Vinopal Article AA.com
Just came across this article about Vinopal. Not a bad read, sounds like a good guy. The only knock on him is his "short, stubby legs".
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-safety-recruit-ray-…
January 31st, 2010 at 12:42 PM ^
I'm very excited to see what Ray can do. He just sounds like a real winner, regardless of guru rankings.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:58 PM ^
His situation and mind set remind me of Mike Hart, who also just happened to have short stubby legs.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
Boy would it be ironic if our "lowest ranked recruit" turned out to have a much better career than the much heralded McGuffie. But unfortunately I guess that wouldn't take much.
go blue.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:08 PM ^
Yes, it would be extremely ironic if a 2-star safety recruit from Ohio in the class of 2010 turned out to be better than a 4-star running back recruit from Texas in the class of 2008.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:12 PM ^
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:42 PM ^
I don't know what's wrong with it, it's a perfectly cromulent usage of the word.
/Krabappeled
January 31st, 2010 at 1:57 PM ^
...I could embiggen the +1 I just gave you.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:58 PM ^
exhibit a slight tendency toward knowitallism
January 31st, 2010 at 11:53 PM ^
...I'm pretty sure that if that were true I would know about it.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:25 PM ^
Or maybe it does mean what he thinks it means. . .
January 31st, 2010 at 2:33 PM ^
There would only be irony if the two situations were related. It would be ironic if Vinopal turned out to be better than Sean Parker. It would be ironic if Conelius Jones turned into a better quarterback than Devin Gardner.
It would NOT be ironic if Conelius Jones turned out to be a better quarterback than, say, Rick Leach.
As I pointed out above, Vinopal and McGuffie play different positions, are from different states, and will graduate from high school in separate years.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:50 PM ^
I figured his citation of "irony" had to do with violation of expectations, and thus the star ratings being out- (Vinopal) or underperformed (MacGuffie). It would then, in each case independently, be a correct identification of situational irony (factual outcomes contradicting expectations, in this case analogous to the situation outlined in the rather good example that involves the tennis seeding).
But whatever. Dude can fight his own battles.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:02 PM ^
I understand what you're saying. It would make sense if we had heard lots of people say "Vinopal won't be as good as McGuffie." I've just never seen that thought expressed anywhere.
January 31st, 2010 at 10:12 PM ^
I've said this before, but the McGuffie (mild) bashing that goes on here and was exemplified by the original post comparing him to Vinopal makes no sense at all. McGuffie had 2 100 yard games as a true freshman and showed toughness and skill catching the ball. The only thing that makes him a mistake was that he is not with our team any longer--but as a player, I think he will show people that his ranking was warranted. IMO he already did, despite the injuries.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:09 PM ^
Keep in mind that 2 years ago, we had one solitary 2-star recruit, from Ohio in fact (Omameh). He seems to be doing quite well.
Does this mean Ray will be a starter? No, but it's more evidence that RR knows what he wants, whether or not Rivals agrees.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:18 PM ^
2-star or not, it doesn't really show that RR knows what he wants. He's also brought some 4-stars and 3-stars who haven't lived up to their potential and/or have transferred.
He also brought in Taylor Hill and Justin Feagin, as well as honoring commitments from other 2008 kids like Dann O'Neill and Kurt Wermers.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:25 PM ^
That comment wasn't supposed to be "this 2 star is good so Ray will be too" type of post. But RichRod has gotten production out of the lower rated recruits he's brought in. Vincent Smith and Tay Odoms were both near the bottom of their respective classes as well, and they have both been good players for M.
Some people like to write kids off before they get to AA just because of their rankings, and a few examples show that this shouldn't be the case.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:05 PM ^
How can people call Vincent Smith a success at this point? He played one game, got a whopping 28 yards rushing and caught a couple passes. And then got injured--not even lasting an entire game.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:11 PM ^
when you don't know what you're talking about.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:14 PM ^
How did you get a +1 for this? Pity?
January 31st, 2010 at 2:21 PM ^
Or, alternatively, we could tell the story like this:
he ran for 4.0 ypc against the 7th best rushing defense in the country, plus caught three passes for almost ten yards a pop and a touchdown.
Shut up and go away.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:32 PM ^
Good to see that Rich Rod has yet again saved a soul from the clutches of the Tressel-Devil.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:36 PM ^
His highlight tape is the 2nd most impressive I've seen this year (first was Tony Drake). Fast as hell and hits like a truck. I could even see him moving to RB if he had to.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:00 PM ^
that highlight film is something else. If a 6'2" 215 lb. recruit sent the same exact highlight film we'd all be drooling and talking about him being the next coming of Taylor Mays or Charles Woodson, then in the next breath be worried about a school like Florida or USC swiping him from us. He looks destined for serious playing time.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^
but by my estimation we have carvin, marvin, maybe tony jefferson, rashad knight, and/or demar dorsey. not to mention some young safeties now including vlad, and everyone seems to think all the aforementioned are going to be stars. as much as i would like to see him succeed, i dont think anyone can say for certainty that hes destined for "serious playing time".
January 31st, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
...is where that Tony Jefferson comment came from.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:18 PM ^
youre right. meant sean parker. dont know what happened there.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:09 PM ^
Barwis can fix them.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:12 PM ^
I'm glad he got some money out of that OSU
gear, it makes pretty good kindling.
He runs a 4.56 40, and he'll only get faster.
All he needs is a little Barwisization to put
on a few pounds, he'll hit like Woodson.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:30 PM ^
That return starting at 1:13 is nuts. Maybe the blue team sucks, I dunno, but I liked how he stayed in bounds and it looks like he has some giddyup.
January 31st, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^
He popped that guy out of bounds on the left sideline and kept going. He kinda looks like an achondroplastic dwarf but he delivers a hit.
He could see some special teams time as a freshman (not as a returner, but I could see him on kickoff coverage).
January 31st, 2010 at 4:07 PM ^
Thanks for the link. I'm interested to see how he progresses throughout his career. He'll definitely always have a chip.
January 31st, 2010 at 4:21 PM ^
and seeks out contact, not shying away from the big hit. At 175 lbs he seems a bit on the light side, but I guess that's what a red shirt and Barwis are for.