I started a thread on how the offensive side of the 2017 class might finish up and said I'd cover the defensive side in another post. That was only a month ago, but there's been so much going on in that time that I doubt anyone noticed.
We're now down to just 13 days until National Signing Day, very few spots are currently available in the class, and some potential commits won't make their decision until this weekend or the next. So if the staff misses out on a coveted target at a need position that could lead to some scrambling in the final days before NSD. Should be an interesting next couple of weekends. With numbers being what they are, my guess is that outside of the prominent D-linemen UTSA is still recruiting, they're all but done on the defensive side for this class.
Defensive line
Commits - two: Morris Joseph (West Orange-Stark) and Robert Fuentes (SA Southwest)
Needs - Probably two, at least one of whom can play inside at defensive tackle.
I grouped the ends and tackles into one group because some players better suited to playing as a 3-tech in a normal 4-3 front will find themselves playing defensive end in this defense (ex. Kevin Strong, Franklin Uesi). I didn't list Javaris Steward because with his felony indictments I really don't have any confidence that he'll make it to campus, at least not this year.
Baylen Baker and King Newton, the only two players on the current roster listed as DTs, both have three seasons of eligibility left, but additional depth on the inside will be needed, regardless of what defensive alignment the Roadrunners employ in the coming years. Of the (nominal) defensive ends on the roster, Marcus Davenport and Franklin Uesi will be seniors this fall, Kevin Strong a junior, and everyone else has 3-4 years of eligibility left, those being sophs Eric Banks, Jarrod Carter-McLin, Solomon Wise and T.J. King, and RS freshman DeQuarius Henry, a 2016 greyshirt signee who turns 20 in May. Joseph seems destined for a future Kevin Strong role, while Fuentes seems destined to spending a few years in the weight room in hopes that he becomes Davenport 2.0.
The staff is still in hot pursuit of DT Kobe Whiteside (Alief Taylor), who visits on the weekend of January 27, three-star DT Damion Daniels (Dallas Bishop Dunne), and three-star DT Austin Faoliu (future nickname: Big AF?) from Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei. All three would be good takes and help DT depth tremendously. In the amazing event that all three wanted to commit, would UTSA have room for them? That would be a nice problem to have to solve (ask Fuentes if he's willing to greyshirt, IMO).
If the staff is looking for any more big-bodied defensive ends with physical upside and who'll be ready to play a lot earlier than Fuentes (and if any of them are reading this), I'd recommend inquiring about Brandon Kipper, a 6'7" 270-pound athlete, student body president at Columbia High School in Nampa, Idaho, and a decorated wrestling champion with some full college wrestling scholarship offers on the table. He plays football too, and his tape shows a guy who moves uncommonly well for his size and could play OT or DE at the next level. As of two weeks ago his best football offers were Army, Hawaii and UTEP. Check him out below:
Linebacker
Commits - Two: DeMarco Guidry (La Marque) and Donovan Perkins (Zachary, LA)
Needs - At least one OLB in 2017 for future depth, or hit the Juco level hard to find bodies for the 2018 season.
Former high school defensive lineman Josiah Tauaefa was a revelation at linebacker in 2016, to say the least, breaking the program's single-season tackles record as a redshirt freshman and earning a slew of postseason honors. Luckily, he'll be around for three more seasons, but outside of him and 2016 Juco signee Les Maruo, every other scholarship LB on the current roster will be a senior in 2017.
So their 2018 LB corps, at this point, would be manned by Tauaefa (junior), Maruo (senior), Guidry and Perkins (likely redshirt freshmen), and whoever else signs in 2017 or 2018, which leads me to believe there will be more than one Juco LB targeted in the next class who can sign next December and play immediately in 2018. Will UTSA add any more LBs for 2017? That would certainly help depth but they'll be perilously close to running out of room if they get two of the three DTs they're pursuing, plus RB/DB Reed Martin and don't lose anyone via a de-commitment at the last minute.
Javi would know the answer much better than me, but adding another LB doesn't seem to be a priority now, judging by the players known to have received recent in-home visits or scheduled officials, and most of the OLBs who've been offered in the past have committed elsewhere. Surely they'd push for Ashton Smith if they really thought he could play LB long-term and had room. Maybe one of the local LBs could be brought in as a PWO, like Kyle Anderson (SA Reagan), Jack Gibbens (Smithson Valley), or Derek Albers (New Braunfels). Albers played DE as a senior and is probably only 6'-6'1" with a weight maybe in the 220s, but I think he's an athletic guy like Tauaefa who could transition to LB in college. Check out his senior highlights:
Defensive backs
Commits - Six: Kenderius Glenn (Meridian, MS), Michael Moore (Flint, MI, oh wait, wrong Michael Moore; Palomar CC - San Marcos, CA), Javontavius Mosley (Tyler John Tyler), Jay Jay Smith (Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS), Tay'lor Perry (Crosby), Vance Vallair (Beaumont Central).
Needs - None!
Barring a late de-commitment the Roadrunners should be done at defensive back. The 2017 group will be vital to the future depth at defensive back, since UTSA will graduate seven DBs after the 2017 season: Devron Davis, Aneas Henricks, N'Keal Bailey, Austin Jupe, Nate Gaines, Justin Chavez, and Chase Dahlquist. With as many veterans returning they should be able to redshirt most, if not all, of the high school signees, and they'll have enough skill still on the roster after next season that I expect they won't need to hit the Juco market as hard for defensive backs in the 2018 class.
We're now down to just 13 days until National Signing Day, very few spots are currently available in the class, and some potential commits won't make their decision until this weekend or the next. So if the staff misses out on a coveted target at a need position that could lead to some scrambling in the final days before NSD. Should be an interesting next couple of weekends. With numbers being what they are, my guess is that outside of the prominent D-linemen UTSA is still recruiting, they're all but done on the defensive side for this class.
Defensive line
Commits - two: Morris Joseph (West Orange-Stark) and Robert Fuentes (SA Southwest)
Needs - Probably two, at least one of whom can play inside at defensive tackle.
I grouped the ends and tackles into one group because some players better suited to playing as a 3-tech in a normal 4-3 front will find themselves playing defensive end in this defense (ex. Kevin Strong, Franklin Uesi). I didn't list Javaris Steward because with his felony indictments I really don't have any confidence that he'll make it to campus, at least not this year.
Baylen Baker and King Newton, the only two players on the current roster listed as DTs, both have three seasons of eligibility left, but additional depth on the inside will be needed, regardless of what defensive alignment the Roadrunners employ in the coming years. Of the (nominal) defensive ends on the roster, Marcus Davenport and Franklin Uesi will be seniors this fall, Kevin Strong a junior, and everyone else has 3-4 years of eligibility left, those being sophs Eric Banks, Jarrod Carter-McLin, Solomon Wise and T.J. King, and RS freshman DeQuarius Henry, a 2016 greyshirt signee who turns 20 in May. Joseph seems destined for a future Kevin Strong role, while Fuentes seems destined to spending a few years in the weight room in hopes that he becomes Davenport 2.0.
The staff is still in hot pursuit of DT Kobe Whiteside (Alief Taylor), who visits on the weekend of January 27, three-star DT Damion Daniels (Dallas Bishop Dunne), and three-star DT Austin Faoliu (future nickname: Big AF?) from Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei. All three would be good takes and help DT depth tremendously. In the amazing event that all three wanted to commit, would UTSA have room for them? That would be a nice problem to have to solve (ask Fuentes if he's willing to greyshirt, IMO).
If the staff is looking for any more big-bodied defensive ends with physical upside and who'll be ready to play a lot earlier than Fuentes (and if any of them are reading this), I'd recommend inquiring about Brandon Kipper, a 6'7" 270-pound athlete, student body president at Columbia High School in Nampa, Idaho, and a decorated wrestling champion with some full college wrestling scholarship offers on the table. He plays football too, and his tape shows a guy who moves uncommonly well for his size and could play OT or DE at the next level. As of two weeks ago his best football offers were Army, Hawaii and UTEP. Check him out below:
Linebacker
Commits - Two: DeMarco Guidry (La Marque) and Donovan Perkins (Zachary, LA)
Needs - At least one OLB in 2017 for future depth, or hit the Juco level hard to find bodies for the 2018 season.
Former high school defensive lineman Josiah Tauaefa was a revelation at linebacker in 2016, to say the least, breaking the program's single-season tackles record as a redshirt freshman and earning a slew of postseason honors. Luckily, he'll be around for three more seasons, but outside of him and 2016 Juco signee Les Maruo, every other scholarship LB on the current roster will be a senior in 2017.
So their 2018 LB corps, at this point, would be manned by Tauaefa (junior), Maruo (senior), Guidry and Perkins (likely redshirt freshmen), and whoever else signs in 2017 or 2018, which leads me to believe there will be more than one Juco LB targeted in the next class who can sign next December and play immediately in 2018. Will UTSA add any more LBs for 2017? That would certainly help depth but they'll be perilously close to running out of room if they get two of the three DTs they're pursuing, plus RB/DB Reed Martin and don't lose anyone via a de-commitment at the last minute.
Javi would know the answer much better than me, but adding another LB doesn't seem to be a priority now, judging by the players known to have received recent in-home visits or scheduled officials, and most of the OLBs who've been offered in the past have committed elsewhere. Surely they'd push for Ashton Smith if they really thought he could play LB long-term and had room. Maybe one of the local LBs could be brought in as a PWO, like Kyle Anderson (SA Reagan), Jack Gibbens (Smithson Valley), or Derek Albers (New Braunfels). Albers played DE as a senior and is probably only 6'-6'1" with a weight maybe in the 220s, but I think he's an athletic guy like Tauaefa who could transition to LB in college. Check out his senior highlights:
Defensive backs
Commits - Six: Kenderius Glenn (Meridian, MS), Michael Moore (Flint, MI, oh wait, wrong Michael Moore; Palomar CC - San Marcos, CA), Javontavius Mosley (Tyler John Tyler), Jay Jay Smith (Gulf Coast CC - Perkinston, MS), Tay'lor Perry (Crosby), Vance Vallair (Beaumont Central).
Needs - None!
Barring a late de-commitment the Roadrunners should be done at defensive back. The 2017 group will be vital to the future depth at defensive back, since UTSA will graduate seven DBs after the 2017 season: Devron Davis, Aneas Henricks, N'Keal Bailey, Austin Jupe, Nate Gaines, Justin Chavez, and Chase Dahlquist. With as many veterans returning they should be able to redshirt most, if not all, of the high school signees, and they'll have enough skill still on the roster after next season that I expect they won't need to hit the Juco market as hard for defensive backs in the 2018 class.
