For the record, Lakeland c/o 2020 predictions

[badrouter]

I realize this is of lower interest, but thought I'd go on the record and predict the football careers of Lakeland's FBS prospects for this 2020 class:

Demarkcus Bowman, RB, Clemson: He'll be a major star and NFL player. Clemson's Tony Elliot called him a "generational player" and Dabo Swinney called him C.J. Spiller. He has a chance to be even better than Spiller was.

Arian Smith, WR, Georgia: Will discontinue football to focus on his track career, probably within less than two years. A football bust that should serve as an embarrassment to the recruiting services who skyrocketed him in the rankings in a period where no football was played, and Smith attended no football camps.

Kendall Dennis, DB, Oklahoma: Will eventually work his way into some meaningful playing time. May end up doing fairly well, and may even get a cup of coffee in the NFL.

Chayil Garnett, QB, Auburn: Very quick entrant to the transfer portal, no later than the end of the 2020 season. Will end up at a USF or FAU, and will do nothing there.

Fenley Graham, Ath, Florida: Could become another Brandon James in the return game. He is excellent in this area. I can not see him making contributions in any other area.

Interested to hear from the handful of you who watched these guys in HS and see what you think!

 

[badrouter]

I didn't even mention OL Willie Lampkin, as he signed with Coastal Carolina. In a surprise, HE is one of the top freshmen in the country, and has performed the best of Lakeland's 2020 class thus far. And he's doing it on a Top 25 team. Lampkin

[badrouter]

Updates:

Bowman: transferred to Florida after a couple of games at Clemson. Has a shot to make an impact both at RB and returning kicks.

Arian Smith: it appears I will miss on this one. He had a couple of highlight catches from J.T. Daniels after an injury sidelined him early. He now looks to be a very real factor in the WR rotation for a national title contending team.

Dennis: Injured and redshirted as a freshman. Turning some heads now and has a good shot to get quality playing time on a national title contender.

Garnett: mostly correct on this one. After spring 2021 he transferred to Tennessee State. With transfer rules relaxed, this can not be explained by wanting to have immediate eligibility. He's just not that good.

Graham: May well be the favorite to be the leading kick returner for the Gators. Still not sure he'll do much in the secondary, but he really could be another Brandon James.

OL Lampkin still figures to be a standout on a preseason top 25 team.

OL Anthony Smith redshirted at Iowa State.

[badrouter]

In the name of accountability and transparency, it has to be said that this group was a massive bust. Arian Smith has actually done better than I projected, but still rates as a disappointment given his 4* status. Willie Lampkin has been a smashing success, and might be an All-American this season, but he was overlooked and unrated in 2020. 

The disappointments from Lakeland over the last several seasons has become a news story itself. It might be the case that current Lakeland players may be receiving lower ratings because of it. Current players should be playing with a chip on their shoulders. They will open the season at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami to face the Central Rockets in a game expected to be on ESPN. The embarrassing careers of the likes of Demarkcus Bowman and Cormani McClain will either serve as fuel to the current players, or will serve as information helping to predict a Central win.

[Nolebull813]

3 hours ago, badrouter said:

In the name of accountability and transparency, it has to be said that this group was a massive bust. Arian Smith has actually done better than I projected, but still rates as a disappointment given his 4* status. Willie Lampkin has been a smashing success, and might be an All-American this season, but he was overlooked and unrated in 2020. 

The disappointments from Lakeland over the last several seasons has become a news story itself. It might be the case that current Lakeland players may be receiving lower ratings because of it. Current players should be playing with a chip on their shoulders. They will open the season at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami to face the Central Rockets in a game expected to be on ESPN. The embarrassing careers of the likes of Demarkcus Bowman and Cormani McClain will either serve as fuel to the current players, or will serve as information helping to predict a Central win.

Sometimes kids are just really good high school football players and that’s it. Their body size usually gets them the interest to the next level, but you either sink or swim. It’s an entirely different animal from living at home to being thrown into the real world away from home. There’s no science 

[badrouter]

1 hour ago, Nolebull813 said:

Sometimes kids are just really good high school football players and that’s it. Their body size usually gets them the interest to the next level, but you either sink or swim. It’s an entirely different animal from living at home to being thrown into the real world away from home. There’s no science 

I also think NIL and the free for all that is the transfer portal lead some players to not work as hard to make things work for themselves.  Kids get enough NIL money to get a fancy new car and they figure their life is complete. Or things seem really hard under one coaching staff and so the kid just figures the grass will be greener elsewhere. I just can't believe that Bowman and McClain lack the physical ability. They may lack love for the game...

[TruthSerum]

6 hours ago, badrouter said:

I also think NIL and the free for all that is the transfer portal lead some players to not work as hard to make things work for themselves.  Kids get enough NIL money to get a fancy new car and they figure their life is complete. Or things seem really hard under one coaching staff and so the kid just figures the grass will be greener elsewhere. I just can't believe that Bowman and McClain lack the physical ability. They may lack love for the game...

It's the lack of work ethic typically 

When elite players are told everyday they the goat in high school they get to college and forget that they aren't gonna be feared in college and they just one of MANY stud players and like said above its sink or swim

Many high rated players sink because they forgot the hunger that got them to the top because once they get on top they get complacent and think they are the untouchable big shots 

That and the fact recruiting rankings far too often put too much stock into stuff like a 40 time or height which don't translate when the pads start pounding in a game 

[Atticus Finch]

15 hours ago, Nolebull813 said:

Sometimes kids are just really good high school football players and that’s it. Their body size usually gets them the interest to the next level, but you either sink or swim. It’s an entirely different animal from living at home to being thrown into the real world away from home. There’s no science 

You're also completely ignoring everything unrelated to football.

[Atticus Finch]

14 hours ago, badrouter said:

I also think NIL and the free for all that is the transfer portal lead some players to not work as hard to make things work for themselves.  Kids get enough NIL money to get a fancy new car and they figure their life is complete. Or things seem really hard under one coaching staff and so the kid just figures the grass will be greener elsewhere. I just can't believe that Bowman and McClain lack the physical ability. They may lack love for the game...

Lakeland players have bene "busting" for decades, long before NIL was a thing.

[badrouter]

12 hours ago, TruthSerum said:

It's the lack of work ethic typically 

When elite players are told everyday they the goat in high school they get to college and forget that they aren't gonna be feared in college and they just one of MANY stud players and like said above its sink or swim

Many high rated players sink because they forgot the hunger that got them to the top because once they get on top they get complacent and think they are the untouchable big shots 

That and the fact recruiting rankings far too often put too much stock into stuff like a 40 time or height which don't translate when the pads start pounding in a game 

Yep! 

I'm amazed- and disgusted- at how big of a deal youth football is in states like Florida. We've seen a few 8TH GRADERS taking to Twitter to announce where they're playing for 9th grade. They have multiple offers, uncommittable of course but from even Power 5 schools. I think it's all terrible. Like you said, these kids are treated like celebrities as 14 year-olds. A kid calls himself "CamBron" as if he's the next LeBron James, and he's like 13. Ugh

[badrouter]

3 hours ago, Atticus Finch said:

Lakeland players have bene "busting" for decades, long before NIL was a thing.

Do you have a theory as to why? 

I've talked with one college coach who said he thought the transfer culture was harmful in general. Kids knowing they want to play at Lakeland who go play at Jenkins etc until they can compete for a starting spot. 

The program has been known for playing shorter, quicker players and gaining an edge that way because they're stronger than their size suggests. But, these types don't necessarily translate to success in college.

The other unique thing about Lakeland (under Castle anyway; I think Frazier is different) was the added emphasis on simulated game reps at the expense of more individualized training and drills. It made for a team more likely to make the "clutch" or 50/50 plays, but also meant players were more raw in some regards.

[TruthSerum]

7 hours ago, badrouter said:

Do you have a theory as to why? 

I've talked with one college coach who said he thought the transfer culture was harmful in general. Kids knowing they want to play at Lakeland who go play at Jenkins etc until they can compete for a starting spot. 

The program has been known for playing shorter, quicker players and gaining an edge that way because they're stronger than their size suggests. But, these types don't necessarily translate to success in college.

The other unique thing about Lakeland (under Castle anyway; I think Frazier is different) was the added emphasis on simulated game reps at the expense of more individualized training and drills. It made for a team more likely to make the "clutch" or 50/50 plays, but also meant players were more raw in some regards.

People are quick to use that to attack the kids but let's look at other sports for a minute 

Basketball 

Soccer

Baseball 

Softball 

Volleyball 

 

What's something these sports have that football doesn't have but also kinda does 

 

TRAVEL BALL

 

people will look at the transfer portal but if you followed travel ball in other sports the last 10-20 years this transfer portal has been happening even at the youth level for years 

 

When you have parents that will have a kid jump teams every year why are we so surprised that it continues when they get to college when it's all they have known growing up 

[TruthSerum]

7 hours ago, badrouter said:

Yep! 

I'm amazed- and disgusted- at how big of a deal youth football is in states like Florida. We've seen a few 8TH GRADERS taking to Twitter to announce where they're playing for 9th grade. They have multiple offers, uncommittable of course but from even Power 5 schools. I think it's all terrible. Like you said, these kids are treated like celebrities as 14 year-olds. A kid calls himself "CamBron" as if he's the next LeBron James, and he's like 13. Ugh

I'm all for kids finding ways to market themselves but you also have plenty of parents and coaches who will use kids to promote themselves which has created a lot of the current climate 

 

Most kids especially teenagers learn by the examples they set and when you have parents telling you you're the best ever and having them move team to team and they see players in college they look up to doing all this then it's all they know 

 

Many adults created the problems that they now hate but don't think for a second what caused it in the first place 

 

And yeah Florida as a whole athletics wise is a fucking catastrophe with the state leadership and I'm not excited at all to see the results long term which is why I realized a while ago that I've lost any interest and will probably focus on a different avenue of sports because now the FHSAA has created a pay for win system that will reward teams who can cheat the best to get ahead 

 

It ain't even just the privates anymore either it's becoming a widespread issues across the state 

 

Hell you got schools in rural areas that have coaches texting players and actively recruiting across several county borders and nobody is thinking twice about it