Video of the Day: Branden Smith 2021 QB – Cimmaron HS, Nevada

Chad Wilson

We all love versatile prospects and Cimmaron High School in Las Vegas, Nevada certainly has one in Branden Smith.  Smith lists his position as quarterback and don’t get me wrong,  he is certainly a good one but he’s much more than that.

Smith’s first play on his highlight video features him at quarterback where he absolutely de-cleats a ball carrier in viral fashion.  From there we are treated to a variety of ways in which he can breakdown a defense from the quarterback position.  Smith has the speed to out run an entire defense with also the touch on his passes to throw over it.  He has the mobility to avoid a rush and find an open receiver while also making accurate throws on the run.  If you need him to stand in the pocket and allow a WR time to get into open space,  Smith can do that as well.

If there is one word to describe Smith,  it’s dynamic.  His sophomore tape featured a lot of him running as a quarterback.  His early junior film indicates that he has brushed up on his passing abilities making him that much more difficult to defend.  Smith will remind you of the Colin Kaepernick that dominated in his final season at Nevada.  With just under two more seasons on the prep gridiron,  you should be excited to see what Branden Smith is going to become as a prospect.  Bishop Gorman is the school that gets all of the attention in Las Vegas but college scouts and fans are going to have to wake up to the prospect getting loose at Cimmaron High School in Las Vegas.

Check out Branden Smith highlight video:
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/9491452/5d8688492aa6480950fd5c94

Check out Branden Smith’s GridironStuds Profile:
https://www.gridironstuds.com/Video/Details/284176

Download the GridironStuds Recruiting App for more information on college football prospects:
https://linktr.ee/gridironstuds

COMMIT QUICK: Jaiden Francois 2020 CB Miami Commit

Chad Wilson

On February 3rd, the Miami Hurricanes received a commitment from what I believe to be one of the best cornerback / defensive back prospects in the country.  South Dade’s 2020 cornerback Jaiden Francois is ranked as the 24th cornerback in the class by 247 Sports and 25th by Rivals.  Both of those rankings are too low in my opinion.

Francois is a playmaker and that becomes obvious very early on his film.  The 6’1″ 184 lb. versatile DB finds the football and makes plays on it.  One thing he definitely added to his repertoire from his sophomore season to his junior season is his ability to be dangerous with the ball in his hands when he nabs the interception.  Throwing an interception to Francois is a death sentence for the opposing team because he’s likely going to take it back.  Francois also added more aggressive play to his arsenal as well.  The tackles seem to hit different on film than they did in the past.  Now,  Francois does not just bring a ball carrier down,  he runs through them in a most intimidating fashion.

From one season to the next,  Francois has gone from a solid little player to a guy that is to be avoided on the football field.  What I also like about Francois is his versatility.  He can like up at corner, nickel and even play deep in the middle or on the hash.  He’s one of if not the most complete DB prospect that I have watched on film for the class of 2020.  His playmaking ability is at the top of the class.  While others may be ranked ahead of him because of factors like being standouts on offense as well,  it is Francois that presents a very high DB skill level.

There are some technique things on film that need to be cleaned up but he has instincts that are hard to teach.  The football IQ that shows up on film in reminiscent of former Cane Jaquan Johnson who is now in the NFL as a member of the Buffalo Bills.  Francois’ explosiveness will at times remind you of another former Cane Sean Taylor.  I like the ceiling on Francois and I am looking forward to what his senior season brings to the table.

Target Snapshot: Henry Parrish ’20 RB Columbus HS, FL

Chad Wilson

On Thursday it was announced that 2020 Columbus High School running back Henry Parrish was offered by the Florida Gators.  This gave him the big three trifecta as he was already holding offers from Miami and Florida St.  Parrish has been on the scene for a while but he really came into common consciousness at the beginning of this season when he went crazy in his head to head battle with the six rated RB in the country Don Chaney Jr. from Belen Jesuit.

Parrish won’t wow you with measurables or dynamic runs.  That’s what you need at RB to be a heavyweight in recruiting cycles.  What Parrish does do on film is all the things you like to see out of a dependable running back.  While the fanbases love to see the explosive 80 yard runs,  the truth of the matter is that a guy that can move the sticks,  put you in manageable down and distance situations consistently plus catch the ball out of the backfield are as important.  This is exactly what Parrish brings to the table.  Playing in one of the toughest areas in the country in terms of high school football talent,  Parrish has managed to put together a pretty impressive highlight reel.

Parrish’s tape features natural running back skills like following his blocks, setting up defenders, running behind his pads, bursting to daylight, great vision and finishing off runs.  He’s a polished product that looks like he’s been a running back all his life.  He will remind you a bit of Frank Gore in terms of his natural running ability.  In this his senior year,  he has added the element of breaking tackles which has made him even more attractive.  With solid coaching and continued development,  Parrish is going to be the guy that comes out of nowhere at the next level.  He’s currently ranked as the 26th running back in the country and 360th prospect overall according to 247sports.  He is holding 22 offers and is currently committed to Pittsburgh.  It looks like his recruitment might get interesting down the stretch.

Commit Quick: FSU Seminoles 2020 DB Isaiah Dunson

Chad Wilson

2020 cornerback prospect Isaiah Dunson from Tucker HS in Georgia committed to the Seminoles on August 23.  He is currently the 315th ranked prospect nationally,  26th ranked cornerback and 30th ranked player in the state of Georgia according to 247sports.  Tucker is a well known program in the state of Georgia that has a history of producing quality prospects.

Dunson has length at 6-2 and that shows up on film.  The first few clips on his junior highlight film feature him at wide receiver.  I have spoken on this in the past as it seems playing on the offensive side of the ball,  particularly at wide receiver,  can garner you a great deal of attention as a defensive back when it comes to getting ranked in high school.  One of the major reasons for that is because you will show up more on film at wide receiver.  It becomes easier to display your athletic skill when you have the ball in your hands.

Dunson does display solid ball skills from the wide receiver position and an ability to use his size to gain an advantage.  These are things that you can project for him at the defensive back spot at the next level.  There isn’t a ton from him after the catch on his wide receiver clips but his ability with the ball in his hands shows up in the clips featuring him returning kicks.

His defensive back skills are raw as there is work to be done on his back pedal, body control and hip flips.  With that said,  there’s much to work with there athletically.  In terms of projection,  Dunson’s ceiling his high because of his size and athleticism.  Currently he is a more polished wide receiver than defensive back. I can see why Florida State would be excited about him as a defensive back prospect given his attributes.  IN what press clips I was able to see from some camp visits,  Dunson is solid in using his size and length when in press man situations.  In other words,  he plays big.  He also does a good job in keep contacting with wide receivers and tracking the ball on deep throws.  One other thing that stands out is his ability to get back into it when beat on intermediate routes to stick a hand in the basket to get a pass break up.

It will be interesting to see his development throughout his senior campaign as he will be relied upon even more on defense to lead Tucker throughout the season.

Commit Quick: Gators 2021 DB Clinton Burton Jr.

Chad Wilson

The Florida Gators recently picked up a commitment from St. Frances HS (Maryland) 2021 defensive back Clinton Burton Jr.  St. Frances gained attention down in the Sunshine State a couple of weeks ago when they handed perennial city of Miami power Central a 49-13 whipping in a nationally televised game.  St. Frances is the #1 ranked team in the country according to MaxPreps.

When you are a nationally ranked program like St. Frances,  it only stands to reason that many of the athletes on your team will get major attention and Burton has reaped the benefits of that.  Now firmly in his junior season,  Burton has collected 15 offers from some of the nations top programs like Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio St., Texas A&M and his choice,  Florida.  Here’s how I see this prospect.

The first thing that flashes on the screen for Burton is his quickness.  On film,  those feet are moving fast.  With mostly all that we are seeing out of Burton on film being him in off coverage,  he is very adept in getting out of his breaks.  There is little wasted movement once he recognizes the route and has to get from point A to point B.  If you want to get a true measure of a cornerback’s overall competency,  watch him playing in off coverage.  Burton’s tape exclusively provides that.  Most defensive back coaches will tell you that they can turn any DB with quick feet into a solid press man corner if they needed to.  While I don’t 100% agree with that,  I can tell you having quick feet is certainly better than not having them.

What you also notice out of Burton are some pretty solid instincts and recognition.  He does a good job of keying his reads and reacting.  You get the sense that he trusts what he sees out there and won’t hesitate to react to it.  His film displays quite a few clips of him getting solid breaks on short to intermediate routes and either getting a pick or a pass break up.

Burton does not display what I would call elite ball skills however they are quite solid.  He does a fairly good job of tracking the deep ball and making a play on it at it’s highest point.  His video does also show a couple of missed opportunities.  The good thing here is that we are talking about a prospect that has two more seasons on the high school gridiron.

Finally,  Burton does not show any fear in making contact.  While he opts for tossing the shoulder into ball carriers more than he should,  he is explosive enough when doing to so take them off of their feet.  More than half the battle in tackling is desire so if there needs to be any improvements in tackling with regards to wrapping up,  Burton already possesses a key ingredient which is lack of fear in this department.  While I would have liked to have seen him more in some press man situations as he would likely find himself in as a member of Florida’s defense,  you can be comforted by his ability to move laterally, plant his feet in the ground and change direction.  His ability to throw his body around also gives you the thought that he may have the toughness mindset that it takes to excel in press coverage.

Looking at the Possible AP Top 10

Chad Wilson

The Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide lead the odds-boards to win the National Title again at the best sports betting sites.

We have to think that the Tigers and Tide get ranked No. 1 and No. 2.

The Georgia Bulldogs should get the No. 3 ranked spot. Some ballets put Ohio State No. 4 but I disagree. I think Michigan is a better team and now has the better coach. That said, Ohio State has a much easier schedule. However, the AP Polls should be based off of expected wins with relationship to the remaining schedule, it should be solely based on how powerful a team is. So, we put the Wolverines at the No. 4 spot.

Now there is a close toss-up at No. 5 and No. 6 between Ohio State and Oklahoma. Our poll puts Oklahoma at No. 5 just barely ahead of the Buckeyes at No. 6. But these two could be interchangeable.

It’s tough in The Valley once again. And LSU takes the No. 7 spot, just ahead of Texas mostly because of their defensive front. They are big, bad, and have a whole lot of talent up front in the trenches. They also get a good chunk of their offense unit back.

Florida Gators Dan Mullen and the Gators are back at it and they will be making a run at the SEC East in 2019. Will they get upset by Georgia again? Even if they do, they should be considered the preseason No. 8 in the toughest conference in College Football.

I almost had the Texas Longhorns ranked at No. 8, but their ability to protect their QB concerns me. There is a ton of talent at RB and at WR, but Elhinger carries the ball too much and takes too many big hits. So the Horns fall to No. 9.

At No. 10 we have Notre Dame. Some have the Fighting Irish as high as No. 7, but the receiving Corps. Has taken a hit and Dexter Williams has packed his bags for Green Bay. So, even though the perennial powerhouse made it through their regular season undefeated, they are not quite as strong as they were last year. That said, they are still worthy of  a Top-Ten spot.

The SEC is deep once again. The ACC has taken slide. Clemson is the only team worthy of the Top-Ten and really, there is no other ACC team worthy of the top 25 other than Syracuse, who should come in somewhere in the 20s, I’d put them at 22nd.

Meanwhile over in the Pac-12 we don’t see any teams in the Top-Ten. However, we could see Oregon ranked as high as No. 11, but more likely they’ll come in at 12th. The Huskies should be No. 14 and Utah could be No. 15 or No. 16. So, They’ll isn’t a cakewalk.

The Big 10 and Big 12 are well-represented with Michigan and Ohio State in the Top-Ten and Oklahoma and Texas in the Top-Ten. So, of the Power-5, the ACC is the Weakest link in 2019. Clemson has a weak schedule that could show them walking into the College Football Playoffs without bruises. Their toughest games are at Syracuse and Hosting Texas A&M. But, they get aTm in Week 2 while everyone is still fresh at the beginning of the season.