Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville WR Commit Jahlil McClain
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has landed their seventh commit in the Class of 2023, as Jahlil McClain has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.
Here is Louisville Report's full evaluation:
Prospect: Jahlil McClain
Position: Wide Receiver/Cornerback
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
School: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Jahlil McClain's Junior Year Highlights: (HERE)
Frame: Relatively well developed frame given his position and age. Won't need to add much more weight in college, instead will likely need to concentrate more on adding overall muscle tone, specifically his lower body.
Athleticism: No matter which side of the ball McClain lines up on, he displays a healthy level of both agility and speed. He has a great release off the line of scrimmage, and good overall footwork that helps tremendously in both route running and man coverage. While he might not have elite track speed, he gets to his top gear in a hurry.
Instincts: McClain's route running is his best attribute, without question. Not only does he break well in his routes, he has an incredible ability to find the holes in zone coverage and get wide open, especially on post routes. It also helps that he has a good overall feel for his peripheral vision so that he can embrace hits by tacklers. Can also contort his body fairly well for difficult catches.
Polish: Adding to that last sentence, McClain plays more physical than you would expect for a slot receiver/nickelback. He handles presses well and can take a lot of hits as a receiver, and tackles surprisingly hard. He does need to work on wrapping up to tackle instead of plowing into guys, as well as diversify his route tree.
Bottom Line: he hasn't gotten a ton of reps at St. John Bosco because of how loaded they are, but you can tell from his limited film that he is something special. Time will tell if he sticks at wide receiver or opts to go back to mainly a cornerback, but regardless, he is a very good pickup for Louisville.
(Photo of Jahlil McClain via St. John Bosco Athletics)
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