Around noon on Friday, it was announced that Woodland Hills wide receiver Shakim Alonzo gave his verbal commitment to the Bearcats. While being somewhat underrated by most recruiting website, Alonzo has been offered by such BCS schools as Wisconsin, Purdue, West Virginia, and hometown Pittsburgh among others. He is from Woodland Hills in Pittsburgh, PA and also plays a little hoops there. One thing he mentions about the Bearcats is that they throw the ball alot. Pitt, with their new offense, likes to throw the ball as well so it’s encouraging that Butch Jones was able to go into Pittsburgh and snag a commit when both programs are fairly similar. Let’s get to the specifics:
Overview
The first thing that pops out at me when looking at Alonzo play is how well he captures the ball when it’s in the air. He does a good job using his hands to bring the ball into his body and shielding the defender from the ball be it on slants or fades. And why wouldn’t he? At 6’5″ and over 200 lbs, he towers over defensive backs and especially as an outside receiver where corners are at least a half-a-foot shorter than him. Another thing I noticed is that he runs pretty crisp routes. The highlight video above shows everything from ‘goes’ to slants and ins. He does a good job at running all of them.
Outlook
This is kind of a surprise commit considering Alonzo plays wide receiver in high school. In a nutshell, the Bearcats are stacked at wide receiver for the coming years but are surprisingly light at tight end. Butch Jones apparently likes his size and hands. I like how he uses body to shield the ball from defenders. That’s a perfect formula for a receiving tight end. I’m not sure exactly how this coaching staff will use him but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Alonzo takes a redshirt his freshman year to bulk up and play tight end. At the same time, he has pretty good speed and runs good routes so he could be a fit at outside receiver, as well.
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