Gelen Robinson Rivals Underclassmen Challenge
Gelen Robinson (brother of Glenn Robinson III) is being recruited by teams as a LB/DE, but as a 6'3 230 pound soon to be junior, it seems he will likely be a DE in college. He has also proclaimed he wants to play in the Big Ten. It was noted by several analysts that Gelen was one of the more impressive looking players physically at registration for the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge. He then made a nice impression this weekend at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge, as he was recognized as one of the Top 5 Defensive Line performers per TideSports recruiting analyst Andrew Bone @AndrewJBone
My top DL performers- Travonte Valentine, Gerald Willis, Gelen Robinson, Deshaywn Middleton, Keyon Brown. #RivalsChallenge
I know we will have a limited number of spots at LB next year, and already have 5 or 6 studs that we are targeting to fill those spots. But, what do you think the chances are that we offer Gelen at DE. We have stud Taco Charlton coming in as a part of the 2013 class, but he is the only DE in the class.I know we brought in Wormley, Strobel and Ojemudia in an impressive DE haul from the 2012 class, but I believe the graduation of Roh and the move of Black to the inside opens 2 DE spots for the 2014 class. Robinson seems like a great fit, he's athletic (a hell of a wrestler), and is standing out amongst the top kids in his class, and he loves Michigan evidenced by his twitter account:
In Ohio right now for a tournament, but don't worry Michigan fans I still got on all blue and maize.
The kid is exciting to watch on the field, and I think if we offer he commits right away. He seems to love the Unversity of Michigan, and should garner high rankings for the 2014 class. I also ran across a nice article that Rivals posted on him:
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1383065
He's going to have to grow a little bit to get an offer, I think. If he's 6'3" now then he's already hit a bit of a growth spurt, because the last I knew, he was still listed at 6'1"... His brother and dad are both fairly tall, so I know some people expect Gelen to grow, too.
Yea Rivals still lists him as 6'1", so unless he grows, I don't see him playing DE.
Rivals and the other sites are always slow in updating recruits heights and weights, and they don't pay very close attention unless a recruit performs at one of their sponsored events. They rarely, if ever, can even agree on what a typical recruit measures in at. When the 2012 class was signed Ben Braden was 6'7" approaching 6'8" and weighing over 315 but Rivals last listing on him is 6'6" and 285.
6'1" is too short to play DE? Brandon Graham would like to share a word with you.
I doubt height will be an issue. The 6'1" is an old measurement, from before his sophomore season, so even if he didn't have a brother and father who were 6'7"+ I'd expect him to add an inch or two. Now, less than a year later, they're reporting him at 6'3", which is already tall enough to be a WDE (same height as Ojemudia, Frank Clark and Brennan Beyer, an inch taller than Jibreel Black) and it wouldn't shock anyone if he ended up 6'4" or 6'5" based on his genes.
Either way, if he's 6'3" 230 before he starts his junior season, size is likely not what keeps him from a scholarship.
There's room for him on the roster. All the Ends we took for 2012 (save Ojemudia) were SDE/DT types, and by the time he gets on campus our 2 starting WDE's will be seniors, so it would be Ojemudia, Charleton, and him as the weakside rotation the next year. We could end up with 3-4 LB's in that class anyways because we'll lose 4 at that seasons end so SAM or WDE or tweener, I think they'll take several.
It's worth noting that top midwest LB prospects Michael Ferns and Donte Booker are roughly the same size as Robinson right now too. We could pull a very beastly 2014 LB class.
Does anyone know approximately how many spots we will have for the 2014 class?
Never can tell. Right now the number of seniors graduating for that year stands at 18. We might have some normal medical hardship or attrition come from those 18 to count for the 2013 class we're already taking and have that number shrink, but it most likely will grow, just because it always does. We'll need to take a special teams player or 2 in the 2014 class because we're losing Gibbons and Hagerup that year.
He sounds like a great prosect to keep an eye on.
The NWI Times, one of two dailies in "The Region", named him Defensive Player of the Year in football (over a senior LB teammate who originally signed with Ole Miss before the coaching change and now is going to...EMU).
Then he went and got 3rd in the state in wrestling (220 lb. class)--due mostly to a cruddy call--and we are a good wrestling state.
Topped that off with 3rd in discus, 7th in shot at the track 'n field state finals--and was "disappointed". Check the photo--OMG TRACK PINNY'D--dude is a beast (although the braces make him look like a Bond villain). He hasn't even started his junior year of HS!
FINALLY, the Times named him Lake Central's Athlete of the Year--not his older brother! (In this photo they don't seem that upset about it :)
BOOM LINK'D
GET US GRIV
say "blue and maize." All kidding aside though, he does sound like a good prospect so far, and I think it would be cool to have two brothers star in two different sports. Also, you can never have enoungh pass rushers.