Commitment Spotlight: Jordan Pouncey (By Mike Roach)

Tom Herman took a page out of Charlie Strong’s playbook when he looked to the state of Florida for talent. Herman succeeded when Winter Park (FL) wide receiver Jordan Pouncey announced his commitment to Texas today. The former Notre Dame commit chose Texas over offers from Miami, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Penn State, Florida, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia among many others.

The Longhorns lost out on Lancaster wide receiver Omar Manning, but they appear to have found a similar skill set with Pouncey. His long frame is best suited for the outside, but he shows some unique traits for prospects of his size. Pouncey joins Damion Miller as the only other receiver in the recruiting class, and he’s the fourth out of state prospect Herman landed in his transition class. Pouncey reportedly grew up a fan of the Longhorns, and the Texas staff did a great job on their official visit to win this recruitment.

Film Analysis:

Pouncey has good size at 6’3, 185 lbs. with the room to add more weight to his long frame. Pouncey has good speed, but better short area quickness. He shows some explosive acceleration in his first few steps that allow him to make plays on screens and quick passes. While his top end speed isn’t elite, he moves like a smaller athlete in the first few yards. Pouncey shows strong hands and great body control, and he is dangerous in the air against defenders. He played some running back at the high school level, and that experience provides him with good vision and wiggle in the open field. Pouncey will have some work to do in the route running department, as it looks like he was mainly asked to either catch screens or run go routes in his high school offense. Pouncey’s acceleration and quickness help him separate from defenders off the line, so he can threaten defenses with the deep ball, and his size qualifies him as a red zone weapon.

Final Verdict:

It’s difficult to see why a player with his tape and offer list would be rated as a three star prospect by most recruiting services, but it appears the Longhorns found themselves a playmaker in Pouncey. He will fill the role they were looking for with Omar Manning as the big outside receiver with some deep ball skill. There are some limits to his ceiling, but if Pouncey physically develops into his big frame he could develop into a multi-year all-conference level starter with a chance to play professionally.