Even if Green can’t learn the offense quickly, Stafford can always just send him deep and uncork a 65-yard bomb.
Marcus Forston, Sean Spence, Arthur Brown, DT, LB, LB, Miami (Fl.)
It would seem as if any recruiting fears created by Randy Shannon assuming the head coaching duties for Miami have been put to rest with this class, easily in the top 15 nationally.
Headlining the class on defense are Forston, Spence, and Brown, three of the top defenders in the nation this past fall.
Forston will have to beat out tackles Dewayne Hendricks and Joe Joseph to gain a starting role, but it seems like he is already on his way, having enrolled in the spring.
He is one of the top 25 players in the country, as well as a top-three DT.
Spence and Brown highlight one of the most outrageous linebacker hauls in history (eight of Scout.com’s top 23 LB’s enrolled at Miami), and both should contribute this fall.
Miami is a team in transition, looking to rebound from successive poor seasons under Shannon and Larry Coker. It would seem as if this trio of defenders has the pedigree and the opportunity to step in and immediately improve a defense which was not up to standards in the past two years.
These first few prospects are on the verge of already being household names, with the increased coverage of recruiting.
These next few players are dark horse candidates to step in and contribute to teams that have holes. They may not be in the top 100 players in the country, but they still have the potential to help a team immediately.
Jason Ford, RB, Illinois
Illinois enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in school history last season, going 9-4 and earning a Rose Bowl berth for the first time since the 1983 season.
The option attack run by the Illini puts a lot of pressure on running backs to read blocks and make people miss, and last season Rashard Mendenhall did not disappoint, running for over 1650 yards and setting school records for yards and touchdowns.
Mendenhall is now a Steeler, and the Illini now have a gaping hole where he used to play.
Juice Williams is expected to step up and become more of a quarterback, and less of a passing running back.
Regardless of his development, it is vital that the Illini find a suitable replacement that can at least be a competent runner.
Jason Ford is only a three-star prospect, but he put up large numbers in high school and has the frame to become a good runner. He is more of a banger than a speed back at 230 pounds, but he still has enough of a burst to get into the second level.
Ford has to compete with incumbent Daniel Dufrene, as well as fellow freshman Mikel LeShoure.
Justin Feagin, QB, Michigan
With Rich Rodriguez taking over for Lloyd Carr at Michigan, the offense is undergoing a massive shift from a traditional attack to the spread option which has gained such notoriety in recent years.
Rodriguez has said that it will take time for the team to learn his offense, but that is not the only problem. All of Rodriguez’s players are built to run Carr’s attack, and as such Rodriguez does not have the weapons he needs.
This is most apparent at QB, where Steven Threet takes over as the starter.
Threet comes from Georgia Tech (where Paul Johnson is also installing an option), and is a good choice for offenses that need passers. However, he defines immobile, a trait which won’t do in the new offense.
Feagin is not a highly touted recruit at all, but he is a good athlete. He is a two-star prospect by Scout, which actually bodes well for the Wolverines: Pat White was also a two-star recruit at West Virginia.
Hopefully for Michigan, Feagin will turn out to be as special as White, although this is not likely the case.
John Boyett, S, Oregon
Boyett is a fantastic athlete, although he is somewhat undersized at five-foot-ten and around 180 pounds.
However, Oregon has only one safety at the moment, in stud Patrick Chung. Last year’s starter Matthew Harper has moved on, leaving a hole in the secondary.
Oregon needs to replace offensive stars Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart, and thus it seems like the offense has more question marks than the D.
While the new QB and incumbent RB Jeremiah Johnson adjust to their new roles, the defense will have to keep the ducks in early games against Washington, Purdue, and Boise State.
Boyett reminds me of Jim Leonhard, the former All-American DB at Wisconsin who also had a slight frame, but was very athletic.
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