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| Channing Stribling (in white) (image via MGoBlog) |
Matthews (NC) Butler cornerback Channing Stribling committed to Michigan last week. He chose the Wolverines over an offer from Ball State.
Stribling is a 6'2", 170 lb. cornerback and wide receiver who claims a 4.5 forty. As a junior in 2011, he had 37 tackles, 14 pass breakups, and 6 interceptions. On offense he made 37 receptions for 636 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked CB
Rivals: 2-star S
Scout: 2-star CB
247 Sports: 3-star ATH, #95 ATH
Stribling is the teammate of several fellow 2013 Michigan offerees: quarterback Riley Ferguson (Tennessee), wide receiver Uriah LeMay (Georgia), and linebacker Peter Kalambayi (Stanford). Butler consistently churns out FBS talent, many of whom have been offered by Michigan in recent years. But Stribling didn't have an offer until he camped at Michigan last week, where he wowed the staff enough to earn an offer on Wednesday. He committed to Brady Hoke on Thursday morning.
Stribling is a pretty physical player, especially for playing his junior season at 160 lbs. or so. He's a willing tackler who wants to come up and hit, but he gets overpowered a little bit at times. That should change as his body matures and he starts to add weight. Where he currently lacks the confidence to wrap up ball carriers and instead chooses to go low and dive at legs, he should eventually be a solid run supporter. Stribling has decent hips and ability to change direction, but his mental discipline helps him there. He seems to read plays well and recognize developing route combinations. When the ball is in the air, he shows an ability to go after it, timing his leaps well and using his length to disrupt receivers and bat the ball. As a receiver, one of Stribling's key attributes is his ability and willingness to fight for extra yardage after the catch.
On the negative side, Stribling has somewhat limited speed. He doesn't accelerate extremely well and even when he gets to top speed, he won't leave opponents in the dust. His length and anticipation make up for that lack of speed at times, but in a flat-out foot race, he might not win against opposing players with elite speed. He also has some footwork and body position issues to work out, but those seem fixable.
By several accounts and what I see on film, Stribling has a solid, hardworking attitude and is a competitive player. He might not be the best athlete on the field at any given time, but he should work to shore up most of the above weaknesses. His lack of elite speed and playmaking ability might prevent him from being a nationally elite player at the next level, but he has the potential to be an eventual starter at the boundary corner. When I look at Stribling, he seems like almost an exact replica of fellow 2013 cornerback commit Gareon Conley. However, Stribling seems to have a little more position flexibility and could play free safety or perhaps wide receiver if needed.
Stribling is Michigan's 22nd commit in the class of 2013, a class that is expected to reach 24 or so. Michigan wants another receiver and possibly another defensive lineman, although they will probably continue to recruit Florida defensive back Leon McQuay III.
TTB Rating: 77
This seems like a relativly positive scouting report. Any idea why he basically had no offers until now?
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty hard to figure out based on the film. I don't think he's as good as the other guys on the team, so maybe he got overshadowed and/or was kind of a Plan B kid for some schools. While it seems late in the game, I think it's important to remember that it's only June before his senior year. This has been a very accelerated recruiting process for Michigan in the class of 2013.
DeleteIt's amazing how recruiting emphasizes early bloomers nowadays. The kids who get the most press are the ones who have outstanding freshman or sophomore years. For kids who do not hit their strides until their junior or senior years, it's going to be very difficult to get into top programs going forward. I'm glad Hoke and company seem not to be recruiting on hype and are willing to snag guys like this.
DeleteYeah, I think the earlier recruiting increases the uncertainty of the process. Some kids don't even hit their growth spurt till after sophomore year.
DeleteThat said, Stribling is clearly a back-up plan. I have some doubts about this kind of 'camp offer' working out in the end. Not that I think badly of Stribling, just that you have to wonder about a guy most schools have passed on. I think the coaches are clearly willing to take fliers on skinny athletes that they think will grow...but I'm worried that a bunch of them will end up as 6'2 220 lb tweeners like Mike Jones or Cam Gordon.
I guess I don't really remember all the guys who earned an offer at camp and committed later, but I'm pretty sure Courtney Avery was a kid who earned a camp offer. And while he hasn't been a star or anything, I'd say he's turned out to be just as good or better than some other guys who earned earlier offers (Cullen Christian, Justin Turner, etc.). Some camp offers turn out well, and some don't. Some early offers turn out well, and some don't.
DeleteI understand your concern about tweeners, but keep in mind that Jones and Gordon were recruited by Rich Rodriguez, who had no f***ing clue how to put together a defense. Gordon went from WR to FS to OLB, and he had no business playing the first two spots. I was never high on Jones's abilities, and I'm not sure why he was offered in the first place, except for the fact that Rodriguez loved tweeners and Florida kids, so Jones fit the bill.
Jones, Hawthorne, and Bell were all tweeners without a position who have bounced around or fallen off the map. Cam Gordon was never a tweener in my mind; it just took Rodriguez a long time to figure out what to do with him. He should have asked me:
http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2009/07/2009-countdown-82-cameron-gordon.html
Thats harsh and unfair IMO. Keep in mind it was Rodriguez who also recruited Avery, Countess, Ryan, Morgan, Roh, etc. He could find talent, he just couldn't put together a coaching staff to develop or implement it. Mike Jones had offers from Auburn, UNC and others. Turner and Christian were obviously highly regarded too. Some guys are just busts, it'll happen to Hoke too - but I have much more faith that Hoke knows the right buttons to push.
DeleteBut yeah, maybe I shouldn't worry about 'tweeners' so much now that Rodriguez is gone. This coaching staff does seem to like them for RLB and SAM though... Some things take a bit to get over.
My concerns with this coaching staff are either nit-picks or attempts to refute GREATEST ___ EVER hyperbole. My biggest one is that there are a whole heck of a lot of LBs and a lot DBs who might grow into them (Gant, Clark, Stribling, even Thomas).
None of those "successes" you listed were tweeners. That's my point. Avery was a corner. Countess was a corner. Ryan was a linebacker. Morgan was a linebacker. Roh was a defensive end. When it came to tweeners, Rodriguez had virtually no successes - Jones, Hawthorne, Bell, Turner, Christian, etc. were all tweeners who have either transferred or haven't really panned out. Hawthorne has been the best of the bunch, and he lost the starting job to an unheralded true freshman.
DeleteYeah, that's valid. Rodriguez pursued those kind of guys but didn't have much success at developing them. We'll see if this staff can do better. So far, with Frank Clark, things look promising.
DeleteHoke is really going after DB's. I like it. Tressel made hay by "over-recruiting" DB and LB and I think he proved that was a good strategy. As you point out, Stribling has some position flexibility and that is good considering . I'm sure this kid was thoroughly evaluated at the camp since the coaches are only entertaining a couple positions for the remaining '13 spots.
ReplyDeleteHe's pretty shifty for a tall kid and sees the field pretty well.
ReplyDeleteIf indeed you can add quick twitch muscle with training, he has some of the stuff you can't coach and like to see in a return guy.
How do you compare Channing with Donavan Warren? Any chance to be as good as Warren, meaning being a starter and may be all big ten (forgot if Warren being named all big ten or not), and nearly drafted in NFL?
ReplyDeleteThe biggest question I have is whether he truly runs a 4.5 40 at 6'2 165. If he does, look out, since with some additional muscle he could drop into the 4.4 range. His film didn't look like a 4.5, but it sounds like body is just starting to mature and he could have already become faster since last fall. Do they run the 40 at the UM camp and is it laser timed?
ReplyDeleteI don't think they run the 40 at Michigan's camp, and elsewhere, I've seen his time at 4.56. I truly doubt he runs a 4.5. Pat White outran a lot of good college players, and I believe he ran a 4.55 at the NFL Combine.
DeleteI'm unfamiliar with the staff's strategy of "getting longer" at certain positions (the staff seems to prioritize taller WRs and DBs especially). Looking at all-Pro NFL DB's, only Nnamdi Asomugha is 6'2 or above (Woodson is 6'1). I can understand that tall WRs confer advantage in the proverbial "jump ball" but tall DBs?
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if on any given Saturday you're probably going to have only one Michael Floyd on the other side? Maybe the staff needs only 1~2 true lockdown corners in each class, and the other taller guys can help with the huge number of run plays...
DeleteStribling is from the same HS of another Michigan great Safety, Jamar Adams. I like it!!
ReplyDeleteSpaniardWolverine