Ronnie Vinson Evaluation--(posted by lighter345)

Evaluation by: lighter345

Ronald McVey Vinson Jr.



Athlete (likely CB/S)
New Orleans (LA)
High school: Isidore Newman School

Ht: 5-foot-11 (Event)
Wt: 186 lbs (Event)
Forty: 4.53 secs
Bench Max: 295
Squat Max: 435
Vertical: ~ 34 inches.
Class: 2010

Offers: Committed to LSU. Also holds offers from:
Alabama, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, USC, UCLA, Kentucky, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M, Tulane, Michigan, Vanderbilt,South Carolina..alot more .

Rivals: #124 Overall. #14 ATH. (5.8, 4 star)
Rivals Profile
Scout: #211 Overall. #21 S (4 star)
Scout Profile
ESPN 150 Watch
ESPN Profile

2008 Stats (per ESPN):
Rushed for over 800 yards and 13 touchdowns. Caught 40 passes for 450 yards (11.3 average) and two more scores. Registered 75 tackles. Class 2A All-State and all-metro selection
Highlights:


Personal Evaluation:
Vinson is a strong athlete with a frame to add weight and size, giving him tremendous upside. At 5’11” he stands tall enough to play any of the defensive back positions or at running back.
His best attributes are his hips. His hips are very loose and give him incredible range and lateral movement, and are some of the best in the class of 2010. This is why he is one of LSU’s top CB prospects and also a top running back recruit. Although he does not have top end speed, his flexible hips allow him to match up one-on-one with any receiver in the country.
Vinson has a very strong upper body and even looks top heavy, but this allows him to bump receivers and control them at the line of scrimmage. His legs are strong and powerful, which allows him to deliver massive initial blows. However, his legs are not very thick, and therefore he will struggle to bring down large backs at the next level. Offensively, this prevents him from being a strong between the tackles runner. That being said, he should be able to fill out his legs as the years progress. Also, his strong upper body allows him to play bigger than he actually is.
Vinson’s hands are reliable and soft. His upper body strength is a big advantage when contesting for a ball in the air.
Vinson has great football speed and a mind for the game. He has great vision on both sides of the ball. As a result, he plays much faster than his times suggest.
He is a high caliber, high character player with a relentless mentality and a tremendous work ethic. Look for him to grow into a stand out player and a team leader.
**Side note: Vinson can throw a football 60 yards**

ESPN Evaluation:
Vinson is a very scrappy skilled athlete. He has good but not blazing speed along with good size. Solid at run support as a safety and has the courage to face up the ball carrier. Needs to put on some lower body bulk and strength in order to get better knock back on the ball carrier. Sometimes legs stop after initial contact; needs to keep driving when making the tackle. Displays excellent ball skills both sides of the ball. Possesses soft hands and is confident in his ability to make a play on the ball. Has solid coverage and run support skills and demonstrates football intelligence along with reacting quickly to ball on the line or off the line. Very sound in zone pass coverage in both the three deep and two deep. Demonstrates the ability to play man-to-man by being able to turn hips while keeping inside position on the receiver. Displays good timing in looking back for the football when playing man coverage; eyes go up at the last instant to make the play. A very impressive running back that is very shifty and can cut while still accelerating. Reads blocks instinctively and can make defenders miss in the openfield. A tough and physical runner that can run through arm tackles while heading north and south. Has a real nose for the endzone as a running back and receiver. Possesses soft and reliable hands when catching the ball downfield or out of the backfield. Vinson is a very versatile athlete that is tough and skillful along with quickness and adequate speed. He could be slotted into several different positions at the next level.



Overview of Recruitment:
Vinson’s first major offer came before his junior season at the Ole Miss camp. Other offers started to pile in, including Texas A&M, which became his number one. After the end of his season, he was very worried that no major programs would offer him. But, shortly after expressing that concern, LSU offered him. Other major programs, including USC, Michigan, Alabama, and UCLA, followed suit. Vinson almost became overwhelmed by the attention he suddenly received and changed his number one school weekly. Finally, in late April he decided on USC. However, after speaking with family Ronnie decided he could contribute sooner at LSU. He also felt that the academic resources at LSU were superior to those of USC. After speaking with his coach, he drove to Baton Rouge to deliver the good news. He has not thought about another school since.

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lighter345 comment:

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Also, yes he was committed to USC unofficially. He talked it over with his family and friends though and decided that he would not be able to break through their depth chart(this took a while to convince) and get as much PT as he would at LSU. He initially was just infatuated with going to a big name school other than LSU, as bad as it sounds going to LSU and being from Louisiana can sometimes not be as appealing as "getting away", as well but was eventually talked out of it.

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Personal Ranking and Outlook:
88/100
Because of Vinson’s athleticism, I expect him to contribute on special teams as a freshman. LSU has very strong starting CB’s, but it is unlikely that both, if any, will stay past Ronnie's freshman year; they will likely head off to the NFL. Without any blue chip back ups, Vinson has a chance to step in as a starter in his sophomore year.
Vinson’s knowledge for the game should allow him to pick up the defense quickly. This could allow him to get some playing time at CB his freshman year as the staff might be looking to prep him for the starting role during his sophomore campaign.
As he matures, his work ethic and good character should make him a team leader. Also, I expect him to stay all four years (per his mother’s wishes). By his senior year, he should be fully developed and will be a weapon as he will have strength, athleticism, and football smarts. Overall, from personal knowledge from playing with Ronnie for two years this a fun loving hard working kid that seems to slowly becoming more and more in love with the LSU atmosphere and only wants to improve his game. We both got hurt for a few games one season and to see how emotionally hurt he was not to be on the field told me how much love he has for the game. I expect him to be a solid contributor for every year he attends LSU in some fashion. He is one of the nicest kids you could meet he is no way a thug and will be a strong addition to both the football team and the academia of LSU.



Also credit to my friend Austin for help on this.