Offensive Line and Tackle in particular has been the Achilles Heel of recruiting at Michigan State since Dantonio arrived. So it's really important we get some good ones this year, right guys? Right? How about solid? Can we do solid?
Zach Higgins
Higgins committed to Michigan State on 4/30/2011 over offers from Northwestern, Cincinnati, Virginia and the MAC. Ranked a three-star prospect by all three major recruiting services he projects as an OG/OT tweener. All three sites list him as being 6'5" and 305-310. If he's really 6'5" (always a question with recruiting services) he might be a bit tall to play the Offensive Guard spot, I guess it depends on how tall his QB would be.
Higgins shredded up his knee pretty well at the end of football season, which sucks. It sucks because you want him to succeed, it sucks because you don't want him to be hurt and it sucks because we can't keep our Offensive lineman healthy anyway. So on that happy note, to the film!
YOUtube Predicts Success
It's a short video, but here's what I like about the kid. When he blocks a kid out of the play he pivots to block them out of the play so he is always between his opponent and the ball. He only got out into space once but looked to be fast enough for a guard. I have to think after watching this tape that his home will be at guard when it's all said and done. A solid pickup if he can stay healthy.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. Starts seeing the field in the 2015 area. Any sooner and it's probably an injury issue.
Kodi Kieler
Kodi Kieler committed to Michigan State on 8/8/2011 over offers from Minnesota, Purdue and the MAC. Kieler was ranked a three-star prospect by all three major recruiting services despite a ho-hum offer sheet. Kieler is the only true Offensive Tackle taken in this class which to be honest scares the crap out of me a bit. Dantonio said on Kieler yesterday: "Kodi is a big athlete who excelled on both offense and defense. He has
great running ability and change of direction. We saw him play in 2011.
He shows toughness, explosiveness, and the ability to run and change
direction." So he shows the ability to run and change direction!
Can Kieler change direction? YOUtube be the judge!
Well, I was really hoping to see a little more of the Running! and the Changing of Direction! and the Toughness! I watched his stuff behind the pay wall. He moves much better in space than Higgins. Kieler hit a couple of guys so hard he fell down, which is a positive. There were one or two plays where he was blocking two kids out of a play, one with each arm. I think this kid will have a very Dan France like career, athletic enough to be a tall DE, but plays OT instead.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. Is in the mix to replace Dan France when France leaves after 2013. Must stay healthy.
Benny McGowan
Benny McGowan committed to MSU on 4/30/2011 over offers from UCLA, Iowa, Cincy and a host of MAC offers. McGowan was ranked a three-star OG/C prospect by all three recruiting services. He was the very first offensive lineman to ever score 100 on Nike's SPARQ rating, which means... really I'm not sure other than he's very good at taking test based on Strength, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness. He scored higher than Tebow!
YouTubin' the Grind!
What's to love? Good lord he's quick off the snap. Like the Anti-Jerel Worthy. He's into the second level before you even know what happened. What's not to like about him? Nothing. He'll be bolstering our interior line for a long time to come. I think he committed too early to really get the kind of offers he could have, we're lucky to have him.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. There's a logjam at Center right now. I think he could move into the role of starting guard as early as 2013. The one real drawback to his film was that it showed him almost exclusively getting out into the second level so we didn't get to see a lot of him holding his blocks.
2013 Needs: 2 OTs, 2 OGs, a great center if he comes along.
Zach Higgins
 |
| Courtesy of MSU Scout |
Higgins shredded up his knee pretty well at the end of football season, which sucks. It sucks because you want him to succeed, it sucks because you don't want him to be hurt and it sucks because we can't keep our Offensive lineman healthy anyway. So on that happy note, to the film!
YOUtube Predicts Success
It's a short video, but here's what I like about the kid. When he blocks a kid out of the play he pivots to block them out of the play so he is always between his opponent and the ball. He only got out into space once but looked to be fast enough for a guard. I have to think after watching this tape that his home will be at guard when it's all said and done. A solid pickup if he can stay healthy.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. Starts seeing the field in the 2015 area. Any sooner and it's probably an injury issue.
Kodi Kieler
 |
| MSU Spartans |
Can Kieler change direction? YOUtube be the judge!
Well, I was really hoping to see a little more of the Running! and the Changing of Direction! and the Toughness! I watched his stuff behind the pay wall. He moves much better in space than Higgins. Kieler hit a couple of guys so hard he fell down, which is a positive. There were one or two plays where he was blocking two kids out of a play, one with each arm. I think this kid will have a very Dan France like career, athletic enough to be a tall DE, but plays OT instead.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. Is in the mix to replace Dan France when France leaves after 2013. Must stay healthy.
Benny McGowan
YouTubin' the Grind!
What's to love? Good lord he's quick off the snap. Like the Anti-Jerel Worthy. He's into the second level before you even know what happened. What's not to like about him? Nothing. He'll be bolstering our interior line for a long time to come. I think he committed too early to really get the kind of offers he could have, we're lucky to have him.
2012 Prognostication and Beyond: Redshirts in 2012. There's a logjam at Center right now. I think he could move into the role of starting guard as early as 2013. The one real drawback to his film was that it showed him almost exclusively getting out into the second level so we didn't get to see a lot of him holding his blocks.
2013 Needs: 2 OTs, 2 OGs, a great center if he comes along.
No comments:
Post a Comment