Scouting Report: Jean Delance

Jean Delance received a scholarship offer from the University of Oklahoma on November 22nd, 2014, the same day that Samaje Perine ran for 427 yards in three quarters. Three days after that, the blue-chip Texas product was a commit.

"I went up there Saturday, got to see that amazing record by the freshman running back [Samaje Perine] and I really liked the people there as well as the campus and the facilities," Delance said. "Coach Cale Gundy has been recruiting me for a while. We have a great relationship. When they offered me Saturday, I put it up on Twitter and a lot of Oklahoma fans followed me and told me congrats and that made me feel good about getting an offer that I wanted."

Delance even offered a scouting report of himself.

"A guy with good athleticism, upside, good attitude, good personality and all my best football is years down the road."

Delance's relationship with Oklahoma changed, though, after the Oklahoma chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was caught on video chanting a segregationist song. He spoke about it in a first-person article for Bleacher Report, and while he tried to put it aside, something just wasn't the same. So he re-opened his recruitment.

He has since been courted by some of the best offensive line coaches in the nation. Charlie Strong and Joe Wickline at Texas have made him a priority, as has Jim Harbaugh and Tim Drevno at Michigan.

"I talked to Coach Saban about it too," Delance said in July, "and he said I'm a major target for [the Alabama staff], and they talk about that all the time."

His top five is rounded out by Urban Meyer and Ed Warinner at Ohio State, and Kevin Sumlin and Dave Christensen at Texas A&M. In the end, Delance will have to make a choice between some of the game's premier position coaches, as well as some of the most historic programs in college football. No easy task.

"All the schools have showed me much love from day one," said Delance. "These are some of the best schools, and I know they will fit me personally and my family. All the coaches are very down to earth. You can have real man-to-man talks with all of them."

Rankings

Offers: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia Southern, Houston, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, South Carolina, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin.

Scheme fit: Delance is a tackle all the way. He could thrive in any system, but his speed at the tackle spot would work terrifically for a spread team like Oregon or Baylor.

Strengths: Great speed.... Good core strength.... Moves his feet consistently.... Low pad level.... Great length.... Extremely quick first step.... Good balance.... Makes good choices on who to block downfield.... Quick decision-maker.... Seems savvy about avoiding penalties.... Very nice technique and body control for someone his age and size.

Weaknesses: Needs to add a little more weight.... Lacks a good initial punch.... Lays himself out on the ground too often to pancake one defender, instead of utilizing his balance to stay up and find another block.

Speed factor: 3.5 ^(?)

You'll have a hard time finding linemen running as far downfield as Delance does on some of his blocks. He rarely goes at 100%, but when he does he could almost rival some of his teammates at the skill positions.

Delance is an exciting player for a lot of reasons. He seems like a heady teammate, a hard-working player, and a great talent. He's up to 291 pounds now, in his final season of high school ball. He's also switched over to the left side of the offensive line. Overall, Delance wll have a chance to contribute early wherever he ends up, and the team that gets him will be very pleased with his skill set.

More links on Jean Delance:

Jean Delance Talks About Alabama | Texas Players Recruiting Delance