players out West

[Jimmy Chitwood]

jared probably knows a lot more about what's going on out West than i do, but i stumbled across a few guys who've been attracting attention. including a couple who've already committed to BYU, and two who'd like to be.

Craig Bills is a 6-1, 196-pound safety who has committed to BYU. he reportedly runs a 4.5, and even ESPN scouting has complimentary things to say about him. albeit with typos. perhaps they don't realize he's a white kid.

Bills is a good centerfielder as a free safety in three deep coverage and equally effective as a halves player in the two deep. He has excellent size and runs well for a defensive back. Displays very good instincts; recognizes route combinations and progressions. Breaks on the pass with authority and is a very agile and smooth athlete in the openfield. Can change directions easily and doesn't lose balance or body control when redirecting. Gets up in the air when making the interception and displays soft and reliable hands. Quick reactor to the run and takes sharp angles in terms of run support. Fills the seams immediately and runs by or sheds blockers in order to get to the football. Takes proper pursuit angles and uses the sidelines as an extra defender. Seems to be the type of player that can run the secondary in terms of calling coverages and making adjustments; a very intelligent football player. Bills should be a major contributor on special teams on the coverage units; has good enough speed to get downfield in a hurry and is a solid opernfield tackler.

Mitch Matthews is a 6-5, 183-pound receiver who has committed to BYU. scout lists him as running a 4.6, and as is the norm, ESPN scouting says he has no physical talent whatsoever, but somehow he still manages to make plays. again, complete with typos. ugh.

If the ball is anywhere near this kid, he is going to catch it and he has the frame and long arms to pull it off, especially if it's on a jump ball. Mathews is a pure possession guy with great size, deceptive speed and quickness and he knows how to get open. He isn't flashy and there are faster and more gifted wide receivers, but if you want dependability and a crafty guy who knows how to get open, Mathews is your man. He is a pretty smooth athlete and does a nice job setting up defenders with his stem. His size is his greatest asset and he knows how to use his body to shield the defender from the ball and he has to because he likely does not possess the quickness to separate consistently versus elite competition. He has excellent hands and a wide catch radius. Plucks and extends over his head with ease and can out jump most defenders. He is going to have a size advantage on just about every corner so QB's will want to just throw the ball up and give him a chance. The problems Mathews will face are his lack of top end speed doesn't give him much of a big play presence. He would as a result be best utilized in the slot working against zone coverage. Overall, Mathews is very productive and all rosters should have a guy like him. tough, determined and willing to work the middle of the field.

Matthews is currently out with a broken leg.

Michael Edmunds is a 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver who would like to play for BYU, though he doesn't yet have any offers. the redhead runs a reported 4.5 and is a Max Emfinger All-American, but ESPN hasn't yet even bothered to evaluate him. here is a video of his first three games in 2008. he's a man among boys out there.

Travis Van Leeuwen is another tall receiver (6-3, 188-pounds) who is beginning to draw some interest. he runs a reported 4.5.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

BYU cornerback commitment Trevor Bateman apparently is a chameleon. he is said to be everywhere from 5-9 to 5-11, from 165 pounds to 180. furthermore, he runs a reported 4.4 40, has a 37-inch vertical, and bench presses 300 pounds.

and as complimentary as the beginning of his ESPN scouting report is, you'd think he might even have black skin! but alas, by the end of the report, they realized he was white. but they didn't even bother to erase what they'd already written, nor edit for other typos.

please note the contradictions i've emboldened.

Bateman is fast-twitched athlete with coveted foot-quickness at the corner position. Lacks great size but is wiry and feisty. Despite marginal bulk, he still shows he can jam and turn and run with faster WRs on vertical routes with good man technique. Soundly tracks the deep ball adjusting his hips to throw. Times his jumps well and is difficult to complete the jump ball on. Plays the ball not the man. Equally effective mirroring receivers in off-man with his good quickness and loose hips. Soundly reads the quarterback, anticipates the underneath throw and shows good breaking quickness undercutting the pass. Has good ball skills and is very dangerous in the openfield after the INT with his good speed, quickness and vision. Comes up quickly supporting the perimeter run as well. Takes direct angles to the ball and brings his hips through as a tackler. Provides explosive pop for a smaller kid and frequently stones ball carriers in their tracks. However, we do have concerns about his smaller size and marginal upper-body strength when matched up versus today's bigger college receivers. Could struggle setting the edge versus the run as well. Appears a bit quicker than fast; not a lockdown corner at the major college level. Is a bit stiff and rigid in his pedal when trying to stem over the top of faster receivers and can loses some in transition. That said, Bateman is a savvy competitor with good athleticism and a nose for the football. Won't wow you with his size and speed measurables but is a steady corner with a playmaker feel to his game.

once again we have a white athlete who is fast, but is actually slow. is smooth, but is actually rigid. is loose, but is actually stiff. can tackle, but actually can't tackle. is strong, but is actually weak. and despite having identical size to virtually every corner in D-I, he is actually too small.

i couldn't make this stupid stuff up.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Travis Van Leeuwen and Craig Billsare both very talented players. I've seen them play in person a couple of times and both were dominating their position. Granted, Timpview (90% white)is probably the best team in the state regardless of classification, even though they are a 4A school. Still, Bills pretty much shuts down the receiving game on his side of the field, and VanLeeuwen is a constant big play threat.Craig seems faster than Travis on the field to me, but part of that is the difference in playing their positions. Travis has a little brother, Zach, a sophomore whois also a WR and might develop a lot over the next couple of years. By the way, Travis and Craig are trying to help Timpview break the state record winning streak tonight. If they win it will be 29 straight! I'd like very much to see both of these kids playing for BYU. We'll see what happens.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Jimmy great post btw. ESPN Scouts INC. does that kind of crap all the time. Alex Mascaranas was originally in the ESPN 150 and ranked in the top 15 ranked Athletes. Then mysteriously and suddenly he was dropped to somewhere in the mid 40s for ranked Athletes. He is 1/4 Philipino and 3/4 white and I think ESPN may have not known that he was mostly white and then decided to "re-evaluate" him when they realized he had no black blood. They think that is a necessity to play CB.

They did the same kind of arbitrary contradictory evaluation of Sam McGuffie; originally ranking him 13th and then dropping him all the way to 30th. They currently have Wegher ranked 40 something at RB.

 

[Ground Fighter]

concerns about his smaller size and marginal upper-body strength

I don't understand why they said that about him. If he reportedly benches 300 lbs., that is considered VERY strong for a senior high school defensive back. Most pro defensive backs don't bench much more. Maybe 340-350 lb. range. It seems that the writer is just picking on him a bit due to his unfortunate skin pigmentation problem.

Edited by: Ground Fighter