Yep, Rowland commented on his ability to separate which is what I noticed as well. That and good hands are the two best qualities of WR. He looked very smooth in his route running too changing speeds and direction well much like Keenan Burton.
Yahtzee Isiah Epps Commits
- Thread starter SportsFanatic42
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Wow, a smooth 6'3 guy, Think he may be looked upon in 2 years as a steal. Go back and look at some of our WR commits and video of when Mark first got here, the size and video looks like the players are so much better.
I stand corrected......
Epps did not start playing football until a week before his junior year started.
Epps did not start playing football until a week before his junior year started.
This guy was a 5.3 two star in the middle of B1G country. He may be the first WR taken in this year's draft. Certainly a first rounder.
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/38215
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/38215
From the highlights it looks like he has good hands & a nice burst to create separation. Not blazing fast but runs smooth routes. But, at this point I'd much prefer a guy who can catch the ball over someone with a better 40 time. We are definitely lacking in sure-handed WRs.
And, I'm not hung up on stars but I am curious why OU, OSU or no other Big12 or local P5 school offered. Someone said he didn't start playing football til his Jr year but you'd think some of those schools, especially in-state, would've shown some interest.
With very few spots open & the apparent quality of our remaining targets the staff must be really high on him to accept his commitment. I won't lie, I love what I've seen of Davis' highlights & hoped he'd be the guy if we only took one or two more WRs. But, Epps looks solid & I trust this staff's evaluation skills & if they want him that's good enough for me.
Hopefully, it doesn't mean Davis is out of the question now. But, Bowden is the one recruit I REALLY hope we land. I'd love to close out the class with Bowden, Munford & Wright if we're only taking 23.
And, I'm not hung up on stars but I am curious why OU, OSU or no other Big12 or local P5 school offered. Someone said he didn't start playing football til his Jr year but you'd think some of those schools, especially in-state, would've shown some interest.
With very few spots open & the apparent quality of our remaining targets the staff must be really high on him to accept his commitment. I won't lie, I love what I've seen of Davis' highlights & hoped he'd be the guy if we only took one or two more WRs. But, Epps looks solid & I trust this staff's evaluation skills & if they want him that's good enough for me.
Hopefully, it doesn't mean Davis is out of the question now. But, Bowden is the one recruit I REALLY hope we land. I'd love to close out the class with Bowden, Munford & Wright if we're only taking 23.
Yep, and Bill Snyder as well. Snyder has made a nice living by picking up on kids like this every year. People rave about Snyder's coaching, but I have always maintained that he just really does a great job at evaluating player potential.
Gotta like this:
Justin RowlandVerified account @RowlandRIVALS Dec 15
Long talk with new UK commit Isaiah Epps and I have to say, he's one of the most polite, intelligent recruits I've talked to in a while.
Justin RowlandVerified account @RowlandRIVALS Dec 15Long talk with new UK commit Isaiah Epps and I have to say, he's one of the most polite, intelligent recruits I've talked to in a while.
Maybe Hughes or Ali or Thomas will be that guy...or maybe all three.
Certainly no secret that our coaches do better evals than Rivals. Benny Snell, Derrick Baity, Josh Allen were 5.5, low 3 star prospects. Steve Johnson, Bunchy Stallings, Naquez Pringle were 5.4. Taking Isaiah Epps cannot make or break Mark Stoops. What's that about? After 2017, Kentucky will lose Baker, Bone, Badet, Juice, Walker, so our coaches are taking a lot of receivers this year. Epps is a tall, fast receiver with offers from 2 Big 10 schools, and would have a better offer sheet if he wasn't so skinny. Epps needs a couple years of strength development, so he isn't an impact type of commitment. But if he gets strong enough to beat press coverage, he has a high ceiling. Watch him catch and run on tape. He can really run.
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Yes and he's built like Bone but with better speed but he's still not a burner. Neither is Ali, Thomas or Hughes. Bowden could be our speed guy or maybe Davis but we need that home run speed that Badet gives us.
Epps is a burner with long arms. Watch him run on tape. Compared to Epps, Bone's feet may as well be in cement. A better comp for Epps would be Jabari Greenwood, but Epps is faster. Our 2018 receiver rotation may be Javonte Richardson, Tavin Richardson, Greenwood, Ross, Hughes, Epps, maybe Marvin Robinson if he sticks around, maybe Davis if he comes. Robinson, Davis can really run. I doubt Ali, Thomas stay on offense. That is really a practice question but Thomas looks like a safety and Ali may be a special teams player for a couple years. Lynn Bowden is an elite safety prospect. Unless not needed as a safety, I don't see Bowden being a receiver here. That's if we can sign him, not a slam dunk at all.
Yes he did, watched him play in person. BBN is really going to like this recruit. He also played against some of the best competition Ok has to offer. He's a glider, I believe in the old days he would've been called sneaky fast. He does have good hands, which we need badly.
Badet and Boom are the fastest players on the team. If that's your standard, most receivers won't meet it. There is a lot more to being an effective receiver than 40 time. Stevie Johnson was never very fast, but he is strong and has great hands. NFL receivers Iike Dez Bryant and Brandon Marshall are not unusually fast, but they are big, physical, and instinctive. I am not concerned about the future of Kentucky's receivers although I would like to see us get Danny Davis.
Yes but what makes Benny and Boom so effective is that they are different kind of runners. Same goes with WRs. If you have a couple of burners it opens up the field for others because defenses have to account for that speed.
Re Davis, maybe he won't come but 247 gave him 2 crystal ball picks to UK yesterday, Sat. Dingle is scheduled to visit late Jan, we'll see if he makes it.
I like his length and according to reports, his best play is still in front of him!!!
I thought that also as late as two weeks ago as I thought we were only taking one more WR. I have since changed my mind and expect we will take Davis if he chooses to become a Cat.
Let's see, people say we need an OT, a DT(me), an ATH, a LB, a WR. Yet we're more than likely getting a DE (Wright) than anything & probably have 3, maybe 4, slots left including Wright. Next most likely seems Davis/Dingle "Dangle" at WR so those folks will be happy. ATH is high. Net, we LB, DT, OT folks are mostly going to be disappointed. I'll get over it though.
Echoing post early in thread... kid caught 59 balls for 1,200 yds and 12 TDs in a 12 game season... 100 yd/game, 1 TD/game, 20 yd/rec. playing in highest class in Oklahoma, for perennial state title contender. I'm buying that.
