Copying from Russ's hoops post. Have to pick three from offense and three from defense.
Offense:
Michael Brown-Stephens- I've been really excited about him because his stats look so similar to MVS's production at NCSU. MBS obviously does not have the size/speed combination, but guys who have proven that they can play substantial roles in a P5 are usually good bets to improve in a bigger role in the G5. MBS also doesn't have any proven competition for targets- I like Naieem Simmons, but 1-AA production doesn't always translate, and Alexis and Jones are hardly proven, while Yusuf Terry and Sean Atkins are not #1s. Atkins could get catches, but he'd be taking them from Simmons and Jeyquan Smith.
NayQuan Wright- same reason as MBS- it's almost a law of physics that if you can play a consistent contributing role in the SEC at RB, you can play well in a bigger role in the AAC. He's less of a sure thing than MBS because if the line sucks, there isn't much a back can do about it, and also because I think a healthy Kelley Joiner could make the position a time share. Wright had 224 touches and over 1100 total yards in four years at at UF, and his touches until the end of 2022 were fairly consistent- he was generally getting 7-10 per game, which means he was part of the game plan.
RJ Perry- I required three picks on each side of the ball to get past the two obvious choices. I think Perry, with his prior experience with CAG and his absolutely mammoth size is the best bet of any of the P5 transfers on offense who haven't been big contributors to be ready to make an impact.
Defense:
Immanuel Hickman- you don't leave a starting job to transfer in-conference unless you're playing a big role. Of the transfer DEs, I think Harris and Summerall both being more speed rushers are going to take reps from each other, and Hickman is roughly 10 pounds heavier than Vaughn, Logan, and Ross. To me, that means they have a specific reason for bringing him in.
Andrew Mata'Afa- while he didn't play a major role at Utah, he did play, and generally speaking, guys transferring for their final season are picking places where they will play significantly more. The competition for reps at LB isn't exactly what it was under CJL, and while I wish Mata'Afa was bigger, I think he's here to plug a hole.
Doug Blue-Eli- I'm not sure he'll get a lot of snaps, but on 3rd and short, I think Blue-Eli will make a huge difference over last year's miniatures. He's at least 30 pounds heavier than anyone who played meaningful snaps at DT (and around 65 pounds heavier than Darrien Grant), so that's getting him on the field.
Offense:
Michael Brown-Stephens- I've been really excited about him because his stats look so similar to MVS's production at NCSU. MBS obviously does not have the size/speed combination, but guys who have proven that they can play substantial roles in a P5 are usually good bets to improve in a bigger role in the G5. MBS also doesn't have any proven competition for targets- I like Naieem Simmons, but 1-AA production doesn't always translate, and Alexis and Jones are hardly proven, while Yusuf Terry and Sean Atkins are not #1s. Atkins could get catches, but he'd be taking them from Simmons and Jeyquan Smith.
NayQuan Wright- same reason as MBS- it's almost a law of physics that if you can play a consistent contributing role in the SEC at RB, you can play well in a bigger role in the AAC. He's less of a sure thing than MBS because if the line sucks, there isn't much a back can do about it, and also because I think a healthy Kelley Joiner could make the position a time share. Wright had 224 touches and over 1100 total yards in four years at at UF, and his touches until the end of 2022 were fairly consistent- he was generally getting 7-10 per game, which means he was part of the game plan.
RJ Perry- I required three picks on each side of the ball to get past the two obvious choices. I think Perry, with his prior experience with CAG and his absolutely mammoth size is the best bet of any of the P5 transfers on offense who haven't been big contributors to be ready to make an impact.
Defense:
Immanuel Hickman- you don't leave a starting job to transfer in-conference unless you're playing a big role. Of the transfer DEs, I think Harris and Summerall both being more speed rushers are going to take reps from each other, and Hickman is roughly 10 pounds heavier than Vaughn, Logan, and Ross. To me, that means they have a specific reason for bringing him in.
Andrew Mata'Afa- while he didn't play a major role at Utah, he did play, and generally speaking, guys transferring for their final season are picking places where they will play significantly more. The competition for reps at LB isn't exactly what it was under CJL, and while I wish Mata'Afa was bigger, I think he's here to plug a hole.
Doug Blue-Eli- I'm not sure he'll get a lot of snaps, but on 3rd and short, I think Blue-Eli will make a huge difference over last year's miniatures. He's at least 30 pounds heavier than anyone who played meaningful snaps at DT (and around 65 pounds heavier than Darrien Grant), so that's getting him on the field.
