A completely new name to both myself and our site, currently listed at 5’9, 172 pounds with an impressive 4.2 GPA. He has experience at both running back and outside linebacker, although his available film has me particularly interested in his potential as a running back. Despite weighing just over 170 pounds, he reports a 285 pound squat, which is a respectable strength number for a developing underclassman. He has only posted once this season, sharing what appears to be a highlight reel covering his first four games. Through that stretch, he accumulated nearly 300 rushing yards on 67 carries with one touchdown. The tape runs approximately a minute and a half, so there isn’t a tremendous amount of production to evaluate just yet. I would love to see him upload a more complete midseason reel soon, especially considering some of the encouraging traits that immediately stood out.

His first rep has him aligned in the backfield out of a shotgun formation, with the offense appearing to operate out of either 12 or 13 personnel. He takes the handoff, shows patience while waiting for a rushing lane to develop and eventually bounces the run outside. Once he identifies the opening, he accelerates through it and gets lost by the defense, turning the opportunity into a 60 yard touchdown. I like how he allows the blocking to develop rather than immediately forcing his way into traffic. His patience is one of the first things that catches my attention, and it becomes a recurring theme throughout the tape. He understands that the initial rushing lane isn’t always going to be available and appears comfortable adjusting his path until he finds an opportunity to attack.

His second rep again features him aligned in the shotgun backfield, with some pre snap motion helping divert the defense’s attention away from him. Once he receives the handoff, the initial rushing lanes aren’t particularly clean, but he does a good job working from one potential opening to another while searching for daylight. This is another excellent example of his patience and ability to create something when the blocking doesn’t immediately produce an obvious lane. I appreciate that he doesn’t panic or abandon the play when the first option disappears. He keeps his feet moving, maintains his balance and finds ways to generate positive yardage. That ability to make something out of nothing is an important trait for a developing running back, particularly one who doesn’t necessarily have overwhelming size or speed to rely on.

His toughness is another encouraging part of the evaluation. He can bounce off individual defenders and is difficult to bring down cleanly, often requiring two or three defenders to finish the tackle. That physicality is especially evident on a goal line rep where he takes a handoff and powers through contact initiated at the line of scrimmage to finish a four yard touchdown run. Although he clearly enjoys bouncing outside once he reaches the second level and has an opportunity to escape traffic, he isn’t afraid to initiate contact within the first five yards of the line of scrimmage. He is comfortable running between the tackles, follows his blocks well and consistently works to maintain forward momentum through contact. His lower body strength appears to translate nicely to his rushing style, allowing him to keep driving his legs even when defenders get their hands on him.

One of the things I appreciate most is how consistently he runs forward. There isn’t much unnecessary movement once he identifies an opportunity, and he does a good job turning difficult rushing situations into manageable gains. Several of his highlights feature runs that appear to generate eight or nine yards, largely because of his patience, balance, toughness and ability to maintain momentum. His reported production of nearly 300 yards on 67 carries works out to approximately 4.5 yards per attempt, so I would like to see more complete game film to better understand how consistently those explosive moments occur. Nevertheless, the individual reps suggest a running back who understands how to follow his blocking and can create additional yardage after initial contact.

I believe he has the potential to become a rankable running back in Pennsylvania’s underclassmen rankings, although I want to see more before making that decision official. His academic profile, developing strength and versatility are all encouraging, but the biggest positives on tape are his patience, vision and willingness to run through contact. A longer midseason highlight reel would help me determine how consistently he produces against different defensive looks and whether his running style translates beyond the handful of reps currently available. For a prospect I knew nothing about before this evaluation, he has made a positive first impression. I’m excited to continue monitoring his progress as the season winds down and see whether he can put together enough additional film to earn an initial ranking.