Eric Gerber RB '11, Recruiting Progress?

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Take a close look at this incredible white scatbacks highlights! His name is Eric Gerber from Lake Forest H.S in Illinois:
http://rivals.yahoo.com/edgytim/football/recruiting/player-Eric-Gerber-104221

He looks like a blend between Danny Woodhead, Noel Devine, Nile Knapp and Barry Sanders! If you compared Nile Knapp or Noel Devine's running style to an animal- I'd compare it to a squirrel, and Gerber and Woodhead's to a Jackrabbit. Gerber can bounce completely lateral while running at 100% of his speed. And his speed and burst look incredible! He runs like a rocket and then can bounce in all different directions while making tacklers grab air.

I don't have enough time to do extensive research right now, but it looks like from his highlights that he put up a good yardage total last year. Of course Whiterivals and BSPN haven't updated his profile. BrownieScout lists him at 5'6 160 lbs., Whiterivals 5'8 160 lbs. I'm going to guess that he has put on some weight in the extra year he did of H.S.

Now here's the amazing part. No doubt a black player of this caliber would get offers to just about any school of his choice despite only being 5'7 or 5'8 and 170 lbs or so. This kid cuts on a dime and looks like a Jackrabbit after drinking a Red Bull lol. The great news is this kid is white and according to what I've read on Youtube and from doing a Google search of his name- he will be a part of the West Virginia football team next year.

It is unlikely that he will get to replace Noel Devine as their scatback next year, despite being at least as talented. I'm just grateful with this horrible caste system in place, that this freak of an athlete WILL actually be on an FBS team next year, even though I'm not sure if he has a scholarship offer or is just a preferred walk-on.

Now here's his main highlight vid:
[Tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DKIQziqoXw[/Tube]


And he did a real smart thing to gain buzz by compiling a combined highlight between him and Woodhead. This vid goes back and forth Woodhead run/ Gerber run etc.:
[Tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtxpWeqjYHA[/Tube]

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

BTW if this kid is in fact 170 lbs. right now that means he already outweighs Noel Devine (who will likely be in an NFL training camp) by 10 lbs. He's about the same height as Devine. He's also heavier than 5'5 Trindon Holliday (the fastest man to ever play in the NFL (10 flat)- he's on the Panthers roster) who is only about 160 lbs. as well.

Edited to add: Let's hope for the best with playing time for this kid. Hey you never know.

Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[celticdb15]

Good find Tough this kid lives pretty close to me, and his tape is pretty impressive. He's a little undersized but I liked his tape against Bradford(Maroon and White) who is a top team from Wisconsin that have pumped a lot of D1 recruits in recent years. They had a lot of size and talent on their defense that year and he fared well. I hope some team takes a shot on him b\c I can't wait to see how he would develop in a college weight room. Hell if RB doesn't work out for this kid why not give him a shot at corner??
Edited by: celticdb15

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Me calling him "at least as talented as Devine"- (at this point in H.S)- as Devine ran for 11+ YPC in H.S- might be pushing it a bit. I just think he has the potential to have a Devine type FBS career if given the chance at WVU. Looking at his highlight tape, it just jumps out at you that he has "it" for a diminutive back. He's a very explosive player and could be a match-up nightmare in space.

 

[socal96]

Says on West Virginia recruiting forums he's preferred walk-on commit.<div>
</div><div>http://www.wemustignitethiscouch.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=18725</div><div>
</div><div>also found his official highlight tape for West Virginia</div><div>
</div><div>[TUBE]LWSOOL4aMD8[/TUBE]
</div><div>
</div><div>Hopefully he'll get his chance...I like him as an athlete though, playing both RB and slot receiver.</div><div>
</div><div>I'll be keeping my eye out for this guy.</div>

Edited by: socal96

 

[celticdb15]

He could be a beast at slot WR\runningback in Dana Holgorsen's fast paced offense!! I think he needs to get in the 175-180lb range though so he will be able to take some hits. Welcome to the board SoCal!!

 

[Phil]

This kid needs to also look at D1-AA schools and D2 schools. He needs to let those schools know about himself. There are lots and lots of smaller schools where he could play, get a great education, and get noticed by pro scouts. Not every good player can play at the top20 divsion one schools.

 

[socal96]

I searched for a recent 40 time, but all I could find was his 100 meter dash. He ran a 10.5 as a junior at his county meet, says it was also a county record.<div>
</div><div>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1N1-12A314187A76E370.html
<div>
</div><div>To put this in perspective Reggie Bush ran a 10.4 his senior year to win state in California for the 100 meter dash.</div><div>
</div><div>Reggie ran a 4.37 40 yard dash at his pro day...</div><div>
</div><div>http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=15653&amp;draftyear=2006&amp;genpos=RB</div><div>
</div><div>http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=15653&amp;draftyear=2006&amp;genpos=RBPerhaps Gerber will be able to break into the 4.3's by his pro day which could set him up for potential NFL camp invites?
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[jacknyc]

I'm pretty sure Bush never won the Calif. HS state meet.
I remember him getting 3rd to a white guy, Matt Bruno.

 

[socal96]

You're right my bad, however he ran the second fastest time in the pre-lims with a 10.42, a white kid Matt Bruno (who won state with a 10.55 in the finals) beat him and ran 10.40. Dyestat is the official track and field website for high school track btw.<div>
</div><div>http://www.dyestat.com/state/ca/2out/statemeet/r-10.htm
</div>
Edited by: socal96

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Bump!

I wanted some of my favourite H.S forum posters like Riddlewire and Lambert to comment on this amazing prospect. What do you guys think of Gerber? I know he's small, but he has that VERY RARE explosivenss for a small scatback. If he gets the chance to be used the same way Noel Devine was at WVU, he would have a very similar impact I think. Being so small you need to have some real special qualities to be effective at the higher levels. This kid has it. He's an athletic freak with 10.5 100 meter speed. He looks almost as good as Nile Knapp to me, not quite, but still.

 

[Carolina Speed]

ToughJ.Riggins,

Help me out here. I can't find much on Gerber, other than what you sent? Did he graduate in 2011? Guys, be careful on these 100 m times. Alot of these meets are hand-timed and are not very accurate. Recently, someone sent in a time of 10.7 a kid supposedly ran in Carolina, on closer inspection, the actual best time was 11.3-11.5, not even making states. Again, I hate to sound pesamistic, but I want to be realistic. I don't want to get excited about a kid if we aren't getting accurate information!

 

[Riddlewire]

Says on West Virginia recruiting forums he's preferred walk-on commit.

:icon_rolleyes:
That's the same thing as saying "He'll have an opportunity to compete for the third string defensive back position on the punt coverage team during the non-conference portion of the schedule."

This kid's career is over if he walks on at West Virginia, otherwise known as "We-Hate-Our-Own-Kind University".

Now, as for an evaluation...

He's quick. He takes short steps and he takes them rapidly. The ideal feature for a scatback. His speed at the second level is excellent. If they haven't gotten an arm around him by then, he's gone. I haven't seen enough of his other traits to know if he would be good in the passing game or in pass protection, so for some offensive systems, he's an unknown quantity.
Criticisms: Just one. He's not very patient. He blasts forward upon getting the ball. I suppose his offense doesn't necessitate that style. They're not running any stretch plays. But it might suggest a potential problem area that would have to be corrected for certain teams. I admit I haven't watched OSU's running game, so I don't really know what Holgorsen plans to bring to WVU, anyway.
With his moves and his speed, he's the equivalent of any 'rated' black high school prospect going to a D1A school. He reminds me of Mike Read, with less strength but better moves.

 

[socal96]

ToughJ.Riggins,Help me out here. I can't find much on Gerber, other than what you sent? Did he graduate in 2011? Guys, be careful on these 100 m times. Alot of these meets are hand-timed and are not very accurate. Recently, someone sent in a time of 10.7 a kid supposedly ran in Carolina, on closer inspection, the actual best time was 11.3-11.5, not even making states. Again, I hate to sound pesamistic, but I want to be realistic. I don't want to get excited about a kid if we aren't getting accurate information!

It said on dyestat's website that he came in 2nd place in the 100m against two time state champion and current Stanford sprinter Colin Hepburn who ran a 10.40 FAT. I looked up more info on "Lake Forest" thinking it was the Lake Forest out here in Cali, but I guess it's in Chicago and found that their QB from 2010 is currently Notre Dame's QB Tommy Rees who started the last 4 games for ND and led them to a victory over Miami in the Sun Bowl as a true frosh. I think Gerber's best shot at WVU is at slot receiver.