Hello: Chase Lasater
This post has been updated.
2017 Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian linebacker/fullback Chase Lasater has committed to #Michigan pic.twitter.com/HP5JwdqYuK
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) March 31, 2016
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:
Just relax man and take a prose-ak
But if it's okay with you I'll go with Harbaugh's opinion
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I've never been so excited at the commitment of an unranked player. Watch his film for about 2 seconds, and you can see why Harbaugh wanted him. For a FB he has plenty of speed and athleticism, and he CLEARLY likes to hit people.
I would not be at all surprised if he was Harbaugh's #1 recruit at FB. Ranked or not, he looks like a high quality player at a position of need who will play right away.
I agree he seems like a tough nose kid who likes contact and plays agressive but as fars as being athletic i disagree. hes a downhill type of player who lacks lateral (hip) movement. Being tough nosed is good but wont win nattys unless thers is skill and athleticism as well. I am not knocking the kid but numbers dont lie recruit big win big.
Lateral agility for a fullback is of utmost importance.
I'm picking up on your sarcasm there........
No sarcasm, just stating facts. maybe im wrong but time will tell.
Magnus' sarcasm, not yours. Thus the reply to Magnus' comment and not yours.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Dude, can you stop saying nattys? Or acting like an athletic fullback recruit is the linchpin of a national championship contender?
If he was bigger, I could see him as a classic SAM prospect or even a DE (size would be a concern though), but I really do not see an ILB here.
What I do see is someone with active feet and a propensity for physicality. The guy is the classic "football player". He likes to hit. He likes to get his helmet lower than the guy across from him and shock him with a big blow. And when contact happens, that doesn't mean he stops, he finishes plays. He likes moving his feet to get in position to block and he likes to get underneath people and leverage them. That's a FB. And with an offense that relies so much on a FB, I have absolutely no issue offering a scholarship to someone like this to play the position. He has the physical and mental attributes to play FB. But as a LB, he seems to rely much more on blitzing and shock and awe rather than being able to read plays and then attack. That's why he could be a good DE if he was bigger - give him a gap and let him go to work - but a 3-down ILB seems like a stretch.
Based on how he plays, I think you can project how he is as a ball carrier. Physical, down hill, active feet, that will churn what look like 3 yard dives into 5 or 7 or 9 yard carries when guys don't expect someone like that breaking through the LOS. Didn't really see much in the way of hands, which are important for the position in this offense, so that's a question mark.
I am a bit surprised it came so early in the recruiting cycle, but others have hinted at possibilities here for why. And if Harbaugh likes him as a FB prospect, and they have him high on their board, then I don't really see a justification for waiting either. It's a position they need to fill, take the guy that's high on the board.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I'll expand on your initial point even further - not only are the analysts at the paysites inferior talent evaluators than Jim Harbaugh (or any other elite coach) they are evaluating based on the aggregate need of all teams. This is fine for positions like OL or DE or CB where most teams are looking for mostly the same characteristics. But some teams use players differently than others. RR's RB and WR recruiting, for example, is different than the norm. Vincent Smith and Tay Odoms wouldn't have been as valuable in Harbaugh's offense (potentially) as they were in RR's. The same could be said for FB and (to a lesser extent) TE in Harbaugh's system.
Most fullbacks won't get a ton of love from the sites because most teams aren't recruiting them, and even many of the ones that do will take a FB once every 3-4 years. This puts them in a similar area as kickers, punters and long snappers.
If Harbaugh takes a cornerback that the services have ignored and no other major program has offered, I'll be a little skeptical. But with a fullback, that's expected.
Hadn't thought of it that way, appreciate the perspective.
I think you're still in the last century.:-)
The kid isn't a stud recruit but he loves to hit and will definately shine in practices. This is the type of player that will make the whole team tougher. Welcome! GO BLUE
FWIW, 247 sports now lists him as a 3 star with 0.8556 rating and we are up to the #8 class.
Do we have any evidence that Shallman doesn't have heart and desire? At best, you can say a Shallman type who could stay healthy.
That theory didn't come from me, but I had heard this rumor before spring practice began. When I watched practice last Saturday, Shallman sure didn't seem very interested in playing fullback. Brian mentioned in his open practice wrap that Shallman looked "uncomfortable." So I'm a bit inclined to think that this might have some legs.
Ah, OK. I hadn't heard that. I thought the poster meant that heart and desire was the reason Shallman hadn't been on the field in his career.
I could see that here, now that he's relegated to FB he's not into it. That could be something that changes (he gets comfortable with the position switch or he mentally accepts that this is his only way to contribute) or it could be something that doesn't and Shallman isn't long for the program.
As I recall, he specifically committed to Michigan because they said they would give him a shot at the RB position, when many others offered him at other spots.
I wouldn't put this kid in that category. He's a big time prospect at FB, and I doubt he gets pushed out. This is not a Rashad Weaver situation. This is a kid at a position of need, who is likely to be one of the best we can get at that position. I'm not saying it's a lock he ends up in this class because lots of different things can happen, but I don't think this is one likely to end up out.
FB for sure and maybe a future LB with some added bulk and technique being coached - and certainly a special teams beast if the staff feels it isnt worth risking him there so he can focus on detroying opposing LB'ers. He looks to be the type of player that round out your roster, give maximum effort and help you WIN games.
Those are impressive SPARQ numbers for an under the radar kid. Lack of athleticism won't be the thing that holds Lasater back.
Can anyone sign up for the Nike SPARQ test?
I'm highly encouraging a Brian Cook vs Spencer Hall SPARQ challenge. We could do a kickstarter if there's a fee...
Those Rich Eisen running the 40 at the NFL combine videos on NFL Network brought me to tears laughing the first time.
I am making $89/hour working from home. I never thought that it was legitimate but my best friend is earning $10 thousand a month by working online, that was really surprising for me, she recommended me to try it. You will lose nothing, just try it out on the following website.;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ►►► www.NetNote70.com
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Comments