2020 Overton (TN) OT Chris Washington committed to Miami after Paradise Camp on Saturday night.
The 6-7 270 pounder is currently a consensus 3-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Washington is the #1,310 player nationally, #115 OT in the country, and the #40 player in Tennessee. His commitment keeps Category20 at the #8 class ranking on 247Sports and #4 on Rivals.
The Player
It didn’t take long for Washington to decide Miami was for him; he received an offer last week, scheduled a visit for Paradise Camp, then was given the green light to commit after impressing Butch Barry in the OL/DL drills. Clean, quick, and efficient recruiting job by the Canes for somebody that they see as a vastly underrated prospect. He chose Miami over Ole Miss, Indiana, Wake Forest, and Memphis among others.
On film, Washington shows a few things that are essential to be a LT at the Power 5 level: outstanding feet and length. His ability to sync his feet and his hands together in pass protection will make him above-average in this regard if he can gain some strength. He has the flexibility and movement to recover and push stunts either inside or wide. When he lets his base get off-balance or he exposes his chest, he is susceptible to power moves such as bull rushes. Shows great knee bend and knows how to use leverage to his advantage.
While Washington demonstrates that he is aggressive and will finish his blocks, he is not a people mover that has the raw power to dominate in the run game right now. He will excel much more when asked to run zone concepts rather than gap concepts. He is a position blocker in the running game and does a good job of hitting moving targets and redirecting at the second level. He could be a weapon on outside zone runs and in the screen game with his movement skills.
Of the few reps I saw Washington take at Paradise, he won them all. He proved he was a take against a tough DL field. Long, tall, and athletic, just the prototype of what Butch Barry is looking for. He looked much more filled out in his frame than his listed 270 pounds, so he’s already on his way to adding good weight. Miami did not run combine testing at Paradise, but he did clock a 5.43 40 time at the Opening Nashville Regional last month. I see him as a late riser in the rankings as he gains more exposure.
The Class
Washington’s commitment brings the total class numbers to 18 and he joins Oakleaf (FL) 4-star Jalen Rivers and Vanguard (FL) 3-star Antonio Smith on the OL in 2020. The Canes would like at least 4 offensive linemen in this class, but could easily end up with 5 if they are the right fit, so Miami is looking for 1-2 more.
The most likely remaining target to end up in the class at this point is South Dade (FL) 4-star Jonathan Denis, who Miami has pursued as a top target for over a year now. Denis elected to attend Paradise Camp this weekend instead of taking a planned official visit to Kentucky, a great sign for Miami. He recently told CIS that he is setting his decision date for August 9th, so he will have time to make more officials if he chooses to after the dead period ends on July 24th. He made his first OV of the cycle to Louisville in late May and followed it up with an OV to Indiana in mid-June; Kentucky and Oregon could still get officials as well. Either way, as I’ve said all along, I’m still strong on my Miami pick for Denis.
Adding Denis puts UM at four OL in this class, so Miami would really have to be sold on a fifth potential target to take that guy. They’d certainly take long-time Gamecocks commit Norland (FL) 4-star OT Issiah Walker, but he announced last night he was shutting down his recruitment coming off an unofficial visit to South Carolina. While that could be just something he said coming off a visit high and I don’t 100% buy this is over, it’s obviously not a good sign for Miami’s chances, especially after he just visited UM the two weekends prior to South Carolina. He’s unlikely to end up in the class at this point, but Miami will certainly keep tabs on him as the cycle progresses to see if there’s still a chance.
Another tackle that has been high on Miami’s board is Jesuit (FL) 4-star OT Connor McLaughlin. A developmental lineman in the mold of what Butch Barry is looking for, McLaughlin is long, lean, and athletic. After recently talking with McLaughlin, he said Miami is still in constant contact with him and that he would be making a visit "soon", although he was unable to make it for Paradise. He took his first official visit to Iowa and his second to Georgia Tech, both in June.
Further down the board at tackle, guys like Fort Myers (FL) 3-star Cayden Baker and Heritage Academy (MS) 3-star Eli Acker both visited for Paradise Camp. It seems like things went very well with Acker, who plans to make a return trip to Miami despite his commitment to Ole Miss. Miami looks to have Acker slightly more ahead on their board than Baker, and I think UM would have to miss on a few guys to settle on Baker at this point. It seems Washington took his spot as the developmental tackle in this class.
A guy that could earn an offer in the future if Miami decides they want an extra guard is American Heritage (FL) 3-star Khristopher Love. UM likes what they’ve seen out of him the past two weeks after watching him in person at the Manny Diaz Camps and Paradise. Love has offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Utah, Kentucky, and Syracuse among others, but the Canes would be hard to beat if they seriously pursued him.
For those wondering, there’s zero traction going on right now with St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) 4-star OT Marcus Dumervil. He didn’t show up to Paradise Camp and, after talking to a source close to the recruitment, there doesn’t seem to be much mutual interest between the parties. I’m expecting him to end up elsewhere at this point.
The Team
Washington is a clear tackle all the way, and UM only loses senior tackle George Brown, who has been a non-factor in his three seasons at Miami, after 2019. While it’s safe to say DJ Scaife will be entrenched at one tackle spot by the time Washington hits campus in 2020, nobody has locked down the second tackle job as of yet heading into fall camp. The Canes have struggled for years now to find consistent play at the offensive tackle position, so while I’m sure Miami would prefer to redshirt Washington and develop his body in the S&C program for a season, similar to Zion Nelson this spring, they will certainly put him in the rotation if he proves to be one of the top few linemen on the team. More likely, Washington takes a year or two to develop, and is competing for starters minutes by his second or third season.
The 6-7 270 pounder is currently a consensus 3-star recruit in the national rankings. According to the 247Sports Composite, Washington is the #1,310 player nationally, #115 OT in the country, and the #40 player in Tennessee. His commitment keeps Category20 at the #8 class ranking on 247Sports and #4 on Rivals.
The Player
It didn’t take long for Washington to decide Miami was for him; he received an offer last week, scheduled a visit for Paradise Camp, then was given the green light to commit after impressing Butch Barry in the OL/DL drills. Clean, quick, and efficient recruiting job by the Canes for somebody that they see as a vastly underrated prospect. He chose Miami over Ole Miss, Indiana, Wake Forest, and Memphis among others.
On film, Washington shows a few things that are essential to be a LT at the Power 5 level: outstanding feet and length. His ability to sync his feet and his hands together in pass protection will make him above-average in this regard if he can gain some strength. He has the flexibility and movement to recover and push stunts either inside or wide. When he lets his base get off-balance or he exposes his chest, he is susceptible to power moves such as bull rushes. Shows great knee bend and knows how to use leverage to his advantage.
While Washington demonstrates that he is aggressive and will finish his blocks, he is not a people mover that has the raw power to dominate in the run game right now. He will excel much more when asked to run zone concepts rather than gap concepts. He is a position blocker in the running game and does a good job of hitting moving targets and redirecting at the second level. He could be a weapon on outside zone runs and in the screen game with his movement skills.
Of the few reps I saw Washington take at Paradise, he won them all. He proved he was a take against a tough DL field. Long, tall, and athletic, just the prototype of what Butch Barry is looking for. He looked much more filled out in his frame than his listed 270 pounds, so he’s already on his way to adding good weight. Miami did not run combine testing at Paradise, but he did clock a 5.43 40 time at the Opening Nashville Regional last month. I see him as a late riser in the rankings as he gains more exposure.
The Class
Washington’s commitment brings the total class numbers to 18 and he joins Oakleaf (FL) 4-star Jalen Rivers and Vanguard (FL) 3-star Antonio Smith on the OL in 2020. The Canes would like at least 4 offensive linemen in this class, but could easily end up with 5 if they are the right fit, so Miami is looking for 1-2 more.
The most likely remaining target to end up in the class at this point is South Dade (FL) 4-star Jonathan Denis, who Miami has pursued as a top target for over a year now. Denis elected to attend Paradise Camp this weekend instead of taking a planned official visit to Kentucky, a great sign for Miami. He recently told CIS that he is setting his decision date for August 9th, so he will have time to make more officials if he chooses to after the dead period ends on July 24th. He made his first OV of the cycle to Louisville in late May and followed it up with an OV to Indiana in mid-June; Kentucky and Oregon could still get officials as well. Either way, as I’ve said all along, I’m still strong on my Miami pick for Denis.
Adding Denis puts UM at four OL in this class, so Miami would really have to be sold on a fifth potential target to take that guy. They’d certainly take long-time Gamecocks commit Norland (FL) 4-star OT Issiah Walker, but he announced last night he was shutting down his recruitment coming off an unofficial visit to South Carolina. While that could be just something he said coming off a visit high and I don’t 100% buy this is over, it’s obviously not a good sign for Miami’s chances, especially after he just visited UM the two weekends prior to South Carolina. He’s unlikely to end up in the class at this point, but Miami will certainly keep tabs on him as the cycle progresses to see if there’s still a chance.
Another tackle that has been high on Miami’s board is Jesuit (FL) 4-star OT Connor McLaughlin. A developmental lineman in the mold of what Butch Barry is looking for, McLaughlin is long, lean, and athletic. After recently talking with McLaughlin, he said Miami is still in constant contact with him and that he would be making a visit "soon", although he was unable to make it for Paradise. He took his first official visit to Iowa and his second to Georgia Tech, both in June.
Further down the board at tackle, guys like Fort Myers (FL) 3-star Cayden Baker and Heritage Academy (MS) 3-star Eli Acker both visited for Paradise Camp. It seems like things went very well with Acker, who plans to make a return trip to Miami despite his commitment to Ole Miss. Miami looks to have Acker slightly more ahead on their board than Baker, and I think UM would have to miss on a few guys to settle on Baker at this point. It seems Washington took his spot as the developmental tackle in this class.
A guy that could earn an offer in the future if Miami decides they want an extra guard is American Heritage (FL) 3-star Khristopher Love. UM likes what they’ve seen out of him the past two weeks after watching him in person at the Manny Diaz Camps and Paradise. Love has offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Utah, Kentucky, and Syracuse among others, but the Canes would be hard to beat if they seriously pursued him.
For those wondering, there’s zero traction going on right now with St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) 4-star OT Marcus Dumervil. He didn’t show up to Paradise Camp and, after talking to a source close to the recruitment, there doesn’t seem to be much mutual interest between the parties. I’m expecting him to end up elsewhere at this point.
The Team
Washington is a clear tackle all the way, and UM only loses senior tackle George Brown, who has been a non-factor in his three seasons at Miami, after 2019. While it’s safe to say DJ Scaife will be entrenched at one tackle spot by the time Washington hits campus in 2020, nobody has locked down the second tackle job as of yet heading into fall camp. The Canes have struggled for years now to find consistent play at the offensive tackle position, so while I’m sure Miami would prefer to redshirt Washington and develop his body in the S&C program for a season, similar to Zion Nelson this spring, they will certainly put him in the rotation if he proves to be one of the top few linemen on the team. More likely, Washington takes a year or two to develop, and is competing for starters minutes by his second or third season.
