Edison Tiger earning his stripes

Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

Edison High School in Fresno has been known for two things in the Central Valley of California: speed and producing college football talent.

After the Tigers produced three more college football prospects in free safety Justin Holmes (Fresno State), strong safety Ronnie Manning (Northern Arizona) and quarterback Khari McGee (Arizona) through the 2013 class, looks like class of 2014 athlete Kevin Nutt Jr. will keep the college coaches flocking to West Fresno.

While all the buzz in the West side of Fresno may have been the exciting play of McGee as a dual-threat passer, Nutt provided explosive plays that generated even more excitement for the Tigers on Friday and Saturday nights.

Upon further review, Nutt could be one of the most explosive offensive weapons in the state and, after a surprise performance at the New Level Badger 7-on-7 tournament on Saturday, March 2 in Las Vegas, Nutt also showed some defensive game on the field.

As a running back, Nutt can turn heads with his speed. He's got an explosive burst through the hole and won't hesitate from hitting it. When he sees daylight, forget it, Nutt will turn on the jets and use his 4.4 40-yard dash speed to scorch the football turf. I'm even more blown away by his elusiveness. He can run around defenders and has good eyes to spot openings on the field while carrying the ball.

At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, he's obviously lacking ideal size for an every-down running back right now. He does tend to run upright and can work on consistently staying low to the ground with the ball. One area that may also impress colleges is his blocking ability. Even with a relatively small stature, Nutt hits like a fullback with his blocking and can knock a defender off of his feet.

At the recent Las Vegas tournament, Nutt reportedly was placed in as a defensive back and took advantage of being on the field. Nutt blanketed wide receivers and closed fast on the football. His performance in Vegas helped land him a recent University of Houston offer.

If he ends up playing in the secondary, I'll be curious to see how he does as a press cover corner. He's got the speed to be an effective man coverage player and has the closing speed to play safety. However, with his big plays last season on offense, it's likely he'll generate more interest as an offensive player. He's also currently running track this spring and runs a 10.9 100 meter dash. He could also be a state track and field qualifier along with being the next highly recruited Edison Tiger.

More on Nutt can be found here.