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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Signee profile: RB Tre Mason

Tre Mason, a running back who committed in late January, is Auburn's second signee.

Mason, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound running back from Lake Worth, Fla., ran for 1,643 yards and 24 touchdowns his senior season at Park Vista High. He ran for 4,648 yards and 68 touchdowns in his high school career.

Although he's not the biggest back, the scouting services call him a play-maker with good speed (4.5-second 40), elusiveness and a burst through the hole. The question is his durability.

With Mike Dyer and Onterio McCalebb as the only two remaining true tailbacks on the roster, Mason could be expected to step in right away. If not on offense, possibly as a returner.

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  • Committed: Jan. 26, 2011
  • Recruited by: Curtis Luper
  • Also considered: Ole Miss, West Virginia, Texas A&M, Michigan, Penn State
  • Rivals: 199 overall, 14 position, 32 state
  • Scout: 282 overall, 29 position
  • ESPN: 21 position
  • Notable: Father is Vincent Mason, aka DJ Maseo of the hip hop trio De La Soul
  • Quotable: “He’s always smiling and very personable. He’s going to walk in there and guys are going to be friends with him right away, he’s just that type of kid. As an athlete he has that unique ability and that’s why he’s going to the SEC. He can make a cut laterally and not lose any speed." -- Park Vista High coach Brian Dobbs


Here's a free scouting report on Mason courtesy of Rivals:
  • On the Hoof: Solidly built with the frame to add more weight. He definitely looks like a back that can carry the ball 20 times in a game. Physically, he is similar to Miami running back Eduardo Clements.
  • Needs Improvement: Mason needs to work on lowering the shoulder pads just before contact thus reducing the number of hard hits he takes. Has a tendency to stretch the play, looking for the home run, instead of taking what is given to him. He needs to make more runs between the tackles.
  • Most Impressive: His top-end speed is excellent as he can pull away in the open field from most defensive backs. He is also an excellent receiver coming out of the backfield. But his forte is that one cut to make the initial tackler miss and cutting it back across the grain for big yardage.
  • Conclusion: Look for him to outperform more highly recruited backs. But before this happens he will need to improve his pass blocking. I look for him to be a surprise performer similar to Montel Harris of Boston College.