TexanGOBLUE

April 25th, 2012 at 10:58 AM ^

Emmit Smith wasn't shiftiest, fastest, or the best. What he had was a MONSTER offensive line, just like the line Michigan has built. Deveon Smith will benefit, he will be great.

Todd Plate's n…

April 25th, 2012 at 11:06 AM ^

wow, color me impressed.  he seems to have great instincts on the defensive side of the ball as well and knows how to bury a dude, I pity the first DB on an opposing team that thinks he has an open sideline to coast down after an int (the one int of Morris' career of course).  Looks like a smart runner who doesn't necessarily look for contact, but knows when it's coming and has a few ways to win those battles. 

artds

April 25th, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^

This has nothing to do with his talent or effectiveness as a RB, but he flails his arms in a really odd way when he runs. I've seen guys with unusual strides before that were done intentionally for extra speed. I'm not sure if that's what he's doing, or if it's just his running style. He definitely won't get mistaken for any of our other ball carriers when he's playing.

MaizeMN

April 25th, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^

He seems to hit the hole very quickly and I love that he keeps his legs churning. I don't think I saw him go down on first contact in that whole clip. I haz happy.

MJ14

April 25th, 2012 at 11:25 AM ^

Why exactly are we still recruiting Ty Isaac? No disrespect to Ty at all, but couldn't we use his scholarship else where? Michigan has a ton of running backs, and they're already bringing in 2 for this year. From this video, I don't see why DeVeon can't be the feature back. Why not use the scholarship on the defensive line or wide receiver?

sundaybluedysunday

April 25th, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^

That is the manballiest manball video these eyes have ever seen. That guy is going to pound it between the tackles and I'm going to like it. That said, I really want Isaac in this class as well, I'm just too concerned about his speed to be comfortable with just him.

Maaly

April 25th, 2012 at 11:41 AM ^

Behind our Oline Smith could avg 4yds a carry. Im not absolutely drooling over Isaac either but if we get him its a plus. I feel as though with our future Oline we should basically be able to line anyone up in the backfield and gain yards.

WolvinLA2

April 25th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^

4 yards per carry?  When this OL gets a few years in, whoever is our starting RB should be getting 6.5 yards per carry, and I'm serious. 

You realize 4 isn't really that impressive right?  That's like me saying, "That McGary sure is a beast on the boards, he looks like he could average at least 6 rebounds a game." 

MichiganMan_24_

April 25th, 2012 at 11:48 AM ^

I watch him in person a few times per yr and kid is tough..He has very good balance that allows him to set his base before impact..There is a hilight early on where he lays MSU verbal Jalyn Powell down in the backfield..might take a yr or two for Smith to understand the difference of the college game..but after that he can wear a D down

artds

April 25th, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^

re: balance, I love short, heavy backs like him and Rawls. I was always a little unsure of whether a 6'3 guy like Issac could be as effective of a ball carrier at this level. You really don't see many successful 6'3 RBs in the NFL, much less in college, although there are a few. Prototypical height seems to be between 5'10 and 6'1

WolvinLA2

April 25th, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^

Damn.  That kid is really good.  The thing that impressed me the most isn't how hard he runs (though he runs incredibly hard) or how hard he is to take down (it usually took 2-3 guys, maybe more, and he still fell forward), but his agility.  He's a big back, so I knew he's be a punisher, but what really impressed me was his ability to cut, spin, and hop on one foot while carrrying a guy to break tackles.  A lot of big backs aren't able do those things at all, let alone as well as he does.

I know this is a highlight video, but it's a long one and all from one season.  I'm sure he had bad plays, but having 6 or 7 highlight level plays every game is impressive. 

champ009kd

April 25th, 2012 at 12:01 PM ^

Just a quick disclaimer... Howland didn't play the toughest schedule last season. While the Youngstown-Warren area is loaded with talent and great teams, Howland doesn't necessrilly see those teams on their schedule. No disrespect, just stating the facts as I'm happy to see a fellow Howland Tiger heading to Ann Arbor.

** Howland plays in the same conference as Liberty, the school that gave us Fitz Toussaint. So once again..not saying he's not awesome..just saying his competition doesnt come close to rivaling what guys like Joe Bolden and Tom Strobel played against.

Link to schedule below.

http://www.joeeitel.com/hsfoot/teams.jsp?year=2011&teamID=736

champ009kd

April 25th, 2012 at 12:08 PM ^

Also, not sure if they run the same offense that they did when I was in high school but if they do he's getting the ball on 90% of the offensive plays. So these highlights are done against teams who know he's getting the ball and they are commiting 8-10 guys to stopping him, most likely keeping 1 safety deep for a "QB oh no!" play. He's the truth.

ND Sux

April 25th, 2012 at 1:40 PM ^

He looks very tough and determined.  Not gonna lie though, Isaac's speed really impressed me when I watched his film.  Ready for some long Tyrone Wheatley type runs in the Big House. 

reshp1

April 25th, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^

Watching a RB accelerate away from defenders in the secondary is awesome, but a luxury. Having a back that hits the gap hard and trucks a LB to fall forward for 6 yards every hand-off is what demoralizes defenses. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have an athlete like Isaac on the team, but I'm more happy about having our needs covered as far as a wrecking ball, every down type back.

mlGOBLUE

April 25th, 2012 at 6:20 PM ^

Nothing more frustrating and humiliating when you're on defense, but man it's fun to watch him shove those guys to the ground.  Looks like some serious strength there.