UCLA Football Recruiting: Who Is RB Pierre Cormier?

We continue evaluating UCLA football recruits that have high interest in becoming Bruins with 2013 running back Pierre Cormier out of San Diego, CA, which has become something of a power-plant for running backs in the past decade or so.

Cormier is a 5’9”, 175-pound, 4-star running back out of Madison High School whose highlight tape is pretty impressive, if you’re into pure eye-candy:

The first thing that you should get from that video is that he’s at his best when he’s trying to be elusive, mainly when he’s running way, way, way to the outside. Dude looks incredibly speedy and seems to be quick enough to avoid being touched.

The scouting reports agree. They also say that he’s versatile as hell, meaning he can play in a wide range of positions, and in the video (at the 2:12 mark, he even runs a wheel route and makes the catch 30 yards away from the passer, a testament to the dude’s wide range of abilities. (Of course, he’s 5’9”, so don’t start asking him to play wide-out anytime soon.)

But where are the runs up the middle, and the numerous broken tackles, and the incredible shiftiness in tight spaces? They aren’t in the video, and the scouting reports seem to subtly take a dig at his power and ability to be an every-down back in college. And that’s a fair dig: When your highlight tape is a lot of running towards the sideline and out-sprinting your opponents, being an every-down back doesn’t seem like the best fit.

Of course, it isn’t as if Cormier can’t get stronger, and it’s not as if he can’t learn to run between the tackles and keep his balance after a solid first hit. But as of now, you’d expect him to play a Steven MANFRO-type role (unless that dude somehow bullies his way to become an every-down back instead of the human highlight that he will be) in college.

And that’s good: It fits in Noel Mazzone’s “HOLY CRAP SO MANY YARDS” offense that values explosiveness. Cormier can fit in a wide variety of spots on offense, and Mazzone shouldn’t have any trouble integrating a guy like him and creating plays for him once in awhile.

Hopefully, he realizes the situation that UCLA’s building up here and decides to make the right decision to go to Westwood.

(Plus, the women here are so hot, guys.)

GO BRUINS!!!