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 Ross6'1" 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.
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