Rivals 5* Challenge: Top Performers (Onwenu)
Rivals held their Five-Star Challenge this weekend in Baltimore, and Michail Onwenu was the #8 performer on Offense.
https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1772536
I actually thought he did a little better than that, but whatevs. I think any concerns about weight should be chucked - he moves very well. Check out the video yourself.
https://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/RivalsChallenge-OL-v…
https://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/rivalschallenge-ol-v…
Matt Farniok Forever.
Other players of note were were #11 Terrance Davis and #17 Amir Mitchell, both top targets for Michigan.
On Defense, unfortunately no M commits, but still plenty players of interest. #3 Devin Bush is the son of the HS coach holding the Florida camp that Harbaugh HARBAUGH'd. He visits this week I believe. He looks like an absolute beast on film. #4 Rashan Gary was excellent as well, clearly looks like an elite NFL prospect to me, but what the hell do I know. #5 Levert Hill, brother of M safety Delano Hill, continues to perform well. He maintained his PSU commitment through the camp, despite heavy BALLZ to Sparty recently (and UofM before that). #6 Jonathan Cooper is (sigh) OSU's next edge terror, but he'll need to get bigger. And finally #17 Daelin Hayes looks like he has NFL size in the videos, for any lonely soul insisting on keeping the lighthouse lit for his return home to AA.
https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1772537
Additional video, including TE target Nasier Upshur.
https://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/rivals-challenge-ski…
https://rivals.yahoo.com/video/recruiting-football/rivals-challenge-ski…
I thought Michigan only recruited 3 stars and below...weird.
FWIW, I read that Lavert Hill was hit-and-miss, which has been the story on him all along. I know he's an in-state guy, but he's not really someone I mind losing to PSU or elsewhere. It sounds like he's very inconsistent.
Offensive line evaluations mean essentially jack squat from camps like this. So I wouldn't read too much into the Onwenu thing.
Also, Daelin Hayes is another guy who seems to be getting rave reviews because he's 6'3" and about 250 lbs. and pretty athletic. But he hasn't played much high school football, and I hear more about his body/frame than his actual ability to play football. I have no opinion of him because there's basically no film to evaluate, but I'm cautious about crowning him as a must-have type of player or anything like that.
he was.
He sounds like a player this staff could do well with if they are as good at turning athletes into football players as they believe they are.
Which one?
I assume he was referring to Daelin Hayes based on his physical stature and athleticness.
Thanks, yes I was refering to Hayes.
It is always hard for me to understand how an amazing physical specimen can't put it altogether and dominate in football. I was on the track team and we had this dominating sprinter/hurdler. He was 6'4 and probably 230 pounds of muscle. Top 5 in the big ten in the short sprints. Top 5 in the big ten in hurdles. So you know the guy is a beast. Just muscles on top of muscles.....hurdles prove he is crazy athletic.....and insane speed. And he was a walk-on for the football team and he was just the worst. You would think the guy could at least play special teams but he got zero playing time. I still don't understand how it didn't work out.
Hill does get beat deep pretty badly in one of the skills videos above.
I don't understand why offensive line drills wouldn't be helpful from these types of camps. It's pass blocking only, seems to favor the defense, and isn't in pads, so sure there are limitations. But you get to see a player handle a defender in space, see his footwork, see his competitiveness. If evals of OL are worthless, how do kids earn camp offers from coaches when the go to college camps and do essentially the same drills? Since they do earn offers at those camps, I conclude that coaches find value in it.
Or are you saying the drills completed in college camps are different than those used in Rivals-type camps?
What's the point of seeing an offensive guard handle a defender in space when he won't do that in college?
College coaches like to see kids in person, but they usually evaluate highlights/game film before they offer. Most offers you see aren't just "Hey, I saw you out in the sunshine with no pads on the other day, and I think you can be a starting offensive guard for us in a couple years." There's more to it than that.
Drills in the 5-star Challenge and in college camps are roughly the same. I just don't think they have much value for certain positions. I think those camps have a lot of value for cornerbacks and wide receivers, less value for running backs/linebackers/quarterbacks, and very little for linemen.
And honestly, I question some of the coaching that takes place at these "challenges". But I do think there is a lot to in-person evals of OL for coaches. I think that coaches can put guys through some drills and tests (and take measurements) and see if they have the potential to fix some of their limitations (does this guy have bad feet or bad coaching or just really bad technique right now?).
But those evaluations aren't taking place with an OG going 1v1 a DT without pads, which I think pretty much tells you nothing compared to even film. I think the in-person evaluation can be very important, I don't think Rivals Challenges are important at all for grading out OL prospects.
The coaching is another thing I question, too. I know at the camps being run by Harbaugh, it's Michigan's staff, South Florida's staff, some high school coaches assisting, etc. From what I've seen in past years (not sure about this year), some of these Rivals camp coaches seem to be guys off the street. They're not getting cream-of-the-crop college or NFL coaches to work their camps.
Of course I know it's not the absolute determination of an offer, but coaches invite lineman to camps, and based on their performance in that camp, some get an offer and some don't.
And there's more to watching a drill than the thing itself: foot speed, athleticism, technique, and competitiveness are all measurable from seeing them in person. And I wouldn't go so far as to say an OG never sees rusher in space - they'll see plenty on DE stunts and LB blitzes.
I don't view a defensive end spiking inside as "blocking in space," so I'll just agree to disagree. It's just not a helpful exercise in determining ability, in my opinion, aside from seeing how big a guy is, shaking his hand, looking him in the eye, seeing how he acts, etc. But those things can be determined on an unofficial visit, by meeting him at his school, etc.
Well, Lavert Hill sounds like he doesn't want to come to Michigan anyway. When Mike Farrell asked him if he was considering the other school in Michigan (i.e., UofM), he laughed and shook his head.
I found that a little strange since his brother is here. Wonder if he just doesn't want to go to school with his brother or if there is some other reason.
I think there are other reasons. I've heard rumors, but it's not something I want to speculate about here.
Where do you hear these rumors? I want to hear them too.
I hang out in the bathroom stall at Detroit King.
It has a swag hole?
Right now the coaches at King dont like Michigan very much. And in a lot of inner cities these football coaches are surrogage dads to a lot of their players. So if your dad tells you dont go to Michigan...
It's a shame because King is pushing out a lot of talent - they have 2 Div 1 cornerbacks and 1 everyone thinks is headed to MSU and the other - if he flips - is going there too. Then Corley is there and would give MSU a trio of WRs in 1 class that is pretty damn rare. Like Cass Tech they are putting out a lot of talent but unlike Wilcher their staff is apparently not doing UM any favors. I guess the Norfleet thing seems to have really hurt too.
Were you there in person to watch this event? If not you are basing your opinion on his #8 rating based on the clips they posted online?
Do you mean where I said I believed he was better than #8? Yes, I'm basing it on the clips above.
Five of the Top 10 Performers are from Florida. Yeah, I think that Summer Swarm was well worth the investment.
Michael Onwenu reminds me of David Dawson (and not just because of the Cass Connection). I really hope that Dawson and Kugler are able to play their way onto the field this year.
I've been really rooting for Dawson since his struggles with his family growing up and how he has always been described as so nasty on the field. Hoping he develops under Drevno to be a serious contributor. We are going to need a much better OL based on the type of talent that OSU and MSU continue to haul in on their DLs.
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Interesting. Mike Farrell actually had Simmons as one of the more questionable performers at the event. He basically said that his stock was going down, and it's unclear what position he can play at the next level.
https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1772865