2019 Hutchinson C.C. (KS) OL Ousman Traore committed to the Hurricanes late Thursday night on his official visit to Miami.
The 6-3 325 pounder is currently unranked in the national rankings, as he was classified as a 2020 JUCO prospect until a few days ago. His commitment keeps Miami’s 2019 class at #28 in the nation on 247Sports and #36 on Rivals.
The Player
After graduating from Hapeville Charter in Georgia for high school in 2018 and landing no offers, Traore decided to go the JUCO route to develop his game so that he’d be considered a D-I prospect despite being a full academic qualifier. Up until a week ago, Traore was originally planning to return to Hutchinson for the 2019 season because he was only being offered a spot in the 2020 class by the schools recruiting him, programs such as LSU, UF, and ECU.
However, the Canes got involved this week, offering him a spot in the 2019 class and a chance to enroll this summer. Traore took a mid-week official visit Wednesday and Thursday and decided he would take that opportunity, committing to the coaching staff on the visit late last night. He will be immediately eligible as a full qualifier and will enroll for Summer B at UM on June 30 with classes starting July 1st. He has four years to play three and comes to Miami as a true sophomore to play guard.
At Hutchinson last season, Traore started 11 games as a true freshman at left guard for the Blue Dragons and was named first team All-Conference. On film, he is a physical road-grader that was a star for one of the top JUCO programs in the country and isn’t satisfied until his man is on the ground. Always looking for contact even after making his first block; in other words, is a quality improviser when the play breaks down. Adept at paving lanes in the running game and generally moves opponents exactly where he wants them to go.
Plays with very good leverage, balance, and bend. Shows the mobility to pull, hit his targets, and seal the edge or get to the second level. As with most guard prospects, more advanced in the running game right now than in pass blocking, but he shows the ability to be very measured, square up on his man, and stay balanced in his pass protection. Carries 325 pounds well and it is well-distributed throughout his frame without much bad weight.
The Class
Traore’s commitment brings the total class numbers to 18 and he joins Zion Nelson, Adam ElGammal, and Jakai Clark on the O-Line for 2019. It’s safe to say Miami is done at OL for 2019.
The Team
Miami’s offensive line situation has been untenable for the past few seasons now, and not much was really figured out in a 2019 spring ball full of injury and general ineffectiveness. That made the need for a game ready player like Traore apparent, and he will have every opportunity to earn major playing time, if not start, in 2019.
Traore comes in at guard, and while Navaughn Donaldson is entrenched at left guard, right guard is wide open for the taking after none of Zalon’tae Hillery, John Campbell, or Cleveland Reed took full control of the job in spring. While you never know how a JUCO will translate to major college football, with the spot Miami is in on the OL and with open scholarships, Traore is worth taking to see if he can contribute and he already has the size and experience to do just that.
The 6-3 325 pounder is currently unranked in the national rankings, as he was classified as a 2020 JUCO prospect until a few days ago. His commitment keeps Miami’s 2019 class at #28 in the nation on 247Sports and #36 on Rivals.
The Player
After graduating from Hapeville Charter in Georgia for high school in 2018 and landing no offers, Traore decided to go the JUCO route to develop his game so that he’d be considered a D-I prospect despite being a full academic qualifier. Up until a week ago, Traore was originally planning to return to Hutchinson for the 2019 season because he was only being offered a spot in the 2020 class by the schools recruiting him, programs such as LSU, UF, and ECU.
However, the Canes got involved this week, offering him a spot in the 2019 class and a chance to enroll this summer. Traore took a mid-week official visit Wednesday and Thursday and decided he would take that opportunity, committing to the coaching staff on the visit late last night. He will be immediately eligible as a full qualifier and will enroll for Summer B at UM on June 30 with classes starting July 1st. He has four years to play three and comes to Miami as a true sophomore to play guard.
At Hutchinson last season, Traore started 11 games as a true freshman at left guard for the Blue Dragons and was named first team All-Conference. On film, he is a physical road-grader that was a star for one of the top JUCO programs in the country and isn’t satisfied until his man is on the ground. Always looking for contact even after making his first block; in other words, is a quality improviser when the play breaks down. Adept at paving lanes in the running game and generally moves opponents exactly where he wants them to go.
Plays with very good leverage, balance, and bend. Shows the mobility to pull, hit his targets, and seal the edge or get to the second level. As with most guard prospects, more advanced in the running game right now than in pass blocking, but he shows the ability to be very measured, square up on his man, and stay balanced in his pass protection. Carries 325 pounds well and it is well-distributed throughout his frame without much bad weight.
The Class
Traore’s commitment brings the total class numbers to 18 and he joins Zion Nelson, Adam ElGammal, and Jakai Clark on the O-Line for 2019. It’s safe to say Miami is done at OL for 2019.
The Team
Miami’s offensive line situation has been untenable for the past few seasons now, and not much was really figured out in a 2019 spring ball full of injury and general ineffectiveness. That made the need for a game ready player like Traore apparent, and he will have every opportunity to earn major playing time, if not start, in 2019.
Traore comes in at guard, and while Navaughn Donaldson is entrenched at left guard, right guard is wide open for the taking after none of Zalon’tae Hillery, John Campbell, or Cleveland Reed took full control of the job in spring. While you never know how a JUCO will translate to major college football, with the spot Miami is in on the OL and with open scholarships, Traore is worth taking to see if he can contribute and he already has the size and experience to do just that.
