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(02-01-2017 03:25 PM)ITalian83i Wrote:  In the press conference he mentioned being at 23 and having 2 opens spots for grad transfers and not being pigeonholed. I would expect a QB and potentially a WR or DT to be brought in to contribute and compete.

That sounds about right. Another DT like that player we brought in as a 5th year UM transfer a few years ago. He was a great contributor!

(02-01-2017 03:50 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(02-01-2017 03:25 PM)ITalian83i Wrote:  In the press conference he mentioned being at 23 and having 2 opens spots for grad transfers and not being pigeonholed. I would expect a QB and potentially a WR or DT to be brought in to contribute and compete.

That sounds about right. Another DT like that player we brought in as a 5th year UM transfer a few years ago. He was a great contributor!

Ash. He was a great asset as a nose tackle.

(02-01-2017 03:50 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(02-01-2017 03:25 PM)ITalian83i Wrote:  In the press conference he mentioned being at 23 and having 2 opens spots for grad transfers and not being pigeonholed. I would expect a QB and potentially a WR or DT to be brought in to contribute and compete.

That sounds about right. Another DT like that player we brought in as a 5th year UM transfer a few years ago. He was a great contributor!

Overall, it looks like Lester and his staff brought in a solid class, especially on defense. That makes sense due to all of the losses on that side of the ball after this season.
BTW, Fleck had a so-so recruiting class at Minnesota. BTN showed the Gophers at about 12-13 in Big Ten recruiting rank. Of course, he got a late start in recruiting as did TL.

(02-01-2017 05:02 PM)BrownandGoldforever Wrote:  

(02-01-2017 03:50 PM)BroncoPhilly Wrote:  

(02-01-2017 03:25 PM)ITalian83i Wrote:  In the press conference he mentioned being at 23 and having 2 opens spots for grad transfers and not being pigeonholed. I would expect a QB and potentially a WR or DT to be brought in to contribute and compete.

That sounds about right. Another DT like that player we brought in as a 5th year UM transfer a few years ago. He was a great contributor!

Overall, it looks like Lester and his staff brought in a solid class, especially on defense. That makes sense due to all of the losses on that side of the ball after this season.
BTW, Fleck had a so-so recruiting class at Minnesota. BTN showed the Gophers at about 12-13 in Big Ten recruiting rank. Of course, he got a late start in recruiting as did TL.

We are only losing 2.5 starters on defense (Ferguson). 6 on offense.

Is Ellis waiting to sign?

(02-01-2017 06:57 PM)Kalamazoo12 Wrote:  Is Ellis waiting to sign?

I was really hoping we could land him. He had one of the more impressive tapes I've watched this year.

I dunno what his story is at the moment.

Well, the dust has settled.

I'm really excited about our LB corps. What a solid group. Some of them will compete for a spot on the 2-deep in fall camp. That was one of the positions with the weakest depth, so I'm glad to see it being addressed in a big way.

Reece Goddard is a big-time sleeper. I loved his film. QB is a big question mark right now. Wassink will probably be the starter, but there aint much depth.

WR corps was another area that needed some immediate depth, and it was addressed in a good way. Tyron Arnett looks like he could compete right away, and Sanders, Hall and Lezzer are all guys with a lot of upside. A year or two in the weight room and they could turn into some serious playmakers.

DT Ralph Holley looks like a good one. DE Tanner Mathias has a big frame and could turn into a solid pass rusher down the road.

There's a lot of potential with the OL group. Deatherage and Dellinger will be great after a year in the weight room. Elazazy is very big and very strong. O'Mara is a beastly interior lineman. Campbell might be the best of the group.


Overall, I see a lot of potential in this group. I don't think there's a lot of immediate impact guys outside of the linebackers, but we don't need that right now. We still have a stacked roster. The cupboard is full. We return 10 defensive guys that started a game in 2016. And there's plenty of talent on offense. Get these new guys coached up and integrated into the team, and we're going to be just fine.

Not very impressed with Elazazy or Dellinger. I think they are projects. I like O'Mara as a Center and Deatherage as a Tackle if he gets stronger.

I think the staff was going for raw size and strength. Every one of these guys might be a project except for O'Mara.

Elazazy looked slow on film, but he's raw.

(02-01-2017 08:05 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  I think the staff was going for raw size and strength. Every one of these guys might be a project except for O'Mara.

Elazazy looked slow on film, but he's raw.

Elazazy has size but it isn't considered good size in my opinion. Needs to be physically shaped better. Anyone ever see the Goldie Hawn movie Wildcats? Elazazy reminds me of Finch. I think he plays guard.

Every offensive lineman they got this year needs a RS year and it may be 2 years before any of them can contribute besides Campbell. Omara will be Keenoy's replacement unless they out recruit him in 18'.

Holley looks like the only DT that we got in this class. Dez Lance frankly looks like a guy they should consider playing at DE. Fayad is physically impressive, but if he is going to play DE at this level, probably going to need to put on 20. But I like his motor. Mathias is a project, but has a good frame to start with.

I'm not as high on the LB crew as everyone else I don't think. Moment looks like a player, but in his tape there isn't much showing him having to shed blockers, he is in space a lot. If he is fast enough, I would consider playing him at safety. Chapman is another guy that has to get more weight on him, but he reacts quickly. Like him a lot. To me. Hubbard, Hayward and Motz have a ways to go.

Like the DB's we got to add to the mix that we already have.

The WR group is alright. Hall needs to eat a few cheeseburgers, or hit Bilbos for a couple weeks. But I think there is potential there come RS soph, JR years. I think Sanders finds himself on the two deep, as does Arnett. Lezzer, I thought should be a safety, but if he plays WR, he looks like a slot. Don't think he has same talent level as some of our current slot guys.

Goddard is growing on me.

It was disappointing not getting Brevin Harris in particular. This is a guy that I felt Lester should have landed. There had to have been a little bit of a relationship there when he was at Purdue.

I apologize if any of this has been repeated, but thought I'd share some interesting tidbits I learned from last night's event about what appear to be some of our better recruits in this year's class:

Reece Goddard (QB) - Lester compared him to Jordan Lynch. Dual-threat and very tough kid.
Tyler Arnett (WR) - Virginia came in at the latest minute and tried to steal him. He's going to be a good one.
Ryan Lezzer (ATH) - Has two Uncle's that played for Bill Kenney at Penn State. Lester compared his game to Daniel Braverman.
Trevor Campbell (OL) - Lester wanted him BADLY when he was at Purdue. He'll start for us down the road.
Tom O'Mara (OL) - As others have noted, he will be our center (next in line after Keenoy). Noted his toughness.
Mohammed Elazazy (OL) - Has a 6'10" wingspan! Both parents were Olympians for the country of Egypt (pretty neat) so he comes from an athletic family.
Zenden Dellinger (OL) - Fleck came in late and tried to scoop him from us. Obviously didn't work.
Dezmond Lance (DT) - Most underrated kid in this class. Very fast and athletic for a DT.
Dwayne Chapman (LB) - Will play OLB and might even transition to DE for us down the road. Lester compared him to Freddie Bishop.
Corvin Moment (LB) - He played corner and safety in high school and keeps packing on weight. Will be very fast at the position.
A.J. Thomas (CB) - Mom is a Bronco. He's very tall for a CB (6'3") - Lester believes he's got future NFL potential written all over him.

Kind of goes without saying but Lester knew a lot of coaches and players out there that he had previously built relationships with while at Purdue (and other places obviously), and that helped him greatly at piecing together this class at the 11th hour.

(02-02-2017 08:13 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I apologize if any of this has been repeated, but thought I'd share some interesting tidbits I learned from last night's event about what appear to be some of our better recruits in this year's class:

Reece Goddard (QB) - Lester compared him to Jordan Lynch. Dual-threat and very tough kid.
Tyler Arnett (WR) - Virginia came in at the latest minute and tried to steal him. He's going to be a good one.
Ryan Lezzer (ATH) - Has two Uncle's that played for Bill Kenney at Penn State. Lester compared his game to Daniel Braverman.
Trevor Campbell (OL) - Lester wanted him BADLY when he was at Purdue. He'll start for us down the road.
Tom O'Mara (OL) - As others have noted, he will be our center (next in line after Keenoy). Noted his toughness.
Mohammed Elazazy (OL) - Has a 6'10" wingspan! Both parents were Olympians for the country of Egypt (pretty neat) so he comes from an athletic family.
Zenden Dellinger (OL) - Fleck came in late and tried to scoop him from us. Obviously didn't work.
Dezmond Lance (DT) - Most underrated kid in this class. Very fast and athletic for a DT.
Dwayne Chapman (LB) - Will play OLB and might even transition to DE for us down the road. Lester compared him to Freddie Bishop.
Corvin Moment (LB) - He played corner and safety in high school and keeps packing on weight. Will be very fast at the position.
A.J. Thomas (CB) - Mom is a Bronco. He's very tall for a CB (6'3") - Lester believes he's got future NFL potential written all over him.

Kind of goes without saying but Lester knew a lot of coaches and players out there that he had previously built relationships with while at Purdue (and other places obviously), and that helped him greatly at piecing together this class at the 11th hour.

Thanks for that post this is the kind of Human interest information that gives even more identity to this class and validates that WMU got a good class inspiite of the circumstances.I will be anxious to see what this staff can accomplish next year.

Really good breakdown by Jarritt Orlando ... interviewed most of the incoming class and its apparent that Lester really wants to drive WMU forward with the culture that was built over the last few years under Fleck... Great read and really makes me excited to see how this team moves forward!

(also, it was of interest to note that a number of commits mentioned the academics at WMU being a huge selling point... thats refreshing).

https://westernmichigan.rivals.com/news/...-day-recap

(02-02-2017 08:13 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I apologize if any of this has been repeated, but thought I'd share some interesting tidbits I learned from last night's event about what appear to be some of our better recruits in this year's class:

Reece Goddard (QB) - Lester compared him to Jordan Lynch. Dual-threat and very tough kid.
Tyler Arnett (WR) - Virginia came in at the latest minute and tried to steal him. He's going to be a good one.
Ryan Lezzer (ATH) - Has two Uncle's that played for Bill Kenney at Penn State. Lester compared his game to Daniel Braverman.
Trevor Campbell (OL) - Lester wanted him BADLY when he was at Purdue. He'll start for us down the road.
Tom O'Mara (OL) - As others have noted, he will be our center (next in line after Keenoy). Noted his toughness.
Mohammed Elazazy (OL) - Has a 6'10" wingspan! Both parents were Olympians for the country of Egypt (pretty neat) so he comes from an athletic family.
Zenden Dellinger (OL) - Fleck came in late and tried to scoop him from us. Obviously didn't work.
Dezmond Lance (DT) - Most underrated kid in this class. Very fast and athletic for a DT.
Dwayne Chapman (LB) - Will play OLB and might even transition to DE for us down the road. Lester compared him to Freddie Bishop.
Corvin Moment (LB) - He played corner and safety in high school and keeps packing on weight. Will be very fast at the position.
A.J. Thomas (CB) - Mom is a Bronco. He's very tall for a CB (6'3") - Lester believes he's got future NFL potential written all over him.

Kind of goes without saying but Lester knew a lot of coaches and players out there that he had previously built relationships with while at Purdue (and other places obviously), and that helped him greatly at piecing together this class at the 11th hour.

Good info, thanks. I'm guessing O'Mara will probably redshirt. Keenoy has two years left, so that way O'Mara would have three years to start at Center once Keenoy graduates. I'm pretty excited about A.J. Thomas, I did not know about his mom being a Bronco, and 6'3'' CB are not easy to come by.

nice effort and work...mlive should steal it and link it

(02-02-2017 10:22 AM)flushtheherd Wrote:  Really good breakdown by Jarritt Orlando
https://westernmichigan.rivals.com/news/...-day-recap

Thanks for the link. Jarritt is doing a great job with the site these days.

Now get rid of the other buffoon "contributor"

How about Josh Grant hitting a 65 yard field goal. Hampton was big for us but Grant looks like a top notch player as well. I think the fact that we had a scholarship to give is why he is at WMU and not a P5 powerhouse school.

(02-02-2017 10:31 AM)broncos1123 Wrote:  

(02-02-2017 08:13 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I apologize if any of this has been repeated, but thought I'd share some interesting tidbits I learned from last night's event about what appear to be some of our better recruits in this year's class:

Reece Goddard (QB) - Lester compared him to Jordan Lynch. Dual-threat and very tough kid.
Tyler Arnett (WR) - Virginia came in at the latest minute and tried to steal him. He's going to be a good one.
Ryan Lezzer (ATH) - Has two Uncle's that played for Bill Kenney at Penn State. Lester compared his game to Daniel Braverman.
Trevor Campbell (OL) - Lester wanted him BADLY when he was at Purdue. He'll start for us down the road.
Tom O'Mara (OL) - As others have noted, he will be our center (next in line after Keenoy). Noted his toughness.
Mohammed Elazazy (OL) - Has a 6'10" wingspan! Both parents were Olympians for the country of Egypt (pretty neat) so he comes from an athletic family.
Zenden Dellinger (OL) - Fleck came in late and tried to scoop him from us. Obviously didn't work.
Dezmond Lance (DT) - Most underrated kid in this class. Very fast and athletic for a DT.
Dwayne Chapman (LB) - Will play OLB and might even transition to DE for us down the road. Lester compared him to Freddie Bishop.
Corvin Moment (LB) - He played corner and safety in high school and keeps packing on weight. Will be very fast at the position.
A.J. Thomas (CB) - Mom is a Bronco. He's very tall for a CB (6'3") - Lester believes he's got future NFL potential written all over him.

Kind of goes without saying but Lester knew a lot of coaches and players out there that he had previously built relationships with while at Purdue (and other places obviously), and that helped him greatly at piecing together this class at the 11th hour.

Good info, thanks. I'm guessing O'Mara will probably redshirt. Keenoy has two years left, so that way O'Mara would have three years to start at Center once Keenoy graduates. I'm pretty excited about A.J. Thomas, I did not know about his mom being a Bronco, and 6'3'' CB are not easy to come by.

In a perfect world you'll always redshirt OL and DL. You always dream you are deep enough even your best recruits get that year for development. Helps them so much more on the backend of their career.

I think the only players I see getting a start this year likely come from the WR's in the class. Possibly Luke Sanders and Ryan Lezzer... Lezzer looks like a possible Braverman clone. Lezzer adds some punch to his 40 time and I see him picking up where D Brave left off a year ago... Sanders has the length and hands to compete right away...

I have to agree however, that its important to not rush these guys into service to maintain more legitimate depth all across the board...