wishitwas97

February 20th, 2010 at 9:43 PM ^

highlight films. He is not a burner but he's a big bodied WR who is a fantastic athlete in his own right. Showed good jump ability(thanks to his basketball skills), ability to catch the ball at its highest point which is a characteristic that most people don't notice, good suddenness and change of direction skills and the ability to use his body to shield smaller DBs. All in all, he's a good WR who can play in the FL spot. Michigan just need to find a SE who can be a deep threat to stretch defense vertically.

Blue boy johnson

February 20th, 2010 at 10:42 PM ^

Mike dude you are crackin me up. You don't like Conway cause he doesn't have "hype", I just fixed the issue for you. On my thread of the Top Athletes on 2010 M Football, I just made Shawn Conway #1, how is that for hype? And the kicker is he won't even be on the 2010 team, now that my friend is hype. You should sleep well now

NorCalGoBloo

February 21st, 2010 at 12:09 AM ^

...I really don't think this blog boils down to the "with us or against us" mentality that you think it does. Many people on this blog are critical, many are optimistic, as you describe, but many more are just being patient, with a "jury's still out" kind of attitude. I can understand the impatience you feel to win, but given the lengthy nature of college football program transitions, it can be some time before one knows whether or not a transition will be successful or unsuccessful. The results may indeed be trending toward unsuccessful here so far, but your argument seems to be calling the result of a marathon in mile 14, and then yelling at everyone else for not seeing how obvious the results will be from the look of things at that point. Time will tell. In the mean time, please note that how you deliver your opinion can matter as much as the opinion itself, in terms of how it is received by other people.

bigdemo

February 20th, 2010 at 10:10 PM ^

I am a Seaholm alum and have seen Shawn play basketball about 6 times this season, the kid has had some of the most ridiculously athletic dunks I have seen, and I am talking all levels. Maybe 6'3" and can simply SOAR. I am not surprised this kid is playing D1, just shocked that Michigan picked up on him early. Thought he had just as good a shot at playing b-ball at mid-major. Shawn is a legitimate D1 athlete. I really think this is a great pickup on a kid that nobody had really heard of. FYI, Seaholm's senior QB went down second game of last season, those highlights from last year were from a limp armed sophomore. Conway is by far the best athlete on a pretty bad team. Don't expect better numbers this year. Man among boys. Trust me, nobody beats this kid for a jump ball in the end zone once he gets to A2.

Tozmo

February 21st, 2010 at 10:41 AM ^

Let's hope so. I don't know if we have any ball-hawking receivers. Koger is close, I suppose. Hopefully he'll get a trusted QB when he starts to play, and not have a first-time-starting Devin trying to Vick/Pryor his way through the pocket.

michiganforlife

February 20th, 2010 at 10:30 PM ^

I graduated from Seaholm a few years ago, and all I know about Shawn is that he is a monster basketball player. He and his cousin have led Seaholm to a 16-1 record so far this year. Our football team was never very good, Shawn is a tremendous athlete though. Maybe he can suit up for basketball too haha.

Seth

February 21st, 2010 at 12:18 AM ^

I went to Groves, but my brother played for Seaholm back in the day, and I rooted for the Mapes when he played, and he and I still go the Groves/Seaholm game every year. By the way, back in the late '90s, the Maples were pretty damn good. Ask the old guys about the "Be the First," and the "Unfinished Business" years, when they took Harrison to the wire (and killed us pretty regularly). That said, standing out against the talent that Seaholm plays isn't at all like standing out against top high school competition. From the highlights, he reminds me a little bit of former Seaholm tailback Asa Sherwood. Asa (who was also a great skiier) was a misused (the Mapes were an I-Form Option and ISO offense back then -- receiver-type objects were tall tight ends and a kid named Ripmaster who would, without fail, always a.) catch the ball, and b.) get caught from behind) lanky guy who could out-jump and out-tall every other kid on the field, and his speed was too much for the future engineers and bloggers he was up against. An Asa highlight reel from c. 1998-99 would look really impressive, but it wasn't enough for college. By the way, the Smokevich brothers (one MSU and one U-M) were from Seaholm if anyone remembers those guys.

bigdemo

February 21st, 2010 at 8:31 AM ^

I played with Asa Sherwood and Sherwood and Scott Ripmaster, trust me when I tell you that Shawn has more athletic ability in his right leg than the two combined (an Asa was a Jr. Olympic skier). This is not your typical Seaholm athlete. Go watch him play basketball before the season is out and you will see what I am talking about.

Seth

February 21st, 2010 at 2:08 PM ^

You played on that team? I probably know you, man. My brother Ben was your strong guard -- No. 58. I wasn't comparing him at all to Rip -- I was pointing out why Asa wasn't used as a receiver. That never made sense to me, cause he was a fumbler, and there were plenty of good backs on the team (Kyle Fenton, those twins whose names I can't remember...) Also, I was fondly remembering Rip's ability to get open, catch a hot pass from Billy Shuerman (sp?) with nobody within 20 yards, then still get caught from behind. If you say he's more athletic than Asa, that's saying something. I skiied with Sherwood (I was Groves' captain) and the guy was probably the best pure athlete I knew in high school.

Seth

February 21st, 2010 at 12:04 AM ^

I live right by Seaholm. I'll try to get some games on Friday nights this fall and report back with some MGoCreepage, though, again, I'm not a scout so i don't know what to look for. But hell, another excuse to drag Misopogal to football games, right?

Clarence Beeks

February 20th, 2010 at 10:40 PM ^

I literally think some of you have gone insane. You can't teach what that kid does in those highlights. Those are some awesome ball skills. From a junior in high school. The "sleeper" hate is also just insane from a lot of you guys. The coaches have gotten in early on several kids who ended up pretty impressive offers by the end of the process, yet people here were saying the same thing. It's not like they just saw highlights and offered him. He was at camp, they liked what they saw, and offered. I have a feeling that this kid is going to end up with big time offers and end up being really good and a lot of your are going to look really stupid. Plus, also remember that these kids read blogs like this. Show some respect.

aaamichfan

February 20th, 2010 at 11:45 PM ^

It would be wise for MGoBlog to adopt the "no trashing recruits" policy of many other sites. There is no benefit obtained by constantly ridiculing the football skills of a 17 yr old kid. Does anyone remember Carvin Johnson saying, "I don't think the Michigan fans like me much", and then UofM coaches spent the entire night before NSD talking him out of switching to LSU? Given the fact that MGoBlog is the first result if you type "Michigan Football Blog" into google, it is safe to assume he was getting that impression from people on this site. Eventually we are going to lose someone because of the unnecessary bullshit negativity. Can we wait until recruits arrive on campus before dragging them through the mud? We don't need people showing up believing they are not good enough to succeed.

In reply to by aaamichfan

burntorange wi…

February 20th, 2010 at 11:53 PM ^

i dont think ridiculing is a good word for it. like in my posts its always "great hands, goes up and gets it, lacks elite speed." most of the posts(by other people) were like this. criticism as well as complements. some idiots straight up say he sucks but theyre obviously dumb; the kid is athletic.

In reply to by aaamichfan

UMFootballCrazy

February 23rd, 2010 at 9:10 AM ^

Amen. I could not agree more. If you are going to rip anyone, rip the coach. If you are going to rip the coach on his ability to recruit and develop players, you have to at least wait until he has had time to fully develop at least one full recruiting class (the end of the 2012 season).

In reply to by aaamichfan

mejunglechop

February 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^

Except for the one dude who seemingly lost his mind and got banned I don't know who was "constantly ridiculing the football skills of a 17 year old kid." If we say I don't like this offer does that count as dragging a kid through the mud? What if the recruit commits? Where should honest discussion about commits and recruiting take place if not on a message board?

James Howlett

February 20th, 2010 at 11:04 PM ^

Marquise ran a 4.71 40 at the combine. According to his Wikipedia bio(his college career section is pasted below) he never practiced "straight-line speed" at UM and he'd never practised the 40 before. Well, I think we can assume Barwis practices straighline speed, and players run the 40. This kid's going to(at the very least)be better conditioned than Marquise was. At 6-4, 185(he's just a junior) and a terrific leaper he's going to be hard to cover in the end zone. I don't know if the kid is going to be an All-American or a bench warmer but obviously the coaching staff sees some real talent there and he's got the frame and the athleticism to be very good. College career Walker is best remembered for a pair of one-handed catches he made in 2001. Prior to the 2002 NFL Draft, Baltimore Ravens Senior vice president of football operations, Ozzie Newsome referred to Walker's collegiate catches as some of the best catches he has seen in college in a long time.[12] One of the one-handed catches was a touchdown catch in the back of the end zone against the Iowa Hawkeyes football team in a 32–26 comeback from a 21–7 deficit on October 27, 2001.[13] The Post-Standard, Walker's hometown newspaper, described his grab in the Iowa game this way: "There he was in the corner of the end zone, as two Iowa defensive backs stalked him like sentries. The ball, delivered high and wide, seemed an improbable stretch, an impossible goal. And yet, as it spiraled toward him, Marquise Walker leaped and lifted his right arm. His fingertips grazed the leather and tipped it skyward. And then, as he tumbled back to earth, he wrapped his hands around the ball and caressed it to his chest. Touchdown Michigan."[14] Walker seriously considered playing for Syracuse University of the Big East Conference, but Syracuse Orange quarterback Donovan McNabb only had one more year remaining.[3] McNabb, who was the Big East Conference offensive player of the decade for the 1990s,[15] was not likely to be replaced by a quarterback of equal skill. Thus, Walker went on to wear #4 at Michigan.[16] Walker played football at Michigan from the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season through the 2001 season, finishing his career with 176 receptions for 2,269 yards and 17 touchdowns. During his career he played on two Big Ten Championship teams (1998, 2000), but neither team went to the Rose Bowl.[17][18] During his career, the two teams that he compiled the most total single-opponent receiving yards against were Michigan's fiercest conference opponents: He had 256 yards against Ohio State and 251 yards against Michigan State. His highest career single-opponent touchdown and single-opponent reception totals were against Ohio State and Michigan State was tied for second in both of these statistics.[19] Playing at Washington on September 8, 2001, Walker set the Michigan record for the most receptions in a game with 15, surpassing Tai Streets and Brad Myers. He tied his mark later in season against Ohio State.[20] This record continued to stand through the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Both of Walker's 15-reception efforts came in losses. He first recorded 15 receptions against the Washington Huskies football team on September 8, 2001 in a 23–18 loss where he accumulated 159 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback John Navarre.[21] On that day he added a 13-yard run and a 15-yard punt return.[22] Then on the November 24, 2001 day that he surpassed Carter as the career receptions leader, he totaled 15 receptions in a 26–20 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes football team while accumulating 160 yards and two touchdowns.[23][24] These two games with 160 and 159 yards receiving were Walker's career highs.[19] His other 150 yard game came against the Michigan State Spartans football team during the same season on November 3, 2001 with nine receptions.[25] Walker had two touchdowns in each of his three 150-yard reception games.[19] Walker set several other records at Michigan that have been surpassed. His career reception total surpassed that of Anthony Carter as the most in school history.[20] During his senior year in 2001, Walker set Michigan single-season records with 86 receptions and 1,143 receiving yards, surpassing Jack Clancy (who still holds the record for receptions for ten games) and David Terrell, respectively. Walker also broke Mercury Hayes' school record for most consecutive games with a reception (32 games). These marks were all surpassed by Braylon Edwards in 2004. He also set the single-season 100-yard games record with six.[26] This mark has been surpassed by both Edwards and Mario Manningham. During his time at Michigan he blocked a total of four punts.[27] The NCAA Division I-A career record was seven when he completed his eligibility and is now ten, and the Big Ten record was five and is now six based on the NCAA record book. The total continues to be a Michigan record by virtue of the fact that the NCAA record book does not recognize any Michigan player as having recorded more than four.[28] However, some press reports credit Ed Frutig with five punt blocks during the eight-game 1940 season. Walker's statistics ranked him highly in Big Ten Conference history. Both his single-game reception total of 15 and his single-season reception total of 86 were sixth in Big Ten history at the end of his career although both were ninth all time through the 2006 NCAA season.[29] Walker won both the Big Ten Conference games and Big Ten all games receptions titles in 2001.[30] He ranked sixth in the nation in receptions per game with 7.36 and 17th in reception yards per game with 94.82.[31][32] During the 2001 season, his 1177 yards from scrimmage (1143 yards receiving and 34 rushing) edged out B. J. Askew's 1138 yards (236 yards receiving and 902 rushing) for the team lead in yards from scrimmage. In addition, he threw a 51-yard pass completion to Jermaine Gonzales,[33] and he compiled 206 yards as a punt returner. As a result, he also led the team in All-purpose yards.[34] In a game against the Purdue Boilermakers football team on October 13, 2001 he totaled 249 yards of total offense, including 134 yards on seven receptions and 112 yards on seven punt returns.[35][36] Walker earned team MVP honors for the 2001 season.[37] He was a Biletnikoff Award finalist.

James Howlett

February 21st, 2010 at 12:45 PM ^

Have no idea where he'll end up in recruiting but, it's awfully early and while he may not be very physically similar to Braylon there is some reason to believe as of now he's underrated like Braylon was. 1. He transfered early in his high school career. Missing games and being more difficult to track(like Braylon did). 2. He's only played two games his first two years in high school as a result of the transfer. 3. His junior year he played with a poor passing QB which means that he doesn't see the ball nearly as much as his talent as a WR warrants. All these have nothing to do with any deficit in his talent just a deficit in his ability to get much hype and attention so far in his career. So, while there are similar obvious physical similarities it's very unlikely that Shawn would get anything like the same level of attention as Marquise did and that has nothing to do with any relative desparities in talent.

buddha

February 20th, 2010 at 11:14 PM ^

i wonder if other teams rip on their recruits the way that UM does? geez...youd think from some of the comments on here that we had more than 1 national championship in 50 years. welcome to the team, shawn. kick some ass and hopefully you can prove the doubters wrong and help UM get back to a respectable level.

S.G. Rice

February 20th, 2010 at 11:20 PM ^

I made the mistake of reading the comments before watching the video. Ended up expecting to see some lumbering doofus. Um. No. This has the potential to be a great get. Yes, there is no sign that the kid has elite speed. So what? He looks fluid enough, solid athleticism. And he's six freaking four with a good vertical. If he can (learn to) bump against press coverage he's going to be open all day long. And yes, this is a highlight reel, but given how infrequently they threw him the ball, it has to include pretty much all of his catches. I'm no expert but for a high school kid he has great technique and the hands ... the HANDS. I'll take four guys with hands like that who run 4.9 40s and beat the crap out of your superior ath-u-leets. Welcome Shawn Conway, here's hoping you turn out to be Jason Avant II.