Pettaway Runs Away

Since his arrival Jeff Lebby has talked about 'score from far' and few players that he has added to the roster to date seem more likely to fulfill that hope than the Sooners most recent commitment Jaquaize Pettaway. The big play receiver from Cypress (Texas) Langham Creek picked Lebby's offense and Cale Gundy's tutelage to further his career but what is that has made him the nation's No. 56 overall player?

SoonerScoop.com Recruiting Editor Josh McCuistion: It would be wrong to start anywhere else in the evaluation than talking about Pettaway's speed. He's a legitimate 10.4-second 100-meter dash guy and it shows time and time again as he separates from defenders.

Unlike a lot of guys with that sort of breakneck speed Pettaway does have more than just the ability to get upfield, there's wiggle to his game when he needs it. That said, he knows the hallmark of his game is that speed and doesn't spend too much time dancing, he is always going to get the yardage he can.

And though the stereotype is always that fast guys don't catch as well but Pettaway shows off a lot of ability to make a lot of different catches. He takes the ball well with his hands and shows good body control in the air. He shows that range of catches from a wildly varied route tree where he is seen running posts, bubbles, go routes, and even some short comebacks.

Finally, though he'll need to continue to add weight and get stronger to deal with some of the outside coverage he'll see in the college game the thing that figures to hold up beyond some of the obvious stuff is how subtle Pettaway plays the game. In the open field he has a lot of minor moves that don't look like much but at the speed he is moving at, defenders are going to struggle mightily with.

Player Comparison: Maybe it's recency bias but I see a lot of Marvin Mims's desire to get north and south but Pettaway just has more ability to separate vertically with his speed.