I posted this is another thread, but thought some of you might prefer a new post, so as not to miss them.
*****
A few thoughts this morning...
a. Good for the kid. It sounds like he's moved around a lot in an effort to find the right spot to put himself in this position and it must feel incredible to receive an offer like this. I would imagine the word "yes" came out of his mouth before the offer was finished being made.
b. Total late-bloomer, as evidenced by the fact that virtually no one was aggressively recruiting him until very recently.
c. I think he's an interesting piece of clay to work with. He's got a nice frame and there is some suddenness about him. People have joked about it, but it's clear that he's a high effort guy. Those are three good things to work with from a starting point.
d. It speaks to the needs at the position that the Longhorns were so eager to take a flyer on him. The Longhorns need numbers at defensive end, the possibilities are somewhat limited at this stage of the recruiting process and he helps boost depth in a key area, while giving the team some insurance against something wrong happening with Taquan Graham or K'Levon Chaisson.
e. He's not a tweener. This isn't some 6-3, 220-pound kid, which I think is a good thing. He brings the height and weight needed at this stage to escape the tweener area that has seen so many misses over the years in this state, going back to 2002.
f. I asked myself what would represent a win on this offer and the answer I keep coming up with is if he can give you solid depth over time at a critical position, while perhaps never emerging as an impact starter, it still represents a win. If he throws on 30 pounds over a few years and ends up being a serviceable 5-tech, it represents a win.
g. Don't make too much of the Walker Little play, although I would have made that my lead play on any highlight film I put together. It's just a play and unless I missed it, I didn't see any others against Episcopal where he lined up over Little. It was a hell of a play, but the sample size itself suggests we should be careful about going overboard with that as the defining mark of his ability. Frankly, I was more impressed with other plays against no-names where his suddenness was a little more exhibited. He seems to be a guy that's quicker than fast.
h. Overall, he's a bit of a lottery ticket. He won't define this class and a lot of people will forget about him after he arrives while he bakes in the over. If we forget about the two-star label and throw a three-star label on him for the benefit of conversation, he still rates at about a 10-15 percent chance of emerging into an NFL-caliber player. Not impossible, but certainly not bankable (very few prospects are).
*****
A few thoughts this morning...
a. Good for the kid. It sounds like he's moved around a lot in an effort to find the right spot to put himself in this position and it must feel incredible to receive an offer like this. I would imagine the word "yes" came out of his mouth before the offer was finished being made.
b. Total late-bloomer, as evidenced by the fact that virtually no one was aggressively recruiting him until very recently.
c. I think he's an interesting piece of clay to work with. He's got a nice frame and there is some suddenness about him. People have joked about it, but it's clear that he's a high effort guy. Those are three good things to work with from a starting point.
d. It speaks to the needs at the position that the Longhorns were so eager to take a flyer on him. The Longhorns need numbers at defensive end, the possibilities are somewhat limited at this stage of the recruiting process and he helps boost depth in a key area, while giving the team some insurance against something wrong happening with Taquan Graham or K'Levon Chaisson.
e. He's not a tweener. This isn't some 6-3, 220-pound kid, which I think is a good thing. He brings the height and weight needed at this stage to escape the tweener area that has seen so many misses over the years in this state, going back to 2002.
f. I asked myself what would represent a win on this offer and the answer I keep coming up with is if he can give you solid depth over time at a critical position, while perhaps never emerging as an impact starter, it still represents a win. If he throws on 30 pounds over a few years and ends up being a serviceable 5-tech, it represents a win.
g. Don't make too much of the Walker Little play, although I would have made that my lead play on any highlight film I put together. It's just a play and unless I missed it, I didn't see any others against Episcopal where he lined up over Little. It was a hell of a play, but the sample size itself suggests we should be careful about going overboard with that as the defining mark of his ability. Frankly, I was more impressed with other plays against no-names where his suddenness was a little more exhibited. He seems to be a guy that's quicker than fast.
h. Overall, he's a bit of a lottery ticket. He won't define this class and a lot of people will forget about him after he arrives while he bakes in the over. If we forget about the two-star label and throw a three-star label on him for the benefit of conversation, he still rates at about a 10-15 percent chance of emerging into an NFL-caliber player. Not impossible, but certainly not bankable (very few prospects are).
