Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dan
I'll probably take a look at a few other teams on the fringes this week & see if there are any changes worth making. Definitely need to check out Memphis & Cincinnati at the very least, and I'd like to do the rest of the tier that made the 25 as well.
Memphis:
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Boy, they're a tough one to put a finger on - I watched extended highlights of four of their games & I honestly can't tell you whether they're good or not. Brady White is easily the worst QB out of all these teams, and none of their receivers really stand out, but they still manage to move the ball. I feel like they're successful because of their offensive line & their scheme, rather than because their skill position players are dominating, which is a concern when they’re playing the likes of Navy & Louisiana Monroe. I kinda want to put them in the same range as SMU, but probably lower as Shane Buchele is an actual QB, whereas Brady White is all the worst bits of Jameis Winston & Ryan Fitzpatrick without any of the good bits of Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick.
And now for me to tell you about redshirt freshman RB Kenneth Gainwell. I’m not sure he’s special, as he doesn’t have that elite speed or elusiveness to put him over the top, but he’s GOOD. Speed is fine - I’d imagine he’s a 4.5 guy - he’s tough, his contact balance is nice, and he’s a threat as a receiver. This week just gone he had 9 catches for 203 receiving yards & 2 TDs, as well as 104 yards & another TD on 18 carries :cab: He isn’t even going to be a junior until the 2022 class, but if he keeps this up you’d expect him to declare as a redshirt sophomore next year, and probably be a solid day two pick at worst.
Cincinnati:
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They're fine - I feel like they belong in the SMU/Memphis range. Less explosive than SMU, but more stable than Memphis. They have enough about them to give the Iowa/Michigan/etc tier a game, but I'm not especially high on them overall. Desmond Ridder is probably going to be a 2021 guy at QB, he's a solid thrower & can run the ball pretty well, but he's likely to end up as a day three guy. They have a couple of other guys in seniors Josiah Deguara (TE) & Michael Warren III (RB) who will get looks in camps next year - Warren got some love last year, and he can do a bit of everything, but I'm not sure whether he has enough to be more than a solid depth guy in the NFL. Deguara will most likely be a UDFA.
Every week just gets me closer to the opinion that there are 15 actual good teams in all of college football & then the other 100+ are split between 'average' and 'awful'.
