Demetrius Knox recruit scouting report: Best 2014 OL in Texas

Demetrius Knox, a massive guard who helped his team to an undefeated season in high school, will be an asset in the trenches at the college level.

As a junior in high school, Knox measured up at 6’5 while weighing in at 300 pounds, but still displayed decent athleticism: Rivals lists him as running a 5.3 40 and a 4.89 shuttle -- great times for someone at his position.

His team at All Saints Episcopal School (Texas) in Fort Worth went undefeated in 2012, winning a small schools state championship and earning him a spot on some Junior All-American squads. Scout lists the consensus four-star as the No. 2 guard in the nation, with 247 putting him slightly lower at No. 6. While Rivals hasn’t released its positional rankings yet, it has him at No. 11 in the talent-rich state of Texas and No. 88 at any position in the country.

Knox has at least 15 offers, with every major Texas school wanting in -- Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, and a hometown school in TCU -- as well as national powers like Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. A commitment to Texas in late November followed that of his good friend and teammate Daniel Gresham’s pledge to the ‘Horns in August.

The high school offensive tackle was considered a possible college tackle prospect early in the process, though the services now have him classified as an offensive guard, mostly because there are questions about his actual height -- there are pictures in which he appears to be closer to 6-3 than 6-5, too short to play tackle in college.

Even if the All Saints product and Ohio native can’t play outside in college, he projects well at guard because he’s a lean 300 pounds, with little to no bad weight on his frame. By staying lean and quick, Knox can pass set well enough to stop pass rushers in high school and show some good reactive body movement to mirror defenders. In the area of staying back and balanced in his cylinder, Knox can allow himself to get out on his toes at times, something he will need to correct moving forward.

In the run game, Knox has experience working out of two-point and three-point stances. Coming off the ball, he can show good leverage at the point of attack and at the second level, where he uses his flexibility to get under the pads of smaller defenders. Persistent enough to work to the whistle, Knox could stand to improve his overall punch and ability to plant smaller players on their backside, as he often ends up merely walling them off.

An increase in core and upper body strength when he gets into a college strength and conditioning program should allow Knox to become more adept at relieving opponents of their footing.

A sample from Knox’s Twitter:

Demetrius Knox’s Highlights (via Demetrius Knox)