We have a new committment

This seems like a strange paradox to me. When Carvin Johnson committed, the general sense I got from other fans was..."super sleeper, patrick omameh, rich rod knows how to scout em, etc..." But now, for the sole reason of scholarships being more limited, people are ragging on this kid for not being rated higher and on Rich Rod for offering him. Looking at his tapes, the thing that stands out most about him is how sadistic he is with his head to head hits. He seems like quite an angry individual in general, and more of those are needed on this defense. He also seems to have some speed, to be a solid (but not at all powerful) tackler, and to have great ball-skills. The fact that it gets us into an ohio super power is not irrelevant either. Rich Rod's got a great track record with lower rated prospects, so, for now, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and be excited!

It really makes no difference to me that he is a White player at a skill position. My favorite NFL team is the Bears.... and when I was a kid the Bears won the Super Bowl with Gary Fencik at Safety. Fencik was a beast. And yes, he is White. My problem with Vinopal, however, is that he appears to be quite short (between 5'9" and 5' 10"), with very short legs, somewhat questionable speed (listed at 4.56 by Rivals), and his hips don't seem particularly fluid. Fencik had great size but not great speed. John Lynch has great size and decent speed. Vinopal lacks size.... and doesn't appear to have the frame to add more size without losing considerable speed. Moreover, with big name prospects still on the Board and with so few spots left, those slots such be treated like Gold. We certainly should make a legitmate run a the very best players in the nation before giving a slot away to a 2 or 3 star prospect.... who is likely to still be available to us LATER IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS. In looking at his offer sheet, it is not like other major programs are beating down his door. Vinopal will likely be there for us in late January/early February. Why give him one of the slots now? I just don't get it. I guess I will just have to trust the coaches on this one.

save all the freaking out about room in this class until we actually see us turn away a top rated kid? Just wait and see how things work out. People can throw all the names they want out there but guys like Parker and Jefferson are pretty big longshots at this point. The staff will not stop recruiting them and if they do decide to commit we will work it out I'm sure. There is no way this staff turns down top end defensive talent. So for now just be happy we added another talented defensive back to our team. In case you didn't notice we didn't exactly have a plethora last year. At the very least Vinopal will add depth for the future.

I like this commitment. I just don't like it NOW. I think he is the type of recruit that as the recruiting season winds down (late January/early February), and you have a ship available, you give it to him. But not right now. Not with so many big names still on the Board. The biggest issue I see is his frame. Standing between 5'9" and 5'10" with short legs, he doesn't appear to have the frame to add a whole lot more size. Make no mistake, the kid appears to be a hitter. I just wish he were a 6 footer. A guy that had the frame to add more size without losing speed. I see people referring to John Lynch. I hope he does become the next Johnny Lynch but there is a huge difference between the 2 players. John Lynch is a big man.... 6' 2". Vinopal appears to have the body of a cornerback. And a somewhat smallish cornerback at that. I will just have to trust the coaches.

The question now becomes...if it was not before...which commitments are not going to end up signing!? QB: GARDNER SB: WHITE FB: HOPKINS WR: ROBINSON, WILLIAMSON WR: MILLER SR: DILEO SR: DRAKE TE: JACKSON LT: LG: wilson C: PACE RG: RT: NT: hankins, beachum DT: TALBOTT, ash DE: WILKINS, murphy, bryant Q: PASKORZ, KINNARD MLB: WLB: SLB: furman FS: ROBINSON, JOHNSON, parker, anderson SS: JONES, VINOPAL, knight CB: CHRISTIAN, TALBOTT, grimes CB: AVERY, WITTY, boyd K: P: HAGERUP ...Two scholarships left, twelve prospects that we still have a serious chance with and are pursuing hard. It's clear that a number of our commitments aren't going to end up signing with us. I'm going to be the first to rank them in order of that happening: 1) Williamson - There are three other committed outside recievers. Those three have all been on campus a number of times since making their commitments. He has not, and location is not an excuse. 2) Kinnard or Paskorz. There's no reason to take two 'quicks' in this class with a stud frosh starting there this season, and another stud (Wilkins) coming in at DE. Neither of these two have been on campus in a while, and again, location is not an excuse. If Bryant commits, then both of these two could be on the outside looking in. I don't think that we're going to sign Grimes and Murphy, but if that happens, it'd create a similar situation. 3/4) Talbott brothers. Starting with the DT - If Ash commits, there's no need for him. If Hankins and Beachum commit, there's no need for him. These two are a package deal, so, if we lose one, we lose the other. *If we get just Hankins or Beachum, then we'll keep the Talbott brothers, and the attention turns to either Avery or Witty, especially if we sign Grimes or Boyd. 5) Johnson or Vinopal. If one of the stud safties we're going after commits, Parker, Knight, or Anderson, then one of these two lower ranked safties could be on the outside looking in. If two of them commit, then both could. ...I hate being the dick that has to put this list together, but its inevitable, isn't it?