re: Lewis Neal visit/Frank Herron decision and top 5

Herron has been one I have gone back and forth over. He is on the bubble for me; I would wait to take him unless I was blown away by his camp. I say that because we are recruiting so many DEs right now (around 16-18) and I think we have decent or better chances with a lot of them. That being said, I would be happy if he ends up in this class.

He has great size at 6'5" 250 lbs; he can easily put another 25 lbs of muscle on that tall frame and play around 275-280. Watching his film, he reminds me a bit of Tyson Jackson when he played at St. John. He has good closing speed and field vision; he plays aggressively, trying to strip the ball a lot; has a big wingspan; needs to work on learning how to use his hands better to keep blockers at length; tackling needs some refining; I think he has a high ceiling and a lot of potential. Herron is like a bigger Beckwith.

Regarding Neal, I think he is more fundamentally sound; disciplined, smart football player and instincts, tackles well, uses hands well, keeps containment and position, sheds blocks, good vision. However, he does not have the speed or size that Herron does.

Bottom line: both guys are good solid recruits and I would be happy if they were part of the class. That being said, I want guys like Prevot and Williams who are on a higher level IMO.