Safeties

[PonyTales]

Safeties have to be on Coach Bennett's wish list, don't they? Consider the fact that Dorsey and O'Neill are gone. So the returning safeties we have are:

- Ruben Moodley (one of SMU's best defensive players, joins Garrett and Rutledge as cornerstones of SMU secondary)
- Rico Harris (will be a star)
- Leroy Price (unreal athlete who should be a star - but has a reputation of being lazy and a malcontent who's hard to work with)
- Alvin Nnabuife (too early to tell)
- Matt Rushbrook (undersized, has great instincts - missed 2001 season)
- Chris Godfrey (solid on special teams, not enough playing time on defense to form an opinion)
- Travis Hunt (2001 redshirt - no opinion yet)
- T.J. James (2001 redshirt - no opinion yet)

There are some good physical specimens there, and we can always hang on to the word "potential" with this group. From what I've seen at practice, Moodley is a stud, and Price certainly has the ability to be a stud, but seems to turn it on and off in practice - a habit that will not endear him to Coach Bennett. Rico Harris looks like he's waiting to break out in a huge way. He has the physical frame, the speed, and he's a hellacious hitter. T.J. James has a nice swagger to him in practice, and has shown he can run with every receiver SMU has except Freeman. All reports are that Travis Hunt could be a real prize, but I've never seen him personally, so I can't speak to that. Nnabuife has shown some signs, but clearly needs more strength and confidence.

All this is to say that after Moodley, we have a lot of questions. I'd love to see two big, fast safeties sign in February. Maybe the Cox kid from Garland Forest can play safety.

What about Gilmore, the injured guy from Euless Trinity? Is he safety or a corner. Any update on how his knee rehab is coming?

[RedRiverPony]

Never heard that about Leroy Price's reputation. Is that your opinion, or the opinion of coaches, players, etc.?

Isn't one of these guys related to a receiver at Florida?

[Recruiting Guru]

Remember, I'm not a coach. But if Coach Bennett's comments are accurate about needing many cornerbacks with cover skills for the defense he's going to run, SMU might have a hidden jewel in Robert Gilmore from Euless. Before he blew out his knee, he was one of the top five cover corners in the state, according to most of the coaches I've talked to. It may take a full two years for him to be back up to full speed, but he's an extremely talented player, and at 6-foot-2, he's got the size to be a dominant CB. If he gets his speed back and adds some strength/size, watch out. Every coach I've talked to who has coached against him says they design their game plans with him in mind, and spend most of the game throwing away from him.

[This message has been edited by Recruiting Guru (edited 12-18-2001).]