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The Utah State Aggies landed what is potentially a vastly underrated recruit in Bingham High School (South Jordan, UT) linebacker Daniel Langi:
Aggies kicked off Sunday with a commitment from Daniel Langi, a 6-foot, 220-lb linebacker from Bingham H.S., nice get for the Aggies!
— Lya Wodraska (@LyaWodraska) January 18, 2015
You can watch any given tape of any one or two-star recruit in the country and pick out things that you like about his game. Maybe he has decent speed or nifty footwork or some kind of underrated tool that makes you feel he'll find a way to succeed at the next level despite limited interest from bigger programs. What they don't usually do, however, is stand out from the rest of the lower-tier recruits.
So believe me when I say this: Langi stands the heck out.
You can check one of his highlight reels, entitled 'The Punisher,' below:
Langi isn't a physical monster, standing at 6-feet and 220 pounds, but his athleticism really jumps out at you on the tape. His explosiveness off the snap has him living in the opposition's backfield a lot of the time and he seems to a nose for the ball. It won't be as easy to jump the snap at the next level, or blow by the line, but his combination of speed and strength should serve him well in that department.
When he's not being a living hell in the backfield, his quick, lateral movement has him taking on the role of a silent assassin near the line of scrimmage. Numerous times in the highlights I saw, the offense would run to the opposite side of field, only for Langi to turn on the jets and come seemingly out of nowhere to make a tackle. Once he has his sights set on the ballcarrier, it's tough to get away, as his 103 tackles (48 solo) on the season suggest.
Langi will need to improve his strength and ability when dropping into coverage before becoming an every-down type of player at Utah State, but overall this a great get for the Aggies. Langi has that hidden gem feel to him, and grabbing his commitment just as BYU was starting to show heavy interest has to feel great.
Here's Langi being all happy about Utah State:
I am blessed to say that I'm officially an Aggie! S/O to @sammyboi_39 for the sick pic! And thanks to… http://t.co/sFPTdvnDpz
— Daniel Langi (@Tettibear34) January 19, 2015