A closer look at Ryan Gibson

Before we get into the tape, there's a couple of tidbits on Gibson to mention, beginning with the fact that he was rated at guard, center, and tackle between the four recruiting services. Of those four, Scout was the only site to project the Mississippi native at the position he'll eventually play at Cal. They have him as the 15th ranked center in the country, at least at the time that this post is being written.

#Cal commit Ryan Gibson plays OT for St. Stanislaus HS, but is the backup center. That's where Bears like him. Knows all calls in the TFS.

— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) June 19, 2014

[Other plug: Gorcey has a free interview with the 6'2, 270 pound Mississippi native available here.]

This is something else of interest to me, since Cal has had so little success with this position as of late. Take a look:

Among the players we've had snap for us, most seem to be making the transition to center only after high school, and many of them weren't expected to play there at all, with Gibson falling somewhere in between both extremes. Some of these guys were forced to move due to injury -- Rigsbee, for example -- but even the ones who projected at center -- Brazinski, Cochran -- have had trouble performing the basic demands of the position at the college level.

Is it because the guys we recruited did little shotgun snapping in high school, a skill they surely need to play in the Bear Raid? Is it an inability to do so while managing the increased demand of line calls and blitz pickups? Is it that center is inherently more difficult to transition to and project generally, and if so, why? Or, seeing as the problem has persisted for years and across several different OL coaches, is it simply Cal specific and them not developing properly once they get to campus?

These questions are worth worth keeping an eye on, and perhaps worth asking Coach about in the future, because Gibson is a bit of recent rarity -- a guy who was taken with the intent to play him at center. [Yes, I realize that this data is also somewhat impacted because there is only one starter at that position, compared to guard and tackle.]

Now, with that out of the way with, let's head to the film, keeping in mind some highly desired traits for linemen by our staff:

• "Great motor" - Effort. Does he play whistle to whistle? Does he finish blocks? Does he look for additional defenders to take care of once his assignment is done? Does he keep moving at all times, or does he take plays off, coasting on his athleticism and size?
• "Great drive" - I'm not completely sure, but I think this is separate from motor, and that Coach Yenser is deploying it to refer to a lineman's ability to consistently generate push, rather than as a synonym for desire. That would be redundant.
• "Plays with a mean streak"- There isn't a single offensive line coach anywhere who doesn't want this quality out of their players. You have to be tough up front if you want to set the tone, because the offensive line does battle 70+ times a game. It takes a certain edge to not only want to win those matchups, but to keep winning.
• "Great feet" - Lateral quickness, ability to get to the second level, general agility and ease of movement. This becomes increasingly crucial in the Bear Raid offense.
• "Uses his leverage very well" - This one, I have less of a solid handle on explaining, so if anyone wants to show up with a better definition, please feel free to help out. The way I understand it, though, playing with leverage on the offensive line means being able to get in good positions/manipulate space, attacking opposing defenders/linemen at the proper angles, and keeping appropriate pad level. All of these factor into quality number two: drive.