ben gedeon

hi bennie! /Upchurch

It's an annual rite of fan dorkiness each year to try to be the first to guess which numbers the incoming freshmen will be given by obsessively google stalking them. Sometimes I have some inside knowledge from a recruit who was promised his digit, or tweeted his preferences or something. Here's how I did last year:

Four out of 22 ain't…well yes it is. It was bad. This article is useless. Let's continue it anyway; I swear to do better.

Getting to know you. Each coach has his own tendencies with this so we'll get better at it in time. With Hoke, he seems to like having consecutive numbers in the same position group, perhaps for mentoring purposes because they sit next to each other in the locker room. It's far from a rule, but it's a trend. Carr rarely let a player share a specialist's digit, but Hoke doesn't seem to have a problem with it, for example Wormley and Hagerup share a number, and walk-on tight end Alex Mitropoulus-Rundus (I'm gonna just start calling him "Alex M-R") has the same digit as backup punter Kenny Allen. Rich Rodriguez was far more apt to share numbers, and the single digits were nearly always doubled up; Hoke has said in the past that he doesn't like doing that, and the practice has been limited—as of spring just 5, 12 and 34 had scholarship recruits in both numbers, adding 54 and 56 to those double-occupied by players on the two-deep.

The roster lies. The official MGoBlue.com roster still doesn't have DeAnthony Hardison, that nifty RB you saw in the Spring Game. He's #18. Also a practice insider told me Anthony Capatina is playing slot receiver, not "DB" as he's listed on the depth chart. Also weirdly missing from that roster is #79 right tackle Dan Gibbs (a Seaholm Mape!!!), a 2012 preferred walk-on whose twitter profile pic is him riding an oliphant:

@DJBunyan

Legends/Special #s: 1 because Braylon's scholarship killed the fun, unless Gallon gets it. It won't come as much of a surprise to you that 2 will probably be entering the Legends program this season. There will also be some push for 16, and I doubt it'll be assigned to an offensive player immediately. 11 for the Wisterts, 21 for Desmond, and 87 for Ron Kramer are currently open; it is likely they'll be assigned to veterans whose digits might then be made available if it happens before the season. Bennie's 47 and Jerry's 48 remain occupied by current players and there's no way a second guy will get them. And I've been told they're still working on the Harmon family with 98. Anyway they won't go to freshmen.

Already worn on both sides: 5 (Courtney Avery and Justice Hayes), 6 (Raymon Taylor and Brian Cleary), 12 (Gardner and Allen Gant), 13 (Terry Richardson and Alex Swieca), 15 (James Ross and Shaun Austin), 34 (Jeremy Clark and Brendan Gibbons), 43 (Chris Wormley and Will Hagerup), 54 (Richard Ash and Jareth Glanda), 56 (Ondre Pipkins and Joey Burzynski), 69 (Willie Henry and Erik Gunderson), and 95 (Anthony Capatina and Michael Jocz).

Available on offense only: 4, 7, 14, 18, 22, 24, 25, 30, 33, 35, 40, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57, 59, 66, 76, 92, 96, 97, 99

Available on defense only: 3, 8, 9, 10, 17, 19, 26, 27, 28, 29, 38, 39, 42, 45, 46, 49, 51, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 67, 70, 71, 72, 75, 77, 78, 82, 84, 85, 86, 88, 94

Walk-ons with soft claims: Every year there's a Jon Keizer on the roster who thinks his number is safe, then some top running back recruit in the country (right: from Scout) runs him over with star power (dadada, didda-da diddadidda…). Scout teamers without scholarships often have their numbers taken, for example Charlie Zeller was 19 on the 2012 spring roster and Paul Gyarmati was sitting on 99, but Devin Funchess and Matt Godin nabbed those digits last fall. This year they are 15 (Shaun Austin—note that Ross has it on D), 18 (DeAnthony Hardison—note that Countess has it on D), 27 (Jon Keizer), 36 (AJ Pearson—note that Kerridge has it on O), 42 (Dylan Esterline), 46 (Clark Grace), 49 (Brad Anlauf), 51 (Bobby Henderson), 59 (Mark Lawson), 63 (Ben Pliska), 66 (Dan Liesman), 70 (Kris Mateus), 79 (Dan Gibbs), (91 (Alex M-R, though Kenny Allen wears it too), and 95 (Anthony Capatina and Mike Jocz). The other walk-ons I didn't mention (Dever, Cleary, Glanda, Burzynski, Reynolds, Allen, Gunderson, Jocz and the Glasgows) are either on the two-deep already or in the mix.

Currently unused: 20, 23, 31, 32, 37, 41, 44, 64, 68, 73, 74, 80, 81, 83, 89, 90, 93, π

You just said Pi. We're Michigan fergodsakes. All the constants—φ, ζ(3), α and δ, Euler's e, γ, λ, K, r, and Ω—ought to be fair game, and if someone takes √-1 and uses the nickname "Impossible" he will be my favorite for ever and ever.

EVERYBODY LET'S ALL BE #7!!!

Go ahead and make your guesses. We'll have our answers in a few weeks.

* UPDATE: After I posted this Magnus alerted me to his post of numbers that have already been revealed. I had some good guesses. I crossed out my comments if the guess was wrong.

Previously: CB Reon Dawson, CB Channing Stribling, S Delano Hill, S Dymonte Thomas, CB Ross Douglas, CB Jourdan Lewis.

Hudson, OH – 6'2", 215
		Scout	4*, #168 overall #14 OLB, #9 OH
		Rivals	4*, #17 ILB, #19 OH
		ESPN	4*, #281 overall #33 ATH, #16 OH
		24/7	4*, #199 overall #6 ILB, #10 OH
		Other Suitors	Ohio State, PSU, MSU, Stanford
		YMRMFSPA	James Ross
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from Ace.
Notes	Played on the U19 national team thing.
Film
Junior highlights: That weird Sports Stars of Tomorrow youtube thing covered him.

Ben Gedeon has been on college radars since he was a sophomore All-American being dubbed "the freak" and playing damn near every position his Hudson team had available.

"Need a quarterback, running back, defensive back, linebacker, cover rusher? We have Ben," Narducci said. "He's 6-3, about 210 pounds and he's a real specimen."

The "freak" nickname originates from his days as a middle schooler. Michigan pulled the trigger on an offer in June of 2011 after he camped, which probably makes him the first kid other than Shane Morris in his recruiting year to get one. When Urban Meyer was hired, OSU shortly put their hat in the ring, setting up a Classic Michigan-Ohio State Recruiting Battle that went the right way.

Michigan has won an athletic consensus four star who, like a lot of guys in this class, could have opted for Stanford if he so chose. Gedeon maintained a 4.3 GPA what with his AP classes and such and meanwhile piled up enough tackles—126 as a senior alone—to become his high school team's all-time leader in that category. He also started at tailback, finishing as, well…

He leaves Hudson as the school's all-time leader in scoring (278 points), touchdowns accounted for (48), touchdowns scored (46), rushing touchdowns (37), rushing yards (3,052), rushing attempts (501) and 100-yard games (15).

I call him mini-Jabrill. He comes from a clan of these ubermensch, too: his older brother was a captain at Harvard and now works for Bain (yes that Bain), another older brother is in the Navy, his younger sister is called "Gabbartron."

Gedeon is going to play linebacker at Michigan, likely one of the two nearly-interchangeable ILB spots. His scouting watchwords are "athletic" and "throwback." ESPN's eval is strongly positive($) ("an impressive overall football player with a high probability of success") and covers the gamut:

…needs some time to develop physically, but when that area matches his athleticism and football intelligence we see a lot of production and consistency in his future. He has very good height on a large, leaner frame that lacks great bulk and power. … very quick to read and react. He has sound diagnosing skills and does a great job keeping gap responsibility and playing within the defense. … He's a solid inside filler, beats blockers to point of attack to make plays inside-out. He has the quickness and strength to scrape off-tackle and stay clean on lateral pursuit. He plays with a motor and has the speed, range and athleticism to make plays sideline-to-sideline.

The downside: he needs time to fill out, lacks lower body explosion, and doesn't have "immediate impact ability" at any one position.

Allen Trieu singled Gedeon out for a couple of scouting article($):

Analysis: He's an athletic kid who has played all over the field. …going to be able to run to the football and drop into coverage. …has all of the tools you look for and given the Wolverines' previous linebacker class, he is not a kid who is likely to be pressed into service right away.

The downside is similar: Hudson doesn't play a lot of top teams so he's going to have a bigger adjustment to college athletes, needs time, etc. The second notes that watching a Gedeon game is a bit of a challenge because you have to find him before every play:

…a sideline to sideline kind of guy. He can drop into coverage and come up and rush the quarterback. … at his best when coming forward either as a blitzer or blowing up a play by flying through a crease. He's an aggressive kid who did not hesitate when he found the ball. … let a few offensive linemen lock in on him and get him out of some plays. He's good at using his feet and speed to get around blocks, but I'd like to see him use his hands more to shed once they get into him.

Bottom Line: A great athlete who dominated a couple of the games I watched. I see him as a MIKE or a SAM in college. He's only going to get bigger and he's a pretty strong kid already. He can run, which is certainly an asset and he has good football smarts and savvy.

I seriously doubt SAM is in the cards what with Mike McCray in the same recruiting class, and given his currently lighter frame and athleticism, WLB seems like a more likely landing spot to me. That's just like my opinion man.

Gedeon didn't hit many camps but did go to a NTFC as a rising junior, impressing with his athleticism:

We saw Gedeon at two camps in the off-season. In early season film, though, he has looked even more athletic than when we saw him running around in just shorts and a t-shirt. At each new evaluation, Gedeon seems to have lost a little of the stiffness we saw out of him in our first evaluation. He may not quite be the 6-3, 215 pounds he is listed, and he does not blow running backs up, but Gedeon can run with backs and tight ends and will make for an athletic linebacker at the next level.

The picture here is a bit muddied by guys saying he's not that good at getting sideline to sideline and projects in the middle because of his toughness, another evaluation that declares him a "violent football player," and that Trieu projection to SAM/MLB. I'm of the belief he could become a college-level violence merchant… in time.

One thing everyone agrees on: this is a hard-nosed throwback football player.

• Bucknuts: "…great athlete. His junior highlights were outstanding. He makes plays all over the field. He’s almost a throwback type. He’s just a tough, hard-nosed football player.”
• Scout: "Pure football player with a throwback mentality and style."
• Touch The Banner: "He's a throwback linebacker who does a little bit of everything."

In addition, you can put Gedeon on the ever-growing pile of players that have whatever the opposite of character issues are. His coach:

"If you have a daughter, you want her to marry this kid,” Wright said. “He’s an extremely hard worker and he’s very dedicated. He comes from a work ethic family, where nothing is given to you and you’ve got to earn it. He’s athletic and smart – he’s got the whole package.”

One trait in particular stands out the most about Gedeon.

“I would say his perseverance,” Wright said. “He will continue to work as hard as you ask him to work. He’s always going to be the guy that gives you maximum effort on the field and in the classroom. He is a guy that can play a lot of positions, he’s very bright, he gives you great effort and he does the right thing.”

Gedeon and guys like Gedeon will see Michigan's attrition rate plummet to Penn State or Wisconsin levels, and help turn Michigan's recruiting from paper wins to actual ones.

Etc.: ESPN compares him($) to former Texas safety Blake Gideon, because last names. Coach($):

"Going through even from the seventh grade on, he was always better than everybody [his age]. That's why you go to Michigan: because you're better than everybody."

Big hands I know you're the one:

“He laid out with one hand and it just stuck. He’s got the biggest hands of anybody I’ve ever seen,” Alex said. “And he gets up like it’s no big deal. I called him and said, ‘Ben, that was the greatest catch I’ve ever seen.’ He was like, ‘Aw, it’s pretty good.’ His humility and calm nature has earned him the nickname ‘Gentle Ben.’ ”

Why James Ross? Gedeon is probably not going to be the kind of instant starter-ish player that Ross was, but that's largely because James Ross is still on the roster. Ross is a non-huge instinctive linebacker who should develop into a primo WLB; he was a consensus four star approximately in the same range as Gedeon. Both project as quicker cover-oriented linebackers who use their minds to get ahead of everyone else on the field.

Differences: Gedeon may have an inch or two and could fill out to MLB size. Early indications are that Ross is a savant at play recognition, and if that turns out to be true it's tough to project anyone replicating that.

Guru Reliability: Moderate. They're all in the ballpark, guy had a high profile for a long time, but camp-averse. Obvious four-star camp-averse guys tend to get thrown in a bin and left there.

Variance: Low-plus. Academic anti-risk, lots of experience at the spot he projects to in college (and several he doesn't). Very likely to be a contributor of some variety. Does need some development.

Ceiling: High. Athletic, smart, football player. Football.

General Excitement Level: High-minus. Though Gedeon isn't a top 100 player at any site, Michigan wanted him after he camped and pursued him hard; he's probably underrated.

Projection: With a solid, senior-free two-deep in front of Gedeon at the two ILB spots a redshirt is a possibility. Linebackers often get dragooned into coverage units, like Royce Jenkins-Stone did last year. Gedeon is a leading candidate for "burned redshirt that I harp on over and over again" of the year. That year of separation from Ross would be most excellent.

In any case, Gedeon is likely to end up at WLB with his athleticism and a frame that's not likely to top out at 250, so he's got some time to play James Ross's apprentice. He'll start working his way into the lineup after his freshman year with an eye towards a two-year career as a starter after Ross is raptured up by the NFL.

Sinestral: Ross, Ryan and Clark|Bryan Fuller, MGoBlog. Dextral: Bill Walsh

First, a Chag Sameach to my fellow tribesmen and a Happy Turtleversary to the wingnuts.

We now continue with the Bill Walshian rundown of the 2013 roster. Since Michigan's offense and defense schemes are kindred spirits of the great 49er teams of the '80s, I've found it somewhat useful to re-scout Michigan's players on the same factors that the legendary coach used to evaluate his draft picks. How do we know what Walsh drafted on? Well wouldn'tchya know it, he provided it in a 1997 article for Pro Sports Exchange that Chris Brown (Smart Football) discovered.

Part the first was the entire offense. Part the second was the interior D-Line. Now we're on to the linebackers, among whom I include the WDEs.

Weakside End

Bruce Smith/ James Hall / Frank Clark by Upchurch

Walsh Says: 6'5/270 or 6'3/245 depending on type. It's complicated so I'm going to spend some extra time here. His DE descriptions bounced between what you want from 3-4 DEs, which is the 3- and 5-tech in Michigan's defense, and pure pass rushers. Ultimately Michigan's WDE is closer to the pass-rush-specialist-who-stops-runs-too job description of a Walshian 3-4 weakside linebacker than a blocker-sucking interior DL, so they go here with the LBs. Speed and quickness are now very much in play:

Must have explosive movement and the ability to cover ground quickly in three to five yards of space. The ability to get your shoulder past the shoulder of the tackle. This makes for a pass rusher. With that there is quickness because it sets up a lot of other things.

From the outside linebackers description we get this:

These pass rushing outside linebackers must have natural gifts, or instincts for dealing with offensive tackles who are up to 100 pounds heavier. Quickness is only part of it. They must know how to use leverage, how to get underneath the larger man's pads and work back toward the quarterback. And he must be strong enough to bounce off blocks and still make the play.

The rush DE needs to have some finesse. This site never misses an opportunity to knock on Will Gholston so I'll do that: Gholston has more than enough explosion and strength, and is an excellent tackler but the big hole in his game is he doesn't get leverage or bounce off blocks. This is why State deployed him mostly SDE this year while Marcus Rush was the premier pass rusher. Walsh says it's all the same if you can push a tackle as go around him, but being an okay jack of all trades here isn't as valuable as being super disruptive at one or the other.

Overall strength is important. You don't have to be a Mike Martin beastmonster in the weight room but a WDE has to be strong enough to not get turned by the tackle. This is also a technique issue though it's not a skill that needs years to develop—a big sophomore year leap is expected at this position as the kid gains weight, strength, and the footwork and balance to be able to keep his shoulders pointed toward the football.

As echoed in Mattison's statements in 2011 regarding WDEs, Walsh calls his rush DEs "the substance off the defensive team" since their ability to put pressure on the quarterback can make or break a defense. This is why great DEs are at such a premium in today's NFL.

The last piece is willpower, which in scouting parlance becomes "high motor." WDEs typically get rotated a lot because they burn a gazillion calories on each play. Because this spot is supposed to win 1-on-1 battles and kill plays himself, success on the second and third moves can make a huge difference.

Walsh's Favorite Wolverine: If James Hall and Larry Stevens had a baby, and that baby came out 6'5/260 and immediately ate the doctor. Michigan just hasn't had the freaks here unless you count Woodley and I'm saving him. Stevens didn't have the sacks but generated hurries. And Hall: because he's 6'2 every scout from the early recruiting years to modern NFL trade talkers underrates him, despite consistent production at every level. Hall is second (to Graham) in career sacks and 6th in TFLs among Wolverines and was the 1997 team's secret weapon. Both guys were often extolled for their virtues under the hood.

What to look for in a Scouting Report: EXPLOSIONS! I know I said this for SDE but even more so. You know these guys on sight because the innate quickness and strength makes them terrors against high schoolers. Skipping over the blue chips (or like Ra'Shede Hageman who would have been a blue chip if he accepted Florida's offer to play DE rather than Minnesota's offer of tight end) 3-stars who shine seem to have athletic tickmarks or the proverbial motor. I noticed some of the big performers from high school All-American games (Ray Drew, Alex Okafor, a million dudes who went to Florida) tend to fare well—about the worst among Army game standouts of yore was Victor Abiamiri, who was still pretty good. The pushers had ridiculous squats (Simon's was 700!)

What you can learn on film: How fast he gets into the backfield, adjusted for competition. You're looking for that quick burst. The great ones just look completely unblockable—like the guy blocking him doesn't seem to have any leverage.

What could signal bust potential: Size. Rivals tends to put its favorite DEs at "SDE" for this reason. If you browse through the five-stars you generally find two categories: high-effort guys who were early contributors and are or are on track to be NFL draft picks at defensive end, and Pierre Woods/Shawn Crable-like linebackers whose recruiting profiles said they would grow into Jevon Kearse. There's a reason they called Kearse "the freak."

How our guys compare: Frank Clark and Brennan Beyer are the two sides of the WDE coin. This refrain from MGoBlog is becoming tiresome but Beyer seems the stronger and more responsible one and Clark is the greater X-factor. We overplay this; both would still fall more into the finesse side than, say, John Simon, and both seem to top out as useful but not stars.

Ojemudia is kind of a James Hall but more akin to Shantee Orr. Where James Hall was small but had the size to stand up to a good shove when needed, here you have a dude with explosiveness and great hands for pass rushing but is going to be dead meat if doubled and run at, and is therefore best deployed as a 3rd down or [blank]-and-long specialist.

Early enrollee Vidauntae "Taco" Charlton, who's already 6'6/265 on Michigan's spring roster, is the closest thing to Walshian dreams. On film though a lot of times you just see him blowing something up because they didn't block him, and though this probably had a lot to do with being way bigger than high school tackles in Central Ohio he didn't play with much leverage after the snap. The reason for all the Tacoptimism is he blew up the camp circuit. He probably still needs a year to work on technique since he spent most of high school in a 2-point stance. Warning: he doesn't check the motor box.

[Linebackers, after a leap.]

PREVIOUSLY: The Offense

Dymonte Thomas

Following up yesterday's breakdown of the 2013 recruits on offense, here's a look at Michigan's defensive class—click each player's name to see their original commitment post:

And now, some superlatives:

BEST POSITION GROUP: Linebacker

Today's recruiting roundup covers the latest on David Dawson and Gareon Conley, new candidates to round out the 2013 class, the latest wave of 2014 offers, and more.

Guess Who's Back

Talk to me man

Yes, Brian stole my thunder on Friday, but here it is again: David Dawson was re-offered last week after having a "heart to heart"($) with Brady Hoke and will take an official visit to Ann Arbor on December 14th. This is, unequivocally, a good thing; Michigan needs one more offensive lineman in the class and Dawson is easily the best among the available options.

It's also a strike against critics of Hoke's nebulous "Policy"—one that's never been explicitly stated, mind you—as it's clear he deals with these matters on a case-by-case basis, as he should. A commitment taking visits doesn't necessarily mean he's gone from the class forever; it does mean he hold a spot while looking around. This ensures, as much as one can ensure with these things, that members of the class show the same level of commitment given to them by the school.

On that note: Gareon Conley will also take an official visit to Michigan on December 14th, according to ESPN's Brad Bournival ($). He'll also visit Ohio State this Thursday, and all indications are this is a two-horse race between the Wolverines and Buckeyes—Conley wanted an Oregon offer before he took a visit to Eugene and one has yet to materialize.

It seems very possible that both Dawson and Conley could end up back in the class when all is said and done. Dawson seems to regret parting ways with Michigan—there were rumors he tried to talk his way back into the fold shortly after the coaches dropped him—and I'd be surprised if Hoke would re-offer without a pretty good idea of where Dawson is headed. Conley looks to be more of a toss-up, but Michigan has his father in their corner.

[Hit THE JUMP for new 2013 and 2014 offers, the updated 2013 Rivals100, and BAYLE WOLF.]

Today's recruiting roundup covers the latest on Michigan top remaining 2013 targets, the 2014 Rivals250 Watch List, and more, including finally finding a good reason to post an Archer video.

McQuay: Leaning To Michigan?

Photo: Tampa Bay Online

Sam Webb caught up with FL S Leon McQuay III and his father in the wake of his official visit to Michigan, and the returns are quite good ($):

"I think that was the most impressive on my end,” McQuay III's father added.  “His mom has been on two trips with us, and them having his schedule already pretty much planned out was real big with her.  No other schools have done that.  That’s something that I noticed too.”

...

The overall experience proved so positive that the younger McQuay was sorry to see it come to an end.

“I definitely could have stayed a little longer,” he admitted.

Neither father nor son are naming leaders at this point, but a couple factors are working in Michigan's favor. Not only did McQuay get a first-hand look at his preferred major by spending his visit with Jack Kennedy and Joe Reynolds, but he may not be able to make it out to USC before he makes his decision on January 4th—his trip to Los Angeles is set for December 7th, but there's a good chance he'll have to cancel if his team makes the state semifinals, and they've been state finalists each of the last three years.

McQuay still has a trip set to Florida State for later this month and he's been to Vanderbilt several times; at this point, those two schools may in fact be Michigan's biggest competition.

This wouldn't be a recruiting roundup without another bit on IL WR Laquon Treadwell, so here's Mike Farrell from his latest Mind of Mike column ($):

Treadwell is also interesting because he changes schools of interest like he changes underwear. The latest info has Notre Dame and Florida rising and Michigan falling. I still think the Wolverines are a serious player here and part of me thinks Treadwell is playing everyone, but we shall see.

Farrell also says he gets the feeling VA RB Derrick Green wants to play his college ball in the South; the problem is that his current southern favorites, Auburn and Tennessee, likely won't have the same coaching staffs next year. Word came down earlier this week that UT's Derek Dooley is on his way out, and now CBSSports is reporting that Auburn's president is preparing to fire Gene Chizik.

The tumult in the SEC may have a direct effect on more than just Green; MD WR Paul Harris had Michigan among his finalists before choosing Tennessee, but he's keeping a close eye on the Dooley situation, according to Rivals's Adam Friedman ($):

"If he definitely gets fired then I'm going to think about de-committing," he said. "I have such a good relationship with Coach (Derek Dooley) and that's one of the big reasons I committed there. If he (Derek Dooley) gets fired and Coach (Darin) Hinshaw gets fired then I'm definitely going to think about other schools.

"It would have to be one of my top schools," said Harris. "I've heard from Michigan, Maryland, USC, Miami, Penn State and Ohio State. They've still been talking to me asking if Coach (Derek) Dooley gets fired is there a chance I'd commit to them. I talked to Coach (Tee) Martin from USC a few weeks ago."

Harris plans to enroll early, so the decision would have to be made in the next month; the four-star prospect could be a nice fallback plan should the Wolverines miss out on Treadwell.

[Hit THE JUMP for the 2014 Rivals250 Watch List and more.]