Sam Webb on Zeke Pike
Sam Webb and Allen Trieu spent the week traveling around Ohio with a dip into Kentucky to see Zeke Pike. It sounds like he's hinting we are in a very good position with Zeke.
Highlights from the Recruiting Round Up:
Zeke Pike is very personable. In that respect he's a lot like Ryan Mallett. People might take that to be a negative in some respects but don't; the kid's very personable, a very gregarious young man and he has that charisma you want to see a quarterback have. And you'll find out some things that Michigan really has going for it in the interviews we will have posted on GoBlueWolverine later today. Very clear Michigan is in a good position with him and very, very clear there may be some positive things on the horizon with him.
I'm not a subscriber, but Scout has this in it's title and tease for the interview:
Will Pike Lure UM Mega Class?
In part one of GoBlueWolverine's sit-down with the talented signal caller he discusses his game, his relationship with the Michigan coaching staff, the top schools on his list, where Michigan fits into that group, and more.
Sam continues to talk about several of the other players in Ohio and then he ends his Round Up with this message when asked if we are close with any of the players he visited:
Michigan is very close with a couple of young men that we stopped through to see on this visit. A couple of young men that we will have video interviews with up today. That's not a promise that they will commit, but pay close attention to the guys that we put up.
The three interviews they posted that day from their trip were with LB Joe Bolden, QB Zeke Pike, and S Allen Gant.
Pike = Beast.
Beast = Wolverine
Pike = Wolverine.
because it means OSU would attract only inanimate objects.
Yea, they'd only attract recruits who were "nuts"
Haha..ha...heh. Not funny, but whatever.
You're not that far off.
Or crazy people.
I have a scout membership and have watched the videos, I know im not supposed to give out any premium info but lets just say Pike will be making some more visits this Spring and should make decision in near future. Were in good standing with all the prospects, but anything can happen.
How can you ever forgive yourself for revealing "premium information" that was posted a couple days ago by TomVH?
http://mgoblog.com/diaries/tomvh-visit-reaction-qb-zeke-pike
Ha I know right, I said that because a few people on this board bombarded me when I talked about info from a premium site. All the info usually contains is what Tom or you produce. Worst money I've ever spent.
...and this is correct.
I thought we were about to have a really kinky athletic porno...him and his "gutt" feelings
It would be tremendous to have Zeke Pike commit to Michigan. Bring on the top 10 recruiting class!
the impact Pike would have on recruiting, big name WR's love to have an elite qb in the same class. Lets just hope Pike is realllll cool with Diggs!
the only bad thing is we will not be taking many offense skill players. I'm not complaning because I really want Zeke in this class. I think he is the best QB in country,and like you said it will have to help with getting Diggs!
Bolden and Pike are both good players, but I just don't think Gant is very good. He's a legacy kid AND visited Michigan recently . . . and he still doesn't have an offer. That ought to tell us something.
So if Gant doesn't even have an offer, then the only "couple of young men" we could be "very close with" who also "have video interviews" that are "up today" are Bolden and Pike, right?
Nah, just because Gant hasn't been offered doesn't mean that Gant isn't extremely interested in playing for Michigan. Gant is probably interested, but I don't know if that level of interest is reciprocated.
I was really just playing the part of Crazy Optimist Fan Person and reading too deeply into the OP. I don't consider anyone a member of Michigan's class until LOIs are in, but it's still fun to rub your hands together and speculate wildly. I mean, "close" has to mean close to committing, right? And you can't commit without an offer (unless you're Kevin Hart), right?
There have been a couple guys in the last few years who "committed" to Michigan even though they didn't have offers - Holmes Onwukaife and Travis Williams, at least.
Gant will have to earn an offer at camp if he wants one.
We need to seriously consider that DG might not play four years here. If he's half of what people said he'd be out of high school he could be a legitimate candidate for an early round pick after his redshirt (please? please?) sophomore season.
For Gardner to leave after his third year, he will have had to either beaten out Denard or leave early for the NFL having never started.
Wow. Funny little thing like 4-3 apparently evaded me.
Evidently I'm already at the bar.
And...we also don't know if DG is going to get that redshirt. It seems dicey, and we won't know until the end of his career.
I really don't think it's that dicey. IIRC a high percentage of cases similar to his are granted each year. He meets the requirements and everything.
Zeke likes the idea that in his mind at least, he would be the best fit at QB for what the coaches eventually want to do at the QB position, and feels that he could win the job himself.
He is probably underestimating Devin, and his ability to run the offense that Borges likes to run, but I like his confidence.
He will have to compete against quality players regardless of the school he chooses short of him staying home and playing at Kentucky or something.
This is an extremely valid point. Big-name universities generally have multiple highly-touted recruits on the roster at once (if they take one per year, which seems to be the general belief). Kids like Pike generally come in expecting to compete and planning to work hard enough to start. It'd be no different at Michigan, and hey, if Pike thinks he's better than DG and Bellomy, who are we to argue otherwise?
USC had 2 big time recruits at QB this year and Florida has taken 2 in the same class before. I am sure kids want to start as Freshman but playing where you fit in best might trump an extra year as a starter.
I know that everyone loves DG, but why is everyone already penciling him in as a starter for his last two years. If all goes as planned, that might happen, but if Pike or any other younger player pushes him, I'm sure the coaching staff would reward him. I could see some split time as well (though I'm not sure what message that sends, I'm not a fan of splitting time). Just saying, we shouldn't assume that DG will start for both years after Denard graduates, especially if there is a great prospect providing competition for him. All Hoke has done since he arrived here is preach the need for more competition to help these young men get better.
I really want Pike to commit. I think he's the real deal. To use the proverbial sports cliche, he has so many tools in his tool belt.
I'd pencil him in now, for a couple of anecdotal reasons.
- 5* #5 ranked QB (Pike will be up there as well, granted).
- Rooming with Denard, it makes me think that he has a similar work ethic.
- His extra year and spring practice that he'd have over someone like Pike.
I just think when you combine skill, work ethic and experience, it'll be hard to overtake DG in 2013, though 2014 could be more open.
left out he is very very close friends withtidght end chris barnett
The stories I read on DG was the winter semester he enrolled he busted his ass so much harder than either Robinson or Tate that he made them look lazy to the team. Robinson got the message the message that summer and stepped his game up, Tate didn't and that's where the T-Wolf quote comes from. I as comfortable saying Gardner will start his last 2 years as I would've been saying it for Drew Henson.
He was recruited to come run an entirely different offense than the one we will have by the time it is his turn, one that puts a premium on different skill sets than he had to run either in HS or last year. I'm not saying he can't at all, just that the confidence level would justifiably be far higher for him taking over the spread from Denard than it should be IMO taking over a prostyle offense from Denard--and that offense, once Denard is gone, won't even resemble what we run this year. I like DG's chances because of the "want to" that everyone says he has, but it is far from a sure thing to me.
Don't forget that he's also 6'4 ~215 with a cannon. I'd guarentee that the staff is working their asses off getting his mechanics in order, and once that happens I would bet that you'll see him on Sunday's in a few years.
I actually think Gardner is better suited to a pro style offense than the spread. He's a good runner, but not a dynamic one (in my opinion) like Vince Young or Denard Robinson. You can obviously put the ball in Denard's hands, tell him to run it, and he's going to make a couple big plays a game (as long as he doesn't get hurt). I don't think you could do the same thing with Gardner.
Both Denard and Devin have kinks in their mechanics that need to be fixed, but the ceiling is just as high for Gardner as it ever was.
Eh you must have not seen the spring game or heard any of the spring hype. Denard worked his ass off leading up to that game last year... well that or he just magically got ten times better.
I don't think you're wrong, but I prefer my alma mater to be distinguished as a prestigous University.
That university part is important too. Call me a snob, but I feel like "university" connotes so much more than "college".
thats because a college and a university are two different things. Colleges are specialized schools for higher learning and a university is a collective group of college.
For example, u of m is a university consisting of college of lsa, college of engineering, etc.
Williams College disagrees.
As does Dartmouth College.
williams college is a college because it is only a liberal arts college, kinda like LSA. And as for Dartmouth (also another reason for williams) they keep the college in their name because of historical reasons (people won't identify as much with the school if they changed to university of dartmouth or so)
Traditionally, a college makes up segiments of a university (Harvard College, Michigan's College of Engineering) but there are plenty of prestigious schools that are known as colleges.
When I talk to people from the same school as me, I identify myself as a student of my particular college anyway.
As a graduate of a college, I resent your statement.
I thought he said DB wanted to go to school with Prescott Burgess
prestigious*