Keeping top talent at home has been the obvious recruiting task for Mario Cristobal since taking over at miami and another step in this direction was taken on Friday evening with the commitment local rookie linebackers Vincent Shavers.
The Miami (Florida) Central star, who previously prepared for Monsignor Pace, chose to commit to The U on about 20 scholarship offers in his name, including Georgia, Florida And state of florida among others.
The Hurricanes have added speed and modern three-down ability to their future linebacking corps as Rivals take a closer look at Shavers’ play.
Strengths
Like many South Florida Power Five backers, playing with space and speed is a key strength of Shavers’ college gang. He is particularly quick when working vertically or downhill towards the ball carrier, where his large stride makes more ground than his 6-foot-1 frame suggests. It appears while the junior is working along the edge or standing up and out of the football.
The speed is obvious, but the short range burst can be better. Besides being an instinctive player and a willing blitzer, Shavers can explode through his hips to throw a blocker off balance and certainly upset the ball carrier. It’s even more effective with a head full of vapor, which it showed an improvement over last fall.
Razors work well with contact in general, from rerouting a slit receiver to clearing blocks when its power isn’t overwhelming, there’s control and precision it displays in the phone booth. It also translates to comfortable passing coverage, where there is early evidence of his ability to turn his hips, spin and run with a passing threat inside or out of the backfield. Even in the trail position, the speed and overall effort are impressive on tape.
Improvement areas
The freedom Shavers worked with prior to his move to Central High School this spring is something that has confounded the offenses he has faced before. Moving around the front seven allows for calculated risks when cutting blockers, rushing the passer and blitzing – all forces. But in a more traditional scheme, especially if he’s projected as a weakside linebacker or under-defender, Shavers has room to clean up his leverage both before and after the break.
The added strength of working well away from the edge and in closer quarters is also limited when projecting to college play, where the razors will almost certainly work exclusively off the ball. Stronger side samples and scraping technique will complement his game for early downs and against wide looks.
The lack of cover shots could also be looked at in more detail, though Shavers’ athleticism could make area or spy ability a quick study once set up at the collegiate level. The same can be said for his relatively light 205-pound frame, though that won’t be an issue anytime soon in an ACC strength, conditioning and nutrition program starting in January.