And Another One! 3 Star MD OT Timothy Lawson Joins The Cards

Commits just keep rolling in for the Cardinals football program. Another big time OL joins the flock in the form of 3 Star MD OT Timothy Lawson.

I’m God sent he sent me so I can relay this message #Committed #theville @Coach_Ledford @DreKates7 @RivalsFriedman @CoachSattUofL pic.twitter.com/CMOEtud7sy

— AyeTim (@flyastim) June 15, 2019

The 6’5 278 lbs Lawson chose UofL over offers from North Carolina, NC State, UK, Virginia, and West Virginia, among others. Safties Coach ShaDon Brown and OC/OL Coach Dwayne Ledford were Lawson’s primary recruiters for UofL per 247sports. Lawson plays for National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, MD.

A big, physical, agile OL, Timothy Lawson plays both OG and OT for his high school. He is quite adept at both because of his agility and power. Lawson makes 3 OL commits for UofL and Coach Satterfield seeks to add quality and depth to the position.

What do Lawson’s highlights tell us about the player UofL is getting? A powerful OL that is pretty polished. When pass protecting, he pops out of his stance quickly and has very good footwork. He uses his arms and hands well. When run blocking, he’s very good at sealing off defenders and opening holes. He gains leverage, stays low, and drives defenders away from the hole. When blocking he has a high motor and nasty disposition, favoring driving defenders as far back as possible and often times pancaking them.

With that overview of his talent, let’s look a little deeper at his skills.

Power/Run Blocking/Leverage

Lawson looks like a monster and plays like it too. He’s very strong and in quite a few highlights when run blocking, he can be seen driving defenders many yards downfield or away from the play. If he can’t drive them, he just stands them up and stonewalls them.

His power is evident when he’s run blocking. When his team runs to his side of the line, there is almost always a gaping hole for the RB.

In the second highlight on his tape, Lawson is lined up at RG. At the snap, he explodes and gets his hands on a DT. He literally drives that DT half way across the field opening up a huge hole for a big gain by his RB. He gets low, allowing him to get leverage on the DT. Lawson then drives his legs and uses his big arms to escort the DT forcefully across the field. What’s even better is he finishes the block, driving the poor DT violently into the ground.

Though not a run play, his very next highlight exhibits his power and leverage as well. It’s a quick pass to the flat on the left side of the field. Lawson is at RT. At the snap, he explodes and gets his hands on the DE. He proceeds to get low and drive the defender nearly off the field. It ends with the defender on the ground again.

Lawson is a bear and mauls opponents. It’s a beautiful thing to watch as a fan and terrifying to witness as an opponent.

Footwork/Pass Protection

I really like Lawson’s footwork and his pass protection. It might be my favorite part of his game. Lawson is quick to set up when pass blocking. He maintains a very good, wide base to anchor himself. He slides with ease to keep defenders in front of him. With his long arms and strength, he extends and punches the chest of the pass rusher keeping them off balance. He is very good at buying time for his QB to read the field and make the appropriate throw.

There really isn’t one highlight to point out. Just look at all his passing play highlights. It’s, for the most part text book pass blocking. I just love his ability to keep his wide anchoring base while moving. Lawson is so balanced and it gives his punching and pushing more power.

One play that I did like was one where he actually gets beat to the inside. However, Lawson has strong hands and was able to get a grip, without holding, and reestablish the block and drive the DE to the ground. To me, it showed perserverance. He was not going to allow the DE a free shot at his QB. To be able to do that without holding was impressive.

Lawson is going to give whoever his QB is plenty of time to throw. I think they’ll love him.

High Motor and Nasty Disposition When Blocking

Stop me if you’ve read this in the other breakdowns of OL commits, but Lawson plays with a high motor and he blocks with the intention of driving the opponent into the ground.

Just watch his highlights, especially the run blocking ones. He drives his legs in every single one, moving the defender against their will, and he does not stop til the whistle blows or the defender in on the ground.

If Timothy Lawson and his fellow 2020 linemen are the type of OL UofL is building the foundation of their offense on, the Cards will be in great position in the trenches for years to come. (On a side note, I can’t wait to see what our current crop of offensive linemen look like next year.)

Timothy Lawson is that nasty, big, athletic OL it’s clear Dwayne Ledford loves. He can be one of the anchors on UofL’s future offensive line. With his footwork, size, and pass blocking ability, I foresee him lining up at one of the tackle spots.

With Timothy Lawson’s commitment, UofL now has 13 commits and has a Top 25 class in 247sports rankings; checking in at number 25. Scott Satterfield and his staff have killed it so far in their first full recruiting cycle and they aren’t done yet.