Kam Blanton: New 2021 UNLV Football Recruiting Commitment - Interview & Analysis

 

2021 UNLV Football Commitment Interview & Analysis: Kam Blanton

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This season Franchise Sports Media will have player interviews by Joe Arrigo with new UNLV football commits, as well as evaluations by JaRon Turner, former college linebacker and high school football coach at Rancho High School in Las Vegas.

 

UNLV head football coach Marcus Arroyo landed a commitment from a high school that UNLV historically hasn’t had a lot of history with… a national powerhouse in St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California.

 

The first commitment for UNLV in the 2021 football recruiting class was St. John Bosco defensive back Kam Blanton. Blanton was a big get for Coach Arroyo as he was able to tap into a program that produced NFL players such as Josh Rosen, Leon McFadden, Damien Mama, and last year’s top overall quarterback prospect, D.J. Uiagalelei, who enrolled early at Clemson. St. John Bosco head football coach, Jason Negro, has built a national powerhouse and produced some of the best players in the country.

Some were surprised when Kam Blanton committed to UNLV so early in the process, and, quite frankly, to the Rebels. I spoke to Blanton last week, and we talked about his reason for committing to UNLV, how COVID-19 played a role in his early commitment, and what he has learned throughout the process.

With Blanton, a tall, long, athletic cornerback, UNLV is getting a player who can play boundary cornerback as well as play in the slot and safety. The former UNLV football staff also offered and was recruiting Kam, but Blanton told me about a special connection he has with new UNLV cornerback coach, Tre Watson, who he says he texts daily.

“Man, it’s crazy because the energy that Coach Arroyo and Coach Watson have… I can’t wait to get to Las Vegas and play for them,” Blanton told me.

 

Here is my interview with ’21 Football commit Kam Blanton:

 

JA: How did COVID-19 play into your recruitment process and early commitment?

KB: I feel that COVID-19 played a great part in my recruitment and commitment because with all the things shut down, I felt that my season was possibly in jeopardy, so I wanted to hurry and secure my spot as soon as possible.

JA: Why did you commit so early in the process?

KB:  I committed early in the process because I felt that UNLV was a great place for me all around. Great academics and great athletics, so I felt that I could grow into a great man on and off the field. The direction the football program is going in is epic, and I just had to be a part of it.

JA: Who was recruiting you from UNLV?

KB: Cornerback coach Tre Watson

JA: Do you have any interesting or funny stories about when you committed to UNLV? What was Coach Arroyo’s reaction?

KB: Right when I committed, I felt so much love from the UNLV coaches and fans. I felt that right away, and it was very interesting to me. It made me feel that I really made the right decision.

JA: What do you think your strengths are on the field?

KB: Some strengths on the field that I have are my speed,  footwork, and size. With that being said, I feel that with those traits, I could line up with any receiver and lock them down.

JA: What do you think you need to work on?

KB: Trusting my speed and using more technique.

JA: South Torrance, Long Beach Poly, and St. John Bosco. You played at all three high schools. What did you take away from each of them?

KB: From each high school, I took in better work habits and being more of a leader because I felt that each team I was on, I was kind of in the spotlight most of the time. I always had a big job ahead of me, so I feel that now I’m prepared for anything because of all the work that I put in since my freshman year as a 4-year varsity starter. 

JA: How big of a role did your trainers and 7v7 team play in your development?

KB: Playing with Premium, I’ve learned a lot because I started when premium first took off. As I watched all the older guy,. I took everything in and applied everything from them into my game. I feel that I’m in a good place right now with all the training that I’ve had to do with Premium, EVO Sports with Coach Gary, and The DB Lab with coach Vic. I’m really prepared and ready to show everyone what I could do in my senior season. It’s going to be awesome!!

JA: Did the Fertitta Football Complex and Allegiant Stadium play a role in your commitment or did it change your view of UNLV football?

KB: The new Fertitta Football Complex and Allegiant Stadium was just a bonus for me. I loved the School, first and foremost, and the academics are amazing. The football team is amazing. I love the direction that UNLV football is going in. Big things are coming soon!

JA: What do you want to major in while attending UNLV?

KB: Communications or Sociology 

JA: What NFL or college players do you pattern your game after?

KB: Jalen Ramsey of the Los Angeles Rams and Jeff Okudah, who now plays with the Detroit Lions. 

 

 

JaRon Turner’s Kam Blanton Player Evaluation:

 

 

Blanton is a physical cornerback, a commodity amongst defensive coordinators because corners are often notorious for their unwillingness to tackle or be aggressive. Kam Blanton is more than willing to get physical with any person on the offense and tackle in space or in traffic. 

He is physical at the point of attack when in coverage and does a nice job getting his hands on the receiver when in the jam position or at the point where the receiver has eaten his caution. 

However, Kam’s aggressive nature has bitten him in the butt multiple times on his tape. When a receiver has turned him around or gotten him to bite on a double move, he gets exploited for being overzealous. 

Kam has also shown on tape that his hips are sometimes very still. Quicker receivers can utilize their speed to create separation. 

His aggression, a key piece of his game, can be a liability in this aspect, but on tape Kam has done a damn good job of recovering in these situations, finding the receiver, and playing through his hands, breaking up passes. He has shown on tape that he can keep himself in a receiver’s chest and still play the ball in the air. 

His tape shows that Kam can play a solid corner in a scheme that calls him to play big, fast, and even quicker receivers. With Peter Hansen as defensive coordinator for UNLV, Kam may have to play more zone defense than man defense. 

That isn’t too big of an obstacle because, on the same tape, Kam shows he has phenomenal eye discipline and is trained well in the art of the top-down philosophy in the deep zone. This shows that he will stay deeper than the deepest vertical receiver and will come downhill to play shorter routes.

Overall, Kam Blanton is a type of player who can do much for UNLV’s secondary and become a corner similar to Carlos Rogers or Richard Sherman under Peter Hanson’s defensive tutelage.

 

-JaRon Turner – Franchise Sports Media

 

 

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