As news of Jerome Washington’s ’12 commitment to the University of Miami continues to spread, it has become increasingly clear how extraordinary his path to Coral Gables was. Graham Nolen of Elite Football Network explains why in the following piece.
Miami Adds Unusual TE Commitment to 2015 Class
Miami picked up a commitment today from tight end Jerome Washington out of Mercer County Community College. This is one of the most bizarre commitments we will see all season because while Jerome Washington has been playing football at Mercer Community College in New Jersey this fall, he has not been playing for a varsity team but rather a club team at the university, a club team that is designed to get under-recruited college football players exposure to Division I schools.
Mercer C.C. plays a schedule that consists of NCAA JV teams, junior college teams, and prep schools. This is Washington’s first year with the Gattaca program after receiving no major offers out of high school or after his post-grad year at Gunnery Prep. Miami received his tape last week along with other FBS programs and made him an offer within days. Washington plans to arrive in January and will have four years to play four.
Turning to Washington as a player, he fills a major need for the Canes. By the time he enrolls in Miami he will already be two years removed from high school, which should mean he will be physically ready to contribute right away. At 6′ 5″, 255 pounds, he has the size of a Power 5 tight end and is a gifted athlete as he runs and cuts smoothly for somebody with his size.
Washington is a natural pass catcher that is utilized in vertical routes and deep posts and makes an impact down the field. He has natural ball skills as he is able to rise above defenders and get the ball at its high point.
As a blocker, it is hard to evaluate from the tape as the ends and linebackers he blocks are much smaller than him, which won’t happen at Miami. However, he is often used to block cornerbacks on wide receiver screens and does an admirable job staying with the much smaller players in open space, very impressive for someone his size.
The main negative about him is that the competition he has been playing against has been very poor. If you watch his film it looks like he could be playing against high schoolers as he sometimes looks a head taller than everyone on the field.
If he received no major attention out of high school and after his prep year, it’s reasonable to wonder whether or not his outstanding tape is the result of worse competition as opposed to an improvement on his part, only time will tell.
Miami is taking a chance on Washington just given his odd path and simply how little is known about him, but it is reassuring to hear that the coaches decided to offer him almost instantly after seeing his tape.
Miami is also in a bind at the tight end position in their 2015 class. Bowman Archibald flipped to Wake Forest a few months ago and longtime Cane lean Devonaire Clarington might be facing difficulties qualifying and also might be looking more favorably at some SEC schools.
Either way, Miami needed a guy who could come in and make an immediate impact to back up Stan Dobard next year. The other options are freshman Chris Herndon who is currently redshirting, converted defensive end Jake O’Donnell, and converted quarterback Gray Crow, and, at least from a physical standpoint they have that in Washington.
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