Recruiting With Coach X: An Anonymous D1 Coach Analyzes a High School RB
Because NCAA rules prevent college coaches from speaking publicly about recruits, it’s often difficult to get an inside-look at how coaches actually scout high school players. At a glance, every highlight reel looks good. But what exactly matters to college scouts? What type of traits do they look for when trying to predict success at the next level? Coach X is an active coach at the FBS level. Over the years, he has evaluated thousands of players. In this series, Coach X gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how he breaks down high school prospects.
Prospect Name: Eric Olson
Height/Weight: 5’11”/188 pounds
Position: RB/DB
School/Class: Blue Valley High (Overland Park, Kansas), 2019
Current Offers: Western Illinois, Northwestern Missouri State, Missouri Western, Colorado School of Mines. Currently Committed to Colorado School of Mines.
Coach X’s Breakdown
- Multi-sport guy and it shows
- Excels as a sprinter on the track team, can take it the distance on any play
- Has A+ feet
- Offers positional flexibility, could potentially play RB, Slot, DB, and KR at the collegiate level. I believe his skillset is best suited for RB/KR, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him at WR or DB
- Some of the best balance I’ve seen in a high school player
- Top-notch acceleration
- Will lower a shoulder for extra yards and run through arm tackles
- Can help a team on Special Teams the day he steps on campus
- Adding some bulk without losing speed is something to work on, just so he can handle the harder impacts of college football over the course of a season
Player Comparison: Rex Burkhead or James White, RB, New England Patriots. “Look up Burkhead’s high school film and then go watch Olson’s. In this era of football, if Olson played in Texas, he’d probably have a dozen FBS offers. His skillset would fit right in with how the Patriots use their third down backs.”
Who would you like to see Coach X evaluate next? Submit the prospect’s name and film to [email protected]. Prospect must have a current FCS or FBS offer to be considered.
Photo Credit: Linda Olson
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Recruiting With Coach X: An Anonymous D1 Coach Analyzes a High School RB
Because NCAA rules prevent college coaches from speaking publicly about recruits, it’s often difficult to get an inside-look at how coaches actually scout high school players. At a glance, every highlight reel looks good. But what exactly matters to college scouts? What type of traits do they look for when trying to predict success at the next level? Coach X is an active coach at the FBS level. Over the years, he has evaluated thousands of players. In this series, Coach X gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how he breaks down high school prospects.
Prospect Name: Eric Olson
Height/Weight: 5’11”/188 pounds
Position: RB/DB
School/Class: Blue Valley High (Overland Park, Kansas), 2019
Current Offers: Western Illinois, Northwestern Missouri State, Missouri Western, Colorado School of Mines. Currently Committed to Colorado School of Mines.
Coach X’s Breakdown
- Multi-sport guy and it shows
- Excels as a sprinter on the track team, can take it the distance on any play
- Has A+ feet
- Offers positional flexibility, could potentially play RB, Slot, DB, and KR at the collegiate level. I believe his skillset is best suited for RB/KR, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him at WR or DB
- Some of the best balance I’ve seen in a high school player
- Top-notch acceleration
- Will lower a shoulder for extra yards and run through arm tackles
- Can help a team on Special Teams the day he steps on campus
- Adding some bulk without losing speed is something to work on, just so he can handle the harder impacts of college football over the course of a season
Player Comparison: Rex Burkhead or James White, RB, New England Patriots. “Look up Burkhead’s high school film and then go watch Olson’s. In this era of football, if Olson played in Texas, he’d probably have a dozen FBS offers. His skillset would fit right in with how the Patriots use their third down backs.”
Who would you like to see Coach X evaluate next? Submit the prospect’s name and film to [email protected]. Prospect must have a current FCS or FBS offer to be considered.
Photo Credit: Linda Olson
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