We sit here on the eve of day one of Signings. Transfer period has come and gone, and the landscape has changed slightly across the landscape. This is a quick Mock to take into account any movement or new rumors we've heard that may have changed things up a bit. Hope you all enjoy...
1. Michigan- CB Harold Wallace Jr. News from Ann Arbor have the Wolverines still struggling between the CB Wallace and WR Fredrick Mitchell. They landed a couple transfers who will serve as depth, but no one who has the potential of these two Freshmen. We stand by our belief that elite CB is tougher to come by, but it’s hard to argue against pairing a talent like Mitchell with current standout Edwards. Either way, they will get an impact player.
2. Texas- WR Fredrick Mitchell. The Longhorns were busy during transfer period. They landed depth at defensive line, while luring starters at CB and SLB. By beefing up their defense, they can focus on adding a game changing WR. Fredrick Mitchell should be very pleased if he landed in either of the top two slots. Either way, he’ll pair up with a dynamic number 1.
3. Texas A&M- QB John Fox. The Aggies brought in QB Nate Heywood during transfer season, but we see this as a depth move. Their offense has the drive, they just need a signal caller to turn the key and steer.
4. Stanford- WLB Ale Kaho. The Cardinal logged enough miles this transfer period that they won’t have to pay for airline tickets the next several transfer periods. They were able to bring in several OL upgrades, including a new LG and RT. Perhaps their best signings were perhaps WR Michael Perez and DT Frank Connolly. We stand by our earlier projection, however, as WLB is still an area of need, as LB wasn’t addressed. CB Francis Hackett could be moving up draft boards, however, and he has reportedly taken a campus visit to Stanford in recent days.
5. Kansas- RDE Evan Fairman. The Jayhawks were quiet in the transfer period. They stayed on campus and kept reviewing game tape for the top recruits across the country. What they saw was the versatile Fairman, who will come in and immediately challenge for the starter’s job on the defensive end left by David Honeycutt.
6. UCLA- CB Francis Hackett. Hackett reportedly has amazed during his campus visit to UCLA, confirming the wow factor several teams have saw in his highlight tapes. While it’s been no secret the Bruins covet Harold Wallace Jr, signing a player like Hackett is a nice consolidation prize. He will quickly make the Bruins forget Harold whatshisname.
7. Florida- DT Carl Barajas. The Gators beefed up their biggest need, defensive line, by landing DE Balzer and George. We were contacted earlier in the week by a source within Florida who gave us hints about two players they’d like to be on the board when it’s their time to sign. However, with those two not available, we believe they set their sights on their interior line. Barajas is better than either two starters, and should push them for playing time this season. If they try and force the issue, RDE Eugene Alley will be the signing.
8. Florida State- WR Justin Shorter. We stick with our original projection here, especially after seeing long time WR Michael Perez suddenly depart the team in the offseason. His departure leaves just two active wide outs on the team. Shorter comes with some baggage, but the Seminoles are after the best player, not best character.
9. Washington State- RB Zamir White. Transfer Chet Bauman’s ceiling is a change of pace back, allowing the workhorse to take a sip of water and catch his breath. However, conversations had in the last week with a source inside Wazzu Country have brought up the possibility of signing another position. Ultimately, the lure of White and what he could bring to this offense is too much and he makes his way to the Pacific Northwest to enjoy all that rain.
10. Oregon- MLB William Becker. The Ducks bolstered their secondary, luring CB Autrey and Crawford away from two of the top defenses in the NCAA last season. Their addition should immediately improve pass coverage, if only for the season. They struck out on adding LB help, when SLB MaLeik Gatewood chose the PAC 12 rival Trojans. Becker still addresses a need, and will improve them in the long run.
11. LSU- CB Leonard Mendenhall. LSU landed the biggest fish this transfer period, snagging All American QB Wesley Terry to play for the Tigers. Their roster is set up to win now, as several key players are nearing the end of their prime. This unfortunately leaves them in a delicate situation here, as few players available here can come in and contribute to the cause immediately, except Leonard Mendenhall. He will slide in and be the cover corner at the 2 spot that they haven’t had the last few seasons.
12. USC- WR Ernest St. George. While the Trojans have signed a couple WR transfers this offseason, we feel they are not starting caliber. We previously had projected them to sign WR Kilbourne, but a recently failed drug test raised yet another red flag for the Trojans. Instead, they choose a WR with zero off the field issues and a propensity to achieve at his best every down. They were a finalist for QB Wesley Terry, leading some to suspect they could go with Uncle Rico here, but we are a believer in Meskow and his chances to succeed in Southern California in the years to come.
13. Auburn- QB Uncle Rico. Auburn isn’t sold on starter Jay Jones, as evidence by his scholarship not being guaranteed after this season. Combined with him being the only rostered signal caller, points us in this direction. Rico will push Jones, and barring a remarkable season by Jones, he will step in next year as the presumed starter.
14. Army- CB Timothy Foster. Having their hearts ripped out, as Auburn signs the last day one QB just one slot ahead of them, Army turns their eyes to their secondary. The Black Knights are always looking for improvements, and we feel he’ll fit in nicely.
15. Rutgers- CB John Curley. The Scarlet Knights are still in need of another playmaker on the back end of their defense, and Curley can be that player. Hersch was originally slotted here, but Curley’s upside is just a bit better. He slides to Rutgers due to his issues off the field, much like Hersch. But just like Hersch, they feel they have the right atmosphere for him to thrive and develop into the player they think he can become.
16. Georgia- FS Tyler Coleman. The Bulldogs are still looking to shore up their defense, having failed to lure several of the defensive upgrades on the transfer market. Coleman should help the Bulldog defense.
17. Marshall- RDE Eugene Alley. The Thundering Herd were unable to address their defensive line in the transfer period, so Alley is their man here. He is a risk, but the reward is huge.
18. Clemson- RB John Reid. The Tigers failed to add another WR to their fold during the transfer period, and as such we stand by our original prognostication of Reid here. He should provide another offensive threat in their arsenal moving forward.
19. Oklahoma- RG John Carroll. Still the best available player when it’s Oklahoma’s choice. Not a sexy pick, but he’ll contribute his entire career.
20. Iowa- WR Salvatore Kilbourne. With St. George not available, they choose Kilbourne. They still need more options in the passing attack, having missed out on WR transfer Michael Perez.
21. Miami- WLB Kevin Thorson. Transfer season was a bust for the Hurricanes, having struck out on several defensive players. Making things worse, the sudden retirement of Weatherford left a hole in their backfield. Unfortunately, the RB options here aren’t attractive enough to go in that direction. Instead, they choose a linebacker who can operate within their system, as long as he can keep his mind on the field.
22. Utah- RDE Adrian Johnson. With the Utes being near silent this offseason, they still have a need at DL. We still like this pairing.
23. Navy- LT Richard Wolf. The Midshipmen made a splash in the transfer season, landing two of the top defensive talents available in DT Cleaver and FS Frazier. They lost some OL pieces however, so we believe they turn their eyes to shoring that area up. Wolf can play multiple positions along the line, so we believe he’s a good fit here.
24. Tennessee- FB Morris Downing. No one lost more talent than the Volunteers. They look to add a guaranteed talent here, rather than take a swing for the fences. He should move to the offensive line where he will play multiple positions, as Tennessee likes to have flexibility in their line.
25. Alabama- DT James Sunseri. Roll Tide is in a scholarship crisis. They may not have enough scholarships to sign the players they will be bringing in. We still are of the opinion that they will take a gamble on Sunseri here in an attempt to breathe life into their defensive line which faltered in key games last season.
26. Washington- WR Johnnie Langdon. In addition to our earlier comments regarding the Huskies, they lost WR Timothy Wheeler suddenly in the offseason and failed to lure transfer WR Griffin. They also upgraded their OL slightly, grabbing RG Wynn, although not as much as they wanted having failed to land three others.
27. Arizona- MLB Garland Lawrence. We admit, on this one, we are throwing darts at the wall. We still believe they have a need for depth at LB, but they are a solid team and could go anywhere. We think he is the best available at the position we identified as their weakness.
28. Oklahoma State- DT Kenneth Hammett. Previously, we projected him to move to LB and challenge a current starter. However, with the Cowboys losing Cleaver due to disciplinary reasons, Hammett will transition to DE and play immediately.
29. Ohio State- RB Alexander Rice. The speedy but troubled RB has the potential to come in and help the Buckeyes in two positions. He can be a bellwether back, and allow OSU to perhaps move one of their other leading rushers from last season to WR.
30. Syracuse- FB Sandy Murray. Syracuse is always looking to upgrade their Offensive line, and with OL Wolf gone, they turn their eyes to Murray. He should transition well to any position on the line not named Center. Protecting Hemphill and keeping blockers from disturbing his rhythm is their goal, especially after seeing Kentucky destroy their offense in the Semi Final Bowl appearance.
31. Kentucky- FS Adalberto Byers. Nothing we’ve seen from Kentucky thus far in transfer period to address the need at defensive back. They took a few swings at OL, which lead us to think they may head in that direction here, so that’s a possibility as well.
32. Notre Dame- MLB Elmer Lepe. He’s still a safe option available, and we see them as trying to go with a safer option here, after so many seasons of volatility from their day one signings.
