Watch Notre Dame Commitment Cane Berrong at Work
Cane Berrong picked Notre Dame in July and hasn't looked back.
The big tight end out of Hartwell (Ga.) Hart County had his pick between two dozen college programs before pledging to Brian Kelly's program, well known for its tight end production at the collegiate and NFL level.
Could the near 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior be next in line for a similar path?
SI All-American got a fresh look at the Peach State prospect during the Under Armour Future 50 Camp earlier this month (video above), with Berrong serving as the event's headliner at the tight end position.
The first indication of how well he moves in space came shortly thereafter, as we wondered if any tight ends were competing. Berrong ran through drills with the wide receivers early on at the event and blended in among some of the best the class of 2021 has to offer when it came to how he moves.
After seeing Berrong stand on his own, with a strong frame that can stand to be added upon, it all came together on why he is among the most coveted at the position. The future Irish pass catcher is built to be a mismatch for defenses in the modern era of college football with his frame, fluidity and polish.
Once the competition portion of the event began, everything continued to point in the right direction. Not many high school tight ends set up defenders at every stage of running a route, but Berrong has diverse releases of the line of scrimmage, stays low in his drive phase and out of his initial break with the ability to stick and separate at the top of the route. He can win with leverage off of the snap and runs better than one would expect given his size.
The polish Berrong showed against great defenders was most evident when competing for the football. It's one thing to play physically before the football arrives and it's another to run good routes, track the ball well and finish outside of your frame. Berrong combines each of those elements to project as a dynamic pass catcher who could work inside and certainly flexed out in the slot or even out wider in most offenses.
As far as improving, it will start with that frame. The event listed Berrong at 225 pounds and we lost him in searching for a tight end in drills, meaning he's still relatively lean for the position -- especially for a program like Notre Dame. He knows he is going to add mass but can he do so while remaining among the most fluid big bodies in the class? We would bet he could at this stage of the evaluation process.
As a blocker, Berrong does enough to keep defensive coordinators honest at the prep level but he of course is used as a receiving target aplenty. He appears comfortable on the move and flashes the ability to get to the second level both from an in-line foundation as well as while in motion and/or as a staggered back. Berrong closes the distance between he and the opponent quickly and holds his own at the point of attack with consistent leg drive thereafter.
It doesn't take long to see why Berrong was and still is among the most coveted prospects in the 2021 cycle. He is an early SI All-American candidate at tight end.
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