Interesting DB Offer: Anthony Standifer
I was trolling the usual sites and saw that we are the first BCS school to offer CB Anthony Standifer from Illinois. He seems on paper like a generic 3* headed for the MAC and I could not understand the offer at this early stage of the process - but then I watched his highlights. He looks like a solid FS prospect with decent speed, good height and the potential to fill out well over 200 lbs.. He has good coverage skills, excellent hands and the instincts for filling the hole in the run game - plus he can tackle. Perhaps a diamond in the rough that we are in early on? - check it out:
April 21st, 2011 at 10:54 AM ^
Nice, I really like his film. Hes definitely got an intriguing size/speed combo going for him. He might be a diamond in the rough now, but I could definitely see him scooping up some nice BCS offers as the process rolls along.
What the hell happened at 1:50? He picked the ball off, took a step back to avoid a tackle and into the endzone and the ref blew it dead right then and there. Some screwy touchback rule?
Yeah, it's a touchback.
I clicked on this really hoping for a steep discount on feminine hygiene products.
Under the radar safety prospect is pretty good, too, though.
for knowing feminine hygiene brands.
How do you know that I'm not a lady who takes her hygiene seriously?
I bet you know the names of men's razor brands.
...particularly since your avatar picture is Charlie Sheen. There are a lot of women who have been "fans" of his, and it is not far-fetched to think they are currently looking for great deals on feminine hygiene products.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:15 AM ^
WINNING!!!
#lost
April 21st, 2011 at 11:10 AM ^
negged for knowing feminine hygiene brands.
MOAR 5 STARRSSS!!!!!! /s
Seems like he has good hands and is a pretty decent open field tackler.
This kid can flat out play and would make a tremendous FS. He tracks the ball well through the air and attacks it at it's highest point. Also pretty decent in coming up in run support. Rivals, Scout, etc., can stick their rankings up their ass. They evaluate talent about as good as Matt Millen.
This kid can flat out play and would make a tremendous FS
That may be, but the staff wants him at...err...corner
You will have to forgive me, I am just used to RR recuiting 5'6 CB's. /s
This is a joke, for the love of god please do not take this statement any other way. Kthanx
April 21st, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
attacks [the ball] at it's highest point
Does this phrase bother anybody else as much as it does me? Nothing against you dennisblundon. I just don't understand how this phrase became so popular when it's so obviously incorrect.
No offense taken. What is meant by that statement is that he jumps and extends for the ball rather than letting the ball get into his chest.
I think he's more of a corner than a safety, although he could probably play both. He's got the change of direction skills to stick with receivers one-on-one. I'm really surprised he doesn't have more offers with that size/speed/skill combination.
Magnus thinks he's a sleeper, 247sports thinks he's a sleeper, Scout thinks he's a sleeper....could be a really good offer that we got in first for.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
someone wake this guy up
April 21st, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^
Pistons took a guy, Walter Sharpe, in the second round of the 2008 Draft. Sharpe was supposed to be a Sleeper both figurartively and literaly. Sharpe had a sleep disorder (narcolepsy) that caused him to fall asleep in class, miss classes and team meetings etc.. Sharpe didn't workout for the Pistons, playing 8 games, and is currently in the develpmental league
JC Schurburtt just listed him a top five sleeper prospect and said this about him:
A big, athletic cornerback with good ball skills, Standifer recently picked up his first BCS scholarship offer, from Michigan, and several more offers are likely on the way. As a junior, Standifer had 44 tackles, nine interceptions and one forced fumble.
Nothing to see here.
Based on the timing, I don't think the staff would have offered him if they didn't really like him. There's one open DB spot (maybee 2 if the CC rumors are true?) and we're in a prime position for several DBs.
Oh yeah. And Charles Woodson is his favorite DB....soo we got that going for us.
I don't understand how recruiting services decide which players they think are "sleepers". If he's so *sneaky* good, why don't they just rank him higher?
April 21st, 2011 at 10:00 AM ^
They do this every year, and it never makes sense to me. I guess they consider 'sleepers' to be those with few offers?
April 21st, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^
OP-Great post! This kids film is better then many of the kids I have seen that are 4*.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:03 AM ^
I think its an obvious answer. The recruiting services are somewhat B.S. Sure the top 50 to 150 may be easy to track but I much of the rating has to do with the offers they receive.
April 21st, 2011 at 11:16 AM ^
so hes definitely no good, duh!
/s
April 21st, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
The recruiting services don't care much for game film and on-field ability. They want to see a guy compete in 7 on 7 leagues and at the camps/underclass combines. If a kid doesn't participate in those then they are left off the elite rankings. Look at Carvin Johnson, he was barely a 2/3 star and will probably achieve at a higher level than most of our 4/almost 5 star players.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:05 AM ^
obviously these are highlights, but he seems to have a natural ability to watch the play develop and get in the right spot, like recognizing a run, maintaining contain, and eyeing the quarterback for where the pass is going.
I agree with the OP that I'd like to see him used as a safety, as I didn't notice lighting fast speed. Reminds me of a bigger faster Kovacs (except needs a little work on tackling form)
Good find coaches.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:11 AM ^
He looks great on film, but I hope he receives some guidance in the class room. A 2.7 gpa worries me.
April 21st, 2011 at 11:32 AM ^
They just mixed up his GPA and 40 time
April 21st, 2011 at 10:18 AM ^
Can someone help me with this? I understand how the various sites track the top 50-150 but how much does a players team influence rankings? Do players on teams that are known programs get an auto boost in rakings vs a player from a lesser known school?
Hope someone can help me with this, that also could explain why some "sleepers" are lesser rated than they should be.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
Well...yes and no. Kids from lesser known high schools net fewer offers, less attention, etc. When you're attending, for example, Cass Tech, coaches are always going to be watching your team's film. If you make a couple plays while they're watching your teammate's film, maybe you get more attention than the equally (if not more) talented player from joeschmoe HS across town, that rarely produces D1 talent. Early rankings often over-exaggerate kids from typical pipeline schools.
There are a variety of reasons why kids could be considered sleepers or take a hit in their rankings. Their school could be low-key (Shawn Conway), they could have been injured for most of their senior year (Marvin Robinson), they could avoid the camp circuit (Carvin Johnson), they could develop late (Jake Ryan), they could be undersized (Davion Rogers, Christian Pace), they could have committed early and lost attention (Ricardo Miller...to an extent), they could have grade problems (Thomas Rawls), they could be a raw athlete without a real position yet (Frank Clark). I hope this helps
April 21st, 2011 at 10:31 AM ^
plus the assistance of specific examples..... you sir, must be a teacher.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:35 AM ^
Perfect explination, and really appreciated the examples you called out. I know this helped me grasp a smaller section of recruiting and hope others as well! +1 for your Sir!
April 21st, 2011 at 10:20 AM ^
April 21st, 2011 at 10:26 AM ^
That's a sucky position to be in. Get all excited for an offer, then figure out you don't have it.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^
Thanks for the clarification, Tom.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^
This miscommunication would be so easily avoided if the NCAA just let written offers out earlier. They aren't binding anyway, so there's no real difference between a verbal and written offer.
April 21st, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
Yikes thats a bit of an awkward position to be in. Thanks for the update Tom.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^
Could the fact that he is from Illinois instead of Florida, California, Texas, et. al. be part of what is preventing him from generating a lot of buzz early in the process?
April 21st, 2011 at 10:24 AM ^
Rivals JUST did an article on him a couple days ago and Michigan is simply "in contact" with Standifer. They have not offered yet and want him to come to their camp. If he impresses there, that is where he will probably earn his offer. Michigan is not looking to take very many CB's in this class. That article has Standifer's own words as well.
Either way, I trust the staff's judgment in deciding who gets and deserves offers.
Josh Helmholdt (sp?) said that the coaches want to see him at camp before they offer him.
See, I like this idea. I like it when coaches actually "see" the player play, and not base everything off a 5 minute highlight tape put together by a high school coach. The kid is probably 16 years old. He still has a lot of physical and mental development to go.
Bring him into camp, follow him during his Senior season, then re evaluate when they have more of a sample size. THEN offer a scholly if they think he's talented enough to join the Wolverines.
I usually think this is a great idea for kids that might not be that highly recruited. On the other hand it could back fire on us. Johnathan Hankins comes to mind as a kid that we watched through his senior season, but never gave an offer to. At the same time he went to Detroit Southeastern and we all know what that means. I think Hankins might even start for osu next year.
Recruiting is very situational and I tend to think offering kids after seeing them at camps is a good idea.