UofL Football is scorching hot on the recruiting trail recently and it doesn’t look like it will cool down anytime soon. Tonight, 3 Star FL OT Kobe Baynes committed to UofL Football.
Committed✅ #FlyVille20 #BoBs💀 pic.twitter.com/r3I9xxol60
— Sandman⚰️🥞 (@baynes_kobe) June 12, 2019
The 6’4 301 lbs Baynes chose UofL over offers from South Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Ole Miss, among others per 247sports. He plays for Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, FL.
Baynes is a massive yet athletic OT. He plays some OG as well and he excels at both positions for Sandalwood. Baynes is UofL’s second OL commit in a row and also has a really cool nickname of Sandman.
Check out this highlight!https://t.co/6po71IRpBc Junior Year went by too fast! I’m reloading next year 🗣
— Sandman⚰️🥞 (@baynes_kobe) November 10, 2018
I reviewed Baynes highlights and my goodness this young man is a massive monster; think Mekhi Becton, but a few inches shorter. Powerful yet graceful, Baynes is yet another commit that plays with a nasty attitude. Driving a defender to the ground and/or flattening them like a pancake is something you can tell he loves to do. He has the strength to obliterate defenders during a running play, but the quickness and footwork to stay in front of one on passing plays. Pulling and becoming like a 300 lbs FB is a part of his game and, as pointed out about other prospects, something UofL coaches seem to value. Strong hands and long arms allow Baynes to maintain his leverage and, therefore, his blocks. Baynes plays with a high motor; another common trait of UofL commits lately.
Now let’s delve a little deeper into his tape and skills to give you a better understanding of what Kobe Baynes is bringing to Dwayne Ledford’s Band of Brothers.
Strength
Baynes is such a strong human being. He manhandled most anyone across from him in his highlights. In his very first highlight, Baynes is lined up at OT and it’s a passing play. At the snap, the defender tries to get low and overpower Baynes to push him in the backfield. Baynes had none of it. He anchored, stonewalled the poor fellow, and then violently shoved him to the ground. Baynes wasn’t finished as he then landed all 300 lbs on top of the defender.
In numerous plays, Baynes is either driving defenders into the ground or just shoving them and sending them flying backwards and flat on their back. On the ones he shoves, he’s not content to let them lay there. He finishes the block by dropping his 300 lbs forcefully upon them.
His strength is such a huge asset for him and will be very helpful against the defensive lines he will face in the ACC.
Quickness/Agility/Footwork
For such a large man, Baynes moves downright gracefully on the field. He has such quick feet, being able to pop up out of his stance at the snap and move laterally.
One play that displays this ability. He’s lined up at OG on the goal line. It’s a bootleg pass to his side of the field. The blocking scheme calls for him to actually slide to his right and block a DE. At the snap, he easily maneuvers to that spot and gets his hands on the DE. It was smoothly done; no trip, no loss of balance. Then he manhandles the poor DE and drives him into the ground.
Another place where his agility and footwork show up is when he pulls. There are numerous highlights of Baynes pulling both as an OG and, surprisingly, as an OT. He quickly pops up out of his stance and quickly moves down the length of the line to the hole. It’s very smooth with no wasted movement or loss of balance. He then, with a full head of steam seeks out some poor defender and mauls them like a bear.
UofL coaches covet agility and quickness in their OL. Baynes has that ability and it makes him a truly special prospect.
Pass Blocking and Run Blocking
Baynes is adept at both pass blocking and run blocking due to his strength and agility.
When pass blocking he is able to move quickly to cut off a rushing defender. He’s able to move his feet and keep his knees bent to stay in front and maintain control. He extends his arms to keep the defender from negating his size and strength. His hands are strong and once he gets them on his defender the rarely move anywhere, but backward.
When run blocking, he engulfs defenders and is constantly destroying them. Highlight after highlight, he is able to bend his knees and maintain leverage, driving defenders back; sometimes many yards. The blocks almost always end up with the defender driven into the ground. He is very good at pulling and acting as a 300 lbs FB; hitting the hole and leaving a path a small car could drive through. I love, as well, his ability to seal off defenders on certain blocks. He’s able to maneuver adeptly into position and create a seal that gives the RB a nice hole.
High Motor and Nasty Attitude
Baynes is such an intense guy on the field. He plays every snap with 100% effort. When he blocks, he does not give half effort. He’s always full go and that is undoubtedly something the staff noticed and likes.
His attitude, though, is something that really makes him stand out. As I mentioned with yesterday’s commit Austin Collins, Baynes also has a nasty edge to him on the field. He takes pride in bruising and brutalizing opponents; within the rules of course. As mentioned above, he loves to finish blocks by either driving the defender into the ground or shoving them down violently and then finishing it off by landing all 300 lbs on them. He seems to seek to intimidate with every play.
Kobe Baynes is a very talented OL that I can foresee lining up at tackle for UofL’s offensive line. His quickness and agility are special and will allow him to be used uniquely in blocking schemes should the staff choose to do so. UofL seems to prefer linemen that are mobile and explosive which fits the description of one Kobe Baynes. Baynes is very strong and powerful as well; capable of mauling defenders mercilessly. Sending opponents flailing onto their butts and driving them violently into the ground is his specialty. He enjoys the physical nature of offensive line and enjoys inflicting punishment on opponents.
UofL is getting a key piece to their offensive line and the future of their program. Kobe Baynes is a truly talented OL that can become an anchor for the line and, under Dwayne Ledford’s tutelage, has the potential to be an All-Conference type of player.
With Baynes’ commitment,Scott Satterfield now has 9 commits in the 2020 class. The class ranking now stands at 38th nationally per 247sports.
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