Hello: Chris Wormley Comment Count

Tim

At long last, OH DE Chris Wormley has joined Michigan's class of 2012. He's been favoring Michigan over Ohio State over the rest of the field for quite some time now, and it's a good feeling to finally have him wrapped up.

ChrisWormley-mug.jpeg

GURU RATINGS

Scout Rivals ESPN 24/7 Sports
4*, #14 DE 3*, 5.7,

#22 SDE
4*, 80, #16 DE 4*, 96, #3 SDE,

#3 Ohio, #57 Ovr

Rivals's ranking is the outlier here, and we'll explore a bit why that's the case in a moment. ESPN has him barely outside of their 150 (he's the #16 DE, and the #14 is 101st overall).

The premium sites are split on his height, between 6-4 (Rivals, 24/7) and 6-5 (Scout, ESPN). I would guess that the shorter height is a little closer to accurate, if only because Scout notoriously overrates height. As for weight, there's a wide range with 24/7 Sports all the way down at 225, while the rest of the sites are in the 250/255 range. Take a look at a picture of Wormley and try to convince yourself he's 225. 24/7 Sports is just wrong, yo. ESPN:

He is a kid with good size for a high school prospect with nice height and bulk. His current size may suggest he could out grow the end position and it is possible, but we feel he has the tools to stay at end for the long haul... He is a solid tackler. Wormley is also a good pass rusher. His quickness off the ball helps him, but once in motion he displays a good feel for getting to the quarterback. He is able to attack the shoulder and is active with his weapons and displays the ability to utilize moves like the club and rip as well as the push-pull and will also flash the ability to be able to counter inside.

Pay attention to that "possibly outgrow end," as it will become a theme. Starting with Scout, here's what Allen Trieu had to say about Chris:

Tremendous size and ability. Likely a strongside end, but could also play inside. Ideal five-tech. Turned it up another notch in terms of motor and consistent effort as a junior. When we saw him as a sophomore, he just overpowered his opposition. Last year, because I think he saw a few top prospects and, he started to turn up the intensity. He's a naturally massive kid and moves well for that size.

He is indeed naturally massive, to the point where some analysts were worrying he'd grow out of a natural position. Allen lists his strengths as "Disengaging Skills," "Size," and "Strength," while labeling "Lateral Range" as his only weakness. That speaks to a kid who has a lot of natural strength/ability, but isn't going to run anyone down from behind. As a strongside DE or even 3-technique tackle, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

ChrisWormley-uniform.jpeg

Allen went into more detail in the Detroit News:

"He's a big-bodied kid who gets off the ball pretty well and is a good overall athlete for his size," said Scout.com Midwest Regional Manager Allen Trieu. "I think with his frame and growth potential, he'll be more of a strongside defensive end or five technique or defensive tackle in college. He's not your long, lean, wiry edge rusher like his teammate (Ohio State commitment) Kenny Hayes, but he can project to a couple different spots in a couple different systems."

For the record, he's listed at 6-6, 260 in that article. He's not going to be a terror off the edge, but certainly has the ability to be a pocket-closing defensive end or a defensive tackle who gets serious penetration.

Duane Long:

I have seen great plays that put him at the top of others lists. I also see him disappear for long stretches. One game early in the year the headline had fans all worked up about Wormley because he had a number of sacks. In between you'd not know he was on the field.

In that article, Long said he wouldn't mind missing on Wormley, but he quickly changed his tune:

Wormley has moved into that must-have group with McMullen and Adolphus Washington... Washington and Wormley are the unstoppable ones. They are the ones that can dominate games. It is a matter of them letting it go on every play. That is what I see missing. If they are coachable kids, and there is every reason to believe they are, a coach can get them to bring it on every play, they will not be around college football for very long. Wormley is a manchild. His best plays look cartoonish with bodies flying all over the place in his wake. Such a great frame. He can get so much bigger. I don't think he has been in the weightroom much. He doesn't look like it. The word upside is everything in recruiting. Wormley is the epitome of upside.

Long also picked Wormley as one of his "starting 22":

Strong Side Defensive End - Chris Wormley, 6-4, 250, Toledo Whitmer. Wormley is the one kid in this defensive line class who brings me quickly to that most important word in recruiting, upside. Seeing him in shorts and t-shirt is when this kid really impresses the most. He is 250 and looks 225. Where his body can go and still be as athletic and fast as he is right now at 250 is what has everyone so excited about him.

Magnus disagrees with his physical appearance, but does agree on the motor:

First of all, if he was 250 as a sophomore, then he's 265 or 270 in his junior year. It looks like he put on some weight, and it doesn't necessarily look like pure muscle. Secondly, it looks like he's either favoring some part of his body or he just lacks aggression.

The lack of aggression is presumably something that can be coached up, or at least turned into less of a possible problem should Chris move to 3-technique tackle. Either way, there's a reason even the biggest Ohio State homers have been calling him a top-3 prospect in Ohio despite conceding him to Michigan for quite some time: this is an elite-type player to everyone but Rivals. The weird thing is that the local guys seem far higher on Wormley than national pundits, and I'll trust the guys that see him more frequently (especially since they're much higher on him).

The question is the consistency, and whether he can live up to his enormous potential. If he can, I think you'll see Rivals fall more in line with everyone else, and Chris will be a unanimous solid 4-star. The second big question about Chris is what position he ends up playing. Strongside DE and 3-tech tackle are the strongest contenders.

OFFERS

For a kid that we've been hearing about for the past 2-3 years (that's right, he was on the radar even as a freshman), it's a little surprising to see how few offers Chris has received. Of course, there's also a chance that some bigtime schools knew he was either Michigan or Ohio State-bound, and didn't bother sending him an official letter. For an Ohio kid, holding an offer from the Buckeyes is just about all you need to know in order to believe that he's a top prospect. However, the lack of offers is a weird question mark.

That said, he held offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, and his hometown Toledo. He also had interest but no offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Penn State. There's also a chance (as mentioned above) that some of these schools didn't have a definite position for him, and therefore didn't offer.

STATS

Scout has sophomore stats:ChrisWormley-discus.jpg

Had 59 tackles and 12 sacks as a sophomore.

Through three weeks of October last fall, he had 40 tackles and 7 sacks. I have not seen full junior stats for Chris, but he was named defensive player of the year in his district (ahead of his teammate, 2011 OSU signee Ken Hayes). He's also an elite thrower in track - pictured at right.

FAKE 40 TIME

None of the recruiting sites have listed a 40 time for Chris, so I get to give out my default five FAKEs out of five.

VIDEO

Junior highlights:

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE

Chris has plenty of physical gifts, and it was surprising to see him not listed as a 5-star when the initial rankings came out, given how much we've heard about him. That means, of course, that the expectations are high.

With few strongside defensive ends on the roster right now (following the graduation of Ryan Van Bergen after the 2011 season), there's a good chance that he could step in and get some immediate playing time as a true freshman. He's probably not an every-down player at DE, but platooning with another player or two is not out of the question.

Following a freshman year that sees significant playing time, Chris will have an entire offseason to continue molding his body and learning the playbook. That means even more time as a sophomore, more likely as a full-time starter.

As an upperclassman, Chris should be a strong contender for all-conference and even All-American honors. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him leave college early to enter the NFL Draft.

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS

Woo defensive lineman. Michigan still has needs at defensive tackle, quarterback, and receiver. Other than a true DT and a wideout, they can be verrrrry selective about who they accept commitments from. It'll probably be almost exclusively elite prospects from here on out, mixed with a couple sleepers that the staff is high on.

Comments

Boss

July 31st, 2011 at 3:52 PM ^

Welcome aboard Chris...we have been waiting for you (hands him a drink)!

The drink is non-alcohol I should add.  I guess you will have to pay for it as well since technically I believe I am a "booster".

Go Blue

AAB

July 31st, 2011 at 3:54 PM ^

as Rivals new Midwest recruiting guy, it's probably pretty unlikely that Wormley gets a 4th star.  

Helmholdt is very down on Wormley. 

RedfordUofMfan

July 31st, 2011 at 6:39 PM ^

What's interesting is that Ohio sites for the most part have Wormley in the top five best players in the state.  Buckeye Grove (threw-up a little in my mouth) has him as the fourth best player in Ohio behind Kalis #1 U of M, McMullen #2 Nebraska, and Pittman #3 MSU.  U of M now has 4 of the top 10 players in Ohio: Bolden #8 and Ringer #10.

Wolvmarine

July 31st, 2011 at 4:00 PM ^

Finally Wormley goes blue this is a great day indeed.  I just can't help but look at this class and not see only solid college players but loads of potential NFL talent. 

rockydude

July 31st, 2011 at 4:01 PM ^

Welcome, Chris. We've been needing to fill the void at SDE for a while, and you look to be just the man for the job. Enjoy those burgers and beans, and look forward to having a fine career at a great school!

rederik

July 31st, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^

Glad to see Chris finally made the right decision! Hoke's domination in Ohio continues!

Aside: Seriously, the man is absolutely killing it. It only brings my fandom to a boiling point when he attributes this success by saying, "This might sound arrogant. And if it is, it is. But this is Michigan."

Looking forward to seeing him continue the legacy of so many of our former great Ohio players who donned the maize and blue!

omy78

July 31st, 2011 at 4:20 PM ^

Brady Hoke has been seriously recruting from Ohio, just like Bo did back in the days. It's true it's been a little easier because of the scandles in Ohio, but nonetheless, Hoke did an excellent job, and will do so as long as he'll be at the helm (which will be a long long, long time). We TAKIN' OVERRR, ONE CITY AT A TIME

no joke its hoke

July 31st, 2011 at 4:29 PM ^

This class is top notch but I can't wait to see what next years class looks like. It will be very interseting to see if we destroy Ohio again next year or if this is a 1 time deal.

Chi-Blue

July 31st, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^

This is for sure great news but man, do I want a DT to drop!! No offense to Wormley or Godin as guys who could, would, should, but I really want Pipkins and either O'Brien or Day to commit.

Obviously you still have to "recruit" the commits we have but a year like this could really set us up for another great year because of the attention the staff can now turn to 2013 kids. Already a stud QB in 2013 as well should really help with at least 3 recievers that we will probably take.

Who do you think we are, or will hold out for and give them time to make a decision??

Wormley was 1 of the "we'll wait for you" I would bet Diamond, Dunn are the other 2 guys we would wait on.

True Blue Grit

July 31st, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^

He looks like he has HUGE potential once he gets here and starts receiving great coaching, hits the weights, etc.  Physically, Wormley looks like a beast for his age.  He and Strobel will most likely make the fastest impact of the DE's in this class.  Now we just need a couple great DT's in this class to put next to them. 

StraightDave

July 31st, 2011 at 4:38 PM ^

How do these two compare at this point in their high school careers?   I don't know shit about recruiting but they seem to have the build.

Blue boy johnson

July 31st, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^

Well if he can achieve good leverage, as his name seems to suggest, he will be a multiple tremendous player.

Great flippin' day. I have a busy a day and check out Mgo to discover Wormley, Irvin and JV's near no no.

This august start to August portends to many great things for M in the coming  days and months ahead. So says Gordiedamus

Mr Mackey

July 31st, 2011 at 4:57 PM ^

A lot of people knew this was coming for a while, but man it feels great to finally have him drop. Great choice, Chris, and sounds like he could be a future catalyst for one hell of a defensive line (hint hint, Ondre Pipkins)

champswest

July 31st, 2011 at 5:07 PM ^

I was just thinking today that we might not see another "Hello" post until September, what with only a few slots left and those likely to go to top guys who may want to wait awhile.  Glad to see that it wasn't the case.

This is MICHIGAN!

neoavatara

July 31st, 2011 at 5:12 PM ^

Though I think he has been part of this class for months.

Wormley is one of the top 5 players in Ohio, bar none.  Everyone that is not a buckeye homer, and even some that are, have been saying this for years.  He has the chance to be a player on the level of Woodley or Graham.

Can't wait to see this kid on the field next  year. 

bluebyyou

July 31st, 2011 at 5:57 PM ^

Welcome aboard!  It is going to take a couple of years but with the defensive talent coming on board and the coaching expertise on D, give us a little time and then, watch out.

Sac Fly

July 31st, 2011 at 6:45 PM ^

Some fool starts a thread like this on bucknuts 6 hours ago.

Wormley: He is hanging out with Hayes and Buckeyes. Guess he wants to end up on a Legit National Champ. Contender, instead of a sloppy fourths coached team.

Mr. Yost

July 31st, 2011 at 7:59 PM ^

I've seen Chris play and I've heard scouting reports on him MANY times.

 

To me, right now...he's a kid that peaked early. THAT's why we've been hearing about him since he was a freshman and for 2-3 years. Not really because right now today, he's a 5* prospect. So it wasn't a shocker to me that he was never rated there.

 

In fact, Scout just lowered his 4* ranking. So I think this write-up is a little misleading a misinformed. Chris had a very "okay" year...and some have related him to Will Campbell, another highly regarded kid who may have peeked too early in high school.

 

However, the guy I wanna compare Chris to after seeing him in person and speaking with numerous coaches about...is Greg Brown.

 

Greg too came on the scene and did big things early in his high school career...but struggled later. Mainly, because he was disinterested. He'd accomplished a lot for a younger player and lost that desire to prove something. So it wasn't a shocker that once he got on campus and had to prove something again...people were talking about being "pleasantly surprised" in him.

 

To me, Chris is the same thing...I think he got to high school, he was bigger than everyone. Dominated, and he's simply been bored. I think college will be a new challenge and he'll live up to the "hype."

 

With that said, after seeing him...Ryan Van Bergan is a very solid comparison...just with more athleticism. I'd like to see him as a SDE on running downs and DT on passing downs.

 

But unless he wakes up, turns it on, and has one hell of senior year...don't expect his ranking to go up. Just like Brown's never did.

Mr. Yost

August 1st, 2011 at 8:28 PM ^

"Chris has plenty of physical gifts, and it was surprising to see him not listed as a 5-star when the initial rankings came out, given how much we've heard about him. That means, of course, that the expectations are high."

All I was saying that I don't think it should've been a shocker...he hasn't done much as of late. But I think we agree that while some guys peak too early and the physical nature of the game and the fact that kids grow and get bigger, stronger, faster catch up with them. Wormley (like Greg Brown), just seems a little disinterested. Hence all of the inconsistant reports.

If he plays like he's got something to prove, he's a 5*...but if not, he's a 3*. I think scout has him rated pretty accurately as of now. But maybe something wakes him up this season and he goes crazy like he did early in his H.S. career. If that happens, then it would be surprising to see him not listed as a 5* when the FINAL rankings come out.

Bodogblog

July 31st, 2011 at 8:09 PM ^

who says he hasn't been working out? Check out the TomVH pic. Very happy to finally have the elite Toledo prospect on board.
With Strobel and Wormley looking perfect at 5T, Godin moving to 3T looks all the more likely. So taking 2 of Day, O'Brien, and Pipkens should be fine.

aaamichfan

July 31st, 2011 at 10:53 PM ^

I think it's possible that Wormley stopped telling the recruiting sites info once he narrowed it down to Michigan or OSU. For example, you say here that he didn't receive an offer from Alabama, but I remember him saying on Twitter about 4 months ago that he did.