Five Play Prospect: Gators BUCK Antwaun Powell Scouting Report
As the GatorMaven "Five Play Prospect" series continues - breaking down each of Florida's early signings with a five play scouting report - it's time to transition towards the defensive side of the ball and keep it rolling in the trenches.
After previously taking a look at defensive lineman Gervon Dexter, our next scouting report will cover Gators' BUCK rush end, Antwaun Powell.
One of the more athletic Gators’ signees, Powell hails from the state of Virginia, playing his high school ball at Indian River (Portsmouth).
This young man provides high-end athleticism and length to the Gators' BUCK rush end position, assuming he can stay healthy. Powell suffered shoulder injuries in back to back years, derailing his senior season. However, the Gators still are taking a chance on the talented edge rusher.
College coaches need pure speed on the edge of the defense. The spread and run-pass option has transformed college football into an offensive-minded game, so defenses must play catch up - literally.
Speed is the best way to combat the offensive advantage. This is why prospects with the bend and speed of Powell, at 6-3, 235 lbs., are major recruiting priorities every year.
The Gators landed Powell despite overtures from programs like Oklahoma, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Michigan and Penn State. The offer list alone says quite a bit about Powell’s immense talent.
One of the first things to stand out on Powell's tape is his electric speed rush. That’s not where we will start in the film room, however, as an additional trait deserves even more credit.
Film Room
The spread offense becomes almost impossible to slow down if it can run the football. Too many defensive ends simply go for the ‘wow’ play and hit the quarterback while ignoring the handoff that just took place.
During this first clip, Powell breaks down and reads the play. Because he did not go 100-percent after the quarterback, he made a tackle at the line of scrimmage.
It’s a great sign that Powell understands that playing defensive end does not mean he has an automatic green light to just rush the passer during every play.
Continuing the theme of being disruptive within the running game, Powell keeps outside leverage during an outside zone play, defeats the block of a much bigger offensive tackle, and pulls down the running back.
Hats off to Powell for his effort, and also hats off to the coaches that taught him this technique. It’s a great sign to see a high school weak-side defensive end play the run this well and disciplined.
During this next play, Powell does an outstanding job of creating an interception.
It’s a quick pass set and Powell is dealing with a tight end to his side of the formation. There’s zero chance to even hit the signal caller, let alone gain a sack. He does what all heady defensive ends must do: Get hands up in an effort to deflect the pass.
In doing so, Powell shows off his extreme athleticism that will serve Florida well on the edge for years to come.
This next clip displays why hustle and anticipation lead to big plays.
Powell fires out of his stance like he’s rushing the passer. Despite the fact is ends up being running play, he’s so deep into the backfield that the fullback is beaten to the spot. Once again, like the second video clip above, Powell held the leverage advantage over the blocker.
Game over.
The running back is swallowed up by Powell for a big loss. Powell not only showed his speed and effort on this play, but once again he read his keys and stayed outside. All in all, a fantastic football play.
The final play represents pure talent mixed with coaching.
Powell explodes out of his three-point stance, keeps outside leverage, dips his inside shoulder underneath the offensive tackle, and makes the sack. This is the classic speed rush move so often seen on SportsCenter, because it takes a ton of athleticism, discipline, and technique while playing aggressively to perfect.
Powell possesses the type of raw talent to make this play, and it’s obvious he accepted the coaching to make it happen as well.
Final Thoughts
One of the most explosive players within the Gators’ 2020 recruiting haul, Powell is an excellent fit for Florida’s aggressive defensive scheme. The standout from Virginia interjects talent and hustle into the Gators’ depth chart at BUCK, and now it’s time to continue to develop Powell’s skill set.
Once Powell begins to master the art of playing against even bigger offensive tackles, he will be a force. First, it’s about learning to use his hands even better than he already does. This is an acquired skill and it can take years to master, and one that leads to getting after the quarterback consistently.
The more pass-rush moves Powell. learns the better, as it will make opposing teams game plan against stopping Powell. He still must understand the opponent’s tendencies to be prepared to stop the run.
Powell already displayed some of these traits in high school, and the Gators coaching staff is now tasked with fine-tuning his talent even more. Powell should be a multi-year starter for the Gators.
