2018 UConn Football Commit #18 - Noel Ofori-Nyadu (Arlington Texas)

[Bonehead]

Welcome Dawg!

 

[Chin Diesel]

At 6'4" he projects more as a guard than a tackle, but as others have said it's nice to have a staff that can properly evaluate talent.

Secondly, I like the early enrollment if for no other reason than it prevents another school from swooping him up after the season. Do early enrollees count at the end of first semester (mid-December) or at the beginning of second semester in Jan?

 

[BlueandOG]

YES! Great to get such talent. Nice get.

 

[Exit 4]

Great size, good balance, good hip flex, long arms. Best of all, unlike some of our OL propsects of recent years, he is playing guys his weight and not 50lbs lighter.

I like him to compliment Holmes as our future guard. And maybe he could be converted to center if we strike out on some of these center prospects.

In any event, this is a great get.

 

[Samoo]

CHALE!

 

[SirHypeAlot]

HuskyUp big dawg!!

 

[huskypantz]

Welcome aboard Noel!

 

[uchusky32]

Welcome to the Pound, Noel!

 

[Jax Husky]

For those in the know about these sorts of things -- where on the line does he project to line up?

As for the offer lists, I'll just say this; 6/18 kids (counting Dillon Harris) chose us over at least one over P5 program. IMO it is perfectly okay to make sure the remaining two thirds consist of as many kids we beat out other AAC and MWC schools for as possible. He definitely looks like someone who will be able to contribute at this level.

Listen, I'll take beating out New Mexico and Tulane any day over recruits that can't even get a Villanova offer.

 

[Scoe]

Nice get welcome aboard we need ya big time.

 

[uconnbill]

Another building block for the future of the offensive line

Welcome to Storrs, Noel

 

[Redding Husky]

And the part about him playing HS football in Texas. Many of these kids have to go over looked with so much talent and athletes in the state. They all can't go to big time schools, but they all have a chance to be big time players at the next level.

The kids in Texas receive top level coaching. And they play under a lot of pressure in front of big crowds. They're prepared.

Many (most?) play in front of smaller crowds than they had in high school.

Welcome Noel!!

 

[gtcam]

He's big, he's strong, he's from Texas and he is a Noel
This one can't be wrong
WELCOME DAWG

 

[Chin Diesel]

The kids in Texas receive top level coaching. And they play under a lot of pressure in front of big crowds. They're prepared.

Many (most?) play in front of smaller crowds than they had in high school.

Welcome Noel!!

Historical point of reference. REv1.0 actually brought up Texas HS players in their coaching when discussing finding "diamonds in the rough" or developing players. He brought up the point that these kids can actually be harder to evaluate because you don't know if you are getting a finished product due to all the coaching and exposure.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Here's an article from Texas in 2009 that heavily quotes Edsall. An excellent read on how Edsall goes about recruiting. Not surprisingly, being thorough and making each contact count are desirable recruiting tactics.

Recruiting Trail Dos and Don'ts - Inside Texas

This article quotes Butch Davis but I remember hearing similar comments from RE.

5. Make your own evaluation. The ability to see a skinny 16-year-old for what he could be at 21 is, as Davis put it, “the craft and the art of evaluation.” The trick is to learn what to value and what to ignore.

Tommy Tuberville, looking for work after 14 years at Ole Miss and Auburn, described an evaluator as part geneticist.

“How much weight can he gain?” Tuberville asked. “You’re looking at his parents, looking at his brothers and sisters.”

Davis said the facilities that the player has available to him in high school can lay a trap for a recruiter.

“You may be buying the finished product,” Davis said. “There’s a little bit of that in Texas. Those schools have got more money than God. They have a strength coach, 15 high school coaches. The players have been in the same program since sixth or seventh grade. You get them and four years later they are the exact same player.

“You go to Pahokee, Fla., where a kid eats once a day, his parents may not be around,” Davis said. “You get him in a weightlifting program. Two years later, he’s three times better than the kid from Texas.”

 

[Redding Husky]

Historical point of reference. REv1.0 actually brought up Texas HS players in their coaching when discussing finding "diamonds in the rough" or developing players. He brought up the point that these kids can actually be harder to evaluate because you don't know if you are getting a finished product due to all the coaching and exposure.

Interesting. I live here and I've never thought of that. Maybe they've already been coached up and there is a minimal room for improvement.

Texas kids, even with access to the best resources, will still grow and fill out between 18 and 22.

 

[Guru13]

Very physical on the line and he is playing against bigger guys, I think he will be a great asset on the line especially the way he is able drive his feet and push guys backwards like someone said earlier, the running backs will love him