Former M commit Denver Warren to prep school

Submitted by Magnus on April 8th, 2020 at 2:37 PM

Some of you might remember defensive tackle Denver Warren, who was committed to Michigan for a while in the 2020 class. Then he decommitted and everyone wondered why, especially when Michigan needed defensive tackles. I like the kid as an athlete. He was a 3-star, the #54 DT, and #634 overall.

Well...he's headed to Oakdale (CT) St. Thomas More, which is a prep school. So it appears we may have our answer why he was not an option for Michigan.

Michigan has accepted prep school guys in the past (Brad Hawkins, for example), so perhaps the door would still be open for Warren to join Michigan's 2021 class. I'm just throwing that out there, not basing it on any intel. And for those of you guys who think Michigan only recruits 3-stars from the northeast, well...this could be ammo for you!

Magnus

April 8th, 2020 at 2:37 PM ^

The future is looking extremely bright with so many stars coming to one location. That location:

?St. Thomas More School; Oakdale, CT

⭐️⭐️⭐️DT Denver Warren
⭐️⭐️⭐️WR Latrell Fordham
⭐️⭐️⭐️DB Donald Dillon
⭐️⭐️⭐️ATH Marques Buford
⭐️⭐️⭐️6 P5 Offers LB Caleb George pic.twitter.com/6gEh0gRkXL

— Coach McGillicuddy (@Coach_Wayne55) April 8, 2020

JPC

April 8th, 2020 at 3:02 PM ^

More like first chance. There are a lot of shitty colleges for these kids to go to for football. Kids go to prep school because they think they can hang at a place like Michigan with a little more classroom prep.

throw it deep

April 8th, 2020 at 2:58 PM ^

So it appears we may have our answer why he was not an option for Michigan.

Talk to me like the idiot I am, what is the answer?  Does this imply he wasn't academically eligible for Michigan?

Jack Be Nimble

April 8th, 2020 at 3:06 PM ^

Yes. Some people occasionally put off college for prep school to raise their athletic profiles, but Mr. Warren already had a slew of offers. There isn't much reason for him to go to prep school unless he needed to improve his academic resume to get into college.

tspoon

April 8th, 2020 at 4:20 PM ^

There were issues there other than grades.  Not Auston Robertston-type of issues (that I'm aware of), but it wasn't just get-your-gpa-up-and-alls-well stuff either.

Young fella needs to get his act together. Hopefully he will have done so in the two years or so between us taking a pass and when he's ready to get back into the mix as a potential collegian.

JPC

April 8th, 2020 at 3:00 PM ^

I like the idea of sending borderline academic kids out for a prep year. It helps them better prepare for the college classroom AND show up to campus more physically mature. It's basically the academic analog of BYU stuffing their team with older kids back form their missions.

Larry Appleton

April 8th, 2020 at 3:45 PM ^

I'm intrigued by prep school pickups, particularly on the OL or DL.  They get an extra year of growth, then come in and redshirt, and then hit the field as a 20yo with 4 years of eligibility.

so bored at work

April 8th, 2020 at 4:45 PM ^

Magnus, any thoughts on the reason Warren dropped so much (if I remember correctly)? Early developer who plateaued, or do you think eligibility questions may have led to a drop-off in scouting?

Magnus

April 8th, 2020 at 7:21 PM ^

I didn't bother watching his 2019 season film, so I don't know if his play dropped off. But yes, academic/off-the-field issues can play a part. That used to not be the case, so you would see a fair number of 5-stars with major issues bomb out. But in recent years, the scouting services seem to factor that in more.

EllaMorris34

November 20th, 2020 at 6:39 AM ^

I think it's great if such good schools give prep-school kids a chance. Still, getting into a good university and a team is not a chance for everyone. But the student-athletes need to receive help as much as possible. It is good that there are such services like https://uk.edubirdie.com/essay-help that are very helpful for student-athletes in their education. Therefore, you need to help students as much as possible.