Ranking The Recruits

Recently one of the most respected and recognized Miami Hurricane fans that can be found on Twitter made his best effort to rank the 2011 UM recruits. 

We thought we would give Papa Cane, who goes by the name of "SaveUMFootball" on Twitter, some well deserved credit and some front page recognition here on Canespace by re-posting his rankings for Hurricane fans to discuss and debate.

Here is how Papa Cane ranked UM's top 15 signees of 2011:

#15: DT Corey King, athletic and high energy player that might have to redshirt in order to gain size and technique.

#14: DE Olsen Pierre, tall player with lots of athleticism at 6'4'' and 255 lbs. Big frame.

#13: Antonio Kinard, who at 6'3'' and 205 lbs, is considered very athletic and an excellent strong side LB.

#12: DT/DE Jalen Grimble - 5 Star prospect with through thr roof potential but might have to redshirt. Needs size.

#11: LB Gionni Paul, who is physically ready to play and has a Pagani Zonda-like motor (look up the car). No redshirt

#10: WR Rashawn Scott, a possession receiver who has great size and good hands but did not play at elite level in HS.

#9: RB/PR/KR Kevin Grooms who is a Ferrari on the football field. Not too big, but a "see-ya" type of player

#8: DB/S Dallas Crawford who originally committed to Michigan. Excellent technique, great hands, OK speed. Leader.

#7: DB Thomas Finnie, who has a big frame, excellent speed and a killer instinct. Coached by Uncle Luke in HS.

#6: OL Taylor Gadbois who is projected to play RT. He is 6'8'' and weighs over 280 lbs. Big man and motor.

#5: DE/LB Ricardo Williams who was recruited by Butch Davis (good enough for me) and is athletic. Needs size.

#4: WR/PR Phillip Dorsett who is a die hard Cane. Elite speed, great hands, Roscoe Parrish-esque but taller.

#3: LB Eddie Johnson who at 6'1'' and 220 lbs is very strong, has elite level athleticism and a 6th gear. Will play.

#2: LB Denzel Perryman from Coral Gables. Lifelong Cane. Super LB prospect. Future leader. Recruited by everyone.

#1: DE Anthony Chickillo, Mr. 3G, no one in HS could stop him. Dominated Army AA game. Instant impact. Mack truck.

I always appreciate Papa Cane's news updates and personal opinions that he often expresses on Twitter.  While I have grown to respect his views, I do disagree with some of his player rankings on this list. 

In fact, we agree on a few selections at the top and bottom of the list but after that, not so much.  So on Tuesday I will give you the Canespace rankings of the Hurricane 2011 recruits.

Until then tell us what U think about the rankings. 

Who would you rate higher or lower on this list?

Which players do you expect to contribute this season? 

Which new recruits will redshirt this year?

Comments

[fmcane]

Jelani has some great coaches at st. thomas to learn from, the question is how open will he be to that. he clearly is one of the most physically gifted athletes on the field, but at the next level that counts for little. one thing i do know is a reason for st. thomas's success is the promotion of a culture of hard work, team first attitude, and attention to detail. hopefully if he carries those with him he can achieve great success on the field and in life. At least we know that AG and the team leaders wont permit any primadona attitudes out there...

[WindyCane-Forecast1]

RayRay Armstrong
Brandon Washington
Lamar Miller
Marcus Fortson

Posted by: SOUP | June 20, 2011 at 09:26 PM

What do they have in common?

If they continue the hard work under Golden, they will eventually become first-day NFL draft picks and NFL stars.

[Big Daddy Cane]

Thanks VA CANE

[Big Daddy Cane]

Thanks for all the love guys and girls...I just want to provide good reliable information for free. I apologize to SOUP and SOLAR for stepping on any toes.

[CaneRock]

Looking at those Hamilton highlights, unless STA plays in a run heavy district, it's odd that they only showed Him pass rushing one time. But as far as what I saw in the video, seems like He's pretty good against the run, He seems to do a good job of reading His blocks and keys to take Him to the ball. Pretty agile for His size also...

[Old Skool]

Hmm an animated Canes feature ... I could swear I've seen this somewhere before:

In this debut video of CaneSport TV's new feature, CANEIMATION, a message board poster at CaneSport.com names his new horse Cane ...

[canechic]

I owe my hockey fans an apology....I stated sometime back that J. Thorton was American and I was incorrect he is Candian. Sorry guys.

[Big Daddy Cane]

Hmm an animated Canes feature ... I could swear I've seen this somewhere before:

Really cheesey looking as well....terribly done

[Da U N Houston]

LOL..folks are funny. First people complain when we get 2* and 3* recruits b/c we are just "giving out schollies to no names" even though they look great on tape (Reshawn Scott for example)....now we get a commitment from a 4* player and some think he is not good or sluggish (on tape)......lol......

Hopefully AG can get a commitment from a 7* who has no tape then everyone will be happy......lol

These coaches go out and watch these players play in person. Sees who has good hips, football instincts, hard workers, and coachable, etc. Folks read that FU, F$U, Auburn, Bama, U$C have offered and believe that those are the players we should go after.....lol....hilarious

[orange 'n green in the vein]

VAC, next time you get a chance you can pass along this message for me to him, "Nice empty trophy case, turkey."

He'll probably give an extra twisting knees at the bottom of the pile lesson in camp this year since he's got a converted over-sized TE attempting to pretend he's a QB this year rather than their usual RB pretending to play the position and will have to compensate for the defensive losses somehow as a result.

Only slightly better than Bill Dooley . . .

[Herbieibis]

Ultimately it don't matter how many stars a kid has by his name, or how much tape they have or what high school he comes from, how well there coached and developed, will be the tell, tell sign of this coaching staff. You have to have a QB that can get the ball to his play makers and no matter who's throwing it we have to catch it.A good running back is only as good as his O-Line. Simply put, What we did in the 80's up to the early 2000's with the no name Ed Reeds ain't working anymore. Times have changed and we've been to slow to change with it. I'll reserve judgement on Golden for now, I'm just saying we need play makers on both sides of the ball. Supposedly there their, we just haven't seen them yet but in name only.Would I like us to get a 5 star WR, dt, & LB hell yeah, will it happen this year, probably not. We're going to have to start winning consistantly again for us to get those guys.

[fmcane]

Its not about stars next to a name. as they say the video tape doesnt lie. another thing to consider is what team is being faced in the highlight, a lot of people can look great against poor competition.

jelani hamilton looks like a physical monster, but studying the film, many things leave a lot to be desired. his * rating is based upon his physical tools not his learned football skills. you can teach technique but not god given size and ability

[4-Real]

Fu, F$U, Auburn, Bama & U$C are winning football games while UM fans are bragging bout test scores, as if these schools ain't graduating players. However since this IS Golden's 1st year I will TRUST THE PROCESS...no matter how much it hurts :)

[orange 'n green in the vein]

4-Real, you have to keep in mind that process everybody keeps referring to on this blog doesn't end on NSD, it extends about four years past that, so you not only have to trust the process, you've got to patiently wait to see how it all plays out as well.

Not a traditional Hurricane fan's strong suit but important in getting an accurate gauge of a coach's player evaluation and development abilities nonetheless.

[solarcane]

BDC no sweat my brudda,
you are working it!

da u nation,
coaches went out and looked at 3 & 4 star players like
Willie Williams
Kyle Wright
Robert Marve
Taylor Cook
Javarris James
Bryce Brown
Arthur Brown
Storm Johnson
Aldarius Johnson
and had everyone believe these guys were unstoppable.
How did that work out?

Coaches are better judges of physical talent and football skills than you and me, but the more I watch them the less impressed I am with a lot of their judgement on heart, commitment and loyalty.
They sell themselves on a player, and then Twitter hitters announced he's a great get regardless of how he is going to play in two years.

Like I said before we don't need 4 star players
we need the player that is the first one on the practice field and the last one to leave day in and day out.

Mike James could have come here as a walk on 0 star player and he would still be Captain of the team.
It's work ethic and sacrifice for the good of your team mates, not your star power and spliced up hi light reel.

jmo

[solarcane]

Class of 2013 top 100
I think Golden has offers verbal commits from 60 or 70 of these guys

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/hssports/2011/06/florida-summer-class-of-2013-top-100.html

[4-Real]

I'm ok with the current recruiting just not overjoyed. Remember Shannon's 1st 2 classes were top 10 caliber, then came the experimenting.

[SOUP]

"Hopefully AG can get a commitment from a 7* who has no tape then everyone will be happy."

Yeah that would solve the issue once and for all. LOL

[Big Daddy Cane]

***LB Kenneth Bynum needs to increase speed and will get offered

[Loco]

Posted by: solarcane | June 21, 2011 at 07:07 PM

Actually, Cook was a 2 star.... just like Dorsey and Sean Taylor.

And Wright was a 5 star... Just like Leggett, and Brown

Its more about the head and the heart than the rankings

[AlpharettaCane]

^^^
If it's more about the head, then we're screwed at QB this year (again)!

:)

Was Sean Taylor really only a 2 star? Really?

[Loco]

Was Sean Taylor really only a 2 star? Really?

Posted by: AlpharettaCane | June 21, 2011 at 08:38 PM

Yeah, 2 star running back

[SOUP]

Its more about the head and the heart than the rankings

Posted by: Loco | June 21, 2011 at 08:10 PM

There IT is right there.

[OhioCane]

Virginia getting spanked in the top of the 4th by S Carolina. 5-0, but score doesn't even say it all

[SOUP]

Marlins up 3-0 over the Angels in the seventh.

[OhioCane]

Papa Cane - Lots of rumors going around a possible new commitment. I have not seen any concrete and reliable information. Until then, no news.

[UMike]

CORAL GABLES — Running back Storm Johnson has decided to transfer to Central Florida.

The former Hurricane, who saw limited action as a true freshman last season and announced he was leaving UM after a turbulent spring in which he finished third on the depth chart, will play for George O’Leary and the Knights, his dad told The Orlando Sentinel on Friday night.

“It actually feels quite good just to get the pressure off and be able to resume his college career,” Johnson’s dad, Wesley, told the newspaper.

I like the fit for Storm. UCF is a lower-profile program where he can be the go-to guy — he would have always had to share that distinction with Lamar Miller, Mike James or some other back at UM — yet it is still prominent enough where he will get noticed if he produces.

[ftmcane]

does anybody on this site have any idea wth 4-real would like out of this class?

[SOUP]

NEW BLOG IS UP!

[OhioCane]

Behind The Facemask: Lamar Miller

"

CORAL GABLES, FLA.--

June 21, 2011

They are stories of perseverance. Stories about growing up, becoming men and being a part of a family. One-by-one, we hear from them. These are the Miami Hurricanes...

25 Things You Don't Know About Lamar Miller

I like to dance a lot of time, just to have fun. My favorite artists are Lil’ Wayne and Rick Ross.

I like to cook for my mom when she’s tired. It depends on what I buy, but I like doing steak and shrimp. I love spaghetti, lasagna, and all Italian food. I don’t know how to make it, but my mom does.
       
I like to play video games too. NCAA and the NBA 2K’s are the ones I play most of the time.

I just got a Twitter, but I like Twitter better than Facebook. Half of the people on Facebook you don’t even really know.

I have a sister; she’s three years older than me. She’s 23.

I’ve got three best friends that I grew up with that I call brothers. Herman, Reggie and Jalani.

I like to have fun, but I love to compete. Mike [James] and I compete for everything.

When I first got here, waking up early for workouts and stuff, I wasn’t used to it. It was tough, but A.J, Mike and I used to help each other get up.

When I first started playing football, I played nose guard. I changed my position after a game when I picked up a fumble and ran past everybody for a touchdown.

I started playing football when I was eight years old. I was too big to play with my age group, so I always played with kids three years older than me.

I played a lot of sports growing up. I played baseball, basketball, and ran track. I even played volleyball for my middle school.

I’ve got seven tattoos. A few are my mom’s name, my grandmother’s name after she passed away, and “Fantastic Four” for my friends from home. I have my initials too. I got them all in high school.

I love Reggie Bush and Clinton Portis. I also watch a lot of film on Frank Gore, but Bush and Portis are my favorites.

When I was growing up, I used to always like Miami. My mom and dad always loved Florida, so I rooted for both teams. When Miami would play Florida, I would root for the Canes though. My mom’s from Gainesville, but now that I’m down here, she roots for us.

I like competition, because it makes me better and the people around me better. Competing makes it fun, going out there everyday and having fun while you’re doing it.

I used to be afraid of airplanes, but now I’m used to them after traveling all the time. I hate dogs. I’m scared of big dogs. Whenever I would walk home growing up, dogs used to chase me up the street, and I’ve always been scared.

Coach Richardson has taught me a lot of things I never knew before, on and off the field. Watching film, blocking schemes, how to take on a defender, ball security, everything.

If I wasn’t playing football, I’d probably be playing another sport…maybe track or basketball.

They call me “Miller Time,” that’s my nickname. But my mom, dad and my family always call me “Boo.” They always have.

It’s good playing with all of the local Miami guys, because when it’s time to work, everyone competes. We have fun, but everybody competes. Playing against them in high school was tough, especially the Northwestern kids. They always used to knock us out of the playoffs. It makes all of us better, playing against each other.

I wasn’t friends with any of them really, but I knew them from playing against them. I met Marcus Forston when I was in 11th grade when he had committed to Miami and he talked to me about schools and where I was looking and stuff like that.

Some of my personal goals are over 150 all-purpose yards per game and to score two touchdowns per game. I want to win every game, win the ACC Coastal Division, and get to the National Championship.

I’m superstitious sometimes now. If I wore something the week before and had a good game, I’ll wear the same thing. If I had a bad game, I try to change it up and not do the same things I did the week before.

The kick-off return at Ohio State was the highlight of my career so far. It was only the second college game I had ever played in. I was having flashbacks to when I played Northwestern and I told my friends I was going to take a kick back this season. When they kicked it, I made a couple guys miss and ended up scoring.

I try to score every time I touch the ball. When I run the ball, I have to be patient and read the blockers and defensive scheme. On kick returns, you have to hit it and make guys miss.

[canesteeler]

Solar I drove past the service this afternoon for the young man. My heart goes out to his family.