Brandon Gainer
Miami Central High School (FL)
6’0″ 200 pounds
Running Back
Status: Undecided
Scouts, Inc. Grade: ESPN TOP 150
On the Trail
Also Considering: Oregon, Tennessee, Michigan, Clemson, Rutgers
Scouts, Inc. Evaluation
If Gainer can learn to run more behind his pads and continue to fill out his taller frame, he should develop into a very productive college back. Tall, with a very strong, longer frame that should fill out to the 215-pound range and greatly complement his slashing, downhill running style. For a bigger downhill back he has good feet and decisively hits the small creases and sharp cutback lanes. Attacks the line of scrimmage and shows good urgency out of his stance. Runs with his eyes and shows good burst out of his cuts to daylight. What really stands out is his ability to consistently get north and run with square shoulder pads even when cutting laterally and bouncing to the perimeter. Displays good balance and smoother hips for his size; gears down very little cutting laterally, allowing him to maintain his downhill speed and power. Consistently breaks first contact with the great momentum he gains through the second level coupled with his strong, near-200 pound frame and constant leg churning. Knows when to coil up and lower the shoulder in traffic. Very difficult to arm-tackle high with his powerful upper-body. Not just a power-back, he shows above average perimeter speed and lateral quicks stretching outside. Can sidestep traffic and make the first defender miss through the hole with deceptive jump-cut skills. However, he does miss the extra cut at times and is not very elusive in the second level, particularly when he runs high hindering balance and redirection skill. Lacks great long speed and an explosive extra gear to separate. Has a narrow base that raises concern about his ability to be a carry the load and remain productive and durable as a yards after contact back. Needs to improve pad level and fill out his frame with more compacted bulk. That said, we still feel like Gainer could develop into a downhill workhorse, with the ability to still rip off a 10-15 yard burst on any given carry. Aside from his productivity carrying the rock, he shows he can block and catch the football out of the backfield adding to his stock. Potentially a very good every-down back with continued physical development.
