First SIgning of the day:
Davemeister liked this
2024 Signing Period
I really like the 12 guys we've signed to this point. As Jackal said, the majority of the class larger than normal. There's very good size and speed at most positions. Recruiting is never an exact science, but there is reason to believe that some of these guys are as good as we've recruited at their position in a long time.
Hedden is a big kid with a good arm. Jackal mentioned that Hedden is probably the biggest QB we've signed in a long time. I struggled to think of anyone with the height and weight of Hedden. Grainger and Hannon were in the ballpark (6'4" to 6'2") but more slender (both les than 200 when they signed I think). Of all the freshmen QBs that have come in, he's probably the most ready, but I'd be surprised if he won the job. I really think he's going to be a really good QB for us sooner than later.
Hall has been one of my favorite players in the class for a while. Incredibly impressive player on one of the best teams in 6A football in GA. If you watch his film. He does almost everything well. He's got good speed, runs with great patience and balance, can catch the ball, and doesn't go down on first contact unless it's a perfect tackle. I'd be surprised if he doesn't play this year.
Varvel and Hester give us good speed on the outside and in the slot. Varvel looks the part. Tall guy with good speed, but the most impressive trait is that he catches the ball away from his body with strong hands. As I've watched/listened to more guys break down film, that is a big time quality in a WR. Hester can definitely run. Kind of player who can take a 5 yard pass and turn it into 50. He had a pretty impressive offer list, so he was clearly highly thought of by FBS and FCS program.
Pryor is similar to Tormey. Tall guy who will likely need to add weight. Feels like he runs better than what I saw on Chappel's film last year, and I thought Chappell played well. Has strong hands and picks the ball out of the air most of the time.
A lot to like from the OL signees. O'Dell would be the tallest guy in program history if not for Big Fred. He also seems to have the best flexibility of the 3 and is a menace pulling. One thing I noticed and liked about his film is that they used him at every position. He played center, guard, and tackle at some point. He's so big that he didn't have to do much in pass pro. Akinsola is probably that guy who we won't think much about and then 3 years from now he'll be All-SoCon. Again, I have no experience breaking down game tape, but it did feel like he was able to keep his hips low and drive guys most of the time. Played on a good team in a good area, so likely played some good players. Was unanimous all-district player. Gregorek moves well but seems a little tight in his heels. No idea how much that matters but have seen that mentioned as an important trait as it helps them keep their feet on the ground so they can deliver the most impact. Plenty of guys on here who played the position who could probably give way more educated analysis than me and would certainly welcome that. I think O'Dell and Akinsola will end up at OT and Gregorek at OG.
I thought Dobbins would end up at bandit with his size and speed but he's listed at DE. Presumably he's going to add weight. He's a disruptive player. If he can hold on to that and add 20-30 pounds, he's going to be trouble at DE.
Knauber might be my favorite player int he class. Not sure if you hear that much with a DT, but I really like his film. He has a great motor, is quick, and plays violently. He doesn't just want to hit you, he wants to make regret running his direction. Unless we add someone or move someone over to DT, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play either.
Not really sure where Miller or Johnson will end up but I would guess Miller at CB and Johnson at safety, but we'll see. Miller did a lot for a good Arabia Mountain team. Feel like he defended the pass well and could certainly do some return work for us based on his film. Johnson is a little tougher eval. He played in a small classification and was likely the most athletic player on the field. Good speed and hands. Felt like he broke on the ball well. Played FS in HS I think
Hedden is a big kid with a good arm. Jackal mentioned that Hedden is probably the biggest QB we've signed in a long time. I struggled to think of anyone with the height and weight of Hedden. Grainger and Hannon were in the ballpark (6'4" to 6'2") but more slender (both les than 200 when they signed I think). Of all the freshmen QBs that have come in, he's probably the most ready, but I'd be surprised if he won the job. I really think he's going to be a really good QB for us sooner than later.
Hall has been one of my favorite players in the class for a while. Incredibly impressive player on one of the best teams in 6A football in GA. If you watch his film. He does almost everything well. He's got good speed, runs with great patience and balance, can catch the ball, and doesn't go down on first contact unless it's a perfect tackle. I'd be surprised if he doesn't play this year.
Varvel and Hester give us good speed on the outside and in the slot. Varvel looks the part. Tall guy with good speed, but the most impressive trait is that he catches the ball away from his body with strong hands. As I've watched/listened to more guys break down film, that is a big time quality in a WR. Hester can definitely run. Kind of player who can take a 5 yard pass and turn it into 50. He had a pretty impressive offer list, so he was clearly highly thought of by FBS and FCS program.
Pryor is similar to Tormey. Tall guy who will likely need to add weight. Feels like he runs better than what I saw on Chappel's film last year, and I thought Chappell played well. Has strong hands and picks the ball out of the air most of the time.
A lot to like from the OL signees. O'Dell would be the tallest guy in program history if not for Big Fred. He also seems to have the best flexibility of the 3 and is a menace pulling. One thing I noticed and liked about his film is that they used him at every position. He played center, guard, and tackle at some point. He's so big that he didn't have to do much in pass pro. Akinsola is probably that guy who we won't think much about and then 3 years from now he'll be All-SoCon. Again, I have no experience breaking down game tape, but it did feel like he was able to keep his hips low and drive guys most of the time. Played on a good team in a good area, so likely played some good players. Was unanimous all-district player. Gregorek moves well but seems a little tight in his heels. No idea how much that matters but have seen that mentioned as an important trait as it helps them keep their feet on the ground so they can deliver the most impact. Plenty of guys on here who played the position who could probably give way more educated analysis than me and would certainly welcome that. I think O'Dell and Akinsola will end up at OT and Gregorek at OG.
I thought Dobbins would end up at bandit with his size and speed but he's listed at DE. Presumably he's going to add weight. He's a disruptive player. If he can hold on to that and add 20-30 pounds, he's going to be trouble at DE.
Knauber might be my favorite player int he class. Not sure if you hear that much with a DT, but I really like his film. He has a great motor, is quick, and plays violently. He doesn't just want to hit you, he wants to make regret running his direction. Unless we add someone or move someone over to DT, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play either.
Not really sure where Miller or Johnson will end up but I would guess Miller at CB and Johnson at safety, but we'll see. Miller did a lot for a good Arabia Mountain team. Feel like he defended the pass well and could certainly do some return work for us based on his film. Johnson is a little tougher eval. He played in a small classification and was likely the most athletic player on the field. Good speed and hands. Felt like he broke on the ball well. Played FS in HS I think
The Jackal liked this
The only comp I can think of to Hedden's size is Ingle Martin. I think he's an early enrollee and will have a chance to compete.
I'm still interested in where we are going with the TE position. Under Roper, we've only really gotten to see 1 season of our primary TE in his system (Miller and Pline). You can tell that TE play is a big focus of the offense.
The last two seasons we've signed Pryor (6'5 210), Tormey (6'7 221) and Chappell (6'5 240). Chappell played a lot and appeared to supplant Gissinger as TE2 in the offense.
I think we'll know a bit more about the future of the position when we see what happens with a few of these guys in the weight room. When Pline was recruited out of high school for basketball, he was listed at 6'7 225. He ended up playing this year at somewhere around 260. If Tormey, Pryor, and to a lesser degree Chappell are all bulking up, we could see a pretty dangerous position group for the offense.
We've had a lot of really good TEs over the years, but we've never really been super deep at the position and rarely had a young core coming through the system together. Furman having two TEs on the field routinely is a bit of a recent development.
I'm still interested in where we are going with the TE position. Under Roper, we've only really gotten to see 1 season of our primary TE in his system (Miller and Pline). You can tell that TE play is a big focus of the offense.
The last two seasons we've signed Pryor (6'5 210), Tormey (6'7 221) and Chappell (6'5 240). Chappell played a lot and appeared to supplant Gissinger as TE2 in the offense.
I think we'll know a bit more about the future of the position when we see what happens with a few of these guys in the weight room. When Pline was recruited out of high school for basketball, he was listed at 6'7 225. He ended up playing this year at somewhere around 260. If Tormey, Pryor, and to a lesser degree Chappell are all bulking up, we could see a pretty dangerous position group for the offense.
We've had a lot of really good TEs over the years, but we've never really been super deep at the position and rarely had a young core coming through the system together. Furman having two TEs on the field routinely is a bit of a recent development.
Thankful and excited about every single one of these kids coming to Furman. Glad to see them coming from AZ, TX, FL, NC, GA, and SC. , plus other states I may have left out. May each and every one of these kids do exceedingly well at Furman!
dornb liked this