247 UM Balls of Crystal & Other Stuff

Submitted by MaizeMN on
The usual small class, long way to go and crootin caveats apply, but 247 has a couple CB updates that potentially could be very good for Michigan. The first is from Miami (YTM) insider, Andrew Irvins, for Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR seems to be the only QB Michigan is after, at this point. As the #4 dual-threat QB in the class, it would be pretty cool to see the QB Whisperer deploy his unique skill set in the Maize and Blue. The other oft-mentioned QB with rumored interest in UM, Artur Sitkowski, is trending heavily to Miami (YTM).(Although, it seems interest here has cooled recently) The other CB is from Demetric Warren, for #78 OVR, #9 OT, 4* Tommy Brown. He is from Cali and early 247 predictions favor AL. I know it's tough to get kids from CA to come to UM but, given the thin depth chart at OT, this would be a big pickup for us. In other news, 247 is reporting OK QB Baker Mayfield has been arrested for public intox, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Mayfield was a 2016 Heisman finalist. Not a good way to begin a second campaign. EDIT: Sorry about formatting, this was posted from mobile device.
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MaizeMN

February 25th, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^

You don't seem sold on Warren as a recruiting prognosticator, yet 247 has him ranked #1. Is that largely due to the length of accuracy of his predictions AND sheer volume? So, what is your take on his rank relative to 247?

Joined: 01/28/2012

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Blueblood2991

February 25th, 2017 at 4:12 PM ^

Part of the formula is based on the composite rating of the player, and how early the CB is put in. 

So putting in a pick early for a highly rated guy can result in a bunch of points. If things start to trend in another direction, they can always change their pick without any consequences (just won't get the big point haul).

So from a point perspective, it's better to throwout picks early and often. However, from a credibility standpoint, it looks bad.

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JayMo4

February 25th, 2017 at 1:58 PM ^

I'd say Andrew Luck, but then my idea of a true dual threat is a guy that is a great passer with good enough feet that he's dangerous there on a scramble or on an occasional zone read.

A guy that is carrying the ball 20 times a game is more of a run first guy that may or may not also be able to throw, IMO.  Luck was a good enough athlete that he could have played that style, but it would have been a waste of a great arm.  That's the kind of QB I want at Michigan (not that that's a great revelation - who wouldn't want that?)

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TheJuiceman

February 25th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^

Why not? Kap had no business getting drafted as high as he did, and at the time it wasn't looking like a great pick. He then proceeded to take a very solid vet's job-after he had led the 9ers to the NFC Championship. Kap balled tf out and justified what then seemed like a semi-looney decision by Harbs. They also were arguably the ones to truly prove you can win in the NFL with spread/zone read concepts as a staple of the offense. Kap then proceeded to get that ridiculous contract as a result of his success under Harbaugh's tutelage. Harbs leaves SF, Kap falls off damn near overnight. Injuries and SF's ineptitude definitely played a factor, but Kap is actually a very good case study for Harbaugh's ability to develop dual threat QBs.

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DrMantisToboggan

February 25th, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^

We were 4 points and about 80 seconds away from playing for a National Championship this year with a QB who might not break 5 seconds if he ran the forty today. We don't NEED a QB that can run a sub 4.7 to win a title. And no, Speight's speed was not the difference in those 5 points.

 

I also think a mobile quarterback would be more fun to watch and would bring a new dimension to the offense, but I don't think that's worth it if they can't also give you 8 ypa, 60% completion and at least 2.5:1 TD:INT ratio. 

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DrMantisToboggan

February 25th, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^

And Jim knows the calculus of the total value between combined throwing and running proficiency. I think he will always recruit the guy with the highest utility, so to say. Lately that means guys who are really good passers but also fairly athletic. Peters was a solid high school basketball player and probably runs a 4.8ish 40. Dylan McCaffrey might be even slightly more athletic than Peters. Some cycles this might mean a guy like Milton who can run a lot better but is not as polished a passer yet. Some cycles this may mean a slower guy who had a college-ready arm in 8th grade. I certainly do not think Harbaugh wants pylons with arms, but he won't recruit the OSU QB who is really a running back that you have to teach to throw, just in order to have a running threat behind center. 

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DrMantisToboggan

February 25th, 2017 at 12:39 PM ^

DTR is going to UCLA with teammate TE Brevin Jordan. Sitkowski will go to Florida or Miami, I don't think we are actively recruiting him anymore. I think Harbaugh will take a development guy, like Joe Milton, this cycle since we have plenty of depth now, and put all his chips on JT Daniels or Grant Gunnell next year.

Demetric Warren puts a lot of crystal balls in, but he also runs his own recruiting site. We are recruiting many kids from Mater Dei but I'm not sure where we actually stand with Brown. I haven't heard his name connected to us much before this CB.

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Magnus

February 25th, 2017 at 2:47 PM ^

I like Milton, but he's a project. Maybe a slightly better athlete than Brandon Peters, so nothing exceptional. He needs a lot of work on his footwork, mechanics, etc. But I like his anticipation, and I like how he throws the ball on the move. He's not an elite player right now, but he's a good prospect for down the road.

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MaizeMN

February 25th, 2017 at 12:58 PM ^

I mentioned we had cooled on Sitkowski and I don't know much about Irvins as a recruiting prognosticator, other than he is listed as a Miami insider and ranked #13 by 247. Warren is the head recruiter at VarsityPreps (as mentioned by Mantis, I believe) and his accuracy is about 65%. However, 247 has him currently ranked as the #1 recruiter. So, I'm guessing their crootin rankings are a combo of volume, length and accuracy.

Joined: 01/28/2012

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Maizen

February 25th, 2017 at 2:03 PM ^

Can he actually play football? 247 sports just saw him in person and rated him a non descript 3 star, which I'm sure is almost entirely based on his measurables. With spots tight in this class I'd rather get more sure things on the OL this class, especially because UM took a lot of project types in the last class.

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DrMantisToboggan

February 25th, 2017 at 2:39 PM ^

He's about to play his first season of American football. Do you really want to turn away an athletic kid who might end up at 6'9 360 who we currently lead for? I definitely want him in the class, especially since he plays a position that generally takes 2 years to turn into viable starters anyways. He may come to Michigan and do nothing but train and develop for 3 years, and that's fine by me. If you trust your position coach, and by all accounts we have one of the best, he's got the physical tools that will allow him to be coached into an utterly dominant player at his position.

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Magnus

February 25th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^

His position coach has two consecutive years of mediocre offensive lines. I don't trust Drevno's evaluations blindly.

Regardless, I don't really care that he's 6'8" and 400 lbs. There are plenty of big people who have sucked at football. If he hasn't played American football, and we haven't seen film of him, then I think there are better options.

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DrMantisToboggan

February 25th, 2017 at 4:53 PM ^

But those lines were slightly better than they were before Drevno got here, and he was working with Hoke's talent that had been coached for two years by Funk, a horrible coach. As someone who has done a lot of scouting, you of all people should know that a kid who has been coached one way (a poorly way) for 3 years is hard to break of old habits and make into an All American. I would still judge Drevno on his past lines and, at Michigan, he should be judged on the success of the kids he recruited. If we have a horrible line in 2018 when it's composed of all Harbaugh/Drevno kids, then we can say Drev is overrated. 

 

Until then, Tim Drevno's reputation is one of the best offensive line coaches in football, as evidenced by his stellar lines at Stanford and San Francisco.

 

There have been plenty of giant dudes who have been bad or mediocre at football (even this year, Zach Banner will get drafted but was disappointing), but how many of these guys have had Drev as their coach? Faalele plays a position where, if you can coach two individuals to exactly the same level of skill, the larger individual is the better option. Until he proves that he can't do that, I trust Drevno to mold a raw guy he recruits like Faalele into an elite player.

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