Houston (TX) Cypress Falls defensive tackle Du’Vonta Lampkin ended his recruitment on Monday after verbally committing to the Texas Longhorns. Momentum following the “Under The Lights†camp in Austin continues to surge forward as Lampkin joins recent commitments Louis Brown and John Burt. Lampkin is the Longhorns fourteenth commitment for 2015 and the first defensive tackle prospect the Horns have netted. After committing to Oklahoma in 2013, Lampkin re-opened his recruitment earlier this year (April). On Monday afternoon, he chose Texas over the rest of his top 5 – OU, LSU, Arizona State and Missouri. Lampkin held at least 6 scholarship offers from Big 12 schools.
Ranked by Rivals.com as a three star prospect, Lampkin represents a big win at a need position for Texas. Just two years ago, the Longhorns failed to secure any defensive tackle prospects and the 2014 recruiting class was saved at the position by last minute pledges from Poona Ford and Chris Nelson.
Lampkin will eventually join Ford and Nelson as tackle prospects trying to make an early impact and replenish depth on the front line. While Lampkin stars mainly at tackle for Cy Falls, he does show some versatility and has the ability to play on the end in an odd front.
Film Analysis:
Lampkin has a large frame (6’4 306 lbs), but isn’t carrying a lot of bad weight. He looks like he has the ability to bulk up a bit, but he might be right around his ideal playing weight. Lampkin plays out of a low stance that allows him to explode through his hips and engage his blocker. Judging from his highlight film, he is well-coached and technically sound, as evidenced by keeping his pads square and using his hands well to dictate the battle with offensive linemen. He doesn’t have a great first step, but shows the athletic ability to play as a one gap penetrator.
Lampkin plays disciplined against the run, staying in his gap and standing his blocker up before shedding him to make a tackle. Not satisfied with just using a bull rush, Lampkin shows a variety of pass rush moves including a swim and rip. He plays with a good motor, and pursues the play until the whistle. Lampkin is a good tackler, but will need to improve a bit on his technique in that area.
Final Verdict:
Usually when you see a prospect with that size, you expect him to rely on that size and strength to make plays while in high school. Lampkin plays a technical game with a variety of skillsets. This shows me he’s been coached well and has responded to it. I think at this point he’s a bit underrated – potentially because he doesn’t have one dominant skill that stands out. That said, his versatility and polish, to go along with his size, should help him become an early contributor once he reaches the 40 Acres.
