BYU football recruiting: Matt Bushman signs with the Cougars

Matt Bushman of Sabino High School in Tucson, Arizona has signed a national letter of intent to play for BYU as part of the 2014 recruiting class. Bushman, a three star recruit according to 247 Sports, is the No. 34 ranked tight end prospect in the nation, as well as the No. 17 ranked prospect overall in Arizona. Bushman received offers from Arizona, Colorado, Duke and Utah, but committed to the Cougars early in October of 2013.

Bushman is a monster prospect with great measurables, as well as key intangibles. He possesses great size, at 6-5, 200 pounds. He has good hands, although he does have a tendency to wait for the ball to come to him, catching it with his body more often than is ideal. Such habits are easy to coach out, and his positives far outweigh what looks to be his only major negative. He shows a great get-off from the line of scrimmage, and his long strides make him appear deceptively fast, like Eric Dickerson or Colin Kaepernick, he runs straight up and down with a fluidity that lacks the violence of most big men running. He has a great ability to run after the catch, driving his knees and demonstrating great balance and ball security. His knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage, as well as getting behind the defense is similar to former Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro. BYU will likely use Bushman in the same way as Tech used Amaro, splitting him out wide, or in the slot, as he has the size to beat most defensive backs, and the speed to beat most linebackers. He also shows the ability to come off the line as a traditional tight end, but his versatility will be keys to his utilization.

(Fox Sports, C/O YouTube, 2013)

BYU appears well stocked at tight end. However, in perusing the list of players, you realize that of the returning tight ends, only Devin Mahina saw any significant action last year. With his skill set, Bushman could push the other returning tight ends for playing time, but he plans on serving an LDS mission before enrolling at BYU. He should have good opportunity to compete for playing time when he returns home in 2016.