The latest (and quite possibly, final) recruit for the Class of 2012 is RB C.J. Brathwaite, who committed last week, per Scout.com. Brathwaite reminds me of Jerome Harrison in a lot of ways. He's small but not insanely fast, isn't afraid to take a hit, makes guys miss, and is really difficult to take down. He's also from Michigan and wears the number 1. Obviously this means Brathwaite is going to rush for 1,900 yards and be amazing. It's pretty much guaranteed, guys. Lock it up.
Now, obviously I was being facetious, but he does sorta remind me of The Ghost. The way he's not really a burner, but still fast. The way he makes cuts and refused to be tackled. These are all good things.
He played mostly RB, but he spent time split out wide, too. This can only bode well for him in Leach's Air Raid. He follows his blockers a lot better than Theron West, and his cutting ability is above average. Sometimes he gets a little too fancy for me, and I'd like to see him make one cut and go, instead of dancing around a bunch. I can live with it, though.
One thing I did notice that infuriated me was his run at the 2:56 mark in the video. He actually runs backwards about 15 yards before breaking free. I absolutely do not care that it ended up in a gain of about 40 yards or so. If I were his coach, I'd be pissed. There's no way he gets away with that against better competition, and I get the sense that a lot of the guys missing tackles in the video are never playing football again.
At 5'7, 175 pounds, his lack of size is also a bit concerning, but again, it's not a deal breaker. I think Brathwaite is a decent player, and the lack of any BCS offers (well, the lack of any other offers period) is something I don't like to see, but it's pretty much par for the course with the kids we've been getting lately.
If Leach were thinking of greyshirting some kids, Brathwaite would be a prime candidate. I don't see any scenario where he doesn't at least redshirt. Could be a solid back in a few years behind Rickey Galvin, Marcus Mason, and someone like Joseph Te'o.
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