Stop me if you've heard this before:
Small, white, shifty, slot wide receiver who is completely overlooked by almost everyone gets offered by Mike Leach.
Last night, La Habra WR Brett Bartolone committed to Leach and the Cougs, per CougFan. I want to caution everyone to not make this comparison (mainly because it's super lazy. Does every white WR have to be compared to Wes Welker? Wasn't Gino Simone compared to Welker? Ugh) because, unlike Welker, someone else offered Bartolone! I see you, Air Force.
On the surface, a comparison to Welker actually works. But let's not do it, because I might kill myself if I have to go through an entire season of hearing this. Not every under-the-radar guy is going to become amazing. Hell, not every 4 star is going to become even decent. Let's just all try to look at this objectively.
Bartolone is small, (5'10, 180) but not so small that he'll be in over his head. Mainly, Bartolone will be used in gadget plays, as well as in the slot. I'd be shocked if he didn't redshirt. He has the distinct advantage of being high school teammates with current Coug QB Cody Clements. Now, I'm probably the only person in the universe who still believes Clements can actually be an above average QB. Hell, I'm probably the only one who thinks he can even be useful. That said, I'm 100% on board with bringing in a guy who already knows and has a rapport with one of our signal callers.
I really like how well he reads his blockers when he's running the ball. He's shifty, and doesn't necessarily need blazing speed. I've seen it reported that he runs a 4.5 in the 40, and while I don't doubt that he has speed, I don't know how accurate that 4.5 is. He's by no means slow, though, so please don't think that was what I was implying. He'll take a few years to get accustomed to the offense, but he should be a really solid kid in a few years. I'm not sure he'll ever make an All-Pac 12 team, but every single recruit doesn't have to be Marquess Wilson. These are the types of recruits you lay the foundation for success with.
Bartolone will come in, work his butt off, and hopefully catch a few TDs from his former high school quarterback.
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