WHO IS WILLIE HENRY?

  
http://youtu.be/1XNveNDm9So

Let me tell you who Willie Henry is.  From a couple blogs and sites I frequent,  rumor has it that he is the possible surprise commit Michigan may be getting on signing day Feb. 1st.   This young man holds  a few offers, mostly from MAC schools, Syracuse and Illinois.  I wouldn't think he has major academic issues considering Michigan is interested, he would never make it there if he did.   Henry is looked at as a DT, at 6'2" 270 lbs (really meaning 6'1" 265 lbs)  after looking at the highlights above, he is very athletic for that size.  More importantly,  Henry also plays LT if you notice. 

 People who are making quotes like "they should save scholarships for higher profile players" or  "what a waste of time" should get off the soap box and not read so much into star rankings.  A majority of the time high profile players end up a heaping pile of high profile bullshit.  Not that rankings mean nothing, definitely not true,  but if you watched this kid's highlights without knowing his offer list and his lower star ranking you may say  "dude's a stud". 

  Here is the deal with this kid.  He played at Cleveland Glenville, for those who don't know, Glenville is Ohio's version of  Michigan's Cass Tech.  Glenville has the best athlete's in Ohio on that team, usually 7 or 8 kids sign D-1 every season.  He is playing DT and LT for the most athletic football team in the state of Ohio, that right there should tell you about his athleticism.  Let's get back to his size and skills that I brought up earlier.  Recognize in these clips his speed off the ball, first step and pad level.  Watch how he runs, very coordinated,  not awkward with arms flying everywhere and out of control.  If he doesn't make a play in the backfield or at the line he chases RB's down from behind and makes plays.  He does a good job of dealing with cut blocking and double teams.  I don't know what this kid will do at the next level but sometimes you have to take a kid because he is good not because he is a 4 or 5 star player.  Understand also that this kid is playing against the best competition in Ohio - ST. ED's, that';s Kyle Kalis and Sam Grant ST. Ed's, state champions St. Ignatius just to name a few.

  Another important subject I realized watching highlights was that Willie Henry also played OL.  He is playing LT and moves very well, he obviously doesn't have the size to play LT in college but with 30 lbs does anyone see an athletic center?  I said it,  maybe it is possible, if Kozan goes elsewhere this could be the motive.  When a kid with this type of talent is only offered  from a handful of schools with not a whole lot of  notoriety, they will fight like hell to show other schools "they will regret not recruiting me".  Remember that Frank Clark was from the same high school as Henry , remember that Clark was also the so called fifth or sixth best player from Glenville last year.  Remember that Clark was a last second commitment for Michigan last year.  Remember that Clark played like his hair was on fire this past season as a true freshman.  He was no more high profile than Willie Henry is this year.  I hope this is the kid that is rumored as the surprise player, I like his potential and the fact that he is already an underdog.

  

HOKE AND MEYER PLANNING FOR 2013

     ohio recieved a commitment from 2013 DB Cameron Burrows yesterday.  Michigan has recieved two commitments for next years class already and if you think this recruiting battle between Michigan and ohio can't get more interesting, watch what happens over the next year.  Michigan has been set on 24 commitments for a few weeks and meyer and his boys have been on a rampage since he's stepped on campus.  With just a couple weeks left until signing day,  both Michigan and ohio have pulled off stellar classes with a few more spots open for both teams.   People who follow recruiting understand how busy recruiting can be for coaches, it makes you wonder if  there is more work put in during the offseason than there is during.  With that said though,  the battle for the 2013 recruiting classes between Michigan and ohio will be the most interesting battle between the two schools.  Let's look at the 2013 commitments for both teams.

   MICHIGAN

  Shane Morris - QB   Let's face it, Michigan fans are set on this kid being the next great QB.  Rated a top five QB in by all the top recruiting sites, Morris has all the tools.  He's a leader on and off the field, he is athletic, has poise and can make the throws.
http://youtu.be/PiUmdjN12eo





  Dymonte Thomas - S/RB   Thomas is one of the top players in ohio for 2013.  He is a good Rb but is expected to play S at the next level.  He is a one of the top wrestlers in the state also.

http://youtu.be/RTVfk0z62CI



ohio

Cameron Burrows - CB  Trotwood Madison's cameron burrows is one of the top's in the state.  At 6'2" 190 lbs burrows is a big CB with excellent skills.  He has an impressive offer list already that includes Bama and a few more top schools.


http://youtu.be/6L5ZLBKnoqo


  

17 UNTIL SIGNING DAY

   With a little more than two weeks left until the recruiting war is over,    let's take a look and evaluate the final targets.


  TE Sam Grant
 http://youtu.be/JGfvsTwFocQ

Here is my take on Grant.  After evaluating the tight ends in Ohio,  I had Grant at about third or fourth in the state.  Now Michigan already has a commitment from Cincinatti's A.J. Williams ( who is the best blocking TE in Ohio) but he is 6'6" 270 LBS and played LT his senior season and will transition to OL at Michigan.  Grant is another excellent blocking TE but he also is a huge target at 6'5" and has good hands.  Grant isn't explosive by any means and needs work with getting off the ball faster and with more urgency.  I believe he is an important pickup because of the fact that they need depth and Funchess is more of a WR and Williams an OL.


  OL Josh Garnett
http://youtu.be/izUPI7j16wE


 Garnett is big, athletic and intelligent.  Is he a five star?  Who knows.  My dirty on the star ranking is if you have three of them,  your capable of being a great player.  Garnett's offense in high school put him in a position where he had to play in space and he plays well.  He does a great job of using his leverage and his initial punch off the line is very strong and he gets his man off balance,  he then owns him.  His ability to get out to the next level and tie up LB's is excellent as well.  His competition in these highlights are questionable but his talent is not.  He has the athletic ability to play tackle but he is a guard at the next level.  He and Kalis at left and right guard in the future would be a beautiful thing my friends.



 OL Jordan Diamond

http://youtu.be/oUrgoQH_PZM

 Diamond is another huge body with excellent strength.  He is a little more raw than Garnett and I believe he is an OG at the next level.  Diamond seems to go hard for a few seconds and then pull up a bit, with that said he would be an excellent pickup and an adequate run blocker.  He and Garnett are both interior guys but if I had a choice it would be Garnett.  Diamond will probably wait until the last week to announce and his list of choices are top programs.


 OL Alex Kozan  http://youtu.be/1B04WeOydu4


  This is a perfect example of questioning the star ratings.  This film is a little shaky and doesn't point Kozan out, he is the LT NO. 75.  Now after watching 5 star Garnett and  Diamond I  am suppose to believe that Kozan is 2 stars under both those guys?  Listen folks, Diamond is 6'6" 290 lbs, Garnett is 6'5" 275 lbs and Kozan is 6'4" 290 lbs.  Somebody try to prove to me that Kozan isn't just as good if not better than both the other guys.  Watch him, He plays til the whistle blows and a majority of the time he has to get up off  his opponent who he has just drove into the ground.  He is just as athletic as the other two, evidence is him 40 yards down field in front of the RB on screens.  You want my opinion?  He looks to play harder and with more tenacity than the other two and is quicker off the ball as well.  Kozan clearly is not a downgrade and the fact that he is not as highly touted and only a three star leads to me to believe that there is no sense of entitlement and a reason to work harder.  His 6'4" 290 lb frame screams OG as well.

 
 DB Armani Reeves

http://youtu.be/8fIlTHcYrgg

 Reeves is a prototypical CB, 5'10" 180 lbs and 4.4 speed.  On film he has all the CB skills, speed , quickness, agility and cover skills.  Throw in some good tackling and the fact that he is physical and excels in press coverage, he has all the capabilities to be a good to great college corner.  I also like the way he plays zone coverage, he seems to do an excellent job of reading the QB's eyes and anticipating his decisions. It's difficult to predict what an excellent high school corner will do at the next level, it's the toughest position on the field to play because of the disadvantages ( running backwards, not knowing what routes the WR will take, only five yards of contact ).  Reeves has the tools and he is a special teams dynamo also.


DB Yuri Wright

sorry, can't find wrights clips. The jury is still out on wright as a corner because his size screams S, 6'2" roughly 200lbs.  I hear he is a little tight in the hips and for an all-American his offer sheet seems a bit light.



For Ohio fans there seems to be some interesting developments.  Urban Meyer has recently flipped Ohio OL Taylor Decker from Notre Dame.  Decker is a 6'8" 280 LB LT from Vandalia, I actually had him as my second ranked LT in Ohio behind Kyle Dodson.  The bad news is there are only two Prototype LT's in Ohio, it's those two.  That may also keep Dodson from flipping from Wisconsin to Ohio because they both play the same position.  Since Meyer has been on the recruiting trail he has received only one commitment that wasn't committed elsewhere, Ricquan Southward, a WR from FLA.  Here is Meyers work in a nutshell.

Southward
Flipped Spence and Schutt from PSU.
Flipped Pittman from MSU
Flipped Decker from ND.

Now he has been working on Dodson who is verballed to Wisconsin but the Decker commitment could hurt that.  He is trying to get  OL Jordan Diamond as well.  Since Meyer has been at Ohio QB Taylor Graham and DB Jeremy Cash have transferred. Yesterday DB's Dominic Clarke and highly touted recruit Derjuan Grambell have been released.  Meyer loosens up a couple schollies there to work on his OL.  There are some questions about how many schollies ohio had , sources say they have only 20, Is he planning on over signing guys?  That is an SEC move I believe, I could be wrong, they may have more.

SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA!

       

    During the high school football season last year here in Columbus, I was scouting a few players from the Columbus City league.  Me and a few others were standing in the press box and talking about some of the players on the field when a young man said this, "Coach says Jackson is the best running back on the team".  Jackson wasn't playing and we wondered why he wasn't on the field.  A man beside me spoke up and said "where's he at"?  The young man says "Coach says he fumbles too much", me and the man beside me looked at each other and said "he's not the best then". 

    This leads me to a pet peeve of mine as of late that is driving me crazy, and makes no sense.  There are some fans out there that are confusing  "getting beat" with "beating themselves".  Above in my analogy, I try to explain that someone may do things well but there is something that is keeping them from being better than the competition.  My latest beef is with the Va. Tech fans and their supporters of  the "they beat themselves" community.  Va. Tech  had better stats than Michigan, yet Michigan played excellent red zone defense.  Isn't this important?  So is Va. Tech "beating themselves" in the red zone or is Michigans red zone preparation leading up to the game paying off ?  When Va. Techs QB throws an interception into the hands of a rushing DE from Michigan, is this "beating themselves" or great defense?  Is Va. Techs fumble on a kickoff actually "beating themselves" or just a turnover?  Are  turnovers defined as "beating yourself" or ball protection problems or stupid decisions.  You see, if your team turns the ball over often, they need to practice more in those areas.

    Another group of people who are the kings of  SHOULDA, WOULDA, COULDA would be our beloved ohio fans.  I don't know how many different excuses I have heard about the Michigan win, my fault, the ohio "beat themselves" game.
Here are just a few examples.

We scored 34 against your great defense with a freshman QB,
(they were actually saying we also)
If Miller wouldn't have overthrown Posey at the end, it was over. Yet it would have left a minute and a half with Michigan only needing a field goal.
Miller almost had as many yards as denard, but herron only ran for 37 yards.
Wait until meyer gets there
If a couple of our players were not injured
Posey and miller didn't have enough time to get their timing down

These here are just a few but are very good.  Does anybody admit when their team gets beat anymore?  "Beating Yourself " is another excuse for "we need more practice" folks

BIG BLUE WINS!

    Michigan pulls it off in an entertaining football game that was less than dominated by the Wolverines.  Other than doing a rundown of why Michigan won this game, I will go over where Michigan will need to upgrade to go to the next level of college football.

    Defensively - Michigan needs help on the DL after Martin and Van Bergen leave.  They have a ton of players coming in this recruiting class that will add depth.  With the development of Campbell, Washington and Ash and the addition of  Pipkins, Godin, Strobel, Wormley and Ojemudia, the DL will be inexperienced but big and talented up front.

    The secondary gave up too many third and longs but that stemmed because a lack of a pass rush.  I believe the secondary is solid with everyone but Woolfolk returning.  Then you add the commitments of S Jarrod Wilson, S Allen Gant and CB Terry Richardson, that is without mentioning a possible extra DB added by signing day.

   LB's are young and a plenty.  There was some tackling problems throughout the game but they are solid and are bringing in possibly the best LB group in this years recruiting class.

 
   Offensively -  Well Denard is Denard, he has fans biting their nails one minute and jumping for joy the next. Gardner behind him and Shane Morris coming in next season. Solid

        The RB situation is skeptical.  Toussaint is a good RB with excellent vision but Michigan needs a big back.  Maybe Rawls is that guy next season but you need to break tackles against a team like VA. Tech.  I will say that Va. Tech is the best team Michigan played this season, they have some NFL players on that team.
  
         Wr's are good , Hemingway and Odoms leave but Stonum returns along with the rest of the unit. Then add Darboh, Chesson and possibly Arnett? Good group.

     My biggest issue last night was how bad Va. Tech manhandled the OL.  The Hokie defense seemed to penetrate the line on a consistent basis as well as maintain the running game.  Now we all know Molk and Huyge leave.  OG's Omameh and Schofield seemed to be a little overwhelmed by the athleticism of Va. Tech.  They obviously won't face that type of defense in the big ten next season but they need depth.  Huyge will easily be replaced by a possible number of players but Molk will be harder to replace.  Lewan, Schofield, Miller or Khoury, Omameh and Kalis would be my guess as the starters next season.  They will add serious depth with Kalis, Magnuson, Stacy, Bars and Braden.  There is also a possiblility of adding another stud OL like Garnett or Diamond, possibly Kozan.  They need that tenacity up front to go to the next level and play with teams Like Bama.  If they struggled with VT what the hell they gonna do with Bama's Front?

    Michigan goes 11-2, wins the Sugar Bowl and is headed in the right direction.  They still need a ton of work to become that elite team they once was though.
    

UPDATES!

  These MFN uniforms they wearing tonight is dope as hail!

  
    Tell me these SOB's ain't nasty as feces!


    Seriously folks, I am just trying to update a bunch of garbage everyone already knows about.  This to keep my blog rolling because with the high school All-American games, recruiting has cooled temporarily.  This latest news involving DeAnthony Arnett from Tennessee to Michigan is quite surprising and could be an awesome pick up.  With  Josh Garnett or Jordan Diamond being my guess as the next Michigan OL and Yuri Wright or Armani Reeves as the next DB, this recruiting class will be nothing less than stellar.  I will be checking out the All-American games starting today, Friday and ending Saturday in San Antonio to keep up on all the Michigan commitments for 2012. It sounds as if Bolden and Pipkins are both lighting it up on the defensive side of the ball. 


     It also seems as if  Notre Dame is making a charge for some elite talent as recruiting wraps up here in the next month.

    I could understand why a young talented football player would choose ND over Michigan,  I mean look at the eye candy them Irish players are locked in on day in and day out, there is no comparison.


  Michigan rolls VA Tech.....Hopefully