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The Arizona Wildcats landed a slew of recruits, including pass-catcher Darrell Cloy, after the unveiling of a new football facility. What does the Southern California native bring to Rich Rodriguez's squad?
There might not be a position trendier in football right now than the hybrid tight end/wide receiver: not unbelievably fast, but a big target for quarterbacks to hit, with enough speed to be dangerous and enough size to block. The Wildcats will be thrilled if Cloy can fit the bill.
Cloy, a 6'3, 215-pound player for La Habra (Calif.) in the class of 2013, is ranked at three stars by most services. But there's indecision about which position he fits -- 247's composite ranks him as the No. 26 tight end in the nation, but Rivals considers him a wide receiver. Either way, he's a potential weapon for Rodriguez out of the pass-happy spread offense after Cloy chose the team over Boise State and Colorado.
Derrell Warren (@yssd), West Coast recruiting analyst:
Cloy is a really good tight end recruit. He he carries an athletic frame that could push north of 240 pounds, or even more. Especially considering that he has yet to start his senior year of high school.
On film, Cloy primarily lines up outside as a 'big' wide receiver or flex tight end. He is a committed blocker when lined up as an in-line tight end, but needs to bring a higher level of physicality and technique to this aspect of his game. He needs to do a better job snapping his hips into contact
Cloy is a plus athlete whose explosion off the line allows him to break down the cushion of a defender when facing man coverage. From a pure route running perspective, he's more of a 'speed-cut' guy than someone who creates separation with precise route running. His lateral burst consistently leaves defenders trailing once he gets to the break point of his routes.
In addition to his size and movement skills, he has great hand/eye coordination. He consistently flashes his hands away from his frame upon picking up the ball in his line of sight. He has the body control to adjust to poorly thrown balls and off-targets throws.
I would like to see Cloy show more wiggle at the top of his routes. He shows more vertical and lateral explosion than pure short area quickness. Even though he doesn't necessarily ever project to be a prototypical in-line tight end, he has the capability to be moved around the offensive formation and create matchup difficulties.
