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| Pembroke Pines (FL) Flanagan safety Josh Metellus |
Metellus is 6'0", 187 lbs.
RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: 2-star S
Scout: 2-star S
247 Sports: Unranked
Metellus committed to Georgia Southern in March. Meanwhile, he had two teammates who picked up Michigan offers: linebacker Devin Bush, Jr. and fellow safety Devin Gil, who was committed to Miami. Michigan was going hard after Bush especially, and they set up a satellite camp with Flanagan's head coach Devin Bush hosting just outside of Miami. Metellus showed up to the camp and earned an offer. He and the other two Flanagan players visited Michigan this past weekend, and both committed prospects chose to decommit while on the trip. Now Metellus is committed (Gil's decision is still pending).
Metellus looks to be a shade under 6'0" and while his highlight film says he's 195 lbs., that is also questionable. Regardless, he has average size for a safety. The first thing that jumps out about Metellus is that he brings everything he has when he comes up to tackle. He's a solid tackler and can patrol the middle. He wraps up well and runs his feet through contact. I also think he does a good job in run fits and can wade through the trash, changing direction well in small spaces to dodge blockers and find the ball carrier. Metellus tracks the ball well in the air, and it looks like he does a good job of keeping things in front of him.
What Metellus isn't is a guy who leaps off the screen for any particular reason. He is a solid but unspectacular football player. He lacks great size and will need to get in the weight room so he doesn't get overpowered. He lacks great speed and is not a dynamic runner if he gets the ball in his hands.
I see a player whose ceiling looks like that of Thomas Gordon, who started at Michigan for a few years but was never outstanding. He did happen to be a turnover machine a few years ago with a couple picks and some fumble recoveries, but that did not last. Gordon bulked up in college and was a solid player.
Michigan now has 16 commits in the 2016 class. Metellus is the first true safety, although both Kiante Enis and Antwaine Richardson could end up there eventually. The Wolverines are not in dire need of safeties, since the only senior is Jarrod Wilson. He is also the third player from Florida, joining Richardson and defensive end Rashad Weaver. There is at least a decent chance that Bush and Gil join him in committing to the Wolverines.
TTB Rating: 71 (ratings explanation)
"The first thing that jumps out about Metellus is that he brings everything he has when he comes up to tackle. He's a solid tackler and can patrol the middle"-TTB
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis TTB couldn't agree with you more about this prospect!!
Check out his other highlight on hudl called "NO EXCUSES"
Good pick up, limited upside but strategically played to land the bigger fish. I like it.
ReplyDeletethat's what i thought, too. he's a decent player but his HS teammates are better. Let's reel them in!
DeleteI don't think UM offered him out of pity at all. Guy is a very good player. Didn't he have a U of Miami offer?
ReplyDeleteHe has an offer from University of Miami (Ohio)
DeleteMaybe you're thinking of his teammate, who just decommitted from the University of Miami (Florida) while on a visit to Michigan?
You're thinking of Gil. Metellus' top offer was from Georgia Southern.
DeleteOne in the hand leads to three from the bush? Sorry. I'll be quiet.
ReplyDeleteGoing through the vid on all of this batch of Harbaugh defensive recruits, Metellus, Johnson, Richardson and I'm going to include Chris Evans, because I really like him as a CB, are all real good tacklers: Enis also tackles pretty well. I think our tackling improves significantly the second these kids hit campus, before our coaching staff even gets them out on the field.
ReplyDeleteIt's been quite a while since I though we were a good tackling team.
Not seeing anything to get excited about but trusting the coaches. It does seem a little bit like they want to get recruiting out of the way by August so that they can focus on football. First come first serve policy...we'll see how it plays out.
ReplyDeleteI am still puzzled why he is offering all these lower rated players. I understand his eye for talent, but I if there are more long range, strategic reasons. Is he doing this to try to establish connections in SEC territory that will yield more blue chip players later on? Is he trying to build trust with some of the high school coaches and simply trying to get Michigan on the map down there? I ask because he is certainly capable of bringing in higher rated players.
ReplyDeleteGreat question and thought...
DeleteJust my opinions as a well-established program outsider, but I think there are a few reasons for it:
Delete1. Harbaugh is very confident in his ability to win with players who fit his program. He'd love to get a 5-star kid who is ready tomorrow, but if there's a high character 3-star with the 'raw material' to be molded, he'll take him.
2. Harbaugh doesn't want to be recruiting dozens of kids during the season, he'd rather focus on the team he has.
3. Harbaugh wants to get results from the satellite camps, so that they gain prestige and become an even bigger deal in years to come. Also, he wants to validate the investment in time and resources it took to organize and run the camps.
I DON'T think it has much to do with building connections. The whole notion of pipelines and the idea that a kid will care that some other kid who lives 100 miles away (or even 15 miles away) went to Michigan one time strikes me as exaggerated at best. You could run through recruits from Florida, California, Texas, etc over the years and it didn't mean that more followed.
Michigan is already "on the map" everywhere, to a degree. To take that to the next level they need to win (more) games.