commitment posts

OH S Jarrod Wilson has pledged to become the fourth (and likely final) member of Michigan's defensive backfield for the 2012 recruiting class. His high school coach is former Michigan great Ricky Powers.

GURU RATINGS

The sites are just about in agreement on Jarrod's overall ability: He's in the 10-20 range among safeties (24/7 Sports only ranks 12 safeties, but it's fair to say he'd be one of the next couple), and outside the top 150 prospects in the nation. He's just outside the Rivals250, for what it's worth.

The premium sites also agree on his size, with a unanimous 190 pounds, and Rivals and Scout crediting his height at 6-2, while ESPN goes an inch shorter and 24/7 Sports an inch higher. That is really good size for a free safety, as long as he has the abilities to play on the back line. Let's find out if he does! We'll start the evaluations with ESPN:

Tall, well-built with good length and room to fill out. He flashes great range, particularly in deep coverage and good overall speed. Best attribute may be his reads and diagnosing skills. Rarely caught out of position, stays deep as the deepest and expertly splits twins set receivers. Consistently takes direct angles to the ball while keeping the pass in front of him.

This... this is super-positive, and will be a nice new trait for a Michigan safety in the past 6-7 years. It feels like a long time since there was a true ballhawk back there. A couple of their downsides of his game:

He will need to continue developing physically to play down in the box and he does not have elite speed and explosiveness -- but there are not many safety prospects with the positional intangibles of Wilson.

You'll see that physical play and laying big hits is consistently listed among his flaws. Evaluators also seem to agree that he doesn't quite have elite speed (though I'll take instincts and "good enough" speed over the reverse). His coach, former Wolverine Ricky Powers, confirmed the exceptional instincts and intelligence in an interview with Tom:

He's an extremely smart football player and a smart kid period. His football IQ is really high, he'll line everyone up on defense for us. We call him the quarterback of our defenses. He's probably going to be our starting quarterback going into camp, which I hope changes.

Duane Long evaluated him on Bucknuts, in calling him one of his "starters" from the state of Ohio at free safety:

This kid gets his hands on the ball so much on his film that it looks like he is playing wide receiver instead of safety. He reads the game so well. He has size and range. He is going to have to become a better tackler if he wants to be the player he can be.

Long has been even higher on Wilson in the past:

This is my dark horse for the safety who comes out of this class four years from now with the highest NFL rating. If a college coach came to me and said he played eight in the box alot and needed a centerfielder right in the middle of the field I would suggest Jarrod Wilson. He is fast and very athletic. He reads the game and reacts to the ball as well as any safety in the class. The best cover safety in the class. The best safety in the class on the ball. He needs to be a better tackler. The good news is he is a willing tackler. Never shies away from contact.

If he's a willing tackler, but not a good tackler, it seems he just needs to add more weight and technique, two things that can be developed. Long is scared of the Buckeyes having to face him on the field down the road, as his mention of NFL potential seems to suggest.

Wilson performed well at the Midwest Showcase, and left his coverage skills in no doubt ($, info in header). He joins Pharaoh Brown as Michigan commits who are just outside the Rivals 250, and he also barely missed The247 . His leaping skills are impressive ($, info in header). Dave Berk thinks he's too good with the ball in his hands to not try on offense and/or returns ($). In a video interview, Jarrod himself even says he has the skills necessary to play corner.

Long story short on Jarrod Wilson: Great measurables, and excels playing the pass in a deep zone. He has work to do if he wants to man up on slot receivers, and needs to work on playing the run and his tackling technique (from his video, embedded below, it seems he also needs to improve his angles to the ball carrier at times). Fortunately, a lot of his skills are innate, and he can be taught the parts of his game that are currently lacking.

Jarrod is also a great student. He has a near-4.0 GPA in high school, and plans to enroll early in college. He wants to major in kinesiology (and Michigan's program is among the best in the country).

OFFERS

Jarrod's other finalists were Penn State and Notre Dame, so he had all of the big regional offers aside from Ohio State. Also from the Big Ten, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan State had offered him. He also held offers from UConn, Pitt, Tennessee, and West Virginia, along with a few MAC offers. Strong academic schools played a role in his recruitment, and Stanford, Syracuse, UCLA, and Vanderbilt are examples of just that.

That's not exactly a murderer's row of high-level schools, but there are enough teams that recruit on a high level (Penn State and Notre Dame, especially) that his offer list is definitely a sign that he is indeed a strong player.

He originally planned to attend school with his teammate, WR Corey Smith, but Smith is ineligible to play high school football this fall, and will enroll at junior college instead, before moving on to Tennessee.

STATS

ESPN and Scout have differing ideas on his senior stats. ESPN says he recorded 12 interceptions, while Scout only credits him with 10. They do agree that he returned 5 of them for touchdowns. According to Scout, he also had a 98-yard fumble return for touchdown. 50-60 tackles is the consensus range there (tackle stats are rarely precise in high school).

He's pictured at right with the ball in his hands, which happened frequently last year.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the premium sites have 40-yard dash times listed for Jarrod, which is realllly odd for a defensive back, especially one whose speed they generally praise, though not fawn over. Five FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

Youtube highlights:

There's also a brief ScoutingOhio video, but they're no longer putting more than 3-4 plays on Youtube, which, way to get nobody to embed your videos anymore, guys.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

As I've been saying with most defensive back commitments in this class, it's tough to project too far into the future, since we don't even know positions for a couple of Michigan's defensive back commitments from the 2011 class. This guy is a free safety all the way, but whether Raymon Taylor and Tamani Carter play the position (or if anybody else already on the roster moves around) could have an effect on how quickly Jarrod gets on the field.

All that said, he plans to enroll early, which will help him get acclimated to college life and the defensive schemes earlier than his classmates, and he seems like a fairly polished player in high school as well. Better than that, he's a big, true free safety, something Michigan hasn't had - at least at a high level - since... Marcus Ray? I think Jarrod will get on the field as a true freshman, even if it's just on special teams (where he could play coverage or contribute in the return game) and a bit in garbage time.

As time goes on, his role in the defense will increase, and there's a good chance he's the "defensive quarterback" down the road, calling plays and making audibles, etc. As a junior and senior, I think he's certain to be a starter, and he could even challenge for All-Big Ten honors as a senior - especially if he continues his torrid pace of interceptions into college.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Wilson's commitment probably closes out defensive back recruiting for the class of 2012, and means Jeremy Clark will indeed greyshirt next fall instead of immediately joining the current recruiting class (two 2013 commitments already, wooo!). Unless the staff feels really good about an elite prospect down the road, Wilson joins fellow safety Allen Gant and corners Terry Richardson and Anthony Standifer to form a complete secondary in the 2012 class.

The needs for the remainder of the class remain the same: a true defensive tackle (or two) is imperative, at least one wide receiver is needed, and then there are lower levels of need for quarterback and running back. With the class expected to reach 23-26 prospects, there is still plenty of room for any top-flight prospects as well.

The commitment of Wilson might also help Michigan's case with one of the top 2013 prospects in Ohio, LB/Ath Elijah Bell. Bell is a teammate of Wilson's at Buchtel High School.

Michigan added to its already-impressive offensive line haul for 2012 today, picking up TN OL Blake Bars.

GURU RATINGS

As you can see, the sites are basically in agreement about Blake: he's outside the top couple tiers nationally among offensive line recruits, but it still a solid player. Oddly, Rivals - usually the stingiest site as far as giving out stars - is the only one to give him the fourth star. He started in Scout's top 300, but has since moved out of it.

The sites are unanimous on Blake's height: he's 6-5. There is a bit of disagreement over how much he weighs, with ESPN saying he's all the way down at 260, 24/7 Sports just 5 pounds heavier, and the other two sites going up to 275.

As we so often do, let's kick off the evaluations with ESPN's profile comments:

Bars demonstrates good tough run blocking skills, showing the ability to dominate at his present level of competition. Has the height and athleticism for the offensive tackle position at the BCS level of play; will need to add bulk to his frame over time... Although we see the need for refinement in all areas of pass protection this guy possesses the long arms and nimble feet which should be assets; flashes the ability to handle edge quickness. We like the nasty finishing attitude this athlete plays with; it's what we look for when evaluating offensive linemen.

They seem to be pretty intent on labeling him a tackle, though I had previously assumed (based on the other players Michigan is recruiting, along with his height) that he would probably move inside for college. Long arms tend to negate a lack of ideal height, in certain instances.

He's probably a little behind the curve in terms of technique as well, since he wasn't even a high school starter until last fall. However, his father is a former Notre Dame linebacker, and his older brother Brad plays for Penn State, so he does come from a football family. He talked a little bit about technique with the local paper:

“(Coach Mawae) has been helping us with our footwork,” Bars said. “He’ll come into the weight room and show us technique and introduce new drills to us that I know are going to make us a lot better. It’s such a great opportunity. Kevin is the man, pretty much.”

That's not exactly revealing about Blake's current skill set, but it does speak to a desire for improvement. His strength also seems to draw praise here and there, so when he adds another 30+ pounds of muscle onto his frame, he could be a very powerful player to go along with that nasty attitude.

There's precious little info out there on Blake, but it seems that the evaluations that do exist are more optimistic on his abilities than the 3-star ratings would seem to indicate. As we'll see in a moment, his offer list tells the same story.

OFFERS

Bars's offer list is quite a bit more impressive than you'd expect from a guy who's a generic 3-star to most of the recruiting sites. Clemson, Florida, LSU, Penn State, and South Carolina all have recent success either on the field or in recruiting (or both), and had shot this kid an offer.

In less-impressive offers, Arkansas State joins Boston College, Kentucky, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wake Forest. There are a couple pretty good programs in there, so his whole resume is nothing to sneeze at. He had interest but no offer from his father's alma mater, Notre Dame.

STATS

Blake is an offensive lineman, and therefore doesn't have stats. Montgomery Bell Academy went 9-3 last season, his first as a starter.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the recruiting sites have listed a 40 time for Blake, so I get to give out my default five FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Blake is a prospect that seems to have plenty of upside, but at this time, he's far from a finished product. Seeing as how he's just finished his junior year of high school, that's no surprise. Still, it takes a redshirt year as a true freshman from "extremely likely" to "certain."

Following that redshirt year, he may still have a bit of growing to do. Adding 30-40 pounds or more is a tough thing to do while maintaining flexibility and agility. As a redshirt sophomore then, will be the first time he has the potential to really contribute. Fortunately for him, that season also sees the departure of a few linemen ahead of him.

As an upperclassman, he should get into the starting lineup, and his versatility (he doesn't seem like a left tackle, but almost any other OL position seems possible) will help him see the field.

He looks like the type of guy who will become a solid starter, but maybe not an All-Big Ten caliber guy, unless his physical development is truly impressive. His upside seems to be high, so if he can reach his ceiling, it could mean very good things for his future.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

The commitment of Bars could mean a couple things: 1) he's higher in the coaching staff's eyes than we previously believed, 2) the staff doesn't feel good about their chances with some other top prospects, 3) the door is closed for other medium-range prospects, or 4) there are plans to tae more offensive lineman than we realized. The truth is probably some combination of those factors. No matter what the reasoning is, I'm guessing the coaching staff is done pursuing offensive linemen aside from Kyle Kalis, Jordan Diamond, and other elite-level linemen (i.e. Andrus Peat).

That means that, other than those guys, we shouldn't expect any offensive line commits any time soon, unless the staff uncovers a sleeper that they really like. Look for them to focus on defensive tackle and wideout, and once they fill those needs, they'll be able to focus on top prospects, regardless of position. Quarterback and running back are other, lesser needs for the class.

Michigan has accepted a greyshirt commitment from KY S Jeremy Clark. Clark impressed the coaches at camp, but not enough to earn an immediate offer. Should he pick up a number of mid-level scholarship offers, I wouldn't expect this one to stick.

GURU RATINGS

Since Jeremy is effectively a member of the 2013 recruiting class (pending a decision from OH S Jarrod Wilson) and also very under-the-radar, this section should be brief. HOWEVA, with Brian unavailable, why not profile a guy who's basically a preferred walk-on at this point?

As you can see, the recruiting sites aren't so high on Clark. Scout is the only site with a ranking for him, and even that is a lowly 2-star. The sites are in accord there, and also on his size: He's a consensus 6-4 (ESPN says 6-2), with two votes for 205 pounds and two votes for 185 pounds. I'll go with 195 then.

Since there's nothing out there on the free webs, a paid article from Scout:

This 6-4, 175-lb. safety was the surprises of the day. He flashed good speed and EXCELLENT ball skills. He is a bit of a sleeper on the national scale because he grew four inches since last fall. Just as impressive was the fact that he soaked up the coaching like a sponge and just seemed to really be relishing the overall experience.  

Of course it's in their best interests to talk kids up as sleepers, so take it as a grain of salt. It's sleeper bluster, but in the parlance of sleeper bluster, height, ball skills and coachability are nice compliments for any system.

Clark aso drew "plenty of attention" from Ohio State's staff at their camp ($, info in header), but apparently they didn't see enough to offer him. He is pictured OMG SHIRTLESS at right.

OFFERS

Most of Clark's full scholarship offers came from the MAC. Akron, Ball State, Central Michigan, Ohio, and Toledo were his offers from the Big Ten's JV league. NC State was his only other BCS-level scholarship offer.

STATS

His Rivals profile has junior year stats: 75 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups. That's not a ringing endorsement of Scout's "ballhawk" characterization, but it's certainly not bad either.

FAKE 40 TIME

Rivals says 4.47. That is very fast. A kid with Clark's size is not an unranked prospect at this point in the recruiting cycle if he's actually that fast. I'm going to have to go with 4 FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

This guy is a greyshirt prospect for a reason. At one step ahead of preferred walk-on, it's tough to see him accomplishing much until very late in his career, as is usually the case for these guys. He'll greyshirt the fall of his first year (pay his own way and, if I'm not mistaken, not practice with the team), then join the squad as a redshirt freshman in the spring.

I see him being a special teams contributor as a redshirt junior and senior, and the type of guy who gets a few plays in the secondary, but not much more.

Of course, if he is the level of sleeper that Scout's recap above seems to imply, he could also blow up once he gets into college, and absorb all the coaching (and weight training, etc.) available to him, becoming a contributor by the time he leaves campus.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

As a greyshirt, he doesn't affect much about this class. The needs are still offensive line, defensive tackle, wideout, and - with lesser emphasis - quarterback/running back.

They started close to home, but the Wolverines have started to venture out of Michigan and Ohio with commitments from Illinois (DB Anthony Standifer) and now the West Coast in CA OL Erik Magnuson. As Erik told to Tom a couple weeks ago:

"I just feel comfortable with the coaches, and I know them so well. I feel the program is going in the right direction. I know some of the 2012 commits and I think they're all good players. They're bringing in a good offense, and I want to get out of California. I just feel like Michigan is the right place for me."

Welcome to the fold, young man. For what it's worth, part of that "knowing the coaches so well" stems from their time at San Diego State. Hoke's Aztecs were Magnuson's first offer.

GURU RATINGS

As usual, we will start with the premium sites' takes on his height. This will be quick however, as every single site lists his weight at 275, and only ESPN breaks the lockstep at 6-6, by calling him 6-5. So let it be blogged: Erik Magnusen is 6-6 / 275.

The sites get a little more varied on him as a player, though not by much. Scout and 24/7 Sports think about the same of him, putting him near the back of their top-100 lists, and in the teens among offensive tackles (ESPN is even more pessimistic, keeping him out of their 150 and as the #24 tackle). Rivals is significantly more impressed, unofficially calling him the 8th-best offensive lineman and the #34 prospect at any position in the country.

The line on Magnuson is that he's been impressing everyone who's seen him this spring ($, info in header), and there are a few firsthand reports to back that up. JC Shurburtt:

I saw him at the Stanford NFTC- I liked him. He's big, athletic and seems to have a mean streak (no pads, mind you).

Shurburtt went into a bit more detail in a story on 24/7 Sports:

Magnuson has an excellent frame, good feet and plays with a nasty streak. He was dominant in one-on-ones and looked good athletically moving around in position drills. Combine what he showed Sunday with what he shows on film and there’s a good chance that Magnuson could move up our rankings when they are updated again.

That certainly makes it sound like he's going to be closer to Rivals's positioning than Scout's next time 24/7 updates the rankings. Adam Gorney of Rivals calls him one of the most physical guys he's seen in person:

On the offensive side I think Erik Magnuson is pretty tough. He just embraces the physical side of being an offensive tackle and he's not afraid to compete in a really tough way.

He was named MVP of the Asante Trenchmen Academy ($, info in header), and Rivals provides some highlights from that event. Note the quick footwork out of such a big dude. Picture at right from that event, via Scout.

He's a pretty good pass blocker, but has said himself that he'd like to improve on his drive-blocking. It's natural for high schoolers to be good at one or the other, so once he gets into a college weight program and adds some strength, his run blocking should improve. More from Magnuson himself, via Scout ($):

"I work harder than anyone else. I have good footwork from playing basketball and I'm real aggressive and physical with my opponents. I am further along as a pass blocker than I am in blocking in the run game, though. Opposing coaches have said they notice my athleticism and speed despite being my size."

He made similar comments to Tom earlier this spring. Irish Sports Daily caught up with his head coach:

“Erik's a very athletic and aggressive player,” said Sovacool. “He's a really big kid too and he hits all the benchmarks that you're looking for in a football player, especially at offensive tackle. He's all of 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, but the difference between him and other kids his size is that he can run. He's also a guy that isn't afraid of the weight room and has a little bit of an edge to him, which I think recruiters like as well.”

That size listing is a serious outlier, but the coach is likely just overstating weight, and Erik might be a little shorter than his listed 6-6. He's been named to the US Army All-American Bowl, and he's mentioned enrolling early (he's a very good student, and was all-academic in his league as a junior).

He's a big true tackle who can play on either side of the line. There's no mention of his long arms - typically considered necessary for left tackles at the next level - but based on pictures and video alone, it doesn't seem anything is amiss. As somebody who's most comfortable as a pass blocker in high school, starting at left tackle is likely.

He's not the physical freak of a Jake Long is (but is anybody? [Ed-M: Lewan, so far]), but he has the attributes needed to succeed at the next level.

OFFERS

As a West Coast product, Erik's offers were a Pac-12 who's who: Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, Utah, Washington, and Washington State. Only Arizona State and USC didn't extend him the scholarship opportunity (though in a video interview he states that USC is the only offer he lacks).

He's not just a regional prospect -- Cincinnati, Miami (YTM), Notre Dame, and Oklahoma offered.

STATS

Offensive linemen don't have any stats. However, he's performed well enough each of the past two seasons to earn All-League recognition, per his Scout profile. He's also earned all-Academic honors (as mentioned above), which is nice both because having intelligent dudes is never a bad thing, and because OL is one of the more brain-intensive positions on the field.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the premium sites list a 40 time for Erik. In the Rivals video linked above, you can see that he's not quite as fast or quick as the offensive lineman he's "racing" in the ladder/running drills, but speed isn't necessarily his game, either. I'm assuming that, as a relatively slender OT prospect, the 4.9-5.1 range is most likely. This gets five FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

His impressive Youtube highlight:

As he pointed out himself, he's not the strongest run blocker at the point of attack, but that will improve as he adds mass. What he does show is good agility in pass blocking, as a pulling lead blocker, and in getting downfield blocks. He also has a basketball highlight reel.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

So, this guy is a serious player, right? Although offensive linemen almost always redshirt, Michigan's depth at offensive tackle is pretty light for 2012, and Magnuson has mentioned potentially enrolling early. That could mean (depending on who else ends up in Michigan's recruiting class) that he's immediately the most likely OL candidate since Mr. Plow to make the 2-deep as a freshman.

In that season, Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield will be redshirt juniors, and as long as they stay healthy (and depending on what depth develops among backup tackles), Erik will hopefully still be afforded the chance to redshirt. Either way, in his second year on campus he should get a bit of playing time as a backup as he prepares for the following season.

In 2014 Lewan and Schofield will have shuffled off the collegiate coil - hopefully as Picks 1 and 2 in the NFL draft - and Magnuson will be one of the players with a chance at a starting spot. He'll either lock down one of the tackle positions, or get heavy time as a backup. By the time he's a senior or redshirt junior, I think Magnuson is a lock to be a starter. He has all-Big Ten potential, and if he lives up to it, 2nd or 3rd-team All-American honors are a possibility as a redshirt senior.

The recruiting sites certainly think highly enough of Erik to place him in that spectrum (24/7 Sports is going to move him up in their next re-rank, and Rivals has already anointed him as a top-40 prospect in the nation).

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

This is a huge weight off Michigan fans' shoulders. A true left tackle is finally on board. That said, weak tackle recruiting classes over the previous two years (Tony Posada and Chris Bryant of the 2011 class seem more like guard or right tackle prospects, and center Christian Pace was the only lineman in 2010's crop) means that Michigan is in dire need of at least one more tackle. That would preferably be one that could play on either end of the line, such as IL OT Jordan DIamond. Another highly-rated interior guy would be nice as well, but is not nearly as necessary.

Away from the offensive line, defensive tackle is now the only remaining priority. At least one highly-rated wideout is important, and a quarterback and running back would be nice. Other than that, remaining scholarships (assuming there are some) can be spent on prospects that the coaching staff really likes, regardless of position.

Does that mean you loan Terrelle Pryor cars?

Tom reports that OH DE Tom Strobel has committed to Michigan. Strobel is a four-star to Scout and Rivals and on the edge of four at ESPN; he had an Ohio State offer in March; Tim will be filling you in shortly, this is just a placeholder.

On a visit to campus today, IL CB/S Anthony Standifer has committed to Michigan. The Wolverines were his first big offer, and though he picked more up afterwards, he decided that Ann Arbor is the place for him.

GURU RATINGS

Anthony is a bit under-the-radar at this point, but he's a tall corner with excellent ball skills. Scout, Rivals, and 24/7 Sports all say he's 6-1, while ESPN puts him down at 6-0. He's also a skinny dude, with the consensus weight just under 180 pounds. That sounds like a guy who can either play corner or put on some weight and project to free safety if needed.

On top of the size, the recruiting services also make it obvious that he's a generic 3-star prospect. If he can truly play corner, expect those rankings to go up, because he has excellent size for the position.

Tom talked to Anthony about his game:

I have good size, I'm fast for my size, good at finding the ball, I have good enough hands to be a receiver if I wanted to be, but I still have a lot of room for improvement.

"Good enough hands to play receiver" is a huge asset for a defensive back as long as all the other skills are present as well. A Rivals article starts out by stating that Standifer's hips are good, despite the fact that tall corners usually have trouble ($, info in header):

Tall cornerbacks are a rarity in college football because, in general, the taller a player, the less "swivel" they have in their hips. Crete (Ill.) Monee's Anthony Standifer is one of those rare athletes over 6-feet who plays the cornerback position, and Michigan is starting to show interest.

He impressed Scout's Allen Trieu at the Core6 combine last month ($):

A long, athletic 6'1 cornerback, he has picked up offer after offer of late. This was my first time seeing him in person, and it's easy to see why he has those offers. In addition to his size, he has legitimate speed and athleticism. He's not a 4.3 guy, but he can run with just about anyone, and his ball skills are top notch. He has some technical work to do still, but his anticipation and awareness is good. He did a good job of recognizing and jumping routes.

To me, that reads like "maybe not the best athlete, but certainly good enough." At his height, having good anticipation and ball skills are just as important as speed, and as long as he's able to run with most wideouts, that speed shouldn't be a liability at all. Considering most of his offers have come following in-person evaluations by college coaching staffs, I wouldn't be too worried.

It's clear that Brady Hoke and staff want at least one taller corner in this class, and Anthony has the ability to play there. He's also big enough to be a potential safety down the road, so versatility is definitely in his favor, as far as getting on the field down the road.

OFFERS

As mentioned above, Michigan was the first big offer for Standifer (he had previously held Northern Illinois and Western Michigan). However, after Michigan stepped up, several schools - depending on your definition of bigtime - entered the fray. Boise State, Cincinnati, Iowa, Kansas, and Notre Dame are some of the schools that have recently played in BCS bowls that consider Anthony worthy of an offer.

He has a few other lesser offers, including some mid-level BCS teams and MAC-type schools, and definitely has the profile of a riser with some of the recent entrants. Michigan State, Miami (YTM), and Oregon were some of the schools showing interest that hadn't yet offered.

STATS

Via 24/7 Sports:

Standifer had 44 tackles, nine interceptions and one forced fumble as a junior.

Yay. Nine interceptions in a high school season speaks to his ball-hawking ability, especially since a lot of high school teams are very wary of throwing when they know the other team has good DB talent.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the premium sites have listed 40 times. Default five FAKEs out of five. Allen Trieu said above he's "not a 4.3 guy," which duh, because almost nobody is.

VIDEO

Standifer's Junior Highlight:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Michigan has picked up tons of DBs in the classes of 2011 and 2012, and it's super-tough to project a player at that position when the guys a year ahead of him have yet to even hit campus, much less play in a game.

If you held a gun to my head and made me choose, I would say that Michigan's newfound DB depth(!) will allow him to redshirt, and in that year, it'll be much easier to determine if he'll grow into a free safety or remain the size of a corner. My assumption is that safety is in his future, but it all depends on way too many factors to know right now.

He seems like the type who will never be a huge star, but could be a solid starter during the course of his career, and as long as he develops as expected, could be a late round NFL-type.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

This commitment REALLY starts the slowdown process on defensive backs for the 2012 class. Standifer is the third DB, and with the possible addition of Morgan tomorrow (pending a discussion with his family, apparently) and a big DB class last year, OL, DT, and WR remain the primary needs, with QB and RB also needed.