continued from this thread
CJ Pollard
I've watched Pollard quite a bit this summer, and have had a chance to evaluate him on four separate occasions. The thing I like about Pollard is his attitude. He's not the most consistent elite DB prospect out there, but he's not going to shy away from taking on the best there is in any given situation.
Pollard's decision is coming up in 4 weeks. He's never been to the midwest, so having Michigan and Notre Dame in his final 6 is ultimately contingent in how his visits to those schools go. He's also planning on visiting Oregon. There are so many people that think USC is it for Pollard because his dad played there, but the way he's gone about his recruiting has suggested otherwise. ASU is in the mix for one big reason- Pollard would like to play for Todd Graham. If Todd Graham was at USC, this decision would have already been made. I give the Sun Devils a 25% shot at landing Pollard, and that goes up if his visits to Michigan and Notre Dame are anything less than perfect. I'm not sold on Pollard being an Oregon guy, even though he most reminds me of their safety, Reggie Daniels.
Naseir Upshur
This kid really likes being on the football field. He's goofy, seems to have an endless supply of energy, and has a large personality that others feed off of. He looks big enough to handle blocking duties, but this kid was born to find holes in coverage and make plays. He looked good in the 7 on 7 drills, and I think his team ultimately took the championship.
He mentioned ASU in every interview he did. I didn't have much of an opportunity to talk with him at media day, but I listened in on a few of his conversations, and while he maintained that his recruitment is wide open, he said wants to go somewhere that allows him the opportunity to work toward his goal of going to the NFL. Being from Philadelphia, and watching what ASU did with/for Jaelen Strong is a real factor. I think ultimately ASU wwill have to show they can use the tight end in their offense this season for him to choose the Sun Devils over South Carolina, USC or a Florida school, but I'd put ASU's chances of landing him at around 20-25%.
Tyler Vaughns
I don't think ASU lands Vaughns, but this kid is a lot of fun to watch. Among extremely elite receivers, Vaughn's ability to catch the ball over his shoulder stood out and hearkened back to collegiate highlights of Randy Moss/Larry Fitzgerald/Mario Mannigham/Ashley Lelie. I'm not saying he'll be as good as any of those guys- just that his ability to get under a ball fits that mold.
For Jaelen Strong alone, I'll give the Sun Devils a 5% shot at Vaughns. The way to this kid's heart as a recruit is probably showing him highlights of your offenses best receiver abusing defensive backs. He's got a little bit of disdain for anyone who thinks they can cover him.
Jeffrey Okudah and Isaiah Pryor
These 2017 DBs are kids everyone in the nation wants. My take on Pryor is that he's a little stiff in his movements when he's trying too hard in drills. He actually fell down a couple of times early on when they were running through change of direction drills. When he gets on the field, his instincts take over and he looks fluid and comfortable. Okudah is a giant. He's 6-2, 200, and his frame looks like it could easily support 30 more pounds. How ASU does with either of these prospects will ultimately come down to how they recruit and perform this year. The more the Sun Devils win, the harder they'll be to drown out. Okudah is a Texas product, so beating A&M will go a long way in showing him what the Sun Devil secondary can do.
Xavier Kelly
Possibly the shyest kid in Baltimore last weekend. Kelly is a 6-4, 240 pound whisper. He shows no emotion on the football field either, and when taking on some of the country's best OL in one on one drills, he never keyed anyone on what he was going to do. His even-keeled, low key demeanor could be taken as a positive or negative depending on who's doing the evaluating. For me, he just seemed like a kid who likes to feel comfortable with his surroundings. Honestly, who doesn't?
Kelly's list of offers is getting insane. He was committed to K-State, but I think that was when even he didn't know what type of interest was out there. I wouldn't be shocked if ASU convinced Kelly to come visit, and whoever makes him feel most at home will probably land his services. It could actually be Kansas State in the end, if he decides to stick with what he liked in the first place.
Matt Farniok
Matt Farniok struggled so badly early in the day during one on one drills that I had to remind myself that he was facing guys who were ranked in the top 10 for 2016 prospects. That evening, he came back in the big man competition and looked much more like the elite prospect that he had been made out to be. Mike Farrell had Farniok in his list of six players who disappointed on the weekend... but he also had USC commit Frank Martin in there, and I thought Martin looked completely dominant at times.
Farniok has a friend at ASU and an uncle living here. The likelihood that he'll visit the Sun Devils is high, but he might be someone who sticks to his region in the end. I see him at Minnesota, Nebraska or Iowa.
CJ Pollard
I've watched Pollard quite a bit this summer, and have had a chance to evaluate him on four separate occasions. The thing I like about Pollard is his attitude. He's not the most consistent elite DB prospect out there, but he's not going to shy away from taking on the best there is in any given situation.
Pollard's decision is coming up in 4 weeks. He's never been to the midwest, so having Michigan and Notre Dame in his final 6 is ultimately contingent in how his visits to those schools go. He's also planning on visiting Oregon. There are so many people that think USC is it for Pollard because his dad played there, but the way he's gone about his recruiting has suggested otherwise. ASU is in the mix for one big reason- Pollard would like to play for Todd Graham. If Todd Graham was at USC, this decision would have already been made. I give the Sun Devils a 25% shot at landing Pollard, and that goes up if his visits to Michigan and Notre Dame are anything less than perfect. I'm not sold on Pollard being an Oregon guy, even though he most reminds me of their safety, Reggie Daniels.
Naseir Upshur
This kid really likes being on the football field. He's goofy, seems to have an endless supply of energy, and has a large personality that others feed off of. He looks big enough to handle blocking duties, but this kid was born to find holes in coverage and make plays. He looked good in the 7 on 7 drills, and I think his team ultimately took the championship.
He mentioned ASU in every interview he did. I didn't have much of an opportunity to talk with him at media day, but I listened in on a few of his conversations, and while he maintained that his recruitment is wide open, he said wants to go somewhere that allows him the opportunity to work toward his goal of going to the NFL. Being from Philadelphia, and watching what ASU did with/for Jaelen Strong is a real factor. I think ultimately ASU wwill have to show they can use the tight end in their offense this season for him to choose the Sun Devils over South Carolina, USC or a Florida school, but I'd put ASU's chances of landing him at around 20-25%.
Tyler Vaughns
I don't think ASU lands Vaughns, but this kid is a lot of fun to watch. Among extremely elite receivers, Vaughn's ability to catch the ball over his shoulder stood out and hearkened back to collegiate highlights of Randy Moss/Larry Fitzgerald/Mario Mannigham/Ashley Lelie. I'm not saying he'll be as good as any of those guys- just that his ability to get under a ball fits that mold.
For Jaelen Strong alone, I'll give the Sun Devils a 5% shot at Vaughns. The way to this kid's heart as a recruit is probably showing him highlights of your offenses best receiver abusing defensive backs. He's got a little bit of disdain for anyone who thinks they can cover him.
Jeffrey Okudah and Isaiah Pryor
These 2017 DBs are kids everyone in the nation wants. My take on Pryor is that he's a little stiff in his movements when he's trying too hard in drills. He actually fell down a couple of times early on when they were running through change of direction drills. When he gets on the field, his instincts take over and he looks fluid and comfortable. Okudah is a giant. He's 6-2, 200, and his frame looks like it could easily support 30 more pounds. How ASU does with either of these prospects will ultimately come down to how they recruit and perform this year. The more the Sun Devils win, the harder they'll be to drown out. Okudah is a Texas product, so beating A&M will go a long way in showing him what the Sun Devil secondary can do.
Xavier Kelly
Possibly the shyest kid in Baltimore last weekend. Kelly is a 6-4, 240 pound whisper. He shows no emotion on the football field either, and when taking on some of the country's best OL in one on one drills, he never keyed anyone on what he was going to do. His even-keeled, low key demeanor could be taken as a positive or negative depending on who's doing the evaluating. For me, he just seemed like a kid who likes to feel comfortable with his surroundings. Honestly, who doesn't?
Kelly's list of offers is getting insane. He was committed to K-State, but I think that was when even he didn't know what type of interest was out there. I wouldn't be shocked if ASU convinced Kelly to come visit, and whoever makes him feel most at home will probably land his services. It could actually be Kansas State in the end, if he decides to stick with what he liked in the first place.
Matt Farniok
Matt Farniok struggled so badly early in the day during one on one drills that I had to remind myself that he was facing guys who were ranked in the top 10 for 2016 prospects. That evening, he came back in the big man competition and looked much more like the elite prospect that he had been made out to be. Mike Farrell had Farniok in his list of six players who disappointed on the weekend... but he also had USC commit Frank Martin in there, and I thought Martin looked completely dominant at times.
Farniok has a friend at ASU and an uncle living here. The likelihood that he'll visit the Sun Devils is high, but he might be someone who sticks to his region in the end. I see him at Minnesota, Nebraska or Iowa.
