 |
| Tom Strobel (image via MGoBlog) |
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: Mentor (OH) Mentor
Position: Defensive end
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #50
Last year: I ranked Strobel #67 and said he would be a backup strongside end. He played in five games and made 1 tackle.
Strobel has been a difficult player to project throughout his career. He came in as a guy who looked like he could stay at weakside end, but then he became a strongside end. Then he was a severely undersized defensive tackle. Then he moved back to strongside end. He appears to be too slow to play on the edge, and he can't or won't add the bulk necessary to play tackle.
A new coaching staff has been hired, and they look no closer to figuring out where he can actually play. He is listed at defensive end still, but he again appears to be a bench player. With the Wolverines looking like a bit more of a 3-4 team, that would seem to indicate a better chance for him to play because of his size, but it also constricts the pathway to playing time a little bit. Strobel hasn't shown anything yet that resembles a breakout, so he remains in the lower third of the countdown.
Prediction: Backup defensive end
Yet another frustrating Hoke recruit not panning out. Dude was a high 4-star guy and MIA. I really wanna make Hoke give back the millions he made every year from Michigan.
ReplyDeleteHoke has his Saline home up for sale,... $3M... you interested?
DeleteStrobel was a bit overrated due to his height and size in HS. And Hoke really over emphasized size with lineman his first couple classes. Think it was a knee jerk response to RR handing such a small roster over to him. But skill still trumps prototype size at the college level.
DeleteYep - Hoke got this one wrong, but so did a ton of great coaches. OSU, MSU, Stanford, Wisconsin and many more offered him.
Delete@Anonymous Hoke ought to sell it, and donate the $3 mil back to the school. Even I can go out there and talk about being physical all f'in day, and leave all coaching duties to coordinators and assistants. Smh.
DeleteDoes anyone else ever get the feeling that some of these guys (not necessarily Strobel, but maybe), after making an assessment of their prospects after a year or two, conclude that going all out (gaining all that unhealthy weight, etc.) isn't worth it for them in the long run? That's a somewhat scandalous suggestion, but some guys (especially ones for whom college tuition outside football may be an unattainable dream) might think that way.
ReplyDeleteI have heard only 5% of D1 football players are on NFL active rosters 2 or 3 years after they graduate. Not sure if that is accurate but if so have to agree these kids need to look 'big picture' and make smart decisions.
Deletenot sure if accurate but that statistic is pretty darn close. theres approx 1700 active nfl players (plus practice squads, IR, etc) and theres something like 27,000 DI players. when also considering some talented kids at I-AA and other levels, its really a crapshoot.
Deleteand i agree re the kids who truly realize theyll never play or the ones who dont really enjoy college football experience and its more means to an end. i know some guys who refused to add 20-40 lbs just to switch positions yet likely still remain on the bench. but at the same time many of these bigger guys would naturally weigh 225 lbs or so if they hadnt been lifting and maintaining target weights since before high school. so it kind of cuts both ways.
in stroebels case, i unfortunately dont ever really see him making an umpact at any position on DL - if hes playing decent snaps, its really bad news for michigans program in that the kids coming in behind him were not very good at all
Bummer. He was one of the first Hoke commits that we were really excited about because he snatched him away from Tressel.
ReplyDeleteI was really high on Strobel as a recruit (loaded offer list) but at this point it seems exceedingly unlikely that he'll play a meaningful role on the team. We're talking about a kid entering his 4th year of college who hasn't seen a meaningful down.
ReplyDeleteI said his rank was too high last year, and I'll say it again this year. Even though you can't get TOO much lower than 77, there's just almost no way Strobel has any significant value to this team. Whereas Higdon or Allen could be starters for example with a break or injury.