Originally posted by Stallion:
Man I'm a little surprised at that-I know he's supposed to be one of the most outstanding blockers in the nation but I follow Irving every week and if he has 5 catches I'd be surprised. I wonder why they don't use him at all in their offense? But on the other hand behind Hall and Chase they have surely been a big part in paving the way for the leading rusher in the Metroplex and he's only a sophmore....
Chase doesn't have many catches, but it's not because he drops passes or doesn't run good routes. In the Irving offense, he acts almost as a sixth offensive lineman. He's as good a blocking TE as I've ever seen in high school.
You've all read stories about those senior "bowl" games (Blue/Gray game, Senior Bowl, etc.) At those games, the practices are swarming with NFL scouts, but by the time the game rolls around, the scouts are nowhere to be seen. They see what they want to see in a controlled environment. It's the same sort of thing when you're recruiting a high school player who's skills extend beyond the scheme run by his high school offense or defense. Vincent Chase is a perfect example. You want a TE who can run and catch and block, but in the Irving HS offense, they just don't throw to him. In cases like this, college scouts get to the games early, see he can move for a big guy and that he catches very well (he's very good about using his hands to make the catch and pull the ball in, rather than letting it hit him in the chance, thereby risking the chance that it might bounce off the chest plate of his shoulder pads.) They watch part of the game to see if the reports on the player are true (in this case, that the blocking ability is there), and then they split - sometimes they'll be gone by halftime.
Believe me, he's every bit as powerful a blocker as the write-ups suggest, and there's a good chance he's still growing. I've heard he might get to 6'6" or 6'7". (I don't know him or his family, so I can't guess.)
Again, there are no sure things in recruiting. But this young man is as impressive as any TE prospect I've ever seen in Texas, and one of the most impressive I've ever seen anywhere. All indications are that he could be very, very good.