Heavy focus on OL with this recruiting class signing 6. Lots of talent to review so lets get started.
As always, I went through each highlight tape and offered what I quickly saw vs. what RMU needs. I even offered my prediction for each young man. It all comes down to whether they can grasp the new system and adjust to the speed of the game.
Myles Canton, DB, 6-1, 185, Hyattsville, Md., (DeMatha)
Comes from a top tier high school program. Great career as a FS and should fit nicely into what RMU does defensively. In his films, he does keeps his eyes in the backfield too long and that will hurt him even at the FCS level. He has great hands, makes plays but has a few veterans in front of him. Will be tough to beat out Smigiera but do you shift Andy to SS and let Canton and Lisbon battle it out for FS?
2017 Prediction - Special Teams, backup FS and perhaps Nickel or Dime package.
Jon Muehlbauer, DB, 6-2, 185, Jefferson Hills, Pa., (Thomas Jefferson)
Probably the best athlete on the 2016 TJ team. Can do everything from playing WR, to returning kicks to playing D. Catches everything with his hands even those easy INTs.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams, backup DB and perhaps Nickel or Dime package.
Jacob Thomas, DB, 6-3, 185, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Brentwood)
Another tall DB/FS for RMU. A little raw as I saw him get beat twice but bad QB throws led to INTs. Very athletic. Will provide depth but could need at least a season to learn and grow.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt or Special Teams
Alek Kwasniewski, DB, 6-0, 195, Kings Mill, Ohio, (Kings)
True SS. Lines up like a LB in his films. If he is converting from a LB to SS at RMU, it will be an adjustment period for him. He is obviously athletic but could be a RS year for the young man as he might bounce between SS and OLB.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Eddie Kachmarek, DL, 6-6, 225, Hambleton, W.Va., (Tucker County)
Big frame when you watch his films but will need to fill out more and increase his strength during his 1st year at RMU. Will need coached up to develop his passing rush and hands. His 1st year will be a lot of learning.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Artie Priore, DL, 6-1, 220, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Baldwin)
Did a lot of the dirty work for the Baldwin defense in high school. Would line up at DE or NT or OLB. Wasn't blown away by one thing but he is that type of young man that will eat up blocks, play his assignment and make plays if needed. With his current size, it might take him a few years getting a home on the D and learning.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Izon Pulley *, DL, 6-4, 255, Germantown, Md., (Our Lady of Good Counsel)
Already on campus and will be someone RMU will look to plug into the DE position day 1 in spring ball. True DI talent playing at RMU. He will be a starter Day one replacing Ryan Lewis.
2017 Prediction - Starter at DE
Greg Rose, DE, 6-3, 235, Hyattsville, Md., (DeMatha)
Another DeMatha stud coming to RMU. Pipeline?!?!?!
Rose will challenge for the other starting DE spot opposite of Pulley. RMU has some experience coming back with Stanford and Smith.
If RMU was just a 4-3 team, then I think you could see Rose starting. But this young man is too well coached and too talented to be on sideline.
2017 Prediction - Rotation of DEs in the Game. Will be a DE in the 3rd down pass rush group.
Alex Minford, OL, 6-2, 275, Bridgeville, Pa., (South Fayette)
1st team all-state in PA comes to RMU. Play OT at South Fayette but will probably be shifted to OG when he walks on campus. Very strong and nice mean streak when playing. Feet a little slow on his scoop blocks but that will improve. He tends to hit with his head in pass blocking.
2017 Prediction - 2nd string at RG
Bussy Remaley, OL, 6-3, 280, Greensburg, Pa., (Hempfield)
With Mundy apparently going back to OG, Remaley will challenge McAllister for the starting C position. Tough player and will finish his blocks. Tough to see with no end zone film to watch but it seems he might take a false step on his back blocks replacing the pulling OG. He is strong and has a good push once he locks on you. A little high and hits high when jumping to the LB level.
2017 Prediction - Backup C
Adam Sedzmak, OL, 6-5, 300, Struthers, Ohio, (Struthers)
Big body young man but will need some work. Elbows are out wide when blocking, doesn't drive his hip through on contact. Another tough OL who loves to block to the whistle. Does play high at times. It will come down if the OL stays healthy all season, he could RS which would greatly help his career.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
John Sheldon, OL, 6-2, 250, Ridley Park, Pa., (Ridley Park)
One of the most violent OL highlight tapes I have ever seen. "Whatever he hits, he destroys." Great leverage on his blocks, great drive and finish. Concern will be over his weight and can he hold his own and create drive off the LOS going against DTs that could out weight him by 30-40lbs.
2017 Prediction - Starter RG
Dylan Young, OL, 6-4, 270, Coral Springs, Fla., (Taravella)
Center from Florida who might be someone who is shuffled between C and OG. Physical, plays a little high and pass blocking needs work. He doesn't sit back on his sets. Would have trouble one on one with NT.
2017 Prediction - Backup LG
Trevor Hicks, OL, 6-5, 300, Washington Courthouse, Ohio, (Washington)
Big LT that can move. A little soft jumping to the LB level. Needs to devilver a better punch in his pass set. Will battle in camp at LT.
2017 Prediction - Backup LT unless he struggles then Red Shirt.
Frank Antuono, LB, 6-2, 220, New Castle, Pa., (Neshannock)
QB who is coming to RMU to play LB...well that has worked before. Very solid MLB, wasn't blown away by his overall speed but plays very well between the tackles. And smart. Great read on plays. It will be tough to crack the top 2 at either ILB position. It all comes down to adjusting to the speed that RMU plays D and getting the system down from Farison.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams
Brayden Thimons, LB, 6-4, 240, Natrona Heights, Pa., (Highlands)
Another QB who is coming to RMU to play LB...well that has worked before. Looks like a monster out there in his highlight tape. Very good tackler, runs through everything. Will be interesting to see if Farison places him at ILB or OLB. I would think ILB. But that can change in camp if there are injuries.
2017 Prediction - Backup ILB and Special Teams.
Alijah Jackson, RB, 5-10, 180, Paramus, N.J. (Paramus Catholic)
Speed-Speed-Speed. This is what Jackson will bring the RMU when he steps on the field. Great vision and once he gets outside he is typically gone. The issue is that Jackson is heading to a crowded backfield. Cole Blake will return looking to place his stamp back onto his 2015 starting RB position. Satcher and Wells return with experience as well plus there is a ton of hype around Harrison Dreher who is listed as a WR but will play both in 2017.
2017 Prediction - Will play special teams and be listed as 3rd on the depth at RB. Won't RS unless he gets injured.
Ben Walter, FB, 6-1, 240, Pittsburgh, Pa., (North Hills)
Late name added or someone I simply missed. Played a bit of TE/Hybrid and traditional FB. He is strong. He does run straight up and does go down a little easy. Didn't see too many times where he took on inside backers on leads. NEC teams play a lot of 3-4 and he will learn this very quickly in camp. But he comes to the position where RMU struggled to find a solid FB when needed.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams and maybe Short Yardage Offensive Package.
Kevin Brown, WR, 5-11, 175, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Plum)
Played many different positions in high school. RMU is targeting him as a WR. Kevin Brown will be player that will line up at WR in the slot one series and perhaps come in later in the game to run wildcat or RB. WR and RB are loaded but he could earn some playing time as the season rolls on.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams
Anthony DelleFemine, WR, 6-2, 180, North Huntingdon, Pa., (Norwin)
Perhaps another Tim Vecchio type of player but out on the edge. Can take a quick hitter and turn it up the field. Tall and fast and very athletic. Lots of questions with the 2017 WRs so the door is open for this young to step up.
2017 Prediction - Backup WR but will see game time.
Dalton Elliott, TE, 6-4, 240, Newnan, Ga., (Northgate)
Tough TE from the South. Finishes his blocks. Catches those typical TE passes and can move. Top 5 heavyweight wrestler in the state of GA.
2017 Prediction - Starter at TE when RMU goes two-TE set.
Matthew Holmes, TE, 6-1, 225, Imperial, Pa., (West Allegheny)
Backyard get for RMU. Tough young man. Will play TE/H-back. He will come in and make people hate him on the practice field. He will be that player that never stops which what this team needs. Will see the field perhaps in certain packages where he lines up at FB and motions out.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams with some potential offensive sets.
Jimmy Walker *, QB, 6-2, 215, Redlands, Calif., (Redlands)
Is this the QB that this staff has been waiting for? Nothing against Barr and Bodeman but they have to stay healthy. He is on campus and will compete in Spring Ball. He will start Spring Ball probably near the middle of the pack to get reps. But by the time August gets here, RMU could have their QB.
2017 Prediction - Starter at QB
Nick Bisceglia, K, 5-11, 160, New Kensington, Pa., (Kiski Area)
Will he the kicker looking to replace Connor Shennan?
2017 Prediction - Starter at K
As always, I went through each highlight tape and offered what I quickly saw vs. what RMU needs. I even offered my prediction for each young man. It all comes down to whether they can grasp the new system and adjust to the speed of the game.
Myles Canton, DB, 6-1, 185, Hyattsville, Md., (DeMatha)
Comes from a top tier high school program. Great career as a FS and should fit nicely into what RMU does defensively. In his films, he does keeps his eyes in the backfield too long and that will hurt him even at the FCS level. He has great hands, makes plays but has a few veterans in front of him. Will be tough to beat out Smigiera but do you shift Andy to SS and let Canton and Lisbon battle it out for FS?
2017 Prediction - Special Teams, backup FS and perhaps Nickel or Dime package.
Jon Muehlbauer, DB, 6-2, 185, Jefferson Hills, Pa., (Thomas Jefferson)
Probably the best athlete on the 2016 TJ team. Can do everything from playing WR, to returning kicks to playing D. Catches everything with his hands even those easy INTs.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams, backup DB and perhaps Nickel or Dime package.
Jacob Thomas, DB, 6-3, 185, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Brentwood)
Another tall DB/FS for RMU. A little raw as I saw him get beat twice but bad QB throws led to INTs. Very athletic. Will provide depth but could need at least a season to learn and grow.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt or Special Teams
Alek Kwasniewski, DB, 6-0, 195, Kings Mill, Ohio, (Kings)
True SS. Lines up like a LB in his films. If he is converting from a LB to SS at RMU, it will be an adjustment period for him. He is obviously athletic but could be a RS year for the young man as he might bounce between SS and OLB.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Eddie Kachmarek, DL, 6-6, 225, Hambleton, W.Va., (Tucker County)
Big frame when you watch his films but will need to fill out more and increase his strength during his 1st year at RMU. Will need coached up to develop his passing rush and hands. His 1st year will be a lot of learning.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Artie Priore, DL, 6-1, 220, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Baldwin)
Did a lot of the dirty work for the Baldwin defense in high school. Would line up at DE or NT or OLB. Wasn't blown away by one thing but he is that type of young man that will eat up blocks, play his assignment and make plays if needed. With his current size, it might take him a few years getting a home on the D and learning.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
Izon Pulley *, DL, 6-4, 255, Germantown, Md., (Our Lady of Good Counsel)
Already on campus and will be someone RMU will look to plug into the DE position day 1 in spring ball. True DI talent playing at RMU. He will be a starter Day one replacing Ryan Lewis.
2017 Prediction - Starter at DE
Greg Rose, DE, 6-3, 235, Hyattsville, Md., (DeMatha)
Another DeMatha stud coming to RMU. Pipeline?!?!?!
Rose will challenge for the other starting DE spot opposite of Pulley. RMU has some experience coming back with Stanford and Smith.
If RMU was just a 4-3 team, then I think you could see Rose starting. But this young man is too well coached and too talented to be on sideline.
2017 Prediction - Rotation of DEs in the Game. Will be a DE in the 3rd down pass rush group.
Alex Minford, OL, 6-2, 275, Bridgeville, Pa., (South Fayette)
1st team all-state in PA comes to RMU. Play OT at South Fayette but will probably be shifted to OG when he walks on campus. Very strong and nice mean streak when playing. Feet a little slow on his scoop blocks but that will improve. He tends to hit with his head in pass blocking.
2017 Prediction - 2nd string at RG
Bussy Remaley, OL, 6-3, 280, Greensburg, Pa., (Hempfield)
With Mundy apparently going back to OG, Remaley will challenge McAllister for the starting C position. Tough player and will finish his blocks. Tough to see with no end zone film to watch but it seems he might take a false step on his back blocks replacing the pulling OG. He is strong and has a good push once he locks on you. A little high and hits high when jumping to the LB level.
2017 Prediction - Backup C
Adam Sedzmak, OL, 6-5, 300, Struthers, Ohio, (Struthers)
Big body young man but will need some work. Elbows are out wide when blocking, doesn't drive his hip through on contact. Another tough OL who loves to block to the whistle. Does play high at times. It will come down if the OL stays healthy all season, he could RS which would greatly help his career.
2017 Prediction - Red Shirt
John Sheldon, OL, 6-2, 250, Ridley Park, Pa., (Ridley Park)
One of the most violent OL highlight tapes I have ever seen. "Whatever he hits, he destroys." Great leverage on his blocks, great drive and finish. Concern will be over his weight and can he hold his own and create drive off the LOS going against DTs that could out weight him by 30-40lbs.
2017 Prediction - Starter RG
Dylan Young, OL, 6-4, 270, Coral Springs, Fla., (Taravella)
Center from Florida who might be someone who is shuffled between C and OG. Physical, plays a little high and pass blocking needs work. He doesn't sit back on his sets. Would have trouble one on one with NT.
2017 Prediction - Backup LG
Trevor Hicks, OL, 6-5, 300, Washington Courthouse, Ohio, (Washington)
Big LT that can move. A little soft jumping to the LB level. Needs to devilver a better punch in his pass set. Will battle in camp at LT.
2017 Prediction - Backup LT unless he struggles then Red Shirt.
Frank Antuono, LB, 6-2, 220, New Castle, Pa., (Neshannock)
QB who is coming to RMU to play LB...well that has worked before. Very solid MLB, wasn't blown away by his overall speed but plays very well between the tackles. And smart. Great read on plays. It will be tough to crack the top 2 at either ILB position. It all comes down to adjusting to the speed that RMU plays D and getting the system down from Farison.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams
Brayden Thimons, LB, 6-4, 240, Natrona Heights, Pa., (Highlands)
Another QB who is coming to RMU to play LB...well that has worked before. Looks like a monster out there in his highlight tape. Very good tackler, runs through everything. Will be interesting to see if Farison places him at ILB or OLB. I would think ILB. But that can change in camp if there are injuries.
2017 Prediction - Backup ILB and Special Teams.
Alijah Jackson, RB, 5-10, 180, Paramus, N.J. (Paramus Catholic)
Speed-Speed-Speed. This is what Jackson will bring the RMU when he steps on the field. Great vision and once he gets outside he is typically gone. The issue is that Jackson is heading to a crowded backfield. Cole Blake will return looking to place his stamp back onto his 2015 starting RB position. Satcher and Wells return with experience as well plus there is a ton of hype around Harrison Dreher who is listed as a WR but will play both in 2017.
2017 Prediction - Will play special teams and be listed as 3rd on the depth at RB. Won't RS unless he gets injured.
Ben Walter, FB, 6-1, 240, Pittsburgh, Pa., (North Hills)
Late name added or someone I simply missed. Played a bit of TE/Hybrid and traditional FB. He is strong. He does run straight up and does go down a little easy. Didn't see too many times where he took on inside backers on leads. NEC teams play a lot of 3-4 and he will learn this very quickly in camp. But he comes to the position where RMU struggled to find a solid FB when needed.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams and maybe Short Yardage Offensive Package.
Kevin Brown, WR, 5-11, 175, Pittsburgh, Pa., (Plum)
Played many different positions in high school. RMU is targeting him as a WR. Kevin Brown will be player that will line up at WR in the slot one series and perhaps come in later in the game to run wildcat or RB. WR and RB are loaded but he could earn some playing time as the season rolls on.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams
Anthony DelleFemine, WR, 6-2, 180, North Huntingdon, Pa., (Norwin)
Perhaps another Tim Vecchio type of player but out on the edge. Can take a quick hitter and turn it up the field. Tall and fast and very athletic. Lots of questions with the 2017 WRs so the door is open for this young to step up.
2017 Prediction - Backup WR but will see game time.
Dalton Elliott, TE, 6-4, 240, Newnan, Ga., (Northgate)
Tough TE from the South. Finishes his blocks. Catches those typical TE passes and can move. Top 5 heavyweight wrestler in the state of GA.
2017 Prediction - Starter at TE when RMU goes two-TE set.
Matthew Holmes, TE, 6-1, 225, Imperial, Pa., (West Allegheny)
Backyard get for RMU. Tough young man. Will play TE/H-back. He will come in and make people hate him on the practice field. He will be that player that never stops which what this team needs. Will see the field perhaps in certain packages where he lines up at FB and motions out.
2017 Prediction - Special Teams with some potential offensive sets.
Jimmy Walker *, QB, 6-2, 215, Redlands, Calif., (Redlands)
Is this the QB that this staff has been waiting for? Nothing against Barr and Bodeman but they have to stay healthy. He is on campus and will compete in Spring Ball. He will start Spring Ball probably near the middle of the pack to get reps. But by the time August gets here, RMU could have their QB.
2017 Prediction - Starter at QB
Nick Bisceglia, K, 5-11, 160, New Kensington, Pa., (Kiski Area)
Will he the kicker looking to replace Connor Shennan?
2017 Prediction - Starter at K
