National Signing Day 2018: Top 10 diamonds in the rough
Dino Babers is one of the great offensive minds in college football. Babers, a former Baylor assistant, jumpstarted an Eastern Illinois program that had won four games in two seasons before his arrival, posting a 7-5 record in his first season as head coach in 2012 and going 12-2 the following season. With Jimmy Garoppolo behind center, the Panthers won back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference titles and reached the FCS playoffs twice before Babers was hired at Bowling Green.
Babers was nearly as successful with the Falcons, winning 18 games and going to two bowl games in two seasons as head coach, and also leading Bowling Green to the MAC title in 2015 to become one of the hottest coaching candidates in the country. Syracuse lured Babers away, and though the Orange have yet to post a winning record in his two seasons on the sidelines, the team has made progress. Just ask Clemson.
Quarterback Eric Dungey has been solid for Babers, but Chance Amie could be the player to take the Orange to the next level. Amie has a very strong arm and is mobile, much like Dungey, but the 6-foot-3, 191-pound Texas native has an even better ability to make something out of nothing. In fact, Amie’s high school recruiting tape includes play after play in which Amie runs one way, eludes a tackler, breaks another, and sprints to the end zone.
Ranked No. 895 overall in the 247Sports Composite, and 25th among dual-threat QBs in the class, Amie is well regarded but didn’t receive offers from many college football blue bloods. A one-time Houston commit, Amie has plenty of raw talent, and should also develop as a passer under Babers.