Hello: Brennen Beyer

GURU RATINGS

With 2011 prospects, there is a very limited amount of information available, especially for the guys who are a little more under-the-radar. Rivals's MichiganPreps has a brief breakdown of Beyer's game in the lead-in to a highlight package:

Brennen has excellent size at 6-foot-4 215 lbs. He has unbelievable hands as a TE and is a tough physical blocker. On defense Brennen plays D-End and was in opposing backfields most of the season recording 9 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.

On top of that brief breakdown, there is also indication from Scout.com's Allen Trieu that Beyer will probably be ranked third in the state in the class of 2011:

Detroit Renaissance linebacker Lawrence Thomas is definitely the top kid in the state. I think Saginaw wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett is pretty locked in at No. 2. Then there is some debate between three through six. We're supposed to submit our rankings this weekend for the Midwest. I think it'll go Thomas, Arnett, Plymouth DE/TE Brennen Beyer, Grand Blanc RB Justice Hayes, and then I'm not sure after that. Ogemaw Heights guard Anthony Zettel and Cass Tech corner Delonte Hollowell are certainly in the running for No. 5.

The third prospect in the state for 2010, for the sake of a reference, is 4* QB Robert Bolden on Rivals (the top 7 are all 4* or better) and 4* CB Mylan Hicks on Scout (the top 9 are all 4* or better). PlymouthCantonSports.com also has a profile on Beyer:

"There have been a number of times this season when the other team will run away from Brennen's side, but he'll make the play any way," said Plymouth coach Mike Sawchuk. "His effort is amazing. He squeezes as hard as he can and makes plays, no matter if the play is coming at him or away from him."

...

"The thing about Brennen that stands out is that he is so athletic, he can play any position out here. He's proven he can play wide out, but he could also play center, tackle -- he could even play quarterback if he wanted to. He's just that athletic.

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"Brennen is just a great, all-around kid. He's great academically and he has awesome morales [?, sic] and values."

Beyer excels in the classroom, having earned a stellar 3.9 grade-point average so far. "I'd love to play college football someday," he said. "I don't really care where right now, but the Big 10 would be nice."

High effort player with good academics and character, sounds great. Opposing basketball coaches say, "He's a man." From watching Beyer's video, I'd say he's reminiscent of a less-explosive Craig Roh type defensive end, right down to that low crab-stance. One issue I see with his game defensively is that he often doesn't hit the ball carrier as much as he grabs with his hands as he goes by, and drags the guy down. Offensively, he's a good pass-catching tight end.

OFFERS

Michigan was Beyer's first offer. He grew up a lifelong Wolverine fan, just 15 minutes away from Ann Arbor, and wasted little time in accepting it. He then grabbed three more offers ($, info in header) from the likes of MSU, Northwestern, and Stanford, and followed those up with UCLA and Texas Tech.

Notre Dame also offered, and he visited for their March 20th Junior Day. According to Tom, they were the other finalist along with the Wolverines. However, with all the time he spent on campus, Michigan was his clear winner. Syracuse and Vanderbilt were his other BCS-level offers.

STATS

As noted above, Beyer finished his junior season with 9 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. Offensively, he had at least 6 touchdowns, but PlymouthCantonSports.com isn't exactly the pinnacle of great sportswriting, so there's always the possibility he had even more than that.

FAKE 40 TIME

Rivals lists his 40 time as 4.78, and ESPN credits him at 5.07. As a pass-rushing defensive end, those hardly sounds FAKE at all, and I'll give it just one FAKE out of five. I expect to see several articles with 4.2 40-yard dash times for him, so I can get my fill on FAKEness.

VIDEO

Beyer has both offensive and defensive highlights available on Youtube. Since I think he's being looked at as a defensive prospect, I'll embed his highlights from that side of the ball:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Beyer is so far from campus that it's nearly impossible to predict exactly what he'll do in Ann Arbor. He could bulk up over the course of his senior year and be ready to contribute immediately. As a high school junior, there's also a chance he's still growing and could get taller. Not even taking into account how members of the classes of 2009 and 2010 end up contributing, there are so many variable to take into account that it's an exercise in futility.

So of course I have to try anyway, right? He has a very good frame, and he will probably redshirt as a freshman to add sufficient bulk to it. He's one of Michigan's only true speed rushers in the past couple classes (Craig Roh being the other, depending on how some guys develop), so he should be able to contribute early in his career if he can get up to the right weight. He should play Craig Roh's position (either blitzing OLB in the 3-3-5, or the Quick DE if Michigan's defense goes back to last year's scheme).

For such an early commit, there's also a chance that he can work to enroll early (there has been no talk of this that I've seen; I'm just speculating), which would get him into a college weight program quicker, and let him tackle the playbook sooner, getting him on the field as a true freshman.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Michigan is looking at a small class of 2011, and with four spots already taken, they'll be very careful about who they allow to commit. Offensive line and linebacker are big priorities, along with at least one true defensive tackle.