Gattine had a nice game in the new threads. As always, I like the power. Isaac hit hard, and in a few instances, dragged defenders for extra yardage.

Love his ability to slash through the defense. Contact balance is good, but can still be upgraded. He’s got the physicality, and that’s half the battle. I’m looking forward to seeing how Gattine fares for the rest of the season in at L’Anse Creuse North.

A bit of a sleeper in this class. Isaac is far stronger than most RBs, giving him great upside as a short-yardage power back. However, he doesn’t have the home-run hitting ability, athleticism, or vision you’d like in a good D2 or D1 prospect. Although he’s a very strong player, I want to see him run with more tenacity. An upgrade to speed and athleticism plus a little extra contact balance could turn Isaac into a Division 2 prospect, if he’s not already.

(Evaluation from my Rankings Spreadsheet)

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

Really good at blocking, which the vast majority of HS backs suck at. Really bad at basic running, which most HS backs are decent at.
Train the athlete, and you could have a dominant D3 RB

I gained a whole lot of respect for Isaac after his week 1 performance against Davison. Although his stats won’t show much, it was his blocking that stood out to me. De La Salle seems to love their power running backs, and Isaac fits the mold super well. Isaac is especially strong in pass pro-. I almost never see High School RBs succeed in pass protection.

I know that Isaac has the power needed to be an excellent power back. I don’t think he has the experience or the IQ to break out in that aspect just yet, but I’d be shocked if I didn’t at least see a lot of growth this season. Regardless, Isaac has lived up to his ranking and is having a bit of a breakout season.

Gattine may not have lit up the stat sheet, but I was impressed with many aspects of his game.

First and foremost- blocking. Isaac is an excellent blocker. Whether he was helping in pass pro or being utilized as a lead blocker, Isaac was absolutely relentless. During one play in particular (one of Bitonti’s TD runs), Isaac lays out the Davison safety and provides a clear path for the TD. Most other backs completely miss that block and risk forcing a TFL- not Isaac.

In terms of his actual running- it was hit or miss. I don’t have his actual stats, but from what I saw, Isaac had a handful of carries for a handful of yards. More specifically, Isaac’s vision was a little inconsistent. Sometimes, he’d run right into the defense, and he wouldn’t fall forward. At other times, he’d hit the correct hole but struggle to get much more than what was given to him from blocking. My take- Isaac is a very powerful back and should consider leaning into being a power RB. Focus on north-south running, and getting as much out of every carry without trying to do anything too fancy.