Player Spotlight: Jacobian
Guillory
By B.R. Battle
Photo by Mike Scarborough, TigerBait.com
Alexandria, Louisiana native, Jacobian Guillory, the unanimous
top-ranked defensive lineman in his home state, is as impressive of a prospect and
young man that you will see at the high school level. Guillory stands at 6-foot-3, weighs 331
pounds and has the strength and quickness to warrant constant double, and
sometimes triple teams from his opposition. Not only is he the perfect build
for an all-star defensive tackle, Jacobian is also a bright and intelligent
young man, evident in his desire to pursue a degree in Computer Science from
whatever school he decides to sign with after his senior season.
Guillory is the prototypical defensive tackle that has all the
tools to be successful at the next level.
He is physical at the point of attack with deceptive quickness and hand
speed for a guy of his size. His non-stop
motor reminds me of a young Casey Hampton…a player whose 12 year NFL career
culminated in 2 Super Bowl championships and a spot on the Pittsburgh Steeler’s
75th anniversary team. Guillory’s
strength, at this level of his maturation process, is what sets him apart from
his peers. He attributes that to emulating
a current NFL star by the name of Ndamukong Suh.
“He’s (Suh) my
favorite defensive player. He doesn’t necessarily play my position but he
bounces around the D-line,” Guillory said.
“I like the way he (Suh) sheds blocks and takes care of the double team
and makes plays. He’s a really big part of the defensive front that
the (Los Angeles) Rams have.”
After
watching his junior season highlights, it is easy to see the influence Suh’s
dominant style has on Jacobian’s game.
He is constantly double and triple-teamed; however, Guillory continues
to consistently make plays, especially in his opponent’s backfield.
“I
attempt to get better leverage against my opponents by staying low and keeping
my feet moving so I don’t get knocked off balance,” said Guillory. This is definitely true in regards to his
playing style, due to him rarely being pushed back once the ball is
snapped. Instead, Guillory’s motor
repeatedly propels him to push opposing offensive lineman backwards, mostly
resulting in an overpowering pancake block to the ground.
Guillory
is not a player that will shy away from competition or the pressure of becoming
a great player. I asked a hypothetical
question of what position he would play on the offensive side of the ball if he
was asked to switch positions. Without
hesitation, Guillory stated he would play left tackle.
“That’s
the quarterback’s blind side and (the left tackle) is basically the guy that makes
or breaks your quarterback,” said Guillory.
‘I like all that pressure to be on me.”
Although
it is still early in the recruiting process, Guillory states that his top 5
schools thus far are LSU, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State.
He later states that these schools have shown the most interest in him, and
that is why they currently lead in his recruitment. Guillory also declares that, in regards to
scheme, each of these five schools play a similar defensive scheme of using a nose
guard and two defensive ends; therefore, no one school’s defense poses as an
advantage over the others. He did assure
that whatever school he chooses to go to, he will be up to the challenge to
play wherever they decide to place him.
Guillory
visited LSU this past summer during their annual Offensive and Defensive Line
camp. He was definitely one of the
better players in that camp, prompting the Tigers to present Guillory with a scholarship
offer. Guillory also visited Alabama
during their recent Junior Day camp, and has plans to visit Texas and LSU in
the next couple of weeks.
Guillory’s
upcoming senior season will be one to watch to assess his progress and track
his maturation as a player. He states
that his main goals for the upcoming season are to win a state championship,
while also slimming down to the 305 to 310-pound range in order to make him a
quicker and faster player. If Jacobian
is able to maintain his dominant strength, while also increasing his speed, he
will have even more of dominant senior season than his previous very
accomplished junior season. Louisiana
offensive lineman…consider yourself warned.
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