2016 Names To Watch: Teryn Savage
Position: Athlete
Ht/Wt: 6'2" / 180 lbs.
Location: Athens Drive High School – Raleigh, NC
Offers: None
Michigan has only offered two prospects from the 2016 class but many current high school sophomores are being evaluated by the coaches as the young high school football season gets ramped up. ATH Teryn Savage was a potential visitor for the Akron game, but luckily for the coaching staff he decided to visit Kentucky instead.
Savage is a long, lean athlete who is being looked at by several FBS schools at multiple positions including running back, wide receiver, and safety. Michigan has started building a relationship with Savage, specifically via running backs coach Fred Jackson, and while Savage doesn’t have the typical build the staff usually targets for a running back, Jackson is his main contact at this time.
I asked Savage to tell me how he saw himself as a player and he had this to say.
“I’m 6’2 and about 180 lbs. right now and the first 40 I ever ran was a barefoot 4.62. If I got timed tomorrow I’m sure I’d be in the 4.5’s. I think when coaches and fans watch me play the main thing they will see from me is my physicality. I will smack you in the mouth the whole entire game and talk smack to you while I’m doing it. (laughs) I go hard every single snap. I really think that’s what separates me from other wide receivers or safeties.”
Savage has been compared to Vernon Davis by his coaches because of his ability to stretch the field but also catch the ball in traffic. His body type is much different from Davis’s but he is utilized in many ways in the passing game for his high school team.
Savage has a top 5 that currently consists of Kentucky, Clemson, Miami, Florida and Florida State, but was quick to tell me that Michigan will be in there once he visits for a gameday experience. He also consistently hears from Nebraska, USF, Ole Miss and Georgia, along with some smaller division one schools. He specifically mentioned Michigan saying, “Man, I like Michigan a lot. Coach Jackson is a real cool dude. As soon as I met him we clicked and I also speak to Coach Hoke on certain occasions. Beside the coaching staff, the stadium is just unbelievable. I can’t believe fans pack it every weekend.”
When I asked Teryn if there were any offers he coveted more than others he mentioned Kentucky, Clemson and Michigan. He grew up a Florida fan but when he was about 10 years old he really started liking Michigan because of the legendary winged helmets. He plans to check the helmets out in person for the Minnesota game and was in Lexington this past weekend to scope out the Wildcats.
Being a North Carolina kid Savage doesn’t have a serious connection to Michigan necessarily but his step dad is childhood best friends with Jabrill Peppers’ father from where they grew up in East Orange, NJ. Savage said that he and Peppers weren’t all that close, but they do message on Twitter occasionally, although recruiting is never a topic of discussion. Savage and his family are planning on flying up to New Jersey to catch one of Jabrill’s games within the next few weeks.
Teryn and I finished our conversation with a discussion about his father who was tragically killed by a drunk driver almost a year ago. For such a young kid I was incredibly impressed with his attitude toward such an unfortunate event. This is how he spoke of the situation. “It motivated me more than it hurt. Every since it happened I’ve just busted my behind in the weight room and on the field. I’ve had to realize there’s nothing I can do about it now. He’s in a better place now and I’m just going to ball out like he always told me to and I know he will be pleased.”
It’s hard to say if Savage will ever receive a scholarship offer from the Wolverines but a relationship is being built and Michigan has been a presence in North Carolina in recent years. His interest in Michigan seems legitimate and he had good knowledge of the school, program, and history for an out of region prospect. He will be one to watch moving in to the next two recruiting cycles.
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:28 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:24 PM ^
but amongst all of our panicking is a cool stat:
Only three teams have not given up a rushing TD in 2013: Iowa, Michigan and Texas State
— CFB Zealots (@CFBZ) September 23, 2013
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:28 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
Now don't be dissin' Texas State just cause they have a female kicker, a 30 year old QB, and a Chemistry professor that plays DE!
September 24th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^
Maybe our guys could use a pep talk like this one from Coach Wally Rig....
September 23rd, 2013 at 8:55 PM ^
Why can't I get block quotes to work?<blockquote>Block quoted</blockquote>
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
click the "switch to plain text editor" link below the comment box and then you can use html.
September 23rd, 2013 at 9:28 PM ^
This kid looks like he's 12.
Kinda creepy he's on the front page.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:03 PM ^
Well, as a sophomore, he could very well just be 14. Man I feel old now.
But he's got a good group of schools interested in him and he seems to fit the Pattern, so I'm glad Jackson and Hoke are building up a relationship with him even if nothing comes of it in the long run.
September 23rd, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^
If he's a sophomore he should be 15 or 16
September 24th, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^
14 as a sophomore.
Definitely a CSN (Cool Story Nerd).
September 24th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^
This whole "The Pattern" thing is pretty creepy. I'm as happy as anyone that our staff seems to target high character kids. But when we as a fanbase go around talking about The Pattern, about how our guys are better people than the guys at other programs, it leads to a number of things. 1, it reinforces people thinking we're arrogant pricks, which a lot of us are. 2, it leads to the fanbase denying things like the Gibbons rape/Lewan intimidation. I don't know what happened with that, but my impression is that our fans are largely unwilling to accept the possibility that our players can do bad things. If you're going to get all excited about Bryan Mone being a good brother, you should get just as upset when one of our guys breaks the law or hurts someone. 3, this is how Penn State happens. People on this blog like to write "Penn State fans DONT GET IT!" When we insist that our guys are better people than other teams' guys, we are the ones not getting it. We are the ones setting up artificial standards of goodness that can only backfire and make us look like pricks who DON'T GET IT.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
Maybe we should hold off on the 2016 coverage for now.
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:41 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:51 AM ^
This is probably just an old photo
September 24th, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^
The fuck, man?
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:42 PM ^
September 23rd, 2013 at 10:56 PM ^
Teryn may be the most talented mime in his class. Hope we get him.
September 24th, 2013 at 12:45 AM ^
Yeah this is creepy, given we have lots of 2014 and 2015 people still out there. Well even if both those classes were full, it would be creepy given this is 2013, but a bit more understandable.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 10:54 AM ^
It comes with the territory of recruiting.
I think the argument is that this is creepy territory when it puts pubescent boys into the spotlight of grown adults (and no, I'm not insinuating pedophilia). Some people just feel that granting 14 year olds significant bits of publicity because of their skill in middle school can have a distorting impact on who they become, and what they prioritize. It also reduces their ability to be stupid teenagers. Many people (I'm not saying you) do make value judgements about these kids (look at all the comments regarding what Artavis Scott recently said) - maybe 14 year olds don't need to be subject to that?
September 24th, 2013 at 10:25 AM ^
It's a guy who's probably going to play FBS football down the road and gave an interview to Brandon. Where does the creepy-ness come in? Is it just because he looks younger than Erik Swenson? Because no one has problems with Erik Swenson updates
September 24th, 2013 at 10:31 AM ^
I have no idea who Erik Swenson is.
But if he is the same age as this kid then I have the exact same issues with updates about him as I with updates about this kid.
September 24th, 2013 at 10:55 AM ^
Because at 14 you're not "a football player". You're literally a child.
September 24th, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
He's 16 not 14. Plus all high school football players are children technically, unless there are some oldish seniors who might turn 18 or 19 during their senior year. Michigan is starting to offer current high school sophomores, which is what Savage is. He's been in regular contact with Coach Jackson. Just because he might have a young looking face doesn't mean he's not a football recruit. I am really confused about why anyone has an issue with this, haha. We could just start waiting to cover kids until after they sign their letters of intent only if they've had their 18th birthday I guess?
September 24th, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^
I think it's silly to say "you don't understand why anyone has an issue", as I've clearly (I think) laid out what it is. That doesn't mean you need to agree with it, but I think it's a bit much to suggest that their is no valid viewpoint in opposition to yours.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:11 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 1:10 PM ^
Not to argue. Just to clarify.
I get that you disagree with the concern of covering increasingly younger potential recruits with interviews and front paged pics.
But you said that do not understand the concern (although I am quite confused about why that sentences ends with "haha?") Did you mean that? Do you legitimately not understand the concerns?
September 24th, 2013 at 1:35 PM ^
I teach middle school and have coached boys and girls in basketball and football, ranging from 7th to 12th grade so I guess I just don't see it any way that even remotely nears creepiness or weirdness. These kids are getting attention from multi-millionaire head coaches of powerhouse programs. They are treated like kings on recruiting visits from the time they are about 16. While I agree that in today's social-media age they are given a lot more spotlight then they used to for sure, and probably more than they deserve, but it is what it is. I mean we show these kids playing in their games on national television. I don't think any of that makes it creepy or weird unless you are doing weird, creepy things.
That's just me, like I said, I'm around kids this age all the time in school and in sport, so if people have an issue with it, I guess that's on them.
September 24th, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
I agree and I also think that if someone has a problem with recruiting kids that are sophomores then that problem should be with our coaches, not with the MGOSTAFF. If Hoke wasn't recruiting them then Brandon wouldn't be covering them. So if you think recruiting 15 and 16 years is creepy why don't you bring that up with Hoke.
September 24th, 2013 at 1:23 AM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 7:25 AM ^
I don't get it at all. 2016 kids are getting recruited and visiting. Two already have Michigan offers and more may follow soon. If we're going to cover recruiting then it's ridiculous to ignore these players. If there is something creepy here, I can't see how it's either the subject or the coverage.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:45 AM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 8:54 AM ^
My guess is that people are reacting to the photo. If you showed me that photo and told me he was in 8th grade I would believe it.
September 24th, 2013 at 9:54 AM ^
No, they're both pretty much creepy. Please note: I'm not accusing Brendan Brown of being a pedophile, or implying any sort of untoward interest.
September 24th, 2013 at 2:29 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 4:19 AM ^
Needz moar 14 year old OMG shirtless STUDS.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:22 AM ^
My son plays Athens Drive Thursday. Now he and the other DEs will have to contain a Michigan prospect!
September 24th, 2013 at 9:51 AM ^
When I see articles written about kids that look this young, I feel like it's time, for me personally, to tap out on recruiting coverage.
September 24th, 2013 at 2:02 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 2:28 PM ^
I don't read about HS sports in the paper, but that's not really your point.
I think there's a difference between cataloging his performance on the field "____ had a great day with 110 yards and a touchdown" and the recruiting coverage which puts the kid in as an object to be coveted, and entering him into the absurd morality play that internet college football fans are prone to on the internet.
September 24th, 2013 at 2:33 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^
For the most part, yes, I do have the same qualms with article about Shaun Crawford and George Campbell. Yes, I do think it's utterly insane that Da'Shawn Hand is getting treated like a national celebrity. I do not like these things.
September 24th, 2013 at 4:56 PM ^
If that's how you feel, you should probably tap out of a lot more than football recruiting. I assume you feel the same way about young actors/actresses, singers, models, etc., otherwise your opinion of this coverage being "creepy" would be quite irrational if it only pertained to sports.
September 24th, 2013 at 4:59 PM ^
That's a pretty bad analogy. Do you think George Campbell is making as much as, say, the kids on Modern Family? One group of people are professionals.
September 24th, 2013 at 8:20 PM ^
September 24th, 2013 at 10:52 AM ^
This could actually make for a funny Sports Onion or Every Three Weekly article.
September 24th, 2013 at 12:07 PM ^
I find it surprising and yet heartening that as fast as kids grow up today, and as jaded as they already often seem to be, I can still read stuff like this:
. . . when he was about 10 years old he really started liking Michigan because of the legendary winged helmets.
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