Grading the 2009 SMU Mustangs

[Stallion]

I was going to wait until the NCAA made its ruling on the Shawnbrey McNeal case, but I've come to the conclusion that the NCAA would have to pretty cruel to deny a hardship to a kid whose mother has had several surgeries and was in the ICU just last week. Plus he moved back to Dallas to care for a 1 year old son. I'm assuming NCAA will grant hardship.

The following is the Grading Scale(key NCAA D1-A Standards)

10 All american
9 Elite
8 All CUSA
7 Quality
6 Solid
5 Average
4 Mediocre
3 Questionmark
2 Marginal
1 Division 1AA caliber

OFFENSE:

Quarterback;

Mitchell-4.5
Depth 3
Unit Ranking: 4

Mitchell proved he had no business starting Game 1 last year as he proceeded to throw 15 Ints against the first 5 D-1A teams he faced. When comparing him to other returning starters in the Texas area over the last few years I can't give him an average rating since he lead the nation in Ints. and has yet to beat a D-1A team. Also, Mitchell needs to increase his 6.9 yards per pass play which is pretty low considering his WRs made some big plays. Opponents made 9 yards per pass play in comparison. I think its pretty amazing our Opponents threw for 33 TDs last year and SMU with June Jones threw only 24. On the other hand, Mitchell shouldn't be dismissed just because he struggled in a situation he should not have been placed in the first place. he did make some big plays late, avoid sacks and was reasonably accurate. As for the backups, SMU lost 4 games last year to opponents who started backups including 2 to 4th string QBs. If the injury bug hits, I think it clearly is a questionmark whether we have a QB that can win a game against D-1A competition. One of these days you are probably going to have to play a Third String QB especially in a Passing Attack. June Jones has admitted he took a gamble here by not signing 4th QB. I think most D1A teams would have. It may be a non-factor but every once in awhile it could ruin a football season.

Runningbacks
McNeal: 6
Depth: 3
Unit Ranking; 5.5

Extremely exicited to see what Mcneal can do in this offense. Missing spring practice will make the transition more difficult. but. he will take some plays to the house. McNeal will be extremely dangerous in the finesse running game ie. delayed draws and shovel passes. Less certain what he will do behind our offensive line in regular power running plays. He does have the first quick step that all our backs last year lacked. He does add an exciting weapon to the gameplan. If we have to go without McNeal then I'd rate the position a 3 as in Questionmark. We were easily last in the Country last year in Rushing and I don't see much improvement without McNeal. I haven't seen Line play so he's a 3 but I do think Line makes sense at RB-if you are going to pass 80% of the time get a big body out there who hopefully can serve as a Darryl Johnston type blocking back. He's a football player(1,700 yards rushing as a Senior plus he made tackles all over the field) so I am cautiously optomistic he can add a positive element to the offense which the other small backs can't. However, if Line and McNeal share the position you take away some of the surprise element on the very plays which SMU might spring with McNeal. We need Mcneal to become an every play back except in obvious passing situations. Lundy averaged 3.5 ypc last year-he's doesn't have the body to be a blocking back.

Receivers:

Sanders 8
Robinson 8
Wilkerson 5
Beasley 4

Not much concern with Sanders and Robinson but the key with be with the rest of the corps who need to force the defenses to play the entire field and make them pay for focusing on Sanders and Robinson. Darrius Johnson is probably the guy that can do that. see below.


Depth; BTW I think Haynes and Johnson will eventually start although I'm interested to see if added strength and a years experience at WR will pay dividends this year for Wilkerson- needs to make more big plays to keep his position. Averaged only about 10 yards a catch. Everytime I saw Haynes last year in the 4 games he was out of the doghouse, he was solid including a 12.4 ypc-so I'm going to rate him a 6. I'm not going to rate Darrius Johnson but clearly believe he is one of the keys to the season. I think he has the ability to become the 3rd big play WR that will make this a very potent offense. As for Beasley-everytime I saw him last year he was mediocre and had trouble making plays downfield and he dropped a lot of balls including a game-winner. Made a lot of catches but wasn't particularly dangerous with only 8.7 ypc. He'll be sitting on the bench unless he improves considerably from his performance last year. The rest of the backup are average.

Unit Ranking: 6.5-(Darrius Johnson and a 4th WR among Haynes and Wilkerson could really ignite this offense)

Offensive Line;

Enright 6.5
Beachum 6.0
LeReibus 5
Tennison 5
Brooks 5

Offensive Line at almost every position 2 Deep lacks adequate size-not necessarily weight-especially for a passing offense. Athleticism is only adequate too. They did a good job in keeping sacks down but they also were the worst rushing team in the country. Its going to take a few years to get the Offensive Line where it needs to be.

Depth; 3.5
Second String completely untested and generally playing a year too soon. with 2 starters either recovering from injury or whose commitment can be questioned, Lereibus is reported to be 330-that's about 30 too much for his height. SMU's depth in the Offensive Line may be tested and several of the kids we may rely on are also injured. Hopefully, we can avoid wholesale playing of true freshman which will only set the program back. We may have too though.

Unit Ranking: 5.5 -with a hope and a prayer

DEFENSE:

Defensive Line:

Thompson: 6.5
Frazier 5.5
Parham 4.0

Gil Brandt couldn't design a better proto-type DE than Taylor Thompson-now he just needs to play to his NFL potential. He'll get the high grades when he's earned it. I think some may be forgetting that Frazier hasn't played much football in several years. Wasn't availiable for spring and is recovering from an injury during last season. So I think it may take awhile to transition but this is a quality Big 12 Level athlete whose potential is very high and I'm tickled we can now get athletes like McNeal and Frazier into school. Could be difference makers. Parham-last year made 2 Assisted Tackles and 2 unassisted tackles. Most SMU fans would be hard pressed to remember a big play he has made during his SMU career. I'm appreciative of June Jones' praise for the kid during spring but for now he is only rated mediocre because that is what he has shown so far. Part of one of the biggest questionmarks on the team because with Parham and two walkon Middle LBs SMU interior defense is one of the biggest questionmarks on this team.

Depth: Again I feel certain June Jones is going to get Margus Hunt on the field but I doubt he will be ready to excell until about the 2011 season-still worth the gamble. Could be useful in certain situational formations. The rest of the backups are untested. I wouldn't be surprised to see Torlan Pittman become a decent NG. Grenier is year away but he's growing and working hard. Ideally, he wouldn't play until his redshirt sophmore year since its a pretty big jump from QB to DE in a couple of years. DLinemen are hard to find for all schools but especially for an SMU. Love to see about 3 Michael O'Guin's in the next few recruiting classes.

Unit Ranking: 5.5 with upside potential especially late in the year

Linebackers:
Yenga 7
Fleps 5.5
Kennemer 4
Cameron Rogers; 3

Yenga's a football player PERIOD. As I said on Day 1 he should have been a LB all along. Unfortunately, missed spring practice but he'll pick it up and I expect him to be All-conference by 2010. The rest of the LBs are pretty vanilla-all made high school All District but they don't have some of the basic athleticism you look for on a top-notch defense. Some of these guys made a lot of tackles last year. Fleps had 24 against Navy which didn't have to throw a pass and converted on 80% of 3rd and 4th Down. Total tackles on a bad team is one of the most misleading stats in Football. All bad teams have LBs who make a lot of tackles because they are on the field all day. To become a better defense we need better athletes who can make big plays not just plays. But I do think Fleps fits better at SLB but I'm not sure if we have the answers inside. Jagared Davis and Brandon Henderson have some of those qualities -they are great athletes who we can build on but they aren't starting yet and will likely struggle as true freshman. The fact that 3 true freshman are pushing for playing time tells you that we need big improvement here.

I actually remember being pretty excited when Kennemer transferred from A&M. I'll backtrack and say although he was a walkon at A&M he probably could have gotten a D1A offer but dreamed of playing at A&M. I thought he was a D1A prospect. I never really thought he be starting in 2009 though. Kennemer and Rodgers really have a big hole to fill along with Parham down the gut of the Defense. Kennemer showed he can play at this level-not sure if he can excell at this level. Never heard of Rodgers before last month and he was an obscure high school player. i'll reserve judgment on him but for now he gets an atomatic 3 for Questionable. But we are sure expecting a lot from walkons and freshmen at LB-that's a recipe for disaster. See also below stats under DBs which show we were horrendous on 3rd and 4th down, stopping offenses in both run and pass.

Unit Ranking; 5-just simply need better athletes STARTING

Defensive Backs:

McCann 6.5
Bell 5
Banjo 5.5
Dennis 5.0

Some may think I'm being a tad tough on these ratings but OK boys when are we going to start making some plays back there. We had a total 8 Ints last year(Opponents had 25). The secondary only had 7 Ints. They gave up 33 Passing TDs-heck June Jones' offense threw only 24. Opponents hit on 64.1 of their passes and SMU only 57. 6. The stats by our opponents compare favorably to HEISMAN TROPHY level QBs for 12 weeks and remember SMU managed to lose to 4 backup QBs last year. Disturbing. Unacceptable for the entire defense. Although this applies to the entire defense, SMU's Opponents converted on 56% of 3rd Downs and 60% of 4th downs. SMU was 35% and 44%. Despite rating a tad higher nationally than the run defense that might because Navy decided not pass the entire game. These guys are experienced and I expect them to show marked improvement. They aren't going to get a high grade until they prove it. McCann, Bell and Banjo especially can play at a much higher level-time to prove it. Bryce Hudman definitely provides some needed depth and can be used at several positions FS, SS and LB in passing situations, Tyler Jones didn't show me much last year. I question whether he has the athleticism at this level. Interested to see what Sterling Moore can do.

Unit Ranking: 5.5 -In summary, the DBs need to pick up their game and make some plays.

Kicking Game:

Kickoff:Szymanski: 8 This kid has a big leg
FG: 6 Hit a 61 yard FG -or something like that in high school in a big play-off game. Has excellent range but struggled with consistency at A&M. I think he'll be pretty solid though. He was one of the most highly sought FG kickers in America.
Punter: I'm going to reserve judgment because I haven't focused on his Punting lately

Returns; Looks good-Darrius Johnson, McCann and B.J. Lee all look capable

SEASON PREDICTION: 4-8

Road to a Bowl Game: If Darrius Johnson and Shawnbrey McNeal compete for Newcomers of the Year then look-out this offense could be dynamite. That would mean SMU would have at least 4 big play-home-run threats on this team. I think Bradley Haynes could add that big target too to beat those 5-10 CBs that are so prevalent in CUSA and our opponents. But I think it maybe expecting too much to think that WILL all happen. Eventually, I think both Johnson and McNeal will star at SMU though but Jones will be challenged to find ways to use McNeal. SMU's best shot at a bowl game I think is this scenario.

Beat SFA
Win at least 1 game on the Road against UAB and/or WSU
Survive the September/October Bataan Death March of TCU(away), ECU(home), Navy(home),
Houston(away), and Tulsa(away)
Come on strong in November in very winnable games against the lower rated teams of CUSA. Even if SMU is 2-6 or 3-5 by November they will have a shot at those last 4 games-3 of which are at home. I don't expect to see SMU win the 2-3 road games though they will probably have to win to get to a bowl.

[StallionsModelT]

Shawnbrey McNeal has top of the conference ability.

You will not even recognize Bo Levi Mitchell compared to last season.

Emmanuel Sanders and Aldrick Robinson are both All-Conference First Team level talent.

Cole Beasley is a 5 IMO.

[southerncomfort]

Word on the street is that McNeal will have an answer from NCAA on Thursday. You know, just to mess with SMU and see if he can be ready for gameday, two days later.

[Dooby]

I might say your love of Darius Johnson is clouding your judgment on Wilkerson and Beasley. We are all excited to see the kid run. I will let the coaches decide when he moves up the depth chart. I trust these coaches a lot more than the last group.

Overall, I am surprised you give so many "average" grades. Average against what?

From what I saw in practice, Margus Hunt gets too much press.

[SMU 86]

I like the ranking system. Good work Stallion. From what I heard at the luncheon you are correct about Darius.

[expony18]

by far one of the best posts this board has had in a long time

[SMU 86]

by far one of the best posts this board has had in a long time

Agreed.

[ALEX LIFESON]

I would agree with some of your grades, but, I would have every starter above Enright, if McJunkin was more consistent with his shotgun snaps, he probably would start. I think Collins will end up ahead of Brooks. I think Wilkerson is ready to elevate his game. I think Darius Johnson will replace Beasley by the the 3rd or 4th game, he is a big play waiting to happen. Both Coles, and Haynes are quality backups. Haynes could be a very good "situational" player. Butler is a decent back, but, that kid is always hurt. McNeal will give us a homerun threat at running back. Also, Sterling Moore could turnout to be a nice addition at corner.

[One Trick Pony]

by far one of the best posts this board has had in a long time

Hey what happend to your sig lol.

[kull]

nice post

[Sam I Am]

My, my, my, Stallion is getting credit for his player ratings. If he knows anything, it is recruiting and grading; but getting credits for something is quite refreshing for for the forum. Once SMU starts winning, everybody will be more friendly.

[KnuckleStang]

Enjoyed reading that, thanks.

[couch 'em]

SEASON PREDICTION: 4-8

Road to a Bowl Game: If Darrius Johnson and Shawnbrey McNeal compete for Newcomers of the Year then look-out this offense could be dynamite. That would mean SMU would have at least 4 big play-home-run threats on this team. I think Bradley Haynes could add that big target too to beat those 5-10 CBs that are so prevalent in CUSA and our opponents. But I think it maybe expecting too much to think that WILL all happen. Eventually, I think both Johnson and McNeal will star at SMU though but Jones will be challenged to find ways to use McNeal. SMU's best shot at a bowl game I think is this scenario.

Sunshiner.

[George S. Patton]

I enjoyed reading it and was pretty much on board with all of the rankings. Although I said last week, I wasn't making any predictions, I had said earlier in the summer I thought this team would be 4-8. There are just too many defensive questions and problems with running back depth should McNeal get hurt or isn't ruled eligible.

But this has to be a 4-8 with clear signs that this program is getting better. We'll start to know more by about 10:30 on Saturday night.

P.S. And here's hoping Margus Hunt barely sniffs the field this year. Given his limitations on knowing the game, I just don't think it would be a good idea for him to be out there unless it is in blowout situations.

[giacfsp]

I would agree with some of your grades, but, I would have every starter above Enright, if McJunkin was more consistent with his shotgun snaps, he probably would start. I think Collins will end up ahead of Brooks. I think Wilkerson is ready to elevate his game. I think Darius Johnson will replace Beasley by the the 3rd or 4th game, he is a big play waiting to happen. Both Coles, and Haynes are quality backups. Haynes could be a very good "situational" player. Butler is a decent back, but, that kid is always hurt. McNeal will give us a homerun threat at running back. Also, Sterling Moore could turnout to be a nice addition at corner.

Disagree on McJunkin over Enright, Collins over Brooks (unless JT's knee flares up again) and Johnson unseating Beasley.