Roadies: Ohio States Friday Night Lights
Advertisement
One of about eight Ohio State commits who chose to work out Friday night, the
6-foot-5, 251-pound Hall was dominant during the one-on-one portion of the event
and wreaked havoc on an otherwise solid group of offensive linemen. He wins this
award, though, because physically we were hard-pressed to find any player who
looked the part more than Hall from a size and frame perspective. The 6-foot-5,
251-pound prospect has little or no excess weight on his frame and already
looked like many of the Buckeye's current defensive ends who were working the
event.
Shut'em down
DB Patrice Rene, Alexandria
(Va.) Episcopal
A Rivals250 member, Rene has had an up-and-down off-season, but he ended it on a
high note Friday night. He is down 10 pounds since the end of spring and looked
more explosive and fluid than last time I saw him. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds he
is able to bully wide receivers at the line of scrimmage, but he also showed the
recovery speed and blanketed wide receivers throughout their routes. Rene is set
to announce a commitment on Aug. 8 with Ohio State, North Carolina,
Rutgers and Virginia Tech all still in the mix.
Underclassman achievement
OL Kevin Jarvis (2017), Park
Ridge (Ill.) Maine South
Jarvis has already made a name for himself with three early offers from
showing playing among several highly-ranked and highly-touted prospects Friday
night. He showed a devastating first-punch -- even staggering Rivals250 2016
defensive end Jonathon Cooper on one rep -- and played with good
athleticism and technique. At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds he could project to guard
or tackle, and worked at both positions Friday night.
Smooth operator
DE Luiji Vilain, Ottawa (Ont.)
Lester B. Pearson
This award usually goes to a skill position prospect, but on Friday night Vilain
was as smooth as any of the guys catching or running with the football. He
breezed through one-on-ones, registering easy wins against several offensive
linemen who hold Power Five offers. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end still
has room on his frame to add weight. That will help him at the point of attack
without sacrificing much, if any, of the explosiveness he shows.
Sleeper alert
CB Craig Jones, Philadelphia
(Pa.) West Catholic
The only offer listed in Jones' profile is from Central Connecticut State, but
the rising senior showed he could be preparing to make a late rally in the
recruiting process with his play at Ohio State on Friday. The 5-foot-11,
175-pound prospect was unafraid to match up with the top wide receivers at the
event and got the best of many of them. He recorded an interception while
covering Rivals250 2017 prospect Ambry Thomas and was lockdown on the
corner all night long.
Best hands
ATH Javonte Richardson (2017),
Maple Heights, Ohio
There is still a question which position the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Richardson best
projects to at the college level, but he likes to work out at wide receiver in
camp settings and once again showed out extremely well there. The reason he wins
this award is because Richardson attacks the football out, away from his body
and was very sure-handed on Friday. He also has plenty of top-end speed and his
route-running is coming along. Maple Heights may need him at quarterback this
fall, so he may not even play wide receiver, but he certainly projects high at
that position in college.
Best feet
RB Markese Stepp (2018),
Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral
It was an impressive-looking running back group with a number of big name
prospects from the 2016 and 2017 class. At 6-foot and 205 pounds, Stepp was one
of the most physically impressive looking kid in the group, and he is only a
rising sophomore. Beyond his outstanding size, though, Stepp showed explosive
speed and outstanding change-of-direction ability. He runs a little high and can
smooth out his stride, but that will come with time. He is certainly a prospect
to watch in that 2018 class.
Bodyguard
OL Gavin Cupp, Leipsic, Ohio
This award goes to the offensive lineman who best protects his quarterback, and
on Friday night that was Cupp. His appearance in Columbus was a surprise because
the three-star offensive tackle is committed to Michigan State. Where
his recruitment goes from here we will have to wait and see, but his game is
certainly continuing to draw rave reviews. Cupp flipped back-and-forth with
Jarvis at the left guard and left tackle spots. Wherever he lined up, though,
the 6-foot-6, 275-pound lineman played light on his feet and dominated the point
of attack..
Ball hawk
CB Richard LeCounte (2017),
Riceboro (Ga.) Liberty County
A Rivals100 member in the class of 2017, LeCounte has spent a lot of time this
off-season playing safety, but at 5-foot-10 and 179 pounds cornerback still
looks to be his position of the future. He was very noticeable in one-on-ones
Friday night because of his playmaking and celebration skills. On one rep he
made an interception without looking back at the quarterback -- tipping it to
himself. He then proceeded to reel off a couple back flips in celebration of the
interception.
Best arm
QB Baron Radcliff (2017),
Norcross, Ga.
It was not an overly deep group of quarterbacks, and that allowed a player like
Radcliff to stand out. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds he was one of the bigger
quarterbacks in attendance, but it was the zip he had on his passes and the way
he spun the football that caught our attention most. The rising junior still
needs a lot of polishing with his footwork, but he can get put the ball
on-target with plenty of zip and could be in for a breakout season in 2015.
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
Click Here to view this Link.