Game Changer: Ronald Powell Could Alter Position Landscape

The Gator’s Ronald Powell is by far the most athletic freshmen going into the 2011 season. Rated the #1 overall player by Rivals, Powell comes into the season a stout 6’4” and 250 pounds with plenty of room to grow into his body.

The question for Powell or perhaps more specifically Urban Meyer, however, is where he will spend the majority of his time. Powell is listed as a defensive end and while that will likely be his main destination on the field, it might not be his only spot.

In high school, Powell caught passes, ran the ball, starred on the d-line, and even threw the ball throughout his 4-year campaign. Simply put, Powell is one of the best athletes college football has seen in recent memory.

Meyer and the Gators have already alluded to the fact that they plan to use Powell on offense. If this happens, this could be the beginning of an interesting precedent in college football.

While Powell certainly appears to be one of the most gifted athletes coming in, he’s not alone. These freakishly large but quick defensive ends are now seemingly at the top of Rivals’ rankings each and every year. It’s early, but the #1 player on Rivals board next year, Jadeveon Clowney, is already getting comparisons to Powell who hasn’t played a down just yet. Welcome to recruiting 2.0.

These types of players really can be played at a variety of positions on the field. If they have a coach that is creative enough to put them in spots, there’s no reason to think they can’t impact both sides of the ball. They’re as big as most pass-catching TEs, plus they can run 4.6. Some (like Powell) can move much faster. A coach like Meyer certainly recognizes the potential here and might just be the start of an intriguing new trend.

We see a similar philosophy in the NFL on a select basis. I still have nightmares of Tom Brady throwing two touchdowns to linebacker Mike Vrabel against the Jets. In college, we saw Terrance Cody fill in at fullback and play the role as lead blocker for Heisman winner Mark Ingram last season. There are obviously more cases than this, but these are two high profile examples that come to mind. These situations were unique but they were also limited to to the red zone.

The wildcat and speed of some of the defensive backs and receivers have also transformed this bit. Players are now finding themselves on both sides of the ball in select packages. Once it became obvious that there was something there with this package, teams took note and immediately added it (along with their own wrinkles) into their offense. This has now worked its way into pro, college and even high school ball.

Ronald Powell and Urban Meyer have the chance to do the exact same and something more if things work out. This is entirely presumptuous on my part, but if this experiment shows success and Powell is able to succeed at both positions – teams will follow. These lean defensive ends don’t grow on trees but the mold of player is becoming a familiar site.

If Powell simply comes into the game in goal line situations then this won’t likely pick up steam. What if, however, Powell can play 20+ plays on offense every game while also playing the majority of the snaps on defense? This recess ball mentality isn’t revolutionary in thought, but the implementation absolutely would be.

Florida just lost both playmakers at tight end and defensive end so there are openings. While this could just be excited “new toy” talk, Urban has shown he isn’t afraid to play young talent in key situations or take chances. I’m curious to see to what extent this plays out and intrigued to see the implications if it does. If this guy is the best athlete on the field in almost every game (which he likely will be) than Meyer will likely succumb to the temptation and make this speculation a reality. Will others follow?

Powell was the MVP at the U.S. Army All-American game after recording 5 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. And this was on defense. Powell also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass and returned a 2-point conversion the other way for 97 yards.

The possibilities at Florida for Powell and Meyer are endless. The possibilities beyond… we shall see.