Keeping with the theme of defense, let's look at some defensive line prospects that Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison will be courting in the coming months. I think it's important to note that as of right now, Michigan only has 15-17 scholarships available for the 2012 class. After attrition, which there are already rumors of, there will likely be around 20-22 available scholarships. The staff has some catching up to do on the defensive line if they are to complete a worthy transition to a 4-3 defense, and we could easily see 6-8 commits along the front four. Let's look at who holds Michigan in high regard as of now.
2012 DE Chris Wormley
Defensive End
We'll start at end, and there are a few prospects in the Midwest that Michigan has an extremely good shot at. Ohio is loaded this year at defensive end, and arguably the best of the bunch is Toledo Whitmer's Chris Wormley. Buckeye Grove recently ranked him number three overall in Ohio's 2012 class, and many feel that, as a junior, Wormley was better than his teammate and fellow defensive end, 2011 Ohio State signee Kenny Hayes. Either way, Wormley, at 6'5" and 255 lbs. is a superior athlete and projects extremely well to the next level. Better yet, Wormley and his family have strong ties to Michigan, and even OSU will have a hard time pulling him away from Ann Arbor. This would be a major coup if it were to go down, and even though Wormley was already a Michigan lean when Rich Rodriguez was coach, his commitment would go a long way in building Brady Hoke's reputation on the recruiting trail.
Defensive Tackle Michigan's needs at defensive tackle are only rivaled by their needs along the offensive line, and it'll be intriguing to see who they pursue along with Danny O'Brien. The Wolverines will likely take four or five defensive tackles in 2012 and they've already offered twelve. One of those twelve is Matthew Godin, a 6'5", 265 lb. three-tech out of Detroit Catholic Central. Not only is Godin a solid prospect at a position of need, but he's also a good friend of Danny O'Brien, and a commitment from Godin could help Michigan's chances with O'Brien. Godin's film isn't overly impressive, but he has good size and a good motor and a good offer sheet, thus far (Michigan, MSU, Missouri and Wisconsin, to name a few). He likely projects to DT, but he has the body to possibly end up as a strongside defensive end or even an offensive tackle. Godin was, like Royce Jenkins-Stone, frustrated that Michigan didn't jump at him out of the gate, and he went so far as to say that he was "done with them (Michigan)". However, Godin met with the coaching staff on campus a couple weekends ago, received an offer, and seemingly appeared extremely excited about it.I think Michigan is in very good shape with Godin.
I know some fans get frustrated when kids do this, because the prospects come across as feeling entitled to an offer when they complain about not getting one right away, but I think in both of these cases, these are just kids (we have to remember that) that are very emotionally vested in Michigan. To me, Godin's and Jenkins-Stone's frustration shows a love for the program more than a sense of entitlement. It's not as if they're upset with other schools that aren't showing them a lot of interest, so they obviously have a special affinity for Michigan if Michigan's interest, or lack there of, can effect them so much. I'm only two years older than the guys in the 2012 class and even I view such reactions as immature, but at the same time reactions such as these can be completely blown out of proportion. Both players are obviously very emotional and very competitive on the field (watch their film), and I think those feelings leaked into their off the field situations in both cases.
As I said, Michigan will need four or five defensive tackles in this class, so in this case, the Keep An Eye On section will be very important.
Mission: The 2012 In-state Defensive Haul, Part IV Last but not least we'll look at Terry Richardson'sfellow Technician, Royce Jenkins-Stone.
Royce Jenkins-Stone 6'2" 215 lbs. Outside Linebacker Detroit Cass Tech According to Scout, Jenkins-Stone finished his junior year with 90 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions. He's a player who has seen his stock grow tremendously in the past year. Once seen as an unpolished player who relied solely upon his athleticism to make plays, Jenkins-Stone has turned himself into an intelligent and fundamentally strong linebacker. Let's look at Royce's junior film and breakdown his emergence from there (btw, watch out for a great hit from Terry Richardson around the 5:37 mark).
Jenkins-Stone looks to be a more consummate middle linebacker prospect than Ross, even though he's listed as an outside linebacker. For one, his frame is one that could easily carry another 20-30 pounds while still supporting Jenkins-Stone's current speed (which is likely exaggerated when it's listed at 4.56) and agility. I liked Royce's patience, mainly because it's one of those instinctual attributes that he was likely lacking before the 2010 season that led to him not being as highly touted as Ross. I don't think Royce's instincts are quite up to James Ross' and he doesn't have the same closing speed, but he doesn't just run through the first opening in the line when he's pursuing a running back. He predicts where the back is likely to go and he contains well when he has to, forcing the ball carrier into a cul-de-sac. Thomas Wilcher and his staff at Cass deserve props for this. The lack of consistently displaying this attribute plagued Jonas Mouton, who was an extremely athletic safety-converted-to-linebacker for Michigan. Mouton was invited to the 2010 combine, but he could have been a top NFL prospect if he had ever learned that tackling isn't just chasing down the ball carrier, but forcing him back toward the strong side of the play or toward the sidelines, using angles to your advantage. It wouldn't be true to say that Royce or Ross are perfect at this, but they both seem to have the patience and instincts to be able to quickly develop this skill.
There was a time when Michigan had a massive lead in Royce Jenkins-Stone's recruitment, however, that lead has seemingly shrunk. Royce made it clear through various media that he was frustrated with the lack of attention that the new staff was showing him when other prospects in the area were getting scholarship offers, and he has since backed off stating Michigan as his leader (We'll see this phenomenon again when we look at another in-state recruit, Matthew Godin, and I'll explain then why it should be interpreted as encouraging, not discouraging, to M fans). Jenkins-Stone has offers from Iowa, MSU, and Oklahoma along with Michigan, and he told Scout.com that Oklahoma was his most impressive offer so far (I wouldn't look too much into this. Frankly, it's the truth). Royce made a recent visit to the Michigan campus, where according to Royce's twitter feed, Greg Mattison saw Royce as the next Ray Lewis. Whatever gets them to commit, Greg. In all seriousness, Royce would be a very good pick up, and keeping the Cass Tech pipeline perpetually solid to Michigan is important. That constant touch-up along with the signing of two defensive prospects with loads of potential can be accomplished for another year with the signings of both Terry Richardson and Royce Jenkins-Stone.
Mission: The 2012 In-state Defensive Haul, Part III James Ross and Danny O'Brien are likely to be rated as the top two players in the state of Michigan by sites such as Rivals and Scout, but Terry Richardson is the prospect who has garnered attention from the likes of Alabama, LSU, and USC.
Terry Richardson 5'9" 160 lbs. Cornerback Detroit Cass Tech According to Scout, Richardson had four interceptions and 20 tackles as a sophomore and finished this past season with eight interceptions and 30 tackles. Don't be alarmed if those interception numbers go down in 2011. Teams took their chances throwing toward Richardson in 2010 instead of risking throwing toward 2011 Michigan signee Delonte Hollowell, who partnered Terry at corner this past season. Teams will likely give Richardson the same treatment when he's a senior. Richardson reported a 4.64 forty yard dash back in 2009. It's safe to say that his time is likely down to around the 4.5 range. Let's look at Richardson's junior film and break down his strengths on the gridiron.
A few things stand out to me in Richardson's film, the most prevalent being his pure athleticism. There are numerous plays where Richardson is forced to use his leaping ability to break up passes and even with his small stature he looks like he's able to go up against bigger receivers. I really like the play at 7:16. He has to turn and run with the receiver but he stays with the ball the whole way and he makes a hell of a play when the ball's at its highest point. Richardson has good speed as well and he'll hit hard, if he can't get to the ball, when he breaks on receivers. Overall, he looks to be a good tackler, though he doesn't seem as physical as Hollowell at the line of scrimmage. Richardson looks to be a mirror image physically of the three recent cornerback products to come out of Cass (Hollowell, Dior Mathis, Boubacar Cissoko) and he looks to fall in a similar range talent wise, which is saying something.
As I stated at the beginning, Richardson has drawn serious interest nationally and he reports scholarship offers from Alabama, LSU, and USC along with Michigan and numerous other schools. Notre Dame and Ohio State are also actively recruiting him, though I wouldn't expect an offer from Notre Dame as they tend to pursue defensive backs who are a bit taller (edit: lol I was wrong). He's already been invited to the Under Armour All-American Game, which is an ESPN event, so don't be surprised if their rating of Terry is slightly inflated. He'll likely be a solid four star from both Scout and Rivals at the end of the day, though. I think he has the potential to be a solid player at the next level and if it wasn't for his stature, he'd be one of the elite defensive back prospects in the nation. Defensive back is a very difficult position to transition from high school to college, though, simply because high school teams seldom throw the ball. He'll need a year or so to put on more weight, as well. Cass Tech is Michigan's most productive pipeline, but that doesn't mean Richardson is a lock to commit to Michigan. I'd expect him to explore the interest from the SEC and from schools out West before he makes his decision. Michigan is in as good of position right now as anyone, though.
Mission: The 2012 In-state Defensive Haul, Part II We've already looked at DT Danny O'Brien and the importance that he holds to the 2012 class. Next, we'll look at O'Brien's strongest competition for the honor of top player in Michigan, James Ross.
James Ross 6'1" 212 lbs. Inside Linebacker Orchard Lake St. Mary's Ross had 95 tackles, four fumble recoveries, seven forced fumbles and an interception and according to Scout he finished his sophomore year with "103 tackles, five sacks, five forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and an interception in his first year of high school football." So, yeah, he's pretty good. Let's start by looking at James' junior highlights.
The obvious thing that sticks out from Ross' video is his aggressiveness and how hard he hits guys. For a linebacker who isn't intimidating from a physical standpoint he is very violent. You can see how good his instincts are as well, as he hits the gaps in the line like a running back. The few times that fullbacks or linemen are able to make contact with Ross, he shrugs them off fairly easily. He also does a good job of keeping his feet moving after contact with the ball carrier, even when his legs come out from under him. Some of his hits look to be above the waist and he could be even more effective if he hit a little lower at times. That's nothing that coaching can't take care of, though. He has the speed to play sideline-to-sideline and you can see that he can drop back into coverage, which makes me wonder if he couldn't double as an outside linebacker at the next level, where he'll be asked to cover tight ends or slots on occasion. Like most recruits, Ross will have to bulk up but it's nothing a college weight training program can't address. He should be able to easily play at or around 230-235 lbs.
Ross has offers from multiple BCS conference schools, but the three biggest as of now are Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Evidently Ross grew up an Ohio State fan and his high school is not one of Michigan's pipelines. The last Michigan player of note to come from St. Mary's was Morgan Trent, and since then the school has sent multiple players to Penn State and three others to MSU, Florida State and OSU, respectively. However, Ross' dad is a huge Michigan fan and he will surely be in his son's ear and there are rumors afloat that the hiring of Greg Mattison was a huge plus for Michigan in Ross' eyes. It's obviously still early and Ross is a guy who should see even more elite offers come his way, but Michigan are in a good position as of now.
Mission: The 2012 In-state Defensive Haul, Part I I head this section as is partly in jest, but also partly in emphasizing the opportunity that the Michigan staff has within the state of Michigan in 2012. I'll cover this in depth from other angles later, but I feel as if the stars will align for Brady Hoke in 2011 and he will get all of the proverbial bounces in a number of facets. The depth of talent in Michigan in the 2012 class on the defensive side of the ball, namely in Danny O'Brien, James Ross, Terry Richardson, and Royce Jenkins-Stone, is one factor that sets up well for Hoke in the coming months. Let's look at one leg of the Big Four in detail.
Danny O'Brien 6'3" 282 lbs. Defensive Tackle Flint Powers Catholic
O'Brien will likely be the most difficult to sign of the poorly-coined-by-me Big Four from Michigan's standpoint and could very well be the most important signing of 2012 when all is said and done, which is why we'll discuss him first. There isn't any free video on O'Brien available as of now, unfortunately (and I don't have any premium accounts so I haven't seen any film either). According to Scout, O'Brien had 90 tackles and nine sacks in 2010 as a junior and he reports offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Syracuse and Tennessee. Now some of you may be asking, "Say, that isn't that impressive of an offer sheet," and I would agree, however, O'Brien is a special case in that he already has two distinct leaders, both top programs, in the pursuit of his signing, those being Tennessee and Michigan. Namely, O'Brien has made it clear via the recruiting sites and TomVH that Tennessee is his overall leader. He's been to Knoxville on multiple occasions before, both to camp and as a visitor, and according to Rivals he'll be down there again next week. Tennessee has had recent success in Michigan, with the signings of Darris Sawtelle, an offensive tackle from the 2007 class, and with wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett who is part of their 2011 class. O'Brien will be a tough player to pull away from UT (that's right Texas fans, I just did that), but you have to like Michigan's chances. For starters, there is unlikely to be any competition with the likes of MSU or tOSU for O'Brien's signature, simply because of the lack of interest that he's shown in anyone other than UM and Tennessee. Now, this doesn't mean that can't change (Anthony Zettel to Penn State, anyone?), but for now, there's no evidence pointing to anywhere other than Ann Arbor and Knoxville. Secondly, Greg Mattison. Not only has Mattison been coined as the best recruiter in the country by Urban Meyer, and "legendary" by Jesse Palmer (hair gel, just saying), but Mattison will also go into the 2011 season as the most over-qualified coordinator in college football (yes, including you, Charlie Weis). To keep it short, when you've coached Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata and you've won a national championship, you can expect to have some pull when recruiting. I would expect the coaching staff to go full force on O'Brien, to have him down for multiple games come fall, and for Hoke/Mattison to pull a "you're the next *insert great Baltimore player*" (we'll get to this when we look at Jenkins-Stone) on O'Brien. Now, I mentioned O'Brien's importance, and I can't stress enough how vital he could ultimately be. Position wise, the other three from the Big Four (god it just sounds worse every time I type it) includes two linebackers and a cornerback. Michigan took four linebackers and five defensive backs in the 2011 class to accompany a swath of returning players at both positions. Those are two positions that aren't necessarily of need depth wise (talent wise is another story). Conversely, defensive tackle is a position that will be scarily slim come 2012, when only Terry Talbott, William Campbell, Richard Ash and Quinton Washington, none of whom has yet to prove himself, will return. Michigan will be returning to a 4-3 defense under Hoke, which means two defensive tackles in every class will be a goal, and the staff will likely look to sign at least three to four DTs in the 2012 class (we'll look at other prospects in the coming days). O'Brien is a talent that the state of Michigan doesn't see all too often, and for him to be on the cards at the same time that Michigan desperately needs a player like him is too good to pass up. The coaching staff will surely see this (right?), and it's one of many positive sells the coaching staff will be able to make to O'Brien and I think it will definitely factor into his decision, whether he chooses to go to Michigan, Tennessee, or somewhere else entirely.
I started this blog for two reasons, those being I love Michigan football and I wouldn't mind making a career out of sports journalism one day. That being said, many things will surely be posted that have nothing to do with Michigan or even sports for that matter, so any definitive site description would be futile.
I'm currently a history student at the University of Evansville which is in southern Indiana (I'm sure you already knew that, of course). My dad is employed by the university so any dreams of attending Michigan were trounced by the prospect of free tuition to UE. Besides, if you haven't seen the out-of-state tuition figures at UM, well, I mean, they aren't exactly accommodating. I only tell you this so readers know that, no, I was not born and raised in Michigan and I did not and likely never will attend the university. I've only been able to attend one game in Ann Arbor (2005 vs. Minnesota *ugh*) so I'll probably never comment on the atmosphere of, well, anything pertaining to Michigan.
My journey to becoming a Michigan fan began in the fall of 1997. Some of my earliest memories are of the 1997 national championship team and namely of Charles Woodson. Something about that team, watching their games set to the overcast weather that is fall in the Midwest, listening to Keith Jackson and Bob Griese, the way my mom, whose parents are from Columbus and are huge OSU fans, would curse them... Something just clicked. They were like an event or faraway place that you would hear the adults whisper about, and you knew that whatever it was, it was important, and it was like nothing you'd ever experienced, and the romanticizing would sub-consciously begin. I would have turned just six years old just after the OSU win, Woodson's punt return and all, yet that team left me enamored. I distinctly remember praying to a God that I don't think I even believed in as the national anthem came to an end and those men in Blue and Washington State, led by a nondescript gun-slinging quarterback, took the field at the Rose Bowl, a national championship at stake. And thinking back, that moment sticks with me because it's the first time that sport exceeded everything else. It was the first time the headlong collision of peoples in competitive fury ever meant more than simply the final score on the scoreboard. The team was like a god and the final goal was something like heaven but even more abstract than a description of God's heaven; something that is untouchable and unimaginable yet something that can still take a physical toll upon you when it's all said and done. That 1997 team was the first team to do that to me, and that's where the love affair began and has lived on through good and bad.
Now that you have a perspective upon my fandom, I hope you return to read what I have to say. Perhaps being a little prophetic in terms of this blog's content, I'm fascinated by the recruiting process in football. Being a recruiting analyst for one of the big recruiting sites would be a dream job, so I'll probably write a lot about that, mainly from a Michigan perspective. I also love to write/play/listen to music and am currently in a band with some friends from high school, which I'll link here at the end. I'm sure those influences will creep in over time as well.
