Lil KV is a smaller version of his hard-hitting older brother (Photo by Wescott Eberts).
Vitals
Name: Kevin Vaccaro
Position: S
Height:5'9''
Weight: 175
Speed: 4.50
High School: Brownwood High School, Brownwood (TX)
Rating (Rivals): Three out of five (5.5)
Offers
Texas (Committed 12/11/2011)
Louisiana Tech
Overview/recruitment
Vaccaro has been a long-time UT fan and was always going to commit to the Horns if offered. Initially, he was only offered a grayshirt, but the need for a safety in the class (remember, Vaccaro committed the same day as Colbert) and his brother's potential departure a year early prompted Texas to bring in Kevin on an official visit over banquet weekend. To the surprise of many, Texas ultimately offered the "Bowie Knife," who quickly committed to the Horns and now perpetuates the violent brand of football the Vaccaro name brings to the game.
Closing speed: Like his brother, Kevin plays with animal-like ferocity when he's en route to the ball carrier. I always say the number one trait you want from a safety or linebacker is closing speed, which is a corollary to the frequently opined "40 times are overrated" and "football speed is what counts." KV2 is a pin missile
Man coverage skills: For a guy primarily designated as a safety, Vaccaro is very good in one on one situations as well. His small stature and agility allow him to turn his hips relatively seamlessly and keep up with route-runners. I think his quickness and physicality would translate well to sometimes operating in the nickel
Aggression: Vaccaro isn't afraid to deliver the bone-jarring hit to the ball carrier in the running game, nor is he someone you want to cross when throwing, well, crossing patterns over the middle of the field. He's very good at dislodging WRs from the ball and provides an intimidating presence over the middle
Athleticism: Kevin has good acceleration and gets up to top speed very quickly, as evidenced by his impressive work on offense in his film. I like his "supple hips," as Doug would jokingly say
Weaknesses
Size: Height, height, height. Yeah, you guys know the story. He's almost assuredly shorter than his listed 5'9", and we're just going to have to deal with it. It may limit him getting on the field, and it may not. If he were his brother's height, he would have been a JD1 commit. Other than that, he's pretty much a stud
Pure speed: I guess Kevin doesn't have elite top-end speed? Whatever, I'm reaching here. It's a non-issue
My Take
Would Kevin have been offered if Kenny weren't waffling on returning for his Sr. season? We'll never know. What I do know is we got a very solid and underrated player who is vertically challenged. So let's please not turn this comment section into a complete Negative Nancy-fest because KV2 flashes on film big time. Or if you are going to hate on the offer, at least watch the film first. Besides, nobody works harder than a program kid with a chip on his shoulder. I'm looking forward to seeing Kevin bust his ass once he gets to campus.
0recs |
27
comments
Comments
LOL... when i first glanced at this, i thought to self,...
“why are they doing a recruiting eval on Kenny Vaccaro?”
don’t look past brothers helping each other out and making the other one (usually the younger one) better…. Diggs anyone?
upside is always better than the downside, less your falling…
And Kendall Sanders are my picks for the “If I have to kill you to prove myself, it’s worth it for real.” Otherwise known as the Quandre Diggs award, as you noted.
I have no issue with KV2 getting a scholarship. He can clearly play. If KV2 ends up contributing on special teams, awesome.
I’d like to see Diaz show some 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 looks on defense on occasion. some three-safety sets could really show off the depth that the secondary has. For my money, 4-2-5 would be lethal. Imagine Jeffcoat-Dorsey-Moore-Okafor on the line, with Hicks-Cobbs (or Edmond for some beef) as the LBs, and a secondary with Byndom-Vaccaro-Phillips-Thompson (or Evans)-Diggs.
WEAPONS. SPEED. INTERCHANGEABILITY.
Kinda sounds a little Diaz-ish, doesn’t it?
I also think a 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 could help mask KV2’s height deficiency if KV2 forces his way onto the field. It’s a distinct possibility that KV2 could say FTW and just go all beast mode and flat ball out.
that Kenny V. was rated as a 78 coming out of high school by ESPN. In hindsight, that’s pretty low for the player he has become. Kenny clearly has a drive, work ethic and chip on his shoulder that made him into the player he is today, and I don’t think Kevin is too different in that respect.
All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t put it past Kevin to work so hard that his strengths far overshadow his only knock (his height).
I am pretty far out of my element here, but I am wondering how important height really is for a defensive back. Let me explain.
In basketball, there has been a growing realization that height doesn’t actually matter that much — what truly matters are things like standing reach. Take a guy like Jaylen Bond, who is only 6-6 or 6-7, but plays much bigger than this. I am guessing he has pretty long arms (as well as a good game, of course). Tristan is also like this, only an inch or two taller than I am, but when he reaches his hand up it extends an entire foot higher than mine would.
Why wouldn’t this apply for football as well. I am guessing that you want the defensive backs to be taller so that they can challenge tall receivers and break up passes. But is it possible that height isn’t the right measure here? Generally, taller people will have longer arms, but there is a ton of variation here.
I agree. Hip Suppleness Factor (HSF) is an oft overlooked measurement for evaluating DB’s. Kevin has purportedly ranked a 9.8 out of 10.0 on the HSF scale. Anything over a 9.5 and you can remove bottle caps without physically touching the bottle with your hips. Anything over 9.7 and you have Linda Blair/Exorcist type rotation of the nether regions. In the era since HSF was first measured (1974), only three Longhorn DB’s have rated this high, Ricky Churchman, Jerry Gray and Michael Huff…and they turned out ok.
Height is great for a DB but, as you suggest, standing reach is just as good and more easily found. I’ll take a sub-6 foot guy with fluid hips over a taller, stiffer guy any day. If the sub 6 foot guy has long powerful arms, even better.
The tape I saw, didn’t feature fluid hips from Vaccaro. It showed him in soft coverage, then breaking quickly on the ball and tackling 3A high schoolers. I wasn’t impressed. I’m interested to see different tape, I know Jaxon thought he was pretty solid.
Something tells me the little Swiss army knife is gonna be a special teams demon from the get go, and use that as a way to get on the field. I don’t doubt big brother is gonna take care of showing him the fine points, much like Jammer helped out Quandre. I’m not unhappy to see K.V. 2.0 in burnt orange.
I could seem him developing him into a special teams ace and nickel back at Texas. I’ll take that. Kenny had a growth spurt at a similar age. Fingers crossed.
Obviously there were better options available, but I think Kevin can contribute at Texas.
They still don’t have a way to measure heart (aka fight). Stars and ratings don’t always tell everything. I’ll take a kid with a little talent, big heart, and a love for the Burnt Orange anyday. Need more proof , (see M. Davis) Welcome KVII
id say thats a solid take. id much rather take an reach on a surefire special teams contributor at least. and i just picked ET out because hes the most recent “short” safety we’ve had.
Good for Kevin but would really like to see recruiting taller players
I really wish the staff would have went another direction for shis scholly but I’m happy for him.
I just wish the staff would recruit taller and bigger players. It seems like when we match up with the other national power houses (like Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, ect..) we are always a few inches shorter than the other teams.
For example, I looked at this years top teams Alabama, Florida, & Ohio in Rival’s recruiting rankings and took a look at a few positions and noticed the following….
I think all the players we took are ballers, but I just would like to see some taller players overall on the team, especially in the DB side of things….
LOL... when i first glanced at this, i thought to self,...
“why are they doing a recruiting eval on Kenny Vaccaro?”
don’t look past brothers helping each other out and making the other one (usually the younger one) better…. Diggs anyone?
upside is always better than the downside, less your falling…
hornyaustinite - February 1, 2012
Bowie Knife
And Kendall Sanders are my picks for the “If I have to kill you to prove myself, it’s worth it for real.” Otherwise known as the Quandre Diggs award, as you noted.
GoHornsGo90 - February 1, 2012
KV2 could force the issue at some point
I have no issue with KV2 getting a scholarship. He can clearly play. If KV2 ends up contributing on special teams, awesome.
I’d like to see Diaz show some 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 looks on defense on occasion. some three-safety sets could really show off the depth that the secondary has. For my money, 4-2-5 would be lethal. Imagine Jeffcoat-Dorsey-Moore-Okafor on the line, with Hicks-Cobbs (or Edmond for some beef) as the LBs, and a secondary with Byndom-Vaccaro-Phillips-Thompson (or Evans)-Diggs.
WEAPONS. SPEED. INTERCHANGEABILITY.
Kinda sounds a little Diaz-ish, doesn’t it?
I also think a 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 could help mask KV2’s height deficiency if KV2 forces his way onto the field. It’s a distinct possibility that KV2 could say FTW and just go all beast mode and flat ball out.
TheWineWorker - February 2, 2012
Let's not forget
that Kenny V. was rated as a 78 coming out of high school by ESPN. In hindsight, that’s pretty low for the player he has become. Kenny clearly has a drive, work ethic and chip on his shoulder that made him into the player he is today, and I don’t think Kevin is too different in that respect.
All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t put it past Kevin to work so hard that his strengths far overshadow his only knock (his height).
TheWineWorker - February 2, 2012
Screw the height issues
We all know that when it comes down to it, his heart is what matters… remember quadre the giant.
Crimson Fog - February 2, 2012
Question on height
I am pretty far out of my element here, but I am wondering how important height really is for a defensive back. Let me explain.
In basketball, there has been a growing realization that height doesn’t actually matter that much — what truly matters are things like standing reach. Take a guy like Jaylen Bond, who is only 6-6 or 6-7, but plays much bigger than this. I am guessing he has pretty long arms (as well as a good game, of course). Tristan is also like this, only an inch or two taller than I am, but when he reaches his hand up it extends an entire foot higher than mine would.
Why wouldn’t this apply for football as well. I am guessing that you want the defensive backs to be taller so that they can challenge tall receivers and break up passes. But is it possible that height isn’t the right measure here? Generally, taller people will have longer arms, but there is a ton of variation here.
Reggieball - February 2, 2012
Yes/HSF
I agree. Hip Suppleness Factor (HSF) is an oft overlooked measurement for evaluating DB’s. Kevin has purportedly ranked a 9.8 out of 10.0 on the HSF scale. Anything over a 9.5 and you can remove bottle caps without physically touching the bottle with your hips. Anything over 9.7 and you have Linda Blair/Exorcist type rotation of the nether regions. In the era since HSF was first measured (1974), only three Longhorn DB’s have rated this high, Ricky Churchman, Jerry Gray and Michael Huff…and they turned out ok.
PiedAfried - February 2, 2012
Fantastic stuff
Thanks for the contribution.
GoHornsGo90 - February 2, 2012
height
Height is great for a DB but, as you suggest, standing reach is just as good and more easily found. I’ll take a sub-6 foot guy with fluid hips over a taller, stiffer guy any day. If the sub 6 foot guy has long powerful arms, even better.
The tape I saw, didn’t feature fluid hips from Vaccaro. It showed him in soft coverage, then breaking quickly on the ball and tackling 3A high schoolers. I wasn’t impressed. I’m interested to see different tape, I know Jaxon thought he was pretty solid.
Nickel Rover - February 2, 2012
Watch his offensive plays
Shows off his hips well. They’re also pretty powerfully built.
GoHornsGo90 - February 2, 2012
*show off
GoHornsGo90 - February 2, 2012
defensive tape
generally reveals the truth about hips, since a DB will have to change direction and recover so much. I’ll find some more soon.
Nickel Rover - February 2, 2012
Height will not matter as much
When Kevin is piledriving a 6-3 Wide receiver running down the middle, the height “disadvantage” will not be an issue
Crimson Fog - February 2, 2012
Special teams anyone?
Something tells me the little Swiss army knife is gonna be a special teams demon from the get go, and use that as a way to get on the field. I don’t doubt big brother is gonna take care of showing him the fine points, much like Jammer helped out Quandre. I’m not unhappy to see K.V. 2.0 in burnt orange.
coolhorn - February 2, 2012
Nickname should be changed to scabbard
because he helped us hang on to Machete
Horncasting - February 2, 2012
Nicely done
GoHornsGo90 - February 2, 2012
+1
jlhotze - February 2, 2012 via mobile
Vaccaro
I could seem him developing him into a special teams ace and nickel back at Texas. I’ll take that. Kenny had a growth spurt at a similar age. Fingers crossed.
Obviously there were better options available, but I think Kevin can contribute at Texas.
As mentioned above, he’s a natural DB.
billfromlaketravis - February 2, 2012
People have been waiting
for the lil KV growth spurt for a while now and it hasn’t happened yet. I’m not holding out too much hope for it any more.
Wescott Eberts (GoBR) - February 2, 2012
I'm partial to Switchblade
Mack Brown said in the video review during his press conference, “Jaxon Shipley told me Kevin was the toughest kid he played against in high school.”
Also, good grades and made it on his own just in case someone wants to get carried away with the legacy crap.
Good enough for me.
TXStampede - February 2, 2012
I got that quote wrong
“Jaxon said he was one of the hardest guys to get loose in man-to-man against when he was playing with him in high school.”
TXStampede - February 2, 2012
Hate to go all mushy but,
They still don’t have a way to measure heart (aka fight). Stars and ratings don’t always tell everything. I’ll take a kid with a little talent, big heart, and a love for the Burnt Orange anyday. Need more proof , (see M. Davis) Welcome KVII
Burnedsince61 - February 2, 2012
i know they dont draw a very good comparison but for the sake of height
ask earl thomas about height. he was alright, i guess?
ibleedburntorange49-9 - February 2, 2012
Eh
Earl is a solid 5’10". KV2 is lucky if he’s 5’8"
GoHornsGo90 - February 2, 2012
if he can be 1/2 of ET
id say thats a solid take. id much rather take an reach on a surefire special teams contributor at least. and i just picked ET out because hes the most recent “short” safety we’ve had.
ibleedburntorange49-9 - February 3, 2012
Good for Kevin but would really like to see recruiting taller players
I really wish the staff would have went another direction for shis scholly but I’m happy for him.
I just wish the staff would recruit taller and bigger players. It seems like when we match up with the other national power houses (like Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, ect..) we are always a few inches shorter than the other teams.
For example, I looked at this years top teams
Alabama, Florida, & Ohioin Rival’s recruiting rankings and took a look at a few positions and noticed the following….Alabama took DB’s – 6’2", 6’0, 5"11", & 6’,
LB’s – 6’4", 6,4", 6’3", & 6’3"
RB – 6’1"
Florida DB’s – 6’1", 5,11", 6’1", & 5’11"
LB’s – 6’ 3"
RB – 6’3"
Ohio DB’s – 5-11", 5’11", 6’4", & 5’9"
LB – 6’4", 6’2", 6’2", 6’2"
RB – 6’2", 6’2"
I think all the players we took are ballers, but I just would like to see some taller players overall on the team, especially in the DB side of things….
4horns - February 3, 2012
By Ohio
I assume you mean Ohio State..
And height is nice, but if we win games without it I’ll be just as happy ha.
HookemHouston - February 3, 2012
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