Elder's Scouting Report -- Luke & Matt Joeckel
By Kirk Elder
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Each week, former Texas A&M offensive guard Kirk Elder takes in a high school football game and provides an in-depth scouting report from each high-level prospect in attendance. Kirk will focus on Aggie commitments and targets from the Class of 2010 and 2011 but will also hit on big names who may not be headed to A&M.
This week, Elder traveled to Arlington to watch Texas A&M 2010 commits and twin brothers, Matt & Luke Joeckel compete for Arlington High School vs. Arlington Bowie at UTA's Maverick Stadium.
Arlington OT Luke Joeckel (A&M Commitment in 2010 Class) -- 6-6, 290
Body Type: There is no question that Luke is one of the top offensive line prospects in the state this year. He has all of the physical tools and attributes that you look for in an elite lineman. While he and Matt are twins, I would gauge Luke to be one to two inches taller than his brother. Watching him go through pre-game warm ups I guesstimated his height and weight to be in the neighborhood of 6-6 to 6-7 and close to 300 pounds. Just like his fellow A&M o-line commit, Jake Matthews, Luke is not overweight and doesn't sport a potbelly bulging over his beltline. Luke is just a large-framed, lean kid. I bring this up due to fact that as offensive linemen on all levels of football are getting larger and larger and are tipping the scales at alarming levels, there is a growing trend among young high schoolers to develop the mindset that bigger is better. What you see happening now is that kids are trying to get to the 300-pound mark but, unfortunately, they sacrifice their ability to move well as a fluid athlete. That happens when these young men put on unneeded weight in the form of fat instead of muscle. Like Matthews and Shep Klinke (the two other Aggie o-line commits I've watched this year), Joeckel won't ever have that problem.
General Observations: Prior to the game, I noticed that both of his ankles were heavily taped up and protected. He was also walking with a moderate limp before the game. There were reports coming from some of the Arlington Ags in attendance that he had been battling injuries for a few weeks and it would be unclear how much he would play. Regardless of whether he was injured or not, once the battle was on Luke played like a warrior.
Game Notes: When you watch Luke Joeckel play, the first thing you notice is his aggressive, physical style of play. This kid is, without question, an absolute mauler. If you were to total the number of knockdown blocks administered by Luke in the first half on Friday night, that number would surpass the combined totals of Klinke and Matthews in the games I saw earlier this year. He reminds me of my favorite 49er: Cody Wallace. Cody is probably one of the kindest, most gentle giants you will ever come across off the field. But between the whistle, he is a psychotic maniac. I Love it!
Luke's athleticism and technique are more than adequate. If Arlington would break a play of 15 yards or more, Joeckel would sprint down looking for contact ... and he looked smooth doing it. Not much stiffness at all. The kid has great footwork. He had no trouble with his kick slide in "pass pro" but will need to work on keeping his shoulders back and out of the block on pass plays. This is very minor right now and can be corrected over the course of spring training (he'll arrive at A&M in January). More so than any other player I have seen, Luke does an outstanding job of using his hands and controlling his opponent with them. Many of his knockdowns came from him lifting the defender just enough off the ground to throw him off balance. Once this happens, its over.
Bottom Line: Like Matthews, Joeckel is an instant-impact difference-maker who will contend to start as early as next season.
Arlington QB Matt Joeckel (A&M Commitment in 2010 Class) -- 6-5, 210
General Observations: With his "big" brother protecting his blindside, Matt Joeckel had a career night, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdowns. Matt solidified his status as a top-tier Big 12 quarterback prospect in my eyes. This young man stands at 6-5 and weighs in at approximately 210 pounds. During pre-game warm-ups, I was able to catch a glimpse of Matt's mechanics. He has good touch on the ball and generates a great amount of spin with his passes. It's very clear that Joeckel works hard at his craft. I would not be surprised if he had a private quarterback coach who helps him work on mechanics and technique (he does ... A&M legend, Kevin Murray). He looks that sharp.
Game Notes: As the game got underway, Matt showcased not only his throwing ability but also his running ability and athleticism. Arlington ran several quarterback draws mixed it up with a zone read attack. Joeckel had several runs in excess of 10 yards and added a 5-yard score. He was not at all afraid of a little contact, either, finishing with 123 yards on the ground. All told, Matt racked up 433 yards total offense!
Joeckel simply doesn't make many mistakes in the passing game. In my opinion, his strongest attribute is his ability to stay focused. He puts the ball right where it needs to be on virtually every throw. Matt also plays with a tremendous amount of poise and confidence. He is also a leader -- there is no question about that.
All of the aforementioned traits are the base foundation that any great quarterback must possess and, ultimately, build on. Matt Joeckel won't blow you away with his arm strength but I would say it is more than enough for him to enjoy success as a Big 12 starter.
Bottom Line: I am predicting one hell of a battle between Joeckel and fellow incoming fish Jameill Showers next year for the backup quarterback spot. Showers is the more athletic quarterback but Matt will be a very pleasant surprise when gets to College Station. He's going to be a good one in an Aggie uniform, there's no question about that, and will contend to be a three- or even four-year starter (depending on whether he redshirts or not in 2010).
Arlington WR Miles Onyegbule (Class of 2011) -- 6-3, 200
Watching this kid run makes you say, "wow!" In this game, Miles had three catches for 51 yards, including one long touchdown grab of 40 yards. I would have liked to see him get more action, perhaps even dominate an opposing secondary. That would have allowed me to get a better feel for him as a player. With that said, any football novice could see that this kid is an elite athlete with a tremendous, 6-3, 200-plus pound frame. He's the kind of big, fast and fluid receiver currently lining the conference landscape and enjoying great success in today's Big 12.
Each week, former Texas A&M offensive guard Kirk Elder takes in a high school football game and provides an in-depth scouting report from each high-level prospect in attendance. Kirk will focus on Aggie commitments and targets from the Class of 2010 and 2011 but will also hit on big names who may not be headed to A&M.
This week, Elder traveled to Arlington to watch Texas A&M 2010 commits and twin brothers, Matt & Luke Joeckel compete for Arlington High School vs. Arlington Bowie at UTA's Maverick Stadium.
Arlington OT Luke Joeckel (A&M Commitment in 2010 Class) -- 6-6, 290
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Luke Joeckel / TexAgs.com
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General Observations: Prior to the game, I noticed that both of his ankles were heavily taped up and protected. He was also walking with a moderate limp before the game. There were reports coming from some of the Arlington Ags in attendance that he had been battling injuries for a few weeks and it would be unclear how much he would play. Regardless of whether he was injured or not, once the battle was on Luke played like a warrior.
Game Notes: When you watch Luke Joeckel play, the first thing you notice is his aggressive, physical style of play. This kid is, without question, an absolute mauler. If you were to total the number of knockdown blocks administered by Luke in the first half on Friday night, that number would surpass the combined totals of Klinke and Matthews in the games I saw earlier this year. He reminds me of my favorite 49er: Cody Wallace. Cody is probably one of the kindest, most gentle giants you will ever come across off the field. But between the whistle, he is a psychotic maniac. I Love it!
Luke's athleticism and technique are more than adequate. If Arlington would break a play of 15 yards or more, Joeckel would sprint down looking for contact ... and he looked smooth doing it. Not much stiffness at all. The kid has great footwork. He had no trouble with his kick slide in "pass pro" but will need to work on keeping his shoulders back and out of the block on pass plays. This is very minor right now and can be corrected over the course of spring training (he'll arrive at A&M in January). More so than any other player I have seen, Luke does an outstanding job of using his hands and controlling his opponent with them. Many of his knockdowns came from him lifting the defender just enough off the ground to throw him off balance. Once this happens, its over.
Bottom Line: Like Matthews, Joeckel is an instant-impact difference-maker who will contend to start as early as next season.
Arlington QB Matt Joeckel (A&M Commitment in 2010 Class) -- 6-5, 210
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Matt Joeckel / TexAgs.com
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Game Notes: As the game got underway, Matt showcased not only his throwing ability but also his running ability and athleticism. Arlington ran several quarterback draws mixed it up with a zone read attack. Joeckel had several runs in excess of 10 yards and added a 5-yard score. He was not at all afraid of a little contact, either, finishing with 123 yards on the ground. All told, Matt racked up 433 yards total offense!
Joeckel simply doesn't make many mistakes in the passing game. In my opinion, his strongest attribute is his ability to stay focused. He puts the ball right where it needs to be on virtually every throw. Matt also plays with a tremendous amount of poise and confidence. He is also a leader -- there is no question about that.
All of the aforementioned traits are the base foundation that any great quarterback must possess and, ultimately, build on. Matt Joeckel won't blow you away with his arm strength but I would say it is more than enough for him to enjoy success as a Big 12 starter.
Bottom Line: I am predicting one hell of a battle between Joeckel and fellow incoming fish Jameill Showers next year for the backup quarterback spot. Showers is the more athletic quarterback but Matt will be a very pleasant surprise when gets to College Station. He's going to be a good one in an Aggie uniform, there's no question about that, and will contend to be a three- or even four-year starter (depending on whether he redshirts or not in 2010).
Arlington WR Miles Onyegbule (Class of 2011) -- 6-3, 200
Watching this kid run makes you say, "wow!" In this game, Miles had three catches for 51 yards, including one long touchdown grab of 40 yards. I would have liked to see him get more action, perhaps even dominate an opposing secondary. That would have allowed me to get a better feel for him as a player. With that said, any football novice could see that this kid is an elite athlete with a tremendous, 6-3, 200-plus pound frame. He's the kind of big, fast and fluid receiver currently lining the conference landscape and enjoying great success in today's Big 12.
