Now we’re back with Part II of National Signing Day Review, today we’re reviewing the players based on how they play, what they could improve upon, and the potential they have to being great contributors on this football team. In Part III, I will create a Poll and open up the blog to comments and opinions on who you believe will be the best player and biggest contributor of the Class of 2015.
Da’Shawn Brown-Key
Stars:
http://www.scout.com/player/7340193n-da-shawn-key
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1378692/highlights/172970375/v2
Da’Shawn is an impressive 3-sport athlete who most likely will come in as a Mobile Quarterback. Based on his size at 6’0 and his mobility, Da’Shawn reminds me of a Russell Wilson, using his legs to make plays and extend them. I feel like UIW would like to diversify it’s run game with Zone Reads and Arc Blocks by the H-Back. This could be possible through the Pistol formation the Cardinals ran last season. I’m not saying he’ll be a starter but I could see him contributing on certain plays. I think he’d be great on a Wildcat package. Observing the way Da’Shawn plays he could be key in developing as a Quarterback. Though his mechanics could use work in certain areas in terms of throwing the football (he tends to lob it at times, look at 1:36 and 2:12). Da’Shawn at times doesn’t step into his throws (1:36 and 1:45). But he has good footwork, he looks like he has a rocket of an arm, and can be a threat in Play Action , especially rollout plays.
McLane Carter
Stars:
http://www.scout.com/player/188151-mclane-carter/
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1733615/highlights/176699375/v2
McLane is a very impressive QB who was attracting various D1 schools such as Florida, Michigan, and that team across the street. Though McLane made a wise choice and came to Alamo Heights. One way to describe his playstyle would be Left-Handed Gunslinger. One thing that I noticed about him is that he has some very good mechanics. As you watch all of his passes, he has good footwork (2:07 and 2:43). Though with all gunslingers he has a bit of wind-up on his throws (3:05 and 3:12). Though as you can see he remains very calm and collected. He also has a great pocket presence, this is why he completed over 70% of his passes his Senior year. I’m excited to see what he can do these next upcoming years. Since we have 4 QB’s on the roster, McLane will most likely redshirt so he can be groomed and developed into a possible starting QB.
Jawun Jiles
Stars:
No Scout.com Profile
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/909095/highlights/216411375/v2
As mentioned before Jawun is a talented Safety from Shreveport’s Byrd High School in Louisiana. I think it’s a great idea that Coach Keenan is expanding the recruiting pipeline of the Cardinals as Louisiana has been known for some time to harbor a plethora of football talent. Just look at LSU. Jawun had a pretty good season as he made 12 solo tackles and 3 fumble recoveries. You can tell that he is a go-getter who wants to develop into ball-hawk and a big-hitter(0:10 and 0:19). Just like in baseball look at the closing speed he has to the ball, once the receiver touches it, he’s right there ready to make a bone-crushing hit to stop the run or getting ready to pick it off (0:44 and 2:05). In one word I would describe Jawun’s playstyle as a relentless go-getter. When you look at his highlight reel, you also see him running a receiver down from behind and making a block for his teammate on an interception (0:58 and 2:24). Due to his 5’10 frame, I could see him playing his usual position at Strong Safety. Though I wouldn’t label him a starter yet as he would have to compete with 11 other Safeties for a starting spot in 2015. Still though Jawun is an impressive athlete and can make an impact in the future.
Lamont Johnson
Stars:
http://www.scout.com/player/7767788n-lamont-johnson
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3484867/highlights/165504378/v2
Lamont was being recruited by SMU and Southern Illinois, he verbally committed to SMU. Though near signing day SMU pulled his offer and Lamont was stuck looking last minute for an opportunity with a program. Incarnate Word stepped in and made him an offer. When it comes to playing football, Lamont is a diverse receiver who can do many things, such as catch a ball over the middle, be an aggressive blocker, be reliable on screens, and a lethal deep threat (1:32 and 1:52). Did I mention he has some good cuts (0:54 and 1:45). Though I wish his highlight tape showed more video of him attacking the football like those jumpball situations just to see how he reacts. As a Wide Receiver, Lamont is like a jack-of-all trades, I see lots of potential in him. There’s heavy competition at the Receiving core but I could see him making an impact sooner rather than later.
Jeremy Jones
Stars:
No Stars
http://unlv.scout.com/player/190858-jeremy-jones/recruiting
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2586480/highlights/191126375/v2
On to the Big Men, Jeremy Jones is a good-sized Tackle from Roosevelt High School in San Antonio. Standing at 6’5 279 lbs. he has the potential to develop into a big-bruising linemen. I’d imagine Offensive Lineman Coach and Offensive Coordinator Tony Marciano is excited to see what his new addition can do on the line as the Cardinals develop their ball-control offense. When looking at his highlights, Jeremy is just pancaking people left and right, like Juwan he’s looking to make that big hit (0:04 and 3:24). As a lineman Jeremy has a decent burst when he starts to block, I understand as this could be due to his particular size. Coach Marciano will fix that. Though what concerns me is that in most of this highlight reel is that Jeremy is going up against smaller opponents that he’s pushing around like rag-dolls(0:35 and 1:25). He will earn his stripes this spring when he goes up against opponents that are more of his size.
Dillon Manz
Stars:
No Stars
No Scout.com Report
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1661024/highlights/191593387/v2
Dillon reminds me of a physical possession-type receiver almost like John McCaffrey in a way, who use to play for the Denver Broncos. He’s a bit heavy for a receiver but has secure hands when you need them and a good dose of speed to boot. He can also deliver some good blocks from his receiver position or line up as a TE/H-Back and lay the lumber to a player(4:00 and 5:10). One thing that I noticed about Dillon is that he has a natural inclination to jump for the football which is great when he is adjusting to a badly thrown ball, though at times one may worry that he might be on the receiving end of a crazy hit. Though you must admire the fact that he is willing to go up for the football (0:47 and 2:00). In terms of starting ability, I could see Dillon turning into a Hybrid WR/H-Back, possibly even bulking up and becoming a FB. I think he’ll probably start seeing the field a bit Sophomore/Junior year.
Noah McMeans
Stars:
No Stars
http://washington.scout.com/player/7566925n-noah-mcmeans
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2798463/highlights/184176382/v2
Just looking at Noah’s highlight reel and you can’t help but stare in awe of his abilities on defense. He’s everything you want in a Linebacker: Tall, stocky body, long reach, and an aggressive, relentless attitude. Just watch him sack that Quarterback, he just threw him like a rag-doll(0:17). All he needs is to put on some weight and he’ll be eating up offenses in no-time. His Senior season he put up 100 Tackles and 14 which were sacks. Noah is an intelligent player too as he knows how to use his body to make plays. As you can see that on most of his tackles he is able to just use those long arms to grab a player and bring him down just like a speed rushing Defensive End (1:05 and 1:10). Also he is pretty good at maintaing contain which is key for a Defensive End, or in our case a Linebacker in a 3-4 Defense (1:25 and 1:45). Noah is only 17, which means he has a lot of room to grow. Also our OLB position isn’t that deep which means Noah could get a few reps. This is a player who I’m very excited to watch come gameday.
John Myers
Stars:
No Stars
http://fresnostate.scout.com/player/7716690n-john-myers
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1808919/highlights/167612383/v2
John is an interesting athlete to watch. As Coach Keenan mentioned that he was thinking about converting him into an Offensive Tackle. When you watch John’s highlight reel, he’s playing defensive end, though his body-type and strength show that he has the potential of being a good offensive tackle. All he needs to do is put on some weight and he’ll be ready to pancake some defenders in no time. He has some good strength, he sacked a QB and brought down a running back using his reach and strength(1:10 and 3:20). To be honest, I wish we had more tape of John at Tight End so we could see what he’s like on the offensive side of the ball. To see how he blocks especially on a power play or inside zone to see his potential at tackle. Based on his size and the hustle he puts on plays I could see John shoring up the Offensive Line along with Jeremy Jones and Cameron Wilson.
Cody Seidel
No photo posted
Stars:
No Stars
No Scout.com Report
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2404742/highlights/189098378/v2
Cody is a damn fine kicker as he finished 2nd All Team District 5-6A. Averaging 53.2 yards per kick. Special teams is key as it change the outcome of a game. Also having an extra kicker is key so Coto Jr. has a backup. One of things I liked about Seidel’s technique is his follow through. He swings his hips through the kick so it can get more power yet he is pretty accurate (0:17 and 0:30). Though what I would like to see would be more field goals kicked at various angles to see how accurate he is from different hashes. No doubt Cody is a great kicker but I only see kicks that are being kicked straight. Though I will say that averaging 53.2 yards per kick is a heck of a leg, and it’s one we’re going to need in order to pull off some future upsets.
Damon Weaver
Stars:
http://recruiting.scout.com/player/7248561n-damon-weaver
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1900033/highlights/27000382/v2
Incarnate Word has been doing an excellent job shoring up the defense. Welcome starting Safety from DeSoto High School, Damon Weaver. Damon, like Juwan is very athletic and hustles to the ball. He is a hard-hitter and wants to make some big plays on defense, which is what the Cardinals need if they want to be successful running their physical 3-4 defense. Damon doesn’t have much in terms of highlights, but from what I saw he does a good job closing in on throws and he also keeps his shoulders square when readying to deliver a tackle (0:05 and 0:43). Just like John Myers, Damon doesn’t have much of a highlight reel in terms of judging more of his play. Though he is very athletic and at 5’10, I could see him competing with Juwan for a starting position at Strong Safety in the future.
John Williams
Stars:
http://recruiting.scout.com/player/182651-john-williams/news
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2128763/highlights/205047377/v2
You don’t find many kids coming out of High School weighing 309 lbs. To simply put it, John is a monster ready to make an impact on the football field. He is the base the Cardinals want to build off of for establishing their 3-4 defense. The 3-4 defense is built on tall, talented, 300+ lb. behemoths at Nose Tackle who can beat opposing Offensive Lineman at the point of attack and always keep their motor running. That’s exactly what I saw in John is. Look at how he stays at home and then is able to shed off blockers to make the tackle (0:05 and 2:10) . John is also very good at one-gapping and being able to break through and make the tackle, even forcing some fumbles along the way(0:24 and 0:41). As you can see throughout his highlight reel, John’s motor rarely stops, showing that he has the potential to be a great Defensive Lineman, heck maybe even 1st-Team in the Southland Conference. Though in terms of weaknesses, I’d like to see John 2-gap, he was mainly used as either a 1 or a 3 technique at his high school. I want to see if he can line straight up against a center and take him on the line of scrimmage. Though based on his talent, I don’t think that should be an issue for John. I believe he can make an impact immediately and start based on his size. Though the coaching staff will see how he practices this spring and see if he can get the starting spot. Either way I’m looking forward to John making some bone-jarring hits in the future.
Cameron Wilson
Stars:
No Stars
No Scout.com Report
Highlights: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2767572/highlights/171440389/v2
As mentioned previously, Coach Keenan and Offensive Coordinator/OL Coach Tony Marciano have done a fine job bringing quality Offensive Lineman to Incarnate Word. Cameron Wilson is no different as he was a former standout tackle at Dawson High School in Pearland, TX. When you look at his highlight reel, he is an aggressive, relentless behemoth that keeps driving his legs until he takes a defender down (0:10 and 0:27). Another thing I note is that he is pretty good in pass protection as well, though I saw him almost standing on one play, but still he is a good pass protector(0:22 and 0:39). Due to Cameron’s size at 6’4 279 lbs. he can play his old position Tackle, but because he is a tad shorter than Jeremy Jones and has played some snaps at Guard, that’s where I think he’ll be placed. Coach Keenan also mentioned that he was thinking about placing Cameron at Guard. Either way I think Cameron is going to make an impact.
Mid Year Transfer
Kyle Brown
Stars:
No Stars
No Scout.com Report
Highlights: No Hudl.com Reports
Kyle transferred from Independence Community College in Blue Springs, Missouri. As posted on uiwcardinals.com he earned all conference honorable mention honors in 2014 after he finished 2nd in team tackles and 15th in the nation. Both of these are spectacular feats though I wish there was game film to watch those impressive feats. Kyle still has a pretty decent size for an outside linebacker at 6’4 215. Though he should be able to bulk up this spring and be ready to play ball. I think a good size for a linebacker in a 3-4 defense should be around 6’2-6’5 225-260 lbs. If he can bulk up and be able to replicate his results like in his previous stint, there should be no reason Kyle will be denied a starting spot.
Sources:
Via Online
http://uiwcardinals.com/sports/2013/2/5/FB_0205132708.aspx?path=football
http://www.uiwcardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=football#coaches_anchor
http://www.uiwcardinals.com/roster.aspx?path=football
http://www.scout.com
http://www.hudl.com
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