Caleb Leach filled out a Scout Trout evaluation form last night and I instantly loved his style of play at the Wide Receiver and Tight End positions. What separated Leach to make him the #7 overall Tight End prospect and warrant him a 4-star prospect rating from Scout Trout? Well, out of the many pure receivers I have watched on tape, he is one of the best blockers at the line of scrimmage and in the "box". He starts off his film above with some great route running and shows off his ability to catch the ball with soft hands, while making a brilliant "back shoulder" catch. He gets up the field very quick for his size on the next play, while executing a "flood" design route concept and is able to show off his 4.7, 40-yard dash speed. The very next play shows Leach's versatility in the passing game as he makes a path through jam-packed line of scrimmage and is able to be a valuable asset for his QB who is about to take a huge sack for a loss. Leach is able to absorb three heavy blows on this play in immense traffic and is able to secure the football all the way to the ground to escape the offensive disaster that initially seemed inevitable. Caleb is lined up as a "Wing-Back" on the next play and is used in the vertical passing game directly up the "seam" of the defense. He shows great coordination and knowledge of the route's core concepts and his QB is able to find him for a huge gain on this perfectly executed "seam route". Motioning across the formation from the same alignment on the next play, Leach shows why he eclipsed a Clemson commit in my National Rankings and why he was nominated as a Class of 2019 Scout Trout All-American Early Selection! Leach is able to engage the defensive end and drive him right on his back, using a relentless motor to finish the job and propel his runner to the second level. Leach also is a very talented defensive player and can contribute heavily in any aspect of SPECIAL TEAMS. At 1:00 into his film, he darts downfield to make a beautiful "Heads Up" form tackle that is inescapable for most ball carriers, at this level and the next! We get to see more of the vertical passing game on the next play as Caleb is able to show great concentration once again in traffic, as his QB is somehow able to land the ball "over the top" of #4, who appears to be in man-to-man at the SS position. Lined up in the "Wing-Back" position again on the next play, Leach is able to execute a "kick out" block and opens a huge hole "off-tackle" –being able to turn his defender to the outside with ease. Two plays later, at around 1:45, Leach is seen running a red-zone "out route" and once again shows superior football knowledge and concentration, as he is able to locate the pylon for a touchdown. The ability to go up in traffic and make plays is key at the college level as defenses are highly active and 99% of the time are coming to inflict damage on their opponents. Caleb once again shows how valuable he is on the next play, as he goes up and makes a stunning "high pointing" catch and do a complete 180 degree turn upfield, while using a great spin move and raw power to break through would be tacklers. Caleb appears to adapt to what the defense presents on his pass routes extremely well. As seen at 2:08 into his pristine footage, he is able to fight past the first level defender who should have stayed with Caleb and realizes the safety "over the top" is to the outside. Next, Caleb is able to adjust his route to the inside to gain positioning for his QB, to make a great throw who is once again under mighty duress. He shows a great ability to go up and "high point" passes over defenders on many plays and does not shy away from contact in any aspect of the game, as you will see him "Moss" a smaller defender on the very next play. Once again, Caleb can be witnessed running a red-zone out route on the next play and gets his head around to the QB right away, while wasting no time flipping his body upfield for yet another beautiful red-zone touchdown. Caleb has NFL long snapping ability as I clocked his very accurate snap at around .2 seconds, which would make him a elite snapper at the next level, as well. After another spectacular special teams play, Caleb runs another beautiful route, which leaves his defender completely clueless on the last play of his ALL-AMERICAN and Nationally Ranked TE/H-Back highlights! Leach is your prototypical H-Back, which means he can line up anywhere on the offensive side of the football and be effective. He stands out as a Wide Receiver with his 6'4, 210LB frame and outstanding route running ability, as he uses his keen senses to find the opening and "soft spots" in a defense. He blocks tremendously well and shows toughness on both sides of the football, while exhibiting outstanding overall special teams play. He can go up over defenders and be a "safety net" for your Quarterback at ALL times, as he is not afraid to catch the ball, even if triple covered. Our #7th ranked Tight End will also be ranked in our Long Snappers category after more footage has accrued of him completing snaps like the .2 tenths of a second snap on film. All in all, Leach very well could be moving to the ATHLETE category, as we progress further into the recruiting process and college coaches make their evaluations. We take all factors into consideration when ranking our players. After speaking with this young man, he will not only succeed in the world of college football, he will thrive on the GRIDIRON and possibly even PITCH you a NO-HITTER, as he did the other night for his baseball team. Congrats on being selected as a Class of 2019 Scout Trout All-American and being ranked nationally a 4-star prospect on Scout Trout's new National College Prospect Rankings!
Jimmy Bates 6'1,195LB ATH Class of 2019 Vancleave HS (MS) - Scout Trout Most Coach-Able Savage award12/17/2017
Jimmy Bates is a player who has completely bought into the Scout Trout platinum elite training program and is destined for greatness at the next level. Jimmy was at my Scout Trout Mini-Camp last year, at the 2017 NFL Reese's Senior Bowl, when I was exploring all options/mechanisms to assist my players in recruitment. We were able to get him down that day to a 4.65, from a 4.9, 40 yard dash. Jimmy was a good athlete at the LB position in our drills and he obviously has been fine tuning all of the fine details, in order to dominate Scout Trout's workouts, which are designed specifically for the collegiate/pro football levels. So first, Jimmy decided to listen and has propelled himself to a Scout Trout Class of 2019 All-American, as he has recently ran three 4.47,40 yard dashes in a row and even hit a 10' broad jump, while busting out a very quick shuttle, at around 4.1. I am not a high school football coach, but I would not be using this amazingly gifted athlete as a blocker. When I watch Jimmy run routes and his ability to catch nearly every pass thrown his way, combined with the toughness this young man exhibits, he looks like a big time Tight End/H-Back in Scout Trout's college style system. On the defensive side of the football, I got to watch Bates cover extremely well yesterday, as he is in the receivers hip pocket and can use his keen football senses, to masterfully deflect passes with his perfect OLB/SS frame. When you watch the film below of Jimmy's play at LB, you will witness extreme quickness off the edge and he is able to get to the QB for a sack! Jimmy is able to scour from sideline to sideline, like the ball hawk he truly is on the defensive side of the football. On kickoff team, the very next play, Bates shows he means business, as he fly's down field and is able to completely annihilate the returner, who never stood a chance. Jimmy shows outstanding backside pursuit and if you know how strongly this young man's will is to succeed, then you will realize why he plays with such a high motor, along with the mind-set that, "You can't stop him, but may only hope to contain him", as the late great Stuart Scott once stated (R.I.P). Jimmy will be a huge success at the next level, as he is a very versatile athlete, with the skill-set that Scout Trout and most college football coaches covet, on their football team. When it is all said and done, Jimmy will prove the nay-sayers wrong and rise up to be a intricate part of any college football teams schematics. Jimmy is officially our Scout Trout Most Coach-able Savage of the year for the Class of 2019, as it was a very easy decision, based on the improvements he has made in his combine numbers alone. Jimmy is destined for a great Scout Trout All-American Bowl and also for his senior year, at Vancleave HS in Mississippi! I want to thank Jimmy, Jimmy's mother and the coaches at Vancleave for allowing him to be apart of the Scout Trout Militia, as we seek to create our own paths, through diligence and mentally preparing for what's ahead. As I stated many times before, you cannot pay someone to get you a scholarship, you must be willing to sacrifice things that "normal", non scholarship student's get to do, it's why they have to pay for school and you won't! Wake up every morning knowing there is another Jimmy Bates out there who wants this just as badly as you do. At Scout Trout, we will rise, we will grind and we will always prevail with the stonework that has already been paved. Me and Jimmy Bates, along with many other Scout Trout athlete's have already made up our minds and all we seek is what is rightfully ours for the taking! KEEP GRINDING JIMMY!
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