Hello: Reon Dawson
Via:
Reon Dawson is a WOLVERINE. He just committed to Michigan. Story coming on http://Scout.com
OH DB Reon Dawson has committed to Michigan. The former Illinois commit was planning on calling both coaching staffs Wednesday. I dunno what changed that, this just came across my twitter feed. I hope it's not a journalist ruining a kid's moment, but I don't actually have a scout subscription, so we'll see what news comes out from here.
Welcome Reon, and Go Blue
EDIT: Confirmed by TomVH
Michigan picks up commit No. 26: http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/michigan/forums/_/the-den#!/topic/1358216850-882-457 …
January 14th, 2013 at 10:36 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^
Ryan, Jake.
Taylor, Raymon
Morgan, Desmond
January 15th, 2013 at 6:25 AM ^
Raymon Taylor hasn't really done anything yet. He's young and there's potential, but the only reason he's even a starter is because Blake Countess got hurt.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^
Hope it works out the same way it worked with Jake Ryan 3 classes ago. Ohio getting Scott McVey, The highly touted linebacker recruit out of san ignatious and Michigan getting Ryan, his 2 star late bloomer with MAC offers team mate... I'm very happy with the result.. just saying'...
January 15th, 2013 at 2:35 AM ^
Dude, what in the hell are you talking about? Try to understand this: The coaches don't give a damn about ratings!!! Did you catch that? How many of these recruiting "experts" have won conference championships, or national championships in division I football? Mattison alone has enough credentials to re-teach the entire industry of recruiting "experts" on what to look for in a recruit. Picture them in a filmroom, mesmerized by the genius and wealth of knowledge displayed in his analysis. Then again, maybe you should get in touch with the staff and offer your opinions and advice. I'm sure it would be a humbling experience for these unproven characters.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:43 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 12:14 AM ^
Completely agreed. This staff has not recruited a single elite corner (or, for that matter wide receiver) in three classes, and the three elite corners that came in under RR (Cissoko, Turner, and Christian) all left the program well before even sniffing the end of their eligibility. To the extent that he was so good as a freshman, Countess has been a nice surprise, but the rest of the corners are like Rosie O'Donnell's rocking chair--ready to collapse at any second. They're a bunch of hard-working but middling recruits who are just okay at college football, and, still, people here wonder why the secondary remains such a concern.
January 15th, 2013 at 2:41 AM ^
You have a strange definition of the word elite if you consider Cullen Christian elite and Blake Countess and Jordan Lewis are midling recruits. I think they were/are both ranked higher than Cullen Christian ever was.
Not to mention that Blake Countess has produced more on the field in one year more than Turner or Cullen Christian have combined.
January 15th, 2013 at 3:47 AM ^
When speaking about recruits, the only meaningful definition of "elite" is their recruiting ranking. Cullen Christian was the #3 CB to Scout and the #8 CB to Rivals. By way of contrast, Blake Countess was the #20 CB to Scout and the #10 CB to Rivals, and Terry Richardson was the #14 CB to Scout and the #18 CB to Rivals.
It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. One CB, Cullen Christian, was top-10 at his position according to the two most reputable recruiting services. Only one of the other two cracked the top-10, and he only did so on one recruiting site.
Your point about production is irrelevant.
January 15th, 2013 at 7:42 AM ^
Not everyone can be a five star in the eyes of these services..and many times they aren't bc they don't hit the camp circuit or play in the site sponsored all-star game. With a lot of hokes recruits they've been committed long before the camp circuit and choose not to go bc they're already firm in their commitments to play for us. Elite is all in the eye of the beholder.
January 15th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
Listen Garth, the Jake Ryans of the world are few and far between. And elite is not in the eye of the beholder, despite what your mother tells you. It has been well-established here and elsewhere that recruiting rankings are reliable predictors of talent.
January 15th, 2013 at 6:27 AM ^
You can't count the 2011 class against Hoke and Co. The guy had about three weeks to convince people to play for him. Elite guys generally take more than three weeks to convince. I'll give you the 2012 and 2013 classes as being entirely Hoke's (although the jury's still out on whether any elite players came from those classes).
January 15th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
but a handful of people have been flipping shit the last few days that the '12 and '13 classes not being good. After all, the '12 class has yet to dominate the B1G, and there are a number of targets from the '13 class that Michigan DIDN'T get.
This is why I drink.
January 15th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
Speaking for myself only, I'm not "flipping shit," but I am disappointed that Hoke hasn't pulled a single elite receiver in two (and a half) recruiting classes. Heck, he hasn't even gotten a top-25 guy to commit. Also, signing four cornerbacks, three of which are pretty meh is a bit puzzling.
January 15th, 2013 at 9:49 AM ^
I'll give concede your point re: 2011 not being on Hoke. However, the jury is not out with respect to whether certain recruits were elite. They either were or weren't elite coming out of high school. We can debate what defines an elite recruit, but once that matter's settled, the issue of who is and isn't an elite recruit doesn't require waiting to see their college performance.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:04 AM ^
This is why I drink.
It isn't just a matter of where to draw the line on "elite." It's what you LOOK FOR to define elite. Sure, it's nice to have a bright shiny 5-star rating on Scout. But there are middling 4-stars with offers from everyone under the sun, and most of them would be considered fantastic gets by pretty much everyone not worried about the final averages. Besides, most of us would like to at least see these kids play some meaningful snaps before judging their eliteness.
Now, with that said.. have you even SEEN the recruiting rankings? EVERYONE considers this class to be among the best in the country, with every service giving Michigan at least 16 (!!!) four- or five-stars. Derrick Green would give Michigan four 5-stars on Scout.
January 15th, 2013 at 10:48 AM ^
Okay, well I'm not sure what you're looking for with the term "elite" but both Terry Richardson and Jourdan Lewis are top-100 prospects to ESPN, if I recall correctly. And both were all-American game participants. So if that counts, then there you have it. They're not consensus 5-stars or anything, but they're pretty highly rated.
January 15th, 2013 at 11:34 AM ^
No disputing that there are a lot of highly rated recruits in this year's class or that this year's class is good overall. The frustration I'm expressing is over the fact that Hoke and Co. are pulling in elite talent at linebacker, on the O an D lines, at QB, and at RB, but they're still whiffing on elite prospects at other key positions (particularly WR). Additionally, as I mentioned before, signing three meh CBs doesn't make much sense to me. It's spaghetti on the wall recruiting, which I don't think works in the long run.
January 15th, 2013 at 11:53 AM ^
Games are won in the trenches. I agree that it's a little bit frustrating regarding wide receivers and such, but a good offensive line and a good defensive line can make your team pretty good immediately. Wisconsin has done a good job up front without a ton of skill talent, and that's worked out pretty well for them in recent years. Stanford developed a good line and tight ends, got a good QB, and the wide receivers haven't really mattered.
January 15th, 2013 at 1:52 PM ^
The frustration I'm expressing is over the fact that Hoke and Co. are pulling in elite talent at linebacker, on the O an D lines, at QB, and at RB, but...
You do realize that you just started your lament with "I know Michigan is pulling in elite talent at 64% of defensive positions and about 72% of offensive positions, BUT..."
Unless you were following that with "...but they continue to feast on the bones of the villagers," then whatever gripes you have about recruiting are ridiculous.
January 15th, 2013 at 7:50 AM ^
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush. We can still take an elite corner or two in 2014.
We should all realize by this point that one or two of these corners will probably be gone by 2015. Spots open up all the time due to injury, unhappiness, grades, etc.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:40 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 9:45 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 10:21 PM ^
.......what she said
January 14th, 2013 at 10:26 PM ^
January 15th, 2013 at 10:49 AM ^
Agreed, but for questioning a recruit's character. But he'll recover from that one next month and likely have a long and prosperous MGoCareer.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:46 PM ^
Whats the scouting report on this kid? Why is he ranked so low? I don't care about stars just want to know why he is so under the radar,especially being 6'2. Is he slow? Did he not hit the camp circuit?
January 14th, 2013 at 9:51 PM ^
We once "stole" a Trotwood-Madison kid from a B1G school.
He was listed at 6'1 1/2, 186 and was the #86 ranked WR.
His name was Roy Roundtree.
Not bad?
January 15th, 2013 at 5:26 AM ^
I think Roy was closer to 160 pounds as a freshman - may be barely 185 now.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^
Hasn't played football for very long. No camps. Raw technique wise. Very good athlete. Has the raw tools to be a pretty good player with some experience.
At worst a special teams demon.
I always thought he would be a pretty good free safety though. Not that him eventually being a FS would be a bad thing. UM has been looking for one of those for what? A decade or two?
I always liked the idea of filling out a class with athletic DB's and LB's for the coverage teams to avoid things happening like Sanders, Ace.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:48 PM ^
for the last spot and that'll be the end of this class.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
Many people believe we'll take 28 players in this class.
That's two more spots - so you're down to Green, Hunt and the new TE from Texas (Smythe) for those two spots.
Others believe the long snapper (Spyneiwski) may have conditions on his offer - if this is true, you're talking 28 or 29 spots depending on your belief in the first assumption.
Personally, I think 28 is the number. I'm just not sold we'll even get the opportunity to take 28. I think we get Green and it'll be tougher to secure one of the last two.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:12 PM ^
except considering how Smythe's name just popped up again, another new possibility or two wouldn't surprise me. Sam Webb has been hinting the class could get to 29. Maybe he knows something about those possible conditions.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:22 PM ^
Maybe getting to 29 is based on further attrition.
January 14th, 2013 at 11:44 PM ^
Unfortunately, I think this is probably the most likely explanation. (Of course, I think that based on nothing).
January 15th, 2013 at 8:18 AM ^
No word on Hagerup yet AFAIK, but it wouldn't be a stretch to assume he's going to be shown the door.
January 14th, 2013 at 11:01 PM ^
Seems that enough new names have been coming into play, and there's always signing day drama, such as the Norfleet thing last year, and you never want to turn away a player like that.
January 15th, 2013 at 12:22 AM ^
I predict that we will have at least one surprise decommit at the last minute, and he'll be replaced by somebody not currently very prominent on our radar.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:50 PM ^
Welcome aboard Reon
January 14th, 2013 at 9:50 PM ^
Damn, caught without my seatbelt on!! GO BLUE!!
January 14th, 2013 at 9:51 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 9:56 PM ^
I like how he stays deep enough and moves fast enough to not get beat, and adjusts to the play. Too many times this year I've seen guys line up too close, wait till the WR has a 5 yard head of steam to really move, and then scramble after they get beat deep. Other times we've had some blown zone coverages where guys leave their man and find acres of space in the middle, and I think Reon won't be as susceptible to that. He isn't the most aggresive tackler, actually he's not a very good tackler, or blazing fast, but he's 6'2", he's a willing tackler, and he's pretty instinctive. I think he's gonna buy our front enough time to get to the qb.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
A very fluid athlete in the video, not a great tackler tho. I would guess he just got overshadowed by burrows, cause he looks pretty good to my eyes.
January 14th, 2013 at 10:08 PM ^
Two 6'2 CBs going to Michigan and Ohio.
January 14th, 2013 at 9:58 PM ^
January 14th, 2013 at 10:00 PM ^
it's always nice to get a tall DB