Cervantes has everything at LB, except offers
By Christian Knox
MDJ Sports Writer
Marietta middle linebacker Carlos Cervantes
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checks all the boxes at the inside
linebacker position.
He excels in pass coverage and is better
against the run, he has multiple years
of experience leading the Marietta defense
and he possesses explosive speed
and strength.
Despite his well-rounded skill set, Cervantes
said he has largely flown under the
radar of many colleges because he lacks
prototypical size for an inside linebacker.
The 5-foot-9, 224-pound linebacker
has an offer from Presbyterian and has
been talking to Troy this summer, but
he said he is largely being overlooked by
scouts and coaches so far.
“I think I’m overlooked in everybody’s
eyes,” Cervantes said. “I’m overlooked
because you see these 6-3, 6-4 players
that play my position. (College coaches)
say they can transform them to be better,
but you’re overlooking a lot of players
that play better than them, have better
stats and actually show out.”
As a three-year starter and a key member
of Marietta’s state championship team in
2019, Cervantes has no shortage of game
tape that coaches can watch. However,
Marietta coach Richard Morgan said that
coaches and scouts have not been able
to see the rising senior in person much,
as they traveled to high school games far
less during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think (size and lack of exposure) are
the two things that have hindered his recruitment,
but in the end, he’s a great
player and wherever he ends up going
to college, they’re going to get a steal,”
Morgan said.
Cervantes, who led Marietta in tackles
with 89 last season, uses his compact
frame to thump opposing runners when
he meets them in the hole. Able to run a
40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds, Cervantes
has the requisite speed to seal the edge
and spy dual-threat quarterbacks in the
run game. He also has more than enough
strength to beat larger ball carriers at
the point of contact with a squat of 520
pounds and a bench of 320.
“When I’m going in for a hard hit right
up through the gut, and the running
back is trying to run me over, I make
my presence known. I’m not that big
of a linebacker, so if they can’t see how
big I am, I’m gonna make them feel it,”
Cervantes said.
As the general of the Marietta defense,
Cervantes calls plays and helps his teammates
shift into position. Marietta outside
linebacker Daniel Martin, a four-star
recruit who has offers to 18 schools including
Clemson and LSU, said Cervantes
excels in his leadership role.
“He’s been playing that position since
he was a freshman. He knows his stuff.
He’s pretty much the coach on the field,
and I’m just the extra help I’d say,” Martin
said. “He’s a really smart person, his
footwork is great and he knows where
to be at certain times.”
Cervantes is putting in time studying
his position and working out so that college
coaches and opposing players alike
have no choice but to take notice in his
final season at Marietta.
“My mentality going into a game is making
my presence known. I’m not going
to be a pushover no matter how much I
weigh or how tall I am. I’m gonna hold
my own,” Cervantes said.
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