The recruiting news is picking up this week, as Purdue received its third commitment for the 2014 class from New Jersey athlete Robert Ennis. Ennis plays his high school football in New Jersey for Millville High School. He has long been considered a Rutgers lean, but Purdue secured his commitment during an unofficial visit to West Lafayette today.
Player |
State |
Height |
Weight |
Ranking: Scout/Rivals/247/ESPN |
Commitment |
Robert Ennis |
NJ |
5'10 |
170 |
NR/2*/NR/3* |
Purdue |
Ennis is another under the radar type player. He doesn't play against the highest caliber of opponents in New Jersey, but he is an explosive athlete. He is considered an "athlete" by most recruiting services because he plays both running back and defensive back, but is being recruited as a running back at Purdue, which may have been a deciding factor in securing his commitment. Coach Hazell has a solid track record with small running backs, and you can see a little bit of Dri Archer in Ennis's skill set.
Strengths:
Speed: When Ennis breaks free, no one is going to catch him. He outruns defenders who have an angle on him. This may be a product of New Jersey high school football, but Rivals lists Ennis as running a 4.45, so his speed appears to be legit.
Quickness: Ennis has quick feet in the hole, and makes tacklers occasionally look silly. You don't want to be one on one with Ennis in space, because you might end up with a broken ankle.
Acceleration/Explosion: Ennis gets in and out of cuts quickly, and gets back to top speed quickly. This makes him dangerous in all facets of the game, including special teams, where he returns kicks for his high school, and as a defensive back, where the versatile Ennis also plays.
Weakness:
Size: Ennis is not a big guy, and probably won't be an every down back in college. He is going to have to put on some weight in order to take Big 10 type hits. He's hard to catch, but if a linebacker does catch him, they may have to scrape him off the field.
Level of Competition: New Jersey isn't known for its stellar high school football. Ennis is simply faster than everyone on the field in high school. This will not be the case in the Big 10. How will he react when he can't outrun everyone?
Junior Highlights:
Sophomore Highlights: