TomVH: Visit Reaction From QB Zeke Pike
Kentucky QB Zeke Pike (6'5", 220 lbs) made his way up to Ann Arbor today [Tuesday] with his dad. They got a chance to meet the coaches and check out practice. Here's a look at his film and what he had to say about the visit.
TOM: What did you get to see when you first got there?
ZEKE: We kind of met everybody and got familiar with the faces. We sat down with Coach Borges and talked football. We talked about where I fit in to the program and just talked about life. We just kind of got to know each other.
TOM: Did you get a chance to sit down with the other coaches too?
ZEKE: Yeah, Coach Singletary was with me a lot. We talked to Coach Hoke for about an hour. We talked about a little of everything. They told me I was the number one guy on their chart and that intrigued me. Then we went on a tour of the Big House, which was pretty awesome. Playing in front of 120,000 people every week is amazing.
TOM: Did you take in practice after that?
ZEKE: Yeah, I think right now they're trying to use the spread offense because of the quarterbacks they have. They're trying to gradually get to the pro style offense. Those are spread quarterbacks so it makes the position a lot more intriguing and the school a lot more intriguing because they need that true pro style quarterback.
TOM: You say it's intriguing, do you almost view it as a challenge to be that quarterback that gets Michigan back to the top? Or in a different way?
ZEKE: I think the coaches they have are the perfect coaches to get Michigan back to Michigan. I think Coach Hoke is doing a very good job with bringing tradition back. There was so much fire, intensity, and energy at practice. It just looks like there's a lot of competition on the field and you need that to be great. I think the right coaches are in place and that's exciting. I think it's a great opportunity to be that next guy at Michigan. It's a program on a national stage, when you say Michigan football people turn their heads. I'm excited to continue to build the relationships.
TOM: I know it's hard to see everything on one trip, but did you get a good feel for the coaches as people and how they coach?
ZEKE: I really enjoyed my time and I got a really good feel for them; I liked it a lot. It's definitely a school that will be there for me down the wire. It was just a feel that I got, it's hard to explain. There's only been a couple other places that I got that feeling and Michigan was one of those places.
TOM: You said Michigan will be there down to the wire, when are you going to be making your decision? Do you have a timeline?
ZEKE: I'm going out to Arkansas this weekend and I'm going to Tennessee, Georgia, FSU, Clemson, and Auburn over spring break. After that I'll narrow it down to a top five or so. I'll probably make my decision in the next couple months. I'm just going to be looking for the it factor, is it going to be somewhere I want to go for the next four years even outside of football.
TOM: With regards to Michigan, did this visit help them?
ZEKE: Yeah, it definitely helped Michigan. I'm really close friends with Chris Barnett who signed with Michigan in the 2011 class. We're really good friends and he stays on me about going to Michigan. It's a school that intrigues me and has a lot of tradition. Year in and year out they compete with everybody. I'm anxious to continue the relationships there and see where it goes.
No more 67-65 games? :(
This is what stuck out to me as well when I read it. For all those worried that these coaches were going to make Denard a statue, they are not. They are running the spread with some power elements. They are not in love with a "system" that they are going to use regardless of the personnel. For those who like cliches, they are smart enough not to force a square peg into a round hole.
March 29th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^
Barnett needs to do work and get him on campus!
Two questions:
1) Did he talk to Mattison? I know he doesn't play defense, but I'm pretty sure "blah blah blah Ravens blah blah blah" is part of our usual pitch to recruits (and moreover, seems to impress).
2) Did he talk to (receive a smile from) Denard? Oh wait, nevermind, that's probably where that good feeling came from.
I hope Mattison talked to him. He was Tebow's recruiter at Florida if I remember correctly. That seemed to work out well.
I am not sure why everyone thinks that 2 QB's means we are loaded at the position. I can't imagine that any QB recruit feels the same. Denard was injured in 10 games last year, and DG had "back problems." Devin has had very limited experience, and there is no guarantee that he will be our guy in the long run (although I hope he is). Regardless, coming in as a freshmen and redshirting behind a heisman candidate junior QB, and then having every chance in the world to be the ideal guy to run Borges' offense would be very appealing to me if I were in his shoes. Most top football teams have 3-4 highly ranked QB's and they will go out and get a new one in recruiting every year. Hell, every other year it seems like USC is pulling 2 of the top 5 QB's in a recruiting class. Depth should never scare off any top prospects, and hopefully, if he truly is 5* worthy, he would be up for the challenge. Either way, I really think that this whole depth thing is really off base.
Devin's "back problems" are about as real as my Lamborghini. I'm not sure how that's relevant, although I agree with your overall point.
Your lime green Aventado or the yellow SuperVeloce??
March 30th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
He's a classic guy, you know. He drives a white Countach.
Whichever one has Miranda Kerr in the passenger seat.
There aren't many elite programs without competition a year or two in front of him.
Michigan is relatively thin at quarterback in terms of overall depth—Zeke would be integral to the team from day one, regardless of how the depth chart plays out.
March 30th, 2011 at 10:09 AM ^
Anyone else get a little uncomfortable when a recruit tells the media that the coaches said he was #1 on their charts. You think about other kids at that that position reading it and it can't help in landing them.
March 30th, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
My sentiments exactly, but in this media age, stuff like that is bound to get out. A kid like Pike, though, I bet everyone knows is their number 1. Hopefully not a whole lot of recruits are reading the musings of TomVH, though, I bet they are...
March 30th, 2011 at 10:21 AM ^
He sounds intelligent. Wouldn't mind seeing these coaches start to land some solid blue chips who'll represent Michigan with distinction both on and off the field. We already have a fantastic collection of talent and honor on our team - I hope that continues.
March 30th, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^
There was so much fire, intensity, and energy at practice. It just looks like there's a lot of competition on the field and you need that to be great.
March 30th, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
Wow, he's a big boy with agility!
kewl beans
- He became the lead blocker on the second play in the highlights and engaged three separate defenders.
- He plays defense too? Seems like a lot of blue chip QBs would not take the risk of getting hurt playing D
- Items 1 & 2 give a strong indication that he is a team player that is willing to do whatever it takes on the field to win.
Really hope to see him in a Winged helmet.
Interesting how quickly he plans to make his decision, most of these 5-star guys like to enjoy all of the press for a while.
I love it. Looks like he has great vision, timing and just overall football instincts. "Get him to sign on the line that is dotted!!"
Notre Dame signed two 4-star QB's in 2006. One, Demetrius Jones, was a 6.0 according to Rivals meaning he was almost a 5 star. That didn't stop 5 star Clausen from signing the following year or 5 star Crist the year after that. Don't forget Crist was the #3 QB in the country that year, behind a couple guys named Terrelle Pryor and Blaine Gabbert.
At Florida, Gavin Dickey was a 4-star in 2002, but Leak AND another 4-star signed in 2003. They followed that with a 4-star in 2005 putting plenty on the depth chart but it didn't matter much to Tebow in 2006.
I think someone mentioned LSU. Ryan Perriloux's prescense didn't stop Jarrett Lee, Jordan Jefferson, Russell Sheppard, or Zach Lee, and then they added 3 QB's this year - including 2 that are 4-stars. They pretty much get a top 10-15 QB every class. JaMarcus Russell came before any of those guys.
These dudes are rarely scared away by a depth chart.
I assume it to just be a "please subscribe" tease on Scout, but their front page has a multi-part "Will Pike lure UofM mega-class" story. Of course, a subscription and click could reveal..."maybe, but who knows". Anyway, the kid seems good to me. Bringing in a strong QB each year can't be a bad thing (especially if we're able to get some red shirts going). If the program grows as we all hope, we could again become an NFL factory and top talent might not mind waiting their turn if it means a likely NFL future.
Comments