Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 04/25/2011 at 6:39 PM News

The Popdust Files: diddy, expert, justin combs

Being the son of an uber-successful pop star and serial entrepreneur has its benefits, and anyone who’s ever gone through the college application process will tell you that sometimes it’s not your grades or admission essays or extracurricular activities that makes the difference—it’s all about who you know. With that in mind, Diddy tweeted out video earlier today of his son Justin “Not Puffy” Combs on the football field, a highlight reel of the cornerback’s finest moments, in the hopes of ensnaring a scout amidst his 3.6 million followers:

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/iamdiddy/status/62608956975095808"]

We took a look at the video ourselves, but being rank amateurs in the field of college prospect analysis, we figured we should probably consult an expert on the subject of what the future might hold for young Combs. So we hit up Scott Kennedy, Director of Scouting for national recruitment site Scout.com, for some thoughts. While pointing out that it’s “hard to get a true scouting report off of a highlight video” due to the obvious bias contained therein, here’s how he sized up Combs.

Right away though it’s apparent that Justin is undersized. I think the [listed measurements of] 5’9/165 is probably pretty generous based on the way he looks on video. He shows some pop, though, and some aggressiveness despite not having the size to go with it, and that’s a good sign. He’s got a good backpedal and a decent hip turn, and that’s where being low to the ground helps. The hip turn is the most important part of playing corner, because he has to go from facing the line of scrimmage to protect throws in front of him, to turning and sprinting with a receiver trying to go by him. He shows good skills on his highlight tape, but like I said, everyone does.

Not bad. So how does Kennedy rate Combs’s chances of actually snagging a scholarship at a big-name program? His prediction:

His size will be a liability to getting on the field. While he might not be a D1 level recruit, he’ll likely get some D1 interest simply because of his last name. With 25 scholarships to give every year, coaches aren’t afraid to burn one on a player that might not be set to crack the starting lineup simply for the ancillary benefits it might provide a program…I think if you look at all of the schools [Ohio State, Notre Dame, Alabama] that offered Joe Montana’s son Nick Montana a scholarship, you’ll realize that just about everyone may offer Justin, because he’s a bubble D1 guy…There’s a sentiment out there amongst college football fans that every player given a scholarship is done so based purely on talent. But that’s just not the case.

So there you have it—even if Diddy’s tweet doesn’t catch the attention of one of the big-names, he might be able to get his son through their front door based on name recognition just the same. Best of luck to Justin, and we hope to be watching him on Saturdays in a couple years’ time.