Crist has always stood out as a solid prospect, due in large part to his measurements on paper, but the kid looks even bigger in person. I can remember back to the 2007 spring game when he literally looked to tower over Notre Dame’s quarterback group at the time. He has the leadership skills and charisma of a great quarterback and exemplified that during his time in San Antonio for the 2008 Army All-American Bowl.
Not to turn this into a compare and contrast deal from the previous class, but the main criticism I had of Clausen during his film review was that he left the pocket too soon with any hint of pressure. One of the many facets of Crist’s game that really stood out to me was his confidence in his linemen to stay on their blocks and elusiveness if the pocket happened to collapse at all.
He has a very strong arm and makes it look almost effortless when he throws a 60-yard bomb down the sideline. With his big frame, he isn’t afraid of contact and hangs in there to deliver the pass even though a defender is headed straight for him. He’s precise on his passes the majority of the time, but one of the only critiques I have is that he’ll need to lead his players a bit better with a faster secondary. Other than that, he’ll be working on his footwork on his drops from under center since the bulk of his clips are from shotgun.
Crist does a great job of keeping his eyes all over the field and not focusing in on his first option, which will allow him to utilize all of his players as he gets stronger with his play action. His timing is spot on with his receiver and Clausen certainly has some tough competition after Charlie Weis and Ron Powlus get a chance to work with him during camp. Jonas Gray
Running Back, 5-9, 206
Detroit, Mich. (Country Day)
Like Crist, Gray also showed great leadership qualities in San Antonio. His film showed that he has the power and agility of a great back. You really see him turn it on once he hits the open field and he has a great stride heading up the sidelines to take it to the house.
Mike Haywood will definitely be working with him to keep the ball tighter to his chest as he hits the holes, but he does a nice job of keeping the ball to the outside and switches hands well. He runs well against the grain and always seems to find the creases in the defense. He rarely goes down on first contact (except one clip from his senior year when he was caught by his shoelaces).
You never see this kid without a smile on his face off the field, but you likely never see a smile on the field either. He’s all business and brings a high level of intensity to the game. Defenders better be ready to bring it because if they hesitate or play tentative for a second, Gray won’t miss on the opportunity to deliver the blow and stand a defender right up on his heels. A couple things I didn’t get to see on film were his hands out of the backfield and his pass protection.
He keeps his open arm active to stiff arm the defender and changes direction. He may not have all the shakes of Armando Allen or the power of Robert Hughes, but he is a solid combination of the two. He can pound for yards in between the tackles or he can hit the corner as well. Either way, he’s determined to get to the end zone every time the ball is in his hands.
Michael Floyd
Wide Receiver, 6-3, 200
St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)
The Irish successfully continued using the strong pipeline from Cretin-Derham Hall after picking up Floyd. Any doubters of how talented he is saw the type of playmaker he’s capable of being during the AAA Bowl after recording two touchdowns – one of which a pass thrown by Crist.
He gets good separation from the defensive back and uses his height and jumping ability to catch the ball at the highest point. He does a great job of adjusting to badly thrown balls and shows good concentration by catching the ball with his eyes.
Floyd moves around the field well for his size and looks to have good speed by taking long, deep strides after the catch. He runs through the reception and picks up some positive YAC (yards after catch) on most plays. He carries the ball a little loose and even had it popped out of his hands on one senior clip, but some work with Rob Ianello will change that habit.
He demonstrates good strength on the field by being difficult to take down and showed that he isn’t afraid of contact by throwing a good block downfield during the AAA Bowl. He has all the tools to be an effective deep threat early in his college career, but also does a nice job on screen plays and slants by finding his way through traffic to pick up the first down.
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Not to turn this into a compare and contrast deal from the previous class, but the main criticism I had of Clausen during his film review was that he left the pocket too soon with any hint of pressure. One of the many facets of Crist’s game that really stood out to me was his confidence in his linemen to stay on their blocks and elusiveness if the pocket happened to collapse at all.
