By: Cole Mantell (@lightningdragon)
This is the second season of a new program in the CFSL called Generational Talents. The first season saw some great success, with players such as Bo Yost and Elijah Pence taking advantage and making for some great freshman seasons. This season the CFSL introduced six Generational Talents for six new auction winners.
For our new readers and fans, the process works as such. First, each team is limited to one GT. Second, each GT can only have one player. Using the example from above, Bo Yost is the Who Knows HB and Elijah Pence is the Prime Time CB/WR4 archetype from last season’s crop, respectively. Each bidder bids for each GT in a private auction, with the winning amount sealed and the winner making a new player. This new player must follow all other player rules regarding what school and position they play as well as the previous players.
So without further ado, here are the six Generation Talents this season, and I’ll include a previous CFSL legend comparable as well to give you an idea of what the build is supposed to be.
Panther Styles QB – Winner: LightningDragon
The Panther Styles is one of the most anticipated new Generational Talents this season, as the QB always is. The player has an immediate comparison to former Oklahoma State great Ryan Moreland. This is a build built to throw, with a balanced set of rushing abilities if necessary. This archetype starts with high levels of accuracy, agility, and throw power. The throw accuracy is also moderately high compared to the average superstar CFSL QB. With some nice elusiveness and strength, this QB cannot only throw well but run the read option well too. This QB will be more than competitive out of the gate, and should be a blast to watch on the field for seasons to come.
Pirate Blaze HB – Winner: voodoo
Fresh off of Bo Yost winning Freshman of the Year, any HB GT arch was going to get a lot of love. The Pirate Blaze HB delivered on the promise of another possible game-breaking runner. Built as a pure-speed HB, the Pirate Blaze blazes (pun intended) past the competition with some of the highest speed ratings in the CFSL today. Speed, agility, acceleration, and elusiveness are the highlighted parts of this build. And they are truly game-breaking compared to the average HB archetype. Spin moves, jumping, and even kick-return ratings are also given a bit of love here. This is a pure speedster, who best is similar to past CFSL great Frost Carlson, a former legend of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ultra Prime WR – Winner: RapidRaccoon
First, we get the super QB. Then we got a lightning-fast HB. It only makes sense the next big GT introduced is the ultimate WR. The Ultra Prime WR is a build all about the different moves a WR makes. The highlights are a max 99 rating in jumping. Following that are great ratings in speed, acceleration, spectacular catch, and stamina. If you haven’t guessed it already, this build is designed for the highlight reel. It also includes good ratings in agility, catching, and catching in traffic. The build is a big one as well, with 6-5 height and 235 lbs in weight. The closest CFSL legend comparable is red zone legend Blake Xander Martel of Michigan, who currently is 4th on the CFSL career leaderboard for receiving touchdowns.
Slash Mountain OLB/DE – Winner: shanet76
Talk about an archetype built for big hits. Our first defensive archetype on the board is all about speed and sacks. A Balanced/Pass Rusher tendency, Slash Mountain excels in speed, agility, acceleration, awareness, and pursuit. It has great tackling (which can be upgraded more) along with stamina and play recognition to boot as well. This archetype is a sack machine with the bonus of being able to play OLB. The interesting thing about this build is that there aren’t many comparables to previous CFSL legends. It is very rare to find these great characteristics on someone with a 6-3 height and who weighs 245 lbs. But a good comparison could be former Oklahoma State and Florida legend Tymundus Bell. Bell was 6-5, 279 lbs, and a tackling machine. His 25 sacks to boot made him deadly in rushing any pass plays, important for his era. This build can do very similarly in the right defense, at either DE or OLB.
Rocky Dawg CB/WR4 – Winner: mv7945
Cornerbacks are always a hot commodity in the CFSL. Add to that a favorite multi-position ability that has gone mostly away in today’s era, and Rocky Dawg was always going to be an instant hit. The build has broken speed, agility, and man coverage stats. To add onto it, zone coverage, elusiveness, jumping, ball carrier vision, and awareness are all great as well. There are even some good kick-returning ratings for special teams if a coach is so inclined. This CB will be like gorilla glue for seasons to come. An immediate comparable CFSL legend for this build is Iowa/Kentucky/Alabama CB Alexander Kirsch. The height and weight are almost identical (same weight, only a two-inch height difference between Kirsch and archetype). While Kirsch did well with 16 interceptions in his career, his 40 pass deflections over 4 seasons are tied for 2nd in the CFSL for a career all time. That’s what this build has in terms of potential.
Steel Woody CB/S/HB2/WR5 – Winner: David Ware
The last and certainly not least build for GTs this season is the Steel Woody archetype. The ultimate back of the defense defender, the archetype is similar somewhat to Rocky Dawg in the ability to play offense. But Steel Woody takes that to the extreme, with 4 possible position possibilities total. Steel Woody excels at acceleration, zone coverage, agility, and jumping. Man coverage, play recognition, and pursuit are also above average as well. As to be expected for a do-it-all player, the Steel Woody also is an above-average returner out of the package as well. At 6-0, 205 lbs, the build is slightly larger than Rocky Dawg, and more of a zone coverage build over man to start. A comparable CFSL legend is a bit of a throwback here. Texas FS Jimbo Smithers was both a tackler and zone coverage god. Smithers led the Early Era of the CFSL with 430 tackles. That’s still #6 all-time today. Steel Woody can do that at either CB or S, which is what makes the build so dangerous.
