TomVH
An Interview with Dillon Baxter
Before this turns into a huge Ron Burgundy parody, let's just get everything out of the way now: BAXTER! You ate a whole wheel of cheese? San Diaaagooo. It's German for a whale's va....ok, that's enough.
Dillon Baxter is a four star running back prospect from San Diego, CA. Though he's currently a USC commit he will be visiting this week along with CA WR Kenny Stills and CA LB/S Tony Jefferson. Yes, he plays offense. No he doesn't play defense. He's really good, though, and his highlight video is jazzy.
On with the interview.
TOM: This visit kind of popped up out of nowhere; how did it come about, and what piqued your interest in Michigan?
DILLON: Michigan was one of my first places I wanted to look, but I never really got a chance to. I just want to make sure USC was the right place. I have an opportunity to go see it, so I wanted to do it now.
TOM: What made Michigan a place that you liked in the beginning?
DILLON: I like the crowd, and I’ve always liked them since I was little. They were kind of my team growing up, so I’ve just always liked them.
TOM: Have you made any other visits besides USC?
DILLON: USC is really only the main place. I’ve been to UCLA a little bit, but not really for that long.
TOM: You, Tony Jefferson, and Kenny Stills will be on the visit, are you all friends? Are you all friends with Tate?
DILLON: Yeah, we’re all friends; Kenny’s going to spend the night at my house before the flight. We all know Tate (Forcier) from high school, so that should be fun to all be together again.
TOM: Have you guys every thought about all playing together, or talked about it?
DILLON: We talked about playing together all last year, so we’re all kind of looking around to find a cool place. It didn’t work out that we’d all play for USC, so we’re going to see if there’s maybe anywhere else we all like.
TOM: Can this trip change your mind? A lot of people think kids that are committed sometimes take trips just to have fun, is that the case here?
DILLON: No, if this is better than USC then yeah. I’m pretty serious about USC, but who knows. The coaching staff at USC are all hype, and always happy to see you and teach you. I just want to find out how the Michigan coaches are, too.
TOM: What are you most excited for at Michigan?
DILLON: I can’t wait for that game; I’m excited. I don’t really know if I’ve been in front of that many people. I just want to see how the game is, the crowd is, just everything. Coach Dews is who’s recruiting me. We’ve been talking the last couple days. So, I want to build on that relationship more and meet the rest of the coaching staff. The offense is exciting, and I hope I can fit in that offense. I want to stay at running back and slot, so that would be right for their offense.
TOM: If this visit does change your mind, or make you think, when will your ultimate decision be?
DILLON: This is the first week of playoffs for us, so probably once our season is over.
Fred Roh's Post (Some good side notes)
(Side note: He said he loves UFR's, especially when Craig grades out well. He also said he has a 9th grade son that he thinks will be as good, or better than Craig.
As a freshman, he's already 6'2 165 and plays WR, and....SAFETY!!! He also has an 11th grade son that is a very good basketball player, and a 7th grade daughter that is a very good volleyball player. THE ROH FAMILY IS ABOUT TO SAVE THE MICHIGAN PROGRAM ONE CHILD AT A TIME!!!)
As the parent of a current UM player and 9 months out of the recruiting process, it is important for all forum posters to understand that recruits and their parents subscribe to and read your posts, both postive and negative. This is one of the easiest ways for a recruit to see what is going on behind the scenes in a football program.
So, before you write your next critical comment on Rich Rod and on a player, you might want to think about who will be reading it. Why in the world would a parent want to send their kid to a school where the coach and players are getting ripped every day by hundeds of online fans. Why would a parent want to send a kid to a program where half the fans want the coach fired; where there is continual discussion about universty in-fighting. Those of you who are continually writing these scathing comments are hurting recruiting and the UM football program!
One main reason I sent my son to Michigan was because of the great fan base and playing in front of 100k people. I am not naive enough to think that fans are not going to be upset after some heartbreaking losses and believe they have a right to criticize coaches and players. However, please understand that these guys came to UM because they believed in the program. They believed in Rich Rod and bought into the idea of building for the future. They want desperately to make things better. They want to go to bowl games and they want to win Bog 10 and National Championships. Do you really think that Rich Rod and Greg Robinson have no idea what they are doing? Do you really think the program will be better off firing Rich Rod? Who, either player or coach, would want to come to UM or stay at UM if Rich Rod got fired and the process starts all over again?
Please consider the next time you want to vent on this website that these players and coaches are working harder than you can imagine to bring Michigan football back. It is great for intelligent posters to give insights that talk about strategy, what is working and what is not. However, emotional reactions calling for the heads of coaches and players will do nothing but destroy this program.
Tony Jefferson Update
California DB Tony Jefferson recently announced his intention to take an official visit to Michigan, although committed to UCLA. Jefferson is a four star safety with a fake [ed: !!!] 4.5 40 time. As I mentioned in a different thread, my computer broke again, so this will be somewhat brief, and in a different format. I spoke with him about the change in his recruitment, and here are some bullet points about what he said:
- Wherever he goes, he will be enrolling early, which means he will be deciding soon.
- His visit will be November 7th for the Purdue game.
- "The coaches (from Michigan) have been talking to me for awhile now, and they've really turned up the intensity. That's part of why I'm taking a visit. I've been talking to coach Singletary and Rich Rodriguez. They've basically been telling me that I'm a priority for them, and they really want me."
- "I've been watching their games, and I really like the way they've been playing defense. I know at Michigan I could get a really good education, and always be fighting to play in a bowl game; I like that."
- "I have a really strong feeling towards Michigan. I get along really well with their staff, and Tate Forcier has been talking to me alot. He's a San Diego boy, and he's been telling me about how much he loves it."
- He said that UCLA hasn't done anything wrong, he just doesn't want to second guess himself.
- His final list is UCLA, Florida, Michigan, and Miami.
- An interesting side note: He has a lot of family in Florida, and confirmed that if he committed to Florida, his family might move there.
It seems like Florida has the best shot, but he seemed sincere when he said he has a strong feeling towards Michigan. Since he's never been on campus, you never know. The coaches have definitely shown him they want him, and he mentioned that it means a lot that they're showing so much interest. He'll visit Florida on November 28th and will decide shortly after.
Terrelle Pryor, and the Recruiting Hype Machine
The new meme across college football analysts is the disappointing performances by Terrelle Pryor. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated even went as far to ask if he chose the wrong school.There’s been blame put on Terrelle, Tressel, and I’m sure someone will find a way to blame Rich Rodriguez for Pryor’s woes.
It’s only two weeks into his sophomore campaign, and there has already been talk of Pryor being a bust. This past Saturday, Pryor and his Ohio State team lost in a close game to a USC team that’s ranked number three in the nation. Pryor has made poor decisions on the field, and even recently one off the field, HOWEVA, there are a few questions that need to be answered when addressing Terrelle Pryor. The first question that came to mind was if Terrelle Pryor was a victim of the “OMG star rankings,” and the new media hype of scouting services.
Pryor was ranked as the number one player in the country in 2008, and a five star recruit by Rivals.com. The attention he got throughout the recruiting process seemed like he was getting drafted right out of high school. He was dubbed the savior, the next coming of Vince Young, and even added to the media attention by holding multiple press conferences to announce that he would be announcing a decision, and then eventually announce the decision. The question is; was the hype warranted? Was Terrelle Pryor that much ahead of the rest of the field, and as college ready as the professionals said he was? I took the stats compiled from Pryor’s junior year of high school, and compared them to Devin Gardner, 2010 QB prospect committed to Michigan. For argument’s sake, I’ll leave their names out of their stats. Gardner hasn’t yet completed his senior year, and Pryor was dubbed the number one player in the nation after his junior year, anyway.
|
Rushing Att. |
Yds. |
Avg. |
TD |
Pass Att. |
PC |
Pct. |
Yds. |
TD |
Int. |
|
115 |
1,401 |
12.0 |
22 |
170 |
98 |
58.0 |
1,886 |
26 |
7 |
|
Rushing Att. |
Yds. |
Avg. |
TD |
Pass Att. |
PC |
Pct |
Yds. |
TD |
Int. |
|
192 |
1,676 |
8.7 |
29 |
163 |
92 |
56.4 |
1,732 |
15 |
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Devin Gardner owns the first set of stats, and the second group belongs to Terrelle Pryor. As you can see, Pryor had approximately 200 more rushing yards, and 7 more rushing TD’s. Gardner, however, has a better passing percentage, more yards, and 11 more touchdown passes than Pryor. The two are also close in height, with Pryor having an inch or two on Gardner, while Terrelle is around 40 pounds heavier than Devin.
Devin Gardner is ranked as a 4 star prospect, and the 53rd best prospect in the country. So, it would seem by comparing stats and stature that 40 pounds is what separates Gardner from the 5th star, and the paparazzi following.
I’m not defending Pryor, or lobbying for Gardner. I’m merely comparing the two, and questioning the reason for the hype surrounding Terrelle Pryor.
It’s been said before that the recruiting services base a lot of their opinion on NFL potential. While the NFL has adopted the wildcat and more athletic quarterbacks, the biggest emphasis is still on passing ability. Again, based off of these stats, Pryor is not light years ahead of his peers.
It seems like Pryor has fell victim (I hate to call him a victim of anything) of the new media hype machine. They created the monster, and after building his castle, seem to be deconstructing it one poor decision at a time.
(The next stat that needs to be analyzed is how Pryor compares to past number 1 rated quarterbacks in their freshman and sophomore seasons. I’ll have another post on this later.)
Aramide Olaniyan: "I need to discuss some things with my parents."
I just spoke to Aramide Olaniyan again (for those concerned, he's off campus now). The win seemed to push Michigan over the edge for Olaniyan. I'm not interested in writing a whole piece, so here's some quotes from our discussion.
- "This was way more amazing than I thought it would be. The fans were crazy, I couldn't believe it. This was the first place I've been that fans recognized me."
- "There's definitely some things I need to consider now. I don't want to say too much, but I need to sit down and discuss some things with my parents. I'm taking an official visit in December, and my parents will be there with me, so I want them to see what I just saw."
- "I actually got to talk to coach Robinson, and some other coaches. I also got to see how I would be used in the defense (the quick, or OLB). I love the defensive scheme. I think they played well today."
- "I've never seen anything like that before. I went to a couple games last year, and this was crazy."
- "I love Michigan, and that definitely exceeded my expectations."
- "I talked to Austin White, Dior Mathis, and Devin Gardner. They were all cool guys, I got along with them really well."
It seems like we've pushed ahead to the forefront. As expected, I don't think he'll make a decision until after his parents see it for themselves in December. I was supposed to talk to Josh Furman today, too, but that might not be for a couple days now.
Aramide Olaniyan Visiting this Weekend
I just spoke to Aramide Olaniyan, and he told me he will be taking an unofficial visit to Michigan this weekend, for the Notre Dame game. He sounded VERY excited about coming up, he told me, "I owe it to myself to come see Michigan now, and also in the winter."
He'll be using one of his official visits to Michigan as well in the second week of December. "I am definitely considering Michigan right now, it's a great school, and I'm just really excited to go up there," he said.
He's excited to see the atmosphere, and the crowd at the Big House. After speaking with him, I could sense some very real excitement from him. I will have a follow up with him after his visit, to see where he's at with his recruitment.
This weekend could potentially be a huge weekend for recruiting. If all goes well, this could turn the thought process of Olaniyan, and possibly push some other recruits to commit.
Among the other recruits coming are:
- Bobby Swigert
- Josh Furman
- Delante Hollowell
- DeAnthony Arnett - I also spoke to him tonight, and he is definitely excited to see the game. He told me that Michigan was his first offer, but he doesn't plan on making a decision any time soon.
- There will be a good amount of 2011 recruits, I'm just not sure of all of them yet.
