Cats add another DT for 2010

The UK football team has signed three-star defensive tackle Brice Laughlin according to CatsPause.com. The Summerville, SC product is the second DT the Cats have signed this fall. Laughlin, who originally had a verbal to Maryland last May, is rated the 60th best DT by Rivals.com.

Against the run, Laughlin appears to have a good initial launch off the line and closes down the line exceptionally well when hes an end. His technique, however, is only average. Since he closes well, he is often left out of positon on counters, traps and sweeps toward his side and often uses his strength instead of good technique to defeat blockers. When Laughlin lined up as a DT, he seemed more hesitant to come off the ball and engage the O-Line. If the Cats plan to use the 280 lb Laughlin at DT, they need to teach him solid fundamentals in order for him to be effective in the run game.

Pass rushing, he has a good motor off the edge, but only seems to have one pass rush move: the outside rip. Though he has good size and decent speed in high school, in order to be a more effective puss rusher for the Cats, Laughlin might want to utilize a bull rush or a club to his arsonal. This kid benches 360 pounds and squats 450, so it would be smart for him to start using his strength better in gettng after the QB like he does against the run.

Since he has great initial speed and great strenth, Laughlin has great tools to build off of to make a great addition to UK. Right now he just has raw talent that, over time, can be coached into a solid player on Steve Brown’s D.