'20 IL OG Javontez Spraggins (UT SIGNEE)

#254
#254
I doubt it'll happen because I don't think he's appeased the recruiting service gods enough (via camps etc) nor willing to essentially admit an error and bump his rating that much, but this guy looks like a 5 star.

In fact, this isn't hyperbole, but I think he ends up a round 1 or two draft pick. His natural ability and violence.... I mean, it reminds me of Larry Allen. This kid is so good already... that size and quick feet and his temperament. Imagine him in 2 years under Fitz.

I'm all in on this player. If it isn't obvious, he's my favorite commit thus far and the one I'd least want to lose - and it'll be hard for someone to supplant him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: American_PitVol, UTSuave’, WeeohdeeWood and 5 others
#256
#256
HoleInTheRoof said:
I doubt it'll happen because I don't think he's appeased the recruiting service gods enough (via camps etc) nor willing to essentially admit an error and bump his rating that much, but this guy looks like a 5 star.

In fact, this isn't hyperbole, but I think he ends up a round 1 or two draft pick. His natural ability and violence.... I mean, it reminds me of Larry Allen. This kid is so good already... that size and quick feet and his temperament. Imagine him in 2 years under Fitz.

I'm all in on this player. If it isn't obvious, he's my favorite commit thus far and the one I'd least want to lose - and it'll be hard for someone to supplant him.
Click to expand...
You see him at center? Makes Cooper Mays less relevant imo.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BucksnortVol and Bassmaster_Vol
#259
#259
butchna said:
You see him at center? Makes Cade Mays less relevant imo.
Click to expand...

I can’t pretend to know how to decipher OL clips to determine his best interior position. I just know I want him on the interior. I admit to having a genuine interest in landing Cooper in this class though.

But really - take the best 4 or 5 for this year and it’ll all sort itself out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeeohdeeWood and SweetasSoda
#260
#260
HoleInTheRoof said:
I can’t pretend to know how to decipher OL clips to determine his best interior position. I just know I want him on the interior. I admit to having a genuine interest in landing Cooper in this class though.

But really - take the best 4 or 5 for this year and it’ll all sort itself out.
Click to expand...
My only point is that there was a certain sense of urgency surrounding the Mays recruitment. That’s lessened somewhat with this commitment imo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeeohdeeWood, SweetasSoda, AaronUT and 3 others
#261
#261
HoleInTheRoof said:
I can’t pretend to know how to decipher OL clips to determine his best interior position. I just know I want him on the interior. I admit to having a genuine interest in landing Cooper in this class though.

But really - take the best 4 or 5 for this year and it’ll all sort itself out.
Click to expand...
Well you figure there's a chance that if we got Chris Morris he could be moved to DL. So we still, in theory, have at least 3 more spots for ol.

Which should be plenty of room for Mays.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SweetasSoda and VOLINVONORE
#264
#264
Devo182 said:
Especially lower end guys. Barton even had a really nice reply recently on our board as to why guys like Means and Solomon were lower rated (someone just kindly asked what traits/attributes they were lacking to drag their ranking down). His answer was, in short, some guys won't always put up stats or flash on tape or even camp, but you have to trust a team's or set of teams (based on offers) eval in that case, because they have seen the kid up and close and done tons of research on him. Obviously services can dig deep on thousands of kids, but D1 programs have the resources to dive deeper on dozens or even hundreds.

Of course, all that still always leaves me slightly uneasy. It's easy to say "trust the coaches" and "they are betting their million dollar jobs on these evals", but so are tons of other coaches and programs and they can't all be right. Obviously Dooley and Butch weren't right as often as they needed to be. One can hope, off recommendations (granted, while at Alabama/UGA) that Pruitt is the elite evaluator many say he is. But now he is at UT, not Bama/UGA. Time will tell and we will all sit here in the dark until then.

But we can and should stay optimistic, if only for our own health.
Click to expand...

I will say this about Pruitt in comparison to Jones. He seems to be bringing in guys who have a long term record of playing football. Jones brought in guys who needed to be groomed to the game, and did a poor job of grooming them. With the 25 limits slightly being more tightly enforced, you can't make room for projects. We haven't had to ask, "What does he see in this guy?" with Pruitt. I haven't seen one guy he has gone after that is known as a converted volleyball player, or started playing football half way through his senior year of high school. His players are, as one of my favorite movies said, "bonafided " football players. He isn't gambling with guys whom the equipment managers have to explain what type of pad is in their lockers.
 
#265
#265
UT has generally done well recruiting according to the recruiting web sites over the last 15 years. Jones looked good on NSD and sometimes great. If recruiting sites were great at evaluating OL's, UT would have one of the best OL's in the country.

I care more about whether this kid can block Bama DL's than whether a recruiting "analyst" who misses as often as he hits "likes" him on very limited info.
 
#266
#266
WarMachine said:
I think my main point was that they have a lot more at stake on their evals, and successful coaches probably are better judges than guys who do interviews and podcasts for a living (no offense to those guys).

And we have a staff of very successful coaches.
Click to expand...

And your main point is well taken. Here at least.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WarMachine
#267
#267
sjt18 said:
UT has generally done well recruiting according to the recruiting web sites over the last 15 years. Jones looked good on NSD and sometimes great. If recruiting sites were great at evaluating OL's, UT would have one of the best OL's in the country.

I care more about whether this kid can block Bama DL's than whether a recruiting "analyst" who misses as often as he hits "likes" him on very limited info.
Click to expand...

You can look good on NSD all you want. But if you don't prep your players well and have instability in the weight room, you are doing the players you bring in a huge disservice. The weight room is or seems finally in the right place now. And though there is plenty we might blame on Jones, I think that was more on the administration going cheap on it.

Most of the recruiting analysts determine the star level by what others tell them. And they usually don't realize how many of those others wouldn't know how to find an ear pad in the equipment room. Some of these others probably never played football, but they know how to make a phone call or send an e-mail. Plenty are probably friends of the coaches, and building a player up as a favor. It doesn't make the information they base their ratings on accurate.

They back it up with highlight reels, and most are probably edited from game film or tape from the HS's cameras. And in most cases, compiled by whomever is in charge of game film at the high schools. They have the technology nowadays. They don't include missed tackles, missed blocks, blown assignments or other bad mistakes. What they see and show us is what each player and his HS coach want us to see. You want to know why the star ratings are flawed? I think that is the answer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: walkenvol
#274
#274
wrangler said:
Looking forward to seeing what Coach Fitz does with this kid.
Click to expand...

Moreso, I want to see what nutritional lady does with him. At 6'3 and 336 as a HS player, they may try to trim him down a bit for stamina and keeping his knees healthy. This young man doesn't need to become insulin dependent in his 30's.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChismsHeadband
#275
#275
TNnative said:
Moreso, I want to see what nutritional lady does with him. At 6'3 and 336 as a HS player, they may try to trim him down a bit for stamina and keeping his knees healthy. This young man doesn't need to become insulin dependent in his 30's.
Click to expand...
He's already dropped about 25 lbs in the last couple months. Which is probably why he's getting so much more attention now.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top