Liked what I saw out of running back Mike Blakely. Blakely ran for 65 yards on five carries, including a 25-yard scamper for a score. Blakely has both power and the speed. He’s 190 pounds, and looks very strong. Has tremendous quickness and speed. AU fans are going to like him. Liked what I saw out of Kiehl Frazier also. He looks like the quarterback for the 2012 team. He was seven-of-nine for 92 yards. He had three really nice throws: one, a 19-yarder to Emory Blake, then on one drive, a 20-yarder to Trovon Reed and a 25-yarder to Emory Blake, which set up a Corey Grant four yard TD run.
Grant looks good. Looks more like McCalebb. A little bit smaller than Blakely, but extreme quickness and speed. Was highly rated coming out of Opelika High School. Was a state champion track runner. Can break it if he gets in space. We know Onterio McCalebb can do that, and Tre Mason is excellent. The Auburn backfield is better off than it would be with Michael Dyer. I think a couple of these guys are better than Dyer. And he was a cancer to the team. I’d take Blakely over Dyer for sure. He can break the long one. He’s faster than Dyer. Not sure I wouldn’t take Mason over Dyer either. Grant, and, of course, McCalebb can go the distance. McCalebb still has trouble breaking tackles. He’s just not an in-between the tackles runner.
Think Frazier is the answer at qb. There is no doubt in my mind that he’s the best one out there. Pike just not ready yet, and Moseley is average to me. Frazier’s arm is stronger this spring, he’s throwing it with more zip, and he has that tremendous running ability. Line looks good. Really like Reese Dismukes at center. He’s going to be a hoss. Chris Slade and Kyle Westerman at guards will be a force. Greg Robinson, Thomas O’Reilly and John Sullen are going to be excellent at tackle. The whole line looks good. With 11 guys in the past two years’ recruiting classes, including seven in this year’s class, five four-stars and two high three-stars by Rivals, this is going to be an exceptional line for the next four to five years. Two of those incoming frosh linemen, tackles Jordan Diamond and Avery Young, are five-stars by Scout. They’re high four- stars by Rivals. Think both of them can play this year adding depth and maybe beating somebody out to start.
Wide out looks pretty solid. Lutz is out till August with an injury, but you know he’ll produce at Hback/tight end. Emory Blake is going to be outstanding as he looks to excel this year and really improve his draft stock with an outstanding senior year. It’s pretty impressive he came back and didn’t take a risk in the draft this year. It’s going to pay off for him. Darvin Adams left after his junior year, and it hasn’t seemed to work out for him. Blake made a good decision. His father being a former NFL quarterback must have advised him wisely to stay. Trovon Reed looks like he’s ready to step up and be the electrifying player most thought he would be when he came to The Plains. He looks ready to break out. I like Quan Bray a lot. He just looks like an athlete. He’ll be fantastic on punt return and will help in the passing game. McCalebb can take it the distance on kickoffs as he did against Alabama last year. Both are explosive return men. This is the last chance for Travante Stallworth and DeAngelo Benton to step up. They’re both seniors. Been touted as players in the past, but haven’t produced so far. They’re seniors, so this is their last chance. They need to make the most of it. Jaylen Denson, at 6’3″, 197, is a player. Really like him. Think he’ll help a lot both possession-wise and as a deep threat. Has all the tools to be a stellar player.
Defense is ready to excel this year under coordinator Brian Van Gorder. Offense looked good under oc Scott Loeffler and the defense is going to be more aggressive and hard-hitting this year under Van Gorder. Like the dends, Corey Lemonier, Dee Ford and Nosa Eguae, who was hurt this spring, but should be back in a month and a half and ready for fall camp. There’s more talent there. Jeffrey Whitaker is a tank at defensive tackle. Ken Carter should be good at tackle as well. Linebacker a little thin. Another guy who’s going to stand out this year at dend/olb is LaDarius Owens. Really like him a lot. Big, physical, aggressive, and can lay the wood. Darren Bates is an underrated player. Think he’ll have a very good year at olb. Jonathan Evans didn’t participate in the spring game. He’ll be OK for the fall. Kris Frost didn’t participate either, but he’ll be a factor in the fall. Frost was a five-star by some services in 2011. Heard a lot of good things about Frost. Two four-stars who are coming in this fall, Cassanova McKinzy (6’2″, 224) and Javiere Mitchell (6’2″, 197), probably need to help with depth. Chris Landrum, a 6’3″, 235 redshirt frosh, was a high, three-star, so he should help as well. There are already three linebackers committed for the 2013 class. One four-star, Trey Johnson (6’1″, 220), a high three-star, Cameron Toney (6’3″, 225), and unranked Jarrad Davis (6’2″, 200).
I really like the secondary. Jermaine Whitehead is stellar. I see him becoming an All-American; maybe this year. T’Sharvin Bell was out this spring, and hopefully he’ll be back in the fall. I believe it was a knee injury. But Jonathan Rose and Chris Davis look like excellent cover corners. Look like excellent players overall. Robenson Therezie can play at safety. Demetruce McNeil can play. Ready to see what Enrique Florence can do. High four-star player last year. There are some stellar players in the secondary. Another linebacker I left out was Justin Garrett. He looks like a player. Kicking game should be good with Cody Parkey. Punter Steven Clark needs to be better this year.
Huge game to start off the season Sept. 1 versus Clemson in the Georgia Dome. Going to watch Clemson spring game in the coming days and will have a report on them. Know they have Sammy Watkins, the fantastic sophomore wide out, so Davis, Bell and Rose will have their hands full. Clemson with a lot of talent for sure. Dabo Sweeney has recruited well. Quarterback Taj Bell will be back and he should be ready for a big year. That game will be huge. Would be a huge momentum builder to get that first one under the belt. Then at State in another huge game in week two. After La Monroe at home, LSU and Arkansas come to Jordan-Hare. Then it’s at Ole Miss, at Vandy, vs. Texas A&M, New Mexico State and Georgia at home, Alabama A&M at home and ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa.
There are some huge matchups on the schedule. Could be a 10-win season if everything goes right with the future looking very bright. Get by Clemson, LSU and Arkansas and it could be a huge season. So many big games. Like this team a lot. If Frazier can come through and the team stays relatively healthy 2012 could be a special year.
(Mike Blakely was outstanding in the spring game.)