TMI 2007: Too Much Information About the Class of 2007.

I've been promising for sometime that I would do an in-depth analysis of Georgia's 2007 signing class. Today is the first installment, so I'm laying out the groundrules, the disclaimers and the warnings now. Please feel free to comment, but just now that I'll probably cite you back to the groundrules at some point in my reply. Here they are:

The Method: I watched just about every scrap of gametape of the members of our 2007 signing class that I could get my hands on. With some this was easy. I think every snap Caleb King ever took in organized football is available on the web somewhere. Others were tougher (about all I got to see of Drew Butler was the 2006 AAAAA State Championship game, which is OK because there was a whole lotta punting going on).

The Evidence: The film that I reviewed that is in the public domain or linkable for free from various sites, I'll link to so you can let me know if I'm out of line in my evaluations. Some of it isn't the highest quality, but that's high school game film for you. It's what our coaches use for initial evaluations. Bear in mind that unlike them, I can't go see a guy up close and personal or get him to a summer camp where I run him through position-specific drills for two days.

Some of the film I've looked at is not in the public domain, or is available only to subscribers of certain internet sites that shall remain nameless (but you know who they are, and you've already got them bookmarked). You'll know when these have been used because I won't link them. I know that's not very transparent, but if you have a subscription to these sites (or a scofflaw brother-in-law who'll risk his subscription by giving you his password), you can go check those out, too.

The Credentials: OK, I'm not Mel Kiper. Let's get that out of the way from the start. I was a four year varsity letterman at a small school in south Georgia who was lightly recruited by a couple of Division II schools. My most dogged pursuer during the recruiting process was Division III Oberlin College of Ohio, probably because they thought I might raise the team GPA. Division III, you may remeber, is that level of college football where everybody is a walk-on. No scholarships in the place. In short, I can tell when a running back keeps a good pad level, I can tell when a defensive end gets too far upfield against the run, but I am not in any danger of being hired away by Rivals to do player evaluation. Though if anyone from Rivals is reading this, just know that I could be bought. Pretty cheap, in fact.

The Disclaimers: I tried to do this with a critical, but not cynical, eye. Thankfully I did a lot of it before our recruiting of almost every decent player in our own state crashed and burned Hindenberg style our recruiting concluded unexpectedly early. This is where the Too Much Information moniker comes in. While Kyle is the dean, ney, the President of the land of Too Much Information, this little feature will hopefully help Blawg readers take a good look at our signing class. I hope it will erase unrealistic expectations, while at the same time showing us that, recent events to the contrary, this really is a pretty good signing class. If you are a rabid recruitnik, you may not find anything in here you didn't already know. But you'll read it anyway because you're a rabid recruitnik, and that's the nature of the disease.

Bear in mind that a lot of these guys won't even resemble the players on this film in 18 months. Some of them don't resemble those guys now because a lot of this tape is junior film. Some of it is from senior years, and that may reflect better of some players. However after a redshirt year, changing positions and five meals a day at the training table some of these guys won't even be recognizable either physically or from a technique standpoint. So with no further introduction, we begin our tour through the class of 2007 with the Statesboro tandem of John Knox and Justin Houston.

John Knox: You can see Knox in this junior tape available at SunshinePreps.net (HT to Derek Williams at Sunshine Preps for collecting two metric tons of tape). The first thing you notice about Knox is that he's always looking for an excuse to hit somebody. But more important he makes quality contact. Knox is putting his helmet on the ball and separating it from the ball carrier. He wraps up well (sort of like Tra Battle, but with arms). The second thing I noticed about Knox were his ball skills. Whether he's playing safety or receiver, Knox seems to always get in position to make a play on the ball. With his aggressive instincts, I think he'll have to be "de-Blued". That is, he'll have to learn when not to stick his nose up the middle on the play fake because he's looking to lay the wood to ball carriers.

Knox doesn't have world class speed, but he's quick enough. If he really is the 190 pounds he's reported to be, then I could see him playing a mean Will linebacker in the 215-220 pound range. I just don't know if that will happen. Statesboro has always had one of the better strength and conditioning programs in the state of Georgia, so I don't know that after 3-4 years in that program he's not nearing the peak of his speed/size curve. That's for Coaches Richt and Van Halenger to decide though.

Bottom line, Knox is emblematic of this class. He's a 3 star player according to Rivals, 4 stars according to Scout. He's got room to develop physically, but his technique is very good. He'll undoubtedly redshirt a year and end up at either safety or Will linebacker depending on his size and speed.

Justin Houston: This video is also from Houston's junior year and also viewable at SunshinePreps.net. The first thing you notice about Houston is that, at least at this point, he's not a great tackler. Like a lot of high school defenders who are bigger and stronger than their competition, he fights the urge to just grab ball carriers and throw them to the ground with brute force. That's a bad habit that will have to be broken. On the flipside, Houston does use his hands well to shed blockers rather than just running through them (another bad habit that physically superior high school players can pick up). Houston reacts well to the ball, and he clearly reads blocking schemes better than a lot of high school defensive ends(note the screen play at the 1:37 mark). Assuming this film is representative, he doesn't get out of position very often.

Houston also seems to enjoy the game and plays wide-open. He's at his best when he can just pin his ears back and use his quickness to get to the quarterback. I could see him developing into a Quentin Moses type pass rusher, though at 6'3 he's a little short to fit that bill at the NFL level. He has a little trouble with bigger offensive tackles in a couple of clips, but he doesn't give up on plays.

I've heard some say that Houston will develop into a linebacker. I don't buy it. He's athletic, but not that athletic, and will probably end up in the 250 pound range. I see him down the road as a versatile defensive end who can play either the buck (strongside) or will end positions in Martinez's defense depending on his physical development.

I'll be back tomorrow with another couple of recruits. This feature will continue on and off through signing day and beyond. I hope to also feature some of our 2008 targets after that. In the meantime, feel free to debate among yourselves.