Sam Webb: Recruiting
The 2009 recruiting season hasn't even concluded yet, and already a number of top-flight 2010 prospects have emerged.Michigan is currently in hot pursuit of a number of them in this state.
The Wolverines have extended early offers to Livonia Stevenson tailback Austin White, Inkster quarterback Devin Gardener, Detroit Southeastern defensive end Will Gholston, Detroit Cass Tech cornerback Dior Mathis and Ann Arbor Huron receiver Jeremy Jackson.
When the search extends beyond the Michigan and Ohio borders, no state looks to be higher on the priority list than Florida.
Rich Rodriguez showed just how much he would prioritize the vigorously contested region when he assigned three coaches to recruit it upon completing his staff. Now it appears that strategy is paying off.
Michigan currently holds four commitments from the Sunshine State: Apopka slot receiver Jeremy Gallon, Orlando safety Mike Jones, Pahokee running back Vincent Smith and Pahokee linebacker Brandin Hawthorne -- all three-star recruits.
The Wolverines appear to be even more of a factor with the 2010 crop and they already are among the favorites for a number of highly-rated prospects.
Rodriguez scored his first commitment for the 2010 class two weeks ago when he landed Orlando, Fla., receiver Ricardo Miller. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was a standout at Michigan's summer camp and had already earned offers from Florida, Central Florida, UCLA and South Florida by the start of the school year. A number of other programs also were showing heavy interest when the Wolverines extended an offer late last month. It didn't take long for him to jump at the chance to don the winged helmet.
"I committed right away," Miller said. "It's something I waited for and I wanted to seize the opportunity. Coach Rodriguez told me he liked me ever since he met me at camp. He said not only was I a solid kid on the field, but said I was a good kid off the field."
Describing Miller's talent as "solid" is a bit of an understatement, according to Scout.com analyst Allen Trieu.
"Miller is kid who is shockingly put together for his age," Trieu stated. "He uses his strength to play a very physical game and blocks like a tight end. He also has good speed (4.5 in the 40) and has shown he can stretch the field. Certainly, when you talk about Florida juniors, Ricardo's name has to be mentioned right up there with the best of them."
Recruiting help
Once Miller joined the Maize and Blue fold, he immediately went to work trying to help lure others. His efforts even reached back to the state of Michigan, helping convince Jeremy Jackson (the son of Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson) to also take the plunge. Now both are focused on trying to help land an even bigger fish from the recruiting pond.
Marvin Robinson of Eagle Lake, Fla., is a 6-1, 204-pound playmaking safety who is already a prime target for many of the country's elite programs.
"When I saw this kid at the Michigan summer camp two years back, I thought they had misclassified him as a sophomore-to-be," recalled Trieu. "He's built like an NFL player already, and the fact that he can cover ground well enough to play free safety is impressive. I cannot imagine there are many other kids out there with his size that can run, jump and catch the ball the way he does. It is easy to see why Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, USC and others have offered him this early. A kid that boasts those offers before the start of his junior season is definitely elite."
Add Ohio State, Florida State, Georgia and Nebraska to Robinson's scholarship ledger and you'll have an accurate feel for just how coveted he truly is. However, the problem for most of those programs is he has a strong affinity for the Wolverines. So strong is his connection with them that the question many scouts ask isn't if he will commit to Michigan, it's when. It's a topic that he, Jackson and Miller have been discussing since the summer.
"When Jeremy Jackson came down and we were at the Friday Night Lights (7-on-7) camp (at the University of Florida this summer), we were talking about all three of us going up there," said Robinson."(Their commitments) had an effect on me, but I'm going to still talk it over with my family. Me, my mom and my dad are going up (to Michigan) for the Michigan State game."
Big day for U-M
Should Robinson opt to become Michigan's third 2010 verbal commitment, he won't hesitate in trying to help add to the tally. As a matter of fact, it seems he has already started.
"I talked to (Apopka, Fla., junior cornerback) Lo Wood at the Friday Night Lights camp," Robinson said. "He was telling me about some of the schools he was interested in and one of them was Michigan. I also talked to (Royal Palm Beach, Fla., receiver) Chris Dunkley and he said that Michigan is one of the colleges he is interested in, too. I'd definitely talk to them about Michigan if I go there."
Dunkley is a 5-10" 175-pound big-play wideout who already holds offers from Michigan, Florida, Georgia and West Virginia. Wood (5-11, 170), who claims a 4.49 40, only holds an offer from Florida International at this early stage, but is receiving strong interest from a number of national powers, including Michigan. He will be yet another of the visitors in attendance at the Michigan-Michigan State game on Oct. 25.
As it turns out, that weekend may be as significant for the Wolverines off the field as it is on it.
Sam Webb is managing editor of GoBlueWolverine magazine and GoBlueWolverine.com, and co-host of the "Michigan Insider" morning show weekdays on Sports Talk 1050 WTKA. His column appears every Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment