Early Enrollees Are Ready To Go
In just about two weeks the Wolverine football family will grow by seven members. Bryan Mone, Michael Ferns, Mason Cole, Freddy Canteen, Brandon Watson, Wilton Speight, and Drake Harris will arrive in Ann Arbor on January 5th. As all seven young men prepare for the next chapter of their academic and athletic lives the winds of change have them anxious and excited.
Bryan Mone feels a little like the lost member of this recruiting class for the simple fact that he hasn’t been around as much as the others due to living in Utah. Mone also isn’t much for the spotlight and doesn’t do a lot of interviews or partake in social media like a lot of the other commits. Mone is set up to room with Scott Sypniewski a long-snapper already on the roster. At this point in time Mone is just ready to get on campus and do anything he needs to do to get on the field, even though he doesn’t know exactly what that is yet. Mone told me he’d like to wear #90, which should be possible as it’s currently not in use.
After flipping from Michigan State, Drake Harris has become one of the more popular commits in the 2014 class simply because of his seemingly unlimited potential at wide receiver. At 6’4” he has the kind of speed and size that can blow the top off of a defense, something that has been missing a bit in recent years. Harris missed most of his senior season with an injury so his level of anxiousness may be even more elevated than the rest. Harris will room with fellow incoming early enrollee Wilton Speight where to two hope to grow their chemistry. Harris says he hopes to do everything he can to earn the #1 jersey but believes he will start off in the #4.
Speaking of Wilton Speight, he told me he is coming to Ann Arbor with a chip on his shoulder. As a 3-star recruit he comes in a class behind Michigan native and golden boy, 5-star Shane Morris. That alone is enough to motivate him and he’s been working out non-stop and eating right trying to prepare anyway he can before starting a more regimented college workout and diet plan. He plans to hit the ground running with his offseason conditioning and lifting program as soon as he arrives. Look for Speight to rock the #19 in Ann Arbor just like he did in high school.
High school teammates Brandon Watson and Freddy Canteen were unsure of who their roommates would be, but both assumed it would be each other. Watson will arrive on campus at 6’1” and 190 lbs. which is bigger than I thought he was. He confirmed that he has definitely grown since any of his recruiting profiles were last updated. Watson plans to sport the #4 which will be available with the departure of Cam Gordon. Canteen didn’t have much to say but he did tell me that he was unsure of exactly what he will do as far as workouts, diet, and studying goes but he’s just ready to get to work.
Leaving the warmth and heading up north to the cold, Mason Cole can’t wait to get to Ann Arbor. The coaches haven’t told Cole what they want him to do as far as weight gain, working out, or what specific position he’ll play on the line, but he said simply, “It’s go time.” once he’s there. He just wants to get there and work out, get in shape, and study non-stop. Right now Cole is at 6’5” and 275 lbs. and he said he’d like to be at about 290 by the time fall camp rolls around.
Cole’s roommate, Michael Ferns was the only early enrollee I wasn’t able to talk to but I’d assume he’s very happy this day has almost arrived since he was the first commit of the class all the way back in August of 2012. If I do end up hearing from him I’ll add it in.
December 22nd, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^
or that he's got some academic issues to improve on.
December 20th, 2013 at 12:57 PM ^
I think Cole's first class at Michigan should be to return to Florida and reel Campbell in. He can get credit for that, right?
December 20th, 2013 at 7:55 PM ^
December 21st, 2013 at 6:41 PM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^
Love this, BB. Nice work. This is a special class...and I would make a healthy bet that Speight is a great starter for at least two years. Kid seems to have all the tools and the right mindset.
December 20th, 2013 at 1:15 PM ^
Maybe some of that JMFR will rub off on him, or maybe that's why he wants it.
December 20th, 2013 at 1:19 PM ^
you guys remember that first time walking into your dorm?
For me it was South Quad and I was in a state of disbelief for the first week!
Good job Brandon. I have been on the more critical side of you and your work but I think you are settleing in quite nicely to your position around here. Keep up the goodwork.
jdon
December 20th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^
Stupid question time: has anyone ever early-enrolled but then bagged out of signing their NLI on signing day? Or, do early enrollees sign their NLI when the get on campus before signing day? Sorry to sound paranoid, but I'm just curious about a kid's status when he EE's.
December 20th, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 2:47 PM ^
Ahhh -- thank you!
December 20th, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 8:44 PM ^
Got it -- I wasn't sure if some sort of NCAA voodoo (involving the NLI) actually took precedence over enrolling and accepting the scholarship.
December 20th, 2013 at 11:10 PM ^
December 21st, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 2:09 PM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 4:25 PM ^
Don't forget about Norfleet in the slot. I really hope they can use him next season. Either way though that position looks pretty solid.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:20 PM ^
That seems like a lot of kids enrolling early. Does that increase the liklihood that these players may factor into next seasons depth chart?
December 20th, 2013 at 8:08 PM ^
Somewhat, but not a lot. The biggest thing that impacts early impact is position. Mason Cole will not contribute early because OL rarely do, and Ferns likely won't contribute much because we have a lot of good LBs. Even at positions where we have need, being an EE only does so much. Bolden enrolled early and Ross didn't, but James Ross still played more.
It certainly can't hurt. But when I look at the class and think about who will contribute early and who won't, being an EE plays a role, but not a very large one.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^
In the 2013 class, 4 of the 6 early enrollees played this year. Dymonte Thomas, Kyle Bosch, Jake Butt, and Taco Charlton all played, while Logan Tuley-Tillman and Ross Douglas redshirted.
December 20th, 2013 at 6:21 PM ^
Welcome to Ann Arbor, young men!
December 20th, 2013 at 10:59 PM ^
December 21st, 2013 at 6:09 PM ^
December 22nd, 2013 at 8:15 AM ^
Yes. The Under Armour game is January 2, and the Army game is January 4. Even if they were after the beginning of the semester, Michigan has had guys enroll early who missed the first couple days of classes to play in those games.
December 22nd, 2013 at 8:50 AM ^
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