Who Emerged This Year & What Did They Show You?

[Bogey]

I would say Brown and Mason on offense and Knight and Chemidsea on Defense. Curry, Thomas, Swilling played their hearts out in a new scheme.

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[UpperNorth]

A. Brown and Mason on O.

Hard to say on D. Maybe Domineck? Swilling? Was pleasantly surprised by Walton. Overall I thought the D tackled better in the open field than we have in a long time.

Still need players who can beat blocks and olinemen who can control the LOS. Hopefully we’ll see more difference makers emerge there in the coming years.

 

[takethepoints]

Incorrect for several reasons. One, CGC and crew are clearly going to be very accessible and in tune to the coaches in this state and I dont think anyone will sneak under their radar. Second, as hard as they work, I expect our camp programs to be plentiful and very well attended and that if someone hit a PJ camp they would definitely hit our camps now. Third, CGC has the team set up to maximize reps in practice and walk-ons are encouraged and treated very well. It wont be a secret that anyone who thinks they are an elite P5 player, but are being overlooked out of high school, will have a fair opportunity earn one at GT if they actually are P5 material.

Hope you are right. I doubt that you are. And, just for the record, Knight wasn't a walk-on.

 

[InsideLB]

I probably should have just titled this thread "who showed you something this year". 'Emerge' can mean a lot of things.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Knight played both ways in high school and played ILB. Pretty good there too.

He's the kind of player I fear Tech'll lose in future as the staff goes "star hunting". Knight showed up at an open camp for Paul. Apparently, he was measured then offered right after his 40 was timed. You just don't find guys that big who run legit low 4.5 40s. Before that, of course, to say he was "below the radar" was to exaggerate. He was buried so far under that nobody at any level was paying him much mind. (Well … he did have an offer from Tennessee Tech!) He would have been good competition for Yates under the old regime. But now he'll probably contend for starting position at ILB.

Query: Will we be as attuned to talent like his (or, say, Kelly Campbell, who was also unrated and unnoticed) in future, with every fan out there gloating about "another four star!"? I hope so, but I doubt it.

We just took a committment from a very under the radar guy in Emmanuel Johnson. Wing Green was also way under-recruited. Our diamonds in the rough are just going to be physically bigger going forward, but sneaky recruiting will always be a part of the formula at GT.

 

[Jacket4Life]

Have to go with A Brown, J Mason, and T Swilling.

 

[GT_receivers]

Oliver impressed me. Changing positions mid-year is not easy.

 

[TheFlyest]

On offense.
- Mason -
Emerged because he wasn’t the homerun hitter the prior season but he was this season. Goes literally bounced off him. He adds a stiff arm and I hate to see it.
-Graham-
Graham barely played the year before. Heard rumors of his explosiveness but finally got to see it. Definitely shaky with the fundamentals but I saw continued improvement through the course of the season. Pure deep ball throws and broke Sean Jones record for TD throws as a freshman.
- Will Lay -
A walk on started most of the season as a freshman. Enough said.
- Brown -
Broke Calvin Johnson’s TD record. Enough said.

Defense.
- Jordan Dominick -
Went from being buried on the depth chart to being Defensive Player of the Week. That’s emergence.
- Griffin -
Like Dominick went from being buried on the depth chart to being an impact player on defense. Tied for the most sacks I believe or second behind Thomas.
- Knight -
Came in as a qb and was quickly told you playin linebacker. Turned out to be the most physically gifted player in the room. BTW Collins staff had preciously scouted him at Temple.

 

[TheFlyest]

Knight played both ways in high school and played ILB. Pretty good there too.

He's the kind of player I fear Tech'll lose in future as the staff goes "star hunting". Knight showed up at an open camp for Paul. Apparently, he was measured then offered right after his 40 was timed. You just don't find guys that big who run legit low 4.5 40s. Before that, of course, to say he was "below the radar" was to exaggerate. He was buried so far under that nobody at any level was paying him much mind. (Well … he did have an offer from Tennessee Tech!) He would have been good competition for Yates under the old regime. But now he'll probably contend for starting position at ILB.

Query: Will we be as attuned to talent like his (or, say, Kelly Campbell, who was also unrated and unnoticed) in future, with every fan out there gloating about "another four star!"? I hope so, but I doubt it.

Knight was scouted by the staff when Collins was at Temple they were familiar.
If you follow the recruiting board you’ll see the staff is not just looking for stars, they are looking for fits. He has a philosophy and it shows in who he’s recruiting. Also they are looking for diamonds. One is being recruited right now. As someone else pointed out the new recommitment to in state recruiting and recruiting in general will pay dividends and Collins and his staff and all over the place. They are hitting the trail hard.

 

[BCJacket]

This is intended to be a fun, non-argumentative thread that recognizes guys for developing as players.

I appreciate James Grahm. He showed me:
--Will stand in pocket and throw an accurate pass despite being about to be obliterated. Shows toughness, moxy, and vision/sensing he can get it off.
--The most accurate deep balls this year I have seen in awhile. Like his game in this department!
--As the season wore on he ran with more effectiveness, authority, decisiveness, and elusiveness. Backbreaking runs vs NC State in crunch time.
--Made better reads in option game as season went on.
--Struggled at times behind makeshift line and missed a fair number of passes due to not setting feet. Very fixable though, and always came back with renewed confidence.
--Accurrate throws on the run this year. Good arm strength.

Competition is king and we have Yates who will challenge, along with at least Gleason. If LJ stays and can stay healthy it wouldnt be unheard of for him to have a great year either....the arm is definitely there.

This said, I like Grahm's potential. If he continues to develop and the OL does as well then there is serious potential. Potential to be scary on runs and pull-it-down and run plays. Potential to improve setting feet and squaring.

Also proud he got it done in the classroom. We have seen some kids not be able to dig out like that, so kudos.

Who else you got?

Agree with you, I was impressed with Graham. Plus, I think the context with Graham gets overlooked some. He was moved to WR in 2018 as a Fr. Then had to move back to QB. All that while trying to learn a complex QB role in the 3O system,. Missed the Spring focusing on academics- thus got no chance to learn the new system or build rapport with the WRs. Was #3 QB in camp and to start season, thus limited reps and chance to build rapport with the WRs. Didn't play meaningful snaps in the first 2 games. He's basically, 4-5 months into CDP's offense, essentially a true freshman. And he looked like it in a few games. In a few others, he looked like a star in the making.

So, many of James' throws were just off time or target, especially quick throws to crossing receivers. He throws good accurate balls, he just has to work on his timing and leading. That comes with reps and being able to anticipate your receivers. I'm really excited to see what he can do with an offseason to learn the system and bond with his receivers. (Hopefully he'll have a better O-Line in front of him too).

Also, William Lay is my new favorite player to cheer for. Love the underdog story.

 

[GTRambler]

After giving this question a lengthy and serious study, I would say that our current offensive coordinator, Dave Patenaude, emerged the most of anyone on the squad, and didn’t show much, if hardly anything, positive for the position he is supposed to execute.

He did succeed in earning a nickname, or nicknames, among GT fans: Peanut, P’nut, P’nude, etc.

 

[bos]

On offense Brown. On defense Charlie Thomas.

Both made huge plays all year long.

 

[takethepoints]

We just took a committment from a very under the radar guy in Emmanuel Johnson. Wing Green was also way under-recruited. Our diamonds in the rough are just going to be physically bigger going forward, but sneaky recruiting will always be a part of the formula at GT.

I agree with Green. And Koot too. My question is what we'll do going forward. If we commit to signing a lot of 4 star players - and we had better - I fear still that the Knights will slip through our fingers. We'll just have to see.

 

[Jacket4Life9]

Guys who consistently played well: Ahmarean Brown, JP Mason, Tre Swilling (this is not an exhaustive list)

Guys who showed flashes: Adonicas Sanders, Jamious Griffin

Guy who surprised me: James Graham. I appreciate his effort, improvement, toughness, body language, and willingness to sit in the pocket and let it rip.