Hokie Prospect Review: Trey Edmunds/Woody Baron

Top of the weekend to you fellow Hokie fans. We are knee deep into recruiting season, and as always, it is time to get excited about the new faces of the Hokie program. Today, I have watched some video on two commitments for the Hokies next season, Trey Edmunds and Woody Baron.

Trey Edmunds

Edmunds is a 6'2 210 linebacker/running back from Dan River High School in Ringgold, Virginia. With a deep running back class already committed, the Hokies are projecting Edmunds to play linebacker, by most accounts at the backer position. Edmunds was a Parade All-American whose production from both sides of the ball was outstanding (similar to Darren Evans, who was a 3 star recruit but was also a Parade All American. Edmunds is ranked as a 4 star by Rivals.

Film Review

Positives

You won't find many highlight reel tapes of high school athletes that are more impressive than Trey Edmunds. Defensively, he is a textbook perfect tackler. He lowers his hips, gets pad level below the shoulder pads of the ball carrier, wraps his arms and explodes up through the ball carrier. He is decisive, aggressive, and plays with absolutely no fear. When he hits, the ball carrier does not have forward momentum. He also doesn't lead with his head, which allows him to wrap his arms and recover if ball faked. He has excellent speed and athleticism, which is apparent when he carries the ball as a running back. He also has a knack for reading the QB's eyes and jumping routes. His linebacker fundamentals are outstanding.

Negatives

The biggest negative is the unknown. Edmunds played in the highly competitive Dogwood District, but it is still Single A football where teams don't have the depth of athletes that more traditional recruiting hotspots have in the Commonwealth. Can Edmunds success translate to the DI level? (I think so, but until he is on campus we don't know.) Also, Edmunds played a very different style of defense. He was positioned  well off the line of scrimmage, where he could read the play, avoid blockers, and scrape to the ball. The Hokie system has the linebackers play much closer to the line of scrimmage, where they focus more on gap control than scraping to the football. In addition, it is difficult to tell how well Edmunds takes on blocks, because none of the offensive linemen can get to him to deliver a block.

Analysis

I am perhaps more excited about the potential of Edmunds as a prospect than any player in this class. He is a smart, instinctive football player who has athleticism to match. While most insiders feel that the Hokies have Edmunds pegged for the backer position, I think he would be a perfect fit at the whip. His ability to read the play and fill would be much better utilized on the weakside, where he could play slightly deeper. Based on film, he would be a better tackler than any whip the Hokies put on the field next year (JWG, Tweedy, or Dew) and plays with much better pad level than all three guys. I don't know how well he can cover man to man, but in zone blitzes, he has the instincts and the ball hawking ability to drop into zones and make plays on the ball while other guys blitz. If it wasn't for the depth of guys who have already used redshirts at all three linebacking positions, I would say that Edmunds would be the most likely freshman to get into the two deep on the defense next year, especially in the front 7.

Woody Baron

Baron is a beefy defensive end (6'3 260 pounds) who played at a private school (Brentwood Academy) in Tennessee. He is listed as a high 3 star by Rivals, ranked #19 in Tennessee. He won Mr. Football in Tennessee in 2010.

Film Review

Strengths

For his size, Baron has a terrific motor from the defensive end position. Most of his highlights feature Baron either tracking down the play from the backside, or rushing the passer. On many plays, it almost appears that he has scared the offensive tackle so much that the tackle doesn't want to block him. He has a real intimidation factor, and he has a real knack for getting one step upfield quickly, then getting flat down the line to make the play. He is very productive and finds the football. He reminds me of Corey Marshall, perhaps not quite as athletic, but much more polished at the same point in their careers. He is fundamentally sound, and aggressive as a tackler.

Weakness

We know that Bud Foster prefers smaller defensive ends, so I would be stunned if Baron (who can carry some more weight) isn't moved to defensive tackle. Baron also hesitates briefly when double teamed, but has excellent recovery. He also plays with higher pad level (which is the same challenge that Marshall had playing defensive tackle. As an end, Baron really relies of "jumping around" the tackle to the outside using a quick swim move. On running downs at defensive tackle in ACC football, that boat don't float. He will be driven off the ball. He is more of a traditional 4-3 end, and he may have some difficulty transitioning to a system where he does a great deal of slanting.

Speed-wise, I have a difficult time anaylzing Baron. Even in his highlights, he looks a little slow for a defensive end, yet, he is all over the quarterback (17 sacks as a junior) and catches plays from the backside.

Analysis

Baron isn't a great athlete playing football. He is a great football player, in a similar ilk to a Derrick Hopkins. I have some questions about his athleticism, and I think he may have some difficulty moving to tackle in the Hokies system (unless Bud Foster gives me a heart attack and leaves him at end.) The Hokies are deep on the front line, so anticipate a redshirt, with Baron making a bid for playing time at tackle as a redshirt freshman.

DISCLAIMER: Blog posts may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.

Comments

very nice

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eric

"My advice to you... is to start drinking heavily."-John Blutarsky

Edmunds=Tweedy

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Exit Light, Enter Night.
Twitter: @NL_CodyElliott

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN

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Five star get after it 100 percent Juice Key-Playing. MAN