Miami Hurricanes: National Signing Day 2010: Recruiting Class Sleepers

While this Miami Hurricanes recruiting class has been referred to as an “upside” class, many Hurricane fans have mixed feelings about the current class.  While we all hope Seantrel Henderson eventually signs with the Hurricanes, I believe there are several hidden gems in this class that could turn out to be big time players.

I wrote an article on Monday about the star rating system used in recruiting players, and I firmly believe the system is flawed.  It is all we have to go on at this point, but rather than look at the star rating assigned to these players, I decided to take a closer look at them.  After looking at the three-star and below recruits in this class, here are five that I believe are the biggest sleepers in the class.

Jeffery Brown, DT, 6’ 3”, 275 lbs.

First of all, you have to marvel at his size: 275 pounds with room to grow once he gets on college strength and conditioning program.  Brown was also a three-sport star in high school as he wrestled and ran track.  This shows the kid has some versatility, and his wrestling background is a big plus.  A defensive tackle that understands the concept of leverage is invaluable, and not only that he was 39–1 as a senior on the wrestling team.  Brown’s high school team had a losing record, but he was named lineman of the year.  He was under the radar because he did not attend that many off season camps.  He is rated as a three-star by ESPN and a two-star by rivals; I believe this kid is a solid four-star if he received the same exposure as other recruits. 

Keion Payne, DB, 6’ 0”, 165 lbs., 4.46 40-yard dash

If you look at Payne, his size does not jump off of the page at 165 pounds, but you can’t coach his type of speed.  He may only be rated as a three-star, but several major programs recruited this kid.  His shuttle time is a solid 4.31 seconds (unverified), and at 6’ 0”, he is tall enough to play with bigger receivers.  Watching the highlight film, he showed a great ability to jam receivers at the line in man coverage and good technique in his back pedal and breaks on the ball.  Those are the things you look for in a great corner because he already has the base tools every cornerback needs.  I believe this kid is yet again not rated correctly, and is a solid four-star player.  He had his pick of FSU, UT, UF, and Ohio State, just to name a few, who all saw that he has the potential to be great.

Stephen Morris, QB, 6’ 2”, 186 lbs., 4.59 40-yard dash

The size on Morris is almost perfect; he will need to add about 20 or 30 pounds to his frame, which should not be a problem once he gets on campus.  His 40-yard-dash time is great for quarterback, which will allow another dimension for defenses to think about.  Looking at his film, he has the arm strength and elusiveness to fit into this offense well, and the biggest thing that stood out was his avoidance of pass rushers (Wisconsin game anyone?).  He did show a tendency to throw off his back foot and sometimes without stepping into the throw.  I am sure those will be corrected when he starts working with the offensive coaching staff, but you can’t argue with all the tools and the much needed safety net in case of a Jacory Harris injury.

Jermaine Barton, OL, 6’ 6”, 270 lbs.

This player already has the body to be a dominant offensive lineman, and he can easily get up in the 285–300 pound weight range if he conditions hard enough.  He did not have a lot of the elite programs on him, but there was one significant team recruiting him: the Wisconsin Badgers.  The Badgers are known for their offensive line play, and they offered him a scholarship, which says something.  The main reason he was not heavily recruited is he did not start as a junior, so scouts only had about one year of solid film on him.  He is a little bit raw technique-wise, but he has all the other physical tools to be dominant.  In the limited film I could find on him, he fires off the ball and engages the defender, bringing the fight to them. Plus, the defenders had a hard time getting off of his block.  That same aggressiveness also caused him to miss a few blocks as well, but he only has one year of real experience.  If Jeff Stoutland can work with this raw talent and correct those little hitches in his game, he should be a solid offensive lineman here for a long time.

Tyrone Cornelius, LB, 6’ 2”, 195 lbs., 4.41 40-yard dash

It is my firm belief that this guy will be a star at Miami; he is in the mold of great Miami Linebackers of the past.  His 40-yard-dash time is faster than many wide receivers in this year’s class, which means he will have the ability to cover running backs and tight ends without a problem.  He will need to put on some weight depending on which linebacker spot the Hurricanes decide to play him at, though I do not believe it will not be middle linebacker because of his size.  You never know, though; the Hurricanes have never been afraid to play undersized linebackers in the middle. 

Watching the film, he terrorized offenses coming off the edge on blitzes, and his nose for the football and tackling ability look to be college ready.  He does seem to lack a bit of strength, which leads to a little bit of trouble shedding blockers at times.  I believe as he develops his strength and technique he will be a force to reckon with in the ACC; the combination of speed and quickness coupled with his affinity for tackling projects very well for the Hurricanes.  There is a chance he could play strong safety at Miami as well, but we will see.

If you look at all the factors that go into these recruiting classes I could easily make an argument that these five recruits can stack up to many four-star players, and even a few five-star players if you start to break down their film and background.  Everyone is drooling over Seantrel Henderson, mainly because he is 6’ 8” tall and 338 pounds; you can’t coach that.  But he does have a flaw his blocking technique is not perfect, and he will need to be coached just as much as the players on this list.  Of course, we all would not mind if that coaching took place in Coral Gables.

As I prepare to publish this article, Miami has the 24th-rated recruiting class, and of course fans will be upset since “Ego” signed with LSU.  But even if we do not get Seantrel (rumored heavily to USC), I noticed something else: Ohio State is currently ranked 25th, right behind Miami.  The Hurricanes coaching staff tried a new approach to recruiting: Find the diamonds in the rough and the players everyone overlooked.  It may not be a popular approach, but one effect is apparent. Miami has not lost as many commitments compared to the other elite programs.  Every player signed in this class wants to be a Hurricane and has a desire to bring this program back to prominence.