Lawrence OL Corcoran a name to watch

I was in Lawrence about a week ago, watching the annual rivalry game between Lawrence High and Lawrence Free State. The two schools are home to a few of the best prospects in the Sunflower State.

At Free State, everyone knows about junior Jax Dineen, who should have some opportunities to be a fullback at the FBS level. I’m not sure how it will work out for him, but at least Kansas State and Arkansas are a bit interested right now. Plus, his brothers played at KU and the Jayhawks have already offered him.

Keenan Garber is a cornerback and wideout for Free State and he stood out as well. I knew about him going in. He should be someone that garners offers from Power Five programs. Everyone knows about Ekow Boye-Doe of Lawrence, and he recently committed to K-State.

But the new prospect that jumped out to me was sophomore offensive tackle Turner Corcoran of Free State. At 6-6 and 270 pounds, and with two and a half years of high school remaining, the arrow is definitely pointed upward in terms of his potential.

Corcoran dominated against Lawrence High, and though it is Kansas high school football, that is strong competition all things considered.

He also didn't just dominate the competition - he was a driving force in the win. He had the mean streak that linemen need and was someone that his teammates looked to for leadership and direction already. That stood out to me the most since he may not be legally old enough to drive a car just yet but his teammates already trust him and rely on him that much.

There’s a lot to like and it begins with size. That is God-given and you can’t develop it. Because 6-6 and 270-pound sophomore linemen - with no bad weight - don't grow on trees. That is not a body that you have to clean up. It isn’t a body that you have to transform once he arrives on campus. It’s also not something he has to spend a great amount of work on and can develop more of the skills and traits associated with the positon, rather than focusing on his diet like some younger linemen prospects have to do.

I loved his motor and nastiness. He doesn’t take plays off. He takes pride in burying defensive linemen, whether they’re ends or tackles. He drove a senior off the ball and down the field 35 yards during one single play and then finished him off by smashing him into the ground. That’s something you don’t typically see from juniors, let alone sophomores. Corcoran has prototypical size for a left tackle but the mentality and "pissed off, rolling downhill" nature of an interior lineman. It’s a heck of a combination.

He’s a devastating run blocker, which comes as no surprise. He’s bigger and badder than everyone. Kids in Kansas don’t have a chance against him when he’s rolling downhill. Corcoran can take them all for a ride.

Pass blocking wasn’t bad. But it also wasn’t polished. He won his battles simply by being a better football player, prospect and athlete. It would have been nice to see him block Eric Galbreath of Lawrence but the senior for the Lions was out with an injury. The footwork seemed correct but needed to be more fluid and quicker. It’s something that can be improved with time.

Strength will come because of his size. He needs to be stronger but that is going to be easy. That will just take more years of maturation and more time in the weight room. It has nothing to do with work ethic or size. It has everything to do with just not having enough years on this planet just yet. So, while it is an area of improvement, it’ll improve by him just getting older and spending more time pumping iron.

Once he does get stronger, his punch will be better. He’ll have more powerful hands and be able to manipulate his opponent and leverage foes with much more ease. Corcoran does that now, but does it against guys that won’t sniff the level of football that he will.

He’ll be able to play earlier in his college career if he finds a way to be a more polished pass blocker. Every lineman comes to college knowing the basics of run-blocking and being able to do so. It’s not a difficult thing to learn and one that's typically engrained at a young age. Very few linemen come to college knowing about anything to do with pass protection. That's a way to get a leg up and something that I think he’d be capable of concentrating on during his senior year. His footwork actually isn’t too bad for a high school sophomore, and if his motor in games is any indication, he’s going to be relentless at getting better in every facet during the offseasons.

If all goes well, and if he stays on the same trajectory, there’s a very real chance that Corcoran collects offers from programs such as Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State - and other blue bloods and offensive line schools - in addition to Kansas State.

As of now, he has no offers but I’d expect that to change very soon. He’s a hell of a player and one that is going to intrigue every offensive line coach in America. But he needs to perfect his skills and craft. He has all the tools necessary to be a blue-chip prospect. Now begins the hard work in becoming that type of player.

He has everything you can’t teach. Colleges and everyone else watching will now find out if he has the desire to develop in areas that can be taught. I wouldn’t bet against him.