Congrats to early signees Bryon Threats { Cincinnati } Devon Williams { Minnesota } Hammond Russell { West Virginia } and Daniel Warnsman { Eastern Michigan } . Fickell projects Threats as a safety and he's good enough to be given a chance to play back there on the early side. I have always likened threats to Bob Sanders who played safety at Iowa and with the Indianapolis Colts . Sanders played at Erie Cathedral Prep and also was used at Running back . Threats is two inches taller and has a bigger frame than Sanders did at the same age, but both are sudden explosive athletes who play bigger than they are and can lay a lick . Play through contact and have good ball skills . Threats has NFL potential IMO .
Williams projects as a Will Linebacker with his versatility being the key. He is an athletic smart player who is rarely out of position. Playmaker who isn't adverse to playing to the run and also packs a bit of a punch driving through players , but his greatest strength is being able to smoothly drop back in coverage covering in the slot . Guys with this type of versatility aren't growing on trees . May not play as early as Threats at UC but with anohter year to year and a half in the weight room and learning the scheme , I think he he competes for a job in his second year and a definite starter in year three ? He can play special teams early . Good ST player .
Russell has come a long way. More of a basketball body his Frosh adn Soph,. years he worked to become a much more physical dynamic athlete who made himself a D-1 DE . Another example of a hoops guy who wasn't a D-1 level player who had D-1 potential in football. Lot of guys like Russell who concentrate on hoops and give up football , in his size range and smaller guards who would be excellent DB's and safety prospects as well as Slot and wide receivers who never pursue it . Russell is a great example of this. hard work and focus making himself a D-1 DE . Probably stays outside with length and overall athleticism .
Warnsman I have said a few times is better than his rating and better than just a MAC recruit. He will probably play earlier than later and may be that makes this a very good choice. Compares well to Rock 2015 grad Sam McCollum who started as a true Frosh at Miami and started and was productive all 4 years. Sam's brother Miles played DE at Harvard . Warnsman has a mean streak , has good feet finishes blocks and I believe his frame gets him to an NFL camp when he's done . Of course sticking at the NFL level is a longshot for most every college football player but he's 6-4 and will carry about 315 at some point pretty well.
Kicker Casey Magyar first team all Ohio will kick at Kent State but I don't believe he signed early . Coffman didn't attempt a lot of FG's the last couple years , but he hit a few needed attempts nailed basically all of his PAT'S the last 2 years , and a very high percentage of his KO's went into the end zone. Kyle Clinton like comp who graduated in 2010 walked on at OSU and held the the kick-off job for a spell . Rocks have had a nice kicking tradition with Adam Graessle { All Ohio kicked at Pitt } Clinton{2010} , Grant Coffman { 2013} { 1st team All Ohio walked on at Miami Fl. } Joey Mitchell 2019 { All Ohio Punting is his specialty but also a solid Kicker , punting at Albany } and now another D-1 kicker in Casey who was first team all Ohio . Chase Granlund { 2015 } was excellent as well but more known for his play at Receiver and DB. Caleb Stoneburner { 2017 } punted three years at Coffman and was the best I have seen there. He consistently flipped the field and his high arching punts were difficult to catch which resulted in a few turnovers. Mitchell was a great sideline angle punter who is still doing that in college .
Yet another position to fill at Coffman next year . Junior Griffin Mercer will get the first shot likely , and with QB/Punter Mathews leaving that position is also a need.
Senior Sheron Phipps I heard got a preferred walk on offer from West Virginia . Not sure how that works out for most , but Sheron has the type of talent you can't teach and I hope he finds a good home at the next level .Phipps has overcome a lot of obstacles in his life and one of the more disappointing aspects of this past season for the Rocks was his not being able to play in the play-offs . I mean scores of Massillon players were all eligible to play the full season .One other example that was in focus was Northmont's Caden Rice who transferred from Greenon for only ONE reason. To play football at another school PERIOD . No problem . Paper work , politics , whatever, Phipps gets to play 5 games, Rice and many others who left to play football at other schools ? Most got to play . Did they cross more I's and T's ? Did they enroll earlier ? I am not sure , but it absolutely stunk that Phipps had to sit this year as others got to play. Phipps can contribute and be a very good player in a variety of programs.
Not to pick on Rice , but he announced he was transferring in July I believe?
In this most unusual of years, there is still time for many a program to take a closer look at this unique talent and person . He's hungry and talented . He's been productive when on the field .
Here's Rice's loophole .
Cade Rice has left Greenon High School after three years as the Knights starting quarterback to play his senior season at Northmont. He announced his transfer Thursday afternoon on Twitter.
Now Rice wants to see what he can do in Division I in the Greater Western Ohio Conference against talented teams such as Springfield, Wayne, Springboro and Centerville. Rice will also face non-conference foes Dublin Coffman and Pickerington North, both Division I playoff teams last fall.
Hopefully I’ll be playing at the highest level once I get to college, and I need to go somewhere that’s going to better prepare me for that,” Rice said. “Also it’s going to set me up to get exposure to the bigger colleges.”
Rice is ranked as a three-star recruit by
247sports.com. He has FCS offers from Bucknell, Illinois State, Bryant, Fordham, Elon and Rhode Island. Rice hasn’t been able to visit any of those schools so he isn’t ruling any of them out. His goal, however, is to have the kind of season against top high school competition that leads to offers from programs in Power 5 conferences such as the Big Ten.
“It’s always been my dream to play college football at the highest level,” Rice said. “With the hard work that I’ve put in, I think I can definitely be one of those guys that goes on to play at the highest level.”
Northmont’s offense will give the 6-foot-3 Rice the chance to show what he can do. The Thunderbolts are coming off a 6-5 season and playoff appearance behind the top passing offense in the GWOC. Keaton Kesling, now at Wittenberg, led the league with 2,991 passing yards and 33 touchdowns.
Northmont has been speedy and productive at the receiver position in recent years. Leading that group this year will be senior Markus Allen,
who has committed to Michigan. Allen, a three-star prospect, set the school record last year with 1,087 receiving yards.
“It’s a really pass-friendly offense, and obviously that gets me fired up as a quarterback who likes to throw the ball quite a bit,” Rice said. “With the weapons that we’ve got on the outside, we can do a lot of great things this season.”
Rice will be living in the Northmont school district with his mother, Adina Young, so he won’t have to sit out any games as a transfer. Young is moving back from Florida and will get to see her son play a full season for the first time since his freshman year.
“I know she’s really excited, and it makes me glad that she’ll be able to see every game this year,” Rice said. “Hopefully we have a season.”
Greenon has a big hole to fill for what the Knights expect to be another winning season in pursuit of the school’s first playoff berth. Coach Josh Wooten will have 14 returning starters, including third-team all-Ohio receiver Kameron Cox and transfer Trevor Stewart from Urbana. Stewart led the Hillclimbers in rushing last season.
“I didn’t leave Greenon because I didn’t like the people there or anything like that – definitely not for that reason,” Rice said. “I liked every player that I played with, I was cool with every coach on the staff and they helped my game tremendously. And they were really good dudes to me.”
No problem with this , but Phipps moving was a problem? Mom's just happened to Pick Northmont ? Got it . Rice is a baller .He was a HUGE difference maker in Northmont's season . They sadly had to forfeit in round three due to Covid, but they were undefeated and it was basically him bailing them out in close ballgames. Huge comeback vs Springfield , Hail Mary last second pass to beat Springboro etc. Good kid with potential at the next level . Same is true of other kids .
