It's been a pretty active June for the sport of college football. The expansion wheel finally stopped turning, Southern Cal had the smackdown laid upon them by the NCAA, and Mike Garrett opened his mouth and proved that he eats a steady diet of paint chips...but before we touch on those things with an inevitable Two Dudes, One Post, it's time FOR A LITTLE GUUUURRUUUUU!
Ben Koyack
Position: TE
Height/Weight: 6'5 230
Forty Time: 4.59
Hometown: Oil City, PA
Stats: 41 Catches 748yds 6tds (In 7 Games)
Offer List: LSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, USC, Virginia Tech
Of Note: Scout rates him as 5-star, #2 TE overall...Rivals rates him as a 4-star and #5 TE overall
Strengths: Explosive off the line of scrimmage...Will be a match-up problem for Linebackers...Adjusts well when the ball is in the air...Catches the ball away from his body...Good use of the stiff arm in runs after the catch...Has the physical ability to earn those YAC...Very agile for a TE...Deadly in the redzone...Has experience running routes from the slot which will come in handy in Kelly's offense...Good all-around athlete (excelled in both basketball and track).
Weaknesses/Areas of Concern:
His level of competition is questionable at best...Will need to add strength and weight to block at the collegiate level....Will need to work on his ability to run option routes....Not much film of him blocking from the TE position.
Overall: Koyack stood out at State College Nike Camp and several other camps in which he attended. Bob Linchtenfels (a Scout.com analyst) has scouted Nate Byham, Kyle Rudolph, and Aaron Hernandez over the years and believes that Koyack has the potential to be as good as any of them. That's very high praise from someone who has seen him in person. This was a great pickup for the Irish.
Comparison:
Koyack seems to fit the mold of current Irish tight end Tyler Eifert. Depsite the fact that Eifert has made little impact up to this point, he's received high praise from the coaching staff seemingly from the moment he stepped on campus. I think Koyack will come in and do the same, only he should make a difference on the field quicker than Eifert has because he's physical a little farther along than Eifert was when he arrived in South Bend. He is a big athletic kid who can step in and immediately be a quarterback-friendly target in the Red Zone.
Where he fits in:
If there is one position that Notre Dame has recruited well over the past 5 years, it's tight end. I think we've taken the throne from Miami and should be considered the new Tight End U. Our current Roster (including incoming freshman Alex Welch) contains a 5-star, a pair of 4-stars, and two more 3-stars for good measure.
Assuming Kyle Rudolph stays for his senior season (please God, answer our prayers), Koyack will have a tough time seeing the field as a true freshman. The most likely scenario is that he'll have to wait his turn behind Eifert (sophomore) as well. Eventually Koyack will see the field as an upperclassman paired with incoming freshman Alex Welch. They should perform a Carlson-Fasano-esque dynamic duo by the 2012 campaign.
***Disclaimer***
The fact that Koyack has made it known that his favorite basketball player is JJ Redick has in no way impacted my evaluation of his film. Redick was the most hated college basketball player for his 4 years at Duke. Why? Because he went to the most polarizing school in college basketball and was a little weiner who publicly admitted he liked to write poetry. I guess Koyack will have the opportunity to follow in his hero's footsteps and play for the most one of the most polarizing teams in his own sport during his four years at Notre Dame.
And for the record, McAlarney was a better shooter than JJ.
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