An Interview With Derrick Bryant
Ohio defensive end Derrick Bryant said Michigan lead very early in the recruiting cycle, but decided against a commitment and has recently claimed to be more open in the rare instances the recruiting sites have nailed him down for an interview. Tom caught up with him recently, however, and got the latest.
A note: though Michigan told Holmes Onwukaife his spot was filled, Bryant is regarded by as a strongside defensive end. Michigan needs guys on the strongside.
TOM: We haven’t heard much from you, what’s been going on?
DERRICK: I have about 13 or 14 offers right now. Michigan is still one of my favorites. I just recently got UCLA, Oregon, Purdue, and North Carolina. Those are the latest ones. I’d like to go back to Michigan this summer, and take another visit. I’m not sure if I’m going to take any visits this summer though.
TOM: Ok, so what are your plans for the summer?
DERRICK: I’ll pretty much do my research, talk to the coaches, and get ready for the season.
TOM: Do you know which schools are going to get an official visit?
DERRICK: I’m going to take on to UCLA, Oregon, and North Carolina since they’re all far. I was told by someone that I should use my official visits for the far schools, and visit the closer ones like Michigan on my own. It’s easier that way, since the officials are paid for.
TOM: I haven’t seen your name at any camps either. Have you been to any camps yet?
DERRICK: I’m just going to be a monster in the weight room, and getting ready for the season. I’m happy with the offers I have, and I want to make a decision off the list I already have. The schools that have talked to me already, are the schools I want to choose from. I’m not doing any camps or combines. I don’t really need to prove anything else to anybody, and I plan on having a break out season this year too.
TOM: What’s your timeline look like for making a decision?
DERRICK: I would like to do it midway through my season. That’s why I told all the coaches that I want to come to campus early, so I can decide. I’m looking at the depth charts pretty close. Oregon and UCLA have been talking about playing time and how many other defensive ends they’ll have once I get up there.
TOM: So, what happened? Michigan was on top, you even said you think you’d fit like a glove, and then you went quiet.
DERRICK: There was a point in time, when I was going to get it over with and commit. Michigan is still one of my top schools. My coaches and my Dad, who was recruited for basketball, told me to just wait, because there might be another school that I like too. I need to look at it as a football player and student, rather than just a fan, because I’m a very big Michigan fan. I’m going to be there the next four years, so it’s important. When I went to Michigan for the spring game, I loved everything, so they’re still one of my favorites. It wasn’t anything negative, I just want to wait.
TOM: What aspects of the other schools have you been looking at?
DERRICK: I would like to take my official visits first before I can answer that. I haven’t seen everything about all the schools. Every coach says they’re the best, and they have this and that. I want to go on as many visits and see everything for myself.
TOM: Which schools have caught your interest the most?
DERRICK: Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas. Those are the top schools right now.
TOM: When is your recruitment going to pick back up?
DERRICK: Probably the end of summer is when you’ll be hearing from me again. I’ll start to pick it back up then, so I can stay focused on my season next year. I’d like to start getting it back on track, so I can build some more relationships with coaches and everything.
To many recruits these days commit really early and then de-commit because they like another school later in the process. I still think we really need this guy because we need defensive line guys badly.
for a kid to wait it out a little bit to fully evaluate his offers and make a decision he is comfortable with. I don't think we want verbal commits if they're even partially on the fence.
M is toight
Playing it close to the vest. Insomuch,that DB only giving morsels of info,not revealing to much. After reading this interview...who know where this young man will land.
Maize & Blue...nothing better!
how bad does michigan really need/want this guy? what other strongsides are we in for?
He's not rated that highly but he's got a nice set of offers, and plays at a position of need. I think he's a priority.
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It sounds like pressure from his Dad and coaches might take him elsewhere. That can happen with an Ohio kid.
Hopefully, he is just taking advantage of his status by taking all of these visits, and will go to UM, but you can't underestimate the effect of the aforementioned pressure.
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Actually, telling a kid to wait and see other schools before committing is terrific advice. It's rather hasty to commit to a school when you're so far away from signing day.
"I'm Leslie E. Miles and I approve of this message."
It looks like he's receiving good advice. His coaches have been around the process before and his dad apparently has been through the process himself. Smart, imo.
While not quite the same thing, my parents allowed me to visit all the schools to which I had been accepted for the same reason - I'd be spending 4 (or 5, as it happened) years there and it needed to be the right fit. I thought Cornell would be an easy choice until I visited and compared to my Michigan visit.
I'll never complain about a kid deciding to go somewhere else because he thinks it's a better fit for him, but it'll be quite nice if he decides to sign with us.
Being a Michigan fan, I would bet if he doesn't sign with us, he'd go out of the Big 10. It's rough to know you'll have to play all out trying to beat your favorite team several times in your career.
Sooner or later, you're going to have to stick your arm up a cow's butt.
...cool. If not....moving on...
sounds like we maintain a small, but actual lead.
That was a very interesting interview. I don't know what to conclude from that. It sounds like Michigan is still in the running but not neccessarily in the drivers seat anymore. I wonder what other school has really caught his attention. Because it sounds like out of the schools that he has picked as his favorites the only two he could have traveled to is Kentucky and Michigan. hmmmmmm
If you have to ask twice it means that you didn't get it the first time.