UA All-American Nathan Proctor Commits to the Hokies|VTech Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

Four Star linebacker Nathan Proctor committed to the Hokies at the Under Armour All-American game today. Let’s take a look at his highlights.

At the Under Armour All-American Game today, the Hokies picked up a much needed commitment from a highly sought-after prospect. Indian Head (MD) linebacker/defensive end Nathan Proctor picked the Hokies from a host of other offers, including Pitt, Penn State, Ole Miss, Cal, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, UNC, ND, and others. Proctor is rated at four stars across the board- ESPN, Scout, 247, and Rivals. Scout has him as the 161^st rated prospect overall and the 11^th best OLB on the board, ESPN has him as the 6^th rated outside linebacker and the 100^th best national prospect, 247 has him as the 148^th best prospect and the 9^th best OLB. Rivals still has him as a 4 star, but their review isn’t as glowing.

Let’s discuss his merits and deficiencies by going over film.

Nathan Proctor (Indian Head, MD. 6’-3”, 220lbs. Outside Linebacker/Defensive End)

Proctor, to me, is going to be an interesting case. I don’t think he’s got the edge-rush speed to be the defensive end that I hear that the coaching staff wants him to be. He tracks the ball well, and definitely can run down people. I mean, the reason he’s rated so highly is his size to speed ratio- he’s fast for a dude as large as he is- but because of the fact that he doesn’t play a ton of defensive end (that I can see, mostly due to the fact that all I’ve got are highlights, not true tape), I’m doing guesswork here. He’s got the right frame for a Foster/Wiles end- he’s longer and narrower- but I’d honestly rather him be a standup outside linebacker in the Tremaine Edmunds mode. Now, unfortunately, that’d mean he wouldn’t see the field for a while- Tremaine still needs more work, and is only a sophomore. He’d definitely be the starter for at least another year (if he breaks out even more his junior year, we could lose him to the draft, but he’s still kind of narrow for the pros). Granted, it would give us a chance to redshirt Proctor and then move him up. But right now I suppose the need is at defensive end, where Mihota and Hill will be out for the spring practices and the main competitors to Houshon Gaines will be Jimmie Taylor (a redshirt freshman next year), and Seth Dooley (a redshirt senior if he comes back). Considering what Tech expects to land in the rest of the class, they’ll be sticking Proctor down with a hand in the dirt. We’ll see what comes of it, but regardless, it’s good to get a very talented recruit onboard, and hopefully it portends more good things to come.

Welcome Nathan, and go Hokies!