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| Quinton Washington |
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 302 lbs.
High school: St. Stephen (SC) Timberland
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #76
Last year: I ranked Washington #32 and said he would have 15 tackles as a backup DT. He played in eight games and made 1 tackle.
I guess I overrated Washington's ability to contribute last season, because he wasn't even close to being productive. He seems like an offensive guard who got stuck on defense, and by now it's probably too late for him to switch back. He lacks the quickness to get off the ball well, so whenever he's in the game, it seems like he and an offensive lineman just get in a shoving match with nobody going anywhere.
With three stout linemen having graduated (Mike Martin, Ryan Van Bergen, and Will Heininger), the spots along the defensive line are wide open. Washington has a chance to play nose tackle or 3-tech, but the coaches have inserted William Campbell at NT and bumped Jibreel Black down from weakside end to the 3-tech position. Those are your likely starters for the beginning of the season, so guys like Washington, Richard Ash, and freshman Ondre Pipkins are going to be working their way up from below. It seems like big #76 needs to step up this season for Michigan to have a strong defensive line rotation, but I didn't see him flash a whole lot of potential in the spring game. He will likely be a backup once again, although hopefully more productive than he was last season.
Prediction: Backup defensive tackle, special teams contributor
I read your review from last year and, as you noted, "Q" was pretty highly rated in high school.
ReplyDeleteTo me, your most salient observation here is "He lacks the quickness to get off the ball well ..."
That would seem to be fundamentally important on both sides of the line.
To your knowledge, was that weakness apparent on his HS film? If so, do you think it was ignored because of his impressive size and strength?
I went back and watched his film a few minutes ago. I have progressively delved into recruiting and watching film more and more, so while I watched Washington's tape when he was recruited in the 2009 class, I counted on Rivals/Scout ratings for information more than I do now. What I see on film now is a huge kid whose first couple steps are slow, who's not super athletic in the open field, but who was huge and knocked a lot of people down. The funny thing is, he doesn't fit the mold of a Rich Rodriguez offensive guard AT ALL. I'm really not sure why they recruited him.
DeleteI do think the size/strength combo was the draw for coaches to recruit him, but he was pretty limited athletically.
Interesting to hear ... thanks for your insight.
DeleteThe write-up and comments are spot on. QW has very limited range and looks pretty slow out of his stance. DT's need to at least be able to slide off a block and plug a hole to either side and I don't think QW can do that. Frankly, I was surprised to see him at the 3-tech instead of NG. To me, it does not look like he would have enough quickness to pass block at the OG spot either. Supposedly, RR's staff was very high on him as a recruit. But RR obviously overrated southern kids and I wonder if the SEC basically took a pass on him.
DeleteTo Painter Smurf: Interestingly, it appears that the upper end of the SEC did indeed pass on him:
Deletehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Quinton-Washington-66431;_ylt=AhBplEMDuV9b34V2gcNVqeJmspB4
Still, a decent offer list ...
With coaches throwing out non-commitable, "verbal" offers to kids they are just trying to string along, it can be hard to determine actual interest. I think Jeremy Jackson and Richard Ash technically reported offers from Florida, but neither could have committed. MRob and Miller could also claimed big offers, but I think those schools backed off in the end. I can't think of any southern RR recruits off the top of my head who were hot SEC recruits. Denard is the one exception, but RR was one of the few coaches willing to give him a shot at QB.
DeleteJust recently saw him on campus, and he looks like he really, really slimmed up.... Looked like a beast...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how he'll contribute, but he really looks like he is in good shape
Let's play a game of "what if"....what if Rich Rod did NOT move him to defense. Is he our starting LG this year? How did you have him projected on the OLine before the switch?
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think he would be our starting LG this year. He'd be better off at RG, anyway, so maybe they would have flipped Omameh to LG. Or maybe they would have tried Washington at center. Either way, I think Washington would still be a backup. I couldn't really tell you where I had him on the depth chart, but he was #61 on the countdown in 2010 before he moved to defense.
DeleteGiven that the entire starting DL slid a position (or two) down, they're likely to be a bit undersized in aggregate. Hopefully Q, as a bigger dude, can be a used in short yardage situations at least. Any idea if he was used in those situations last year?
ReplyDeleteHe was used a little bit in short yardage, but not often. I do think he'll be used a little more because of the lack of depth, but I don't think we'll see him a ton.
DeleteThunder, great site, I really enjoy it. What is the difference between playing RG and LG? What different skills do you need to play one vs the other?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoy it. With a right-handed quarterback that is presumably more of a right-handed team (in other words, they run right more often than left), the RG should be more of a straight-ahead mauler and pile driver, while the LG should be a little more athletic. When running power to the right, the LG needs to pull more often. Also, because the LG is on the quarterback's blind side, he should be a little better pass blocker.
DeleteIf Shane Morris becomes the starting QB at any point, you would likely see LG/RG and LT/RT flip-flop talents and responsibilities.
I agree with you on QW he seems like a guard who is stuck as a defensive tackle. I think you do a great job with this site and I look forward to reading your countdown everyday, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteJust because he contributed already and Ash hasn't I'm expecting him to be a second choice backup to ashs' third, but do you see Henry also playing a role in the rotation?
ReplyDeletehttp://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2012/06/2012-season-countdown-85-willie-henry.html
DeleteEarly favorite for guy you ranked way too low.
ReplyDelete