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October 6, 2009
Lots of Young Talent in Guthrie
Josh McCuistion
SoonerScoop.com Associate Editor
GUTHRIE, Okla. - Maybe
Kentrell Brothers was a year early.
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| Brothers is among
the state's top defenders, regardless of class. |
In today's recruiting world a player's junior season is usually
the deciding factor on what type of level of interest he'll get
as he moves forward with his recruitment. Brothers, the
6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker was among the state leaders in
sacks and tackles for loss as just a sophomore.
However, as in most things there is nothing wrong with being
early and Brothers hasn't fallen off as a junior.
He showed off his continuing emergence against Ardmore last
Friday night during a 28-6 Guthrie victory. Brothers quickly
made his presence known to a talented Ardmore offense by
collecting a pair of sacks, a forced fumble, and even aided the
Guthrie offense with a touchdown catch in the final minute of
the first half.
Through the game Brothers starred as a receiver and a stand-up
outside linebacker whose chief role was getting up the field and
putting pressure on Ardmore senior quarterback Reed Downing.
Also showing real potential for the Blue Jays were Brothers'
workout partner
Devonte McCully and 2012 offensive tackle
Blake Belcher.
McCully is a long and lean receiver that bears a real physical
resemblance to former Sooner receiver
Eric Huggins. He didn't do much against the Tigers but has a
nice frame and seems to have the type of athleticism that could
lead to some division one attention moving forward.
While Belcher is still a long ways from being a finished product
he shows real promise as Guthrie's left tackle for the next
three years. If he can continue to learn the position and work
on his overall flexion and ability to move his feet he can
become a well-thought of guy in the promising sophomore class in
Oklahoma.
For the Tigers plenty of talent passed the eyeball test, none
more so than junior tight end/defensive end
Cody Nail who showed up at an impressive 6-foot-5,
240-pounds. While Nail didn't do much in Ardmore's passing game
he did prove to be a very effective blocker and defensively had
the look of a strong side defensive end. Potentially he could
slide in and play defensive tackle.
As of right now Nail shows some ability but looks the part as
much as anything else.
Two players who did show real potential through their play were
junior running back
Andra Brown and senior cornerback/wide receiver
Reuben Tiller.
Brown had trouble finding any room to run but when he did showed
nice burst and some open field wiggle. Physically he is
reminiscent of current Oklahoma State Cowboy star
Kendall Hunter. It's unclear if he has that type of physical
running style in his arsenal but there is plenty of natural
talent to work from.
On the other hand Tiller had a chance to show off a lot of his
skills with a few pass deflections and even a few catches that
were among the few bright spots for a sputtering Ardmore
offense.
Prospects:
Blake Belcher: Belcher shows a lot of promise and is
starting to put on the necessary weight to become the offensive
line prospect he has the talent to become. It's hard to
breakdown such a young player but there is clearly natural
ability there.
Kentrell Brothers: Brothers has a great first step but
it's fairly clear in sizing him up that he won't be able to play
defensive end in the college game. He still is able to move well
enough to play outside linebacker and you can see a natural feel
for the game with the way he plays. He is physical at the point
of attack and seems to continually find his way into the
backfield.
Andra Brown: Though it's unclear what type of top end
speed Brown has there is no denying that he has quick feet and
some solid open field moves. Another thing that raises an
interesting question is just what type of runner he is, with
almost zero running room it's hard to figure what Brown will do
when he does get a little breathing room.
Devonte McCully: McCully is as much style as substance
based on what was displayed on Friday night. However it's hard
to deny the raw athletic gifts that he possesses. Definitely a
guy to keep an eye on as he gets more and more experience.
Cody Nail: Read the first sentence of McCully's
breakdown and you'll find a similar theme with Nail. In defense
of the big tight end it's hard to make plays through the air
when a team throws on average of about 10 times a game. Nail is
a solid blocker and has a chance to be someone moving forward.
Reuben Tiller: Tiller is an ultra-athletic player who
has the natural skills of a man corner in the future. He is
still raw and often gets caught out of position of Safety for
the Tigers. However his talent allows him to make up the
difference more often than not. Once he improves himself as a
player Tiller may be a real steal from the 2010 class.
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