Which DB's Would You Like to Finish the Class
So I know this has been covered in an off-topic manner within the context of other posts, but I just wanted to know, given the plethora of cb recruits that have Michigan interest, who do you want to finish out the CB class. I'm assuming we get Cullen Christian, so that leaves:
-Tony Grimes
-Travis Williams
-Rashad Knight
-Dior Mathis
*I didn't include Safeties, such as Latwan Anderson
I personally would like to see Grimes and Knight finish out the class. Despite Dior's newfound motivation to "Fuck Shit Up," I still think he's a bit overrated as a CB. I know he's fast fast fast, but I honestly think the staff views him as more of a slot than a db. I don't think his cover skills are as polished as either Grimes or Knight and I'm not sure what it is, but something has always irked me a little bit about him.
On the other hand I think Grimes is one of the better corners I've seen film on (albeit highlight films on scout/rivals). He just always seems to make a play, regardless of who he's going up against.
Knight hits people. Hard. Very Hard. His highlights made me cackle with glee for the first time since I saw Jeff Luc's highlights. He lays HITS on people, and that is something this defense has missed for years. Watching the Ohio State game last year it seemed like everytime one of our WR's caught the ball, their DB's smoked them. On the flip side it seemed like our DB's always tripped their WRs up with a weak tackle or worse yet, no tackle at all. I know that a lot of times going for a big hit can result in a missed tackle/big play but I think that Knight's ability to drill someone will bring an aspect to the team that I have sorely missed.
I like Travis Williams as a player I just think he's more option 1b and not option 1. He is a solid player who plays DB un-spectacularly (not that there is anything wrong with that). I think that the other guys have slight edges on him which may be echoed by the coaching staff, given his slow-play commitment (I am assuming here).
So there's my explanations of who and why. Now's your turn. "Fuck Shit Up."
Cullen Christian- Big, athletic, and a macho
John Fulton- (not much of a chance)But the guy looks like a hammer
Dior Mathis- Gotta love Cass Tech, and he still is pretty good
Rashad Knight- Cracks people
(1) Charles Woodson - he still has eligibility, doesn't he?
(2) any one of the kids you mentioned.
Sign them up. Coach them up. Barwis them up. Let them play.
They look good. I do love the hard hits by DB's. Makes me remember Corwin Brown. Now that guy laid down some hits at full speed that hurt just to look at.
cullen, rashad, and then dior/grimes
I'd like Christian and Grimes as CBs, and Knight as a Safety. That would be a nice finish for our DB recruiting. Travis Williams is most likely a Plan B recruit. Neutral on Mathis; he has a nice offer list but he has been average in camps, IIRC.
Knight
Would be nice to get an in-state guy in Mathis
then Grimes
are all DBs, but I don't know if we have a shot at any of them...
1.) Mark Dantonio
2.) Justin Boren
3.) Joe Buck
4.) Scott Boras
5.) Alex Rodriguez
6.) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
7.) Sarah Palin
8.) Osama Bin Laden
9.) Lindsey Lohan
10.) Carrot Top
I would love to finish the class with the following:
CB's
Cullen Christian
Rashad Knight/Dior Mathis/Tony Grimes (any two)
S
Josh Furman
Latwan Anderson
I like Rashad Knight's name the most, though that makes little difference in his ability to FUCK SHIT UP
Done deal.
It seems like everyone is really high on him and I will be honest and say I haven't seen a second of him actually playing football but according to his profile he ran a 4.68 forty. Again, I haven't seen him play and he could have ran faster than that, but it just jumped out as a red flag to me.
fake than other fake 40s. I wouldn't be too worried, if you have instincts/technique and a good feel of the game, it more than makes up for not having top end speed. Malcolm Jenkins, Alphonso Smith from WF, and even Morgan Trent all had 4.5-4.6 speed and were just fine playing corner. (And yes, Trent was plenty fast enough but lacked CB skillz, which seem to be a strength of CC)
Malcolm Jenkins went to my high school and was a year older than me. He was absolutely dominating and won state titles in track almost every year except for a few select races in which he was beaten by a guy ( I forget his name) who had a lot of big time D-1 offers for track. That being said, he "only" (reportedly) ran a 4.6. CC has great fundamentals, and IIRC he has run faster than the 4.6 reported time.
didn't you go to prom with him?
Was the fastest guy on our team.
Never take Scout and Rivals 40's times seriously. They are notoriously inaccurate.
My list
I hope we get - Cullen Christian, Rashad Knight, Dior Mathis and of course keep Courtney Avery committed.
I think the only one who has a real shot at any significant playing time as a freshman (read 3rd CB spot) would be Cullen Christian. The rest of the guys likely could use a redshirt to put on some weight/ get stronger. Although Knight could see special teams duty with the way he hits.
I would go Cullen, then Grimes, then Mathis because he is the local kid (although I really favor Knight.)
Latwan at safety because he looks like he'll seriously have a bad case of road rage back there.
I like my safeties with a good case of "road rage" back there. Just as long as they don't blow tackles trying to make a big hit.
how about all of them!
in this order...
1. latwan anderson
2. cullen christian
3. marquis flowers
4. tony grimes
5. josh furman
6. dior mathis
7. rashad knight