2012 Recruiting Breakdown: JUCO's

by EMAW 4 Ever on Feb 1, 2012 9:05 PM CST

In the first part of this four part series breaking down the offensive, defensive and a pre-spring depth chart I will breakdown the JUCO talent and give what stood out to me, skill sets, and how I think they will contribute next fall. We'll start off with the highest rated JUCO in the class: Marquez Clark.

Marquez Clark

Position: WR

Height and Weight: 6-0 180 lbs

What stands out: The kid has got some hops. In the video on K-State's site Clark made the DB's look silly as he just jumped over their heads to make the catch.Looks to give Collin Klein a nice big target for down field passing, especially in the end zone.

Skill Set: Jumping (see above). Agility- In one of the clips he successfully strafes the sideline for around 9 yards to avoid getting tackled. Hands- In several of the clips Clark took passes of over 40 yards and seemed to have no problem making the catch, plus with 98 receptions in a season you know this guy can catch.

Where he fits in: Clark should be an excellent addition to an already strong receiving corps that includes Tramaine Thompson, Chris Harper, a healthy Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton and hopefully the return of Brodrick Smith from his injury/suspension/benching from last year. I would expect Clark to contribute right away and for his possible position in the depth chart to be anywhere from 1-4.

For more JUCO breakdowns keep reading after the jump.

Kent Gainous

Position: S

Height and Weight: 6-1 190

What stand out: Speed. In addition to playing S he also lined up as a QB and when he got into space he turned on the rockets blasting for 15 yards in a very short period of time.

Skill set: Speed (see above). Man Coverage- He appeared to cover his man pretty well and was able to anticipate the pass. Ball Vision- Like I said above he has the gift of being able to sense where a QB wants to go before he throws the ball.

Where he fits in: Expect Kent to step right in to Tysyn Hartman's position and play well next to fellow Junior Ty Zimmerman. Just from the few videos I have seen of him and from what I have read it sounds like he could easily be better than Hartman and upgrade the Strong Safety position.

Tavon Rooks

Position: OL (possibly T)

Height and Weight: 6-6 270

What stand out: Brute strength. It was amazing to see him just throw around defensive lineman. He was able to create holes for his backs and QB several times while keeping defensive ends at bay.

Skill set: Strength (see above). Blocking Vision- He does an excellent job of identifying and neutralizing the blitzer.

Where he fits in: Like the previous two recruits Rooks has a chance, albeit significantly less, to contribute right away at either the left tackle position taking over for Clyde Aufner or moving to guard to take over Colton Freeze. But at both positions he will have to deal with Jordan Allred at G and 6-8 311 Cornelius Lucas, who is as big as just about anyone in the Big 12. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him have to wait a year to get a chance to start.

Wesley Hollingshed

Position: DT

Height and Weight: 6-2 300

What stand out: Size. He truly is a hole filler, at 300 pounds Hollingshed is a very big player to try and move out of the way to create a hole in the line.

Skill set: Size (see above). Reach- He has some very long arms and is able to reach out and grab a running back or QB from several feet away. Motivation- He doesn't quit. In one play the QB appeared to go down to a full squat for around 3-4 seconds in a large group of defensive and offensive lineman, in a play that most would have thought was over Hollingshed kept going and was able to record a nice sack.

Where he fits in: Hollingshed will probably not start but I do see him getting some solid playing time in goaline situations.

Ellwood Clements

Position: OT

Height and Weight: 6-5 310

What stand out: Impact blocking- Specifically his run blocking which fits very nicely with our system.

Skill set: Run Blocking (see above). Down field blocking- in one play he went almost 10 yards in front of the line of scrimmage and pancaking a poor defenseless corner back and then picking up a linebacker.

Where he fits in: He doesn't impress me nearly as much as Rooks and I would not be surprised to see him not get a lot of playing time.

Chaquil Reed

Position: DT

Height and Weight: 6-3 290

What stand out: Intelligence. In one play he saw that the center was clearly a mismatch for him so he went around to the left tackle and skirted around him for a sack.

Skill set: Intelligence (see above). Agility- He was able to sidestep two linemen on rout to a pretty nice sack.

Where he fits in: Reed is the only player JUCO player that that probably doesn't have a realistic chance of starting this year, he may have his chance next year if his skill sets improve, but right now he just doesn't appear to have the physical tools.

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3 recs | 13 comments

Comments

Agreed on Clark and Gainous.

Both could be immediate impact players. Both have eye opening speed.

Rooks is impressive, but a little less sure about him. Agree on the rest – hopefully we get some production, but not expecting a ton.

yeahboozin - February 1, 2012 reply

Ya, I was really optimistic about Rooks

But when I took a closer look at our offensive line I saw two things 1.) We have a lot of returning offensive lineman. 2.) All of the players he that he is going up against are really big or old.

EMAW 4 Ever - February 2, 2012 reply

Clark, Rooks, and Hollingshed have an advantage

by enrolling early, thus allowing them to participate in the ever-important (for Snyder) spring practices.

Generally speaking, guys who are able to participate in spring practices in Snyder’s system have a much better chance of playing early. That’s not always the case (see Tyler Lockett and David Garrett), but does show more often than not (Nigel Malone, Ty Zimmerman)

jtarkman - February 2, 2012 reply

What I liked most about Tyler Lockett last year is that it showed Snyder is willing to play the guys with the most talent,

not just by their years. (Not that I thought this was a problem)

It really disproves a popular theory that Snyder is too loyal to players that have been in the program for a long time.

snyder plays whoever he thinks gives the team the best chance to win, period. We may disagree with decisions on Coffman/Klein and hubert/Pease/Brown, but Snyder isn’t doing that only because they are seniors. He is doing that because he thinks it will give the team the best chance to win.

ChrisP Wildcat - February 2, 2012 reply

*upperclassmen, not seniors.

ChrisP Wildcat - February 2, 2012 reply

I seem to remember during Snyder's first term

reading an article where he talked about this. He said if all things were equal (talent, understanding of playbook, etc.) that the starting nod would go to the younger player. I don’t remember his reason for it. Maybe because he looks at the future as well and figures a kid who starts as a sophomore will be that much better as a senior.

BvilleCat - February 4, 2012 reply