the recruit: Sean Cascarano

I would have written some more of these over Christmas, only I didn't. In any case there are about six more recruits I haven't yet covered, and hopefully I'll have to add another couple to the pile by February.

Name: Sean Cascarano
Position: OT
Hometown: Glenview, IL
School: Glenbrook South
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 270

ESPN: 40 (hasn't bothered)
Rivals: 5.7, three stars, #40 OT, #12 prospect in IL
Scout: 2 stars, #105 OT

The coaches are looking to add some more offensive linemen to the class of 2009 and seem likely to bring in at least two more, but if they don't, Sean Cascarano will be the biggest one of the class and probably the highest rated. Cascarano was the best player this year on a very good Glenbrook South squad and shuffled around a bit on the offense, outside of his usual spot at right tackle. Here you can find pictures of the Glenbrook South squad; Cascarano wears #58 and lines up occasionally on the left side as well as the right, and at fullback as well in what looks like a wishbone-ish goal line set.

This speaks to some athleticism and versatility, and my rather unfounded flyer of an opinion on that is that Groh saw in Cascarano a player who could be moved to play guard and fit right in with our pulling-guard offensive scheme. That'd be our old one, of course, but the spread requires no less athleticism in its linemen. Not to mention that Cascarano scored a 29 on the ACT and Gregg Brandon is looking for smarts in his players to help them pick up the schemes and timing quickly.

Cascarano committed in June, by which time he was already drawing interest from around the Big Ten. MSU and IU had offered; had Cascarano not fallen in love with UVA at the prospects' camp, Illinois and Iowa probably would have sent offers too. That, and the first-team all state selections lead me to believe Scout is full of crap sticking him with a two-star rating, and if ESPN were to send a scout to take a look, he'd garner about a 77 or 78.

Don't expect Cascarano to step into the two-deep right away like Austin Pasztor; at 270 pounds he's not quite there. The trick is to get another 20 pounds on the kid while keeping his footwork and athleticism. That's what redshirt years are for. But he's got the brains and the quickness to excel in the spread; if Groh and Brandon last beyond this year, Cascarano might fit exactly the mold of lineman they're looking for.