Recruiting Breakdown #4

Jermaine Johnson - 4 star OT. 6'6, 309 lbs. Originally out of St. Thomas Aquinas who committed to Auburn, he was forced to attend prep school. He is believed to be one of the five exemptions that Randy Shannon can use in his contract to allow South Florida kids to meet only the NCAA admission requirements and not the higher admissions of UM. He is obviously a big guy, but he's still very raw. He only started playing football towards the end of his tenure at highschool, as he was a basketball player to begin with. It's almost positive that, barring injuries to the line, he redshirts. He has a lot of potential and is a project, but if he does reach his potential look for him to be in the lineup as a redshirt sophomore in 2011.

Dyron Dye - 4 star. 6-4, 215 lbs Defensive End. Again, we hate comparing recruits to previous players, but here it is appropriate. Think of Adewale Ojomo. Comparable in frame, except an inch taller. I see him having to redshirt to put on another 20 pounds or so in order to gain the proper weight and muscle to contribute consistently, but I wouldn't be shocked if he did get a shot at playing early. He was the less regarded of the 3 Seminole trio, but he is every bit just as important to us. A redshirt will do him good considering we have young underclassmen who stepped up and performed well this year. Add in the possibility of Moncur coming back and he can us that year to learn, grow, and prepare for our 2010 seasons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsaLNOuJrco


Mike James - 4 star RB. 5'11, 211 lbs. Out of Davenport, Fl, he provides UM with a runningback that can run in between the tackles. We all thought that Baby J would be that guy, but he has been plagued by injuries since his freshman year. Mike could actually play a lot here, and he was dead set on it. He was supposed to be a candidate for early enrollment, but unfortunately he has hit a small snag. He has been accepted by UM admissions, but the NCAA clearinghouse is holding him up. This is a common issue, especially with early enrollment. Classes did start today at UM, so he would have to clear the red tape relatively soon. Don't be surprised to see him used similar to the way we used our runningbacks a decade ago, especially with the imminent implementation of a pro set offense. Mike James, Lamar Miller, and Bryce Brown could all be used similar to the way we used Najeh Davenport, James Jackson, and Clinton Portis. He can even be used in the FB role like Najeh was 10 years ago.

Brandon Washington - 4 star OG. 6'5, 330 lbs. Out of Miami Northwestern last year, he finally gets to rejoin his highschool chumps from last year after having to attend prep school. He is already in class as we speak and if he can hold up during the conditioning and get his technique down A.S.A.P., we can see him contributing sometime on the line, although a redshirt is still possible. He does need to drop some weight and improve his feet in passblocking, but as a run blocker he has the potential to be very good. A redshirt would do him some good, but if push comes to shove I see him getting some playing time towards the end of the season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbOVu2WW7l0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xZBKc9GNvo


Tomorrow we will have a breakdown of the remaining UM recruits, follow by yet another blog entry concerning Jacory's press conference. No need to worry, the presser is just so he is available to the media, so don't expect any surprises.

Also, later this week we will have a blog entry discussing the recruits who are set to visit this weekend as well as those we are still targeting, and hopefully and update on the OC search/hire.