OSU 2012 Class: Tyvis Powell

Powell has safety size with cornerback movements and demeanor.  Will most likely get recruited to play free safety at the college level and shows flashes on film of well-rounded skill-set.  Tall, long and rangy; lacks great explosiveness and speed but covers a lot of ground with his long stride and length.  Would like to see improved diagnosing skills as he does not appear to be a reactive athlete and can be second late on his first step.  Displays above average range getting over the top of vertical routes and breaking underneath to defend the short-to-intermediate pass.  Times his breaks adequately well.  Shows good high-point skills and the ability to match up with taller receivers.  Does show some hip tightness when trying to mirror receivers and is not real direct out of his breaks with great burst.  We question if he can come down over quicker slots at the next level and play man or off coverages; high-cut frame hinders sharp change-of-direction skill.  Does not consistently work out of pedal and looks a bit high and rigid when he does.

Freelances a bit in coverage and lacks polished footwork and transitional skills.  Shows some ability in press coverage with his long arms, corner is a potential position if he does not develop the physicality for safety.  He does have the size, range and athleticism to develop into an effective deep zone safety.  On run support, he shows the ability to get downhill quickly and into the first level from a high-point position but he does not always come up and support with a lot of urgency.  Angles could be sharper but he does find the ball quickly and will come in low for the open field tackle.  However, he struggles to wrap up consistently and run through ball carriers.  Strength and power from his hips are minimal and we question of he will be able get off blocks, hold base down in the box on run support at the next level and provide the necessary physicality at the point of attack to project high at safety.  That said, Powell has a lot of tools and athleticism to develop and should become more physical with added size. We like his range and upside.

Notes:  Committed June 2011…

As you can see from his ESPN scouting report, Powell is a defensive project with a tremendous amount of athletic talent.  On top of that, he is blessed with good height and size, and will be able to add on some pounds and muscle to his frame once he gets to campus.  You may read the above scouting report and see a work in progress, and that may be true, but this young man has a ton of potential as you can see from his highlight clips below.  Don’t forget that OSU greats like James Laurinaitis and AJ Hawk came into camp as freshman that were overshadowed by other recruits…until they stepped onto the field.

I’ll take a kid with great size and speed, not to mention a desire to work hard, improve, and learn the fundamentals of his position over someone that may have peaked in high school.  Once Urban Meyer brings in his all-star coaching staff, recruits will be able to come to OSU and grow exponentially from where they were in high school. 

Judging by just a couple of his Tweets today, I’d say that this young man fits that mold.  For example, he tweeted congratulatory words to Blake Thomas, Roger Lewis, and Jacoby Boren, who played in the state championship game for Division 1, but finished it up by saying, “Now let’s focus on a BCS ‘ship.”  That’s the kind of attitude I like to see.

After seeing that, I sent him a quick note asking if there was anything that he wanted Buckeye Nation to know, and this was his response, “Tell Buckeye Nation that I love them and will do everything in my power to give them a show!”  To Buckeye fans everywhere, Powell says, ”People may be faster than me, stronger than me, and have better high school seasons than me, BUT THEY WILL NEVER OUTWORK ME!!” 

Welcome to Ohio State, Mr. Powell.