Meet The Class of 2014: Jameer Outsey
By Alex Kuhn
With National Signing rapidly approaching, Dear Old Gold will be bringing you in-depth profiles of several of the Hawkeye commits and signees in a segment called “Meet the class of 2014.”
Versatility and potential are two of the best traits a recruit can possess. Franklin (NJ) High School linebacker and Iowa commit, Jameer Outsey, has both of those characteristics at the top of his scouting report. At Franklin High, Outsey was a standout at several different positions for the Warriors. He played linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle, offensive tackle, and tight end. For the Hawkeyes, Outsey will be a piece in the reclamation project of the line backing unit that loses three starters from the 2013 team.
Outsey was another one of Iowa’s recruits that was not heavily recruited by big-time schools. Much like several other recruits in Kirk Ferentz’ tenure, Outsey’s recruiting process was not all fun-and-games. “My recruiting process was really slow. I didn’t get real attention until really late,” Outsey said. Because of this, the faith that Iowa showed in the New Jersey Prep Star went a long way in receiving his verbal commitment. “The Iowa coaching staff showed a lot of love that other schools didn’t show. They contacted me every day. They wrote me hand-written mail. It just shows you that they want you,” Outsey said. Eventually Outsey chose Iowa over a few MAC offers as well as Michigan State and Pittsburgh.
Outsey, on tape, presents many intriguing assets to his game. The versatility he displays manifests itself, not only in the number of positions he can play, but in the number of ways you can use him at the linebacker position. Standing at 6’3’’ and weighing in at 225 pounds, Outsey has a slender, rangy frame that could be molded in several different ways. The most likely situation is that he will be molded into an outside linebacker because of his quickness and instincts. However, he has an ability that the Hawkeyes are not used to seeing in their linebackers. He is a very disruptive pass rusher. He uses his hand very well to shed blocks and has good length and flexibility to turn the corner on offensive linemen. With Phil Parker’s wild 3rd down blitzing schemes, it is very easy to see Outsey fitting in one of those zero-down-lineman blitzing schemes. Outsey represents the changing in the Iowa defense from a rarely blitz team, pre Phil Parker, to a modern-day heavy blitzing team. Down the road, we could very well see Outsey as a jack-of-all-trades outside linebacker.
Beyond anything that Outsey possesses from a skill-set stand-point, his mentality is what really makes him fit into the Hawkeye way. “I’m a really intense guy. I like to lead by example but I’m also very vocal,” Outsey said. His leadership reflects his play on the field. He never shies away from contact and he has a nose for the ball. “I love contact, I love hitting people,” Outsey said. He cited Ray Lewis as a person he tries to model from a leadership realm because of his intensity and love for the game. It is that kind of leadership that many of the past Hawkeye defensive greats have possessed. The Matt Roth’s. The Chad Greenway’s. The Christian Kirksey’s. The Bob Sanders’. All of those guys played with an edge that Outsey speaks of. Outsey is not playing another sport at Franklin before he heads off to campus in June. When asked what he is doing before he heads to campus, he replied “grinding.”
The coaching staff has made it clear that Outsey has a chance to play as a freshman at outside linebacker. This was kind of a drawing point for him choosing Iowa. However, in another exhibition of a phenomenal attitude, Outsey is not at all opposed to redshirting. In fact, “I kind of want to redshirt,” Outsey said
Welcome to Iowa Jameer! We’re excited to see your intensity on Saturday’s during the fall.