RB Larry Rountree III, Missouri
HEIGHT: 5-11| WEIGHT: 204
HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL): Raleigh, NC (Millbrook)
247 RATING: .8435 | STARS:
YEAR: Senior
POSITION RANK: 22
CAREER
Rushing: 537 rushes, 2,748 yards (5.1 ypc), 26 touchdowns
Receiving: 32 catches, 189 yards (5.9 ypc)
2019
Rushing: 186 rushes, 829 yards (4.5 ypc), 9 touchdowns
Receiving: 13 catches, 70 yards (5.4 ypc)
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Larry Rountree III Breakdown
Larry Rountree III will never back down from a challenge, and plays the game of football with a chip on his shoulder. It’s the biggest reason why he’ll bounce back after a season in which his production dropped. A new coaching staff comes to campus, but they already like what they see in Rountree, and it seems like the two are a good fit together.
One of the biggest things that Eli Drinkwitz and the new coaching staff like about Rountree is his running style. A downhill runner, Rountree’s not afraid to stick his nose in the trenches to find running room. He’s at his best when he’s a north and south runner, and he can get to the second and third levels quickly. He can endure hits when running the ball, especially arm tackles, but he runs with a high pad level. He exposes his body to more hits because he runs so tall, so lowering his pad level would not only protect him from more hits, but allow him to burst thru the holes quicker.
Since his game is predominantly predicated on getting vertical. Anything that requires him to go sideline to sideline slows him down. He doesn’t have a great ability to create running room for himself, and any player that forces him to change direction has a chance of taking him down because he loses so much speed. He’s not afraid of initiating contact, so he’s not completely out of luck. On film, he’s shown that he can lower his shoulder and pad level, but at times he falls over because he commits too early.
Larry Rountree might have taken a step back last year, but he has the tools and the right mentality to get it corrected. A fresh start under a new coaching staff could aid that change, and it seems like the two sides already work well together. He’s shown that he’s capable of rushing for over 1,000 yards, and his running style will lead to potential for that to happen in 2020.
