WATCH: Vanguard's Langston, Manuel and Rucker show out in season opener
On Thursday, the Vanguard Knights traveled to Citizens Field with a talented crop of players for a road game against Gainesville High School.
After not participating in an exhibition matchup versus Eastside last week, four-star UF commit Leonard Manuel strapped up the pads and took the field for his team's regular season opener.
Although he seemingly had a mismatch every time he lined up against a DB, Manuel wasn't targeted frequently throughout the game. In the second quarter, however, Manuel assisted in putting the game out of reach on a effortless touchdown reception.
On his TD, the 6-foot-5, 200-pounder — with help from his quarterback's pump fake — confused the opposing defender into thinking that he was going inside. Manuel then used his long strides to accelerate down the sideline, haul in the reception and essentially walk into the end zone.
While his time on offense led to just one reception, Manuel was fairly impressive on the other side of the ball. In the secondary, Manuel moved side-to-side very well and used his speed to quickly make his way to the ball carrier and bring him down.
What was probably the most noteworthy aspect of Manuel's performance on Thursday, however, was his attitude and leadership. After a scuffle broke out near the goal line, Manuel quickly rushed over to separate his teammate from the fight.
Also, Manuel never once complained about not getting enough touches and made himself useful on offense with his blocking on both rushing and passing plays. On a touchdown reception by Trevonte Rucker, Manuel ran up to him from the sideline and had high praise for his catch.
Manuel didn't put up flashy numbers receiving wise, but contributed in every other aspect of the game against the Hurricanes.
Former Florida commits Bryce Langston and Trevonte Rucker both demonstrated why they are two of the top players at their respective positions in next year's class.
Rucker is listed as a wideout, but perhaps his most dangerous asset is taking the field as a returner on special teams. He has excellent field vision and is able to quickly choose which path will net him the most yardage on a return.
To accompany how well he reads the field is Rucker's ability to cut on a dime. Rucker can stop quickly, change his course of direction and regain his speed almost instantly. On one of his punt returns — which was negated by a penalty — Rucker even used a spin move and ran to the other side of the field for an additional 30 yards.
On the perimeter, Rucker is a solid route runner for this stage in his football career and can usually beat his opponents down the field due to how fast he is. From the last two games I've seen him play and the UF camps he attended this summer, the 6-foot, 157-pounder also locates the ball and is able readjust his body to make a reception.
Switching over to Langston, the 11th-ranked strong side defensive end in the country simply overpowered offensive linemen on Thursday. He drove tackles backwards with relative ease or simply just blew past them with how quickly he got off the snap.
Langston also did a good job of going from the middle of the field to a sideline to try and make a play. The 6-foot-3, 241-pounder showed that he carries his weight well for his size and that he could potentially make the transition to an outside linebacker/defensive end hybrid position down the line.
Florida fans, to view highlights from Langston, Manuel and Rucker from their game against GHS, click the video at the top of the page.
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