"5" is a series of five things, players, thoughts or whatever I think will fill a post.
1. DB Casey Gladney (6-1/180) | This was the unexpected twist on National Signing Day and this was one of those things where it's an incredibly wonderful addition if Gladney qualifies. I don't know for sure, but because of the new restrictions in the SEC and the number of players that can sign, it's maybe not a surprise that because Gladney had qualifying issues that they couldn't afford to let Gladney take up one of those spots. Still, this is one of those rare athletes like La'Darius Newbold, Davis or Wheeler below and I don't think that you can enough of 6-1/180 type of athletes that could play multiple positions. And we gushed about Davis and Wheeler and Gladney is maybe just as impressive as the two of them. And I love that head coach Tommy Tuberville already envisions Gladney being on defense, mentioning that he thinks that Gladney looks like 49ers Carlos Rogers. I don't expect Gladney to play because I tend to believe that players with grade issues coming out of high school may have a tough time adjusting to college life and it might be better for him to focus on his studies.
2. DE Chase Robison (6-4/228) | Robison was a lightly regarded recruit and eventually earned late offers from Tennessee, Louisville, Colorado and North Carolina late in the recruiting process. I don't think that I really recall Robison's senior highlights and there's a reason to be excited about what Robison potentially brings to the team. Robison's is really a quick and talented edge rusher. Incredibly quick off the edge and has excellent pursuit down the line of scrimmage. Robison is probably at a good size if he's going to play linebacker, but he'd have to adjust to that position this year and that's probably going to take some time. If he's going to play at defensive end then he's going to have to add some weight. I'd also add that because of the overall depth at defensive end this year that it would be tough for Robison to crack the rotation.
3. WR Reginald Davis (6-1/185) | First, Davis' story is pretty incredible, his Mom, Dad and Grandmother have all predeceased him and he essentially raised himself and wants to be an engineer. This is tough video to make out, but the blur going by your screen is Davis and he apparently ran a 10.6 110m recently. Davis is a rare athlete, and of the three similar athletes, Davis, Wheeler and Gladney, I think that Davis has the most potential. I think a number of people thought when his Tenaha team played and won the state championship that Davis was the most explosive athlete that weekend. I'd also add that because he's probably a bit more mature than his peers due to his up-bringing, he's probably more ready to play receiver. The tough thing that Davis and Wheeler will face is that it takes time to adjust to playing receiver, as I think the cliche is somewhat true for both a transition from high school to college and from college to the pros. The depth at receiver probably means that Davis doesn't get an opportunity to play, but I'd be more than happy with that.
4 and 5 are after the jump.
4. S/LB Micah Awe (6-0/192) | Amazingly Awe was the only school that offered him. He had no other offers at all, perhaps an indication that he was absolutely committed to Texas Tech and not going to look at other schools. That normally just doesn't happen. Awe is an interesting and creative fellow, and I think this is a positive. Awe is a bit of a tweener in that he played outside linebacker in high school, but various sites have listed him as a safety or defensive back. It is certainly a real possibility for Awe to add weight and play linebacker and generally speaking you project players to add weight and high school safeties move to college linebackers, while high school linebackers move to college defensive ends, etc. It's going to be interesting to watch Awe and see how he develops in this program and where he'll eventually play.
5. WR Dominique Wheeler (6-1/176) | The first thing that jumped out at me when Wheeler committed was the fact that he's an explosive athlete and proved it recently with a triple jump of 45'08" to win his region and go on to state. Like Davis, Wheeler is going to have to take some time and learn the position and refine his skills as a receiver from a do-it-all player for his Crockett high school team. I've got no problem with both Wheeler and Davis taking their time to figure things out. And somewhat like Eric Ward, it may even take their redshirt freshman year to make an impact, but the type of athleticism that they have is unlimited. Wheeler was really the biggest question as to whether or not he would commit on national signing day, but when Wheeler tweeted this photo of QB Clayton Nicholas, Reginald Davis, ATH Keenan Ward and Wheeler prior to signing day, it seemed like a match made in heaven (cowboy boots! cowboy hat!):
