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| Akron, OH safety Jarrod Wilson (#24) |
Wilson is a 6'2", 190 lb. free safety type whose high school coach is Ricky Powers, the former Michigan running back. Last year the rising senior had 55 tackles and 8 interceptions, 5 of which were returned for touchdowns; he also returned a fumble 88 yards for a touchdown. His ratings on the recruiting sites:
ESPN: 4-star, #12 safety
Rivals: 4-star, #13 safety
Scout: 4-star, #10 safety
247 Sports: 4-star, 91 rating
I am a huge fan of Wilson's abilities. He has the size, speed, tackling ability, and ballhawking instincts that Michigan teams have been lacking for the last several years. And, perhaps best of all, he's the elusive Michigan-recruited safety who actually looks like a safety and not a linebacker. Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison are recruiting linebackers who played linebacker in high school, and safeties who played safety. Hallelujah! The next thing you know, they'll be recruiting running backs and wide receivers who are taller than 5'6" . . .
Here's what Wilson isn't: Steve Atwater. He's not a guy who's going to take Wisconsin's fat running back du jour and plant him on his hindquarters. He'll make the tackles that need to be made, but he's not the most aggressive hitter. And that's fine.
Here's what Wilson is: a good football player. He's got the potential to be All-Big Ten, pick off a handful of passes, and make quarterbacks think twice about lofting the ball down the middle of the field. Having a 6'2" guy with hops and ball skills playing center field helps out the defensive line and gives the cornerbacks a chance to gamble once in awhile, knowing that one mistake might not mean a sure touchdown.
Michigan now has 18 commitments in the class of 2012, and this pushes Jeremy Clark to almost certain greyshirt status, which will cause him to count toward the class of 2013.
TTB Rating: 89 (rating system here)
Magnus, I love it when you really like a kid's football instincts. BTW, am I missing the place where you list the 2012 recruiting class sorted b your rating? It would be nice to see, a la Rivals and Scout, a single list with your ratings included.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one Magnus. This guy is a ball hawk all the way. There seems to always be one recruiting site that will vary from the others, but with him they are all in sync.
ReplyDeleteIs an 89 the highest grade you have given out thus far?
Nice Atwater reference. I agree that it's not a big deal. I've always found the big-hitter thing to be a mixed bag because for every guy that's intimidated into bailing on catch attempts theres also a missed tackle or interception opportunity. Maybe Gant can play that role...
ReplyDeleteSounds like Jarrod is your favorite recruit so far in this class :)
ReplyDeleteGreat get.
ReplyDeleteIs there enough bubble wrap in the state of Ohio to keep him safe from AMSHG for the next 13 months, or do you think it would be safer to just cryogenically freeze him?
This is off topic, but I saw Chris Barnett walking around today. He had a noticeable limp, and I don't buy the fact that he is 80-85%. I would be very surprised if he played this year after seeing this. Rehab on a knee surgery should not be rushed. I also don't think it would be worth it to burn his redshirt late(r) in the season.
ReplyDelete@ Meeechigan Dan 4:21 p.m.
ReplyDeleteI don't have all the players sorted by ranking, but all the ratings are on the 2012 Offer Board at the top of the page.
@ severs28 4:23 p.m.
ReplyDeleteI gave James Ross a rating of 92, so Wilson is the second-best.
@ bada bing 8:40 p.m.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. I'm hoping he can redshirt, too.