2015 QB Blake Barnett offered
Currently a verbal commit to ND.....Per the Detroit News...
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140120/SPORTS0201/301200085/1131/M…
January 20th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
He's currently committed to Notre Dame. The 247Sports Composite has him as the #6 pro-style QB and #136 player overall in his class. They also have him at 6'-3.5", 195 lbs (playing in Corona, CA).
There's been an interesting shift in the QB recruiting strategy since last year. Last year, it seemed like they wanted to be sure that the first guy they offered would commit. I'm not really sure why. I like (what I think is) this year's strategy much better -- go try to get guys you like best and don't worry if you get a "no" or two before you get a "yes."
January 20th, 2014 at 3:37 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
I really like his footwork. And 4.7 speed if accurate, is damned good. Personally, I'd love to see Michigan recruit guys with some degree of footspeed. No more John Navarre's in other words. Having a QB who can run away from pressure or take off down the field is a big plus.
January 20th, 2014 at 9:21 PM ^
I'm not trying to be nit-picky, because I clearly don't have the expertise or eye the coaches do, but a decent number of his passes (in that video) didn't appear to have much zip on them. At least it looked like some of them floated out to the wide receivers.
If a QB doesn't have Morris' speedball arm, is that a correctable thing?
January 20th, 2014 at 9:53 PM ^
Arm strength can grow a little bit, but usually a guy who is a soft thrower doesn't turn into a guy with a Howitzer. If you're a high school senior with a 5 arm, you're not going to turn into a 9 or 10.
The "flutter" issue can sometimes be correctable. For some guys, it's as easy as changing the finger placement on the ball. I remember Tim Couch talking about that little grip change that was a huge plus for his quarterback career (well, "career" might be a strong word, but he was good in high school and college...). Peyton Manning throws an ugly ball, too, but he still gets the job done.
All that being said, am I impressed with Barnett's arm strength? No. No, I'm not.
January 20th, 2014 at 3:35 PM ^
At a glance, I would think because they wanted that QB to then go recruit the others... Shane Morris did a ton of it, and did very well. Same thing with Speight. Both of them recruited like heck, for Michigan, after they verbally committed.
January 20th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
That seems like a good argument for getting a QB committed early (and a charismatic one). But we're offering these kids earlier in the cycle than we offered Speight, so we're probably okay there. Why is that an argument for needing the first QB offered to commit?
January 20th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 3:40 PM ^
Aside from Notre Dame and his offer from us, some of his other offers include, California, Arizona, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Duke, Colorado and UCLA, so a rather varied group has had an eye on Barnett.
If anyone is interested, his Hudl page is (HERE).
January 20th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
His name makes me think he should be a QB at Oklahoma
January 20th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
Damn alliteration
January 20th, 2014 at 5:13 PM ^
I was thinking UCF - Blake Bortles...
January 20th, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
"To Hell with Notre Dame!"
~Gandhi, I think
January 20th, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
~Gandhi, I think
January 20th, 2014 at 4:21 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
We only want the best quaterback, and the best quaterbacks jump into the camera after a win and scream about how good they throw the ball.
January 20th, 2014 at 6:20 PM ^
I find it interesting that we offered him, a dual-threat QB. A sign of what Nuss will want to do?
January 20th, 2014 at 6:53 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 7:21 PM ^
Yeah, I wouldn't really consider him a dual threat. He has decent speed, but personally, I think a dual THREAT should be a guy who can beat you with his arm and his feet. Barnett looks like a guy who can keep plays alive with his feet, but he's not going to take over a game on the ground. Denard Robinson was a dual threat. Johnny Manziel, Tim Tebow, RGIII, etc. are dual threats. Andrew Luck can keep plays alive and get out of the pocket, but that doesn't mean he would be a dual threat type of guy.
January 20th, 2014 at 7:35 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 9:57 PM ^
I don't really see that. Jake Locker was kind of like a running back, albeit without great speed. Barnett's not built that way. Running-wise, Barnett looks like Tate Forcier to me - a guy who can hurt you if you forget about him, but not a dominant runner.
January 21st, 2014 at 1:26 AM ^
Was actually having a discussion with a friend about Locker today. Locker's first year he put up 13 rushing TDs and 986 yards on the ground. In later years he was more of a ~400 yard rusher.
But I would have to say he has great speed, as would The Seattle Times Not elite, but great. I've heard when he was in high school he hit a few in the 4.4s. At the combine, he hit a 4.52 at 231 lbs.
I like the mobility comparrison of Barnett to Forcier. People give Forcier a lot of crap for throwing a lot of picks, but I think he could've been great in college if he was a starter later in his career.
January 20th, 2014 at 11:47 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 6:16 PM ^
Nice accuracy from what I saw. Hits guys right in the eyes.
Witness how many yards Braxton Miller picked up last year, not being a bulldozer and trying to take on LBs, but simply flushing the DBs way downfield and then just beating the DL with footspeed. I'm not claiming that hes as fast as Braxtone, but its a deadly play to have in the arsenal nonetheless. Gardner has run similar plays when hes not getting pounded out. Seems like a better passer too which I also value heavily. Like the way he starts on one receiver and makes a quick head snap to the other one rather than just being glued on a target.
I also was worried about how few QB offers were going out. Rosen seemed impossible due to his lack of interest. Sills....I don't think should have a M offer, its just me, neg me if that seems unfair. Seems like it would be good to have a nice group of 3 or maybe 4 so that the best prospect of those wanting to take their skillset to Ann Arbor we could get without it being such an all-or-none type of offer.
January 20th, 2014 at 7:11 PM ^
Don't think it needs another thread, but if OP wants to update to include this offer: 2015 RB Johnny Frasier, was offered by Coach Nuss, per twitter:
Confirmed that 2015 RB Johnny Frasier (Princeton, NJ) was offered today by #Michigan, specifically @CoachDNuss.
— Brandon Brown (@CoachBrown3) January 20, 2014
January 20th, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^
January 20th, 2014 at 9:47 PM ^
I believe the coaches are planning to take at least 2 running backs in 2015, especially if they don't get one in 2014. Damien Harris is kind of committed, but things aren't looking good with Mike Weber, so there's room for recruiting another guy.