OSU 2012 Class: David Perkins
By Adam
And another one bites the dust…for Notre Dame that is. In keeping with the theme of these last few recruits, #22 to the commitment list, David Perkins, had formerly said that he would be attending Notre Dame in the fall, but had a scarlet and gray colored change of heart. For Perkins, a native of South Bend, the Fighting Irish would certainly be the no-brainer for college decisions, but the lure of Urban Meyer’s staff and his fellow 2012 Buckeye class must have been more than he could ignore.
David Perkins, as you’ll read from his ESPN Scouting Report, is simply an athlete. He can and has played nearly every position on the field, and should be able to make an impact very early on at Ohio State. After all, there’s no sense in hiding a 6’2″, 210 lb player that also happens to run a 4.43 40 yard dash on your bench for very long. So who is this hard-hitting player from South Bend?
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 210 lbs
Hometown/School: South Bend, IN/Washington High School
Position: Athlete / Outside Linebacker
ESPN Scouting Report 06/07/2011:
Perkins is not only a good athlete, he is a good overall football player that is fast, rugged, aggressive and extremely versatile. The biggest question with Perkins is where do you play him? He has lined up at just about every offensive position and if he were to remain on offense it would be as a tailback. However, we feel he is a best fit on defense as a OLB/DE ‘tweener. He looks great on the hoof; an intimidating presence with size, strength and well defined bulk. Offensively he is a big, slashing power back with nimble feet. He shows good change of direction skills and plays with good vision. He makes quick decisions and often falls forward for positive yardage. He gets his knees high in traffic and has great leg drive. He has the ability to side step defenders to make them miss combined with the power to run through tackles. Breaks tackles consistently and can be a punishing runner with attitude. He hits the hole fast and has the ability to slide his feet and work to the perimeter. He has very good speed, especially given his size, but he does have a high pad level and can be somewhat straight-lined.
We are not convinced Perkins is a “space” player on defense, but when playing close to the line of scrimmage he can wreak havoc and is in his comfort zone. He is a very physical linebacker with a nose for the ball. He has good feet and the quickness to come across and chase plays down from behind. He has great toughness at the point of attack. He does a nice job of diagnosing the play, stepping up and making the tackle. He moves well in traffic and can make plays from sideline to sideline. He has the lateral movement to slip blockers. He shows very nice closing speed, acceleration and anticipation. He pursues hard and is a natural blitzer and edge pass rusher. Shows first step explosiveness and gets upfield in a hurry. Closes and can be violent to opposing QBs, however, Perkins is used as an upfield guy almost exclusively. Playing space, using his hands to ward off blockers, dropping into coverage and playing in the open field sideline-to-sideline is difficult to evaluate. We would not want him matched-up in space against slots and quicker RBs. Perkins biggest value is that he is just a good football player. He must learn technique and little nuances if he stays on defense, but athletically he is very attractive.
Notes: Decommitted from Notre Dame October 2011… Committed to Notre Dame June 2011… Played his first two years at Kalamazoo Central High School (Kalamazoo, Mich.)…
As you can tell from his report above, the possibilities are endless for David Perkins as a Buckeye. However, if pushed to find him a home, I would think that he will see significant time on special teams as a freshman, and could possibly earn himself a starting role in the nickelback position. Tyler Moeller definitely had his ups and downs in that spot over the last 20 years, or however long he was here, but Perkins would bring an entirely new kind of athlete to this role.
After his “rookie” season wearing the scarlet and gray, I’d expect Perkins to move into a more permanent role with the linebacking core, along with his classmate, Josh Perry. With the recent commitments from several of the nation’s top defensive linemen, and the addition of two extremely athletic outside linebackers in Perry and Perkins, the future of OSU’s defense could be scary. Who knows… I wouldn’t be surprised to see Perkins on the other side of the ball taking a few handoffs or returning kicks either. With the athletes that Urban Meyer is bringing in, this 2012 class should be special.
Welcome to Ohio State, Mr. Perkins.
(By the way, if you have any doubts about his athleticism, watch the 1:24 mark of this highlight video. Perkins is punting the football, gets it blocked, picks it up, and runs 98 yards for a TD. As a HS punter, myself, I can assure you that I never did ANYTHING remotely close to that.)