Here's my Road Report from Buford vs. Roswell from last week. As usual, questions/comments are welcomed.
Virginia Tech commit Malik Willis continues to play quarterback for Roswell and while he’s not likely to be under center at the next level, it’s a great position for him to showcase his athleticism. Willis ran for 73 yards and threw for another 119. The Hokies are obviously in great shape with Willis, but other teams continue to call and I think that will continue to be the case the more exposure Willis receives. Here's some clips of him in action.
Class of 2018 wide receiver Christian Ford, the son of former Georgia defensive back Glenn Ford, continues to impress to start his junior season. Ford is being used as a slot wide receiver and a bit of an x-factor offensive weapon and so far the results have been good. Ford finished with six catches for 34 yards and that comes off the heels of a preseason game where he had several touches and a score. Ford will start getting offers soon, it’s just a matter of when. Here's a few clips of him in action. Ford attended the Hokes satellite camp in Atlanta back in June.
Class of 2018 tight end/H-back Tyneil Hopper hauled in two passes for 26 yards and showed nice versatility while also drawing a lot of blocking assignments. The Rivals250 prospect has great hands and while he only has a few offers now, I would be shocked if he doesn’t end up in the 20-plus range before it’s all said and done. North Carolina has the early edge in his recruitment, mainly because of their connection with the family. His brother is a true freshman for the Tar Heels this season. Hopper was also at the Hokies satellite camp back in June.
Class of 2018 three-star defensive back Bryson Richardson holds offers from Louisville, Tennessee and several other programs and was one of the bright spots for the Buford defense. He was pretty good in coverage and with his size and length will likely be a 15-offer type guy before it’s all said and done. He wasn’t afraid to come up and help against the run and recorded five tackles in the game.
Buford has two 2018 running backs who look to be future Power Five players in Christian Turner (Louisville, Miami, Vanderbilt) and Anthony Grant (Louisville, N.C. State). While others seem to be very high on Grant, I personally think Turner could end up being the more productive of the two. Neither was impressive in the game, with Turner rushing 27 yards and Grant for 27. Neither averaged more than three yards per carry. Buford installed a new offense this year and I expect it the duo to keep improving as the year goes along.
Clemson commit and Rivals250 defensive back LeAnthony Williams continues to play well and he’s a guy who is very physical at the corner position. He finished the game with six tackles and one pass breakup and played with the type of aggression that will help him at the next level. If there’s one thing Williams needs to improve on it’s making sure he wraps up and completes tackles after laying the big initial hit. Here's a few clips of him in action.
After watching him in back-to-back weeks I’ve been blown away with Rivals100 safety Xavier McKinney. He opened Friday’s game with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and was all over the field making plays as things went along. He’s been firmly planted in the Rivals100 for a year now and I feel very confident about him having success at the next level, regardless of his college choice. Clemson appears to be the team to beat for McKinney at this point, with Georgia and Auburn also in the mix and Ohio State being the wildcard.
Three-star running back Sheldon Evans got off to a good start to his season, rushing for 119 yards on 21 carries. Evans has bulked up and looks more like a pure power back at this point but I think he’s sacrificed some of the speed that helped his game earlier in his career. He did seem to get stronger as the game wore on, though, and looks like a solid Power Five prospect.
Four-star Louisville wide receiver commit Corey Reed had and up-and-down game on Friday night, catching three passes for 19 yards. It was raining during the game and Reed struggled with drops, something that’s not usually an issue for him. He was also flagged for a holding penalty downfield that negated a long run. I’m very confident in Reed’s ability and still expect a big year from him.
Three-star wide receiver Jayden Comma had two catches for 40 yards against Buford and I think continues to be an undervalued guy on the recruiting trail. He’s a big, physical wide receiver and I think he has the talent to play in a major conference. Right now I think West Virginia and Maryland are the teams to beat in his recruitment. Here’s some video/analysis on him.
Three-star Tennessee offensive line commit Jordan Tucker had a pretty good game and played through a minor injury he suffered in the first half. Toughness has been a question with Tucker in the past so it was nice to see him push through. Tucker will need to shed some bad weight when he gets to college and figures to be afforded the luxury of redshirting if he does indeed sign with Tennessee.
Class of 2017 three-star cornerback Justus Harris is the forgotten guy in Roswell’s secondary but he’s actually a very talented defensive back. He has offers from several FBS schools, with Vanderbilt being his most notable to date. Harris has very good technique and will be a nice get for an FBS school on Signing Day 2017.
Class of 2017 three-star defensive end Koby Cumberlander has a terrific motor and despite being undersized he’s just a productive guy who makes plays coming off the edge. He has offers from Iowa State, Kansas State and a few other programs and I think he has the potential to go to one of those programs and be very productive. He finished the game with five tackles, including one for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Here are a few clips of him in action.
I was also really impressed with Roswell senior defensive lineman Justin Ellis. He missed most of last season with a broken leg so he doesn’t have much in the way of recruiting interest, but he will be making a lot of plays this season on a very good team and I think he will end up landing at an FBS home. Against Buford he had five tackles, 1.5 sacks a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries.
Two-star East Carolina quarterback commit Mic Roof struggled mightily while facing a Roswell defense loaded with defensive stars. Roof finished just 11-of-30 passing and also threw an interception. He looks like he has a way to go before he’s ready to play on Saturdays.
Georgia Tech commit TD Roof lined up at both running back and linebacker and he showed why he recently earned a move up to three-star status. Roof is a classic do-it-all type player and he contributed everywhere from punt returns to the receiving game, where he actually lead the Wolves with 38 yards. Because of his measurable he’s never gong to blow anyone anyway physically, but he’s the type of guy you want to have on your team. He also finished with six tackles on defense.
Two-star Western Michigan commit K.J. Anderson continues to look like a steal for the Broncos. He’s very technically sharp as a corner and I think he’s a guy that could make a lot of teams in the Southeast mad at themselves for overlooking him. He had three tackles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in the game.
The Buford offensive line struggled as well, despite having guys like three-star East Carolina commit Connor Mills, two-star Army commit Dean Powell and two-star West Virginia commit Tyler Thurmond. This was my first real chance to see Thurmond in person getting serious action and I’m pretty surprised he’s a take for the Mountaineers at this point. But he is tall with a good frame so clearly they see something there. Other Buford offensive linemen to watch include Class of 2018 prospect Austin Blake and Class of 2019 offensive lineman Quentin Skinner.
Virginia Tech commit Malik Willis continues to play quarterback for Roswell and while he’s not likely to be under center at the next level, it’s a great position for him to showcase his athleticism. Willis ran for 73 yards and threw for another 119. The Hokies are obviously in great shape with Willis, but other teams continue to call and I think that will continue to be the case the more exposure Willis receives. Here's some clips of him in action.
Class of 2018 wide receiver Christian Ford, the son of former Georgia defensive back Glenn Ford, continues to impress to start his junior season. Ford is being used as a slot wide receiver and a bit of an x-factor offensive weapon and so far the results have been good. Ford finished with six catches for 34 yards and that comes off the heels of a preseason game where he had several touches and a score. Ford will start getting offers soon, it’s just a matter of when. Here's a few clips of him in action. Ford attended the Hokes satellite camp in Atlanta back in June.
Class of 2018 tight end/H-back Tyneil Hopper hauled in two passes for 26 yards and showed nice versatility while also drawing a lot of blocking assignments. The Rivals250 prospect has great hands and while he only has a few offers now, I would be shocked if he doesn’t end up in the 20-plus range before it’s all said and done. North Carolina has the early edge in his recruitment, mainly because of their connection with the family. His brother is a true freshman for the Tar Heels this season. Hopper was also at the Hokies satellite camp back in June.
Class of 2018 three-star defensive back Bryson Richardson holds offers from Louisville, Tennessee and several other programs and was one of the bright spots for the Buford defense. He was pretty good in coverage and with his size and length will likely be a 15-offer type guy before it’s all said and done. He wasn’t afraid to come up and help against the run and recorded five tackles in the game.
Buford has two 2018 running backs who look to be future Power Five players in Christian Turner (Louisville, Miami, Vanderbilt) and Anthony Grant (Louisville, N.C. State). While others seem to be very high on Grant, I personally think Turner could end up being the more productive of the two. Neither was impressive in the game, with Turner rushing 27 yards and Grant for 27. Neither averaged more than three yards per carry. Buford installed a new offense this year and I expect it the duo to keep improving as the year goes along.
Clemson commit and Rivals250 defensive back LeAnthony Williams continues to play well and he’s a guy who is very physical at the corner position. He finished the game with six tackles and one pass breakup and played with the type of aggression that will help him at the next level. If there’s one thing Williams needs to improve on it’s making sure he wraps up and completes tackles after laying the big initial hit. Here's a few clips of him in action.
After watching him in back-to-back weeks I’ve been blown away with Rivals100 safety Xavier McKinney. He opened Friday’s game with a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and was all over the field making plays as things went along. He’s been firmly planted in the Rivals100 for a year now and I feel very confident about him having success at the next level, regardless of his college choice. Clemson appears to be the team to beat for McKinney at this point, with Georgia and Auburn also in the mix and Ohio State being the wildcard.
Three-star running back Sheldon Evans got off to a good start to his season, rushing for 119 yards on 21 carries. Evans has bulked up and looks more like a pure power back at this point but I think he’s sacrificed some of the speed that helped his game earlier in his career. He did seem to get stronger as the game wore on, though, and looks like a solid Power Five prospect.
Four-star Louisville wide receiver commit Corey Reed had and up-and-down game on Friday night, catching three passes for 19 yards. It was raining during the game and Reed struggled with drops, something that’s not usually an issue for him. He was also flagged for a holding penalty downfield that negated a long run. I’m very confident in Reed’s ability and still expect a big year from him.
Three-star wide receiver Jayden Comma had two catches for 40 yards against Buford and I think continues to be an undervalued guy on the recruiting trail. He’s a big, physical wide receiver and I think he has the talent to play in a major conference. Right now I think West Virginia and Maryland are the teams to beat in his recruitment. Here’s some video/analysis on him.
Three-star Tennessee offensive line commit Jordan Tucker had a pretty good game and played through a minor injury he suffered in the first half. Toughness has been a question with Tucker in the past so it was nice to see him push through. Tucker will need to shed some bad weight when he gets to college and figures to be afforded the luxury of redshirting if he does indeed sign with Tennessee.
Class of 2017 three-star cornerback Justus Harris is the forgotten guy in Roswell’s secondary but he’s actually a very talented defensive back. He has offers from several FBS schools, with Vanderbilt being his most notable to date. Harris has very good technique and will be a nice get for an FBS school on Signing Day 2017.
Class of 2017 three-star defensive end Koby Cumberlander has a terrific motor and despite being undersized he’s just a productive guy who makes plays coming off the edge. He has offers from Iowa State, Kansas State and a few other programs and I think he has the potential to go to one of those programs and be very productive. He finished the game with five tackles, including one for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Here are a few clips of him in action.
I was also really impressed with Roswell senior defensive lineman Justin Ellis. He missed most of last season with a broken leg so he doesn’t have much in the way of recruiting interest, but he will be making a lot of plays this season on a very good team and I think he will end up landing at an FBS home. Against Buford he had five tackles, 1.5 sacks a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries.
Two-star East Carolina quarterback commit Mic Roof struggled mightily while facing a Roswell defense loaded with defensive stars. Roof finished just 11-of-30 passing and also threw an interception. He looks like he has a way to go before he’s ready to play on Saturdays.
Georgia Tech commit TD Roof lined up at both running back and linebacker and he showed why he recently earned a move up to three-star status. Roof is a classic do-it-all type player and he contributed everywhere from punt returns to the receiving game, where he actually lead the Wolves with 38 yards. Because of his measurable he’s never gong to blow anyone anyway physically, but he’s the type of guy you want to have on your team. He also finished with six tackles on defense.
Two-star Western Michigan commit K.J. Anderson continues to look like a steal for the Broncos. He’s very technically sharp as a corner and I think he’s a guy that could make a lot of teams in the Southeast mad at themselves for overlooking him. He had three tackles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup in the game.
The Buford offensive line struggled as well, despite having guys like three-star East Carolina commit Connor Mills, two-star Army commit Dean Powell and two-star West Virginia commit Tyler Thurmond. This was my first real chance to see Thurmond in person getting serious action and I’m pretty surprised he’s a take for the Mountaineers at this point. But he is tall with a good frame so clearly they see something there. Other Buford offensive linemen to watch include Class of 2018 prospect Austin Blake and Class of 2019 offensive lineman Quentin Skinner.
