Welcome to Michigan: The Football Recruiting Wrap-Up, 2014
2014 Football Recruiting Class Analysis
Another year, another haul of new recruits coming into the Michigan football program. All the sports sites have been ablaze over the last couple months in regards to which schools got which prospect to commit and where prospects are making official visits. It goes without saying that there is a lot of hype involved for athletes that have never even stepped onto a college practice field.
So what does it all mean? More importantly, what does it all mean for our beloved Wolverines in 2014? Well, to say it doesn't mean much would be a huge understatement as a team is ultimately only as good as the talent they can bring in and develop. How quickly one kid or another develops and what type of player they will develop into is something we cannot predict. As a fan, one just hopes that most of the kids their beloved school brings in on any given year become players that can contribute to wins on Saturdays.
This year's crop of in-coming talent is not a big one for the Wolverines. There are only 16 prep players that have signed their national letters of intent to play at Michigan. That's not a problem though, as the quality of these prospects is about as good as, if not better than, any other class the Wolverines have brought in over the course of the last decade.
I rank prospects similarly to what most of the popular recruiting sites do, which is on a scale of 1 to 5. The definition of what each designation means is as follows:
5/5 This ranking is only given to those Michigan prospects that are elite athletes with exceptional football skills. These kids were coveted by nearly every major college football program in the country and have the best chances of playing early and often.
4/5 These players are usually just a step below the 5/5 players in terms of raw athletic ability, but they are prized recruits nonetheless due to their high level of performance on the high school playing field. Typically, these prospects can contribute early but may need a year or two to develop before challenging for a starting job.
3/5 This ranking represents the majority of recruits in the Football Bowl Subdivision world. They are usually kids that lack any elite athletic characteristics but were productive football players and leaders on their respective prep teams. They are usually expected to redshirt as freshman and probably need two or three years to develop before challenging for any playing time.
2/5 These kids might have certain characteristics that have caught the eyes of recruiters for one reason or another, but the long-term outlook for them is probably as a backup and/or role-player three or four years down the road.
1/5 These guys are complete unknowns that may not have played much football before or physically do not appear to have any business on the FBS college playing field. Traditionally, you would not find them getting a scholarship offer from Michigan.
So, I now introduce you to Michigan's recruiting class of 2014:
* Asterisk denotes recruits that have enrolled early and are already on campus.
QB Wilton Speight*, 6'6" 230 lbs. 4/5 The prototypical passer in the classic Michigan mold. When you look at this kid you can see a young Elvis Grbac, Todd Collins, or Tom Brady. By all accounts, he has the tools to develop into a solid starter some day. Enrolling early this spring to get a head start won't hurt his cause by any means.
WR Drake Harris*, 6'3" 175 lbs. 4/5 - A great athlete that has the size/speed combination to compete at the college level in both football and basketball, but he will focus on playing receiver for the Wolverines. Enrolling early will help him tremendously after missing his entire senior season of high school with a hamstring injury.
WR Maurice Ways, 6'4" 193 lbs. 3/5 - Posesses great size at the position but probably needs a couple years to get oriented on the college playing field. It sounds like he has developed a strong relationship with his fellow recruits. Needless to say it's always great when camaraderie develops among your incoming talent.
WR Freddy Canteen*, 6'0" 170 lbs. 3/5 - Another early enrollee that could use the extra time on campus to get stronger and learn the slot receiver position. If he takes advantage of it he could get some playing time come fall.
TE Ian Bunting, 6'7" 220 lbs. 4/5 - Looks like he fits in with the Devin Funchess and Jake Butt mold of a tall receiver more than a blocking tight end. Don't be surprised if you hear his name get called early in the season.
OL Mason Cole*, 6'5" 270 lbs. 4/5 - Nice pull out of the state of Florida for the Wolverines. I see this kid getting a lot of looks at left guard early in his collegiate career and possibly playing tackle later.
OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty, 6'6" 310 lbs. 4/5 - The shear size of this kid gets coaches excited. Give him a few years and he could really be a huge asset up front. Looks like a prototypical right tackle prospect.
DE Lawrence Marshall, 6'4" 225 lbs. 4/5 - The staff hopes that this kid can finally bring a true pass-rush force to the weak-side of the D-line.
DT Bryan Mone*, 6'4" 320 lbs. 4/5 - The word from Ann Arbor on this early enrollee is that he came into the winter semester a tad bit over-weight. If he gets himself into shape between now and fall camp he could really improve the depth at the nose.
DT Brady Pallante, 6'1" 270 lbs. 2/5 - Impressed the Michigan coaching staff at the summer camp in 2013 enough to get a scholarship offer. He won a Florida State Wrestling Championship in the heavyweight division so he can roll with the big boys.
SLB Jared Wangler, 6'2" 215 lbs. 3/5 - Solid prospect that should redshirt this year. The hope is that he will be ready to challenge for playing time after Jake Ryan graduates.
SLB Chase Winovich, 6'3" 215 lbs. 3/5 - Another guy that fits the bill as a Sam LB and will probably have to wait a year before getting a real chance to prove himself.
MLB Michael Ferns*, 6'3" 230 lbs. 4/5 - He could get some playing time early on as a freshman, but there are a few good men ahead of him on the depth chart so it will probably be another year before we see him regularly. He was one of the most heavily coveted linebackers in the entire country who is already enrolled and on campus as well.
LB Noah Furbush, 6'4" 230 lbs. 3/5 - It will probably be a couple years before we find out what kind of player Furbush is, but he is a solid prospect that could fit in nicely at the Mike position.
CB Brandon Watson*, 5'11" 175 lbs. 3/5 - I expect Watson to redshirt this year despite his enrolling early. Give him a couple years and he could challenge for a job at corner or safety. He and Canteen were teammates in high school.
CB Jabrill Peppers, 6'1" 200 lbs. 5/5 - One of the best recruits in the nation overall that is the most anticipated player to sign with Michigan in a long time. He could be the next transcendent superstar in The Big House. As a freshman I at least expect him to play in nickel situations and return kicks, but he has the ability to start right away. Eventually, we will see him on both sides of the ball and making headlines in the Sunday paper.
Another year, another haul of new recruits coming into the Michigan football program. All the sports sites have been ablaze over the last couple months in regards to which schools got which prospect to commit and where prospects are making official visits. It goes without saying that there is a lot of hype involved for athletes that have never even stepped onto a college practice field.
So what does it all mean? More importantly, what does it all mean for our beloved Wolverines in 2014? Well, to say it doesn't mean much would be a huge understatement as a team is ultimately only as good as the talent they can bring in and develop. How quickly one kid or another develops and what type of player they will develop into is something we cannot predict. As a fan, one just hopes that most of the kids their beloved school brings in on any given year become players that can contribute to wins on Saturdays.
This year's crop of in-coming talent is not a big one for the Wolverines. There are only 16 prep players that have signed their national letters of intent to play at Michigan. That's not a problem though, as the quality of these prospects is about as good as, if not better than, any other class the Wolverines have brought in over the course of the last decade.
I rank prospects similarly to what most of the popular recruiting sites do, which is on a scale of 1 to 5. The definition of what each designation means is as follows:
5/5 This ranking is only given to those Michigan prospects that are elite athletes with exceptional football skills. These kids were coveted by nearly every major college football program in the country and have the best chances of playing early and often.
4/5 These players are usually just a step below the 5/5 players in terms of raw athletic ability, but they are prized recruits nonetheless due to their high level of performance on the high school playing field. Typically, these prospects can contribute early but may need a year or two to develop before challenging for a starting job.
3/5 This ranking represents the majority of recruits in the Football Bowl Subdivision world. They are usually kids that lack any elite athletic characteristics but were productive football players and leaders on their respective prep teams. They are usually expected to redshirt as freshman and probably need two or three years to develop before challenging for any playing time.
2/5 These kids might have certain characteristics that have caught the eyes of recruiters for one reason or another, but the long-term outlook for them is probably as a backup and/or role-player three or four years down the road.
1/5 These guys are complete unknowns that may not have played much football before or physically do not appear to have any business on the FBS college playing field. Traditionally, you would not find them getting a scholarship offer from Michigan.
So, I now introduce you to Michigan's recruiting class of 2014:
* Asterisk denotes recruits that have enrolled early and are already on campus.
 |
| QB Wilton Speight |
WR Drake Harris*, 6'3" 175 lbs. 4/5 - A great athlete that has the size/speed combination to compete at the college level in both football and basketball, but he will focus on playing receiver for the Wolverines. Enrolling early will help him tremendously after missing his entire senior season of high school with a hamstring injury.
WR Maurice Ways, 6'4" 193 lbs. 3/5 - Posesses great size at the position but probably needs a couple years to get oriented on the college playing field. It sounds like he has developed a strong relationship with his fellow recruits. Needless to say it's always great when camaraderie develops among your incoming talent.
WR Freddy Canteen*, 6'0" 170 lbs. 3/5 - Another early enrollee that could use the extra time on campus to get stronger and learn the slot receiver position. If he takes advantage of it he could get some playing time come fall.
 |
| TE Ian Bunting |
OL Mason Cole*, 6'5" 270 lbs. 4/5 - Nice pull out of the state of Florida for the Wolverines. I see this kid getting a lot of looks at left guard early in his collegiate career and possibly playing tackle later.
OL Juwann Bushell-Beatty, 6'6" 310 lbs. 4/5 - The shear size of this kid gets coaches excited. Give him a few years and he could really be a huge asset up front. Looks like a prototypical right tackle prospect.
DE Lawrence Marshall, 6'4" 225 lbs. 4/5 - The staff hopes that this kid can finally bring a true pass-rush force to the weak-side of the D-line.
DT Bryan Mone*, 6'4" 320 lbs. 4/5 - The word from Ann Arbor on this early enrollee is that he came into the winter semester a tad bit over-weight. If he gets himself into shape between now and fall camp he could really improve the depth at the nose.
 |
| DT Brady Pallante |
SLB Jared Wangler, 6'2" 215 lbs. 3/5 - Solid prospect that should redshirt this year. The hope is that he will be ready to challenge for playing time after Jake Ryan graduates.
SLB Chase Winovich, 6'3" 215 lbs. 3/5 - Another guy that fits the bill as a Sam LB and will probably have to wait a year before getting a real chance to prove himself.
MLB Michael Ferns*, 6'3" 230 lbs. 4/5 - He could get some playing time early on as a freshman, but there are a few good men ahead of him on the depth chart so it will probably be another year before we see him regularly. He was one of the most heavily coveted linebackers in the entire country who is already enrolled and on campus as well.
LB Noah Furbush, 6'4" 230 lbs. 3/5 - It will probably be a couple years before we find out what kind of player Furbush is, but he is a solid prospect that could fit in nicely at the Mike position.
 |
| DB Jabrill Peppers |
CB Jabrill Peppers, 6'1" 200 lbs. 5/5 - One of the best recruits in the nation overall that is the most anticipated player to sign with Michigan in a long time. He could be the next transcendent superstar in The Big House. As a freshman I at least expect him to play in nickel situations and return kicks, but he has the ability to start right away. Eventually, we will see him on both sides of the ball and making headlines in the Sunday paper.
Comments
Post a Comment