'14 IN OLB/S Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame Man)

[STLDomer]

Outside Linebacker | Strong Safety
Carroll High School
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Measurables
Height: 6'2
Weight: 210
40: 4.49

Stats
2012: 40 Tackles, 1 INT
2013:

Rankings
Rivals: 5.6 Rating, #9 IN
247: 85 Rating, #8 IN, #72 S
ESPN: NR
Scout: #44 OLB
247 Composite: 85 Rating, #9 IN, #65 S, #806 Overall

Offers
Bowling Green
Cincinnati
Indiana
Purdue
Indiana State
Miami (OH)
Toledo
Western Michigan
Minesota

Interest
Notre Dame
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State

ND Recruiter: Mike Elston
Decision Schedule: End of Summer
247 Crystal Ball: Purdue

Highlights

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="YouTube" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="YouTube" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LtuC4w5wxhMmaVNeGgMtGU1ehcvuHvOjP9tT-lJG0YY/viewform?embedded=true" width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe>

 

[STLDomer]

Figured it was about time he had a thread. Same 7-7 team as Jaylon Smith and he has been tearing it up at camps recently. Most of his bigger offers are recent. From "Who is Likely Next 2014" a couple weeks ago:

Some buzz over at II on Drue Tranquill. In-state 3 star safety that has been keeping in contact the last few weeks with Elston. Should be coming to camp this summer to earn an offer. Hemboldt calls him an definite BCS caliber kid. 6-2 210 ball hawk in the secondar. Sampson goes on to say that he saw him at a combine in Indy last winter and he's really athletic. Some in Fort Wayne believe he's a better high school player than Jaylon but his ceiling isnt even close to what Jaylon could become. I hadn't heard of this kid but I love following local guys like him that could turn out to be at least a special teams warrior.

 

[Luckylucci]

I wish I could have that post back. Only a couple spelling mistakes.

 

[NDWorld247]

He reminds me of Tom Zbikowski, Harrison Smith and Zeke Motta.

S/OLB Drue Tranquill Rising Fast

 

[IrishLax]

John Turner round 2?

 

[Redbar]

Like the way he uses his hands at the point of attack, I see a safety, maybe after a few years a Spond-like Dog.

 

[STLDomer]

He was told there were 5 people on NDs Board with offers and he is #6, i'm guessing that's the Safety Board. He said he was being recruited as a Outside Linebacker/Safety, I don't know if that's his way of describing the DOG position or maybe the staff sees him as a guy that's cieling is Special Teams and the 2011 Jamoris Slaughter "Star" position.

John Turner round 2?

I think he is more athletic and will end up with better offers and higher rated than Turner. All the Rivals, 247, Scout, and ESPN guys have been raving about him.

 

[Domina Nostra]

He was told there were 5 people on NDs Board with offers and he is #6, i'm guessing that's the Safety Board. He said he was being recruited as a Outside Linebacker/Safety, I don't know if that's his way of describing the DOG position or maybe the staff sees him as a guy that's cieling is Special Teams and the 2011 Jamoris Slaughter "Star" position.





I think he is more athletic and will end up with better offers and higher rated than Turner. All the Rivals, 247, Scout, and ESPN guys have been raving about him.

We know he is not Turner simply because, true or not, no one was saying anything remotely similar about Turner at any point before or after his offer.

If he is Turner part 2, I hope that means they also consider Turner a potential OLB prospect. Turner seems like a thick kid. Why not bolster the DOG depth chart since S is so over-crowded with better prospects?

I also think its healthy to keep your local reputation alive in Indiana, by taking at least 1 or two of the Top kids in the State every year. You don't want some other school getting a pipeline that pays off when a real stud comes along.

 

[Luckylucci]

He was told there were 5 people on NDs Board with offers and he is #6, i'm guessing that's the Safety Board. He said he was being recruited as a Outside Linebacker/Safety, I don't know if that's his way of describing the DOG position or maybe the staff sees him as a guy that's cieling is Special Teams and the 2011 Jamoris Slaughter "Star" position.





I think he is more athletic and will end up with better offers and higher rated than Turner. All the Rivals, 247, Scout, and ESPN guys have been raving about him.

I'll second this. I never heard anything even remotely as positive is what some have been saying about Drue. For DB/S to look good in camp settings they have to be playing pretty well. Hemboldt is the one that called him a Ball Hawk, that wasn't me.

 

[IrishSpartan]

if any nd player is like him its barratti.

 

[MacIrish75]

I coach at a school in the same conference as Drue's school, Carroll HS. He's certainly come on strong in the last two years. I won't admit to being the biggest recruitnik, or someone who is the greatest in terms of assessing/comparing the talent of prospects X,Y,Z. But, I've seen DT in person and on film over a dozen times in the past few years and this kid is special.

In terms of size and speed, he's your prototypical safety prospect. But one thing that I really notice from him on film and in game situations is his knowledge and understanding of the game. He's got an inate ability to read an offense and get himself in position to make a play. He's incredibly football savvy and almost impossible to gameplan against.

In terms of the talent he faces, Carroll was/is in the largest classification in Indiana. It was 5A, but in 2013 6A is being added. The NHC features decent competition. Homestead is the bellwether of the NHC. Carroll is generally average, but trending upward. Most familiar with Carroll would tell you that Drue is the outlier, rather than the norm at CHS.

Tranquill is a good kid, by all accounts. I'm glad to hear he's lighting it up at camps this summer. I hope if he continues to trend upward we offer, because I really think his relationship with Jaylon would have him be an insta-commit. He's one of those kids that we might be borderline on offering, commits to Purdue, and is a thorn in our side for 3-4 years.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

He plays like a LB with a Safetys body. Dont really see him fitting into any position on the ND defense. Def could bolster spteams coverage, but I dont see how ND would benefit him on field at all.

 

[NDWorld247]

I coach at a school in the same conference as Drue's school, Carroll HS. He's certainly come on strong in the last two years. I won't admit to being the biggest recruitnik, or someone who is the greatest in terms of assessing/comparing the talent of prospects X,Y,Z. But, I've seen DT in person and on film over a dozen times in the past few years and this kid is special.

In terms of size and speed, he's your prototypical safety prospect. But one thing that I really notice from him on film and in game situations is his knowledge and understanding of the game. He's got an inate ability to read an offense and get himself in position to make a play. He's incredibly football savvy and almost impossible to gameplan against.

In terms of the talent he faces, Carroll was/is in the largest classification in Indiana. It was 5A, but in 2013 6A is being added. The NHC features decent competition. Homestead is the bellwether of the NHC. Carroll is generally average, but trending upward. Most familiar with Carroll would tell you that Drue is the outlier, rather than the norm at CHS.

Tranquill is a good kid, by all accounts. I'm glad to hear he's lighting it up at camps this summer. I hope if he continues to trend upward we offer, because I really think his relationship with Jaylon would have him be an insta-commit. He's one of those kids that we might be borderline on offering, commits to Purdue, and is a thorn in our side for 3-4 years.

How often did he line up at safety? His highlight tape has more offensive plays than defensive, and it seems he lined up at OLB more than S.

 

[NDhoosier]

if any nd player is like him its barratti.

First thing I thought of actually. Seems like a solid kid, if he goes to camp and impresses the staff, Ill gladly take him regardless of ranking. The staff went hard after Justin Brent when he was an unknown 3-star (now a solid 4 star who is only going up in the rankings).

 

[Kak7304]

One of my best friends is his position coach at Carroll, so I'll try to get more info if his ND recruitment heats up.

 

[Luckylucci]

rivals has Drue as the #1 prospect coming out of the SMSB camp. A lot of teams have been thinking he was an OLB but he's been showing outstanding footwork and fluidity. IMO what the analysts and coaches are saying is more important than the ranking as there wasn't a lot of talent on hand for the camp. WR Maurice Ways and QB Michael O'Connor were some of the other big names there. Michigan, OSU, Mich St. were showing him some attention. He also reported that he recently ran back to back 4.49 40's at a camp. Not sure where I stand on an offer but he's been tearing up camps, and our staff will get to see him up close.

 

[rtrn2glory]

IMO there's not too much of a difference between him and dillon bates

 

[PANDFAN]

Tranquill Ready To Compete
THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2013 04:15 CHRISTIAN MCCOLLUM

Drue Tranquill just turned his full attention to football this year and so far, it’s worked out quite well.

“I was focused on baseball last year,” the 2014 Indiana linebacker/safety said.

“I never went to any football camps or anything because I was going to pursue a career in baseball. After I went to the Army All-American Combine, I kind of found that passion for football. I started hitting the circuit this year.”

Tranquill has hit the camp circuit hard and left strong impressions on coaches along the way. He’s picked up 11 offers in recent months from schools like Cincinnati, Indiana, Minnesota and, most recently, Purdue among others.

“It’s huge, it’s a blessing to be able to accomplish that,” Tranquill said. “They’re full-rides to school and they don’t come a lot. Anytime you can get a free education, that’s huge, and when you have an opportunity to choose a school, it’s an even bigger blessing.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder from Fort Wayne’s Carroll High School will be at Notre Dame on Friday for the Irish’s Future Stars Camp.

“I’m pumped,” he said. “I’m excited. I’ve talked with Coach (Mike) Elston a couple times and I’m looking forward to finally getting down there and seeing what they have to offer.

“(Elston has) been saying they like me. He said they definitely want to see me get there to run around in action because I haven’t been on the camp circuit. I got on the camp circuit this year. He got down to my school. He said they really liked what they saw on film. He said they just want to work me out to see exactly where they would want to play me. Right now, they’re thinking their weakside outside linebacker, who is also the guy who can cover in space.”

Tranquill has been told he could play different positions at different schools.

“It depends from school to school,” he said. “Some want me as that hybrid outside linebacker/safety. Some want me just as a safety and some want me as an outside linebacker who can play down in the box. I think the good thing about me is that I’m a guy that’s physical enough to play down in the box, but finesse enough to be able to cover in space.”

He enjoys the challenge of trying to impress coaches in person at camps.

“They put you in an atmosphere with a ton of kids competing,” he said. “Scholarships are on the line, so it’s just a competitive environment and they see how you react. When you respond tenaciously and are just out there doing your thing, they like to see that. They like to see those guys who can compete in crunch time.

“They also like to see your craft, what you’ve worked on the past year. All of those reps in the dark that they haven’t seen, being able to come out and put that out when the lights are on is huge.”

Tranquill is grateful for all of the offers he’s garnered so far, but admits he’d like to add another one from the Irish.

“Notre Dame is a great school. Obviously they’re nationally-recognized, so it would be huge to earn a scholarship from them. The prestige of, not only their engineering department, but their academics in general is huge. It’s a school with a rich tradition for football. To be able to play football at a school that is highly competitive and also get a prestigious education would be awesome.”

 

[STLDomer]

Sounds like they want to check out his size to see if he can play DOG

 

[rtrn2glory]

Sounds like they want to check out his size to see if he can play DOG

I think ur exactly right . Idk if 6'2" is big enough in the staffs eyes to play dog. Like his film but I question the level of competition which makes camps all the more impt for him

 

[STLDomer]

Just ran a 4.52 at camp per Loy, he ran a 4.49 at Purdue.

 

[connor_in]

Just ran a 4.52 at camp per Loy, he ran a 4.49 at Purdue.

Awwwww, man...he's slowing down already?


Do not want

 

[Luckylucci]

I'm torn on what we do here. There are obviously prospects at his position that are better but he has been playing his butt off and if he is a 4.5 guy its hard to pass him up for something you may not get.

 

[NDWorld247]

For the past week I've felt maybe his best fit would be ILB. Does anyone else think he could grow into fitting the physical profile the staff looks for? He has the height, right? How much weight does he need to gain? He's 210 right now, so 25-30lbs?

 

[Domina Nostra]

I'm torn on what we do here. There are obviously prospects at his position that are better but he has been playing his butt off and if he is a 4.5 guy its hard to pass him up for something you may not get.

I'd be torn as well if he weren't from Indiana. I think we should take him.

Who are we leading for at safety right now?

 

[Luckylucci]

Not really sure we are leading for any. Also TJ has mentioned in the past we don't have a huge need for safeties this cycle. We are looking for either elite S prospects (Juju Smith) or guys that can play multiple positions CB/S.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Not really sure we are leading for any.

I think a good rule in recruiting is never skip a class on any position. However, we don't need a safety this year, by any stretch. So why not lock down a local kid with tons of potential rather than spending the resources chasing some California or Texas kid?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

For the past week I've felt maybe his best fit would be ILB. Does anyone else think he could grow into fitting the physical profile the staff looks for? He has the height, right? How much weight does he need to gain? He's 210 right now, so 25-30lbs?

That's where I'm at. As a Safety prospect, I'd pass on him. But as a LB project, he's very intriguing.

 

[Luckylucci]

The first initial contact he had with the staff they basically explained the Star position to him and that they envisioned him playing there, OLB/S. So, probably not an every down type player and maybe even one that only plays when we are going up against option attacks. As we getter more depth we should be able to recruit guys for specific roles like that. Not sure how I feel about getting him up to 240-250 for LB only, I'd have to see some more from him.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

I would offer him, thinking he could play ST, LB and S if needed. Maybe even WR.