Cincinnati Bearcats Recruiting: Defensive End Caleb Ashworth Signs With UC

Defensive end Caleb Ashworth has officially signed with the Cincinnati Bearcats for their 2015 recruiting class.

Here’s a snippet from his full recruiting profile.

OVERVIEW

Ashworth isn’t particularly fast or slow off the snap but is a relentless pursuer of the ball carrier. He has above average top end speed for a defensive end and does a nice job using his hands on tackles to make sure his target is wrapped up cleanly. Ashworth does a nice job fighting off blocks, tapping into that well of strength to many times simply push a blocker out of the way. He gets a great first push and is able to establish a foothold in the backfield quickly. But if he’s to face larger, more talented linemen at the collegiate level, he’ll need to develop more “violent” hands in order to break free. If Ashworth can add that ability to his repertoire and add more muscle, he could become a solid college edge rusher.

OUTLOOK

It’s clear that Caleb Ashworth has outgrown high school football and is ready to take on his next challenge at the collegiate level. While he makes his money coming off the edge of the defensive line, he also seems to play fullback, tight end, and dabble at middle linebacker. I could easily see him moving over to offense at Cincinnati as his blocking abilities make him an ideal candidate should Eddie Gran go back to his pro-style schemes. But, if Prunty keeps him on his defense, Ashworth could develop into a quality strongside defensive end for the Bearcats. Either way, I think a redshirt is in order for the powerful edge rusher. That is, unless Ashworth blows the coaches away during his first few practices at Cincinnati which, based on his highlight reel, isn’t improbable.