Alright AAC fans, spring practices/games have wrapped up and I'm curious to know what young players are looking to explode this year.

I'll start with Cincinnati.

Offense
Sophomore 6'5" 252 lbs TE - Chamon Metayer

Cincinnati has been blessed with a long list of outstanding TE's over the years. In the last decade, we've had multiple NFL draft picks at that position including one of the GOATs Travis Kelce. Cincinnati already returns likely future NFL draft picks Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor but Chamon Metayer is coming. This kid is an absolute freak of nature. I don't think Cincinnati has ever had his combination of size and speed at any position. He's posted 21+ MPH speeds several times this spring which makes him one of the top 10 fastest players on our team.

Cincinnati is loaded in the TE room but I think you will see Metayer pushing both Taylor and Whyle for playing time and a lot of 3 TE sets this year.

Defense
Freshman 6'3" 195 lbs CB - JQ Hardaway

National pundits may be thinking how the hell do you replace two of the best cornerbacks in the nation but Cincinnati looks poised to do just that. The cornerback room is stacked with highly rated recruits all looking to make a name for themselves but the one that might surprise us all is early enrollee freshman JQ Hardaway. JQ is what would happen if scientists took future 1st rounder Ahmad Garnder's DNA and created a clone. The crazy thing about JQ is Ahmad came in as a rail but JQ is already pushing 200 lbs as a freshman. This kid has everything you want from a future 1st round draft pick, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts on the boundary this year and we see a career trajectory similar to Sauce.

UCF returns a lot of talent. We don't have a lot of underclassmen set for breakout performances.

Hopefully some of vets become household names in the AAC:
RB Isaiah Bowser (5th year Senior) returns healthy and stronger than ever. I assume he's most likely the star of this team and will command the most respect from defenses. He returned for his 5th year because he wants to prove he's an elite talent. He's going to have a special season.



QB Battle:
The main thing at UCF is who is going to be the QB. We have a battle between Mikey Keene (So) versus Ole Miss Transfer John Rhys Plumlee (Sr). Most national pundits know Plumlee already because he was a speedy rushing QB that had success in the SEC. However Matt Corral eventuall won the job as the better pure passer and fit Lane Kiffins system. However, Gus Malzahn loves his rushing QBs (Cam Newton and Nick Marshall). So Plumlee might be the better fit for Malzahn's offense. However, Keene was awesome for a Freshman QB that was plugged in. He has chemistry with the WR corps. All the practice reports indicate that he's the better pure passer. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Last time Keene took the field he beat the Florida Gators. So if he can do that as a freshman, who knows he might be a lot better in year 2. He's filled out a lot, he looks a lot more athletic. He took the strength and conditioning very seriously.

Names to Know:
WR Jaylon "J-Flash" Robinson (R-Sr)
WR Ryan O'Keefe (Sr)
WR Kobe Hudson (Jr)
RB Isaiah Bowser (5th)
RB Johnny Richardson (Jr)
QB John Rhys Plumlee (Sr)
QB Mikey Keene (So)
OL Samuel Jackson (5th)
OL Lokahi Pauole (Sr)
LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (Sr)
DT Anthony Montalvo (5th)
DT Ricky Barber (R-Jr)
DE Josh Celiscar (Jr)
DB Justin Hodges (Jr)
CB Davonte Brown (Jr)
CB Brandon Adams (So)

ECU will have a ton of turnover in the WR room, with Snead going pro, Omotosho graduated, and CJ Johnson suspended. Whoever ends up in the #1 spot will have a good year.

Frontrunners:
Jaylen Johnson R-Jr: Transfer from Georgia that wanted more playing time
Jsi Hatfield Jr: Been with the program a while playing slot behind Tyler Snead. Getting his shot on the outside now.
Ryan Jones (TE) R-Sr. - Transfer from Oklahoma last year that was solid in 2021. Stands to get a LOT more looks with all the turnover. He stayed another year to improve his draft stock, so expecting big things.

USF returns 10 starters on offense and 9 on defense

Don’t be surprise to hear these names in Fall.
Will Jones DB, transferred from Kansas State last year but sat out
Ajou Ajou WR transferred from Clemson
Jimmy Horn WR sophomore think he will explode this year at the slot position
Katravis Marsh QB big QB and arm, looking good and could give McClain a run to start
Clyde Pinder DT big transfer from NC will make a big impact in front
Ray Thornton DB transferred from Clemson
DJ Gordon LB transferred from Minnesota will be part of three LB with Grier and Boyles that will tough unit
Xavier Weaver WR junior, our best deep threat last year will become more dangerous with other weapons available

Best RB duo in the AAC. They're only sophomores.

With the OL coming together and getting older, these guys are primed to run wild this year!

Rahjai Harris - RB - SOPH


Keaton Mitchell - RB - SOPH

Honestly, this might be the deepest the conference has ever been in football.

(04-14-2022 02:25 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Honestly, this might be the deepest the conference has ever been in football.

We shall see. All depends on how we all do OOC. I need to put together my annual "rank their schedules" thread. Wonder what the biggest OOC matchup is.

EDIT: Nothing too crazy. Navy has ND, Tulsa has Ole Miss (they were good for once, remember?), and USF has Florida and BYU. ECU's #19 BYU and #20 NC State slate not looking too shabby this year.

(04-14-2022 02:35 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 02:25 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Honestly, this might be the deepest the conference has ever been in football.

We shall see. All depends on how we all do OOC. I need to put together my annual "rank their schedules" thread. Wonder what the biggest OOC matchup is.

EDIT: Nothing too crazy. Navy has ND, Tulsa has Ole Miss (they were good for once, remember?), and USF has Florida and BYU(could be the winner).

UC opens at Arkansas

(04-14-2022 02:41 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 02:35 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 02:25 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Honestly, this might be the deepest the conference has ever been in football.

We shall see. All depends on how we all do OOC. I need to put together my annual "rank their schedules" thread. Wonder what the biggest OOC matchup is.

EDIT: Nothing too crazy. Navy has ND, Tulsa has Ole Miss (they were good for once, remember?), and USF has Florida and BYU(could be the winner).

UC opens at Arkansas

Everyone knows they have two more years of Tai Lavatai and Xavier Arline under center. I'll give you this spring's most improved midshipman -- the VADM Mack Award:

He may still just be one piece in the slotback rotation -- started spring listed at one of the #3s. Haywood, Puailoa-Rojas, and Jones may all play bigger roles than Terrell. What we need is a breakout season from a fullback or two -- Anton Hall Jr the #1, but that could change before September.

On D I'll give you LAST Spring's VADM Mack winner - Will Harbour. Along with Colin Ramos filling big shoes as the inside linebackers.

(04-14-2022 02:35 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote:  

(04-14-2022 02:25 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Honestly, this might be the deepest the conference has ever been in football.

We shall see. All depends on how we all do OOC. I need to put together my annual "rank their schedules" thread. Wonder what the biggest OOC matchup is.

EDIT: Nothing too crazy. Navy has ND, Tulsa has Ole Miss (they were good for once, remember?), and USF has Florida and BYU. ECU's #19 BYU and #20 NC State slate not looking too shabby this year.

What year is the deepest the AAC has been?

Probably 2017...
Finished season ranked: #25 Memphis, #21 usf, and #6 UCF
Ranked at some point in the season: #25 Navy in week 7
Received votes at some point: Houston (wk1-wk5), Tulane (preseason), Tulsa (preseason)
NY6 Bowl Victory (Peach Bowl #12 UCF over #7Auburn)
Most watched conference game: 2.7 Rtg / 4.644M viewers (#15 UCF vs usf)

(04-12-2022 11:41 AM)UCbball21 Wrote:  Alright AAC fans, spring practices/games have wrapped up and I'm curious to know what young players are looking to explode this year.

I'll start with Cincinnati.

Offense
Sophomore 6'5" 252 lbs TE - Chamon Metayer

Cincinnati has been blessed with a long list of outstanding TE's over the years. In the last decade, we've had multiple NFL draft picks at that position including one of the GOATs Travis Kelce. Cincinnati already returns likely future NFL draft picks Josh Whyle and Leonard Taylor but Chamon Metayer is coming. This kid is an absolute freak of nature. I don't think Cincinnati has ever had his combination of size and speed at any position. He's posted 21+ MPH speeds several times this spring which makes him one of the top 10 fastest players on our team.

Cincinnati is loaded in the TE room but I think you will see Metayer pushing both Taylor and Whyle for playing time and a lot of 3 TE sets this year.

Defense
Freshman 6'3" 195 lbs CB - JQ Hardaway

National pundits may be thinking how the hell do you replace two of the best cornerbacks in the nation but Cincinnati looks poised to do just that. The cornerback room is stacked with highly rated recruits all looking to make a name for themselves but the one that might surprise us all is early enrollee freshman JQ Hardaway. JQ is what would happen if scientists took future 1st rounder Ahmad Garnder's DNA and created a clone. The crazy thing about JQ is Ahmad came in as a rail but JQ is already pushing 200 lbs as a freshman. This kid has everything you want from a future 1st round draft pick, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts on the boundary this year and we see a career trajectory similar to Sauce.

Tre Tucker may be the fastest player on the team and he is not even included on this list. All I can say is wow.

Just a few Pirates to be aware of

Teegan Wilk and Julius Wood... probably best safety tandem for the Pirates since the Hart twins.
Xavier Smith ILB... moved him around last year back to his permanent spot at 6'3" 240.
Elijah Morris, Rick D'Abreau, Shaundre Mims, just listed upper classman on dline, but we have a rotation of 8 Dlineman all grown up now with no drop off.
Jireh Wilson OLB a turnover machine plays great in coverage and excellent on the blitz at 6"5"
Avery Jones Center very athletic offensive lineman
Ryan Jones TE (NFL Talent) considered the best athlete while at Oklahoma on that team, but started at LB. He wanted to play offense so he transferred.
Shane Calhoun TE big body great hands and excellent blocker.
Keaton Mitchell and Rahjai Harris possibly the best RB tandem in the conference behind the best OL at ECU in 6 years.
Holton Ahlers fifth year starting QB finally behind a good oline.
We may not win it, but I can promise this. We will be respected and have our opponents attention. Bring it!!

SMU's Camar Wheaton - redshirt freshman Dallas transfer RB from Alabama. If we can develop our blocking between tackles, you should see this 5* athlete become a star. Though hurt during Freshman year at Bama, he is now fully recovered according to sources. #1 RB in his recruiting class last year. Another I expect to excel is 4* QB Preston Stone. He has to beat out a talented Mordecai, but if not still has 3 years to play.