Which freshman impressed you most so far?

[levicarvalho]

I liked Sheldon Day,Keivarae Russell impressed me in the game against Purdue.

About Keivarae,

I hate comparisons, but I think with the ball skills he has, he can become a Tyrann Mathieu type of player, a good example for me was the sack at the end of the game.
The only weakness was the tackling technique, which is understandable since he was an offensive player in high school.


What do you think?

 

[GBdomer]

Tee Sheppard or TJ Yeldon.

 

[ndfi78]

Has to be K. Russell, coming in as a true Frosh and starting a position you have never played before is impressive.

 

[PANDFAN]

Golson, DD for being 1st year players

Day has made some nice plays, Russell has had some moments much like Shumante did..

all in all i would say i have been pleasantly suprised by their play thus far...maybe i had lower expectations

 

[irishfan]

Day is probably the guy I have the most confident in, but he also plays a position where he can "blend in" more so than a guy in the secondary.

Russell has been solid. He hasn't struggled to the point where teams can pick on him every play, and he definitely has a lot of confidence.

Shumate has been good in short spurts. I feel more confident with him out there than Jalen Brown (not a knock on Brown, he was just way too nonchalant for chasing the PU receiver going in motion on the goal line on their first TD).

Haven't seen enough on Neal to make much of a judgement, but he's got some balls fielding that punt inside the 5 against Purdue.

 

[PANDFAN]

Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE We may only be two games into the season, but the Irish are averaging 433 yards a game, which is the most for their offense since the 2009 season when they had Jimmy Clausen at quarterback.

Coach Kelly continues to ease the young quarterback into the offense, as Golson has only thrown 49 passes so far. In response, the QB has excelled, completing over 67 percent of his passes, and out of 33 completions, 10 have gone for plays over 10 yards and six have gone for plays of over 25 yards.

Golson has truly only made one major mistake with the football, which was a forced pass into double-coverage in the first half of the Navy game.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

I'm really excited for Shumate. He's shown flashes.

 

[ChiRish]

Sheldon Day. The EE shows... he got a bunch of reps when KLM went down and looked great. As the season progresses he's only going to get better.

I also like what I've seen from Shumate and Russell. Naturals, both of them, and great athletes.

 

[EddytoNow]

Sheldon Day, but Elijah Shumate performed well also.

 

[arrowryan]

Shumate is going to be a stud. I'm glad he moved to cornerback

 

[PraetorianND]

Russell. So much pressure on that kid and he's played pretty well.

 

[rikkitikki08]

Davonte on punt returns, he takes some risks but i like how confident he looks back there

 

[levicarvalho]

They need to block better on punt returns,Neal never has time to take it to the house..

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Day and Shumate are going to be the foundation of the D sooner rather than later. Russell has the skill set even though he is rough around the edges.

 

[goldandblue]

I take Sheldon Day. He will be the replacement for Lous Nix one day and will dominate.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

Neal has shown glimpses in his limited play. I love that he is fearless and confident (returning a punt from inside your own 5 in your first home game?!). He is going to be a big-time player once he settles in to college football.

The best, for me, has been Day. Russell has struggled in coverage and with tackling. He was better against Purdue, but he also almost single-handedly allowed Purdue to drive for a touchdown simply because he couldn't handle the quick WR screen. Shumate hasn't played enough to be judged, but I will predict that he is a starter by the end of the year.

Loads of potential in this class. We are going to be really, really good next year if we can replace Te'o's individual brilliance with stronger team defense from the linebackers (and secondary).

 

[IrishinTN]

Very impressed with Shumate. I think he is the real deal. I was hoping to be impressed with Chris Brown by now. Has he even played yet?

 

[notredomer23]

Shumate needs to be on the field more. When he is, good things happen.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

Very impressed with Shumate. I think he is the real deal. I was hoping to be impressed with Chris Brown by now. Has he even played yet?

He has been on the field a few times. He was even targeted against Navy, but it was probably Golson's worst throw of that game.

I know we are all optimistic about the 2012 class, but not EVERY recruit is going to make an instant impact freshman year. I'm sure Brown will grow into the offense as he develops throughout the year. We definitely need a speed option on the outside to emerge from somewhere.

 

[jason_h537]

Can really only be Day and Russell since they have both played extended periods. As a result, they are both more likely to be exposed.

Sheldon Day stepped up when KLM went down and did admirably. Gotta go with him.

 

[Walter White]

Shumate is going to be a stud. I'm glad he moved to cornerback

I think he moves back to Safety after this season, but he played pretty good nickel versus Purdue.

 

[IrishinTN]

He has been on the field a few times. He was even targeted against Navy, but it was probably Golson's worst throw of that game.

I know we are all optimistic about the 2012 class, but not EVERY recruit is going to make an instant impact freshman year. I'm sure Brown will grow into the offense as he develops throughout the year. We definitely need a speed option on the outside to emerge from somewhere.

I think I am just more confused about the coaches billing Brown as having such a great camp (which I'm sure he did, judging by the video) and with them needing another downfield threat, I was thinking he would be out there more often. I'm sure they are trying to break him in slowly, so I hope they get him on the field more soon.

 

[jason_h537]

I think I am just more confused about the coaches billing Brown as having such a great camp (which I'm sure he did, judging by the video) and with them needing another downfield threat, I was thinking he would be out there more often. I'm sure they are trying to break him in slowly, so I hope they get him on the field more soon.

Brown to me remind of of Golden Tate. I am referring to freshman year. They talked about how fast he is and him being a deep threat, but that's really it. Is he ready to actually play and contirbute, or can he only rin go routes like Golden did when he arrived?

 

[Irishman77]

Sheldon day is as good if not better than lynch and tuitt last year. I am blown away by his discipline and quickness.

 

[koonja]

Sheldon day is as good if not better than lynch and tuitt last year. I am blown away by his discipline and quickness.

No way. I'd say Day, but he's playing at a position of little pressure. It's gotta be Golson, who (as mentioned above) has really only made one mistake in two games as a first time starter. And, believe it or not, he was our best offensive player last week in his first start at the stadium. Baller in the making.

 

[yankeeND]

True Freshman- Sheldon Day, just wow!
RS Fr- Everett Golson, he's perfect for this offense!

All in all every single freshman that has played has done some good things it's just that those 2 have stood out to me. Right behind them is Davaris, that kid is special too!

 

[OCIrish]

I'm going to have to go with K. Russell and Shumate, only because they play a skill position as true Freshman. Not that Day hasn't been impressive, because he has been, but the skill positions are much more dire at this point.

 

[West Coast Domer]

I really like Shumate whether he has been at CB or on special teams.. Kid just makes plays.

 

[Chamellion]

As someone who "saw" the game from the stands, is there a writeup on Shumate's performance anywhere on the internet? Or can someone give me a quick breakdown of how he played? It can be hard to notice players from the stands unless it's obvious.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

As someone who "saw" the game from the stands, is there a writeup on Shumate's performance anywhere on the internet? Or can someone give me a quick breakdown of how he played? It can be hard to notice players from the stands unless it's obvious.

I second this, I can only remember Elijah's pass break up when he dove all out.

Any other notes?