Film Room: Grant Bingham

Grant Bingham is a mobile 6-foot-6 offensive tackle from Paintsville (Ky.) Johnson Central that was a major target for Kentucky. The blue-chip prospect possesses some jarring mobility on the offensive line. Some of the biggest brand names when it comes to line play were involved in this recruitment.

In the end, the Big Blue Wall and the culture the Kentucky offensive line room has created won out.

The offensive lineman announced on KSR this morning his plans to continue his playing career for Mark Stoops. The intriguing talent is the No. 3 ranked prospect in the state of Kentucky and a top-300 player nationally. Notre Dame and Michigan were blue bloods in pursuit while offensive line ace Sam Pittman wanted the big guy at Arkansas. Michigan State was Bingham’s first offer while Stanford tried to join the party just a few days ago.

⚪️🔵 pic.twitter.com/xneHsCKpjl

— Grant Bingham (@GrantBingham2) April 1, 2021

The ‘Cats won out and have re-stocked their arsenal in Eric Wolford’s position room. Come join us in the KSR Film Room to see what type of player offensive coordinator Liam Coen is getting. Bingham is a prospect that combines brute force with light feet. Power and agility can be a dynamic combination along the offensive line.

Once the film rolls, the first thing that jumps out is the athleticism of the 300-plus pound tackle. Johnson Central asks Bingham to do a lot and the big guy is constantly pulling. To be successful at this, players must be able to provide power while playing in space. Offensive lineman must possess the athletic ability to get their hands on smaller, faster players in large areas. This is no issue for Bingham.

In an unbalanced formation, Bingham pulls right on the old school sweep plays and crushes a safety who shoots through the line thinking there’s a chance for a tackle for loss. The prospect is constantly making efficient blocks in space and brings some thunder upon arrival. This is not an easy thing to do.

At the next level, Kentucky will not ask Bingham to pull constantly to take on linebackers and safeties. More often than not, the offensive lineman will have to meet defensive line players at the point of attack. Even in a wide zone scheme, defensive bodies have to be cleared from the line of scrimmage for running lanes to be created. The power never really disappears.

The play starts with a nice punch that allows Bingham to get control of the situation in this gap scheme run. The tackle then establishes a wide base before the leg drive takes over. In the end, an impressive finishing ability takes control as the offensive player wins with a beautiful pancake block. Power, punch, leg drive, motor, nastiness is all on display.

The screen game is going to become a bigger part of Kentucky’s offensive package moving forward and offensive line skill is a requirement for the pass concept to succeed. The Wildcats will need athletic, mobile offensive line players that can get their hands on defensive players in space. This is no issue for Bingham.

The tackle throttles down and takes on the inside linebacker while being very much in control. Upon contact, the punch and leg drive takes over and the running back has a huge alley down the left sideline.

Within the new scheme Coen has brought to Lexington, athleticism is going to be highly prioritized along the offensive line. The Wildcats will need players that can move well both horizontally and vertically with the ability to make multiple different blocks in space. However, the power element of the position can not be forgotten about.

Bingham is bringing both to the table and this skillset is exactly why the 606 product is a blue-chipper in the class of 2022. The prospect can play either guard or tackle at the next level and should become a force along the offensive line. The pass protection piece will need some development, but a lot of tools are there.

Kentucky’s Big Blue Wall continues to grow and there is no denying that the program is one of the 10 best in college football when it comes to offensive line play. That is now playing out on the recruiting trail and we’ll see more positive results in the next couple of NFL drafts. Bingham is Kentucky’s fourth top-500 player in the class of 2022 and many more high-level prospects could be joining soon.

Expect a high-caliber recruiting class to be put together this offseason.