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| Csont'e York looks like a good prospect, despite his apparent love for the Yankess instead of the Tigers (image via 247 Sports) |
York stands 6'3" and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 185 lbs. Since he is an under-the-radar recruit, no statistics or forty times are immediately available.
Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked WR
Rivals: Unranked WR
Scout: 3-star WR, #67 WR
247 Sports: 3-star WR, 88 grade, #69 WR
Okay, so there's not much to go on. No stats, not many measurements, and only a couple recruiting sites really have a clue who he is. (UPDATE: York had 36 catches for 587 yards, which averages out to 16.3 yards per catch, and 11 touchdowns.) Here's my analysis then:
York is tall, long, lean, and can jump. He has good straight-line speed and gets on top of corners pretty quickly, which makes them panic a little bit. This will not only help him threaten deep, but it should also be an asset for setting up corners for shorter routes; he'll get them to flip their hips, he can throttle down, and then come back for a dig, hitch, or comeback. York goes up and gets the ball well, which should make him a very tough red zone threat. I am also impressed with York's routes. He is very adept at setting up routes and not just going from point A to point B in a straight line. There aren't any highlights of him blocking, but with his size and wingspan, he should be helpful on the edge. While he's probably a little thin right now, I'm not worried about him getting to a good weight at Michigan; he has a good frame and should be able to hold 210-215 lbs. without any problems. I also like the fact that York's coaches and quarterback obviously see him as a go-to guy. There are times when the play call in the huddle appears to be "Throw it somewhere near Csont'e and watch him score a touchdown. On two. Ready, break."
On the negative side, York does not seem to be a threat to run much after the catch. While he accelerates well and can threaten deep when unimpeded, he doesn't seem to have an extra gear. And if he makes anyone miss, that's on the defensive guy, because he just doesn't have much lateral quickness. Dennis Norfleet should not feel threatened that York might steal his punt return reps. I would also like to see York do a little less posing after big plays.
There are some questions about York's opponents. Well, not really. The league is not very talented. His team went 8-3 on the season, but the average point differential over eleven games was 28 points per game. So if Chandler Park wasn't trouncing someone else, they were getting trounced themselves. There are some kids on that highlight film who just aren't very good athletes, period, and those are some of the guys he's beating like a drum; Warren (MI) Michigan Collegiate athlete Teo Redding is the only other significant college recruit in the league, as far as I know.
York joins Jaron Dukes as the two wide receivers in the 2013 class, and Michigan probably wants one more. His commitment might put a little pressure on a player like Crete (IL) Crete-Monee wideout Laquon Treadwell, who wants to wait until January to decide but might not have that freedom if he wants to come to Michigan. Things might get interesting from here, just like they did with cornerback Terry Richardson last year, offensive tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman a few months ago, etc. Things are always fluid in recruiting.
This give Michigan 18 commitments in the class. Technically, there are only 19 spots open as of now, but attrition will almost certainly occur between now and February. When York hits campus, he will join a receiving corps that includes redshirt senior Jeremy Gallon, senior Drew Dileo, senior Jeremy Jackson, redshirt junior Jerald Robinson, sophomore Jehu Chesson, sophomore Amara Darboh, and fellow freshman Dukes.
TTB Rating: 79 (rating system)
I like seeing that for most of his catches he's "covered" by defenders, but they're 5'8" or 5'9" and he's 6'3" with better position and the first jump. Mediocre throws meant he was making a lot of tough catches in his highlights and he really seems to get good position on the ball. Almost like it's instinctive. Not bad for a junior.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest. I have extremely high doubts about this recruit. One of the last thing I want to hear about a WR is "doesn't have much lateral quickness". When I played back-yard football I was a jump-ball grabbing juggernaut, but if someone other than my little brother covered me, I didn't do so well.
ReplyDeleteI fear this coaching staff is enamored with taller jump-ball grabbing WRs at the expense of finding get-separation type WRs who have the speed and lateral quickness to get open through route running. I prefer Mario Manningham to Marquise Walker.
I just don't buy that a Detroit-area recruit playing teams like Brother Rice can be any sort of 'sleeper'. I know he did well at this recent camp, so maybe he's a late bloomer or something.
Guess I'll keep an open mind till more info about him becomes available.
He also played schools like Summit Academy, Chavez Academy, Old Redford Academy, Bradford Academy... Get the gist? Recruiters aren't pounding down the doors of Chandler Park to find athletes.
DeleteI prefer Mario Manningham (minus the weed) to Marquise Walker, too, but getting York doesn't prevent us from getting someone like Devon Allen, Sebastian Larue, etc. who are more Manningham-like.
The coaches weren't sold on him either until his camp performances. I think those camps give you a decent idea on how well a CB or WR can play against quality competition, and York has repeatedly stood out. Saying he's only a jump ball receiver is really under selling this kid.
DeleteSometimes I really hate Michigan fans. They whine when we recruit short fast dudes, and they whine when we recruit tall leaper dudes. You're not going to land Braylon Edwards or Mario Manningham in every recruiting cycle They are rare and there are a lot of FBS schools. It's a trade-off.
DeleteI'd be willing to bet Walker smoked his share too...
DeleteNot liked York lived in rural Wyoming. Anyone in a major urban area like Detroit is going to get noticed if he is an elite player. It is still fairly early in the process, but this isn't a guy people haven't seen before. Recruits may not be pounding down the doors of Chandler Park, but they are pounding the streets of Metro Detroit...hard.
Obviously the camps made a big difference for him. I can't say how meaningful it is, but generally I'd prefer 'gamers' to 'workout warriors'. That said, I do buy Thunders argument that the 1-on-1 QB-WR drills would be more meaningful than other camp events.
York takes up a scholarship. Yes, we can recruit more WR, but I'd rather have 3 could-be-manninghams than 3 could-be-massaquai (jumbo WR recruit turned TE).
All the best to the kid though. Hope I'm wrong to judge him this way.
At least Walker (if he participated) wasn't dumb enough to get caught in a drug test at the Combine.
Delete"Anyone in a major urban area like Detroit is going to get noticed if he is an elite player." Obviously that's not true in April or May. If this were November, then I might agree. York obviously put up pretty big numbers last year (his highlights suggest that, anyway), but I'm telling you - those schools don't get a lot of attention. I don't know where you live, Lankownia, but I've lived in that general area, I have friends who live in the area, and I've been following recruiting pretty heavily for a while. Those schools I listed are not popular stops for recruiters.
I'm not arguing that he'll be a big-time superstar. All I'm saying is that it's possible for good players to slip through the cracks when they play in crappy leagues or for bad teams.
Lank, we're not going to get 3 would-be Manninghams. We need receivers badly. It's also a good idea to diversify. Clearly the coaches see something in York.
DeleteNot arguing that recruiters go there as a habit, but that word would get around. Any team that has a school like Brother Rice on it's schedule is going to get enough attention. Now, it's possible he had a bad day and then got ignored from then on...but unlikely. I live on the west coast now, but grew up and went to school in AA. I know we're talking about a small school here, but there is a big difference between recruiters not going there regularly and recruiters not going anywhere in the vicinity. A kid in the U.P. might get missed. A sophomore on JV might get missed. But a junior TD machine...in Metro Detroit -- highly unlikely. If he's got the talent to be a national-caliber recruit people will hear about him. But OK, maybe he bloomed late and whatever they heard about his junior year wasn't quite impressive enough to warrant more attention. Possible, but unlikely. Seems like a serious stretch. Same story as Thomas Rawls, though without the academic questionmark AFAIK.
Delete@Blastbeat
Sometimes I hate Michigan fans to - like when they're fanboys who argue every 3 star commit is a stud, every 4 star commit means Michigan is going to be 'absolutely loaded', and every commit to another school...we didn't want them anyway. I'm not upset about York, I just think it's a dubious offer given the evidence I have.
This is the first recruit I can remember actively complaining about (in football) since Austin White.
Brother Rice beat Chandler Park by a score of 38-2. York obviously didn't score a touchdown in that game, and it seems likely that he didn't have a big day yardage-wise, either. Regardless, it was a team that Brother Rice trounced, so it's not unbelievable that people wouldn't say, "Wow, that kid on that team that just got murdered was awesome!!!" He played Brother Rice, probably didn't do much, and then spent the rest of his season playing the Little Sisters of the Poor.
DeleteAgain, I'm not arguing that York will be a star. You're obviously free to disagree, as I often do. But like I said, it's entirely possible that a good player from Chandler Park could slip through the cracks.
@Thunder...yeah - which begs the question: how good is he really? It's a team game, so maybe with an overwhelmed QB and OL it was impossible to do anything, but that's where you'd theoretically like to see him rise to the level of competition.
Delete@Blastbeat
I disagree. A) Why can't we get 3 Manninghams? Michigan's a school that in the past recruited the top 2 WR recruits in the entire country. Getting high 4 stars isn't unusual for Michigan. They did the positional equivalent at OL... Anyway, I'm not saying we need 3, just that it'd be nice to get 1 or 2, not just the big dudes we've recruited (the last 4 WR commits). B) I don't think we should take 3 WRs. Carr never took that many WRs and if we're busy allocating scholarships to FBs and TEs and a boatload of RBs, that means we're going to use WRs less often. I don't want to see more than 2 WRs in any class, unless we're talking about an Athlete type that might change positions or a slot-bug-type like Smith/Dileo/Hayes/Norwood. I'd rather recruit more DL and OL until we have established players there.
Obviously, the coaches (always) have their reasons. I'm not trying to blast them or claim superiority to their view. I'm just voicing my doubts in this case. Generally, I trust them, but in this case I both don't much like the strategic approach (another tall WR with questionable speed) OR the individual recruit (3-star with few offers, little escapability, and playing in a weak league.) Then again, I wouldn't have recruited Rawls and it sounds like he's going to be the backup RB and likely starter if (when) Toussaint is hurt.
I'll be pulling for this kid in a big way as Chandler Park Academy is in the building that used to be Lutheran East, my alma mater. I'm pleased to see that they are still wearing blue and white and remain Eagles. Uniforms probably came with the building.
ReplyDeleteWhen I played on those fields it was Wham, Power, Student Body Left/Right, the 252 Zip which we hardly ever completed and a couple different reverses.
To my knowledge there was only two blocking rules, GOOO. Gap, On, Over, Outside and I can't remember the other one.
Not much thinking was going on, mostly we were just running around having fun trying to hit somebody or trying to avoid getting hit by somebody, depending on the play.
I would suspect that his coaches have been working the phones for him and sending out Junior year film and the recruiting guys have seen the same thing we've seen here, a big kid ringing it up on small mediocre high school talent. As a result he's been hearing that he's gonna have to go to the camps and the 7 v 7s and do it to the national and regional kids if he wants a look. Which to his credit he did.
ReplyDeleteBraylon came from Bishop Gallagher which was about a mile down the road, but he was playing against Catholic League competition which is light years ahead of what this kid is seeing most Friday nights.
In addition, the better professional speed training is on the west side, so to whatever extent he's getting speed coaching I'm doubtful that it's at the level obtainable elsewhere. I saw Lance Long doing a class for little guys at the PTC last night, and Roger White does a nice job at the same facility, but that's a fair drive from where this kid probably lives, the big time guys are all an hour away.
Re: speed training.
DeleteDoes that actually work? I've always had the impression that it would be of marginal benefit. Perhaps you can tweak some technique or something, but isn't speed kind of innate?
It has certainly helped my kids who inherited their father's slow twitch athleticism.
DeleteI think it's more than improving technique, I believe that the 'explosion" training that's being offered nowadays at minimum moves you closer to your peak potential.
I'm of the opinion that it also enhances your potential for building 'quick twitch" muscles, but I'm prepared to be wrong on that one. Clearly it's a lot better if Mommy and Daddy were big and fast. Maybe Daddy big, Mommy fast.
I bet Thunder knows.
I think anyone that is doubting Csont'e York's ability should consider that he looked like a monster against the teams he played(something he doesn't get to pick) and then backed it up by performing well at combines. Unless he plans to transfer schools, he's shown his ability on and off the field to the best of his ability.
ReplyDeleteProblem there is looking like a monster against weak competition proves nothing...and from the bits of highlights I saw from the combine, he wasn't getting separation.
DeleteI get that he catches the ball well and has good size/speed overall, but I'm questioning if that is enough to offer a kid. Especially when you've been taking jump-ball types already.
This kid can play - good height and speed and great hands. Video from the Columbus camp on Rivals has him beating ohio commits Cam Burrows and Jayme Thompson 1 on 1. Great addition at WR.
ReplyDeleteYup, right on. Excited about what this kid brings to the table. A total steal at WR.
DeleteFor those pitching about lack of talent in his conference look at the conference RVB played in... orchard view has athletes but not many d1.
ReplyDeleteYour anecdotal argument is going to be an undrafted DL? At least go Mike Hart...
DeleteLike another anecdotal argument, there are 100s of counter-examples.
I played against him in that conference. Not to mention its in the state of Michigan and gives people a little bit of a reference. Douchebag.
DeleteThe thing with small school players is there is SO much uncertainty. They dominate lesser or equal opponents and disappear when the TEAM they play against is better. Guys like Treadwell, Allen or Stringfellow may not be able to do much better if they were in that situation. I think the staff knew enough about this kid having seen him playing with Shane, Khalid and Jourdan over the last two off-seasons to get an idea what he's about. This summer he has been able to showcase what HE can do against quality defenders and he has been EXCELLENT. If you look at Khalid Hill's body of work you could say the same. Neither of these guys may be "stars," but they fit what the the staff is looking for. Sometimes a player has a huge ceiling and you offer based on that potential even if the athlete hasn't fully tapped into it. I think this kid can be a very solid addition for Michigan.
ReplyDeleteDominating weak competition is necessary, but not sufficient. A weak performance against a tough team doesn't preclude you from being good. Ideally, there is a sample of information available where the individual can prove themselves in the team context. If that's not the case, you're taking a big risk. Uncertainty indeed.
DeleteAnother point raised here - if he's been playing with a super-well scouted guy like Shane Morris for 2 years...why does he have so few offers? Why has their been no buzz about him? I know coaches/recruiters may not be able to attend 7-on-7s, but they have contacts who do.