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| Hudson (OH) Hudson linebacker Ben Gedeon committed to Michigan |
Gedeon is 6'3" and 215 lbs. As a junior in 2011, he rushed for 1,600 yards and 27 total touchdowns, and made 120 tackles on defense to go with 5 tackles for loss.
Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked LB
Rivals: 4-star ILB, #8 ILB, #224 overall
Scout: 4-star OLB, #13 OLB, #159 overall
247 Sports: 4-star ATH, 90 grade, #21 ATH, #255 overall
Gedeon's highlights are a little sparse. He has two highlight videos available. One shows only special teams and offense from his sophomore year. The other has a few clips of offense and defense from his junior season. There's not a whole lot to glean from those two for a kid who's destined to play linebacker.
The kid is a pretty good overall athlete. He has played a lot of positions at Hudson, including quarterback, tailback, slot receiver, tight end, and linebacker. When he was first offered by Michigan, I thought it was as a tight end, and I thought he would be a very good U-back prospect. It was soon revealed that he was being recruited as a linebacker instead, and his future there is a little murkier. Highlights show a kid who runs pretty well, hits pretty hard, and plays downhill. His skill set suggests that he could fit at WILL, but if he's truly 6'3", then he might end up being a little too big to play that weakside spot. He seems more likely to play the MIKE linebacker position.
There are no significant weaknesses to be found in his highlights, although his college coaches will have to work a little bit on his initial stance. I would also be interested in taking a look at Gedeon's coverage abilities. Considering his abilities as a receiver and his running ability, I would think that coverage should be a strength or at least something that he can turn into a strength.
Overall, I like Gedeon as a prospect. He's a throwback linebacker who does a little bit of everything. He reminds me of a couple other guys who seem to be turning into good college players - Desmond Morgan and Joe Bolden. Both of those guys were versatile high school players who don't necessarily wow observers with their athleticism, but they're just good football players. I like the fact that Gedeon, like Morgan, is an integral part of his high school team's offense. It gives defensive players a little extra understanding of how the game works.
Michigan won't lose a ton after this season (Kenny Demens is the only senior starter; Brandin Hawthorne is a senior backup; Mike Jones is a redshirt junior third-stringer who may not return in 2013). Gedeon will have a chance to see the field as a backup in 2013, but I would expect him to redshirt. If there is no attrition at the inside linebacker positions, he will have two or three guys ahead of him at both spots (Morgan, Bolden, Antonio Poole, James Ross, and Royce Jenkins-Stone).
Gedeon is commitment #17. There are technically only two spots remaining in the 2013 class, but most analysts expect the class to reach 23 or 24 players.
TTB Rating: 82 (rating system)
1,600 yards and 27 total touchdowns along with 120 tackles with 5 for a loss is about as productive a stat line as you are ever going to see.
ReplyDeleteEspecially for a Junior.
I hope Hudson leaves some game in this kid for us.
Just my opinion, but I get the sense that Gedeon is maybe a bit more athletic than Bolden or Morgan. I think they are great comparisons, but am I off base at all?
ReplyDeleteI would probably give the edge to Gedeon in overall athleticism, yeah. I'm not sure he's as polished as Bolden, though.
DeleteI've read elsewhere that Gedeon really made an impression at UM's summer camp last year. Those camps obviously highlight overall athleticism, so it is fair to assume that he has the physical tools. Hoke also targeted Gedeon over quite a few other good LB prospects, so it's nice for UM to reel in a kid at the top of their board.
DeleteGood update. Just one comment. For Espn I would put it as N/A or that he is at least on their 250 to watch. Currently it implies that ESPN doesn't concur with the ranking of him. They just haven't done formal rankings yet. Not that there rankings are done by more than a couple guys with a dart board anyway.
ReplyDeleteOne other question! I've been looking on your site for a stank ranking of the players you have ranked by year/position. Does that exist anywhere?
It's probably just a typo, but what do you mean by "stank" ranking? If you're looking for the TTB Ratings, they're listed alongside each of the commits on the offer boards at the top of the page.
DeleteI may be totally off-base here, but I believe he's asking you to come up with a SEPARATE ranking that gauges each recruit's odiferousness or whorishness. One of the two (see http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stank). This could revolutionize recruiting coverage and be just the think to really launch you into the national conversation, Magnus.
DeleteI think she asking if there is a database, or collection of the rankings by class or position, so that she can compare similar athletes from year to year.
DeleteAs anonymous said I was asking for a stack ranking of the talent you reviewed although a skank rating may be amusing also.
DeleteI've heard Mattison say Mike and Will are pretty much the same position in his defense. I know it seems like he's been recruiting the small faster type for the Will position, Ross, Ringer, Poole, etc., but that doesn't mean you have to be 6'1" or shorter. I think Gedeon is the perfect Will in this defense because I've heard his athleticism is a plus, so he'll be good in coverage. There aren't much highlights to go off of like you said, but I noticed one weakness he has that's easily coached: he tackles a bit too high at times.
ReplyDeleteI think 82 is a bit too high for this kid, if you do take depth into account. He has a lot of good linebackers in front of him, and it's going to be hard for him to see the field.
Mattison has also said that the MIKE is going to be a little bigger than the WILL. So if guys like Poole, Ross, etc. are playing WILL, then I think it's fair to assume guys who are 6'3" and will eventually be 240 or so are going to play MIKE.
DeleteI do take depth into account, but Bolden is bound to play this season and burn his redshirt. That means that if Gedeon does redshirt, he'll have a couple seasons to play the MIKE and/or battle with Royce Jenkins-Stone.
I also think he would be better as a MIKE because he seems to be better north to south than he does sideline to sideline. He can really get in that backfield in a hurry.
DeleteThunder, what attributes does a linebacker need to play the SAM? I thought at 6'3, Gedeon might be a SAM candidate also. Is he not heavy enough? Ryan is listed at 6'3 230 and Gordon at 6'3 222. I know the are trying to bulk up some, but it seems like Gedeon could match them in size down the road if he's 6'3 215 as a high school junior. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think you're going to see Ryan and Gordon quite a bit heavier once the rosters are updated in the summer/fall. Both of them were young and/or position changers, so that should be taken into account when gauging ideal weights.
DeleteSince a SAM is a versatile defensive end, these guys need to be able to blitz, use their hands, and hold the edge against the run. They also need to cover. Gedeon might be a little on the short side for a SAM if he's only 6'2" (as some sites say), but I also think he's a little light and I think his speed might be better used elsewhere. Jake Ryan isn't extremely fast, but he's a very good SAM.
Gedeon probably lacks the pass rushing ability to be a viable SAM, though.
So basically a young Jason Taylor at 6'6" 245 would be a dream at SAM, wouldn't he? Come to think of it, I guess he'd be a dream WDE as well.
DeleteWhat does "throwback linebacker" mean, exactly? I've seen "throwback" used to describe Gedeon on this site and others, and while it's clearly complimentary, I'm not really sure what it refers to. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteTo me it means a multi-purpose player, a guy who can do a lot of things and doesn't mind getting dirty. In my mind it refers to a time when kids played both ways and were just hard-nosed, tough football players. When I say it, I'm basically referring to his position versatility (LB, TE, RB, QB, KR, etc.) and the way that he hits (hard). A lot of kids these days come out and they "specialize" at one position. Gedeon is clearly not that type of kid.
DeleteGedeon Just seems like the perfect player for Michigan! I heard he is an amazing player but also is very smart
ReplyDeleteI demand to know exactly which LB position he'll play, when his first start will be at that position, and how many tackles he'll have his junior year! If you can't provide that, I'm not sure I can trust your analysis. Also how many Heismans do you think he'll win? The kids over at Mgoblog are saying 5, do you think more or less?
ReplyDeleteHe'll play MIKE, he'll start as a redshirt junior, and he'll have 58 tackles that year.
DeleteJust one Heisman. During his fifth year. That's when the coaches will finally let him play RB, QB, TE, and KR.