turd ferguson

January 20th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^

He's currently committed to Notre Dame.  The 247Sports Composite has him as the #6 pro-style QB and #136 player overall in his class.  They also have him at 6'-3.5", 195 lbs (playing in Corona, CA).

There's been an interesting shift in the QB recruiting strategy since last year.  Last year, it seemed like they wanted to be sure that the first guy they offered would commit.  I'm not really sure why.  I like (what I think is) this year's strategy much better -- go try to get guys you like best and don't worry if you get a "no" or two before you get a "yes."

Joined: 12/09/2009

MGoPoints: 26493

True Blue Grit

January 20th, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^

I really like his footwork.  And 4.7 speed if accurate, is damned good.  Personally, I'd love to see Michigan recruit guys with some degree of footspeed.  No more John Navarre's in other words.  Having a QB who can run away from pressure or take off down the field is a big plus.  

Joined: 01/21/2011

MGoPoints: 32200

Libertine

January 20th, 2014 at 9:21 PM ^

I'm not trying to be nit-picky, because I clearly don't have the expertise or eye the coaches do, but a decent number of his passes (in that video) didn't appear to have much zip on them. At least it looked like some of them floated out to the wide receivers.

If a QB doesn't have Morris' speedball arm, is that a correctable thing?

Joined: 01/04/2011

MGoPoints: 536

Magnus

January 20th, 2014 at 9:53 PM ^

Arm strength can grow a little bit, but usually a guy who is a soft thrower doesn't turn into a guy with a Howitzer. If you're a high school senior with a 5 arm, you're not going to turn into a 9 or 10.

The "flutter" issue can sometimes be correctable. For some guys, it's as easy as changing the finger placement on the ball. I remember Tim Couch talking about that little grip change that was a huge plus for his quarterback career (well, "career" might be a strong word, but he was good in high school and college...). Peyton Manning throws an ugly ball, too, but he still gets the job done.

All that being said, am I impressed with Barnett's arm strength? No. No, I'm not.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165885

LSAClassOf2000

January 20th, 2014 at 3:40 PM ^

Aside from Notre Dame and his offer from us, some of his other offers include, California, Arizona, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Duke, Colorado and UCLA, so a rather varied group has had an eye on Barnett. 

If anyone is interested, his Hudl page is (HERE).

 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130507

Magnus

January 20th, 2014 at 7:21 PM ^

Yeah, I wouldn't really consider him a dual threat. He has decent speed, but personally, I think a dual THREAT should be a guy who can beat you with his arm and his feet. Barnett looks like a guy who can keep plays alive with his feet, but he's not going to take over a game on the ground. Denard Robinson was a dual threat. Johnny Manziel, Tim Tebow, RGIII, etc. are dual threats. Andrew Luck can keep plays alive and get out of the pocket, but that doesn't mean he would be a dual threat type of guy.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165885

JohnCorbin

January 21st, 2014 at 1:26 AM ^

Was actually having a discussion with a friend about Locker today.  Locker's first year he put up 13 rushing TDs and 986 yards on the ground.  In later years he was more of a ~400 yard rusher.

But I would have to say he has great speed, as would The Seattle Times  Not elite, but great.  I've heard when he was in high school he hit a few in the 4.4s.  At the combine, he hit a 4.52 at 231 lbs.

I like the mobility comparrison of Barnett to Forcier.  People give Forcier a lot of crap for throwing a lot of picks, but I think he could've been great in college if he was a starter later in his career.

Joined: 07/12/2011

MGoPoints: 428

Lurker

January 20th, 2014 at 11:47 PM ^

"I think a dual THREAT should be a guy who can beat you with his arm and his feet. Barnett looks like a guy who can keep plays alive with his feet, but he's not going to take over a game on the ground." Fundamentally disagree. IMO, a dual-threat QB is one whom you must account for on every play. It doesn't matter if he can go the distance like Robinson or RGIII. Brian Kelly and Nussmier certainly aren't looking to run Barnett or Town 15 times a game. What coaches are looking for in DT QB's are guys who's ability to run & pass create (favorable) numbers situations. If you have to use a defender or two to defend the QB against a possible run, the offense has a numbers advantage at the point of attack. As a defense you only have 11 guys to deploy. With a pocket passer, or a QB who isn't a threat to run, you as a defense have numbers. You have 11 guys to defend 10. Ah, but if the QB can run, the numbers now now favor offense in that its 11 on 11, or even 11 on 10 or even 9 depending on formation.

Joined: 04/28/2013

MGoPoints: 30

I dumped the Dope

January 20th, 2014 at 6:16 PM ^

Nice accuracy from what I saw.  Hits guys right in the eyes.

Witness how many yards Braxton Miller picked up last year, not being a bulldozer and trying to take on LBs, but simply flushing the DBs way downfield and then just beating the DL with footspeed.  I'm not claiming that hes as fast as Braxtone, but its a deadly play to have in the arsenal nonetheless.  Gardner has run similar plays when hes not getting pounded out.  Seems like a better passer too which I also value heavily.  Like the way he starts on one receiver and makes a quick head snap to the other one rather than just being glued on a target.

I also was worried about how few QB offers were going out.  Rosen seemed impossible due to his lack of interest.  Sills....I don't think should have a M offer, its just me, neg me if that seems unfair.   Seems like it would be good to have a nice group of 3 or maybe 4 so that the best prospect of those wanting to take their skillset to Ann Arbor we could get without it being such an all-or-none type of offer.

Joined: 09/22/2013

MGoPoints: 2342

Magnus

January 20th, 2014 at 9:47 PM ^

I believe the coaches are planning to take at least 2 running backs in 2015, especially if they don't get one in 2014. Damien Harris is kind of committed, but things aren't looking good with Mike Weber, so there's room for recruiting another guy.

Joined: 07/17/2008

MGoPoints: 165885