Cincinnati Bearcats Reel in Three Commitments from Hargrave Military Academy

As Tommy Tuberville began assembling his staff rumors began surfacing that he was hiring coaches with some of the best recruiting backgrounds in college football. He wanted to emphasize bringing in talented players at UC and aimed to hire the best coaches to accomplish that goal. Well it looks like his investment is starting to pay dividends as the Bearcats were able to secure commitments from three players from Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia, Mike Tyson, Dion Dawkins, and Dominique Green.

If you’re not familiar with this prep school, Hargrave boasts one of the premier football programs in the country sending numerous top-tier players to major colleges all over the United States and sometimes the NFL. Some notable alumni include Quinton Coples who was taken 16th overall in last year’s NFL drafted by the New York Jets and former Bearcat Vidal Hazelton who coming out of high school was regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the country. Clearly based on Hargrave’s track record of creating stars, it’s in Cincinnati’s best interest to create a pipeline here.

The evaluations of UC’s newest commitments after the jump:

Mike Tyson

Tuberville is doing his best to integrate himself into UC’s culture and traditions and nothing says “Cincinnati football” like a kid with an extremely noticable name. Mike Tyson will join the likes of Munchie Legaux, Silverberry Mouhon, and Leviticus Payne in bolstering the Bearcats’ All-Name team. But he’s more than just a recognizable name. Tyson is an intriguing defensive player who boasts offers from Penn State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Virginia among others.

Overview

At Lake Taylor Tyson played on both sides of the football but almost exclusively on defense in his first and only season at Hargrave. He’s a ball hawking safety who uses his long arms to get a finger on the football and disrupt passes. He seems to have good vision also following the quarterback’s eyes and making an educated read on who the pass is intended for. Then he has the speed to break on the that receiver to break up the pass or pick up an interception. However his tackling is suspects as he seems to somewhat shy away from the big hit. However his tall, lanky body makes him an interesting prospect and he should be able to add on valuable weight at the college level. This will allow him to become an even bigger force in the run game.

Dion Dawkins

Overview

Dawkins is a very, very large human being tapping out around 300 lbs. The man just takes up space along the offensive line. He’s one of those hogmollies up front that runningbacks love to charge behind and defensive lineman just hate to play against. Hargrave had a solid 2012 campaign and it was bolstered by the offensive line that paved the way for the Tigers accumulating over 150 yards per game on the ground. Given the Bearcats might be switching to a more run-oriented offense under Tuberville, Dawkins should fit in nicely.

Dominique Green

Overview

Green has solid measurables and has done well at Hargrave playing cornerback for the Tigers. Unfortunately I haven’t found much in the way of a highlight tape on him but given that he starts at a very mentally and physically stressful position on a top tier prep squad, that says a lot.

Outlook For All Three

Given the amount of young talent up and down the Bearcats’ roster I don’t expect any of these three to play their freshman year unless they come out and “Wow” the coaches from Day 1. If anyone is going to crack the two-deep it would probably be Tyson considering he can play safety and the Bearcats replace Drew Frey this year. I could also see him getting some playing time on special teams. But Dawkins and Green and basically sure-fire redshirts. The former is an offensive lineman and I always opt to redshirt them their first season to acclimate them to the college game. This is one of the most difficult positions to adjust to when moving up a level and Dawkins, like most OL, will need time to learn the new system. As for Green he plays a position that the Bearcats are absolutely loaded at in 2013. Deven Drane will be back and Trenier Orr will step in for a graduating Camerron Cheatham. Plus there are talented corners already on the roster filling out the two-deep including Leviticus Payne. I just don’t see Green jumping over them as a true freshman.