Hazzard Country- Good ol' Boys, This time meaning Harm

[redsox907]

did not expect that loss to OK State. But also, refreshing you can still lose on occasion

Cesario coming back is great as long as he can reign in the interceptions

[Bubba's Cruise]

Best Portal Class In School History

The biggest news of all after a decade finally Hazzard has moved up the team prestige ranking going from 3.5 to 4.5. Which is massive news it took forever to move up the list. We did finish with the 2nd overall class and it looks like a lot of battle to come with in state UGA. This will up the recruiting budget and make us more visible to top prospects. Boss Hogg will still limit on how much he lets us sign from the 5* ranks. Also, our old speedy QB Junior Office is now at USF where he will be a backup. The young DE with star dev ended up at Air Force and Anthony Spoon will be a late addition to a team. Let's take a look at the portal class we had, and we list what our needs were below.

* All ratings shown are after offseason training

3 speed HB's
1 starting OL
WR Depth

HB Jason Kigbila - Sr (94)
The most interesting player we signed ranked 13th in the country a gadget WR from Oregon. He had 2 monster years at WR for them 2,700 yards and 26 TDs. However, he wants to play HB at the next level as he thinks that's his most natural position and we agree. It's not just the size at 5'11 and 200 pounds he is well in the 90s for carrying and Ball carry vision. He has the 96 speed, 97 accel, 97 agility, 99 change of direction with platinum shifty ad gold sidestep. He has some power with 92 break tackle, 80 trucking and 77 strength. While we wouldn't call him a natural power back he should be able to run between the tackles for us in sets like I-formation and strong.

HB Tye Stewart - Sr (92)
The army transfer had 766 yards and 5 TD and was our #1 HB we went after and thankfully was only a 3*. Another burner with 4.2 speed so talking 99 speed, 99 accel, 98 agility, 98 change of direction with no power. He is a backfield threat type so 87 catching that could be held back by no gold abilities. He comes in with elite development so that's why were able to get him up from a 3* to a draftable guy in 1 year.

HB Eric Ottis - Jr (85)
The 5'9-and-172-pound Tulane WR has put up 1,000 yards and 7 TD at WR the past 2 years. We moved him to HB and now have someone with 4.2 speed (99) that also has 85 catching with gold safety valve. Ideally you would want the shifty ability, but still with that speed and the best pass catcher on the team from the backfield he gives us a versatile weapon. We project him as more of a backup this year and a larger role next year since he will be back. Since he was a 3* we were able to get him pretty easy

WR Rico Corbin - Fr (80)
We have made a living at the WR spot for a decade going after young guys at big schools being able to offer playing time. We look for the high 3* and count on them having good dev trait and upside and maybe some training points to use. Well, this time it was kind of a miss as Rico had just normal dev and no extra training. He is our type of WR 6'4 contest specialist so we worked on his power and got the overall pretty good. He cares about playing time, so we expect him to leave after 1 year. He will be WR #4 this year after coming over from UGA

WR Ofisa Nye - Fr (79)
The 2nd Oregon WR we signed and he also wants playing time so could also be a 1-year rental. The 6'5 contested specialist has 91 speed, 2nd best run blocker on the team plus platinum 50/50. A lot of upside here and he has star dev so somehow, we got to keep his playing time grade happy.

OT Kristian Sampson - So (85)
If you want to get us excited bring up raw strength OL and we got the best one ever when you factor in age. He just a redshirt sophomore and comes over from Penn State with elite Development at 6'3 and 335 pounds. He was the 25th player in the country so pretty rare to see that from a big school with 3 years remaining. He has 92 run blocking, 85 pass block, platinum ground N pound, silver inside shield. His power is 90 so that will be the focus next year. His deal breaker is playing style so shouldn't be leaving us until he goes pro.

OG Frank Henderson - Sr 90
We only needed 1 starting OL and end up with 2. Frank comes over from Iowa and he will bridge the gap before our true freshman start next year. He has 93 run block, 99 pass block with gold pocket shield and silver inside shield

DE Brian O'Reily - Sr (88)
The Cal transfer was a 2-year starter and broke out last year with 9.5 sacks. He is 260 pounds with speed and power so we aren't sure where he will play just yet. He has 82 block shed, 91 tackle, 86 speed, 89 accel, 88 strength and 85 for both moves. We like the versatile DL that we can mix and match at different spots and he fits that mold. Just one ability and that's gold take down.

LB Daryl Light- Jr (87)
We were ok at LB, but you always look for upgrades and we got one that fits our scheme perfectly. The Tulane LB has 93 speed and 97 accel. so that was the main reason we signed him then we got him on campus and saw he has elite development and just a junior. He can also tackle with 93 plus platinum wrap up. He is good not great in pass coverage so that will be next year's focus. He can also get even faster so we aren't sure how he ended up at Tulane. He had 90 tackles last year.

CB Josh Quaccia - Sr (93)
The USC transfer was a luxury pickup as we weren't looking for CB help with most everyone coming back from an elite unit. We could use a little help at S and was the 31st ranked player. He is a NFL guy with 92 zone, 90 play rec and gold jammer. Because of that gold Jammer he is still a CB. We think he will be our nickel CB then we move Nick Ball to safety.

K Gill Mcsurdy & P Jay Stephonvich
We had players coming back at both special teams spots, but we liked these players better, so we upgrade. The P has a 91 overall and is the highest rated in the country

[Bubba's Cruise]

I've got a very interesting QB debate happening prob the biggest I've ever had. Cesario improved a lot so he looks better on paper and the supporting cast is just as good if not better. I'll write something up tomorrow on the QB race when I start my previews. I'm the type I don't want to win every year as that gets boring. I

did not expect that loss to OK State. But also, refreshing you can still lose on occasion

Cesario coming back is great as long as he can reign in the interceptions

[Soapy]

Tye Stewart Show.

[Bubba's Cruise]

2035 QB Preview

This years QB race is the most interesting we have ever had because it pits the veteran that's much better on paper. However he is coming off a down year, but does look much better after offseason training. Then you have the flashy 5* QB with unlimited potential and elite development on the other side. He has a playing time deal breaker of B so you can't just play him in blowouts and keep him happy. Let's take a look at the comparisons

Accuracy
Cesario leads for all 4 with platinum step up, platinum on time, bronze resistance and silver dot. So a massive advantage for Cesario here

Short = Cesario +21
Mid = Cesario +25
Deep = Cesario +15
Throw on run = Cesario +6
Throw under Pressure = Cesario +12

Power
Tie both at 91 so not much to say here since neither has elite arm strength and normal strength about the same as well.

IQ
Ball Carry Vision = Leamon +20
Play action = Cesario +5
Carry = Leamon +11

This maybe the most surprising as we run a lot of play action. You would think the senior would have a big advantage, but he doesn't have the sleight of hand ability and just a small lead. As expected, Leamon wins by a lot in the secondary running skills

Quickness
Speed = Leamon +5
Accel = Leamon +7

Leamon does lead here, but we wouldn't call it a major amount as Cesario at 85 is still capable of making plays with his legs. However, his rushing yards will be about 50, where Leamon can go 100+

Elusiveness
Break Sack = Leamon +5
Agility = Leamon +10
Change of Direction = Leamon +6
Break Tackle = Leamon +38
Break Sack = Leamon +13
Spin = Leamon +27

A big lead all around here for the true freshman and while the quickness isn't super major. He makes up for that here with more of the secondary running skills. Leamon also could possible get some of these abilities even during the later part of the season.

Offense Style
While the playbook will not change since we have 500 plays of smashmouth football the plays we will call will change. We haven't called much triple option with Cesario as we called so much of that in previous years. With Leamon we would go back to more of the flexbone and triple option style of offense. Since we are looking to hide his accuracy as that's the weak spot of his game. With Cesario the whole playbook is at use he is fast enough to run the option and in theory accurate enough to call more passes. We would be more of a balanced team with Cesario with more of the playbook at our disposal.

The It Factor
You can't ignore this as Leamon is as talented as they come a 6'5 elite development with 90 speed. A QB that can get better in all areas and since he is a dual threat we can focus his development in either direction. He also cares about playing time and trying to make that happy as a backup and only playing in blowouts and certain situations can be annoying. With his dev trait and already 79 overall grade you have to plan on him just being here 3 years. Do you want to waste one year of those 3? Most fans are saying Cesario had his chance last year and threw to many interceptions when he moved up to the SEC.

Verdict
Uncle Jesse has said both will play the opener and then after that a starter will be named. We don't plan on using a 2 QB system, but will not 100% rule it out. We have a lot of talented pass catchers and playmakers on this team and we do want to use them especially down in the redzone. In the end it will come down to if Leamon's leg can make up for his lack of accuracy. Then does Cesario cut down on the turnovers

[Bubba's Cruise]

Best Player = QB Rafel Cesario (93)
Best Returning Starter = OT Gideon Cox (88)
Freshman Impact = HB Tim Kong (84)
Breakout Player = TE Alexander Prosinksi (81)
X Factor = QB spot
Underrated = WR Jalen Brigance (87)
Strength = OL
Weakness = TE depth

_________________________________________

3 Biggest Questions

1. Who starts at QB?

2. Who emerges as the main HB?

3. Will TE Prosinski take a step up in year 2?
__________________________________________________________________________

Scouts Take

They tried to pass it a little more last year and it didn't work out as Cesario wasn't ready for the elite competition. They reloaded with speed in the HB room so they are stacked as usual at HB. They are unproven at power HB and overall aren't as good as they usual are, but look for Tim Kong to be the guy. They will feed that big TE this year and I expect his rushing TD to go way up. They reloaded at OL as well and could lose a few starters without missing a blink. I really like that big 6'6 WR they have he is a difference maker. I think they go with some kind of 2 QB system as I don't think you will be able to keep that freshman off the field with his potential.

HB Preview
Gosset (87) was expected to be the #1 with his 99 speed after 800 scrimmage yards and 8 yards per carry while winning the jet award adding 4 more TDs. Then we loaded up in the portal with 3 similar fast guys so now it could take some time to see who steps up. The plan is for him and army transfer Tye Stewart to be the 1 and 2 normal HBs. Since Gosset has the platinum shifty he will get first crack at #1. Tye is the better pass catcher so that could be a factor if Cesario wins the QB job. Junior Erik Ottis another of the portal guys will be the #3 and we will default him to one or two formations and give him some carries.

Power HB & Flexbone FB Preview
Despite high 90's speed the Oregon transfer Kugbila (94) will be the power HB since he also as 92 break tackle and 80 trucking. Not a true power per say he will mostly be in the I-formation and strong sets and give us someone that can run outside as well. The awesomely named Tim Kong a redshirt freshman with star dev will be the flexbone FB. He has 87 break tackle, 86 trucking, 84 strength, bronze headfirst and enough speed to run the tosses. Sophomore Eric Carswell (81) at 244 pounds is the strongest HB in the country and will be the Maryland i and power guy back. Already at 91 trucking, 93 strength he will soon take that up a level. Redshirt Freshman Daryl Tapp a 239 pounder with 91 strength is a year away from being a factor. We will also use our 6'6 and 274 pound TE Prosinski some at FB. Since he is faster this year we are hoping that helps compared to last year. All new faces in this room so it's exciting to see who steps up

Blocking FB Preview
The unsung hero in this offense Artie Vick (80) returns for year #3. He has 85 run blocking, 79 lead block, and 82 strength and will get a carry or two per game. Since he is the utility type as a converted TE he isn't the ideal blocker for this offense. He can be used in other areas as well with gold safety valve. Freshman Gideon a natural blocker with 91 lead block and 75 run block will be #2.

WR Preview
A shocker we have 8 WR's on the roster, but 3 are redshirting and one is a redshirt freshman gadget WR so is a WR by name only. That quickly gets us down to 4 guys with the 2 backups being the ones we added in the portal. They do both have playing time dealbreakers so we could look to sub in WR's a lot and use them on special teams. The 6'6 Brigance is the headliner with his soon to be platinum cutter, press pro and 50/50 with gold sure hands. He isn't the perfect blocker but that size and strength and abilities we overlook it. He had 7 TDs this past year and if we can get the passing game figured out look for that to shoot up. Just a junior we expect him to come back next year. Ron Van Dyke is #2 a perfect WR for us with 73 run blocking and 91 strength. Thanks to this star we think he can get drafted this year. He also isn't just a blocker with 91 speed, 87 catch and 91 catch in traffic with 4 abilities.

TE Preview
All eyes were on the big 6'6 Alexander Prosinksi and overall, his offseason despite elite dev was a little disappointing as the overall barely went up. Overall, this is a good thing as now we think he comes back for his senior year now. We focused on speed and didn't get quite as high as we wanted. When we worked on power his strength didn't go up. He did improve his hands and now has silver sure hands instead of bronze. He is going to be a beast, and he did gain 5 pounds getting him up to 6'6 and 274 pounds with 87 speed, 88 accel, mid 80' catching and still 3 years to go. We want to focus on blocking and getting platinum sure hands next offseason. We are hoping for the TE of the year award factors in rushing TD. The elite dev true freshman pure blocker Juan Franco is TE2. Redshirt freshman Manny Gomez with 81 run blocking is TE3

OL Preview
This OL has a problem we have to many players and just 5 starting spots so expect a lot of subs going on. We have 7 players with 90+ run blocking with the highest being 95 by Cox at RT. Junior Shaq Okine (84) will start at RG with 94 run blocking and 2 platinum abilities. Junior Jason Gibbs (83) starts again at C just 84 run blocking, but 3 platinum abilities and one gold. The 2 portal additions Sampson and Westerman will start on the left side, and both are low 90's in run blocking. Some proven backups are LT Carl Woods (82) with 91 run blocking and platinum option shield. Senior Devin Sams just 85 run block, but gold inside shield. Fred Linder (88) a better pass blocker then run, but a good overall grade. When it comes to younger guys that's where it gets tricky redshirt freshman Ezekiel Peace and James Santoso have star dev and you want to get them some action. Then you have the 2 five * C's that will have to play or we lose them transferring. Hufanaga is the bigger name with elite dev, but just 79 run blocking now so he isn't as good as the others. We also have 3 names redshirting so OL not a priority in the recruiting class. Westerman is another redshirt freshman that should be starting.

[Bubba's Cruise]

I'm def excited to use him someone with elite speed plus catching ability. I usually split up my HB stats pretty good, but he is def going to get some of them

Tye Stewart Show.

[Bubba's Cruise]

Best Player = DE Grant Redmond (94)
Best Returning Starter = CB Cade Hassenauer (94)
Freshman Impact = FS Angel Johnson
Breakout Player = DE Fred Feeley (87)
X Factor = LB / DE Desaun Soroh (84)
Underrated = DT James Saubert (88)
Strength = CB
Weakness = None, maybe S depth

_________________________________________

3 Biggest Questions

1. Will they live up to the hype of being the nation's best defense?

2. Will DE Grant Redmond get more sacks as one of the most talented defenders in school history?

3. Will the speedy thumper LB's O'Connor and Lyght hold up in pass coverage ?
__________________________________________________________________________

Scouts Take

The most talented defense in school history and they have been one of the best in the nation for 5+ years now. It all starts with the DL with the stars Feeley and Redmond. They are a good pairing one with platinum grip breaker and take down and the other platinum quick jump. O'Connor last year didn't know what to do he was just fast and now this year he knows where to go. Lyght was a big get in the portal he is fast and can tackle and just a junior. They have 5 starting CBs on the team so one of them will take over if a S goes down. Angel Johnson is a name to know he is going to be a star and will start as a freshman. They moved Soroh to LB and I don't know how that will work out. He is a former TE and 6'4 and 242 with 92 speed

DL Preview
Redmond came back for his senior year and maybe the most talented defense player in school history (94 ovr). He has 95 power move, 98 strength, mid 80's speed and block shed,96 tackle with platinum take down, grip breaker and gold pocket disruptor. Last year was his career high 5 sacks and we think he doubles that this year. Speed rusher Junior Fred Feeley now with platinum quick jump should also be a breaker player this year as a rush DE. Spencer Stubbs (84) is a base DE with 95 block sed, 94 tackle and 2 gold abilities. Portal get Brian O'Reily (88) is a versatile player that will play a lot. James Saubert (88) is the man at DT with close to 20 career sacks in 3 years. We have decent depth at DT behind, but it's more run stoppers.


LB Preview
Sophomore Clyde O'Connor (84) is the star here and had 92 tackles and 13 TFL last year. He now isn't just a speed guy with better pass coverage and play rec. Daryl Lyght (87) the similar fast portal get had 90 tackles at Tulane last year. He isn't the best at pass coverage yet, but has all the tackling ability to go with that speed. Last year's #2 sub–LB Jimmy Tutt who had 85 tackles, 22 TFL and 7.5 sacks has lost his job. Since has just normal dev others jumped him this offseason. Louis Lincoln a sophomore signal caller with speed, gold blow up and platinum wrap up will be the 3rd LB. Converted DE now LB Dashaun Soroh is the Swiss army knive at 6'4 and 260 pounds with platinum wrap up, 92 speed and run stopping ability. We have about 4 more LB's we are comfortable starting the deepest we have been here in years.

DB Preview
The most talented unit on the field led by Junior Hassenauer with his platinum blanket coverage, lay out and quick jump. He will be leaving early for the NFL and has broken up 20 passes in 2 years. Dylan Toney (92) another junior thats expected to leave for the NFL a 6'2 CB with 94 speed, 96 zone and gold jammer. We grabbed Josh Quaccia (93) from the portal with 92 zone, 95 catching at 6'1. Nick Ball (89) and George Childress (87) provide great depth and either could start. Tyrone Butler (84) just a freshman already has platinum robber, gold blanket coverage and will start next year. Alfonso Grymes (94) another junior that will be leaving us for the NFL as a 1st round pick. He had 187 tackles in 2 years, but needs to make more plays. He can do it all tackle, speed, IQ and coverage. Angel Johnson (86) a freshman with elite dev starts and is so talented he will only start for 2 years before going pro. A freak with 95 speed, 91 zone and platinum robber again just a freshman. Each Safety spot is backed up by 5th year seniors

[Bubba's Cruise]

2035 Recruiting - 5* Targets

Now that we are up to a 4.5* prestige Uncle Jesse and Boss Hogg have settled in on the final recruiting rules or maybe budget if you want to call it. This is in regards to 5* targets

* Any player that has us top 10 can be scouted
* We can scout one 5* per year that doesn't have us in the top 10
* We can only keep 8 to our board that we go after
* A max of five 5* can be signed per year


HB Nathan Takeoff
The first ever 5* HB we are going after and everyone knows that's our specialty. Nathan has the perfect last name for someone with 94 speed, 93 accel and already the shifty ability. Since he is a 5* gem you have to assume that's elite development. We have made all kinds of HBs stars, and this would be the biggest get in school history for the position. We will lose some speed players so we would find him a role year 1 and meet his playing time dealbreaker. A odd list of teams we are competing with Clemson is the big dog. Then 3 smaller school west coast teams with big pipeline advantages over us.

HB Terry Tyree
Another 5* gem HB so you are also counting on him being elite dev. As a backfield threat isn't the perfect archetype for us since we don't throw it a lot. He doesn't have speed or power so despite being a 5* we need him to develop for a year or two before starting. He has offers from Louisville, Iowa and TN and has us 2nd. His dealbreaker is conference prestige so we are set there.

WR Andy Slack
He was the player we added to our board that wasn't in our top 10 as we can't let a 6'6 WR come up and not go after him. We don't care that he is a bust we think we can make him a good player. We also think people are focusing too much on the bust part because we see a 6'6 WR with 87 speed, 91 accel, mid 80's catching and 3 abilities. His only other offer is from Oklahoma State, so we like our odds of getting him. He is a instate guy for them so if they go all out for him then we could be in trouble. He wants playing time so a good chance he end up in the portal at some point. The #2 player in the class.

WR Eric Levcik
The highest rated player we have ever went after and he is a WR from PA of all places. He has us 5th on his list and we will have to beat out the big boys Penn State, Ohio State and in state Pitt. He is a 6'4 contested specialist with 3 abilities.

DE George Paxson
The 17th player in the class a power rusher from Mississippi at 6'4 and 236. A great looking prospect that could help day 1 with 84 speed. 84 accel, 76 block shed, 88 strength. The downside not a gem and no abilities, but does have platinum roller-coaster mental ability. We are 5th, but thank we can get him as the other offers are Nebraska and Ole Miss.

DE Jayln Lebeau
A speed rusher with 87 accel and not a bust so we should eventually get that quick jump up to platinum range. The problem is his block shedding is just 65 so that also needs a years' worth of training. Really its 3 before he will be a stud. A long way to go for this one and a battle we don't expect to win over powerhouses USC, OKL, TX and Ohio State. We are currently 5th so will need to get that visit in as early as possible

DT Kevin Tavares
A Gap specialist so not ideally what you would really want to use a 5* spot on since he isn't a gem and no abilities. This of course means a run stopper so just 60 speed and block shedding need some work as well at 75. He is strong, but if we need someone to cut loose and get down to 5 it's likely him. He has 5 offers with UGA likely being who gets the commit anyway.

CB Jaleel Jaimes
Apparently, Hazzard is popular in PA another 5* and this one the 5th ranked player and we just have to beat out Pitt. This means we like our chances to get him. He is just 5'11 so smaller than we would like, but already has gold jammer and 90+ for all the speed ratings. If we can get him he is definitely one of the 5 that we take in because you can never have enough CBs in todays game.