But I think the program at Weir was the biggest factor. It was normal for them to dress 40 or more kids and they regularly punched above their weight beating schools 3A schools like Winona and others.

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    Quote Originally Posted by OLJWales View Post
    Are there any updated 2020 crootin' rankings ? it seems 247's site didn't update after all the transfers and Feb signers rolled in.
    Transfers don't count towards the ranking. We signed the 25th best class in the country. 24th on 247, 26th on Rivals, and 25th on ESPN.

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