good news...evals by ESPN scout of the 2012 class are out...

[The Manhatter]

they really like Vernon Vaughn.  He was given the highest 3 star grade.  The kid has tremendous ball skills.  I think if he were a tad bit faster he'd be a lock as a 4 star but he appears to be a kid who can improve his speed given his lanky build.

Tay Bender's rating was solid as well...akin to a 5.6 3 star on rivals.

The other commit, Will Davis, has not be evaluated yet.

Link: http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/school?id=2306&class=2012&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2fschool%3fid%3d2306%26class%3d2012

I don't have premium access so I can't read the full evals but they start to say they are surprised Bender has not received more recruiting attention. 

[OK_Cat]

is old ballz still our coach?

[The Manhatter]

Here is that beginning of the eval for Bender before it's cutoff from non-premium members

Bender is a pretty dynamic playmaker as a dual-threat quarterback with great measurables and strong build. He complements his athleticism with a powerful arm. At times his delivery mechanics can be unorthodox, but he is an efficient, productive prospect that we are surprised has not garnered more attention as a...

[OlatheWildcat]

Recruiting will be even better with Sean as our coach 

[steve dave]

Here is that beginning of the eval for Bender before it's cutoff from non-premium members

Bender is a pretty dynamic playmaker as a dual-threat quarterback with great measurables and strong build. He complements his athleticism with a powerful arm. At times his delivery mechanics can be unorthodox, but he is an efficient, productive prospect that we are surprised has not garnered more attention as a...

 

[Boom Roasted]

Everything from ESPN

Vaughn is an extremely productive guy as a flex tight end that could be considered a wide receiver due to his overall athleticism, but we feel he will be best suited for an H-back role at the next level. Is tall and built like an oversized wide receiver. Plays both in-line and flexed out. He is a smooth athlete with good initial quickness and fluid overall movements. From an in-line position he quickly gets into his routes. Displays good hands and consistently catches the ball away from his body. Can adjust to the bad ball and does a good job of being able to track the ball and make the over-the-shoulder grab. Does an adequate job of going up and plucking the ball at the highest point. Displays good concentration to catch the ball in traffic. Displays good straight-line speed for a tight end. With the ball in his hands he is fairly elusive. Will throw a stiff arm and fight for yards. Is nimble enough to keep his feet and balance and at times make the first defender miss. He is a productive receiver, but also displays some solid upside as a blocker. Looks to be most comfortable now blocking as a receiver. He is a solid stalk blocker, who will get hands on, move his feet, and can stay in front of the defender. Will need to continue developing as an in-line blocker. Vaughn is a very good athlete that possesses natural ball skills and will look effortless catching the football. He is a good prospect with lower level BCS caliber ability and certainly should see a lot of non-BCS level attention.




Bender is a pretty dynamic playmaker as a dual-threat quarterback with great measurables and strong build. He complements his athleticism with a powerful arm. At times his delivery mechanics can be unorthodox, but he is an efficient, productive prospect that we are surprised has not garnered more attention as a junior. Works out of the shotgun, but also sees snaps from under center where we see a lot of play-action from him with half-rolls to either side to change the launch point with him. Seems to be a proficient deep ball passer when his feet are set. Will surprise with his ability to drive the ball with power. Has a quick, over-the-top delivery when launching the deep ball, but in the short and intermediate passing game while he shows the same power and zip, he tends to "push" the ball from his shoulder as opposed to throwing it. Carries the ball high, keeps both hands on it in his carriage and can get rid of the ball quickly. He will shows flashes of being able to make all the throws you want and throws very well on the run. Given his stature he can really be an imposing threat on the perimeter as a run/pass option. He is quick and elusive and difficult to bring down in the open field. He shows good speed, but not explosive speed. Will lower his shoulder and is a physical runner. Is a candidate to change positions, but we feel Bender has some upside to really develop in the passing game. As much as we like his arm and ability to make plays, Bender is inconsistent with his accuracy. Misses the strikezone too much on throws he shouldn't. Bender is a prospect that we feel will see his best football ahead of him. Shows flashes of becoming a quality, consistent player under center and is a nice fit for the spread.

[steve dave]

boom roasted is a valuable new addition to the goEMAW family.  welcome friend.

[The Manhatter]

Everything from ESPN

Vaughn is an extremely productive guy as a flex tight end that could be considered a wide receiver due to his overall athleticism, but we feel he will be best suited for an H-back role at the next level. Is tall and built like an oversized wide receiver. Plays both in-line and flexed out. He is a smooth athlete with good initial quickness and fluid overall movements. From an in-line position he quickly gets into his routes. Displays good hands and consistently catches the ball away from his body. Can adjust to the bad ball and does a good job of being able to track the ball and make the over-the-shoulder grab. Does an adequate job of going up and plucking the ball at the highest point. Displays good concentration to catch the ball in traffic. Displays good straight-line speed for a tight end. With the ball in his hands he is fairly elusive. Will throw a stiff arm and fight for yards. Is nimble enough to keep his feet and balance and at times make the first defender miss. He is a productive receiver, but also displays some solid upside as a blocker. Looks to be most comfortable now blocking as a receiver. He is a solid stalk blocker, who will get hands on, move his feet, and can stay in front of the defender. Will need to continue developing as an in-line blocker. Vaughn is a very good athlete that possesses natural ball skills and will look effortless catching the football. He is a good prospect with lower level BCS caliber ability and certainly should see a lot of non-BCS level attention.




Bender is a pretty dynamic playmaker as a dual-threat quarterback with great measurables and strong build. He complements his athleticism with a powerful arm. At times his delivery mechanics can be unorthodox, but he is an efficient, productive prospect that we are surprised has not garnered more attention as a junior. Works out of the shotgun, but also sees snaps from under center where we see a lot of play-action from him with half-rolls to either side to change the launch point with him. Seems to be a proficient deep ball passer when his feet are set. Will surprise with his ability to drive the ball with power. Has a quick, over-the-top delivery when launching the deep ball, but in the short and intermediate passing game while he shows the same power and zip, he tends to "push" the ball from his shoulder as opposed to throwing it. Carries the ball high, keeps both hands on it in his carriage and can get rid of the ball quickly. He will shows flashes of being able to make all the throws you want and throws very well on the run. Given his stature he can really be an imposing threat on the perimeter as a run/pass option. He is quick and elusive and difficult to bring down in the open field. He shows good speed, but not explosive speed. Will lower his shoulder and is a physical runner. Is a candidate to change positions, but we feel Bender has some upside to really develop in the passing game. As much as we like his arm and ability to make plays, Bender is inconsistent with his accuracy. Misses the strikezone too much on throws he shouldn't. Bender is a prospect that we feel will see his best football ahead of him. Shows flashes of becoming a quality, consistent player under center and is a nice fit for the spread.

and that is why they are the best service for evaluating prospects.  they give detailed write ups akin to what you will find on the GD nflnetworks site for draft coverage.  perhaps it's because they have a guy on their staff who spent 8 seasons as a scout with the Patriots?

[The Manhatter]

boom roasted,

do you mind posting their comments about Hunter Davis, Ian Seau and Lamonte Clark?  thanks in advance.  Just curious about their full write ups on those kids from the previous class.

[kitten_mittons]

Seau

Seau has a name familiar to football fans and on the gridiron he represents that name well. You could see him possibly as linebacker like his Uncle, especially in a 3-4 as an outside backer, but this Seau is more of a true defensive end though. He has good size and the frame to add more good bulk. He has good first step quickness and is able to beat blockers off the ball and get penetration and be disruptive. Does a good job of being able to get down the line and be a factor from the backside. Does a solid job of coming across the ball and staying square and squeezing down. He is tough when run at and will use his hands to engage and separate from blockers. He shows good hand and upper body strength to be able to control and shed from blockers when he is engaged, but needs to watch his pad level. He can get tall when he quickly engages blockers and relies on brute strength, but will need to keep better leverage at the college level. He has good speed and closes on the ball well. He has a good motor and is a solid tackler. As a pass rusher he has the ability to get up-field and attack with speed and also shows the body lean to be able to evade and turn the corner. He does need to be more active with his weapons and develop his pass rush arsenal. It seems if he can't initially beat the blocker he can get caught head up and struggle to work around. Seau is a good player and a good athlete. He has room to improve in areas and as he continues to develop his game and grow physically he could be a real productive college defender.

Clark

Clark is a big boy who is capable of causing some disruption in the trenches. He has good size and for a kid at about 300 pounds he looks like he can still add bulk. He also appears to have a good wingspan for his size and kind of looks like a kid built to play defensive tackle. He gets off the ball well and shows good initial quickness for a kid of his size. He will use that reach to try and create some separation though you would like to see him more forcefully shoot his hands and separate at times. He does a good job of attacking half-a-man and can get into the gap and cross the ball and stay square and in a position to make a play on the ball carrier. He can be tough at the point of attack and will flash the ability to come out of his stance and engage and stand a blocker up by deriving power from his lower body. You like that and want to see that more consistently as the big man can tend to play too high and get tall coming out of his stance. He plays with a good motor for a big man. Displays solid speed for his size, but can seem a little rigid and needs to work on his flexibility. He is a solid tackler. As a pass rusher he has that good initial burst and can get some penetration as he will attack the shoulder. Has the size and ability to be able to bull rush. Needs to keep developing his pass rush arsenal and continue to work to use his weapons. Clark can tend to play a little straight-legged, but he is a big dude who can get off the ball and create a tough presence in the heart of the trenches.

Davis

Davis is an interesting prospect. He moves around on defense in high school going between linebacker and defensive line. He is not a bad linebacker especially when allowed to play near the line and vertically attack, but the defensive line will be his home in college. He is a good sized kid who seems to have a fairly thick build. He will likely more or less outgrow the linebacker position any way and fit at end in college, but heck with his thick build and explosive nature you don't want to rule out that he could take reps inside also. His battering ram nature could see him being called upon at times to play a little fullback also. He is an explosive kid. You can see it when working from a "two-point" stance and blitzing, but it really shows when he has his hand on the ground. He fires out of his stance and comes off the ball low. He is able to quickly get moving and under blockers pads and can just knock them back. He is a kid capable of getting some quick penetration and being disruptive. Davis is a fun kid to watch, but maybe the most frustrating part of his game is that he rarely uses his hands as he should. He leads with the shoulder and while he can be powerful his hands are often absent and while he is knocking blockers back he can not quickly or properly separate or shed. He needs to work on shooting his hands also and creating separation. He does a good job of attacking half-a-man and can get to the shoulder and into the gap. Displays solid closing burst to the ball. He is a solid tackler, but can be prone to overrunning the play at times. He displays solid ability to get re-directed. Obviously his ability to get off the ball makes him dangerous as a pass rusher and when he comes out low he can bull rush his way back, but he needs to use his weapons and develop his pass rush arsenal. Davis is a hard playing and explosive kid. He needs to keep working on aspects of his game, but his ability to explode off the ball could make him a disruptive defender at the college level and is bit of a sleeper in this class.

[MadCat]

lower level BCS caliber ability

 

[OlatheWildcat]

lower level BCS caliber ability

 

It is sad, but that is definitely an improvement over "no BCS caliber ability" like in the past years

[pissclams]

Crabtree is at espn

[The Manhatter]

lower level BCS caliber ability

 

It is sad, but that is definitely an improvement over "no BCS caliber ability" like in the past years

tarded.  He has a very solid rating.  basically they're saying he isn't a kid who is going to line up at receiver at Oklahoma but belongs on the field at KSU, Oregon State, etc. etc.  At least they are not saying he should be playing at Miami (OH).

This kid could be a 6'2/6'3 215-220lb receiver in 2-3 years who has tremendous ball skills and good athleticism.  No need to be fixated by the "lower level BCS" stuff...the kid should be able to make plays.

[The Manhatter]

Seau

Seau has a name familiar to football fans and on the gridiron he represents that name well. You could see him possibly as linebacker like his Uncle, especially in a 3-4 as an outside backer, but this Seau is more of a true defensive end though. He has good size and the frame to add more good bulk. He has good first step quickness and is able to beat blockers off the ball and get penetration and be disruptive. Does a good job of being able to get down the line and be a factor from the backside. Does a solid job of coming across the ball and staying square and squeezing down. He is tough when run at and will use his hands to engage and separate from blockers. He shows good hand and upper body strength to be able to control and shed from blockers when he is engaged, but needs to watch his pad level. He can get tall when he quickly engages blockers and relies on brute strength, but will need to keep better leverage at the college level. He has good speed and closes on the ball well. He has a good motor and is a solid tackler. As a pass rusher he has the ability to get up-field and attack with speed and also shows the body lean to be able to evade and turn the corner. He does need to be more active with his weapons and develop his pass rush arsenal. It seems if he can't initially beat the blocker he can get caught head up and struggle to work around. Seau is a good player and a good athlete. He has room to improve in areas and as he continues to develop his game and grow physically he could be a real productive college defender.

Clark

Clark is a big boy who is capable of causing some disruption in the trenches. He has good size and for a kid at about 300 pounds he looks like he can still add bulk. He also appears to have a good wingspan for his size and kind of looks like a kid built to play defensive tackle. He gets off the ball well and shows good initial quickness for a kid of his size. He will use that reach to try and create some separation though you would like to see him more forcefully shoot his hands and separate at times. He does a good job of attacking half-a-man and can get into the gap and cross the ball and stay square and in a position to make a play on the ball carrier. He can be tough at the point of attack and will flash the ability to come out of his stance and engage and stand a blocker up by deriving power from his lower body. You like that and want to see that more consistently as the big man can tend to play too high and get tall coming out of his stance. He plays with a good motor for a big man. Displays solid speed for his size, but can seem a little rigid and needs to work on his flexibility. He is a solid tackler. As a pass rusher he has that good initial burst and can get some penetration as he will attack the shoulder. Has the size and ability to be able to bull rush. Needs to keep developing his pass rush arsenal and continue to work to use his weapons. Clark can tend to play a little straight-legged, but he is a big dude who can get off the ball and create a tough presence in the heart of the trenches.

Davis

Davis is an interesting prospect. He moves around on defense in high school going between linebacker and defensive line. He is not a bad linebacker especially when allowed to play near the line and vertically attack, but the defensive line will be his home in college. He is a good sized kid who seems to have a fairly thick build. He will likely more or less outgrow the linebacker position any way and fit at end in college, but heck with his thick build and explosive nature you don't want to rule out that he could take reps inside also. His battering ram nature could see him being called upon at times to play a little fullback also. He is an explosive kid. You can see it when working from a "two-point" stance and blitzing, but it really shows when he has his hand on the ground. He fires out of his stance and comes off the ball low. He is able to quickly get moving and under blockers pads and can just knock them back. He is a kid capable of getting some quick penetration and being disruptive. Davis is a fun kid to watch, but maybe the most frustrating part of his game is that he rarely uses his hands as he should. He leads with the shoulder and while he can be powerful his hands are often absent and while he is knocking blockers back he can not quickly or properly separate or shed. He needs to work on shooting his hands also and creating separation. He does a good job of attacking half-a-man and can get to the shoulder and into the gap. Displays solid closing burst to the ball. He is a solid tackler, but can be prone to overrunning the play at times. He displays solid ability to get re-directed. Obviously his ability to get off the ball makes him dangerous as a pass rusher and when he comes out low he can bull rush his way back, but he needs to use his weapons and develop his pass rush arsenal. Davis is a hard playing and explosive kid. He needs to keep working on aspects of his game, but his ability to explode off the ball could make him a disruptive defender at the college level and is bit of a sleeper in this class.

much appreciated, mittons.  I like very much.

so, basically...

all three are sturdily built (actually all 3 have the size to immediately contribute from day one)

plus...

Clark - bull rush potential and strong at point of attack
Davis - explosive, motor, disruptive in the backfield
Seau - really good athlete, can seperate from blockers, disruptive in the backfield.

hard not to get excited about that trio.  should give us something very early in their careers.

[OlatheWildcat]

lower level BCS caliber ability

 

It is sad, but that is definitely an improvement over "no BCS caliber ability" like in the past years

tarded.  He has a very solid rating.  basically they're saying he isn't a kid who is going to line up at receiver at Oklahoma but belongs on the field at KSU, Oregon State, etc. etc.  At least they are not saying he should be playing at Miami (OH).

This kid could be a 6'2/6'3 215-220lb receiver in 2-3 years who has tremendous ball skills and good athleticism.  No need to be fixated by the "lower level BCS" stuff...the kid should be able to make plays.

Yeah, it's better than in the past years where we had players who probably did not have the abilities to play at any BCS level. A high 3 star can make an impact at any BCS school, see Colt McCoy

[yoga-like_abana]

The kid has tremendous ball skills.