Have You Heard Of: Notre Dame RB C.J. Prosise
Have you heard of Notre Dame RB C.J. Prosise? Not before this year you haven’t; not to this caliber. Prosise was more known for his receiving ability last year than his rushing ability as he had 500 receiving yards to only 120 rushing yards. He did average 12 yard per carry on the 10 carries he received last season, but rarely do those numbers translate to a break out season. This year Prosise has accounted for over 900 yards rushing and hasn’t played a game with less than 100 total offensive yards (rushing and receiving).
The senior running back is having a phenomenal season, but almost every fall we see guys who play great their final year of football but don’t make it in the NFL. I don’t “Prosise-ly” (it had to be done) believe that to be accurate with this particular senior back (Editors Note: Yes, that pun was completely neccesary). He possesses the athletic ability, size and production to be an NFL player and has a few similar characteristics to a back who has already made a name at the top-level.
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C.J. Prosise is from Petersburg, VA where he was first team all-state in Virginia for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Usually in prep careers many defensive backs are former 1,000 yard rushers, but Prosise spent his time mainly on defense with a bit of play at receiver. As far as I can find, Prosise never played running back in high school and if he did wasn’t noted for it. As a 3-star prospect Prosise had offers across the ACC from the likes of Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Boston College.
Penn State was another school to send Prosise an offer, but in the end the prep star ended up signing with the Fighting Irish. He arrived on campus as a safety but would eventually find himself on the offensive side of the ball at WR for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. With added depth at the WR position Prosise was asked to yet again make a position change from a receiver to a running back. It may have been the switch that both he and the Fighting Irish needed.
What I like
Prosise has great acceleration. For any running back being able to find the hole and burst through it is one of the keys to success. Prosise does this effectively and efficiently, it’s not often that he isn’t moving forward or making a play. He’s similar to Ezekiel Elliott in a way that they both are excellent in finding a crease and taking it for a large gain or to the house.
The other thing I appreciate about Prosise is that he’s already shown he can be a three-down back not only from his receiving skills out of the backfield but previous experience from playing in the slot for two years at Notre Dame. That along with his size (6′ 220) will make him somebody’s prized possession come May.
There’s also no concern about the competition he plays against or the school he’s attending. Notre Dame is a top ranked competitor and with their “ACC-like” lineup as well as an end of the season game against Stanford. Prosise will have plenty more opportunities to add to his already impressive resume.
Prosise has all the tools to succeed at the next level, there are still a few minor questions to be answered.
What’s left to be desired..
Although it’s great to see guys have a breakout senior season, you often have to wonder why that is. Could it be the scheme that Brian Kelly is running or could it be that nobody was able to game plan for a back that doesn’t even offer game tape at the high school level? Whatever the cause may be for this campaign, the answer will be needed come this off-season. I highly doubt any of those things will hold a team back from selecting him, but it will raise questions if he struggles in a new scheme under a different staff.
Two other things Prosise needs to work on developing. He found himself rushing frustrated against Clemson, which resulted in more yards for a loss than for gain. Instead of putting his head down and trying for extra yardage there were one too many clips of trying to make a play and losing yardage. It’s expected for a running back to try to make a play but the lanes don’t get any bigger in the NFL and dancing is only reserved for a special few.
The other thing with Prosise is he already has three fumbles. He’s only lost one fumble on the year but putting the ball on the ground is a quick way to the bench. The ball is a prized possession in the NFL when your paycheck counts on it.
Outlook
Prosise reminds me a lot of Arian Foster (healthy) in that he’s a patient runner who can find the hole and get through it to the second level. He doesn’t have outstanding on-the-field speed, but plays quick and uses his angles well. It’s hard to evaluate where he’ll be drafted, as a fall off towards the end of the year could dramatically impact his stock. If he continues the pace he’s on, he could place himself on somebody’s short list in the off-season.