De'Niro Laster close to committing

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Gopherprof

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Came up on my ESPN news feed. It's behind a paywall, but basically he says that he has a great time this weekend and will likely commit in the next few days because of the opening at linebacker. He's also still interested in Penn State, and I know a few other Big Ten programs were looking at him, but are worried about his academics. I can say from experience that Cleveland Heights (or pretty much anywhere in East Cleveland) is really, really tough neighborhoods. Here's hoping his academics meet the standard and he can get the hell out.


Here's a link for those unfamiliar:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/duke/football/recruiting/player-De'Niro-Laster-114527

More of a raw athlete at this point. He was being recruited as a receiver, as you can see here:

 

Minnesota's 12th verbal commitment to its 2013 recruiting class could be coming in short order. Three-star athlete De'Niro Laster (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) came away very impressed with Minnesota after a weekend visit.

"I loved it at Minnesota, and everything went great," Laster told Bill Greene of Scout.com. "My dad went with me, and he was very impressed with everything, just like I was.

"I might be committing there this week, but I'm not sure yet.I want to talk it over further with my family and my coach, and there's definitely a chance I could be committing to Minnesota in the next few days."

If Laster does commit to Minnesota this week, he'll do so with the intention of playing linebacker for the Golden Gophers.

"The coaches are recruiting me as a linebacker, and they had four seniors this year," Laster said. "They told me the linebacker position is wide open, and I have a chance to play early."

Laster's final decision will likely come down to Minnesota or Penn State:

- Brent Sobleski



Josh Moyer
Penn State still interested in De'Niro Laster
"He doesn't yet have a Penn State offer, but that's not because of his talent. PSU just wants to make sure he can handle the school academically first. If he can, there's an incredibly high chance he becomes a Nittany Lion."
 

Here is the ESPN scouting report on him:

ESPN Analyst
Updated 11/18/2012
Laster is an intriguing prospect as a jumbo WR/H on offense and an outside linebacker on defense. He has wonderful physical measurables at this stage and is a good looking player on the hoof. Shows some traits on defense, but appears to more comfortable on offense. He does lack great speed and fluidity, but a 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds he is athletic, coordinated, possesses good hands and knows how to use his body in traffic. Snags the ball well in stride helping mask lack of speed after the catch and will dip the shoulder and drag the pile. Route running skills are not a strong area but he has a feel for finding the soft spots in zone coverage and is a big target on the deep ball. Does a good job shielding defenders and extending above his head for the jump ball; could develop into a fine red-zone target at the college level. Tough receiver who will open himself up and absorb the big hit over the middle. Actually has some experience as an in-line guy and is very effective in the passing game out of a three-point stance on underneath option routes. Defensively, Laster shows flashes. Does a good job playing the outside run and maintaining leverage. Can separate and stretch out the run to the sideline or slip the block inside as well with quick hand escapes. Would like to see him play with a bit more knee bend, but he mirrors ball carriers well in space and breaks down soundly with good body control for a taller defender. Effective blitzer with his first-step quickness and bend off the edge. While he displays sound coverage awareness and instincts as a pass defender, he does show a bit of stiffness in the hips and could have difficulty mirroring quicker BCS level skill players on the perimeter. Laster may lack that killer instinct you look for on defense which is why we feel offense is a nicer fit. Good athlete that in time could develop as a player.
 




He has interest in Penn St. and they have not offered - and I have knowledge that Penn St. never will.
 

Laster would be the 2nd high school WR turned college LB in the last 2 recruiting classes along with Lynn. That's an interesting transition to say the least. He looks like a nice athlete and would be a good pick-up. A LB class of Laster, Walton, and Wipson would be very nice on signing day.
 

John Galt said:
Laster would be the 2nd high school WR turned college LB in the last 2 recruiting classes along with Lynn. That's an interesting transition to say the least. He looks like a nice athlete and would be a good pick-up. A LB class of Laster, Walton, and Wipson would be very nice on signing day.
Click to expand...


Lynn was also a HS linebacker.

I think it's going to become more the standard than the exception. Today, LBers need to be fast and they have similar bodysize to WRs (in HS).

You see it with James Onwualu and a lot of different college LBers.
 






Bob_Loblaw said:
Lynn was also a HS linebacker.

I think it's going to become more the standard than the exception. Today, LBers need to be fast and they have similar bodysize to WRs (in HS).

You see it with James Onwualu and a lot of different college LBers.
Click to expand...

Onwualu's going to play linebacker in college?
 

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