Virginia Tech Football 2015 Recruiting Class First Look: Yosuah Nijman

Perhaps no recruit in the 2015 class has sparked as much discussion clouded in mystery as defensive lineman Yosuah Nijman. Nijman played defensive end at Fork Union Military Academy, and he rocketed up recruiting rankings late (finished with a four-star rating by Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports). Nijman enrolled at Virginia Tech with amazing measurables. According to Beamerball.com, Nijman checked in at 6'7", 277 pounds. He is built like an NBA power forward and has defensive line coach Charley Wiles salivating.

"I watched him work out at the Fork Union combine, and to be honest, I really didn't want him to work out for all those other college coaches there because I knew they would love him," Wiles said in In an interview with Beamerball.com.

Wiles continued, "He moves around great, he's long, he's not stiff, he can really run, and he's every bit of 6'6" 275 pounds."

Wiles indicated that, despite being much larger than any Hokie defensive end in recent memory, Nijman will start spring practice at defensive end. If he can be productive in spring football, he will have a chance to play right away. There is little depth and a significant drop off behind starters Dadi Nicolas and Ken Ekanem.

I didn't have to watch film long to see how Nijman could impact a game on the defensive line. He is a big, intimidating presence with great reach. He is also athletic, and that mixed with his size and length enable him to make plays just by being in the right area. His highlight tape is full of quarterbacks who often get rid of the ball way too early because they can feel Nijman breathing down their neck. Here, Nijman employs a nice inside rip move to force a quick throw by a Hampden Sydney quarterback.

Can Nijman play right away, and can he play at defensive end? Despite his impressive athleticism, count me as one of the wait-and-see crowd. Nijman certainly has a menacing frame. His reach and size make him formidable as a space eater against the run, and he shows some signs that he could be a bull rushing force on the edge. When you see Nijman in uniform, you automatically think, "That guy's going to be a stud."
That being said, of the players in this class, I expect Nijman will be one of the kids that will need some time to develop. His technique is very raw, and while his measurables are impressive, his film doesn't present him as being as productive as his Fork Union teammate Xavier Burke (who also played defensive end). Nijman has good change of direction, but when he runs he takes long strides so it takes a bit of time before he gets up to full speed. He is slow out of his stance, and usually has to gather himself before initiating a leverage move or pursuing a ball carrier.

Nijman isn't super quick off the snap count, especially when you compare him with similarly sized defensive end recruits like Wyatt Teller and Vince Mihota. Both Mihota and Teller were immediately moved to defensive tackle. Nijman would likely beat both in a 40 yard dash, but on their high school film both Teller and Mihota are quicker and play with more bend around the line of scrimmage. On some plays Nijman is well behind the rest of the defensive line getting off line, as you can see on this pass play.

Nijman is a step behind the rest of the defensive line in his rush, but you can see where his size and power still creates a play. Nijman drives the offensive tackle into the quarterback, and then gets his hands up to disrupt the throw. Slide Nijman inside where the distance to the quarterback is shorter and then get him sharper off the ball and those hands up, and it could be devastating.

From the edge, closing speed is crucial. Nijman is a long strider and takes a little while to get going. He isn't explosive with his first or second step. Here, Nijman is matched up with an offensive tackle who doesn't look particularly quick.

Nijman kind of works a bit of a rip technique, but for the most part he is trying to run through the offensive tackle. Pressure by an unblocked defensive tackle and another future Hokie (No. 84, Xavier Burke) forces the quarterback out of the pocket. Once Nijman gets going, he shows off impressive third-step closing speed. He runs down the quarterback without losing his contain angle. His speed once he gets going is impressive, but he has to be more explosive at the line of scrimmage to be an answer at defensive end.

If the twitch issue around the line of scrimmage is addressed, Nijman will also have to improve on using his hands to get off blocks. With the exception of the first highlight, Nijman either ran over blockers or was unblocked when he generated pressure on film. His leverage moves are rudimentary at best. He doesn't get his hands out to engage defenders against the run. Nijman would give himself a huge advantage by getting his hands extended into blockers and keeping them off his body with his huge reach.

Ultimately, I think Nijman ends up at defensive tackle, where he can be a big space eater like Chad Beasley. Some may see that as problematic given that the Hokies have significantly more depth at tackle than at end. I don't. Nijman is already huge and he is going to add muscle and likely will be a 300 pounder before the end of the spring without it being bad weight. His size and speed gives Bud Foster all kinds of options for A-gap twists and stunts that would give Nijman a couple of strides to get moving. His wingspan could also take away throwing lanes inside, making quick slants against man coverage a much tougher throw for opposing quarterbacks.