Cornering The Indiana Safety Market

As discussed earlier today, Jerimy Finch said Michigan was his leader; now Michigan is his school of choice. Finch is likely to be ranked the #1 player in the state of Indiana and is generally regarded a shoo-in for the top 100. Informative update coming.

Update:


Er... this is probably the weirdest find in a while when it comes to the good-old-googlestalking:

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION honoring Warren Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana, on the occasion of its third consecutive victory in the Indiana High School Athletic Association's Class 5A state football championship.

Whereas, The Warren Central Warriors marched to a 55-20 victory over Hamilton Southeastern for their third consecutive Class 5A state championship on Saturday, November 26, in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis capping off a 14-1 season;

Whereas, The Warriors were led by senior quarterback Dexter Taylor, who ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns; an imposing offensive line; and junior safety Jerimy Finch, who set up the third score with a 41-yard interception return and added the sixth touchdown with a 55-yard punt return;

Whereas, At halftime, Warren Central was ahead of Hamilton Southeastern 41-7, had outgained its opponent by nearly 200 yards (266-67), and scored on all five of its possessions with the other offensive touchdowns coming on seven-yard runs by juniors Darren Evans and Brad Ellington;

Whereas, The team dedicated this victory to teammate Andre Nicholson, who was injured in the semistate win over Avon;

Whereas, With this victory, Coach Kevin Wright joined his father, Sheridan coach Larry "Bud" Wright, as the first father-son coaching duo to have title wins in the same season;

Whereas, Excellence at this level requires teamwork and cooperation, and it is fitting that this effort be recognized: Therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, the Senate concurring:

SECTION 1. That the Indiana General Assembly congratulates the Warren Central Warriors on their third consecutive Class 5A state football championship and wishes them well in their future endeavors.

SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit copies of this resolution to team members, coaches, managers, Warren Central's school principal, and the school's superintendent.

This is the first time I've found a government citation that can be construed as a positive for a recruit. Warren Central has been demolishing the competition in Indiana for the last three years, as mentioned in the Senate resolution. Finch picked off two passes in the first half of their latest state championship throttle-job, returning one for a touchdown and the other to the three yardline. They were two of his ten on the year.

During a game against #2 ranked Ben Davis (Warren Central was #1), Finch showed up on the boxscore in an unexpected way, being credited with a 75 yard touchdown pass. Say what?

But just when Ben Davis looked to use that emotion to force a punt, Warren Central punter Jerimy Finch turned potential disaster into a go-ahead score.

On paper, it was a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jason Stewart. In reality, the play covered 102 yards as Finch had to retreat into his end zone to pick up a high snap. Then, after running 20 yards to his right and still in the end zone, he heaved the ball to Stewart, who outjumped two defenders at his 40. Stewart then turned and ran 60 yards for a 28-21 lead.

"That's a situation where you practice a 'fire' call and you don't want to get tackled in the end zone for a safety," Wright said. "In this case, Jerimy is an ex-quarterback and probably has the best arm on our team. He made a heads-up play, but we also got lucky."

Yes, Finch is also the punter, and apparently a pretty good one. I couldn't find junior-year stats, but as a sophomore he averaged 40.1 yards a kick. Not the 55-70 Zoltan The Inconceivable will average, but in case the Romanian Sensation kicks his leg into orbit or something he can be a tenuous backup plan.

If you missed it earlier, Sunshine Preps posted video of Finch a while ago.

Given all that, it's unsurprising the praise for Finch is widespread and fawning. Around August Scout put out a "Ask the Scouts" article and asked "September 1 is the first day colleges can officially offer players in the class of 2007. Who is the one player you would offer?" Chris Pool responded thusly:

Chris Pool: Jeremy Finch, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound, safety from Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central, is the young man that I would offer right away. Finch is a freak of nature. He has the size of a linebacker and hits like one as well but he has the speed and instincts of a defensive back. Finch is versatile and he could develop into a linebacker at the next level. Warren Central head coach Kevin Wright says Jeremy Finch is a "Oh and Ah" type of guy that just brings people to their feet.

Peegs.com said "the hard-hitting, physically impressive junior could end up being one of the top three safeties in the country by the end of the summer"; ESPN gives him an 80 and says

Finch is a ballhawk with an impressive motor ... He has all the physical tools you look for in a safety and the upside to develop into an outstanding playmaker.

...And finally, Pool returns and compares Finch to Purdue headhunter Bernard Pollard.

So: excellent pickup at a position of need, be it safety or WLB. With four-ish safeties in the last two classes, expect Ronald Johnson and Eugene Clifford to be recruited at corner. Michigan is looking for defensive backs in vast quantity this year, so a third safety is a possibility, though perhaps a distant one.