Scouting Profile: Bhayshul Tuten - RB- Virginia Tech
Sales Pitch: Explosive one cut runner w/ a kick return background. Limited in terms of role but fits perfect in an outside zone offense than needs to add speed.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA Top-25 for 2024*
*Red Numbers Indicate NCAA Bottom-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Bhayshul Tuten was a lightly pursued recruit from the state of Virginia, where he was a Track & Field standout. He initially began his career at North Carolina A&T, where he was an FCS All-American in 2022. Tuten transferred to Virginia Tech prior to his junior season in 2023, and went on to post back to back All-ACC honors at RB with an All-American kick returner nod in 2023 to boot.
Tuten is an explosive athlete with a compact frame, who is at his best when he can put on foot in the ground and go. He has experience operating as the lead back for a team, posting three straight seasons with over 175 carriers, two of which he logged 1,000+ yards in. Tuten is the picture perfect back for an outsize zone running scheme. His burst and one cut ability fits the scheme like a glove. Tuten does a good job extending runs laterally, before planting his foot in the ground and shooting through the hole. He is quick to reach top speed and has the acceleration to beat defenders to the edge and through the second level. His feel for space and angles when working through the 2nd and 3rd levels is excellent and allows him to avoid tacklers. Tuten is a former track star he has legit 4.3 speed to rip off chunk gains. He displays the agility and balance to spin off tackle attempts in the open field as well. Tuten wasn’t asked to be much of a pass catcher at Virginia Tech but shows solid hands out of the backfield and the movement skills to grow into a more diverse route runner.
Tuten is a smaller back who is going to be more scheme specific. He wasn’t often asked to run gap scheme concepts in college. He struggles to pick his way through traffic on those downhill runs that require more precise footwork. Tuten’s below average size and strength limit his ability to run between the tackles and push piles. He goes down easily when hit below the waist in the hole. If he cannot get his speed up, defenders have an easy time chopping him down. Tuten had very little production or impact as a 3rd down player at Virginia Tech. He was rarely asked to be more than a checkdown option, posting under 100 yards through the air in 2024. He is even more of a work in progress as a pass blocker. Tuten struggles to sift through blitzers and cut off their path to the quarterback. His technique is shoddy and gives up too much ground due to his smaller size. Tuten really struggled to protect the rock during his time at Virginia Tech. He lost 9 fumbles over two years and put more on the ground than that. Too often does he get lose with the ball while running through traffic and gets it poked out.
Tuten profiles best as an early down outsize zone runner. He won’t be a fit for some offenses but his speed and burst combined with the athleticism to be a decent pass catcher makes him an interesting Day-2 target for teams in need of some juice.