Cedrick “Jeremiah” Poutasi is a four-star offensive linemen from Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, 6-5 and 322 pounds. He runs the shuttle in 4.9, phenomenally athletic for his size, and he’s been offered by Utah (his apparent favorite), Washington, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA among others.
photo left: Desert Pines strongman Poutasi is a pile-driving warrior with uncommon strength and size (rivals.com photo).
Bob Rickert of oregonlive.com reported that the Ducks recently offered, waiting until the powerful offensive tackle posted qualifying test scores. They’ve tentatively scheduled him for a January visit. But there’s a time crunch for recruits and programs as recruiting enters its season of frenzy; Poutasi has
talked about announcing a verbal commitment at the 2012 Offense-Defense Bowl, one of the annual high school all-star games, this one to be held at Cowboys Stadium on January 5th, comprised of a roster of players selected from the Rivals Top 100. They’ve held the game since 2007, and Cam Newton was the first MVP.
Sometimes recruiting can be as messy as eating salted peanuts in the shell. The Ducks have a sell job ahead of them for Poutasi. They offered him late, after several other schools established mutual interest. A friend of his has already committed to the Utes. Oregon had an exceptional offensive line class in 2011, adding Jake Fisher, Tyler Johnsonstone, Andre Yruretagoyena, James Euscher and Jamal Prater, but Mark Asper, Darrion Weems and Mana Greig graduate this year, so there are roster spots to fill for depth and future balance. This is a great year for offensive linemen in the West, but Oregon didn’t get any traction with some of the elite prospects, Josh Garnett, Zach Banner, and Andrus Peat among them.
Poutasi’s a great fit for his athleticism, power and agility. He has the SEC size some Duck fans crave, with sacrificing the agility needed in the Oregon zone blocking/up tempo offense. Junior college player Kyle Long remains another possibility, but he has just one year of eligibility left, “one to play one,” making him the kind of player Oregon would pick up to strengthen the rotation in the short term as their talented group of redshirt freshman continue to mature.
Speaking about his prize strong side tackle, Desert Pines head coach Paul Bennett told Pat Harty of hawkcentral.com, an Iowa Hawkeye blog, “He has good feet for the size he has,” Desert Pines coach Paul Bennett said Sunday. “That’s what is surprising with that type of body. He moves well.” That’s what stands out in the highlight video, as well as good natural strength and aggressiveness. Steve Greatwood has sent an impressive list of linemen to the NFL, and Poutasi, who has pro aspirations, could serve a valuable apprenticeship in Autzen blocking in one of the top offenses in the country.
Scouting notes:
Drives his defender upfield and out of the play. Gets good leverage and keeps his powerful arms inside, has complete control of his man. Stays on the block through the whistle. Plays with tremendous desire, the “exceptional protective instincts” good offensive linemen have. Ducks look for linemen who can play left tackle. Poutasi has the size, but gets a little upright like bigger players often do, needs more teaching to improve his footwork and agility. But the strength is there, with good mobility for a big guy.
At 30 seconds, just shoves his man right into the ground, the right touch of anger and meanness, the will to dominate an opponent. Will come back to deliver a second blow, and you like that warrior quality. Good focus on his assignment. Prodigiously strong. Tosses a 230-pound kid right on his backside.
First move is usually to get upright and push out with his arms. That needs refinement, but he uses his strength and powerful base beautifully. On a double team block, drives the defensive end back to the bus. Keeps his feet moving on the pass block, stays with the defender as the quarterback rolls right, treats every play like it’s an Oklahoma drill. Love the intensity. Great style for zone blocking because if the opponent makes a move to one gap or another Poutasi will just use his momentum and drive him out of the play, like a Sumo wrestler overpowering his adversary out of the ring. Doesn’t show a great deal of second-level mobility in this offense; the conditioning and agility training at Oregon will make him more flexible and ready for the next levels of football. In high school, he relies chiefly on raw strength, but there’s so much of it, he’s a pile driver.
Pass blocking, he gets a good foundation and denies the defender a route to the quarterback, delivering two blows and squaring off for the next one on a quick route. He’s tenacious, the kind of blocker who wears a defensive linemen down and breaks his will.
A highlight at 1:37 shows him at defensive tackle, pursuing a flare pass into the left flat, and this is intriguing. He pursues laterally and shows athleticism, very important in the Oregon spread. He’s nimble for 320 and 17. At 2:30 he pulls left from offensive tackle on a sweep and is running with his tailback 35 yards downfield, and in the last clip he makes a saving tackle on a fumble, running down a defender who has a head start. Great makeup, hustle and competitiveness.
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