SI All-American Candidate JT Hand Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: JT Hand
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 285 pounds
Position: Offensive Center
School: Mission Viejo (Calif.) Mission Viejo High School
Committed to: Arizona
Projected Position: Guard/Center
Frame: Squatty with big chest/torso. Thick arms and big hands. Fairly loose in midsection and has a wide trunk/lower-half.
Athleticism: Stout and strong in stance with solid bend. Urgent to attack 0 and 1-techniques when down-blocking, and 2i-techniques in base blocks. Gets a good fit on targets and drives legs looking to punish and bury. Generates solid body force on short pulls to offer some explosion on gap-defenders. Has enough agility to climb to second level and get a fit on linebackers with decent adjust ability.
Instincts: Has solid consistency in his punch accuracy at the point of attack. Does a decent job of joke-blocking to get a knock on noses and reach oncoming ‘backer. Takes a short bucket step and has fair initial lateral quickness cross faces to reach block. Works with patience in pass-sets and fights to stay engaged to mirror in phone booths. Reliable to look for color when he’s uncovered.
Polish: Mostly plays right guard, though has some snapping experience. Executes duo/combo concepts, along with inside zone concepts. Can become a waist-bender post-collision in the latter half of a rep. Needs to remain alert for back-side stunts and twists in pass-protection.
Bottom Line: Father, Bryan, played at Arizona. Hand lined up at right guard most of his junior campaign, but can work in the pivot whenever needed. He has good toughness and is quick to engage in the run game, plus he doesn’t mind helping laterally across the front in pass-protection. Hand should make a solid center or guard at the next level.