New Mexico NUC: Class of 2011 standouts, National Underclassmen Football Combines

New Mexico NUC: Class of 2011 standouts
Kyle Henderson
New Mexico Recruiting Analyst
Rio Rancho, New Mexico - The National Underclassmen Combine made its first ever tour stop to the Land of Enchantment where some of the state's top 2011 and 2012 prospects showed their stuff.
Over 60 athletes attended the one day combine in Rio Rancho.
Below are the top performers that caught the eye of New Mexico Recruiting Analyst Kyle Henderson.

New Mexico National Underclassmen Combine Standouts: Class of 2011

Brandon Betancourt, 5-11, 159, RB, Las Cruces (New Mexico) Mayfield

ASSETS: Very crisp when running with the football. Makes very clean cuts and has speed to burn. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Improve overall size and strength in order to combat linebackers. Needs to get even faster if he wants to be among the Elite in New Mexico. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: His strength of speed for this time of year. As stated above, he needs to improve on both over the summer time, but for right now it's impressive. He earned the fastest man award and had the highest vertical mark at the combine. CONCLUSION: While he is not a major D-1 recruit, Betancourt proved that he has D-1 capabilities. His work ethic speaks for itself and this one prospect who is definitely on the rise.

Ryan Blocker, 6-1, 165, DB, Albuquerque (New Mexico) Del Norte

ASSETS: Super competitive, good hips, and very underrated speed. I like his height and I have no doubt he'll grow a few more inches. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Tends to be too aggressive, which could cost him a few pass interference penalties down the road. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: He impressed with his athleticism at the NMPreps.com Elite 100 Combine in 2009 and again, showed why he is a very underrated defensive back in the class of 2011. CONCLUSION: His brother earned a scholarship to Eastern and if Ryan has a big year as expected he is going to gain some interest from similar type schools. Their father is well over 6-foot-4, so when you talk about upside, this kid definitely has some.

Josh Bowen, 5-9, 155, WR, Albuquerque (New Mexico) Manzano

ASSETS: Ran some of the cleanest routes I have seen in some time. Great moves off the line and very good concentration. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Needs more size. He is just under 160 pounds right now and needs to put on more weight without losing any of his speed. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: His routes were crisp, his hands were solid, and he was by far the best receiver at the combine. Great lateral movement as well and great overall athleticism. Broad jumped over 8 and 1/2 feet. CONCLUSION: Manzano lost some skill players to graduation, but there is no doubt that they are reloading in 2010. Bowen may be undersized, but he has the moves and hands to be a premier and very productive receiver in 2010.

Jeremiah Carroll, 5-10, 175, LB, Los Lunas (New Mexico) Valencia

ASSETS: A blue collar kid that every coach wants on his team. He is not going to overwhelm you with this athletic abilities, but he is going to work his tail off every day. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Needs work on his speed and lateral side to side movement. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: Was selected to the final group of top linebackers for the linebackers vs. running back showcase. Did a great job in man to man coverage against some very fast running backs. CONCLUSION: I like this prospect and while I know he is not a D-1 guy there are still hundreds of other colleges a player like this could find a home at the next level. If you want to take a chance, take it on this linebacker.

Bobby Chavez, 5-9, 180, WR/TE, Santa Fe (New Mexico)

ASSETS: Stocky frame, good hands, and lots of emotion. Everyone noticed this kid, right off the bat. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Speed and route running. Just needs to touch up over the off-season. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: I was really impressed with his hands and his ability to shake off defensive backs at the line. He is not the fastest receiver in the world, but he has that extra get up and go factor. CONCLUSION: Santa Fe had a few prospects there today and Chavez is definitely one to watch for in the 2010 football season.

Zack Clouse, 6-2, 215, DL, Albuquerque (New Mexico) Volcano Vista

ASSETS: Very strong individual that is going to be a force to reckon with in 2010. Could very well start two-ways for the Hawks this coming season. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: He needs to button up his defensive linemen skills, like shedding blocks, and work on that swim move if he wants to be considered an All-State type player. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: His attitude and his desire to always get to the tackling dummy in one on one drills. CONCLUSION: The Hawks are one of the strongest pound for pound teams in the state and with Clouse coming back for his third year of varsity, it's going to be interesting to see which linemen can stop him.

Jacob Fender, 6-1, 210, QB, Los Lunas (New Mexico)

ASSETS: Big, strong, and thick, which is going to make him a tough quarterback to bring down in the 2010 season. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: He needs work in a few different areas, like his throwing motion, release timing, and decision making skills. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: Has a cannon for an arm. Fender can sling it with the best of them. CONCLUSION: It would be interesting to see how a prospect like this would of developed in another program. He has a lot of raw talent, just needs some coaching up.

Adam Gonzalez, 6-2, 235, OL, Albuquerque (New Mexico) Valley

ASSETS: Very strong, natural knee bender and possesses exceptional overall athleticism for an offensive lineman. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Figuring how to add another 45 pounds to his frame. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: Gonzalez may have been one of the biggest surprises at the Combine and what stood out most is his great foot work for a big man. CONCLUSION: Valley has a few linemen returning for the 2010 season and with Gonzalez leading the way, we may have found our district favorite for the new district 5-5A.

Abram Holland, 6-2, 252, DL, Rio Rancho (New Mexico) Cleveland

ASSETS: Great motor off the line with some tremendous moves. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Needs to put on more "good weight" and continue to build strength in all areas. Could turn out to be one of the more dominating down linemen in the state. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: What he comes off the football, it's all explosion. He is able to get a great push with his size, speed, and strength. Pretty impressive that he won the D-Line MVP over Ramondo. CONCLUSION: I've been big on Holland for some time now and he is showing that he is worth the message board hype. Another class of 2011 prospect that I think could find a D-1 home.

Matt Jaramillo, 6-5, 245, QB, Albuquerque (New Mexico) West Mesa

ASSETS: Fantastic grades, a very live arm, B+ foot work, and next level size. Jaramillio's recruiting stock jumped at the event. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Needs to work on the small things like drop back foot work, understanding different coverages, and knowing when to add to and knowing when not to add that extra mustard to the football. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: Jaramillo has been in the weight room and it shows. His entire body is yoked and it's clear that Jaramillo is very underrated as a quarterback. He more than likely has the strongest arm in the state. It's more like a rocket launcher. CONCLUSION: I'm very much sold on Jaramillo and have been since his sophomore year when I first saw him throw a football. The downside is his surrounding talent, which could affect his 2010 numbers, which could affect his 2010/2011 college recruiting stock

Anthony Kennedy, 6-5, 255, OL, Albuquerque (New Mexico) Volcano Vista

ASSETS: Tall, lean, and has decent footwoork. Good long reach from his arms and very strong on and off the field. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Simply he needs more reps and I feel a combine event like this is really going to help him work even harder in the off-season. Going up against Ramondo and Holland all day is going to make anyone better. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: His overall stature is impressive and to think that he is one of the three best Volcano Vista linemen coming back, let's you know that the Hawks are going to be massive again in 2010. CONCLUSION: Kennedy has the frame where you could put 30 more pounds on him and you could not tell the difference. He has a great college level upside and I have a feeling that UNM will not let this one get away. Hard to believe he does not already have some college level interest coming in.

Andrew Kline, 6-1, 195, RB, Albuquerque (New Mexico) La Cueva

ASSETS: Good size for a running back with decent speed. Did not have a problem catching any attention at the combine. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: I don't see him getting much reps at the running back position as Ronnie Daniels is obviously ahead of him on the roster spot, but if he packs on a few more pounds he could make for one of the state's top fullbacks. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: I liked the way he came out of his cuts and how he always turned it up field with the football. You could tell this kid was really coached up. CONCLUSION: I had not given Kline much props on the site, but that will of course change after watching him at the Combine. La Cueva reloads as everyone knows and this is a name to add to the Bear's must watch list.

Isaac Leon, 6-0, 210, LB, Albuquerque (New Mexico) St. Pius X

ASSETS: Well build frame, not overly built, and very strong legs. Extremely violent linebacker. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: He has to work on his foot speed and lateral movement, but Leon is already close to being considered the state's top linebacker out of the class of 2011. He he could grow two more inches, he could get some serious looks. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: How violent he was jamming running backs at the line. Most of the time, running backs were not even able to get into the open field to make a play. He also has decent speed, which allows him to keep up with running backs out of the back-field hip to hip. CONCLUSION: One of my favorite players to watch, because you never know when he is going to take someone's head off. He is a pure defensive player that has worked really hard to get where he is today.

Matt Ramondo, 6-foot-4, 265, Las Cruces (New Mexico) Mayfield

ASSETS: Matt stuck out like giant amongst boys at National Underclassmen Event. Passes the eye ball test with ease. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: Needs to work on composure and needs to keep working on his upper body strength. He is as strong as a lion, just needs more strength if he really wants to emerge as one of the state's top overall recruitable prospects. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: He dominating the linemen at the event and impressed me with his with very powerful swim move and ability to get past almost every linemen he faced. Looking forward to seeing him going against some better competition in the summer season. CONCLUSION: Big fan of this prospect and college coaches should be on the ball recruiting Ramondo before they have missed the boat. He already has offers from New Mexico and New Mexico State, more should follow.

Dustin Walton, 6-foot-4, 220, Raton (New Mexico)

ASSETS: Pure pocket quarterback, leader on the field, and almost never makes a bad decision once he releases the football. AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: I understand he is a strictly a pocket passer, but he really needs to find a way to be a bit more agile in and around the pocket. If he can improve on his agility and speed a little bit more, he'll be that much more recruitable. WHAT WAS MOST IMPRESSIVE: His arm strength is off the charts and his leadership skills make any of his surrounding receivers or linemen that much better. He was born to lead and does a great job of that. CONCLUSION: I think he does more than just throw a good football, he makes the little things look easy and you can tell that his coaches have worked their tails off have Dustin understand the game as he does. Alabama is showing the 2010 NUC MVP major love.

Others Who Impressed From The Class of 2011

James Moorehead - Sandia - 2011, Braxton Smith - Mayfield - 2011, Randy Williams - Volcano Vista - OL - 2011, Ryan Trujillo - Manzano - QB - 2011