Miami Hurricanes Football: Scouting Report For Every 2015 Miami Hurricanes Signee

The Miami Hurricanes completed their 2015 recruiting class last week, and I broke down film to come up with a scouting report for each 2015 signee.

QB – B

Evan Shirreffs (5.7) – A very thin 6-6. Has a very strong arm and can make throws to every part of the field. Extremely accurate and shows great ball placement on intermediate and deep throws. Solid athlete with escapability when he gets on the edge. Quick throwing motion with a high release point. Solid footwork and throws with a good base. Tends to lock onto his primary receiver and holds onto the ball too long waiting for them to come open. Struggles dealing with a pass rush and height causes issues with escaping the pocket quickly. Threw for 23 touchdowns and 4 interceptions as a senior while leading his team to a 12-1 record. Missed most of junior season with injury. Post signing day signee with only other offers coming from Columbia and VMI. Solid backup quarterback prospect with upside due to his impressive arm talent.

RB – B

Mark Walton (6.0) – Average size at 5-10 190 but a solid, muscular build. Insane natural ability as a runner, combining great balance and anticipation to bounce off defenders. Elite first step and acceleration. Decisive runner that makes one cut and gets up field. Extremely quick, regularly making defenders miss in the open field. Very good long speed and can run away from people. Solid leg drive but isn’t going to run players over. Fantastic receiver both out of the backfield and split out wide, displaying great body control and hands. Aggressive in pass protection. Originally a 2016 recruit that reclassified to the 2015 class. Long time Miami commit who stuck with his commitment over offers from Georgia and West Virginia. Three time state champion. Former teammate of Chad Thomas. Ran for nearly 1500 yards and 22 TDs last season. Top flight running back that should excel in a zone running game.

WR – C+

Lawrence Cager (5.9) – Great size at 6-5 with a thin build. Very good top end speed. Natural hand catcher with a huge catch radius because of arm length and body control. Fluid movement and separates coming out of his breaks. Leaper who high points the ball and makes catches over defenders. Willing blocker. Average agility and not much of a threat after the catch. Lacks explosion. Army All-American. Committed to Miami over Alabama. Legitimate deep threat that should make plays down the field regularly.

TE – B+

Jerome Washington (6.0) – Terrific size at 6-5 250 with a muscular build. Very athletic with good top end speed. Very good body control and makes contested catches. Catches the ball away from his body but can also use his body to box out defenders when necessary. Very physical after the catch. Not overly sudden but shows solid quickness out of breaks. Inconsistent technique as a blocker and needs to play with better leverage. Does show a willingness in blocking and plays with a good base. JUCO player that has 4 years to play 4. Relative unknown before committing to Miami but received interest from Alabama, Nebraska and Rutgers. Had 24 receptions for 510 yards and 8 TDs for a club team in New Jersey. EE that projects as an inline tight end with very high upside as a receiver.

OL – B+

Tyree St. Louis (6.0) – College ready size at 6-5 315 with long arms and a built lower half. Perfect technique in pass pro with a fluid kick step. Very athletic and gets excellent position on the second level. Great hand positioning and shows the ability to ride rushers past the quarterback. Anchors extremely well. Shows good awareness for blitzers. Combines plus lateral agility with good footwork to excel as a zone blocker. Plays with a good base as a driver blocker but not an area where he will excel at the next level. Initial punch is lacking. Chose Miami over Florida, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Under Armour AA. Fantastic left tackle prospect that could be in the rotation as a freshman.

Bar Milo (5.9) – Good height and length with a big lower half but needs to add muscle. Exceptional lateral quickness. Gets great positioning on zone plays and excels at the second level. Generally plays with great bend and leverage in the run game. Mirrors pass rushers well but has average foot speed. Lacks an initial punch in pass protection and tries grabbing onto rushers. Lack of strength causes him to over compensate in pass protection causing other issues. Committed to Miami over Washington. HS teammate of Brad Kaaya. Semper Fi All-American. Very good run blocker than should excel at guard with some potential at tackle.

Tyler Gauthier (5.8) – Good size at 6-5 but a little heavy. Incredibly quick off the snap. Devastating power run blocker that drives defenders off the ball. Moves well laterally and finds defenders when pulling. Primarily played in a power run offense but does show the ability to get position on zone blocking concepts. Good second level blocker. Below average feet causes issues in pass pro. When he does have proper positioning he can stone defenders. Inconsistent punch and lunges when he gets overwhelmed. Chose Miami early over UCF. Not good enough of an athlete to start at tackle but could turn into a good interior offensive lineman.

Jahair Jones (5.7) – Solid size at 6-4 310 with long arms. Uses his hands well with a good initial punch. Great functional strength that should improve as his technique catches up to his raw ability. Moves his feet very well when mirroring defenders. Very aggressive demeanor. Fires out low but loses leverage on contact. Technique can get sloppy and bends at the waist too often. Needs to develop a kick step and wait on defenders in pass pro rather than lunge at them. Needs to improve footwork in the run game, especially moving laterally. Committed to Miami over Ohio State and Virginia Tech. JUCO transfer with three years of edibility left. Early enrollee that should be in the rotation at tackle immediately.

Brendan Loftus (5.6) – Good height at 6-6 but a thin lower half and short arms. Great punch that knocks defenders off balance. Good lateral agility but has sloppy footwork when moving sideways. Clean technique in pass protection with a smooth kick step. Great hustle and regularly gets to the second and third level as a backside blocker. Sinks his hips and explodes into defenders when pulling. Loses leverage easily in the run game. Not very quick and will struggle with tougher blocks inside. Committed to Miami over Wisconsin. Depth player with potential to start at tackle as an upperclassmen.

Hayden Mahoney (5.5) – Good height and length but needs to add bulk. Uses his hands well with a strong initial punch. Attacks the second level well. Average athlete with slow feet. Plays too high. Poor overall technique in pass protection. Played for the U-19 national team with Bar Milo. Also had offers from Boston College and Virginia Tech. Projects as a backup interior lineman.

Edge Players – C+

Scott Patchan (5.7) – Good size at 6-5 230 with great length. Above average athlete with very good movement skills of someone with his length. Great snap anticipation with a good burst off the line. Uses his hands very well against both the pass and run. Good awareness as a pass rusher. Lack of strength and loss of leverage causes issues after initial rush is shut down. Missed senior season with a torn ACL. Son of former Cane Matt Patchan. EE but still recovering from injury. Potential starter at both rush end and strongside end depending how develops physically.

Jamie Gordinier (5.7) – Great size at 6-4 235. Solid athlete but not overly explosive. Diagnoses plays quickly and doesn’t fall for misdirection. Effective in space and plays under control. Sound tackler that strikes and wraps up. Scrapes well while staying square to the line of scrimmage. Good hand usage to disengage from blockers. Strong enough to hold up at the point of attack. Effective in underneath zone but will struggle with more responsibility in coverage. Committed to Miami over Boston College. Won a state title in NJ. Projects as a rotation player at SLB with some starter potential.

Interior DL – C+

Kendrick Norton (5.9) – Very good size at 6-3 with a huge lower half. Tremendous strength and generates a ton of power from his legs. Exceptional movement skills for a player of his build. Very good hand usage a pass rusher and deflects the offensive player’s hands very well. Excels at pulling and crushes players downfield. Much better player moving forward than back and really struggles against quickness as a pass blocker. Committed to Miami over Auburn. UA All-American. Nose tackle prospect with upside as a guard. Powerful 0 tech prospect with surprising pass rush ability.

Richard McIntosh (5.8) – Great size at 6-5 with tremendous length. Very good athlete with good initial quickness. Good snap anticipation. Plays with great leverage. Uses his hands well to disengage blockers. Proficient using both a bull rush and an arm over. Struggles after initial movement is shut down. Motor runs hot and cold and can lose gap integrity when not focused. Needs to get stronger to be effective inside against the run. Went from 240 pounds a year ago to over 270. 11 sacks as a senior. Starting potential as both a strong side end and defensive tackle.

Ryan Fines (5.6) – Listed at 6-3 with a stubby build. Good hand usage and leverage as pass rusher. Stacks well and shows good awareness at finding the ball carrier. Solid initial quickness. Average athlete that won’t be much of a threat in the pass game. Played with St. Louis and Patchan at IMG Academy. Rotational player at both nose and defensive tackle.

LB – C

Charles Perry (5.8) – Average size at 6-1 205 but has the frame to get over 230. Great athlete with good top end speed. Explosive and should excel as an interior blitzer. Seeks contact and strikes ball carriers. Changes direction fairly well. Solid instincts but needs to read things quicker. Should excel in coverage due to athleticism and fluidity. Physical runner with upside there in college. Committed to Miami before his junior season. Great athlete that should develop into a starting weakside backer.

James King (5.6) – Undersized at 6-1 190 with a small frame. Very quick. Reads plays initially very well. Good lateral movement and doesn’t overrun plays. Good burst up field as a blitzer. Smooth dropping into coverage. Not very physical and avoids blockers. Tackles too high. Will need to gain a significant amount of weight to contribute as a run defender. Signing day flip from FAU. Teammate of Mark Walton. Nickel LB that probably makes his biggest impact on special teams.

DB – B

Jaquan Johnson (6.0) – Short at 5-10 but a solid build. Incredible football intelligence. Diagnoses plays quickly. Uncanny ability to get through trash to find the ball carrier. Terrific COD and short area quickness. Great open field tackler. Plays the ball well in the air. Average top end speed. Size will cause issues with tackling bigger targets. Incredible leadership. Back injury caused him to miss part of his junior season. Played RB and returned kicks to go along with playing DB at Killian. Committed to Miami over Florida. Four time All-Dade first-team. Army All-American. 16 career interceptions. Early enrollee that should be in the rotation at both safety spots as a freshman.

Robert Knowles (5.8) – Very good size at 6-1+. Explosive athlete that shows proficiency as a blitzer. Extremely quick going forward. Reads QBs well as a deep safety and shows good range. Very good ball skills and attacks the ball at the high point. Devastating hitter but needs to develop as a tackler. Struggles to see plays develop when he’s closer to the line. Former FIU commit. Grade issues cause little interest in recruitment. Big athlete with potential to be a very good starting FS.

Michael Jackson (5.7) – Great size, 6-1 with great length. Solid athlete. Transitions well out of his shuffle and explodes forward. Shows good awareness in zone. Very willing tackler and physical in the run game, but has poor overall technique and needs to play lower. Average quickness and struggles to change directions. Had offers from Nebraska and Clemson. Potential starter down the road as a zone corner.

Sheldrick Redwine (5.7) – Good height with a decent frame. Plus movement skills and fluid. Quick feet and can turn and run with receivers. Very aggressive and physical player. Tracks the ball well and makes plays while it’s in the air. HS teammate of Jaquan Johnson. Flipped from Louisville on signing day. Raw player but has starter upside at corner and should be a good special teamer as a floor.

Overall Grade – B-

From an overall talent perspective, the class was a fairly solid one. The target numbers at quarterback, offensive line and defensive back were met, but the lack of a second running back and second wide receiver hurt the overall grade of the class. There are six players graded as **** on the offensive side, and 5 **** on defense. One player just missed being graded a 5*.

The highlight of the entire class is RB Mark Walton. He’s an elite athlete that excels in space, but only having one back in this class when there was a clear need for two hurts the grade. Jerome Washington and Tyree St. Louis are also great talents with very high ceilings. Bar Milo and Lawrence Cager both should be very good starters down the road. The depth at offensive line was badly needed, and both Jones and Gauthier should be contributors. Shirreffs is an intriguing talent with a ton of physical ability.

The defensive back class had an off way of working out, but on the whole it is a very talented group. Both Johnson and Knowles project to be starters and Jackson and Redwine are both tall, long corners with upside. The front seven is lacking top talent but McIntosh and Norton have physical attributes to excel in certain roles. Charles Perry is more athlete than linebacker right now but has the most potential of the front seven group. Gordinier is a very solid player but lacks upside.