National Columnist Mike Farrell is here with the 3-Point Stance ranking the SEC top tier TEs for next season, potential defensive breakout players in the Big 12 and the coaching debate — Billy Napier, Florida vs. Mario Cristobal, Miami
Top SEC Tight Ends
— I continue to roll through the elite players by position in each Power Five conference with the tight ends in the SEC.
1. Brock Bowers, Georgia
– This one is obvious, even as Bowers found the end zone less last season. He’s head and shoulders above everyone else.
2. Mason Taylor, LSU
— Taylor is about to bust out as the passing game should improve, and he gets more targets. He’s an impressive athlete who can do damage after the catch.
3. Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss
— The Memphis transfer may not be well known, but he led his team in catches last year, and he’s a big target at 6’5″ and 255 lbs.
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4. Var’Keyes Gumms, Arkansas
— The North Texas transfer was second on his team in catches and TDs and was an all-conference performer.
5. CJ Dippre, Alabama
— Dippre is a great athlete who will get plenty of targets in the Tommy Rees offense that made Michael Mayer a star.
Breakout Big XII
— Onto the Big 12 for some defensive breakouts next year.
1. DE Collin Oliver, Oklahoma State
Oliver had a very good season under the radar in 2022 but was overshadowed by a lot of top-end talent in the Big XII. An explosive edge rusher, Oliver may be a bit undersized but more than makes up for it with his quickness.
2. LB Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma
Kanak is a unique athlete who will be among the rangiest linebackers in the conference, if not the country, next season. He ran under 10.4 in the 100m in high school and can cover ground and tackle with the best of them. Kanak has everything you want in a linebacker against the high-flying offenses of the Big XII.
3. DB Devin Lemear, Baylor
As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Lemear earned honorable mention all-conference honors and locked down the back end of the Bears’ defense. Despite a smaller frame, he’s a big hitter who can also patrol center field with the best of them.
The Coach Debate: Billy Napier vs. Mario Cristobal
— And finally, we continue the coaching debates with Billy Napier, Florida vs Mario Cristobal, Miami, and a result that might surprise.
The case for Napier:
What Napier did at Louisiana cannot go overlooked, as he led that program to heights that had never been seen before. He went 40-12 in four seasons, giving him the best winning percentage in program history by a mile. Despite an up-and-down first season, he’s done better recruiting than most people think, despite the very public Jaden Rashada mess. They’re already tied with Georgia with the most committed five stars for the 2024 class (four) out of anyone.
The case against Napier:
Napier is facing an uphill battle of sorts in Gainesville, where some people around the program are already getting restless. He’s not the best with the media either, which has not done him any favors to boot. And he may not get to reap the benefits of some of those five stars if this season’s team goes downhill with Graham Mertz behind center.
The case for Cristobal:
Always known as one of the best in the business on the trail, Cristobal has been one of, if not the best, recruiter in the country since he stepped on the scene. Even without good results on the field in his first season back at his alma mater, he still managed to land a top-10 class nationally, even after the last-minute flip of Cormani McClain. If they keep stacking talent the way they are, they’ll soon be back in the mix right at the top of the ACC.
The case against Cristobal:
Despite his success on the trail, Cristobal’s in-game coaching acumen has come into question multiple times. Yes, he won a Rose Bowl at Oregon, but couldn’t unlock one-tenth of the potential that Justin Herbert has shown since he stepped into the NFL, and his teams underperformed in relation to the amount of talent on hand in comparison to the rest of the Pac-12.
The verdict:
Cristobal is a legendary recruiter, but I’ll take Napier’s abilities as a coach on the field both from a schematic standpoint as well as a decision-making standpoint in-game. Cristobal should be able to amass a ton of talent and re-establish the ‘State of Miami’, but none of that really matters if he can’t actually coach them up on the field. Napier’s problems in his first season at UF were in large part due to the mess that he inherited from Dan Mullen.
