VITALS:
Name: Mickey Baucus
Position: Offensive Line
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 275
Speed: Unknown
High School: Mundellin, Illinios (Mount Carmel High School)
Rivals: Three out of Five
Recruited By: Coach Bill Bedenbaugh
STRENGTHS:
Mickey Baucus is an enormous man. His large frame leaves him open to put on serious weight in the college ranks and eat his way to a powerful offensive lineman. Scouts, Inc. has this to say about Baucus:
Baucus has great size and arm length for the offensive tackle position. Combined with good flexibility for a big man, we feel he has the tools and athletic ability to start his career at left tackle. For a person of his size, his ability to bend at the waist and knees is and attribute. As a line of scrimmage blocker the ability to come out of his stance with a good first step and a flat back is a positive. Can dominate at the line of scrimmage and excels when double team blocking. However, we like his ability to gain position with a good 1st step which allows him to cutoff inside defenders and trap and pull. His foot quickness and the ability to bend at the knees should allow him to handle wide up field rushers.
WEAKNESSES:
Mickey Baucus will enter the year trying to gain playing time on the offensive line of Arizona. Unfortunately, Arizona returns four starters who have offensive line experience including Colin Baxter, Vaughn Dotsy, Phillip Garcia, and Conan Amituanai. This will make playing time in 2010 almost impossible. Check out all the positives from scouts, inc on Mickey:
He will go to the ground occasionally rather then slide up to a 2nd level defender. Does flash 2nd level ability and also the ability to set quickly in pass protection. While he shows quick feet and the ability to slide and change direction in pass protection it is imperative that overall upper body strength and explosion must be improved at the next level of competition. Baucus will need to increase his overall bulk, upper body strength and explosion. When this is accomplished his ability to handle a bull rush will improve. Time will be his ally, for we feel a red shirt year will improve overall growth and learning, which after a transitional year should allow him to develop into a three year starter at the BCS level of competition.
VERDICT:
Baucus won't factor into this year's gameplan but should develop into a huge asset for the Cats in the long run. Mickey is the brother of last year's recruit, Jack Baucus, who was recruited as a tight end. The Cats are secretly stockpiling their offensive line recruits and Baucus is one of their top guys for the year 2010. Look for Baucus to step it up in 2011.