A (Brief) Interview With Baquer Sayed Comment Count

Tim

It's a doubleheader Saturday for Michigan's Class of 2010. The Big 33 All-Star game takes place in Hershey, PA with Michigan's Talbott brothers playing for the Ohio Team. Taking place in East Lansing is the Michigan High School Football Coaches' Association All-Star game at 3:30PM. (The game will be aired on TV on Comcast 900 on Monday at 7PM and Tuesday at 8:30AM.)

Though Michigan doesn't have any scholarship players participating in the game, a number of other Big Ten schools do (Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Indiana). Michigan's sole player in the game is preferred walkon Baquer Sayed. I caught up with him and East coach Jim Sparks at media day for the game.

Baquer Sayedsayed_trieu.jpg

Tim: When are you getting up to Michigan?

Baquer: I'm moving up there in like two weeks.

Tim: Why did you pass up scholarship offers from MAC schools to walk on at Michigan?

Baquer: Family-wise [the media guide says Sayed is one of 9(!) kids in his family], and school, and degree, and everything. It's made up for by the school. If the NFL doesn't work, Michigan's better than all those offers I got in the MAC.

Tim: How would you describe your game?

Baquer: Speedy, long-ball quickness.

Tim: What can we look forward to seeing from you on the field Saturday?

Baquer: Just getting the ball and going in a scoring. Catching the fades over the corners, that's what I like to do.

East Head Coach Jim Sparks (Clawson High School).

Tim: You're running a spread offense on Saturday. Is it more run-focused or pass-focused?

Sparks: What kind of coach would I be if I told you what we're going to do? I'm just gonna say "yes."

Tim: Am I gonna see Baquer Sayed catch some passes though?

Sparks: Yeah, I would expect him to. He's a tremendous athlete, and that's why we run the offense that we do. We have so many athletes that the trick to the spread is just get those kids the ball in space and let them do their thing.

Tim: He told me he likes to go up and get the fade. Is that what you see in him?

Sparks: It's a huge part of his game. He's serious. I told him after you interviewed him that I've never seen a kid that has the ability to adjust to the ball and go up, and play that deep ball the way he does.

Thanks to Baquer Sayed and Coach Sparks for taking the time to talk to me. Here's Baquer's highlight video, for a taste of what to look forward to on Saturday:

Comments

Six Zero

June 17th, 2010 at 2:40 PM ^

By the time of next year's Big33, there will be no sweet scent of chocolate wafting through the streets of the town. They're officially shutting down all candy production later this year.  Shame, really...

pullin4blue

June 17th, 2010 at 3:07 PM ^

I agree that he will surprise people. I like his ability to leap for the ball. He appears to have good hands (most recruiting videos don't show WR's dropping passes) and appears to move easily in space. He doesn't have break-out speed, but seems fast enough.

I respect a kid like this who would come as a preferred walk-on and have to earn a scholly. You can bet he will be doing everything he can to do that.

Magnus

June 17th, 2010 at 3:37 PM ^

I couldn't help but shake my head a little bit when he said that he's "speedy" with "long ball quickness."  He's in for an awakening when he gets to college.

markusr2007

June 17th, 2010 at 4:33 PM ^

The speed/quickness claims will be checked once practice begins. Everyone claims to be fast. He did not look particularly fast in the above film, but he's athletic, has good vision, size and sure hands. The only thing better than Roy Roundtree would be....another slightly faster Roy Roundtree.

My main interest would be to explore Sayed on the defensive side of the ball (secondary) and as an potential punter, because that's where Michigan's depth chart is "wafa thin".

Droe19

June 17th, 2010 at 7:49 PM ^

I was in the drumline he ran into around 2:15, and he broke one of the quints and the stand.  Saline was/is so bad at football.