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| Laquon Treadwell (in red), Anthony Standifer (in black) (image via ESPN.com) |
Castle Rock (CO) Valor Christian OG Alex Kozan was offered by Michigan this past week. Kozan is a class of 2012 recruit, which seems to mean that the coaching staff isn't confident about their chances with Puyallup (WA) Puyallup OG Joshua Garnett. Garnett is clearly the superior player. Kozan looks like an old school Michigan guard, the kind that Lloyd Carr and Gary Moeller would have loved but that Rich Rodriguez wouldn't have touched. He's 6'4", 295 lbs. and plays with a nice, wide base, but he's a little bit stiff. Rivals lists him as the #28 offensive tackle in the country, but he looks to me like a guard all the way. He's decently nasty and moves his feet pretty well, but he's built for a team that wants to pound the ball.
Crete (IL) Crete-Monee WR Laquon Treadwell, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan yesterday. Treadwell is a 6'3", 190 lb. receiver who is teammates with 2012 cornerback and Michigan commit Anthony Standifer. This is Treadwell's first offer and he has stated several times that Michigan would be his leader if they offered. Of course, we heard that same type of comment from Chicago (IL) Simeon OL Jordan Diamond earlier this year, and Diamond has so far held off on committing to anyone and looks less and less likely to join Michigan's class. There's very little video of Treadwell on the internet, so it's tough to get a feel for where he stands as a prospect. Crete-Monee's competition level is fairly low when compared to some other areas that Michigan has recruited heavily, so while Treadwell has been very productive this season, his statistics should be taken with a grain of salt.
OFF THE BOARD
Flint (MI) Powers Catholic DT Danny O'Brien committed to Tennessee. Before Michigan offered O'Brien, Tennessee was the leader . . . and after Michigan offered, Tennessee never really took a back seat. Michigan did seem to surpass the other schools that were recruiting him, but not the Volunteers. O'Brien is a 6'3", 293 lb. (or more) defensive tackle who could be a 1-tech or 3-tech on the line. I think he's a nose tackle all the way, but others feel he's better suited to a position where he can penetrate. Rumors have been swirling that Michigan's coaches cooled on O'Brien and stopped pushing for his commitment; even before those rumors popped up, I had been hearing that he hadn't been very impressive as a senior. I will be surprised if this one turns out to haunt Michigan down the road. While the Wolverines need another body on the interior to go along with Kansas City (MO) Park Hill DT Ondre Pipkins, I don't imagine O'Brien will be terrorizing the SEC.
Why does it seem like we are falling with Garnett? Seemed like we were in good position with him before
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 11:43 a.m.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that we're falling with Garnett. He was never really a sure thing with Michigan and was always going to be a tough get. I think it's just kind of the status quo with him right now.
Garnett would be another really nice addition, but Thunder do you think we should get another OL or go with a different position of need? Of course I guess it depends on exactly how many more players we are able to grab this year.
ReplyDeleteMy only issue is that we already have Braden, Bars, Kalis, Magnuson and Stacey committed (essentially a guy per OL position with Stacey being talked about playing center), it seems like we should grab a WR instead. But I am all for it if it is a guy like Garnett who may have to contribute right away anyways, looking at our depth.
Just looking for some personal insight I suppose. Thanks.
@ HttV Wolverine 1:42 p.m.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do think we should go for another OL. I'd like Michigan to get 6 in this class. You want about 15 offensive linemen, and it's virtually a guarantee that 1-3 of those 6 guys won't make it to be upperclassmen, due to injuries or simply washing out. Because it's pretty easy for skill guys to contribute early, I'm not that concerned about RB or WR. We can get guys next year who can contribute in 2013.
That's true. Thanks for your insight Thunder.
ReplyDeleteI still consider O'Brien a huge loss. Everything should be fine if Pipkins pans out at NT, but with recruits you never know. Lot riding on that one guy...
ReplyDeleteGarnett is a well-spoken guy and seams pretty grounded. Payton and Banner also seem to have their heads screwed on straight. I'd be happy to land any of them but still think the need on OL is screaming bad.
Last I heard Garnett was taking his official same time as Magnuson, which would be beneficial. Magnuson was also at the ND game I noticed though I think that was unofficial.
Here's a question - if Banner and Garnett want to come as a package (unlikely, I know) the coaches would take them right?
A kid who is NOT well spoken: Yuri Wright. Granted, he's 17 and all and seems to have some impediment that's not his fault, but he sounds far from erudite.
Have you heard anything on Burdbridge or Diggs? I'd love to land an elite talent to pair with Payton (who from interviews sounds like a near-sure-thing.)
@ Lankownia 5:29 p.m.
ReplyDeleteI don't think O'Brien himself is a huge loss, but I would like another NT type in this class. I would have liked to get Schutt if possible.
I'm not certain if the coaches would take Banner and Garnett as a package deal. I know I would. Some of the other positions (DB, for example) aren't huge needs. And if both Garnett/Banner committed, that might have the effect of squeezing out one or two of the lower rated guys on the OL. I don't want anyone to leave, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
I don't know why you're picking on Yuri Wright because of his stutter. It's one thing if he sounded cocky or stupid; he's clearly got a speech impediment but seems like a decent kid. Who cares how he talks?
There's no new news on Burbridge or Diggs, really. Burbridge's grades are still a question mark on Michigan's end, and it looks like he'll remain a Spartan. Diggs hasn't scheduled a visit and, therefore, he's probably a longshot to come to Michigan, too. We did make Diggs' top 11, though.
It's not the stutter, it's the content - he doesn't sound real bright in the interview I've seen. I'm not saying he shouldn't be recruited or given the opportunity...just contrasting him to the west coast recruits and it's a big difference.
ReplyDelete@ Lankownia 8:14 a.m.
ReplyDeleteYou're not doing yourself any favors.
I don't know what that means.
ReplyDelete@ Lankownia 11:26 a.m.
ReplyDeleteIt means it's a little silly to criticize high school kids for their speech impediments and the fact that "they don't seem very bright." Some thoughts should be kept to yourself.
I'll be surprised if O'Brien isn't starting for Tenn at some point. He may not be an elite player, but I think all the questions about his ability are after-the-fact damage control: 'we didn't want him anyway'. I'm surprised people are buying into it. Just my opinion, but his offer list is hard to ignore and it's hard to believe he would just fall off the table like that.
ReplyDeleteI'd really like them to take 7 OL. I think they could take a couple and play them right away next year, so it'd be more like including another OL in the '10 class (replacing Posada for example) than having an overloaded '11 class (though they may see the 6th OL that way). I don't see any of the guys currently committed being scared off by numbers. Even with 7 OL Michigan's going to have plenty of opportunity early.
To clarify about Wright - I'd be pretty excited to have him commit. I think CB remains a significant need. I also don't believe in judging a kid too heavily based on his high school career. However, it's not inappropriate to have doubts. A lot of prep school kids come with issues we don't know about. He may be a fantastic kid for all I know, but he doesn't come off as being well-spoken, regardless of his impediment. So, I see him as a bigger risk than some other kids. You never know of course, Feagin seemed like a fine kid coming out of high school.
Thunder @11:29,
ReplyDeleteI'll keep such thoughts to myself in the future, but given this blogs take on the PSL and, more generally, no-holds-barred judgements (which I appreciate in general), it didn't seem inappropriate.
I'm not criticizing him for having an impediment. My wife deals with speech problems for a living. On the list of problems to have, stuttering is one that can often be overcome. All I said was it doesn't help him... which, duh, that's why it's called an impediment. I didn't think that's not PC enough for this space.
@ Lankownia 11:49 a.m.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien might start at some point, but that doesn't mean he'll be anything exceptional. It seems that most defensive linemen who stick with a program long enough end up starting. It might be sour grapes by some people to badmouth him at this point, but I was never a big fan of O'Brien's. I'd rather have most of the other guys on the NT/DT board, with just a couple exceptions.
@ Lankownia 11:54 a.m.
ReplyDeleteSaying that PSL kids don't get a whole lot of coaching and haven't panned out for Michigan is far different than essentially calling them stupid. In essence, what I said is that the COACHES in the Detroit Public School League are questionable, and the kids from Detroit haven't been very productive recently. I don't think I've ever questioned the intelligence of a recruit on here.
I'm obviously not from the camp that says you should never say anything bad about a recruit, but I certainly think there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. You didn't leap over it, but I just think you went beyond it by a couple inches.
With all due respect, you did more than question coaching. You raised the issue of legal trouble in the RJS post--
ReplyDelete"common pitfalls of inner city players (legal trouble, bad technique, etc.)"
I know you were just generalizing, but I don't think there have been any reports of RJS getting in trouble, so that seems potentially unfair to the individual. Likewise, I was generalizing that a kid who doesn't sound real smart (to me anyway), might be more likely to act accordingly and therefore be a risk to some degree. Not necessarily true, but a reasonable generalization I think. The difference is that RJS IS a PSL kid and that is a fact. My opinion on Wright was not.
Anyway, it's your blog and I'll respect your wishes. I do see your point. I thought I was fair in giving my (appropriately qualified) observation (of maybe a little more risk here than a well-spoken kid) based on a very brief interview, but it's probably safer to not say anything at all when your subject is a high school kid. I obviously don't know Yuri Wright at all, it was just my opinion.
Ah...recruiting.
@ Lankownia 2:20 p.m.
ReplyDeleteMy discussion of PSL players was a general discussion that happened to take place in a Royce Jenkins-Stone post. It in no way applied to him and was more of a generalization and observation on the players coming out of Detroit; and while I made no connection to Jenkins-Stone himself, it was probably a bad idea to include it in his commitment post precisely because legal troubles and such don't pertain to him (I hope).
Agreed!
ReplyDelete