Probably the first thing one notices about Ryan Stratton is his size. We mean, how does one miss a guy 6-6 and weighing around 330-pounds?
That wouldn’t be the first thing one would discuss about Stratton if one hung around the Bearcats’ weight room. One would probably discuss the guy who pulls (deadlifts) 600-pounds as seen to the photograph to the left of this paragraph.
There is more to the Class of 2021 offensive center prospect than either of those two things. Check out his highlights and see for yourself.
For starters watch how low he can hang his hips all through the delivery of his on-target, on-the-money snap. Do you, the reader, have the faintest idea how much core strength it takes to be 6-6, 330-pounds and able to sink your hips and maintain the same hip-level throughout the shotgun snap process? Well, it takes about as much core strength as it takes to hoist up a bar loaded with 600 pounds to your waist and roll-back your shoulders.
Looking at this prospect’s film we were impressed with his transition from snap to engagement with the defender. He appeared able to seamlessly snap and then punch the oncoming interior technique, completely re-routing him.
He locks-on and drives his feet well either depositing the defender into the ground or driving him well into the second level. Anderson County’s playing Class 4A this upcoming season but Class 5A in 2018 tells us the guys we see him driving either into the turf or into the linebackers aren’t a bunch of Joe-Slappies either.
Defensively, we saw him aligned inside where he just bull-rushed deep into the pocket, completely collapsing it, and kind of throwing the blocker at the QB. Potentially, we really like Stratton in an odd front as a NG at the next level.
If he has a weakness, and we have him rated high on our board of 2021 centers so there isn’t much about him we don’t like, it is he tends to play kind of high when fatigued. There will be lingering questions about his mobility as he appears to lumber some on film. College coaches will also have questions about his motor as he smokes the first level and walks around on film watching the remainder of the action from time to time.
These are all things this prospect needs to be aware of going forward during both his junior and senior seasons. That is why we bring it out in this article. We want to help him maximize his opportunities next level.
Defensively, the bull rush appears to be his only real move. However, that being said, his bull-rush is freaking awesome!
We forecast great things for the Anderson County program going forward. Stratton’s classmate, Darion Dearinger, is 2021’s premier DE in Kentucky and with him smoking off the end, and Stratton collapsing the middle, opponents better hope there is a wimp on the other end of Dearinger, which we hear isn’t the case.
Anderson County should be very hard on whom to run the football in 2019. In the same district with Boyle County and Lexington Catholic, that really needs to be the case.
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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