Versatility: Often an overused cliché but not in DeAndre Square’s case
Among words used frequently in recruiting parlance, versatility is among the most common. It's also, as you would then expect, extremely cliché.
But in certain cases the word really applies.
Lots of high school football players who find themselves being recruited by SEC programs are versatile. If we use some of Merriam-Webster's definitions, we can say versatility refers to 'having many uses or applications,' or, 'turning with ease from one thing to another.'
No surprise, right?
A small number of high school football players become Power Five prospects, much less Power Five players, so their superior physical attributes and football skills, relative to the rest of their high school counterparts, enable them to play more positions, play in more schemes, and do more things that create winning football plays.
But when we set the non-prospects aside, versatility becomes a little less common. The standard for meeting the definition should become more difficult when measuring great players against one another. Just because a corner can play safety doesn't mean he's versatile, compared to other top prospects. Just because a high school quarterback who's the best athlete on his team also plays on defense and return kicks doesn't mean he's versatile, it just means he's the best athlete on the field.
But in the case of Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech linebacker/athlete DeAndre Square, versatility applies.
It applies because it's easy to see Square's course of development going in a number of different directions, even successfully, at the college level.
He's been recruited to play linebacker at Kentucky, and this week Square told Cats Illustrated that linebacker is still the only position that's come up in his talks with the UK coaches.
When Square camped at Kentucky over the summer, there he was working out with Matt House, a linebackers coach. So there's really no reason to think Square will play any other position in college.
That's a bit interesting because in some respects Square fits the so-called 'tweener label pretty well. He's in the ballpark of 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and that doesn't preclude the possibility of linebacker in college, especially with the way positions are changing and adapting to meet the challenges posed by spread offenses. As more and more linebacker spots disappear in favor of nickels, defensive backs and hybrids, linebackers who can run, even if they're undersized, still have a future.
But there's no question that Square has to gain weight and he'll be the first to tell you that. It's not a crisis. It's just a fact. He's told Cats Illustrated in the past that he wants to be 215 pounds by the time he enrolls at Kentucky. Tough, but perhaps doable. His frame will allow for more weight, because he's proportioned and doesn't have any bad weight to begin with, but different players before Square have been case studies that illustrate there's no guaranteed timetable for when the scales will hit the mark the coaches want to see.
Square said one reason he feels confident going into his senior season at Cass Tech is he's more of a team leader than he's ever been. Not the loudest guy in the room, what Square is, now, is one of the oldest. And most experienced. And certainly one of the best. And he's respected. Leadership tends to follow players who have that combination of personal traits in the locker room.
But Square won't arrive at Kentucky as a leader. Far from it. He'll hit the reset button and will have to pay his dues, meet countless new teammates and come up through the ranks as a newbie. Still, Square's development into more of a leader bodes well for his ability to adapt to college and for the kind of on-field personality he might become in college. Even less vocal players have to be vocal on the field.
But leadership isn't the only area Square has improved in. Enter the great cliché: Versatility.
"I play more positions other than linebacker," Square said, explaining to Cats Illustrated what's different in his game now compared to last year. "Like safety and corner."
That's not just talk. Square's going to do it this fall.
"I'll be playing corner when the other team has a taller wide receiver, and safety," Square said. "I might have to start at linebacker. I'll just play (anywhere)."
Square won't be playing cornerback at Kentucky, but the fact that he's going to do that at Cass Tech, even in spot duty, is proof positive that versatility aptly applies to the near four-star prospect.
At Kentucky's camp this summer that Square participated in, with the linebackers, that versatility was on display even as he just worked out with the linebackers. Unlike Clevan Thomas last year and some others since, who move from one position to the next leaving not only certainty about their versatility but some questions about where they'll play, Square was strictly a linebacker while camping in Lexington. That should tell us everything we need to know about where he'll play in college.
But corner? Even in high school? Not too many SEC linebacker commitments do that, especially at football factories like Cass Tech, where there's probably other talent in the secondary that's eager to get on the field.
Being a bit undersized, for now, is one reason Square's coaches can experiment with him in the secondary, at this level. Not many high school receivers will have the speed or route running acumen to exploit the 200-pound Square in coverage. Not just because Square is fast and really athletic, which he is, but because he can really cover. During 1-on-1s in Lexington, Square could be seen running right with talented pass-catchers from the line of scrimmage, some of whom will be playing college football. He showed off his footwork (advanced for a linebacker), his hands (rare for a high school linebacker in coverage) in how he used them on a body without interfering, his hips in his change of direction, and his leaping ability in high-pointing the ball thrown deep when it seemed like the offensive player had a step.
Those attributes won't be showcased at corner or safety at Kentucky, but this SEC linebacker commitment will at least have the opportunity to show off his cover skills in a cover role in high school.
And just because Square won't be a corner or safety at Kentucky (although in the case of safety, stranger things have happened, even if safety-to-linebacker conversions are more common), doesn't mean experience in the defensive backfield will be for naught beyond high school. That coverage experience will prove invaluable to helping create in him the kind of player who can thrive at Kentucky. Because while Square's biggest task in college will be to add weight without sacrificing speed, going from good to elite in coverage is one path to stardom.
He's already been a monster covering the flats and attacking ball-carriers who get outside, quarterbacks scrambling near the line of scrimmage and unfortunate screen-catchers.
Square, who committed to Kentucky this summer in spite of having Big Ten offers from the likes of Michigan State and Wisconsin, has been solidly committed ever since. He's been active and engaged on social media, helping Kentucky to recruit other players and keeping communication open with other future teammates who are committed.
So even though there are other schools that would gladly take Square if he would flip, he seems to be as solid as they come. As he told Cats Illustrated in July, speaking of Kentucky: "No place I'd rather be."