Evaluating 2013 Class

#1
OCIVol

OCIVol

the.oci.vol@gmail.com
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#1
After looking at our 2013 signees, it’s evident we addressed some areas of need but missed on a handful of elite talents (Green, Lawson, Bell).

QB – With Bray’s early entry to the NFL Draft and only Worley and Peterman on the roster, it was imperative that we bring in two QBs. By landing Ferguson and Dobbs, we signed two of the top 20 QBs in the country. Dobbs seems like a natural fit for CBJ’s offense. GRADE: A-

RB – With the departures of Bourque and Watson (last year’s RB class) and with little depth on the current roster, RB was a huge area of need in this class. Well, Dooley put all of his eggs in the Henry/Green basket, and it backfired. We had numerous top RBs wanting to commit during the fall (Turman, Folston, etc.), but slow-played them. The end result is Jabo Lee, who is a good prospect but not the quality/quantity we needed in this class. CBJ did a good job positioning UT with Ford, but Auburn’s late offer messed that up. This is a must in the ’14 class. We need at least 3 top-tier RBs. GRADE: F

WR – Gone are Hunter, Patterson, and Rogers…yes, this was probably the biggest need in this class. Those needs were certainly addressed with the addition of North, Harris, Jenkins, and Smith. It would have been nice to pluck a top-flight JUCO WR, but this class will likely be remembered for this WR group. GRADE: A-

TE – TE depth was a concern last year and we lost our best TE in Rivera. Picking up Branisel and Quinn is a solid (not spectacular) group, and Quinn will see some time this year. Branisel will be really good in a few years. GRADE: C+

OL – We needed a top JUCO OL this year to develop and be ready to start next year after the majority of the current OL leaves for the NFL. The high school additions are very good, and Wiesman is the one to keep an eye on. The last staff had him ranked higher on the board than Koehler and many others. These three (Sanders, Wiesman, Kendrick) will be contributors in their UT careers. I think we needed at least one more OL in this class. GRADE: C+

DL – We need impact DL to pressure the QB without having to bring a blitz. We picked up a future NFL player (Carr) and two intriguing prospects (Miller and Brown). We missed on Lawson, which really hurts given our need at DE. Also, not adding any JUCO DL and only getting two DL is not good. This is an area of concern after this year because we lose a lot of DL. GRADE: C

LB – Again, we needed more. Losing Santos and Peters still stings from last year’s class. We have to improve the quality of LB play and upgrade the position ASAP. Vereen is good but is unlikely to contribute much this season. Missing on Levenberry and not landing anyone else was not good. I do not fault CBJ for letting the LBs committed under Dooley go because he needs to get his guys. Only signing 4 players in the front 7 is awful. GRADE: D

DB – We were exposed last year in the secondary. Randolph’s injury evidenced our lack of depth at safety. Missing on Bell was a gut shot to VolNation. Despite that, the secondary class is very good. JRM will be a standout and Sutton, Foreman, Johnson, and Jones bring speed and athleticism to the secondary. The ’14 class is the year we have a shot to land some All-SEC DBs. Hopefully this class will provide a good foundation for the future. GRADE: B-

OVERALL GRADE: C+
 
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#7
#7
OCIVol said:
After looking at our 2013 signees, it’s evident we addressed some areas of need but missed on a handful of elite talents (Green, Lawson, Bell).

QB – With Bray’s early entry to the NFL Draft and only Worley and Peterman on the roster, it was imperative that we bring in two QBs. By landing Ferguson and Dobbs, we signed two of the top 20 QBs in the country. Dobbs seems like a natural fit for CBJ’s offense. GRADE: A-

RB – With the departures of Bourque and Watson (last year’s RB class) and with little depth on the current roster, RB was a huge area of need in this class. Well, Dooley put all of his eggs in the Henry/Green basket, and it backfired. We had numerous top RBs wanting to commit during the fall (Turman, Folston, etc.), but slow-played them. The end result is Jabo Lee, who is a good prospect but not the quality/quantity we needed in this class. CBJ did a good job positioning UT with Ford, but Auburn’s late offer messed that up. This is a must in the ’14 class. We need at least 3 top-tier RBs. GRADE: F

WR – Gone are Hunter, Patterson, and Rogers…yes, this was probably the biggest need in this class. Those needs were certainly addressed with the addition of North, Harris, Jenkins, and Smith. It would have been nice to pluck a top-flight JUCO WR, but this class will likely be remembered for this WR group. GRADE: A-

TE – TE depth was a concern last year and we lost our best TE in Rivera. Picking up Branisel and Quinn is a solid (not spectacular) group, and Quinn will see some time this year. Branisel will be really good in a few years. GRADE: C+

OL – We needed a top JUCO OL this year to develop and be ready to start next year after the majority of the current OL leaves for the NFL. The high school additions are very good, and Wiesman is the one to keep an eye on. The last staff had him ranked higher on the board than Koehler and many others. These three (Sanders, Wiesman, Kendrick) will be contributors in their UT careers. I think we needed at least one more OL in this class. GRADE: C+

DL – We need impact DL to pressure the QB without having to bring a blitz. We picked up a future NFL player (Carr) and two intriguing prospects (Miller and Brown). We missed on Lawson, which really hurts given our need at DE. Also, not adding any JUCO DL and only getting two DL is not good. This is an area of concern after this year because we lose a lot of DL. GRADE: C

LB – Again, we needed more. Losing Santos and Peters still stings from last year’s class. We have to improve the quality of LB play and upgrade the position ASAP. Vereen is good but is unlikely to contribute much this season. Missing on Levenberry and not landing anyone else was not good. I do not fault CBJ for letting the LBs committed under Dooley go because he needs to get his guys. Only signing 4 players in the front 7 is awful. GRADE: D

DB – We were exposed last year in the secondary. Randolph’s injury evidenced our lack of depth at safety. Missing on Bell was a gut shot to VolNation. Despite that, the secondary class is very good. JRM will be a standout and Sutton, Foreman, Johnson, and Jones bring speed and athleticism to the secondary. The ’14 class is the year we have a shot to land some All-SEC DBs. Hopefully this class will provide a good foundation for the future. GRADE: B-

OVERALL GRADE: C+
Click to expand...

Good assesment IMO. I would give an overall grade of a C but either qb could elevate this class to as a high as an A.
 
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#8
#8
OCIVol said:
After looking at our 2013 signees, it’s evident we addressed some areas of need but missed on a handful of elite talents (Green, Lawson, Bell).

QB – With Bray’s early entry to the NFL Draft and only Worley and Peterman on the roster, it was imperative that we bring in two QBs. By landing Ferguson and Dobbs, we signed two of the top 20 QBs in the country. Dobbs seems like a natural fit for CBJ’s offense. GRADE: A-

RB – With the departures of Bourque and Watson (last year’s RB class) and with little depth on the current roster, RB was a huge area of need in this class. Well, Dooley put all of his eggs in the Henry/Green basket, and it backfired. We had numerous top RBs wanting to commit during the fall (Turman, Folston, etc.), but slow-played them. The end result is Jabo Lee, who is a good prospect but not the quality/quantity we needed in this class. CBJ did a good job positioning UT with Ford, but Auburn’s late offer messed that up. This is a must in the ’14 class. We need at least 3 top-tier RBs. GRADE: F

WR – Gone are Hunter, Patterson, and Rogers…yes, this was probably the biggest need in this class. Those needs were certainly addressed with the addition of North, Harris, Jenkins, and Smith. It would have been nice to pluck a top-flight JUCO WR, but this class will likely be remembered for this WR group. GRADE: A-

TE – TE depth was a concern last year and we lost our best TE in Rivera. Picking up Branisel and Quinn is a solid (not spectacular) group, and Quinn will see some time this year. Branisel will be really good in a few years. GRADE: C+

OL – We needed a top JUCO OL this year to develop and be ready to start next year after the majority of the current OL leaves for the NFL. The high school additions are very good, and Wiesman is the one to keep an eye on. The last staff had him ranked higher on the board than Koehler and many others. These three (Sanders, Wiesman, Kendrick) will be contributors in their UT careers. I think we needed at least one more OL in this class. GRADE: C+

DL – We need impact DL to pressure the QB without having to bring a blitz. We picked up a future NFL player (Carr) and two intriguing prospects (Miller and Brown). We missed on Lawson, which really hurts given our need at DE. Also, not adding any JUCO DL and only getting two DL is not good. This is an area of concern after this year because we lose a lot of DL. GRADE: C

LB – Again, we needed more. Losing Santos and Peters still stings from last year’s class. We have to improve the quality of LB play and upgrade the position ASAP. Vereen is good but is unlikely to contribute much this season. Missing on Levenberry and not landing anyone else was not good. I do not fault CBJ for letting the LBs committed under Dooley go because he needs to get his guys. Only signing 4 players in the front 7 is awful. GRADE: D

DB – We were exposed last year in the secondary. Randolph’s injury evidenced our lack of depth at safety. Missing on Bell was a gut shot to VolNation. Despite that, the secondary class is very good. JRM will be a standout and Sutton, Foreman, Johnson, and Jones bring speed and athleticism to the secondary. The ’14 class is the year we have a shot to land some All-SEC DBs. Hopefully this class will provide a good foundation for the future. GRADE: B-

OVERALL GRADE: C+
Click to expand...

Agreed except i'm not sold that the DB's are B- worthy. I'd put it at C+.
 
#9
#9
I agree for the most part.

QB - Really don't think we could have done much better than we did. A+, I think between Riley, Josh, Nathan, Justin, and Charlie High, we will find us a great quarterback for the next 2-4 years. A+

RB - I wouldn't be so quick to just slap an F on there. While Jabo Lee is not anywhere near Derrick Green, he's not a bad prospect considering we still have Young, Lane, and Neal. I would give this a D+ But you are right in saying we MUST have some studs next year. No other option.

Really liked the way he upgraded the secondary, Bell would have helped there a ton, but it is what it is. Got some quality depth on the OL, hopefully they contribute.

But I agree with you that next year's focus has to be on some defensive playmakers. We're probably losing Johnson after this year, so we gotta have some LB's to step in and make the plays.

Given the amount of time that Jones and Company have been here, and the amount of ground they made up, and the quality of players they DID sign, I would give the class a B-. I don't think it's a great class, but I do think it's a good solid first class, to set us up for a massive class next year.
 
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#12
#12
Overall I give this class a "D". Missing on Bell, Lawson, Green, Levenberry, Ford, and Bellemy. Maybe next year.
 
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#19
#19
Not gonna kill this class. some prospects are intresting.. next years class needs to be great though.. not good.. not very good. GREAT
 
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#20
#20
OCIVol said:
After looking at our 2013 signees, it’s evident we addressed some areas of need but missed on a handful of elite talents (Green, Lawson, Bell).

QB – With Bray’s early entry to the NFL Draft and only Worley and Peterman on the roster, it was imperative that we bring in two QBs. By landing Ferguson and Dobbs, we signed two of the top 20 QBs in the country. Dobbs seems like a natural fit for CBJ’s offense. GRADE: A-

RB – With the departures of Bourque and Watson (last year’s RB class) and with little depth on the current roster, RB was a huge area of need in this class. Well, Dooley put all of his eggs in the Henry/Green basket, and it backfired. We had numerous top RBs wanting to commit during the fall (Turman, Folston, etc.), but slow-played them. The end result is Jabo Lee, who is a good prospect but not the quality/quantity we needed in this class. CBJ did a good job positioning UT with Ford, but Auburn’s late offer messed that up. This is a must in the ’14 class. We need at least 3 top-tier RBs. GRADE: F

WR – Gone are Hunter, Patterson, and Rogers…yes, this was probably the biggest need in this class. Those needs were certainly addressed with the addition of North, Harris, Jenkins, and Smith. It would have been nice to pluck a top-flight JUCO WR, but this class will likely be remembered for this WR group. GRADE: A-

TE – TE depth was a concern last year and we lost our best TE in Rivera. Picking up Branisel and Quinn is a solid (not spectacular) group, and Quinn will see some time this year. Branisel will be really good in a few years. GRADE: C+

OL – We needed a top JUCO OL this year to develop and be ready to start next year after the majority of the current OL leaves for the NFL. The high school additions are very good, and Wiesman is the one to keep an eye on. The last staff had him ranked higher on the board than Koehler and many others. These three (Sanders, Wiesman, Kendrick) will be contributors in their UT careers. I think we needed at least one more OL in this class. GRADE: C+

DL – We need impact DL to pressure the QB without having to bring a blitz. We picked up a future NFL player (Carr) and two intriguing prospects (Miller and Brown). We missed on Lawson, which really hurts given our need at DE. Also, not adding any JUCO DL and only getting two DL is not good. This is an area of concern after this year because we lose a lot of DL. GRADE: C

LB – Again, we needed more. Losing Santos and Peters still stings from last year’s class. We have to improve the quality of LB play and upgrade the position ASAP. Vereen is good but is unlikely to contribute much this season. Missing on Levenberry and not landing anyone else was not good. I do not fault CBJ for letting the LBs committed under Dooley go because he needs to get his guys. Only signing 4 players in the front 7 is awful. GRADE: D

DB – We were exposed last year in the secondary. Randolph’s injury evidenced our lack of depth at safety. Missing on Bell was a gut shot to VolNation. Despite that, the secondary class is very good. JRM will be a standout and Sutton, Foreman, Johnson, and Jones bring speed and athleticism to the secondary. The ’14 class is the year we have a shot to land some All-SEC DBs. Hopefully this class will provide a good foundation for the future. GRADE: B-

OVERALL GRADE: C+
Click to expand...

I agree completely. I like what we did at QB and WR. I like some of the players we signed at OL, DL, and LB but we really needed more at each of those positions and that will put us in a tough spot next year when we lose a lot of our key players. We could have done a lot worse at DB and TE but RB was a major disappointment.
 
#22
#22
Lose the minuses on QB and WR, and change RB to a D and your assessment is just about right.
 
#24
#24
Is this class next to last in the SEC? Did we do better than Kentucky? Did we do better than Mizzou? Did we do better than anyone?
 
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