I was at the Massillon/Maumee football game last night and made sure to focus on Gareon Conley and Nathaniel Devers. They only managed to get in one half due to inclement weather. Here are a few things I noticed...
Conley: He walked past me on the way out to the stadium (no pads), and did not look 6'2. If I had to guess, I'd say more like 6'0. Definitely will need to bulk up, as the 165 lb. list weight appears to be pretty accurate. During the game he was matched up on Maumee's best WR (athletic kid with good speed) and had mixed results according to my non-professional eye. One of the things Gareon will need to improve on is his ability to avoid/shed WR blocks, as his side of the field was targeted for a handful of successful runs. He was consistently pushed back, unable to hold his ground. On the plus side, his speed is legit. He tracked down the previously mentioned receiver, who was in full stride, after a 7 yard gap relatively quickly. Conley was never beat deep, but I can't remember him being tested there either. He allowed a few short receptions with minimal gain, and was flagged once for pass interference when he tried to jump a slant a little too soon. He probably needs a little work on on press coverage, and could use a RS year to bulk up, but I could see him being a successful (slot?) corner in a few years due to his athletic ability and coaching he will receive.
Devers: I didn't get to see a bunch of him, but he's a big body with good weight, and seemed to move pretty well. Of the dozen or so plays I used to watch him, he routinely pushed his man off the ball from his RG position, and he was able to get to the second level effectively. He passed the eye-test, and I assume he'll see some B10 offers in the near future.
Lastly, a OMG, cool story, bro moment...When I was waiting to shuttle the refs out to the stadium, a large, jacked man in a sleeveless Massillon shirt was making his way out to the field. I thought about it for awhile, and when he was heading back into the school it hit me...Shawn Crable. He asked where he could find the gym, so I gladly showed him the way, told him he was fun to watch in Ann Arbor, and we traded "Go Blue"s after he got to his destination. He was very cordial, and gladly took pictures with our cheerleaders.
Im not an expert, but figured some people would be interested in hearing how a commit and potential target looked this week.
Thanks for the insight.
The bit about his size raises my eyebrow a bit. We seem to be recruiting two different kinds of corners: pass defenders and run defenders. Based in his "measurables," I thought he would be the latter.
At the very least though, he's apparently got the speed, so that is very encouraging.
"Welllllllll..."