Michigan Offers Penn St. Commit, 2014 LB Jared Wangler
------------------------
(from Gordon Berenson who posted it first:
I think this link is ($) but Wiltfong over at 247 has reported that Jared Wangler was offered by Michigan today. I don't know what that means in the recruiting tea leaves but I assume it means some other LB/S prospects are becoming less likely or the staff sees another scholarship becoming available. Probably safe to assume he's going to flip and commit to Michigan soon.
What does this mean? Let's speculate.)
August 4th, 2013 at 12:42 PM ^
And my initial reaction was thinking he was more a WILL as well, but after watching his film I think SAM is the better spot for him. While still a bit small, he would be able to RS to gain weight, potentially up to about 240. His skill set right now is better off the edge and in space, something that he'd see more of at the SAM position. He doesn't appear to be a slicer and I'm not sure he has the suddenness to make a good WILL at this time. His ability to drop should still be fully utilized at the SAM, as he can drop back into zone coverages ofter from that position or stick on the TE. IMO, SAM is the right spot for him.
My worries is that he doesn't really seem to have the frame to put on that much weight. He does somethings well but seems as if he'll be somewhat limited as far as upside. He's not an explosive athlete, but if he can gain the weight, I think he has the potential to be good enough to make an impact on the field.
Query: What is the difference between the WILL and MIKE (responsibilties, skills required and ideal body type of player) in Michigan's current defensive philosophy?
Any coaches or reasonably informed laymen feel free to chime in.
The WILL should be more of an athletic guy who can blitz, slice in and chase down plays from the backside, etc. He's typically a little bit smaller than the MIKE. I'm thinking 6'1" and 225-230 lbs. would be pretty ideal. The MIKE is a bigger guy and has to take on more blockers, so you'd want him to be pretty stout; I think Kenny Demens had a pretty ideal frame (6'1", 245-ish), but he wasn't as instinctive as you would want.
What you'll often see this year is that the 4-3 under leaves the MIKE responsible for the strong side B-gap (between the strong side guard and tackle), and will tend to take on more fullbacks, pulling linemen, etc. He has to be bigger and more able to fight through traffic.
The WILL will be responsible for a weak side gap (primarily the A-gap), so he will be pursuing from the back side. He can be smaller, but he has to be instinctive and able to 'pick' through traffic, because his ability to affect the play depends on getting to the back before he clears the hole and/or before a releasing lineman finds him.
If you want to see the difference between the day in a life of a MIKE and a WILL, watch the difference between Demens (MIKE, defensive left) and Ross (WILL, on the defensive right) here:
Not that hoke needs a 3rd party justicifation but the kid did get a UA game offer.
does anyone know if we tried to flip Drue. Everyone seemed so high on him, seems like he was next in line.
August 3rd, 2013 at 11:53 PM ^
Or if you run out of LBs you can just use your fullback for a starting LB, according to Mr. Meyer.
Just think right now that scholarship should read "best player available." If it's January, then yea, go ahead and make the offer.
But what if that spot could go to one of the Glenville kids that we initially weren't in the running for? What if someone has a huge senior year?
Some people are saying the class could reach 20, so we would still have room for another "best player available."
That is no way to get upvoted. And dropping F bombs is no way to get people to change how the mgocommunity interacts.
I am totally baffled by this offer. With the way we are recruiting I see no reason to give a scholorship to a middling prospect with little athleticism who will never end up more than a depth player. Disagree with me if you want but thats just the way I see it.
August 3rd, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
August 4th, 2013 at 12:57 AM ^
247 still ranks him as a 3-star, regardless of whether the 88 grade seems good or not. And their Composite rankings place him somewhere in the 800's.
Obviously, there are going to be 3-stars who blossom and 5-stars who bust. But it's not difficult to see why fans might be a bit confused/surprised/disappointed in an offer like this.
I'm a little surprised that the staff did not wait until Dwight Willams made his official visit, for the ND game IIRC, to assess their chances with him before making this offer. I wonder if they have already come to the conclusion that he is a longshot and decided to just "write him off" as a prospective Wolverine. It seems like they could have waited another 6-8 weeks to make this offer and they probably still would have been able to secure Wangler's commitment at that time.
August 4th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
Desmond Morgan was a pretty ideal fit for an inside linebacker - smart, instinctive, decent athlete, and hard-nosed. Wangler at SAM is more of a square peg in a round hole.
Which spot in our current Defense do you think Wangler would be best suited for?
He plays like a SAM and looks like a WILL. I'm really not sure.
August 4th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^
He's small for a SAM and slow for a WILL, yes.
August 4th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
I agree with you. He is decent. That is the problem. I want U of M to win big ten championships not go 8-4.
August 3rd, 2013 at 10:04 PM ^
August 4th, 2013 at 12:28 AM ^
worried about. It will be hard for him to turn down U-M.
If he flips, hopefully it's sooner rather than later. I'll always root for him regardless, given he and I are both De La Salle Pilots (same high school).
At the least, it shows that our coaches (particularly LB coach Ron Vanderlinden) did a good job identifying a LB talent who was very much "under the radar." I think we were the first AQ-conference school to extend an offer. Anyway, Vanderlinden is a good coach, I'll never worry too much about PSU's ability at linebacker as long as he's around.
What's the consensus among PSU fans - does O'Brien stay put through the sanctions and beyond?
I hope he does for the sake of the B1G. Guy knows what he's doing. PSU will be very relevant if he stays.
August 4th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
I think it will be the circus at PSU that would drive him away (eg the inevitable Paterno lawsuit vs PSU after the NCAA one fails), more so than the sanctions. Big internal civil war at PSU that is nowhere near its end. So it goes.
We never offered Drue Tanquill, so his commiting to Purdue probably isn't a factor. It's not like we haven't "snake oiled" anybody from Purdue before.
The staff must like Wangler better.
August 3rd, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^
It's possible Tranquill or some other LB are slightly better prospects. But now that Michigan is considering some of their Plan B LB prospects, they may have decided that the difference between these Plan B kids and Wangler may be small enough that Wangler merited consideration.
Being an instate legacy prospect is a factor you can't assess on film. They grew up in the rivalry and add intangibles to your program that you can't measure on high school film or 40 time. They are the type of prospects who will usually sacrifice for the team and school, don't quit, and help coaches build a team. Except Justin Boren of course.
August 3rd, 2013 at 11:36 PM ^
Whereas Tranquill would be a WILL. Different positions.
August 4th, 2013 at 10:44 AM ^
August 4th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
August 3rd, 2013 at 11:18 PM ^
Ann Arbor awaits.
was my professor in a psychology class I took in college, real nice guy and a real class act. This was in the early 80's and he never acted like a big shot cause his son was an awesome QB that won Bo his first Rose Bowl.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that is a family of true Michigan Men and if Jared can get an offer and decide to commit to U-M, I welcome him with open ams.
I really believe that by the end of that 1980 season when John Wangler was flinging the ball to AC and Butch Woolfolk was running wild and our defense was lights out that year, that had there been a playoff, U-M would have won the championship. We lost by 3 to S Car & to ND by 2 on one of those phantom FG things. We were 1-2 after 3 games and went on to destroy the rest of our opponents including holding ohio to 3 points in Columbus. I loved that team and it is still one of my all time favorite squads.
100% nailed it. By the end of the season, there was no team in the country playing better than Michigan... but Michigan vs. Herschel Walker and Georgia would have been one helluva game.