Ray Vinopal
I've now watched 4 different highlight films on this kid which leaves to me cuious to one question. Why is he a 2 star S? i dont know why? Kid lays out all the time and goes 100%. He makes plays i mean his film is more impressive than Marvin Robinsons is whos a 4 star S. Does he play against poor teams?
see for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_abQKAvpxMs
December 30th, 2009 at 2:59 PM ^
It comes down to potential. The Recruiting services (unanimously) agree that Marvin has significantly more potential than Ray. Doesn't necessarily make it true, but thats the thought.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:06 PM ^
Part of the equation is that Ray is 5'10'' and Marvin is 6'1''. One of the consequences of the height differential is that M-Rob can put on more muscle before he starts losing speed than Vinopal, due to his elongated frame.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:04 PM ^
Maybe it is because he plays for the Penguins
December 30th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
I think they're playing on Youngstown State's field
December 30th, 2009 at 3:06 PM ^
Part of the recruiting services ranking also factors in potential to be a multi-year starter, all-conference potential, and also NFL potential as well.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:54 PM ^
Don't remember where I read it, but recruiting analyst have said that stars are based on NFL potential. Meaning that 5* players have a better chance of playing in the NFL and being high draft picks. 1* players are generally not worse than 2* players, they just never had their tape analyzed.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:08 PM ^
All of the recruiting services are racist against white people.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:11 PM ^
Samoans always get a bad rap from the recruiting services.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
I bet if we moved him to slot, he could be the next Wes Welker. Just sayin'
December 30th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
Sorry, but all white people look alike to me so I some times get confused.
December 30th, 2009 at 11:34 PM ^
but always well played.
+1 good sir.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:40 PM ^
Dude, come on...he is the next Ed McCaffery.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
on whether he's best described as "gritty" or "scrappy.".
December 30th, 2009 at 8:00 PM ^
They were all the next Don Beebe!
December 30th, 2009 at 5:49 PM ^
Drew Dileo will be the next Wes Welker
January 1st, 2010 at 12:13 PM ^
You know who else is racist?
Professional sports. There isn't a single white cornerback in the NFL, there are only a handful of white safeties and receivers, etc. Other than quarterback, skill positions are dominated by non-whites.
The biggest racist in sports is Athleticism.
January 1st, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
ruined it for the rest of 'em.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:11 PM ^
Recruiting tapes are also not all that representative. Just because a kid can put together 5 minutes worth of great plays doesn't say much about his overall play.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:49 PM ^
Ezeh, Obi.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:20 PM ^
For a safety to be his size means, according to convential wisdom, that he could be a little more limited. He is really built more like a cornerback. There are some safties in the NFL his height but there are not many.... and those that are his height usually bring either freakish athleticism (Troy Polumolu) or, although short, are built like a tank (Bob Sanders).
That said, just because he does not have typical NFL safety size does not mean he can't be a good college player.... a college player who ultimately develops into an NFL prospect. He can be the exception to conventional wisdom. And despite his height limitation, he brings a nice amount of tools to the table that you can work with and develop.... speed and toughness among them.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:18 PM ^
Being 5'10" doesn't help.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
Bob Sanders is only 5'10'' and he is one of the best safeties in the NFL. And Mike Hart and Braylon Edwards were both 3*. And Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
Accordingly, if RR would just make his entire recruiting class consist of nothing but undersized 3* players who got cut from their high school teams we would be an unstoppable force.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:25 PM ^
This topic may have been covered in past although this new part about players who have been cut from their high school teams certainly lends something new to the analysis.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:42 PM ^
He is listed as 5-11, which seems to be close to the average height of the best safeties in the NFL.
Best Safety in the NFL:
Troy Polamalu 5-10
2010 ProBowl Safeties
Ed Reed 5-11
Jairus Byrd 5-10
Brian Dawkins 6-0
Darren Sharper 6-2
Nick Collins 5-11
Adrian Wilson 6-3
December 30th, 2009 at 6:07 PM ^
It'll be interesting to see what he actually measures in at when he's on campus. I got my number from Rivals btw.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:24 PM ^
I've really liked his highlights. He is a very solid tackler, or at least makes some great tackles on those tapes...Of course, I thought Kenny Demens looked great in his tapes and he's barely seen the field...As others have said, people obviously don't think Vinopal is a high-end athlete...I think Rodriguez must see him as a guy who will at least contribute on special teams. Also, Mooney is a very good program and he'll come to Michigan well-coached.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:27 PM ^
I'll take 5'10 and two stars if he has the football instincts to make the zone read on the deep ball (as opposed to biting on the fake every, oh, 3rd and 24).
December 30th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
Kid is a very solid player ... seen him several times and you always no what you are going to get from him .. he is very well coached and plays good competition ... He is similar to Kyle McCarthy who played at the same school , same position
December 30th, 2009 at 11:37 PM ^
but...
"you always no what you are going to get from him..."
December 30th, 2009 at 3:45 PM ^
This kid is the next Jordan Kovacs. I mean, the similarities are uncanny.
What do you guys think....imagine three years of Kovac and Vinopal thrashing offenses!
December 30th, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
noice! I especially liked his punt return! Looked like Charles Woodson! I'd be nice if he could fix our returning woes.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
I think Drew Dileo will have that responsibility
December 30th, 2009 at 4:56 PM ^
to whomever can HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL...
December 30th, 2009 at 3:43 PM ^
This kid's closing speed is impressive, as well as his ball instincts. Once again, star rankings be damned.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:51 PM ^
Its because of his offer list,
Bowling Green and Kent State are his only other offers.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
He was about to go to 4* status--but then he committed to Michigan and the Michigan H8Ting everything decided to keep him at 2*.
December 30th, 2009 at 4:20 PM ^
After watching the film, my response, "How he do that?"
December 30th, 2009 at 4:36 PM ^
your law blog!
December 30th, 2009 at 4:51 PM ^
for a crime someone else noticed?
December 30th, 2009 at 5:25 PM ^
I don't care what color his skin is or how he's rated, that boy can play. That's the type of player you want on your team; he's fast, he's tough, and he's not so small that it will be a problem at the college level.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:41 PM ^
that Vinopal and Dyson Blades got into it at one point over who was faster. Apparently Vinopal beat him in the 1-legged race, but Dyson got the better of him at crab walking. They were going to race the 40 meters, but then it got dark.
True story, bro.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:23 PM ^
I always thought that 1-5 star rating was based on how soon a player can make an impact. That's also according to the Scouts grading scale. If the Scouts grade is true then we may not see him making an impact until 2013.
December 30th, 2009 at 7:02 PM ^
with this players grades and athletic abilities, Michigan Football just got better. Welcome Ray, your already one of my favorite recruits.
December 30th, 2009 at 7:24 PM ^
How do we pronounce "Vinopal"?
vin-OH-pull ?
VIN-oh-pal ?
VEEN-oh-pull ?
other ?
December 30th, 2009 at 8:06 PM ^
vihn-oh-paul
December 30th, 2009 at 9:09 PM ^
VIHN-oh-paul?
vihn-OH-paul?
December 30th, 2009 at 8:49 PM ^
My goodness, can we stop trying to make him an honorary 4-star? You must have watched the Robinson film with your conclusion predetermined. Vinopal is what he is, he got a 2 star rating based on his film and on prejudice, he's not the make-or-break prospect of the class, yet has been discussed more than Gardner since he's been brought up. Don't kid yourself; Marvin Robinson is a better prospect. He makes plays, yes, every D1 recruit makes plays on film because they're playing high school kids. We'll see what he can do when he gets into camp.
January 1st, 2010 at 12:10 PM ^
Ray Vinopal is not 5'11". If he's 5'11", then my wiener is 14 inches.
AROUND.
January 1st, 2010 at 12:16 PM ^
Mine's only six inches, but most girls don't like it that thick...
January 2nd, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
Nothing against Vinopal but highlight tape don't tell the whole story. They never show the bad traits of a player. Being that he's from a big time program he's probably been well scouted. His biggest problem might be that ND safety McCarthy has been well below average at ND. Coaches will use the performance of former players to project how current player project in college. This has nothing to do with him being "white" and more or less about the level of competition he performs well against and how he performed in the camps. His offer list says it all but hopefully he will be a good player for Michigan but chances are he won't.