Hello: Chase Lasater Comment Count

Ace

This post has been updated.

Michigan kicked off a huge recruiting weekend a little early, securing a commitment from FL LB/FB Chase Lasater on Thursday night. Lasater is listed at 6'2", 238 pounds on his Hudl page, which until last night was the only thing resembling a recruiting profile on him. The four sites have now added his profile, and a couple have even posted scouting reports.

Lasater entered his visit this weekend holding only a Troy offer. Michigan really values his potential as a fullback, however, so they didn't wait long to give him a scholarship offer, and Lasater didn't wait long to accept it:

"Harbaugh saw me and immediately wanted to offer, so I committed," Lasater told Scout. "Well, I was expecting an offer already, just not that day. But I met Harbaugh, we talked for a few minutes, and then I told him I was ready to commit.

"He then told me that I can commit this second, and I was quite surprised, but I shook his hand and the deal was done. (It's a) great feeling. They can expect a hard-nosed, tough player who will make plays and not let them down!"

Lasater is Michigan's ninth commit in the 2017 class and the first at fullback. He should also get a chance to play linebacker; he best projects as a thumping lead blocker.

GURU RATINGS

Scout Rivals ESPN 247 247 Comp
NR ILB 3* FB NR FB NR FB 3*, #25 ILB,

#611 Ovr

I have no idea how the 247 Composite came up with their ranking, but Lasater's only been given a cursory three-star ranking on Rivals, and they've yet to give him a position ranking.

All four sites list him in the same range as his Hudl page: 6'2" and ~235 pounds. ESPN lists him one inch shorter, which wouldn't be a bad thing if he ends up at fullback—he's plenty big and that would give him a little more leverage when blocking.

[Hit THE JUMP for scouting, video, and more.]

SCOUTING

There wasn't anything on Lasater when he committed, but in the wake of his pledge several scouts have taken a look at his film. One who's actually had the opportunity to see him live is Scout's Florida analyst, Corey Bender, who provided this quick evaluation after his committment:

Lasater, who straps on the pads at both inside linebacker and fullback, is a physically-imposing figure that's tenacious and strong at the point of attack at a chiseled 6-foot-2, 238 pounds. He does a good job of driving through his opponent and playing with great physicality, and flashes decent closing speed to the football as well.

When chipping in on the offensive side of the ball, Lasater is relentless and fierce when locking onto his opponent with good hand placement. He gives it his all until the whistle is blown, and is a hard-nosed kid that will certainly transition nicely into the Big Ten.

Tim Sullivan had Rivals Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy go over Lasater's junior film; he had one primary takeaway:

He’s just mean,” Cassidy said. “He finishes blocks, and has some decent speed for a fullback in the plays where he’s lined up there. You can see on defense that he has the long arms and the ability to wrap up.

“He looks like a versatile guy, depending on where Michigan wants to play him. He could be at a number of positions.”

The most detailed evaluation comes from Magnus at TTB. After watching Lasater's film a couple times, I think this is spot-on:

In Lasater’s film, the thing that sticks out most is his willingness to pretend to be Juggernaut. There are numerous clips of him running full-speed down the field on kickoff coverage and plastering would-be blockers on the gridiron. He has good height – not too tall or too short – and a good frame for a college fullback. As a blocker, he is very strong at the point of attack, maintains pretty good leverage, and moves his feet extremely well through contact. He has good speed in a straight line, whether his forty time is 4.57 or 4.75.

There are few clips of Lasater touching the ball, so that may not be an obvious strength of his. He also does not change direction extremely well. From the linebacker position, there are few clips of him reading and diagnosing plays. The little I see on that side of the ball suggests to me that reading-and-reacting is also not a significant strength.

A lot of the defensive clips on Lasater's film come in partway through the play, which doesn't help much when evaluating him. Magnus thinks Lasater is a B1G-starter-quality fullback prospect, but far less likely to crack Michigan's two-deep at linebacker; I agree with him.

OFFERS

Lasater held an offer from Troy prior to receiving his Michigan offer. That's not a surprise for a prospect recruited primarily as a fullback; not many programs these days give fullbacks full rides, but it makes a lot more sense for Harbaugh to do so given his style of offense.

HIGH SCHOOL

Trinity Christian Academy is a powerhouse in one of Florida's smaller classifications, winning the last three 3A state championships and eight consecutive district titles. The program has produced a long list of Power 5 commits, including a couple recent five-stars: 2015 LSU signee Kevin Toliver II and 2017 Ohio State commit Shaun Wade, both cornerbacks.

STATS

According to his MaxPreps page, Lasater recorded 43 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, five sacks, five QB hurries, and two passes defensed as a junior. On offense, he had seven yards on two carries, one of which went for a touchdown; he was obviously used primarily as a blocker.

FAKE 40 TIME

Lasater has a SPARQ-verified, zero-FAKE 40 time of 4.75 seconds, which is more than fast enough for both fullback and inside linebacker. His overall combine numbers are impressive [click to embiggen]:

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

This one isn't too difficult. There will be only two scholarship fullbacks on the roster, Henry Poggi and Khalid Hill, when Lasater gets to campus, and both will be seniors—they also both switched positions to play fullback. While Lasater may not play over them as a true freshman, he'll have the inside track to the starting job in 2018.

Lasater has a similar build and profile as former Stanford standout Owen Marecic, a stellar blocking fullback who also developed into a decent inside linebacker at the end of his career. Even if Lasater doesn't become a two-way player like Marecic, it's tough to understate the importance of having a seasoned veteran at fullback in Harbaugh's offense, and Lasater has the opportunity to be a three- or four-year starter there.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan stands at nine commits in a class that should get into the mid-20s in number by the end of the cycle. The Wolverines are obviously done at fullback. Outside receiver, offensive tackle, safety, and defensive linemen of all shapes and sizes are among the top priorities for the class going forward. Here's how it currently stands:

Comments

TESOE

April 1st, 2016 at 1:45 PM ^

responding to troll on the app... which has been deleted from the site.

Dru is not my pal.   I am Appt to make this mistake when I live by phone... a much more common mode of blog as time goes by.

Gr1mlock

March 31st, 2016 at 8:18 PM ^

Highlight tape looks pretty good from my untrained eye, although this kinda smells like a camp commit "offer" and "commitment" that may not actually be planned part of the class (early commit, no rankings, etc).  That said, if he does end up here, more fullbacks and linebackers are always happily accepted, and seems like kid can go.  Welcome to the squad, Go Blue!

BuckNekked

March 31st, 2016 at 8:54 PM ^

It feels different than an early camp offer to me because of the position he plays. I saw an athletic kid with good size and frame destroying people and as we saw with Kerridge and Houma a kid like that is vital at that position in Harbaughs offense. I think he sticks.

Blue_Blooded92

April 1st, 2016 at 2:48 AM ^

Maybe he's not top notch in coverage, but with Don Brown implementing a blitz heavy defense and bringing back the SAM position more as it was in Jake Ryan's hey day, I totally see Lasater finding himself a role, at least in certain packages.

I bet it's a dog fight between Harbaugh and Brown over whether he plays FB or SAM, though.

Rabbit21

April 1st, 2016 at 9:28 AM ^

This is a world in which Owen Marecic existed, so why not both?

Frankly, after watching his film and digesting the comments of Magnus and Space Coyote, I agree that he doesn't seem to do the read and react thing much and he seems to run himself out of position.  While he might be good in see ball/get ball situations, his play style and love of contact seems to line up perfectly for fullback, so I'd expect him to get most of his run there.

ryebreadboy

March 31st, 2016 at 10:30 PM ^

Not really. It's extant news, and journalists have never been shy about bringing that stuff up when it suits the narrative. If he's a great player you'll hear all about how he "overcame adversity".

Don't totally agree with the share since we don't know for sure it's the same guy, but the story is already out there. It's not like Harbo is sharing random locker room gossip or unsubstantiated speculation.

You guys are overreacting.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Mgodiscgolfer

April 1st, 2016 at 6:12 AM ^

this is not the time or place for that. Having said that I am not sure he won't run scared from contact. After watching his highlight films I see that clearly this guy is afraid to block or tackle we need more players who are not afraid to stick their head in there and hit someone. He just lays down at the first sign of contact. Wow that was impressive. : )

RobM_24

March 31st, 2016 at 9:41 PM ^

If this is him (which it almost has to be) then there's no issue with posting this. ESPN will probably do a Gameday feature on it if he ends up being a contributor. There are newspaper and news outlet links all over Google. It's part of his life story one way or another. Obviously he's rising above the adversity/tragedy he's faced.

jmdblue

April 1st, 2016 at 1:57 PM ^

While most of us around here can think for ourselves without getting in too much trouble, I think some moderating activity from Dear Leader His Own Self may be warranted here.  

This is truly a time for our fanbase and our media to shine (or not).

GoBlueUSMC

March 31st, 2016 at 8:44 PM ^

Kid looks good but he needs to knock off the taunting after every big hit he makes.  He intentionally steps over the other players head with both feet while looking down.