I’ve Seen Enough: Week 1
Every single person that works on the personnel side of college football has a list of guys they track that their team either missed out on or didn’t pursue. I now have the luxury of being able to do that with no specific obligation to any program.
The hope here is that I’ll be able to present players on a weekly basis that have transferred up and are performing well. Transfer up, generally meaning that a player has moved up in competition. For example, going from JUCO to D1, and in some cases I’ll highlight players that have done what used to be a G5 to P5 jump. P4 now?
An example of a guy who has done this in the past is current Heisman hopeful, Miami QB Cam Ward. Ward was barely recruited out of high school and started his career at Incarnate Word. He then went and continued to have success at Washington State before moving on to Miami this off-season.
Another player who made this jump is recent #19 pick in the NFL Draft, Jared Verse. Verse received one offer out of high school, Albany. He transferred to Florida State and proved his ability before moving on to the NFL. Verse is particularly close to my heart, since we flew him to his OV at Florida State after hosting him at Houston.
This early edition is obviously a bit of a knee jerk reaction considering these guys have played one game at the highest level of competition and likely faced lesser opponents. But still want to spotlight these guys proving themselves at the next level.
- Bauer Sharp, TE, Oklahoma
I’ve talked about Sharp in the past, but I can’t say enough about his ability. He transferred in from Southeastern Louisiana and hit the ground running. 5 catches for 47 yards and a TD. Again, Temple didn’t put up much of a fight. But Sharp can’t control that. He got in the endzone in his first game and looks like he’ll be used often going forward.
He has a unique fluidity for a guy his size that reminds me of Travis Kelce. Sharp was a high school QB so he’s still figuring this position out. He took direct snaps out of the backfield in the past and proved to be a threat as a runner. Would love to see that continued, and maybe he can throw a pass.
2. Tray Taylor, WR, Coastal Carolina
Taylor may have been my favorite player to watch on any level last season. Last season he was at Tyler Junior College in Texas and he averaged 21.8 yards per catch and 94.4 yards per game. Both 2nd in NJCAA behind Ole Miss commit Deion Smith.
His highlight tape was him constantly creating canyons separation or running past the defense. Despite his dynamic ability, he was overlooked by major programs, understandably. Taylor is 5'6 and a whopping 146 pounds. At least he was while I was trying to convince my coworkers he was our next Tank Dell.
Taylor’s first catch against Jacksonville State went for just 3 yards. But his next catch was a 36 yard TD that he followed up with a 59 yard catch on a slant. He is also Coastal’s punt returner.
98 yards and a TD, not a bad debut.
3. Thor Griffith, DT, Louisville
Griffith spent three seasons at Harvard terrorizing Ivy League offensive lines before moving on to Louisville this past season. He’s not quite a secret, as he made Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List multiple times in the past. Including coming in at #16 this season.
Louisville blew out Austin Peay in their opener and Griffith continued to hunt the QB in limited snaps. On 15 pass rush snaps, he recorded a sack and two hurries. In his time at Harvard, he recorded 18 sacks and 54 hurries.
This season is essentially a prove it opportunity for Griffith. His tape at Harvard was impressive and if he can show the same form against the ACC, his draft stock should continue to rise.
That’s all for this week. Looking forward to highlighting more players next week and as the season progresses. Hope y’all enjoy.