Hello: Ben Braden Comment Count

Tim

Michigan has broken the seal on the class of 2012 with a big in-state offensive lineman. Ben Braden hails from Rockford, and the informative portion goes like this:

bradenmug.jpeg

GURU RATINGS

Scout Rivals ESPN
3*, NR OT NR OL NR DT

It's early in the process, so prospects that start a little under-the-radar rarely have a whole lot of info out there. We'll start with size. Rivals is the most optimistic, measuring him at 6-6, 285. Scout isn't far behind at 280 pounds, but ESPN calls him a mere 6-5, 250 - while simultaneously calling him a defensive tackle. I'd say ESPN, as both an outlier and the absolute worst at evaluating prospects in a reasonable time, is least likely to be accurate. Braden's probably a shade under 6-6, and around 270-280 pounds. 24/7 Sports calls him 6-7, 295, which seems like an exaggeration given all the other evidence at our disposal.

Braden has gotten some message board comparisons to erstwhile Michigan commit Jake Fisher, but based on pictures alone (from the same game, at least), Fisher looks to be a taller, leaner player - unsurprising given he was listed an inch taller and anywhere from 10-30 pounds lighter - than Braden. Of course, that could just mean Braden has done more work in the weight room to this point.

Based on measurements and appearance alone, I would guess Braden could play either inside or outside. In high school, he's a right tackle:

“He’s just a big boy and hard worker, very unassuming, very coachable and very aggressive,” Munger said. He also coached current San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley.

“He’s been blessed with size, strength and speed. He’s the right kind of guy. He’s been raised by a wonderful family and believes in the values his family taught him. For us, he’s an awfully good offensive lineman and he’s raw. He’s coming into his own.”

Size, strength, and speed are probably the three most important qualities for an offensive lineman, and it's a bonus to see he has a good head on his shoulders.

OFFERS

bradenaction.jpg

Braden held a Wisconsin offer, which you should know by now is the automatic sign he's a serious prospect - much like Ohio State for safeties or USC for Pro-Style quarterbacks. He also held offers from Syracuse and Michigan State.

STATS

Not only is Braden an under-the-radar prospect (at least in terms of news out there on the internets), he's also an offensive lineman. They don't have stats, so nothing to see here.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the premium sites have a listed 40 time for Braden, so I'll take the liberty to give him an automatic five FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

I couldn't find any free video of Braden anywhere out there. If you come across any, let me know.

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

With the new coaching staff putting a serious emphasis on size rather than agility, a redshirt to bulk up is all but guaranteed (and it probably would have been under RichRod and co. anyway). As a redshirt freshman, Braden will be entering a lineup that loses Patrick Omameh, Ricky Barnum, Elliott Mealer, and Rocko Khoury, so a two-deep position is practically guaranteed, with a starting position possible.

The question becomes what position he plays. He has a good body for tackle if the 6-6 number is accurate (and especially if 6-7 is the right height), and the Wolverines are likely going to have a pair of senior starters in Taylor Lewan and Michael Schofield. On the other hand, the interior OL will be decimated by graduation.

Although "it's too early to tell" is basically accurate for all Hello posts, without knowing who else will end up in this class of linemen, we can't even peg a definitive position for Braden.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Needs MOAR linemen. The Wolverines will probably take 5 or 6 on the offensive line in this class, thanks to the above-mentioned graduations on the way. Braden is a combo player, which means the maize-and-blue can still take many more interior AND exterior OL.

From a less pragmatic standpoint, the commitment of Braden breaks the seal on the class of 2012, and makes fans feel a lot better about recruiting early in this cycle. Hopefully, it'll get the ball rolling for other commits as well.

Comments

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

March 24th, 2011 at 10:57 PM ^

are always listed as faster than realitry.

5 FAKES out of 5 means that what ever time a site lists is probably several tenths faster than the players real 40 time.

The lower the FAKE, the closer to the players real 40.

 

Great to have you aboard BB!

Go Blue!

Bodogblog

March 24th, 2011 at 10:33 PM ^

Hoke's first in-state battle, first win. Apparently Braden was the only Michigan recruit with both a UofM and Sparty offer. Another gem from Spartanmag's freep article:
<br>"MSU is coming off an 11-2 season and a share of the Big Ten championship. That should allow the Spartans to be very selective about whom they offer."
<br>Yeah, you're just like Texas now guys

DeuceInTheDeuce

March 24th, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^

Trieu writes that on the list to be released next week, Braden is slotted as the 11th best in-state prospect. Anyone bored and care to speculate on the top 10? Here's my ordered stab:

  1. Terry Richardson
  2. James Ross
  3. Aaron Burbridge
  4. Royce Jenkins-Stone
  5. Danny O'Brien
  6. Devin Funchess
  7. Kelby Latta
  8. Matt Godin
  9. Mario Ojemudia
  10. Ron Thompson
  11. Ben Braden

TorontoBlue

March 24th, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^

Get yourself a closetfull of Maize & Blue apparel and wear it around town just like Trey Burke.  We're all looking forward to watching you overprotect for UM's offense for years to come.

GO BLUE!

Sparty_Slayer

March 24th, 2011 at 11:35 PM ^

Hell Yeah!! It feels good to finally get that first commit out of the way! The kids raw but it looks like hes got a lot of untapped potential, and is naturally gifted with size and a hefty bulk(which is always a plus, plus)!! Hopefully this really gets the ball rolling for this class!! GO BLUE!!

Blue_in_Cleveland

March 25th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^

Today ESPN has updated his profile and now lists him at OT and weighing 285lb, although it still lists him at 6'5. Now that's what I like to see on our OL. Welcome aboard Ben, glad to have you.

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March 30th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^

 

 
 
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kvelec4326

July 26th, 2011 at 11:08 PM ^

As a Rockford Football alum and a University of Michigan Flint student seeing that a fellow player will soon be on the field for my college makes my day! Having a year to play with and get to know Ben was fun as he is a great player and picked up the program very fast. Hopefully this won't hurt his senior year with the RAMS as I hope to see them have a great season!

Congratulations to Coach Munger! One of the best coaches I got to play for. More importantly congratulations to Ben to be welcome into such a great college!

Go RAMS!

Go BLUE!