Spotlight: Offensive lineman Chongo Kondolo
School: Fresno (Calif.) Fresno City C.C.
Ranking: Rivals 5.5 3-star
Physically : Kondolo isn't a massive lineman measuring in around 6-foot-4, 290-pounds. But he has the arm length of a taller lineman with good upper body strength and a powerful lower body.
Abilities : Kondolo displays many abilities that should help him see playing time early on during his career at Nebraska.
On film Kondolo looks to be a very solid pass protector. He is comfortable in pass protection in space at the tackle position as well as when he's covered up at guard. He's got very quick feet that allow him to get into his set and shows a good punch.
Kondolo looks to be flexible and plays with good knee bend. He operates well from a two-point or a three-point stance and looks comfortable in a left handed or right handed stance. He is quick out of his stance and plays with good leverage. He engages defenders and understands how to lock out his arms and drive his opponent while run blocking.
I like how he stays on his blocks at the line of scrimmage and also has the ability to combo or down block. Kondolo runs very well and has the ability to pull which is definitely something that catches your eye. He has no problem blocking in space and gets to the second level well.
Attributes : Along with being athletic, Kondolo is versatile and plays the game with certain attributes you like to see from offensive linemen.
Kondolo plays with a great deal of effort, he's a finisher. The only time you ever really see Kondolo on the ground is when he is putting his opponent on his back. He has a mean streak to his game and plays with an attitude. To be successful in the trenches you have to play with an edge and Kondolo does just that.
While his size may not set him apart from many offensive linemen, his overall versatility does. Kondolo shows he can play guard or tackle and has played those positions on the left and right sides of the line so far in his career. He's athletic enough that the coaching staff is going to try him out at center as well and Kondolo has told me he can snap if asked to.
Room for improvement : As is the case with any incoming player, Kondolo will need to learn Nebraska's system before he sees the field.
His biggest area for improvement will need to come in the form of snapping and making line calls if he does indeed start out at the center position. Although he says he can snap, there are still a lot of unknowns since he's never played the position full time at this level before.
Kondolo will also need to keep improving his upper and lower body strength as he adjusts to playing against competition that is bigger and faster than he's ever faced before.
Summary: Kondolo was a big addition to an impressive offensive line class. Nebraska is getting a player that could potentially take over at the open guard position or even give the Huskers some flexibility at the center spot which is thin.
Ideally, you would like to have any incoming junior college players be able to enroll early and go through Spring practice but there is no reason to think that Kondolo couldn't make an early impact next season. He adds experience and great athleticism to the team.
You have to give credit to the Nebraska coaching staff for recognizing Kondolo as a prospect that could be an impact player and handling his recruitment extremely well. The entire offensive coaching staff recruited him and just like Matt Finnin, Kondolo had plenty of teams to choose from as signing day approached. In the end he felt most comfortable with the Husker coaches and players.
Clouse has nearly 10 years of football evaluating experience through his time working on the football recruiting staffs at Nebraska and Iowa Western Community College, along with serving as a scout for Recruits Unlimited. He can be reached at nate@huskeronline.com.