From the Road: Houston heats up
Rivals.com recruiting analysts had the opportunity to scout some of the nation's top prospects in games this past weekend.
Rivals.com's Barton Simmons got a good look at Christine Michael and more of the Houston area's best, including Greg Timmons and Russell Shepard.
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Here are some rundowns on the top Class of 2009 offensive prospects they saw in person, listed alphabetically.
PROSPECT EVALUATIONS
ATH TIKI ANDERSON (5-11/170), Aldine (Texas) High
CONSIDERING: To be determined
PERFORMANCE: Scored on a run and on a 62-yard punt return and had three catches for 37 yard in a 56-28 loss to Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower.
STRENGTHS: Anderson has explosive speed and good ball skills. He has a knack for the big play and looks like a competitor. He also is versatile and could play a number of positions.
WEAKNESSES: Anderson is a 'tweener and doesn't have a true position. He could be a cornerback or a slot receiver, but doesn't really have the body or skill set that suits a single position. – BARTON SIMMONS
RB MARTIN BROUGHTON (5-11/190), Mobile (Ala.) Davidson
»EVERY'S PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CONSIDERING: To be determined. This is his first year of varsity football.
PERFORMANCE: He ran 30 times for 189 yards and four TDs and had a 59-yard touchdown catch in 48-45 loss to Mobile (Ala.) Murphy.
STRENGTHS: Runs extremely hard with some wiggle, and has excellent lower body structure. He has no fear of contact.
WEAKNESSES: He needs to add some upper-body mass and strength, and just continue to get reps since this is his first season of varsity football. – BARRY EVERY
OT KEENAN FLAX (6-4/270), Houston Cypress Ridge
COMMITTED TO: North Texas
PERFORMANCE: Started at left tackle in leading his team to a 47-point victory over Houston Jersey Village.
STRENGTHS: Flax has an athletic body, with the potential to add more good weight easily. Definitely will fill out and be an imposing lineman. He engages with explosiveness and is physical at the point of contact. He is a great pickup for North Texas.
WEAKNESSES: He just needs to continue to work on adding weight to his base and getting stronger in his upper body. He has a ton of potential. – B.S.
WR RYAN GRANT (6-2/185), Beaumont (Texas) West Brook
CONSIDERING: Holds a Tulane offer
PERFORMANCE: He had seven catches for 132 yards in a 26-0 victory over Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial
STRENGTHS: He isn't afraid to catch the ball in traffic and has a knack for finding soft spots in the defense and getting open.
WEAKNESSES: Had one bad drop, but other than that, showed sure hands. He doesn't blow you away with his explosiveness. – B.S.
QB KENNY GUITON (6-2/178), Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower
CONSIDERING: Holds offers from Iowa State Kansas, Rice and others.
PERFORMANCE: He was 8-of-18 for 153 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and also rushed for a 49-yard touchdown in a 56-28 win over Aldine (Texas) High.
STRENGTHS: Guiton is athletic and a good scrambler. When scrambling, he also does a good job of keeping his eyes downfield and looking for receivers to convert their routes. He is every bit of 6-2.
WEAKNESSES: Needs to compact his release. He doesn't put good spin on the ball and rarely throws a tight spiral. – B.S.
OT BOBBY JANISCH (6-6/290), Houston Jersey Village
COMMITTED TO: Rice
PERFORMANCE: Played right tackle in his team's 47-0 loss to Houston Cypress Ridge.
STRENGTHS: He has a great body and physical structure at 6-6. He has long arms, engages well and looks athletic in his stance. He also moves well on the perimeter. Looks like a major steal for Rice.
WEAKNESSES: Can let smaller defenders get under his pads at times and drive him back. – B.S.
RB HASAN LIPSCOMB (5-11/201), Houston Cypress Ridge
COMMITTED TO: Minnesota
PERFORMANCE: He had 20 carries for 174 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-0 win over Houston Jersey Village.
STRENGTHS: He may have a reputation as an explosive perimeter runner but Lipscomb is really best between the tackles for tough yards. He runs through arm tackles and is physical. He has good acceleration and sees his blockers well.
WEAKNESSES: He is a short-stepper, which helps him in short-yardage situations and tight spaces, but he is not an elite speed guy. He got caught from behind on one long run. – B.S.
QB CHRISTIAN LOUIS (6-2/190), Beaumont (Texas) West Brook
CONSIDERING: To be determined
PERFORMANCE: He was 12-of-24 for 211 yards and an interception and ran five times for 24 yards and a touchdown in a 26-0 win over Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial.
STRENGTHS: Louis has good athleticism and mobility. When sitting in the pocket, he shows nice touch on his throws.
WEAKNESSES: He doesn't have great arm strength and loses accuracy when throwing on the run. He also didn't look comfortable in the pocket against the rush. – B.S.
RB CURTIS MCGREGOR (5-10/190), Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower
CONSIDERING: To be determined
PERFORMANCE: He ran 13 times for 108 yards and three TDs in a 56-28 win over Aldine (Texas) High.
STRENGTHS: McGregor is thick, physical and strong. He can run through arm tackles and bounce off shoulders. He runs low to the ground and never lets one man tackle him. He is an undervalued prospect.
WEAKNESSES: At times, he was indecisive in his cuts. He looks to be more of a power runner, lacking creativity in space. – B.S.
RB CHRISTINE MICHAEL (5-11/202), Beaumont (Texas) West Brook
CONSIDERING: LSU and Texas A&M currently are on top of Michael's list.
PERFORMANCE: He ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries in 26-0 win over Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial.
STRENGTHS: Michael is a great fit for the spread offense. He is versatile enough to catch passes out of the backfield and he excels in his ability to hit a hole or turn the corner and get to full speed quickly. He is a disciplined runner and is a muscular 200 pounds. Michael also is a high-character guy.
WEAKNESSES: Michael is a one-cut back and not the type of player who will turn no gain into a big gain with a lot of creativity or with an overpowering running style. – B.S.
QB AJ MCCARRON (6-4/189), Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's
COMMITTED TO: Committed to Alabama, but may take visits to Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Miami.
PERFORMANCE: He was 7-of-12 for 112 yards and a TD pass in a 15-0 win over Atmore (Ala.) Escambia County.
STRENGTHS: He has excellent height, strong arm and a quick release. McCarron also displayed above-average mobility, and has quick feet.
WEAKNESSES: Needs to add some size on his lean frame and get physically stronger to help combat the pounding that occurs in the SEC. – B.E.
WR RAPHAEL POELLNITZ (6-1/175), Mobile (Ala.) Murphy
CONSIDERING: Poellnitz currently has an offer from South Alabama, which is a start-up program. More offers are on the horizon.
PERFORMANCE: He had eight catches for 117 yards in a 48-45 victory over Mobile (Ala.) Davidson.
STRENGTHS: Does a nice job catching the ball with his hands, away from his body. Has good speed and runs precise routes.
WEAKNESSES: Definitely needs to get stronger and add some size because he is a bit on the thin side at this time. Also needs to work on his lateral quickness and agility. – B.E.
RB CALEB PORZEL (5-9/170), Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
COMMITTED TO: Maryland
PERFORMANCE: Porzel rushed for a touchdown and returned a punt for a score in a 42-3 win over Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High.
STRENGTHS: Porzel has top-end speed, and he's hard to get a clean hit on because he's a smaller back. He knows when to get down to avoid a big hit and he can fit into small creases to make big plays.
WEAKNESSES: Porzel fumbled twice, losing one of them, and he was kept in check throughout, never breaking a big run. His size is a concern when it comes to durability. – MIKE FARRELL
WR JAZ REYNOLDS (6-3/182), Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower
COMMITTED TO: Oklahoma
PERFORMANCE: Was limited in one half of action against Aldine (Texas) High, and a minor injury kept Reynolds out in the second half.
STRENGTHS: Reynolds has good size. He also moves well vertically and shows a lot of upside and potential.
WEAKNESSES: Reynolds is not that good off the jam and needs to be more aggressive with his hands on the line of scrimmage. – B.S.
QB RUSSELL SHEPARD (6-1/180), Houston Cypress Ridge
COMMITTED TO: LSU
PERFORMANCE: He was 11-19 for 142 yards and one touchdown and ran 14 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns in a 47-0 win over Houston Jersey Village.
STRENGTHS: Shepard has a strong arm and throws well on the run. His mechanics are good, particularly his feet and his ability to get his body in good position to throw the football. He is incredibly elusive and tough to sack, and once he decides to tuck and run, he has elite speed.
WEAKNESSES: Shepard needs to be more decisive and quicker with his reads. At times, he holds the ball too long and gets himself in unnecessary trouble in the pocket. – B.S.
WR GREG TIMMONS (6-3, 191), Aldine (Texas) Eisenhower
COMMITTED TO: Texas
PERFORMANCE: He caught a 24-yard touchdown pass in a 56-28 victory over Aldine (Texas) High.
STRENGTHS: Timmons has good size and a good frame. He also has strong hands that allow him to snag a ball from a defender and maintain possession.
WEAKNESSES: Misjudged a jump ball early in the game and wasn't the impact player you would hope for out of a Rivals250 prospect. Not terribly explosive running his routes or in and out of his cuts. – B.S.
G PETER WHITE (6-5/340), Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High
CONSIDERING: Maryland, Tennessee, Miami, Florida and Oregon.
PERFORMANCE: White played tackle and guard on offense and defensive end in a 42-3 loss to Olney (Md.) Good Counsel.
STRENGTHS: There have been questions about White's physical conditioning, but he looked like he was in good shape and he didn't wear down. He's so massive he's just hard to get around and he has good feet for a big man. He's a good run blocker and has a good punch in pass protection.
WEAKNESSES: White struggles at the second level and projects as a guard at the next level based on his mauler mentality and advanced run-blocking ability. He misses moving targets in space at times. – M.F.
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