Signing day is over. Our class is complete. We are excited about it and we would like to imagine that all of you fine people are as well. This is why, over the next couple of days, we will be providing you with quick breakdowns of the various position groups in the class. We will do this without any particular reasoning towards the order in which they are presented, as per your likely expectations. The second installment: Wide Receivers.
While we didn't lose a lot in terms of numbers at wide receiver, we did lose a lot in terms of production. Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster (if we're still calling him a receiver) departed having put up massive stats in their four years as Rebels. Coincidentally, our coaches signed two receivers, one of which is small and shifty (like McCluster) and the other of which is tall and has solid hands (like Shay). While it wasn't imperative that we sign a lot of receivers this year, it was imperative that we bring in quality. We did just that.
Also of note is the fact that the state of Mississippi appears to be loaded at the wide receiver position for the 2011 class, and the Rebels look to be in great shape there. A player to keep an eye on for next year's class is Madison Central product Tobias Singleton. All signs point to him joining his two defensive tackle teammates in Oxford.
But this post isn't about the 2011 class. It's about the 2010 class, so here goes.
Quadarias Mireles WR - Delray Beach, FL - 5'11" - 175 lbs. - 4.35 reported 40-yard dash
Rivals Profile - Scout Profile
Quadarias Mireles is the closest thing in this signing class to Dexter McCluster. He's slightly bigger than McCluster, but he has a similar play style. Certainly, it's far too early to call him the next McCluster, but it's encouraging that we're signing players who fit the same mold. Mireles has speed, and tons of it, but he is also built well and shows good skills while the ball is in the air in his highlight film. The biggest difference between Mireles and McCluster is that Mireles wasn't a high school halfback. That's not to say that he's incapable of playing the position, but Dexter McCluster had years of training as a halfback to give him the vision necessary to run behind the offensive line. To the best of my knowledge, Mireles hasn't had that. I think that if people are expecting Mireles to be a Dexter replica, they should look for him to be more like Dexter's first three years and less like his last. That being said, he's a very solid pickup. He could be in line for a redshirt if the ankle that is hampering him needs more time to heal.
Other notable offers: Miami, Arkansas, Louisville
No free video. Sorry.
Vincent Sanders WR - Macon, MS - 6'3" - 182 lbs. - 4.60 reported 40-yard dash
Rivals Profile - Scout Profile
Vincent Sanders is probably the most celebrated recruit that we signed in this year's class, as he was consistently ranked among the top two players in Mississippi. Don't let that reported 40-yard dash frighten you. He was the receiver who stretched the field and let Patrick Patterson have less about which to worry underneath. Sanders appears to be a complete receiver who can be used on deep routes as well as shallow. It was important to snag Sanders in order to attempt to replenish the receiving corps that just lost Shay Hodge. Sanders, however, is not a player that displays, at least in video, the ability to go up and fight for a contested ball against good defenders. He's a good route runner, and he has good speed with good hands. He isn't Shay Hodge though. Still, I'm very happy about putting him in the rotation at receiver, and I can't imagine that he'll redshirt.
Other notable offers: Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, West Virginia