Rohan Blackwood

Over each recruiting cycle, there are always prospects who are sort of on the periphery of the scene. Recruiting services know about them, rank them, but always end up undervaluing them for whatever reason. Lack of an impressive offer list, failure to hit the camp/combine circuit, or just a regular case of being overlooked by the people whose job it is to rate football prospects. I really enjoy trying to find and identify those guys each year and watch them succeed as time goes on.

A prospect who has caught my eye this year is Brooksville Nature Coast athlete Rohan Blackwood. This guy is a real marvel to watch on tape, and his upside appears to be through the roof.



It should be added that these YouTube highlights are from his sophomore year. For updated clips, check here.

Sure, I'm a bit biased. I've made no attempt to hide my preference for trying to recruit as many prospects in the 6-foot-5, 220-pound range as possible. Blackwood, after skipping the summer AAU basketball circuit to focus on football in recent months, has put on 15 pounds since last season and moved into that size range heading into his senior season.

It should be noted that Blackwood hasn't been entirely overlooked. He is a three-star prospect on all of the services. But Scout is the only guy who has really jumped on board the bandwagon so far, rating Blackwood as the No. 60 player in the state of Florida. I'm confident he's better than that.

There's still weight to be gained and technique to be learned, but you can't teach the natural gifts Blackwood has. He recorded over 60 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior. He also recorded eight receptions for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2012 on offense. And let's not forget the fact Blackwood averaged 15 and 11 on a 25-4 hardwood squad at Nature Coast last winter. I'm always a big fan of football prospects who excel at basketball as well. Again, the versatility comes into play. He could be a tight end, he could be a primary pass-rusher. The key is getting him on campus and to let things fall into place from there.

Colleges have taken note. Minnesota, Nebraska, South Florida, West Virginia and Wisconsin comprise his current top five. I can't help but think this guy should be getting love from the cream of the crop in the BCS, however. The fact that none of the "Big Three" have offered him boggles my mind. I'm convinced Rohan Blackwood will be a really nice pick-up for somebody. With added weight, more offensive responsibilities and big expectations, he could be one of the guys to see his recruitment really explode over the course of the fall.