Position changes in 2013 class
Any thoughts out there on possible position switches in this class? There seems to be a lot of commits that could have the "ATH" label. Dymonte shows great RB skills in his highlight films, Jourdan Lewis as a WR, and Wyatt Shallaman seems like a possibility too.
Thoughts?
November 29th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
Dymonte Thomas, like Charles Woodson, has expressed the desire to play defense in college. Both Woodson and Thomas are/were great HS RB's but preferred D. Dymonte is going to play D and he going to be very very good.
November 29th, 2012 at 12:22 PM ^
I would love to see Furman move to RB - I've been campaigning for that for a while. It doesn't look like he'll get snaps any time soon at S, with guys like Wilson getting snaps over him already, Gant and Clark coming off redshirts and Dymonte coming in.
Furman was a great RB in high school, and seems to fit what Borges wants at the position. Plus he's really fast. Give him a try - all he's doing is special teams now anyway.
November 29th, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^
Not many guys switch from O to D/D to O and then find success at their new position. The biggest success in recent years is probably Quinton Washington, who was an offensive guard for a couple seasons before switch to defensive tackle. Cam Gordon went from WR to S to LB, but his success has been iffy. William Campbell went from DT to OG to DT, but that doesn't really count. Jordan Paskorz went from LB to TE, but he's buried on the bench and played in just one game this year (on special teams).
November 29th, 2012 at 2:14 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^
"I don't know, I think it's possible, and when a guy's not getting PT on one side, why not try?"
I don't see where I said anything to contradict what you wrote.
November 29th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 2:26 PM ^
Nah, I'm just saying it's not frequently fruitful.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
Paskorz may not be the best athlete and might not contribute much on the field but he is one hell of a nice guy. I used to work at south quad cafeteria and would occasionally be stationed as a swiper. Used to have a lot of athletes come in. I would always greet people with many of the generic "hello, how you doing" type responses. Most of the students were generally polite back and some of the athletes would be cordial, but I always remember Paskorz would respond and be really cool and engaging. It was generally just shooting the shit but I always thought he was a damned nice guy. Ya I know, cool story bro. Also, I'm not posting this because I thought you were saying anything negative about him but just wanted to highlight he seems to be a cool guy.
November 29th, 2012 at 1:28 PM ^
But offense to defense the one that sticks out to me is Ian Gold. Came in as a running back, but switched to linebacker and spent 8 years in the NFL.
Less successful, but Morgan Trent was a wide receiver his redshirt year, then became a cornerback. But he bounced around the League for the previous 3 years.
I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking about. Every back up running back gets some consideration elsewhere. I always think about radical same side of the ball switches. We've had some success taking quarterbacks and making them tight ends.
November 29th, 2012 at 1:36 PM ^
Riemersma comes to mind. From QB to TE
How about Paul Jokisch from BBall to football ala Kelvin Grady
Seems Jokisch was going to transfer from M until a kindly Bo Schembecler convinced him to do otherwise.
- "Jokisch was actually preparing to transfer to Tennessee or Notre Dame to play hoops after his sophomore year, and then Bo politely called him in and convinced him to try him out for spring football. Schembechler’s nice guy act worked on Jokisch as he obviously cancelled the plans for the transfer decided to stay and play for Bo. The next fall Bo promptly tore him a new one."
November 29th, 2012 at 1:40 PM ^
Andy Mignery was another QB-to-TE switch.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:06 PM ^
listed as a QB / rivals had him as "ATH"
November 29th, 2012 at 3:08 PM ^
as a WR
November 29th, 2012 at 3:14 PM ^
I think we're talking about people who changed positions in college, not from high school to college.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:20 PM ^
started with 3 names of players that are still in High School (Thomas, Shallman, and Lewis)
November 29th, 2012 at 3:26 PM ^
Yeah, the conversation kind of took a tangent with M-Wolverine's comment above, I think...
Besides, it's not really a position change if a kid plays RB and S in high school, gets recruited for S, and then plays RB his freshman year. To me it only counts as a position *switch* if you weren't playing that position previously. So next year Thomas can't switch to RB, Shallman can't switch to DE, etc. because they already play those spots.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:35 PM ^
Have there been any side changes at skill positions that have really worked out? I hear a lot about how we should try certain people like Dymonte or Furman at RB, but given what we see this year I don't know how that can be possible....If there have been steller skill position side switches then I'm curious who they are.
Because with Furman and the discussion of Shallman getting a shot before moving, he meant from a skill position on offense to a defensive one. But with Dymonte he might still be talking about out of high school.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
The thread started about what guys in the class might play positions other than what they play in high school. Then it came up that Shallman was going to get a shot at RB first, and after that any switches might happen. So the guy asked if that ever really works, a guy coming here to play one position, and was switched to another after trying out for one (specifically skill position players). I don't think Breaston was ever going to be anything but a WR/return guy. That's why he redshirted, because he had be a running QB just because he was the most talented guy on the field, and had to learn to be a receiver. More along the lines of Antonio Bass. (Sigh)
It did make me think of Jermaine Gonzales, who threw like 7 passes at QB as a freshman before he basically became a full time receiver; but that wasn't the most successful case.
November 29th, 2012 at 7:54 PM ^
HS and College are two very different levels. A great athlete in HS could put up big numbers at RB simply because he can beat everyone to the edge, or otherwise rely on his athleticism to win the battles. That isn't the case in college when a more in depth knowledge of the position as well as intangibles such as vision or presence in the pocket. A better athlete won't necessarily win the battle because the guy on the other side is also a great athlete.
When it comes to recruiting, I'm assuming that the coaches look beyond athleticism and look for the intangibles when determining what type of position is right. In the case of Dymonte or Ross they put up great numbers at RB, but is that because of an athletic mismatch or because of them being great RBs? This is why I was wondering about the position switches. Obviously the coaches saw something in Dymonte and Ross that said DB and not RB. We don't really know how the coaches rated them as RBs. Maybe they aren't good RBs and just great athletes at that position. Thus, big numbers won't necessarily translate to the college game. Maybe Dymonte has great vision and all the other RB stuff, but chances are the coaches think that it is better to go after true RBs like Smith, Green or Isaac.
This is why I am skeptical that position switches will necessarily work, so I wondered about specific examples.
December 3rd, 2012 at 11:44 AM ^
But I consulted and came up with some more, and some really big successful examples-
- Julius Curry - Arrived (went through first year) as a running back
- Damon Denson - Started two years as defensive tackle, then started two years at guard
- Charles Drake - Played as a true freshman at running back
- Steve Hutchinson - Arrived (went through first year) as a defensive tackle
- Glen Steele - Played tight end as a freshman
Completely forgot about Hutch, and that obviously worked out. Steele too. And the other weren't bad to good.
November 29th, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
Also, we need depth at cornerback, so I don't see Lewis moving.
November 29th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 1:09 PM ^
Doesn’t mean it is over, could return. Sounds like coaches and Conley agreed he needed a breather, be free and explore. (Sounds like that what the Amish do.) /s
November 29th, 2012 at 1:25 PM ^
I don't think Conley will end up in this class, most likely scenario is that he will visit Oregon, get his offer, and commit there... the only thing I see stopping that is if Kelly bolts for NFL.
Is there a possibility that Da'Mario Jones ends up in the defensive backfield?
November 29th, 2012 at 1:29 PM ^
I don't think Jones looks like that great of a prospect defensively, and those "analysts" who have seen him in person agree. I think he's a much better offensive player.
November 29th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^
I will be surprised if Shallman doesn't end up on the defensive side of the ball. He is not the prime ball carrier on his HS team and I don't think he will be a great fit at RB for M either. Mattison is going to get that promising young man to play D.
November 29th, 2012 at 12:19 PM ^
I see Shallman's strength on offense being his versatility. I can see him at RB, FB and at TE catching passes. I can see Borges using that versatility to drive defense nuts along with players like Hayes/Norfleet.
November 29th, 2012 at 1:25 PM ^
Like Harbaugh used Owen Marecic at Stanford.
Dude was a stud at FB and a stud at LB
November 29th, 2012 at 2:30 PM ^
I can see him takling about all of the possibilities that Shallman presents, drawing up tons of unique plays for months, and then instead putting Rawls in and asking him to run into a stacked interior line.
November 29th, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^
Dymonte Thomas - Safety depth looks scary without him. He has to stay in the secondary and I think he plays a lot this year.
Wyatt Shallman - I think he eventually moves to defense, but not this year.
Jourdan Lewis/Stribling - Possible one of them moves to offense, especially Lewis, who just got named All State at WR by the Detroit News. But I think at least one of Darboh and Chesson can break out and be our outside receiver, allowing Gallon to move to the slot and with Dileo, hopefully solidifying an average-ish receiving corps.
But yeah, our RB situation scares me next year if Fitz is not %100. Maybe we do more 4-5 receiver sets (with Justice Hayes and/or Norfleet split out) and and air it out more. Passing the ball to Hayes/Norfleet in space sounds like it could work.
November 29th, 2012 at 7:02 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 1:28 PM ^
From the class of 2010...Devin Gardner to WR.
November 29th, 2012 at 3:19 PM ^
I was gonna say "Gardner will switch to QB next year" but then I realized it said 2013 class not just 2013. Oh well.
November 29th, 2012 at 4:52 PM ^
Has there been much thought into what a switch to a left-handed QB and its affect on the OL? Meaning the RT position becomes more imporant than LT, and vice versa across the line. Should we expect a good amount of "switching sides" once Shane becomes a starter?
November 29th, 2012 at 5:05 PM ^
Yeah, they'll probably want the traditional blindside tackle at RT whenever Morris becomes the starter, and the traditional run-blocking tackle at LT.
November 29th, 2012 at 8:11 PM ^
Charles Drake was a RB and became a DB. Ronald Bellomy was a DB became a wr
November 29th, 2012 at 8:21 PM ^
Morgan Trent was a WR and became a DB.
November 29th, 2012 at 8:44 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^
November 29th, 2012 at 8:55 PM ^
Well, that would make him one of 5 sophomore linebackers, when he'd be one of two non-senior FBs. Don't think that's a need.
November 30th, 2012 at 12:36 AM ^
Hello to all maize and blue. I want to preface this all by saying that I am a lifelong Buckeye fan. I am not here to troll, nor to trash talk, but I truly enjoy good dialogue/debate with other college football fans... especially those who share different (in this case, opposite) opinions than I. For the record, I have already started counting down to the next OSU/UM football game, as I see the continuation of our great rivalry. Also, I am looking forward to a great basketball season, as I feel that your Wolverines deserve your top 3 ranking. I hope you don't mind me joining you guys for some good old sports talk...