Pelini/Osborne strike again: Ben Cotton

As Bo Pelini continues to put his staff together for his new gig at Nebraska, one such hire has paid off two fold. Pelini has hired Barney Cotton. The former Nebraska offensive coordinator, who most recently was the OC at Iowa St (2006), brings with him his talented son Ben Cotton. Ben Cotton had been committed to Louisville for some time now but switches to Big Red to be coached by his father.

How he ranks:

Rivals: #25 tight end
Scout: #18 tight end
ESPN: #30 tight end

The 6-6, 215 lb Ames High School (Ames, IA) product has nice pass-catching ability. He uses his hands well keeping the ball away from his body as catching the ball on the run is not a problem. He certainly understands the way to play offense due to the fact that his father has been an offensive coach at high level division-1 football programs. Mentally, he has a high football IQ.

The major issue is his strength and power. At 6-6, 215 his needs to put on 20-30 pounds before he will make a big impact in the run game. He also lacks power after the catch. He does show effort while blocking so the potential is there but he will have to get more powerful at the point of attack.

Ben Cotton is a solid pick-up. I have always been a huge fan of coach's kids.