8/31/2015 football Edit

Film Room: A.J. Rose

Justin Rowland

CatsIllustrated.com Publisher

Asim Rose may be unconventional but he's undeniably talented. Cats Illustrated brings you the authoritative book on Rose's game in this Film Room feature.

Many of the same attributes that made Rose an intriguing safety target for Ohio State have made Kentucky's coaches optimistic about Rose's future in the offensive backfield. And many of those same qualities have made Rose the quarterback at Garfield Heights - because he's too good an athlete to put anywhere else.

Detailed study of Rose's junior highlight reel is telling. Of course, full game film is preferable, and there's no substitute for watching him week to week, both in person and on tape in review. There's still a mountain of evidence to break down.

While Rose will be transitioning to a more full-time running back position at Kentucky there's already a lot to like. This we know.

He's got that strong forward lean in the backfield. He has a physical, downhill mentality as a runner and is eager to attack the holes between the center and the guards without hesitation. That's where he really makes a killing, and his willingness to lean forward and show off his straight line speed inside the tackles makes him very dangerous as a quarterback dual-threat for Garfield Heights.

Rose keeps his shoulders squared, generally, as he's cutting. This disciplined presentation coupled with his defined upper body, acceleration, and downhill running style helps him to run through weak arm tackles and defenders that are out of position without any disturbance. It contributes to a powerful running style that is itself unconventional and defined less by a thick low base than in most other cases.

He has a good natural running sense, in that Rose seems to know when to step on the gas. When he's getting outside he has shown a good patience in waiting for things to develop. At running back this will take on an even greater importance.

When Rose has taken handoffs his agility has been particularly impressive on counters.

We also like how his feet keep moving and driving on contact.

Target areas

Unique style also gives Rose things to watch out for

Rose can stand to give more definition to his lower body. At 191 pounds it's not as though he's lean, but his 191 isn't the same as it would be for a running back that's lower to the ground. He's not a player that's going to drive the pile with power below his midsection, and staying low is going to be key for Rose's ability to gain extra yards. That will be especially true when he's close to the line of scrimmage, in order to fight off contact without being stood up.

He would be well served to keep his arms closer to his body when he gets past the first level. At times this tendency to let the arm off the ball hang loose has led to defenders turning him around or spinning him down. As he improves his footwork his balance will improve and this will be less of a temptation, which will in turn make him more difficult to tackle and turn moderate gains into scoring runs.

Because Rose accelerates so well he will have to work hard not to outrun his blocking, but his patience especially on outside runs is a promising sign that this won't be a huge problem.

There has been a slight tendency to run a bit more upright once he gets to the second level. Not enough to call it a problem, but enough to make it an area of focus.

Summing Up

Unique strengths, unique challenges

Scott's opportunity to coach Rose will be a bit like an offensive coordinator working with a left-handed quarterback. It's a different experience. Only in this case the unique attributes Rose brings to the table opens up a lot more possibilities and fewer challenges.

Rose is potentially a home run hitter if he can avoid bad habits. If he can stay low, stay balanced and improve the definition in his lower body then his excellent traits -- acceleration, speed in the open field, upper body strength, downhill running -- can make him a dynamic weapon in the offense.