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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Scouting Report: Leon McQuay III

Leon McQuay III
Name: Leon McQuay III
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Position: Safety
High school: Seffner (FL) Armwood

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Florida, Stanford, Tennessee, UAB, UCF, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington, West Virginia . . . Claims a 4.57 time in the forty . . . 4.35 time in the pro agility shuttle . . . 32" vertical . . . ESPN 4-star S, 87 grade, #3 S, #39 overall . . . Rivals 4-star S, #3 S, #33 overall . . . Scout 4-star S, #7 S . . . 247 Sports 4-star S, 95 grade, #5 S, #41 overall . . . As a junior in 2011, had 66 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and 4 interceptions . . . Teammate of fellow Michigan offeree and wide receiver Alvin Bailey

Strengths: Tall and long with a good reach . . . Shows ability to elevate and disrupt passes . . . Very good hitter for his size . . . Should become even more intimidating with added muscle mass . . . Solid open-field tackler . . . Enough speed to track down ball carriers from behind and cover deep . . . High points the ball and shows good hands . . . Decent playmaking ability with ball in hands . . . Very competitive with ball in air . . . Works very hard not to get beat

Weaknesses: Doesn't show particularly fluid hips . . . Occasionally mis-times leaps . . . Good speed but not a true blazer . . . Occasionally lowers head or hits ball carrier's head, which could take some adjusting to avoid penalties at next level

Projection: Free safety.  The coaches have talked to McQuay about getting a shot at playing cornerback, but I don't really see that being his best position.  I see him more as a free safety and he could even play strong safety well.  I would like to see him patrolling the deep middle of the field, because he has good ball skills when the ball is in the air and he can be an enforcer from that spot.  He also has plenty of speed to play sideline to sideline and fill the alley, although he's not in the category of having elite speed.  I really enjoy the way he competes and he seems to take football seriously.  He shows the ability to come in and contribute even as a freshman, but there would be some growing pains along the way; right now he's typically the best athlete on the field, and when big receivers come along who can jump with him, he's going to have to perfect his coverage technique.  He has the athleticism to play in the NFL someday if he continues to add some mass and refine some technique issues.

Reminds me of: Ha'sean Clinton-Dix (Alabama)

6 comments:

  1. Thunder
    This kid's dad seems shall we say "a bit too involved". You may have seen the tweet from him about his own son at the opening being a "coward" for not participating in some drills. What's your take on these types of parents in the recruiting process and can they cause problems for the kids with the prospective programs or do college coaches just blow them off?

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    Replies
    1. I think coaches take those types of parents into account. They have to decide whether a kid is worth the trouble of taking on the parent's personality, but coaches also have to figure out whether the kid is going to be the same as the outspoken parent. Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. However, I haven't seen or heard anything to indicate that McQuay III is going to be a personality problem.

      Would the coaches recruit Scott Sypniewski if his dad was a troublemaker? Maybe not. Would they still go after Shane Morris? Maybe.

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  2. How can a dad be to involved in his own sons recruitment?

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    Replies
    1. Parents should have most of the control over their kid's recruitment. However, sometimes things can go too far. Just ask Cam Newton.

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  3. Its kind of nice to see a dad involved like this to be honest. Half of the Dad's pictures on Twitter/Facebook (has a public profile) are in regards to his son's grades. A lot of these kids have zero involvement from their fathers, let alone a legitimate interest in their academic achievements. Good for him.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not sure why you've looked through his dad's Facebook profile...

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