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Vitals
- 6'4" 235
- Defensive Line
- Jirah Prep; Matthews, North Carolina
Video
Quick Take
Where on earth did Robert Prunty find this kid? How on earth was Prunty the only one to find him? It wasn't like he was stashed away in some remote corner of the country, Matthews is a Charlotte suburb. At first glance Wright seems really, really raw. Like a guy who spends more of his time guessing what the offense is doing rather than reading his keys. But then you get to the section where Jireh Prep plays an option team, and Wright is collected and disciplined as you have to be against a triple option team. There is one play at about 5:50 of the above clip where he essentially plays all three options. He squeezes to the fullback on what looks at first glance to be a delayed power play to the fullback. But it was actually a lead speed option that kinda sorta of looks like Urban Meyer's shovel option. After squeezing inside for a second Wright widens out to play the quarterback part of the option, as he does so the quarterback takes a step into him before starting his pitch. Wright reads the pitch and uses his long arms to deflect the option pitch to the back forcing a fumble that his team recovers. Staggering.
*There are a couple of times where Wright is to the backside of the play, is unblocked, and catches the running back from behind before the whole even opens.
You can see what Robert Prunty likes with Wright. He is built very similarly to fellow early enroller Antonio Kinard. He is 6'4" and north of 230 pounds, but unlike Kinard Wright's natural position is as a defensive end. He really does tick all the boxes that you want. He has incredibly long arms, he is tall and lanky but he is very flexible*. But most important of all Wright has a suddenness to his movement and very active, very violent hands.
*Another way to say that is that he can run the hoop.
The big question for Wright is where does he fit in? Do the Bearcats keep him as a weak side position similar to what he played in prep school? Or do they try to get him in the weight room and use a red shirt to add another 30 of 40 pounds so he can better play the strong side? Those are interesting questions for a very intriguing prospect.
Welcome to Bearcat Nation Bryan