First Coast High School Teammates Spencer Williams, Raashed Kennion Commit To UC

(Courtesy GoBearcats.com)

I’m a tad late with this analysis but better late than never, right? On Friday Bearcat Journal reported that Cincinnati gained commitments from a pair of defensive ends out of Jacksonville, Florida; Spencer Williams and Raashed Kennion. Both were reeled in by Robert Prunty as he staved off the likes of Iowa State and Middle Tennessee State for both. Arkansas was also sniffing around pretty hard at Williams. The pair brings Cincinnati’s class of 2014 to seven members, four of which were DL recruits. As I mentioned on Friday, Tuberville and co. are effectively done with that position group. They may add one more player each at defensive tackle and defensive end but the coaches’ jobs here are basically complete for this cycle.

Spencer Williams

Overview

Williams displays the strength to handle offensive tackles at the high school level. They seem to be surprised by his bull rush, which forces the pocket to collapse, and quarterbacks to scramble. Then his speed finishes them off. Williams’ secondary moves at the point of contact could use some improvement as larger blockers at the next level will be able to contain him if he tries using pure strength. However given his athleticism I don’t think that will be an issue. And he is quite the athletic player. He has solid speed and good instincts, seemingly having an ear in the offensive huddle on some plays. This nice blend of mental and physical abilities will serve him well at Cincinnati.

Outlook

I’d be curious to see if the now defensive end remains at this position when he comes to Cincinnati. Williams could very well play linebacker for the Bearcats given the way he moves in open space and has a good understanding of pass coverage. Regardless of where the coaches try him out, he will likely take a redshirt in 2014. UC will be pretty well stocked at both linebacker and defensive end that season so they can afford to give Williams an extra year to adjust to the college game.

Raashed Kennion

Overview

Quite honestly, I haven’t been able to find any highlights of him and can only assume that he’s #44 in the film above showcasing his teammate Williams. What I do know is that he’s a dual-sport athlete which indicates that, like Williams, he’s just oozing with potential. Given a few years to fill out that 6’7″ frame and Kennion could become quite the edge rusher for the Bearcats.

Outlook

Definitely a redshirt his first year in Clifton. At only 220 lbs, Kennion is a rail that needs to add bulk to truly thrive against collegiate offensive linemen. However, like I mentioned, if he fills out that frame to 250 or 260 lbs he could be a force for UC. Thinking outside of the box, I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Kennion eventually moved to offensive tackle at some point. He has the height and could grow into the positive over time. Heck it worked for Eric Lefeld.