SI All-American Candidate Jake Renda Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: QB/TE Jake Renda
Projected Position: Tight End
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Committed to: Michigan State
Frame: Tall and relatively broad upper body. Long and lean with solid muscle development relative to age. Could stand to add some mass to lower half, trunk.
Athleticism: Long strider who can gain ground in a hurry with step rate. Accelerates well from stationary position thanks to background as a dual-threat quarterback in New Jersey. Some camp video provides sample of tight end work and there is a solid foundation for ball tracking and extension to pluck ball away from body. Self-reported 4.6-second 40-yard dash doesn’t seem very far off on tape.
Instincts: Natural runner with the ball in his hands with vision, one-cut ability and some elusiveness thanks to deceptive speed. Experience as running QB emphasizes after the catch ability and awareness. Leadership qualities and some grit present on tape, too.
Polish: Extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands with plus footwork both in traffic as well as in space. Select samples of him at camp suggest he can put routes together and come out of his breaks with great speed and momentum with natural finishing ability away from his body. Lack of experience at position suggests need for blocking and in-line development overall.
Bottom Line: Renda won’t be the first quarterback-turned tight end in the college football world and the transition makes a lot of sense here. He was simply the best athlete on his previous high school team, tallying 20 scores in 2019, but will get to play tight end full time at IMG Academy this fall. The frame, athleticism and brief samples of his work as a pass catcher are plenty intriguing, though it means he has a long way to go to become a balanced prospect at the position.