I did this last year hoping others on this board would give their own rankings but it ended up just being me. That's fine. I liked doing it so I'd like to do the same for this year's signees for posterity's sake. (If you want to see what I came up with last year you can click HERE - keep in mind, it's still early).
As with last year, I'm ranking the players according to how much of an impact I think they will have while playing at ND. Players that I think have the potential to be multi-year starters and/or possibly a 1st or 2nd round NFL draft pick are ranked near the top of the list. Players that I think will likely be backups for most of their ND careers will be ranked near the bottom. The rest will be filled in between accordingly.
Ranking the 2020 signees with comments about each:
Again, I'm sure I'll be wildly wrong about several of these.
Let me know who you would rank where.
As with last year, I'm ranking the players according to how much of an impact I think they will have while playing at ND. Players that I think have the potential to be multi-year starters and/or possibly a 1st or 2nd round NFL draft pick are ranked near the top of the list. Players that I think will likely be backups for most of their ND careers will be ranked near the bottom. The rest will be filled in between accordingly.
Ranking the 2020 signees with comments about each:
- Michael Mayer, TE - He is at the top of just about everyone's list for good reason. Besides his measurables, he has been a top performer among his peers in camp settings and the UA game. He appears to be ready for the limelight as a true freshman but we'll have to wait to see if the staff is ready to put him in a rotation with Tremble and Wright. Regardless, I expect him to be starting by next year.
- Jordan Botelho, DE (possible LB) - If you haven't seen his highlight film you absolutely owe it to yourself to check it out. This kid plays angry all of the time. High motor, extremely athletic, quick and a hard hitter. I believe there are 2 main reasons the services didn't rank higher than he already is. One is the fact he wasn't able to play in the all-star games because he got in a fight at school. I think he would have done well in the AA and Polynesian Bowl and likely would have seen a rating boost. The other reason is that he is a bit of a tweener. He's been compared to Daelin Hayes but is 2 inches shorter. Even so, he's a more complete player than Daelin was at this stage and definitely nastier. He's a good enough athlete that he could end up as the buck if the coaches think that is where he can do the most damage.
- Jordan Johnson, WR - Even though Johnson has the 2nd highest composite rating in this class, most of the ND analysts are ranking him slightly lower than I have him here. I think he deserves to stay in the top 3 because I think he's the best WR prospect BK has ever signed (Fuller wasn't heralded as a prospect) and the top WRs tend to be featured more than top RBs in BK's offenses (obviously, not always). As great as JJ is, I still think he is undervalued. He has stood out in every camp setting and at the AA practices. I believe the reason people don't completely believe their eyes when they see him is because he isn't tall. He isn't big. And he doesn't have elite speed. But he keeps beating elite defenders because his route running and ball skills are elite. At this stage of his career, it's totally not fair to compare him to any greats but it's helpful to remind people that WRs like Antonio Brown and Deandre Hopkins are similar in size and both ran over 4.5 sec in the 40 at the combine. I don't want to get too crazy invoking those names. I'm just sayin'.
- Chris Tyree, RB - Honestly, I could easily flip-flop Johnson and Tyree in the 3 and 4 spots. I believe both will be studs. Tyree, however, has a bit more of a question mark due to his size. The question really isn't whether his size will translate at the college level. I believe it's really a question of whether or not his body will hold up. I'm banking on the likelihood he is able to stay healthy. If he does, he's easily the best RB prospect I've seen in the BK era. Everyone points to his elite speed, and they should, but he is an extremely smooth runner. He does just enough to make people miss and looks effortless in doing so. He's also great catching the ball out of the backfield. He will be more of a home run threat than our last home run hitters, Dexter and Josh.
- Tosh Baker, OT - He has elite OT written all over him. His ranking took a dive late in the cycle likely due to a minor injury. He needs to put on size but that shouldn't be a problem once he stops playing basketball and just focuses on his football body. I think he will be a multi-year starter and possibly a first-round pick. I might regret not ranking him in the top 3 but it's not really a knock against him. It's more about those other players.
- Xavier Watts, WR (possible CB) - Every analyst seems to agree that Watts is the most under-rated player in the class. He's a bit like Tranquil was in that he is rated as a 3-star but his athleticism and versatility almost guarantee that he will see the field early and excel at whatever he does. Right now, there is a bigger need at CB so I won't be surprised if he starts out there but I believe he can be a multi-year starter at either WR or CB.
- Rylie Mills, DT (or SDE) - Analysts keep pointing out that he won't quite be another Tillery but he will still be very good. I tend to agree but I think he is actually a bit stronger at this stage of development than JT was and has really good hands. If he continues to get stronger and a little bigger he will likely start by 2022 and possibly as early as 2021.
- Ramon Henderson, CB (allegedly) - So I'm not buying him as a CB even though the staff says so and Wiltfong thinks so too. His stride seems too long to stick with quick-moving WRs. But his elite speed (faster than Lenzy) and length are going to get him in the lineup somewhere. Wherever that is, he'll need some developing (I'm guessing FS). I think he'll get molded into a starter by 2022.
- Clarence Lewis, CB - There's actually more film of Lewis as a WR but he seems to be exactly the type of CB that BK said the staff is currently looking for - WRs that don't know they're really CBs. Lewis is a very fluid runner, looks fast and is used to tracking the ball. He doesn't have as much upside as Henderson, but he may be a safer bet to see playing time sooner.
- Michael Carmody, OL - Carmody's floor is almost as high as Mayer's but his upside may be limited. He did really well in the 2 all-star games he played in. In the AA game, he played RG. In the Polynesian bowl, he played LT. I think he'll end up playing guard at ND and has a good chance to be a starter by 2023.
- Aidan Keanaaina, DT - I have him ranked slightly lower than most of the analysts, which is surprising because I really like him. He's a wide load who holds his weight very well. He has a very quick first step but he's a bit slow overall (not surprising). He struggled against double teams in the Polynesian bowl but did well when in one on one situations. As big and well put together as he is, I actually think he needs to get a little stronger. Regardless, he's going to get playing time due to his size.
- Alexander Ehrensberger, DE - I really wish I had the courage to rank Alex higher because I think he's actually going to be very good, but there is no denying he is currently a project. Still, he looks the part and actually runs well for his size. I'm reminded of Ade when I consider his rawness but Ade wasn't this big at this stage, so I think it's just a matter of getting Alex a little bigger and used to this level of elite football.
- Jay Brunelle, WR - I know Brunelle was a polarizing figure when he first committed but I think he's going to prove his detractors wrong. He's a physical receiver with good speed, very good hands, and a "want to" attitude that is second to none. There are several higher rated WRs who he needs to contend with. If he can't pass them up I think the coaches will find a position for him somewhere.
- Drew Pyne, QB - Just like Brendon Clark last year, Pyne doesn't deserve to be ranked this low but it becomes a projection game. There won't be an open QB competition until next year and Tyler Buchner will be part of that competition as an early enrollee. I expect TB at or near the top of my commit list next year so it's hard to project either BC or DP beating him out. Still, Pyne is a very good QB who performed very well against elite competition in the UA game. He has skills and swagger so it won't surprise me if he is the starter at some point.
- Kevin Bauman, TE - Bauman doesn't deserve to be ranked this low either, but I don't see anywhere else to put him. He was the top target in the Polynesian Bowl and was named team captain. If he was the only TE in this class I think we'd all be very excited about him and he'd be ranked several spots higher. Mayer is in this class, however, so this is about where KB belongs.
- Alex Peitsch, LS - Alex will be the long snapper for 4 years. He's very good. Enough said.
- Caleb Offord, DB - I really hope Offord makes me look like an idiot here because it's kind of bad that I have him ranked behind a long snapper. Unfortunately, he is the one guy in this class whose film really doesn't jump out at you. I really don't see him playing CB because I don't think he is fast enough and he doesn't look physical enough to play safety. The coaches see something so hopefully, he develops into whatever they see.
Again, I'm sure I'll be wildly wrong about several of these.
Let me know who you would rank where.
