Breaking down the Cross commitment

Boston College accepted a commitment from De'Vante Cross late Thursday and EagleAction.com has the latest.

First a note has to be made: Cross is an athlete, not a quarterback according to the Boston College coaching staff. That much we can confirm.

That's not a surprise. When we first reported on Cross over the summer that's what sources told us at the time. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound prospect is listed as a dual-threat quarterback on his Rivals.com profile page and like most quarterbacks he would probably like the idea of continuing to run the show behind center. But Boston College has remained adamant than Anthony Brown is their only quarterback target and take in the 2015 class, so every time a supposed quarterback option has emerged sources have quickly shot it down.

BC often toes that sometimes-fine line between strict dual-threat and a dual-threat/athlete combo. Sometimes the former turns out to be an athlete anyways. You just don't always know until you get them in the program.

The reason: There are a precious few dual-threats that are seen as sure-fire successes at quarterback by any college staff. That seems to be a no-brainer, but for the purposes of scholarship allotment is something that coaches tread carefully with. Even with more quarterbacks running spread offenses in high school, which means dual-threats can be more easily evaluated in terms of how they translate to the next level, oftentimes a dual-threat still has a steeper learning curve in college because the athleticism gap between him and the competition goes from significant to non-existent. And some players who are easily able to put on cruise control against inferior high school competition, as just faster and more explosive, don't have to refine their arm or mechanics as much as pro-styles that don't have the same athleticism advantage.

That BC sees Brown as a quarterback and Cross as an athlete tells us a little something about how the coaching staff views the two players. Both are important, as indicated by their "take" status.

On to Cross

BC's willingness to accept Cross' commitment also tells us something about how much the staff likes Cross.

First, with a relatively limited number of spots remaining -- even if it seems like we've been saying that for several commitments now, and yes, the goal posts do seem to be forever in flux -- any commitment that's taken now is going to be a player the staff likes. It may seem to be later in the process but that's because so many players committed early. There are still four months 'til Signing Day and we've profiled the other defensive backs and athletes BC is recruiting (Myles Hartsfield, Eric Burrell, two 'silent' targets).

Also, remember that we've said BC was looking for players at a few positions. The offensive line, the secondary and running back were the three priorities with those limited remaining numbers.

That could be a strong indication that Boston College sees Cross as a defensive back.

Could it mean something with regard to the direction of Hartsfield's recruitment? It's too early to say. That's something that may play out in the weeks ahead. We haven't heard anything definitive yet

Cross attends the same high school that Andre Williams was at in high school so BC's got a very nice prestige level there.

His offer isn't new so it's not like he moved from possible target to the commitment he now is. When BC offered Cross the Pennsylvania prospect told EagleAction.com that he knows Williams "a little bit," but more significantly has familiarity because he played with Williams' younger brother Kareem.

Scouting Cross

Cross' other offers have come from Albany, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Delaware State, Monmouth, Rhode Island, Robert Morris, Stony Brook, Syracuse, Towson and Villanova.

"Boston College is the first school that's offered me as an athlete," Cross said over the summer when BC offered. "The rest are (offering him as a) quarterback. My whole philosophy is, right now, if I can play quarterback then I will. If not I can always play another position. First I want to try to do what I do now."

So with 'athlete' the apparent future for Cross, what athletic tools does he bring to the Heights?

He said at summer camps he measured between 6-foot and 6-foot-1, 185-190 pounds. That's a solid frame and that's good length if he's a defensive back. It's worth noting that we haven't heard anything about the possibility of receiver one way or another.

Sometimes it's tough to evaluate a high school quarterback for another position. In Cross' case most of his production has actually been as a passer. And he's not a bad passer. We haven't heard this from any sources but in the case of a injury or depleted depth chart it's totally possible that he could be called upon even if that's not his aim.

When running the read-option Cross' athleticism is on display. He's got great elusiveness, balance and body control and that should translate well to the secondary, where body control, hips, footwork, balance -- all of those things are necessary and not helpful. If the coaches feel good about those attributes in Cross, and they should, then it makes their work of coaching him a lot easier. That's assuming he plays defensive back.

Cross has good start-stop acceleration and brakes. That could be a positive sign that his closing speed and the way he breaks on the ball will develop into what you want to see. Or if he plays on offense it would certainly help him to be a strong weapon on short passes like screens and slants.

Cross is a real natural as an athlete. By that it's meant that the game appears to come easy. Some players think they're fast but play out of control to reach the level of game speed they need. That leads to overpursuit, mental errors and missteps. Cross is the player that seems like he's gliding. At times you might wonder whether he's running full speed, but he's moving faster than it often looks and when he wants you can tell that there's another gear. Again, that could closing speed and the ability to make up ground.

If he's in the secondary Cross will still have a lot to prove. There will be a learning curve and maybe a steep one. The college transition is one thing. Quarterback-to-elsewhere is another.

Even if he has the potential for good ball skills, cover instincts, the athleticism required, the body type, etc. -- that's different than the track record of it. Time will tell but it's good to find a player that has what you're looking for in that respect. He does seem to have all the tools.