Hey guys, to be honest I didn't really expect too much when talking with Keith Ford, the #1 running back in the country according to 247 Sports, but our discussion regarding Michigan ended up being pretty interesting. Check it out: Keith Ford
EDIT: Ford is the #2 RB, but the top player in the state of Texas. He's #20 overall as well. Sorry about the confusion.
Awesome
Agreed. I don't give it much
Agreed. I don't give it much hope, but if he came here that would be great.
Great work as usual Aquaman.
Great work as usual Aquaman. Keep it coming. We definitely need a big time dynamic rb in the fold. Get him on campus and see what happens.
If I say a duck can pull a truck, shut up and hook the sucka up!
It's gonna be tough pulling
It's gonna be tough pulling him if/when he gets that Texas offer, but it's good to see interest nonetheless.
"I'm the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy."
I
I naturally thought the same, but if you google him, there's a 247 VIP thread started less than a day ago titled "You can probably count out Keith Ford". FWIW.
With the RBs Texas has pulled the last two years
I would suspect that they may not be the top dog for highly regarded Texas HS RBs this year.
I think there's a chance that
I think there's a chance that Texas takes Dontre Wilson and calls it a year. But I'm not familiar with their RB needs or class size this year. I'll try to reach out to some Texas guys and see if I can get these Qs answered.
EDIT: Reached out to Jeff Howe, one of Texas' 247 guys, and got this response when I asked how many RBs Texas plans to take....
a true TB and an all-purpose guy if it's the right two. Could change, obviously.
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Aqua, you make me happy.
Aqua, you make me happy. Just tried to think about this but I'm still currently too hung-over... anyone want to brainstorm what other schools could combine:
1. Tier 1 (i.e. top 3 team in a top 5 conference) football program.
2. Good overall education.
3. Solid engineering, mechanical especially.
I'm glad this kid cares about academics, even if football and engineering proved to be too challenging to be success in both areas, at least this proves the kid has his mind in the right place and isn't choosing a football team, he's chooing a university. That's the most important thing about college athletics and something that is often overlooked in college football...
1. Education 2. Football
-Chet
What you see is the hard work he's put in. It's nature. It just all comes together.
-Craig James
It's really cool to see the
It's really cool to see the athletes who care about the academic side as well as sports, and it doesn't hurt that Michigan's Mechanical Engineering prorgram is top notch.
Texas
I'd assume Texas will be a problem b/c they also have a solid Engineering school, and its Texas football. That being said, its nice to have a legit shot.
"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"
That is pretty cool
I mean we aren't going to get everyone of these guys, but just the fact that we are in on so many of them is pretty impressive.
I agree
The more kids like this we're in on, the more we can actually sign. Its science. Hoke knows science.
"A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a danish"
I love Sports Science!
I love Sports Science! Impressive stuff
Texas has some other running
Texas has some other running back targets from what it seems. Also, Keith Ford highlights:
Love to have this kid aboard. Does not go down without a fight. He has some very nice cutbacks.
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I had to clean the drool
off my keyboard after watching these highlights. The boy has some quicks for his size.
Didnt Texas just bring in the
Didnt Texas just bring in the nation's top running back this year? Im not saying this kid is afraid of competition, but I would have to think that might sway his decision a bit. He can come to Michigan and be the man for 3-4 years all while getting a top notch degree. (I am still on the Ty Isaac bandwagon, so this is just hpothetically saying we dont get Isaac and land Ford, which would be great, too).
THOSE WHO STAY WILL BE CHAMPIONS
They got Malcolm Brown, who
They got Malcolm Brown, who was the #2 running back, a year ago and then Jonathan Gray, the #2 running back, this year (both according to Scout). So yeah, whoever Texas gets as far as a running back will be facing some tough competition ahead of him.
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what are his intrest in other
what are his intrest in other texas schools like baylor, AM, tech
A&M seems to be the only
A&M seems to be the only other Texas school thus far. I read somewhere that this kid is initially from Florida and he likes the Gators. He has an offer from Florida State, but not UF or Miami.
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I'm not sure how many RB's
I'm not sure how many RB's Florida plans on taking, but Kelvin Taylor, son of Fred Taylor, is announcing next weekend & he probably will pick the Gators.
"A Michigan Man will coach a Michigan Team"
One would think (hope?) that
One would think (hope?) that in the Shane era we would be much more attractive to backs like Ford than we are right now. As we transition to a more "traditional" offense the RB becomes much more a focal point in the offense and given Borges's stated preference to have one "meal cow" I'm guessing we start picking up the elite RBs.
It would not surprise me a bit if we get him. Especially if we have a good year and maybe a good showing in his home state next September!
Offense
Derrick Green, another monster, top 100 pro-style RB out of Richmond, VA said that Michigan is more attractive to him because of the offense we will be running with Morris at QB. It's definitely something the coaching staff is pushing.
How do you
get a guy named Green to wear the maize and blue? I kinda wish his name was Maize or Blue or Lloyd Brady or Tacopants, but you just never know about recruiting.
"If fans don't come to the ballpark, you can't stop em."
What does maize and blue make
What does maize and blue make once combined?
Hail.
Michigan.
Michigan.
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Isn't Green...
a big OSU lean?
Yes. Former teammate of
Yes. Former teammate of Curtis Grant
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Yup
Yup, like DG said. It's odd, however....wants to play in a pro-style offense yet favors an Urb-led OSU program.
isnt green a big OSU guy?
isnt green a big OSU guy?
Plus the Offensive Line?
In addition to Morris and the style of offense, I would like to think there's a recognition that Michigan has done a bang-up job with the offensive line in the 2012 signing. Add to that some beefy TEs and a FB blocking and it must be a dream for a running back.
Plus -- I really believe this -- the authenticity of Hoke is starting to get recognized by recruits. The whole program has Hoke's fingerprints of responsibility and accountability all over it. It may seem old-fashioned to say it, but I really do think there are young men out there that just yearn to be part of something like that.
Midwestern born and raised ... now living in the heat of the Arizona desert
Damn! Academics are important to Him? Then he is
definitely going to choose LSU. /heavy s
Your opinion has no value.
Not big time, per se, but
Not big time, per se, but Hopkins and Terrence Robinson are from Texas.
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Green.
Would be a HUGE get. Has a sub 4.4 speed and hits the hole hard. Since were in on so many big time running backs it would be hard not to land at least one. I still want us to go after Berekly Edwards though he has lightning speed and big threat possibilities
Shoelaces flapping in the wind!
hopefully he comes to the
hopefully he comes to the Michigan Alabama game.
903 wins most in college football
Fred Jackson Part of This?
I think I read recently that Jackson's trips down south for the 2012 signing class were really curtailed from the past ... that his focus was on Michigan / Ohio for 2012. I know Hoke's emphasis was on local talent first, then branch out from there. I wonder if this is a sign of Jackson (or other recruiters) venturing back out? Or simply a high-profile recruit receiving big school offers based on high rankings? Anyone have a sense for that?
Midwestern born and raised ... now living in the heat of the Arizona desert
would love to see us grab
would love to see us grab some players from texas
Wants to major in
Wants to major in engineering...
Gotta love
the BME students.
From the Red Cedar Message Board: "God hates us." Yes He does Lil Bro, yes he does. Everyone hates you.
It's nice to be mentioned by a top recruit and all
but Ford strikes me as a very long shot, simply from a distance standpoint. I've heard the "academics is very important to me" line so many times from kids who end up going to schools with markedly inferior credentials that I don't take it seriously anymore.
"Academics are important to
"Academics are important to me" can be interpretted in many different ways...
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Lets get this guy
Now this is the kinda rb I've been wanting us to pursue!
Having multiple highly rated
recruits, mentioning Michigan as very interested, is always a good thing though.
It is great we are in his top group - but I'm not getting over excited before he comes on campus.
GMAT score =800 = Defensive POTY