Watched about 3/4 the stream for Madu’s game. I don’t want to be too harsh since these recruits are typically the projection type that take time to learn and grow, but I was hoping to see more. I’ll start by saying that I know nothing of the team he plays for or their level of competition. I also don’t know his assignments for each game or how long he’s even been playing FB. I try and keep all of that in mind as I review film. So I’ll do the things that I’d like to see improving first.
He’s a supreme athlete by all accounts. With that in mind I’d like to see him on more offensive and ST snaps. Maybe they have great WRs already but Madu has some speed and length. Have him run a go route or something. With his ability I’d like to see him impact the game more on other sides of the ball like some of our other recruits.
Another semi-issue I had was play recognition and his fits. Disclaimer: I’m not the DC so I don’t know what his responsibilities are. Still it seemed like he’d get blocked too easy by the WR or would wide angles to make a tackle even if he’s 2x faster than the ball carrier. One play even went right past him and another player had to track down the runner from across the field. As a D1 guy I was expecting a bit more down hill play and faster reactions/better angles. Maybe some of that is on the play call idk.
Besides that his athleticism and technique are both enticing. I do worry slightly about run D in the B1G for him but I’m a believer in training that ability/mentality as opposed to it being exclusively innate. He had a couple really nice coverages on stick/out routes which can be hard for even CFB corners to cover.
Overall it’s not that he was bad or a liability but more that I was hoping to see him fully leverage his size and athleticism. He may take a while to develop but the ability is there. If we retain our D staff I think they can do a lot with him. He could also enroll early and contribute to the team in year 1 in a Walley fashion who knows. As with 99% of the time, trust the staff.