Recruit Snapshot: Jeremias Heard
Every player that is able to play any sport in the NCAA is an exceptional physical specimen. Prospects will be told they need to develop to play at the level, but to get to participate in those discussions requires being an excellent athlete. For a player to dramatically stand out at that level is difficult, however it is something Model High School (Rome, GA) defensive end and Tennessee commit Jeremias Heard definitely accomplishes.
The Elephant in the Room
No sense in beating around the
bush. The elephant in the room regarding Heard is, well, Heard can look an elephant in the eye. At 6’9” and 290 pounds, Jeremias Heard is the largest athlete ever covered by Your High School Sports. It is almost comedic how Heard towers over other players, even players with good size in their own right. In person, he makes pretty average sized high school offensive tackles look like middle school players, and he makes skill position players look like children. Heard was over a foot taller than some of his opponents in Model’s game against Fannin County. The height, weight, strength, and wingspan are just unheard of in high school football, and even at the FBS level. Heard is a unique physical prospect, possibly one of the most unique in the entire country.
The Sky is the Limit
Now, Heard was blessed with tremendous physical gifts, and while his size is the first thing any honest evaluator will notice about him, it isn’t all that is there. Heard, at 290 pounds, moves like a linebacker. He plays the read option exceptionally well, plays through blocks, and pursues plays from behind. So, at 290 pounds, Heard shows athleticism of a player 60 or 70 pounds lighter. At the size Heard plays at, players with similar body types can often struggle to move fluidly, control their body, or run well in space.
None of these issues are problematic for Heard, however. He moves quickly, has superb feet, excellent agility for his size, and displays good body control. Much of this can be contributed to Heard’s extensive experience as an accomplished basketball player. Particularly his excellent feet, conditioning, and body control come from his work on the hardwood. That basketball career also means that the 2023 season is just Heard’s second season playing football. That means Heard is still developing the finer points of playing the game, and still has the opportunity to maximize his physical gifts and rare skills with more polished technique. The ceiling for how good Heard can become is almost as tall as he is.
Turning the Big Man Loose
Now, Heard still has a lot of development to do. His football fundamentals need to be taught and refined, and he has a lot still to learn. He did not show the physical dominance anticipated. Some of that was due to the system and what Heard is asked to do in the defense, but the dominance was not there consistently. At least until the last drive of the game, then it was on display.
Fannin County needed to put together a drive to try to tie on their last drive of the game. The Rebels managed to score the touchdown, went for two and the win, and came up short. While the Rebels managed to score, the Model Devil’s did not make it easy on them, thanks in large part to Heard. In the final drive, the Model coaching staff took the leash off of Heard, and let him be the explosive and devastating pass rusher his tools showed he could be. At 6’9” and 290, Heard was turning the corner clean on speed rushes against the tackle, showed a nice rip move, and bull rushed a tackle all the way back, more or less throwing him at the quarterback. That last drive seemed to be when the coaches let Heard go after the quarterback, and he looked like he could have starred as the villain of a Godzilla movie. He wreaked havoc, and in that drive, it is clear what Tennessee and Josh Heupel saw in Heard that made them offer him earlier this year, while Heard was a relative unknown. That is the monster that Tennessee knew was in there, and it is a sight to behold.
Getting the Most Out of the Monster
Heard is immensely talented, but raw, needing development. Enter Tennessee Defensive Line Coach Rodney Garner, who is in the discussion for the best position coach in America. If anyone can get the maximum return on Heard’s talent while developing the skills and technique required to be an elite player, it is Rodney Garner. Look no further than what Garner has developed on Tennessee’s current defensive front. The Vols have one of the best units in the country, and a player like Heard is dangerous addition to that room.
It is worth noting that Heard played some offense as well in jumbo packages. The Devils run behind him, and with good reason. On one scoring play, Heard pancaked one man, chipped a linebacker, and then washed another linebacker to.the opposite side of the formation. Heard has incredible height, wingspan, strength, and superb feet, even more so for his size. Even at 6’9”, Heard does a good job of staying low in his stance and staying low firing out of it. That sounds like the recipe of an offensive line coach’s dream of a left tackle. While Heard is committed to Tennessee as a defensive lineman, his size and skills are likely to have Glen Elarbee lobbying to get him a look on the offensive line in Knoxville. Either way, Heard is a big prospect that has the potential to make an even bigger impact when he reaches the next level. Heard may be the most interesting prospect Tennessee has in this cycle.
