Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville OL Commit Madden Sanker
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has landed third second offensive line commit in the Class of 2023, as Madden Sanker has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.
Here is Louisville Report's full evaluation:
Prospect: Madden Sanker
Position: Offensive Guard
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 305 pounds
School: South Paulding (Ga.) Douglasville
Top Offers: Georgia, Auburn, Michigan State, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.9502 (108th)
Madden Sanker's Junior Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)
Frame: Sanker has a great base frame, and it still has plenty of room to work with. He has an incredibly lengthy wingspan for an offensive lineman, with his lower body already carrying a fair amount of weight and tone. Has a good core and well toned upper body as a whole, but could easily add more weight to his arms.
Athleticism: Athletically speaking, Sanker already looks ready to play offensive guard at the college level. He displays a great amount of agility and overall movement, whether that be breaking out of his stance, moving laterally or in the open field and hustling across the line of scrimmage on pull blocks. He has a great balance of high-end strength, easily driving with his legs while smothering with his arms and hands.
Instincts: Sanker is tailor-made for the type of run-heavy system that Louisville utilizes. Thanks to his natural strength and good technique with his hand placement and timing, he delivers a powerful first strike that is efficient in both pass protection and run blocking. His best work comes in run support, as he is easily able to redirect defenders and push them away from the play entirely. That's not to say he isn't good in pass pro, as pursuing bull-rushers are - more often than not - stopped dead in their tracks when Sanker engages him. His agility and hand placement also helps here whenever matched with a pass rusher of equal or greater strength.
Polish: Sanker plays both tackle and guard for South Paulding, usually on the left side of the line of scrimmage. He could anchor the blindside in college, but his skill set likely suits him better at guard. He plays with an incredibly aggressive mindset, and has no issue with sticking his nose in the middle of the action if need be. Depending on the play-call, he can single out a defender for a pancake, or run with a ballcarrier to move from block-to-block, and do both at a high level. He also demonstrates an above average ability to counter a variety of pass rush moves.
Bottom Line: Overall, this is a phenomenal pickup for Louisville. He is the perfect type of interior offensive lineman for their zone running scheme, while also possessing the versatility to play at tackle. He will be a multi-year starter at the college level, and don't be shocked to see him push for early time at left guard with Caleb Chandler heading to the NFL after this season.
(Photo of Madden Sanker via Twitter)
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