Ross Pierschbacher, a consensus four-star offensive line prospect from Cedar Falls (Iowa) High School, has gotten plenty of attention from major college football programs. He holds scholarship offers from Alabama, Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford and Wisconsin, among others.
Ross Pierschbacher recruit scouting report: Tremendous guard prospect
Pierschbacher could end up playing either guard or tackle at the next level, considering his 6’4, 290-pound frame. He is ranked 10th among high school OTs by 247Sports, and 109th overall. Rivals also projects him at tackle and rates him similarly -- 10th at his position, 90th overall. Those rankings are pessimistic relative to the consensus, which has him at No. 62 overall.
Scout regards him as the second-best offensive guard in the 2014 class, while ESPN believes he’s the top guard in the country and a top-50 prospect. His performance in 2013 earned him a bid to the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game.
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Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Pierschbacher has everything I look for in an elite high school lineman. First, he has the ability via his frame to eventually play at more than 300 pounds. Second, he has the length to reach defenders. Third, he has excellent athleticism and short-area relative to his size that should translate as he adds on more muscle. Fourth, he plays with great bend and leverage, which means that a college coach won’t have to teach him to do that (always a risky proposition). Fifth, he is very nasty, exploding through his hips, bringing his feet, and finishing off blocks. Sixth, he is from Iowa and his name is Pierschbacher (this is not a requirement but I do think it is highly correlated to greatness).
Pierschbacher probably needs to redshirt to add the size that will allow him to dominate at the college level, but if he stays healthy, I expect him to turn into one of the best guards in college football.
