[LeeCoUKFan]

Snodgrass will give UK burst of speed

Justin Rowland
Special to CatsIllustrated.com

Kentucky's unanticipated recruiting success has turned heads and caused national media figures to examine the causes. One high school coach in Ohio understands the attraction.

Thaddeus Snodgrass was one of Kentucky's earliest commits this year back in April and he hasn't shown any signs of wavering. Just a year or two before he may never have envisioned himself committing to Kentucky, but when Mark Stoops assembled his staff he quickly warmed to the school.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pound receiver from Springfield (Ohio) brings a lot to the table, according to his coach Eric Gillespie.

"First and foremost it's his speed," Gillespie said. "He runs a 4.33 in the forty and not a whole lot of guys can do that. The guy's a senior in high school running that, too. You know he's going to get faster in college. That's one thing. He's an explosive athlete."

On the other hand Gillespie and Snodgrass both know that great athleticism alone doesn't guarantee a great college or professional career. Snodgrass' success beyond high school will be determined by how he develops in the technical aspects of his position.

"Most high school receivers, I think, when they get to college they have to improve their route running, their coverage recognition, how they adjust routes due to coverage and those kinds of things" he said. "It's the minute details and the intricacies of being a complete receiver. The lower level you go down the more successful you can be just off athletic ability. The higher level you get to the more you have to improve your craft. He just needs to keep improving his craft and work on the art of being a great receiver in the subtle details."

Gillespie said he has found Snodgrass to be very easy to coach. He said the four-star prospect works daily on catching balls and running routes and is self-motivated. He expects that to continue in college.

This fall will be Snodgrass' third season as a varsity starter though he missed half of his sophomore season due a shoulder injury that did not hold him back as a junior. That issue appears to be well behind him.

Not long ago a player of Snodgrass' caliber might have only given Kentucky a passing glance. But when he pledged to the Cats earlier this year Gillespie wasn't surprised.

"Ultimately the reason why he did it was that was the school he had been to the most," Gillespie said. "If you visit a school more than once there's probably a reason why. There's something about Kentucky that he likes that caused him to go and visit multiple times."

Gillespie also noted that he understands why top high school talents are committing to the Wildcats.

"As a receiver you're a guy that wants to be involved in offenses that are known for throwing the ball. The offensive staff is coming from Texas Tech and that's going to entice a lot of guys to come in.

"Obviously coach (Vince) Marrow is on the staff. I can see why that guy can come in and get kids. Obviously he commands respect around kids but he can also get with them on their level. He developed a really good relationship with (Snodgrass). I can see why kids choose Kentucky based on his recruiting," he continued.

"Another thing is the proximity from home. What I try to do for kids is to develop a rubric in terms of the five things that are most important to you in terms of making your college decision. Everything that is football is all lumped into one. Coaches, weight room ... that's all football. The proximity from home, whether or not they have their major, whether you fit in, and for kids that aren't getting scholarships whether it's financially a good fit.

"I think (Kentucky) had what he's looking for and he felt like it was a place where he could fit in. The proximity was definitely great. If a kid can play in the SEC and be a little over two hours from home that would be enticing to a lot of Ohio kids.

"For whatever reason if they don't feel like they're a great fit for Ohio State, maybe they're overlooked or want to play in the SEC, that opportunity is great. If you're a couple of hours from home you can drive home on the weekends.

"If you go play at Alabama your family probably isn't going to be able to get to see you at every game. But if you play at Kentucky your family can see you play every home game and maybe a couple on the road."

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1520981