Film Room: Tovani Mizell

Tailback is a position of need for Kentucky in the 2024 recruiting cycle. First-year position coach Jay Boulware has a room full of seniors, and things will turnover quickly after this season. For the second time since he arrived on campus, the new assistant has helped land a high-quality high school prospect.

Boulware joined the Jamarion Wilcox recruitment late to help the Cats close. He was the lead recruiter for top-500 prospect Tovani Mizell and that recruitment officially ended on Wednesday. The South Florida product jumped on the radio with KSR’s Matt Jones and committed to the Wildcats to give UK’s 2023 class seven scholarship commitments.

Mizell is a two-way threat out of the backfield that could give Kentucky a unique weapon on offense.

Patient running style with burst

In Kentucky’s pro-style scheme, the offense will ask its running back to be decisive decision-makers in the zone run game, but some level of patience is needed to allow plays to develop. Tovani Mizell does a great job of squeezing runs and exploding through creases.

Mizell sinks his hips on the first run allowing blocks to be complete before showing some short-area burst that allows him to separate quickly from defenders with the instincts to find daylight. The tailback then finishes the run with a strong leg drive. When the play hits quickly and there is movement at the line of scrimmage, Mizell can also hit the run fast and can consistently corkscrew off tackles in space allowing him to gain yards after contact.

Patience, instincts, football IQ, and open-field speed are all flashed on Mizell’s high school tape. Each skill will bring some value to Kentucky’s zone scheme.

Intriguing pass game value

Tovani Mizell is a tailback first, but the newest Kentucky commit could impact the game as a pass catcher. The high three-star prospect can beat coverage on the outside and also be a playmaker in open space once the ball is in his hands.

Lined up as an X receiver into the boundary, Mizell beats the cornerback to the inside on a go-route. The running back then does a solid job of ball tracking reeling in a vertical grab, and finishing the play in the endzone. You don’t see too many running backs doing that in high school. On the screen, Mizell flashes some tremendous acceleration despite a poorly thrown ball. Mizell gets to his top speed fairly quickly and that allows Mizell to jet by the defense for the explosive play touchdown.

On tape, Mizell flashes good hands and can be a real weapon as a checkdown option. The tailback has legit breakaway speed and is a real threat to create a chunk play whenever he gets in space.

Kentucky is getting more explosive at tailback

Over the last seven years, Kentucky has been known for producing strong north/south runners that could break tackles, churn out yards, and keep the offense ahead of the chains. Benny Snell Jr. and Chris Rodriguez Jr. each had legendary careers in Lexington, but it appears that the program is heading into a different era.

Liam Coen is back to run the offense, and the 2023 team could be powered by the passing game more than the running game. That will be a first for this program. Kentucky is also making a more concerted effort at finding speed in the backfield.

Jamarion Wilcox was a big recruiting win for Kentucky in Metro Atlanta. The three-star prospect had legit interest from Clemson and Ohio State and should have a role in the offense as a true freshman. Mizell adds to that after picking the Wildcats over North Carolina and Oklahoma.

The South Florida native has legit breakaway speed on a 190-pound frame and could provide a different element in Jay Boulware‘s position room as a receiver. Kentucky just got more explosive on offense with this top-500 recruiting win.