Joey Velazquez Commits to Michigan Comment Count

Brian

Does this warrant the "commits come in seemingly endless waves" yet or do we need another? Uh, anyway:

Velazquez is a 2019 safety sort who Michigan plans to play at viper, per Sam Webb, and was an Ohio State baseball commit. He evidently plans to play both sports at Michigan, which hasn't happened in quite a while.

As a football recruit, Velazquez is... nondescript, slotting in just inside the top 1000 on the composite and listing offers from Cincinnati and Indiana. But Khaleke Hudson wasn't even a consensus four star despite his rim-rattling dunk-tape; Michigan's requirements for viper often see them recruit guys the recruiting industry considers marginal tweeners.

More detail in a bit.

Comments

Tom Pickle

June 22nd, 2018 at 11:19 AM ^

I'm glad everyone has someone to rail against and I certainly wish this kid no ill will and hope he's a great player, but when was the last time Michigan got a 4 star to commit?

I don't follow recruiting super closely, but every time I see a kid is linked to Michigan or has committed to Michigan I just assume it's a three star and I honestly don't remember the last time I was wrong about that.

Kevin13

June 22nd, 2018 at 11:45 AM ^

This is a kid, when final rankings come out next year, could very easily be a 4 star. Most recruiting sites haven't paid much attention to him, since they assumed he would be playing baseball only at the next level.

Now that UM has offered him for football and it is known where they plan to play him he will get looked at in a different light as he is a perfect fit for the Viper position. If he has a nice Senior season his rankings will definitely go up.

Don't always star gaze, these coaches, especially Brown, know what type of player they need for their defense and what position they fit nicely into.  Hudson has made huge strides since coming to UM and may even turn pro after this season. Probably not many people would've predicted that when he committed.

Tom Pickle

June 22nd, 2018 at 11:53 AM ^

SMart WolveFan was right and this is probably not the right post for me to bring all this up. I'm happy for the kid and it was shitty for me to be a Debbie Downer in his commitment post. I have absolutely no problem with this kid, or any other 3 star kid, committing to Michigan. I hope this kid is great and if he moves up the recruiting rankings as a result of this commitment then more power to him.

I'm just saying that recruiting rankings on the whole have proven to matter and when seemingly no one but 3 stars are committing that does not portend great things for the future.

True Blue Grit

June 22nd, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^

As we've seen in the past on commitment posts, we need to be aware that the recruits and/or their parents may be reading this blog.  So, any comments about the player should be made with this in mind.  It doesn't mean we can't say something insightful or objective about his skill set or areas he may need to work on or develop.  But, the generalized negative comments that make it sound like we're not happy in some way about the player's commitment can be taken the wrong way by the people affected.  There's a place for general gripes about recruiting, but probably not on specific player commitment posts.  That's my opinion anyway.  

SMart WolveFan

June 22nd, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^

Thanks for saying it.

I have no problem with someone critiquing the recruiting, which has sputtered; but, for as much effort put in to constantly remind us, it would be nice if there were some ideas of what are the problems or suggestions how to solve it. Truth is recruiting is cyclical and UofM has always had down years, especially with in state recruits, so it's not on the coaching staffs only.

But Hello posts should just be for Hellos. 

Gucci Mane

June 22nd, 2018 at 2:27 PM ^

Don't be naive. There is a difference between Maizen and being honest and admitting our recruiting is not on par with the top schools right now. No i'm not happy with all these 3 star commits. Yes Don Brown is going to be able to pick out better than average 3 stars, but don't lie to yourself and say these are plan A guys. This coming football season is the most important year in my lifetime, WE MUST WIN. This year will turn recruiting around and point Harbaugh into a long career of championships at UofM. But it has to happen NOW !

jblaze

June 22nd, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^

1) Recruiting services don't rate "Vipers" separately and honestly probably don't fully understand what a viper is in Don Brown's system. Aside from a guy like Jabrill (#1 kid in the country), sites are understandably going to not reward a hybrid LB/ Safety kind of kid

2) Harbaugh prioritizes general athleticism and intelligence more than other coaches. He may be right or wrong, but that's his system and his belief system. Ranking sites don't necessarily care about this as much.

3) Don Brown and Harbaugh offered him after he camped at Michigan and he's in their top (maybe #1 prospect) for Vipers

4) "Recruiting stars matter" is based on the final star rating as of like March 2019. Let's see where this kid ends up.

LKLIII

June 22nd, 2018 at 2:20 PM ^

Ditto on #s 3 and 4 specifically.

I am a "overall, recruiting stars matter" type of guy, but context also matters. 

Some solid kids are just lightly scouted for whatever reason (lives in HS football backwater part of the country; injury robbed a kid of the ability to show out during critical evaluation months; recent football convert or dual-sport kid; just a ghost & never bothered to go to camps).

Timing also matters.  A nondescript 3 star kid offered earlier in the process is very different than us snatching up a nondescript 3 star kid at the 11th hour after it's clear that we whiffed our way several players down the board and it's clear a kid is Just A Guy.

You look at the context on this guy & I can easily see how he could be much better than what his generic 3 recruiting profile indicates.

 

Blue in Paradise

June 22nd, 2018 at 3:10 PM ^

So says the dirtbag incel.  I will take your views on football as seriously as I took your views on basketball recruiting.

I would say that the world would be a better place if you just jumped out of the window of a tall building, but that would be taking things too far - so I won't say that.

The Fan in Fargo

June 22nd, 2018 at 4:10 PM ^

Well Bluey, I just watched both of Dixon's and Valazquez's highlight videos. The only thing better about Dixon maybe is that he's more impressive with his speed. If these two met in a ring today to see who would drive who out or get planted into the ground, I'd put my money on Valazquez probably every time. He could pick Dixon up and plant him on his back into the grass.This kid is tougher than Dixon and has good speed to go with it. So 3 star or not, in two years this kid will look like Thor from Avengers and will be cracking skulls.

Kevin13

June 22nd, 2018 at 4:50 PM ^

No chance of becoming a 4 star you say.  Your probably right he only is a two time first team all Ohio player and was Division II player of the year in Ohio. 

His rating isn't as high right now because he is kind of a tweener, on defense, but a perfect fit for a viper for us as Don Brown likes kids that are tweeners. Also he has been committed to play baseball for 2 years so recruiting sites have been paying no attention to the kid for a while now.

Give it some time now that he is committed to UM and is slotted as a viper for us, people will take another look at him and realize how good he will be for us.  But, I also suppose you think Don Brown doesn't know what he is doing what it comes to defense and finding the right fit for that defense. They probably should just talk to you on who to recruit and accept commits from.

Movingfruit

June 24th, 2018 at 5:17 PM ^

I think people are missing a large part of the Khaleke Hudson story. Khaleke Hudson was not on the radar at all until he had a huge Semper Fi performance and a monstrous senior year. He was a nondescript 3 star all the way up until November/December and received huge ranking boosts at the very tail end of the recruiting cycle to boost him up to a high 3 star at 384th overall. This includes a position boost from the 86th safety to the 40th safety on ESPN ON signing day. Khaleke Hudson did not even receive a Michigan offer until November and Penn State rejected his committed at least once, possibly three times. So no, Hudson was not highly regarded unless you place a lot of value in last second make up rankings. The association people make with him is that the recruiting industry missed - badly, and only saved face by last minute bumps to 4 star and high 3 star status. Furthermore he was considered a tweener which is why people bring him up in Velaquez discussion. At this point in Hudson's recruitment he did not have a Michigan offer and was getting his commitments rejected by Penn State. Retroactively looking at recruiting rankings really doesn't tell the story of a prospect since the rankings are continuously updated - I've seen a lot of bad evaluations over the years...

BoCanHam15

June 22nd, 2018 at 3:30 PM ^

Neither are you or your opinions.  You are the most NEGATIVE human being that partipates in this blog.  And that says a lot.  Be proud of your backwards achievement.  There are lots of things that can be said about you but most of them are said out of your own mouth.  If you lived up to your own standards that you deem necessary for our coaches you’d possibly be able to be positive once.  However, there are some things in life that are, TOTALLY impossible.

His Dudeness

June 22nd, 2018 at 1:41 PM ^

The dad jean moron brigade is going to get on you about this , but you're not wrong.

Our football recruiting has been RR level turdy lately. 

Hopefully these 3-stars can contribute more than Carven Johnson, The Talbott Brothers and Tony "Big Pasta" Posada... but the stats scream otherwise. 

Womp-Womp. Fart noise. 

SMart WolveFan

June 22nd, 2018 at 2:23 PM ^

Yup, we "dad jean" guys are whooping you internet fuckwad guys back to detention just like you remember from high school ;)

Nothing funnier than listening to clowns, who probably never even played the game, telling 17year old kids that they're not "good enough" to entertain, especially since they'd probably puddle their underoos if they had to say it to the kid's face.

Gucci Mane

June 22nd, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^

Bizarre post... #1 You don;t need to have played football to understand how recruiting rankings work. In fact, in recent years some of the most successful pro execs have either not played the sport or played it on a low level.

#2 Why would telling a kid to their face be scary and induce the peeing of pants ? Are you implying that these kids are so ill tempered they will attempt to inflict bodily harm on a critic ? 

Why can't we just accept that recruiting must improve. It does not mean that this particularly player won't contribute to Michigan. It does mean that his odds of doing so are smaller than a higher ranked player. 

Bluey

June 22nd, 2018 at 2:56 PM ^

People are always going to be in denial until it's too late. Saw it happen with Rich Rod, Hoke, and Dave Brandon. People defended all three until it was clear as day they had to go. 

Recruiting sucks right now. No other way to say it. Harbaugh has not been the same since 2017. On the sideline, on the recruting trail, on social media. Don't know what happened but it's concerning to say the least.

Gucci Mane

June 22nd, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^

Bluey...Everything can be fixed this coming football season. Don't worry about the state of the program unless we don't get 10+ wins this season including bowl game. With a good season everything will be fine, and with a great season things will be better than ever.

SMart WolveFan

June 22nd, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^

That's exactly the point, if you had played the game you wouldn't be relying on "recruiting rankings", just like the staff isn't either.

Yup, I'm sure you'd go up to all the 3* recruits and tell them to their face that you don't want them on the team you root for cuz they're not ranked high enough. Maybe only one in a hundred would straight clock your ignorant ass but I'd love to be there to see it.

Why can't you accept that while many of us want recruiting to improve, we are gonna root for the players that commit, regardless of their "rank" and when you come into a commits HELLO POST with your asinine behavior, I'm gonna let ya know about it.