Running Back Recruiting Update
Purdue has handed out another RB offer.
Player |
State |
Height |
Weight |
Ranking: Scout/Rivals/247 |
Favorite(s) |
Tario Fuller |
GA |
6'0 |
190 |
NR/NR/NR |
Purdue |
I'm not sure what to think about this offer. Purdue is far and away Fuller's best offer at the moment, and it's tough to think he is "overlooked" because he plays on a large 4A high school team in Georgia. I'm sure plenty of scouts have seen him play. That being said, the kid was a workhorse last year, carrying the ball 260 times for 1590 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 16 receptions for 144 yards. After watching his highlight film, a few things stuck out:
Pros:
- Good Vision: He generally follows the designed play and picks his way through the hole, instead of just bouncing everything and out running people.
- Good Quickness: He can make people miss both close to the line of scrimmage and in the open field.
- Solid Toughness: When a tackler goes high on Fuller, he has the ability to shrug them off and continue down the field.
- Good Hands: He appears to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Cons:
- Questionable Top End Speed: Most highlight films show a player running away from defenders. Fuller seems to get tracked down by the safety on most long plays in his highlight package.
- Runs High: He gets lit up at the end of a few of his runs because he runs straight up and down instead of behind his pads.
- Doesn't Lift His Feet: He is good at breaking high tackles, but often times gets pulled down by his ankles in the open field. This is a product of his lack of top end speed and because he doesn't lift his feet when he runs, making his ankles easy targets for trailing defenders.
Purdue appears to be in the lead for Fuller's services at this point. He might make a good third down back because of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Also, his team runs mostly one back- spread- shotgun-read option, which may also come in handy on third down in college.
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Markell Jones Update:
Purdue is still in the lead for Jones. In fact, all things are pointing towards Purdue at the moment. However, he is currently at Wisconsin's camp, and he has a Wisconsin offer. He appears to still be weighing his options. I was hoping he would be Purdue's next commitment, but it looks like this thing might stretch out a while. Jones is a must have for Purdue at this point.