Joey Velazquez Commits to Michigan
Does this warrant the "commits come in seemingly endless waves" yet or do we need another? Uh, anyway:
Extremely blessed to say that I will be furthering my academic, football, and baseball career at THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN! 〽️ #GOBLUE pic.twitter.com/YoRs1oqh47
— Joey Velazquez (@JoeyV242) June 22, 2018
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.
Very good schedule, and a perennial playoff team as well. They're playing Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and Cincinnati Winton Woods again this year, along with Bishop Hartley in the division, of course. Joey will have plenty more opportunities to showcase himself this year.
When Bill Greene was on The Michigan Insider with Sam this week, he discussed this kid. Basically said he was tailor-made for a position like Viper and that he might not fit in a lot of defenses but was tailor-made for Don Brown's.
Until he is assigned a higher arbitrary star I will not listen.
Bill is being nice, but he won't put his money where his mouth is. He's ranked in the 900's for a reason.
Came to see if a certain someone had come to complain. Not sure if I'm happy or disappointed they haven't...
Check the MGoBoard......
He is. On the hello post on the board
OSU fan (me) reaction: "Oh no, they stole one of our ... baseball players?"
Still wonder if Rick Leach went to the Broncos how his career would have been
Keep the great news coming. Go Blue!!!
Welcome aboard, I like the impact for the Baseball team. I saw my first UM BB game this spring and it was a quality team. Looks to have all the skills of K. Hudson, listening to Sam tell it, the kid hits like a truck.
Harbaugh loves him some dual sport athletes.
Not trying to be a "he's underrated homer" but I wonder if he's missed out on some camps, 7 v 7s, etc. due to baseball and if that could affect his ranking?
He camped at the Rivals camp last month. Not sure if recruiting boards have been updated since, however, to see if he garnered a jump in the rankings.
I believe that camp was actually in Columbus, so it doesn't take a lot of time/commitment to travel to his hometown. That might be why he did that camp but hasn't done a ton of others.
He has. He's done baseball year round - baseball camps, travel ball, summer leagues - and has not been projected as a football guy until we wanted him to be. Bluey tried to call bullshit on my post in the other thread by citing Jerrion Ealy, the top 20 baseball prospect committed to Ole Miss, but the issue with using that as a counter point is that Ealy was committed for football. He did football camps and carried himself as a football prospect. Everyone has believed that Ealy would play football. The difference with Velazquez is that he's been committed to OSU for only baseball for a while, and nobody had him pegged to play football in college.
Jalen Suggs is a 5 star basketball recruit and a 4 star football recruit. No one knows which sport he's going to pick in college yet. He's still ranked in both. So your logic goes out the window.
Wow! One data point and you're jumping for joy? Nice...
Actually STILL WRONG, he made the point that since Velazquez was a better baseball product he dropped off football's radar.
But since with Suggs "no one knows" it makes sense he was scouted fully for both.
Duuuuuuuuuuuuh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI5jrqkJAuE
Great news! Sounds like the kind of tough, hard-nosed athlete Harbaugh loves. Welcome aboard Joey!
YEEESSSSS! Here is a player who can help U-M win championships. 6-0, 200lbs, sub 4.6 40...did I mention he can tackle, catch, and even block?
Huge get. Welcome to the Family, Joey V! GO BLUE!
He's a bit undersized for LB/viper, but I like his game for that position. As a safety, he's a bit stiff, and I can see why his offer sheet is what it is an why baseball was his primary sport. But if he can add some mass and learn to take on blocks, he has the athleticism and mentality for a LB position. The Viper spot in Michigan's D is a good fit for him.
I usually agree with what you write, but not so much here.
He's listed at 6'0", 205 lbs. Jabrill Peppers was listed at 6'1", 205 lbs. Khaleke Hudson is listed at 6'0", 205 lbs. Velazquez is literally the same exact weight and (almost) the same height as his two predecessors at the position. Boston College's Matt Milano was listed at 6'1", 218 lbs., which is feasible for Velazquez once he gets into a college S&C program.
As for taking on blocks, I agree he could improve his technique a little bit when taking blocks head-on, but there are at least two times in his film where he drops pulling OL to the ground by putting his shoulder in their chest. He flattens those guys who have a running start to kick him out. I don't think taking on blocks is a major issue.
Thanks Magnus - I am irrationally excited about this kid going Blue! I just have this feeling that this kid is going to blow up into a star.
The last time I have felt this way about a non-top 100 guy was Khaleke Hudson.
I was talking more as a classic LB in terms of being undersized, which is likely one of the primary reason he's listed as a safety rather than a LB. As a viper he can get by, I agree with you there, though an inch or two wouldn't hurt him.
As for taking on blocks, he's going to have to learn to do more from a box position. He does a nice job physically a few times, but rarely does he have to engage/disengage etc. Things are going to change for him coming down from the 3rd level vs playing at the LB level.
You are a MGoBlog poster, not a talent evaluator. Did you forget your role?
/s
He's actually the perfect size for the position. He's basically the same size as Peppers and Hudson and being a two sport star tells me the kid is athletic.
Watch his highlight tape the kid has some great skills. He will need to clean up a few things in some of his technique, but that is what our top flight coaches are for. I expect him to be a stud Viper for us in the future.
Don Brown wants him? Yep, welcome aboard! And the chance to give and FU to Ohio State baseball too? Double bonus time!!!
Barring some unforeseen circumstances, I think the only thing standing between this kid and a very solid Michigan career is the prospect of playing baseball. If he decides to try to save his body or gets drafted and goes for the "easier" money, then maybe his career never gets off the ground. But if he sticks with football, I think he has a good chance to be all-conference by the end of his time at Michigan.
Let me preface all of this by saying: yes, I am a Buckeye fan. But I am respectable and mean only to see what the Michigan fan base's reaction was to this commitment. I follow central Ohio high school football a lot and have seen plenty of Joey at DeSales.
However, I will admit, I found this scholarship offer from Michigan to be a bit of a head-scratcher. I've seen a lot of commenters referring to Khaleke Hudson's recruitment, but I don't necessarily see this in the same light. People who simply follow star rankings aren't worth conversating with when it comes to recruiting. I've always said that a guy's offers say plenty more about the kid than any ranking. Because that's all about staff assessment and film breakdown. Hudson held offers from UCLA, Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. I just don't see Velasquez garnering that same level of offers list this year.
What do you guys see that, for you, warrants the offer? Other than simply trusting Don Brown's judgment, which is ok as well because he's quite alright at what he does haha!
He is limited to playing a hybrid LB/S position which many defenses don't have, or don't use in the same way as Brown does. Hudson had a bit more flexibility and even then, PSU didn't want him when he committed to Michigan.
I think there will always be slight concerns over recruits with a profile like his but as you mentioned, a very sizable portion of our fan base has started to give Don Brown serious leeway to chase "his guys".
Some reasons:
1) Recruiting ranking may be depressed by possibility that Velasquez chooses baseball. May have received fewer offers for similar reasons.
2) Recruiting ranking may be depressed by lack of camp appearances related to baseball.
3) Probably our two best fan analysts, Magnus and Space Coyote, both think Velasquez can play.
4) Velasquez' best positional fit is probably at a hybrid LB/S role, such as Don Brown's viper--so schools without LB/S hybrid positions may not value him as highly.
5) Hudson was also a RB prospect, so could have received offers from schools intending to play him on offense. Those offers are irrelevant to a defense-only comparison.
6) Brown has a proven track record of identifying players who fit his system and who can produce for him irrespective of universal football ability.
Been saying this all morning.
Except the admitted OSU fan asks it in non-confrontational, reasonable, respectable way. Not in a condescending, know-it-all, dickish manner.
DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!
PERFECT answer to one of the most self-centered antagonist knucklehead posters ever to pollute the MGoBoard.
Welcome aboard.
I actually really like this kid, seems like he could be a big, athletic thumper out there.
Oh good, another three star. Just what we needed. I'm starting to question whether or not Harbaugh understands the concept of scholarship limits.
No doubt you have a complete grasp of the concept "anus" tho.
Forgive me for not bubbling with joy because we just got a commit from a kid whose next best offer was Indiana.
No, no.....forgive ME.....because I would've forgiven you for not bubblin'......but...than..
...you actually took the time to throw out some of the weakest snark I've ever seen typed.
Sooooo....that gave me the opportunity to throw out some far, far superior snark and I just couldn't resist.
So let me say: "I'm Sorry :("
Is Spilled Milk your brother?
So we swiped a kid from OSU baseball? Awesome, love it.
Do we have an idea of how good of a baseball recruit he is? Is he a top 100 guy and how does he compare to a typical Michigan recruit?
He is an elite baseball recruit. He is projected to go in rounds 1 - 3 in the 2019 MLB draft. That is why nobody was paying any attention to him as a football recruit.
Woohoo!
St Francis Desales is a small school power, here in central Ohio.
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