SCOUTING THE COMMITS: Offensive lineman Sebastien Dolcine
Offensive lineman Sebastien Dolcine committed to Kentucky on Monday morning.
He's next up in Cats Illustrated's ongoing series of scouting reports on the Cats' 2017 commitments.
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Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna defensive end Chris Whittaker
SENIOR YEAR: Dolcine helped Miramar (Fla.) to an 8-3 (4-2) record during the 2016 season. It was an up and down year for the Miramar offense. The team averaged 37.8 points per game in their eight wins but just six points per game in their three losses.
STRENGTHS: Dolcine has experience playing both left and right tackle for Miramar. He's a player who could likely play almost any position on the offensive line at the next level, although his athleticism makes him a natural fit at tackle.
Dolcine's punch has been widely praised. That's something you don't hear about too many high school offensive lineman. An offensive tackle's punch, quickly following the snap, is essential to establishing an advantage against a pass-rushing defensive lineman.
As Dolcine's coach told Cats Illustrated in his question and answer session, the newest UK commitment has played extensively against athletic defensive ends in a talent-rich part of the country, and against a formidable schedule. The learning curve will be slightly less than for players who have played against lesser talent.
Dolcine plays with a mean streak. He's a hard worker who punishes opponents and strikes with quickness and force. He seems to have good upper body strength.
While he's not the biggest lineman, and though his strength can continue to improve, Dolcine is better than some might imagine at anchoring against a bull rush. He keeps good leverage. Too often a player's bench max, squat max, etc., are overvalued in assessing a player's overall strength, and Dolcine is the kind of player who proves that. In short, he plays stronger than he probably benches.
Not only does Dolcine have better length than one might find in most 6-foot-4 tackles, but he uses his length effectively to his advantage, punching and extending his arms at the right time. In that respect he's more polished in pass sets than most players who have only been consistently playing high-level prep football for two or three years.
Dolcine's balance is impressive and that's largely a testament to his footwork and the way he keeps his weight distributed. He also projects as a player whose kick slide will be very good.
MORE CATS ILLUSTRATED COVERAGE OF DOLCINE'S COMMITMENT
IMPACT ANALYSIS: What Dolcine-to-UK means for the Cats' 2017 class
COACH SPEAK: What Miramar's coach says about Dolcine
Discuss the commitment at the House of Blue
SPEAKING OUT: Dolcine on why he picked Kentucky
PHOTO GALLERY: Exclusive Rivals images of Dolcine at work at the Rivals Camp Series
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT: This isn't an area for improvement so much as a reference to a question that has lingered around Dolcine for the duration of his recruitment. Dolcine is a 6-foot-4 offensive tackle, and Kentucky's coaches took a little while before they offered because they wanted to verify that Dolcine had the height to play tackle at the collegiate level (his length doesn't seem to be a question). Given the fact that Kentucky offered Dolcine, even with two offensive line commits and more possibilities on board, it seems obvious that this question was answered sufficiently. But it's true that Dolcine's stock would have been even higher with some other schools if he were an inch or two taller.
That speaks to Dolcine's growth potential. How much bigger is he going to get? Again, this isn't a debilitating weakness, but it's a question that will be answered in time. However, on tape Dolcine seems to have the requisite length to play tackle in the SEC.
Dolcine has been praised for his protection skills in pass sets, and how he projects there, but he will need to prove that he's capable of blowing opponents off the ball when Kentucky runs the ball. How much push will he get?
He's relatively new to football compared to some other players. Dolcine played football at a younger age but gave it up for a time. He then picked it back up as a sophomore. Fortunately, between his sophomore and junior years he made big strides, becoming known as one of South Florida's top linemen. But he could still benefit from a lot more time playing the sport.
WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "Dolcine came into the event as a virtual unknown but quickly made a name for himself during the competition period for the linemen. At 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds, Dolcine is tall and relatively thin, with a frame to add more weight. His long arms allow him to get into opponents early and knock them off balance and that was his calling card as he won rep after rep during one-on-ones." (Woody Wommack, RCS: Miami Top Performers, 2/29/2016)