The Five: #TN2024 Underrated Pass Blockers
In this article:
Many O-linemen from our senior class get the pub as being the best in their class & it’s deserved but these five guys below are quite talented too w/ the potential to develop into strong pass blockers on the college…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingMany O-linemen from our senior class get the pub as being the best in their class & it’s deserved but these five guys below are quite talented too w/ the potential to develop into strong pass blockers on the college gridiron.
Heading into summer camp season, Matthews has yet to hear his name called for college offers but trust me the talent is there, especially the upside to pass block on the next level and play multiple roles within the line scrimmage. The Pioneers senior lineman is well put together physically with plenty of room to grow and that alone is a strong trait of Matthews but what I like the most about this guy is his athleticism and potential to pass block on the college level. He sports excellent feet with the ability to move laterally, keeping himself in front of the pass rusher while also having the lower body strength to anchor and maintain his position. While Matthews has natural power, he does need to keep packing on the weight to withstand the physicality that comes on the collegiate gridiron. He also needs to keep developing his technique and understanding pass blocking combinations. Work must be done but the athletic pass blocking upside sits strong with this East Tennessee O-lineman and I believe Matthews could develop into a versatile starter down the road for his eventual college team.
Highlights
This Mid-Tennessee offensive lineman might have some of the best raw potential of anybody from his position group for the #TN2024 class with tons of room for growth and the upside to play left tackle in the college game due to his abilities to pass block. Cash is a tall, long and wide framed young man that moves very well. He is one of the best athletes in this class at his position with the physical traits and mobile lower base to handle the blindside on the next level or at worst, bulk up and move inside. Cash comes from a small school on the Class 2A level, so he doesn’t see the kind of players or pass rush that he will battle against on the college gridiron and that may be why he doesn’t have the offers as of yet. College coaches are more than likely wanting to work with this Mid-Tennessee product in person to get a better gauge on his look, his game play and upside. What they will see is a guy that is 6’5 with very long arms and not a lot of bad weight on his body, so he can definitely be molded into that pass blocking tackle that is highly pursued in the game of football. Cash is the kind of guy that floats under the radar for a while before coaches finally get on board which I think they will, turning this guy into one of the more highly recruited prospects in-state through the back half of this year’s recruiting process.
Highlights
Landing his first college offer recently from Austin Peay, this Mid-Tennessee O-lineman could see his recruitment take off as Tankersley provides tons of physical traits and upside that college coaches look for along with the deceptive potential to pass block at tackle. What is so deceptive about the Rockets pass blocking upside on the next level? Well Tankersley immediately looks the part of a college offensive guard with how he is built but the more you watch his film as well as look over recent clips, this 6’5 O-lineman shows the potential to play tackle in the college game. Tankersley is a clean, steady performer that plays a consistent brand of football, so his technique is strong and his lower half is quite mobile. Those traits about him makes Tankersley capable of handling the pass rush at tackle but continued work must be done to manage that role moving forward. He sports good feet and patience but continued agility, bend and hand technique must be worked on to remain outside. Tankersley could step into a college O-line room right now and immediately compete for a spot at offensive guard but his versatility to swing outside makes this Forrest trench monster valuable to collegiate coaches.
Highlights
Coming out of a run based offense and a small school program, many coaches or scouts may not know too much about this Giles Co. offensive lineman but trust me, Smith is an athlete playing on the line with upside to become a pass blocking tackle on the next level. Sporting natural power and a well built frame, Smith has the look and tools to be developed into a possible tackle with the versatility to handle several roles across the O-line, including possibly center. He is that kind of athlete! What gives Smith a chance to stay at tackle in the college game is his athleticism, his anchor of a lower base and his active feet to stay in front of the pass rush. He also has powerful hands that when he locks on to his defender, Smith tends to keep him away from the backfield or pancakes him to the ground. Technique is the biggest thing this Bobcats senior lineman must work on the most this offseason to push his stock further with college coaches. This will be one guy I follow closely over the coming months as Smith is a hidden gem with definite college upside.
Highlights
Tall and long with natural athletic abilities, Guay is a raw but talented offensive tackle prospect that has the physical look to reach the college game with continued development and work in multiple areas. From a pure upside standpoint, this Chattanooga area blocker has the height and lean body frame that college coaches pursue but Guay is still lacking the girth needed and that’s probably why he sits under the radar with no current offers. I do think that can change with good work this summer at camps along with his best field work yet this coming Fall football season. What gives Guay a shot at succeeding on the collegiate gridiron is his lower base mobility, easy moving feet and ability to bend. The Blue Tornado senior tackle shows on film the ability to move his feet laterally and maintain balance in front of the pass rusher. He changes direction well and on occasions when asked to, Guay can pull as well, so that shows the upside to move inside if bulked up. It will take some time for this guy to grow into his body before he is able to become a starting fixture but the potential and upside is there to develop into a serviceable pass blocker.
Highlights
Three Other Underrated Pass Blockers
(OL) Beau Smith Beau Smith 6'4" | 260 lbs | OL Lipscomb Academy | 2024 State TN – Lipscomb Acad., (OG/C) Carson Coffman Carson Coffman 6'3" | 260 lbs | OL McCallie | 2024 State TN – McCallie, (OT/G) Toney Hensley Toney Hensley 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Chuckey Doak | 2024 TN – Chuckey-Doak