Quick Take: I have said Jacorey Stewart is the top linebacker on the board and this is a big commitment because it is the guy Chris Simpson wanted.
Simpson went out to Milton High to watch him practice and liked everything he saw.
Stewart told him he wanted to wait before he announced a decision, but I think that was because he wanted to talk to his parents on the way home.
During the visit he said he hung around Jayson Gilliom and Tristan Fletcher and the other players. He was impressed meeting with Lance Leipold and how every coach greeted him. One thing he mentioned was eating dinner with Simpson and his wife.
Simpson did a film study with him talking how his game could translate to KU and the NFL.
Breakdown: I think right now Stewart plays like a cross between a safety and an outside linebacker. They play a lot of three-man fronts, and he lines up as an outside backer in that scheme. He can cover slot receivers and moves well downfield. I liked how he can turn and run in coverage.
He covers a lot of ground and the thing that stood out to me is how well he diagnoses plays in the open field. He covers a lot of ground. They use him on blitzes at times.
I think he will put on weight and would be a candidate to play all over the field. KU likes to mix and match their linebackers. Simpson will cross-train them, so they learn the inside and outside positions. Stewart can play anywhere on the field.
What this means: If the coaches proceed how I think they will, this takes the final linebacker spot. Now, they can always change their plans and if they didn’t want to pass on another player, they could take three. But from everything I have gathered they had two spots for a high school linebacker.
We will have to see how this plays out in the upcoming days. Montele Johnson and DJ McCormick were two linebackers on the board, but they committed to other schools this weekend.
Simpson went out to Milton High to watch him practice and liked everything he saw.
Stewart told him he wanted to wait before he announced a decision, but I think that was because he wanted to talk to his parents on the way home.
During the visit he said he hung around Jayson Gilliom and Tristan Fletcher and the other players. He was impressed meeting with Lance Leipold and how every coach greeted him. One thing he mentioned was eating dinner with Simpson and his wife.
Simpson did a film study with him talking how his game could translate to KU and the NFL.
Breakdown: I think right now Stewart plays like a cross between a safety and an outside linebacker. They play a lot of three-man fronts, and he lines up as an outside backer in that scheme. He can cover slot receivers and moves well downfield. I liked how he can turn and run in coverage.
He covers a lot of ground and the thing that stood out to me is how well he diagnoses plays in the open field. He covers a lot of ground. They use him on blitzes at times.
I think he will put on weight and would be a candidate to play all over the field. KU likes to mix and match their linebackers. Simpson will cross-train them, so they learn the inside and outside positions. Stewart can play anywhere on the field.
What this means: If the coaches proceed how I think they will, this takes the final linebacker spot. Now, they can always change their plans and if they didn’t want to pass on another player, they could take three. But from everything I have gathered they had two spots for a high school linebacker.
We will have to see how this plays out in the upcoming days. Montele Johnson and DJ McCormick were two linebackers on the board, but they committed to other schools this weekend.
