Arizona Wildcats football recruiting: scouting report on QB commit Khalil Tate

For many coaches, the type of offense they are going to run is going to be dictated by personnel. They might have a specific scheme as a base, but they often will cater it to the pieces they have on their roster and those pieces strengths and weaknesses.

That's why the commitment from Junipero Serra quarterback Khalil Tate to Arizona is so interesting. He's a spread quarterback, but he's a run-first spread quarterback.

That's the equivalent of a shoot-first point guard in basketball, which wouldn't work for some coaches. It worked just fine for Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia when he had Pat White running his offense though and that makes Tate a better fit at Arizona than he would be at a lot of other programs.

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 208

Athletic ability/measurables

Tate is listed as high as 6'2" on some recruiting sites, but this appears to be the most accurate. Although his height isn't ideal, he already has the body of a quarterback that could physically compete at the college level. He is a big time athlete with great speed and even better lateral agility.

Skills/technique

I mentioned he's a run-first player from the quarterback position and it's obvious why when watching him play. He flashes some dynamic ability on designed quarterback runs. He has the speed to gain big chunk yardage and can make defenders miss as well. He runs with no fear and actually appears to be looking for contact at times. That might not be the attitude some want to have in their starting quarterback, but it's what makes him someone who can be utilized in all situations running the football.

He does a great job of making pass rushers miss in the pocket to buy more time or move the chains with his feet.

As a passer, he flashes natural arm strength. He can zip the ball. The big issue with Tate is how raw his mechanics are. His footwork and arm angles are inconsistent and that causes his accuracy and ball placement to be the same. He often will get away with just using all arm and not using his lower half to get the ball down the field as well. He has a lot of work to do to improve with his mechanics overall.

Tate also is not a comfortable player in the pocket at this point in time. He often fades away and throws off his back foot if he feels pressure, even when there is room to step up. This is something that is only going to get better with repetition and him dealing with the blitz over and over again.

Scheme fit

I mentioned above how Tate is a scheme fit for RichRod's offense. He can develop into a weapon as a runner.

Potential

Tate has a lot of work to do as a passer, but his deficiencies can be improved and masked by what his likely role would be in Arizona's offense. Even if he didn't work out at quarterback, he is athletic enough to move to another position.

It might take a him a couple of years in the system before he is ready to play, but I feel the Wildcats got a great potential fit for their offense in Tate.