Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville RB Commit Rueben Owens II
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has landed one of their highest-ranked prospects in program history, as Class of 2023 running back Rueben Owens II has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.
Here is Louisville Report's full evaluation:
Prospect: Rueben Owens II
Position: Running Back
Vitals: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
School: El Campo (Tex.) HS
Top Offers: Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, USC
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.9902 (16th)
Rueben Owens II's Junior Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)
Frame: Unsurprisingly, Owens has a very well-built frame. His arms and upper body as a whole is fleshed out to say the least, and his lower body carries a fair amount of muscle without being too stocky. That being said, he still has plenty of room to add weight and muscle, which is a scary thought.
Athleticism: Right off the bat when watching his film, Owens' incredible burst jumps out immediately. Thanks in part to his background in track & field (ran a 10.96 100-yard dash as a sophomore), he can go from close to a stand-still to nearly top speed almost instantly. His short-area agility is also next-level, as he can stop-and-go with ease and efficiently redirect without having to sacrifice much speed and momentum. Of course, he also has a healthy amount of open field speed.
Instincts: Not only is Owens athletically gifted, he knows how to use that athleticism to attack what the defense gives him. His ball-carrier vision is outstanding when running up the middle, as he can both find holes in the line extremely quickly and doesn't need a lot of room to get through them. Once he finds the hole, he shoots through like a bullet on the other side. Though he is more of a north-south runner, he's also dangerous on stretch plays. When running to the outside, he executes quick jukes to perfection, giving himself a better angle to the boundary, then using his speed to put the defender behind him.
Polish: Part of what makes Owens so efficient is that he demonstrates good balance on all levels of the field. That, coupled with a somewhat physical play-style, is what helps him to almost effortlessly shed tackles even when navigating through a packed line of scrimmage. Film doesn't show a lot of pass blocking or reps as a receiver, though that can be worked on at the college level.
Bottom Line: It's hard to overstate how big of a pick up this is for Louisville. He is a perfect addition for Scott Satterfield's run-heavy offense, and coupled with Pierce Clarkson as his quarterback, could make the Cardinals extraordinarily deadly on offense for the next 3-4 years. Not only does he have the chance to see early time once he gets on campus, he very much has early-round NFL Draft potential.
(Photo of Rueben Owens II: Juan DeLeon - Houston Chronicle)
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