The Cincinnati Bearcats have received a commitment from Gainesville, Florida Tight End Reed Armagost, according to 247 Sports. He is UC’s 18th verbal of the 2015 class. Technically speaking Armagost is a tight end but is typically there to add another blocker on the edge. He moved to this type of role his junior year and has flourished since. We can credit this commitment to Cincinnati’s tight end coach Marc Nudelberg who, not surprising in the least, is responsible for both prospects who played tight end at the high school level. Armagost’s only reported offer is from UC even though he visited South Florida in early March. The lack of interest shouldn’t be viewed negatively by Bearcats fans as late bloomers like him take sometime to grow into their body, especially if that body is expected to play offensive tackle.
OVERVIEW
- Position: Tight End, Offensive Tackle
- Hometown: Gainesville, FL
- High School: Gainesville
- Height, Weight: 6’6″, 230 lbs
- Offers: –
- Composite Rating: –
- 247 Sports Rating: –
- ESPN Rating: –
- Rivals Rating: –
- Scout Rating: –
ANALYSIS
As mentioned, Armagost plays the role of offensive tackle and blocking tight end for Gainesville. He’s among the taller players on his team, if not the tallest, and uses those long arms to push defenders away. One aspect that needs improvement is his explosiveness on the snap. Armagost has a habit of standing straight up when the play begins rather than push forward, more laterally on running plays. He also sometimes takes a stutter step before engaging with the defender when he should attack him right away. It’s that half-second of delay that is the difference between Armagost gaining the advantage from leverage standpoint and the defensive end. Otherwise, the rest of his blocking techniques are solid; keeping his hands inside and on the chest, driving with the legs. Armagost does a nice job getting to the second level and providing blocks downfield, helping turn a 5-6 yard play into one of 10-15 or more. The coaches have love that kind of agility.
OUTLOOK
According to Scout’s Dave Berk, Armagost will be converted to an OT in a similar manner as Cory Keebler and Chad West, who played tight end and defensive end in high school respectively but are now manning the offensive front. Without a doubt, he will be redshirted his freshman year to give him as much time as possible to add the necessary 60-70 lbs to his lanky 6’6″ frame. If he gets that extra season off, Armagost should be able to add that weight by the time he’s an upperclassman, which should hopefully align with when the coaches want to throw him on the two deep.