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| Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison quarterback Messiah DeWeaver |
DeWeaver is 6'3", 202 lbs. As a sophomore in 2013, he passed for 2,300 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 6 touchdowns.
RATINGS
ESPN: Unranked
Rivals: Unranked
Scout: Unranked
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #9 pro-style QB, #244 overall, #12 in-state
DeWeaver has been visiting campus regularly for a couple years due to Trotwood-Madison's connections to Michigan. The school sent former Wolverines Michael Shaw, Roy Roundtree, and Brandon Moore to Ann Arbor, and DeWeaver's teammates Mike McCray II and Reon Dawson will be redshirt freshman Wolverines in the fall. DeWeaver will hit Michigan's campus in 2016 when they will presumably be redshirt juniors. DeWeaver has been his varsity team's starting quarterback since his freshman season.
Trotwood-Madison runs a diverse, modern pro-style offense that involves some single-back plays, some I-formation, and a lot of shotgun, five-wide, bunch formations, etc. DeWeaver does a good job of directing the offense. There's a play roughly 5:25 into his Hudl highlights where he makes and adjustment with his slot receiver, who runs a drag route across the field, catches the ball, and turns it up the sideline for a 60+ yard touchdown. DeWeaver seems to know where to go with the ball rather quickly, so he doesn't take a lot of time sitting in the pocket waiting for the rush to get to him. Accuracy is difficult to gauge from a highlight film, but he does seem to manage putting the ball in a place where only his receiver can catch it. He also is willing to take a hit in order to get rid of the football and does not seem jumpy in the pocket. The mental aspect of playing quarterback seems to be there. As for his athleticism, he keeps his feet active in the pocket but does not appear to be a huge threat on the move.
The biggest issue I have with DeWeaver is (to quote the great Trent Dilfer) his "arm talent." DeWeaver lacks a great arm, and he tends to drop his elbow, which can make the ball sail a little bit. He does not put great spin on the football, and he has a tendency to step to the left of his target, which affects the zip on his passes. I would also like to see him speed up his dropback from under center, but that is easily coached.
Overall, I think DeWeaver has considerable potential if his body and arm strength mature. It's difficult to keep in mind that the highlights available show an athlete who is entering his junior year of high school. If that arm strength matures with age, then he could be a very good college quarterback. If he does not get stronger in that area, I think he will have some serious issues completing passes against tighter coverage and quicker defenses. This will be something to watch over the next two years.
DeWeaver is the second commitment in Michigan's 2016 class, joining Downers Grove (IL) South offensive tackle Erik Swenson. The class is scheduled to be roughly 16 players strong right now.
TTB Rating: I will not release TTB Ratings for the 2016 class until the 2015 class is completed.
"Stepping to the left of his target"
ReplyDeleteThis is becoming coaches more and more as QB coaches go away from stepping to the target or "the midline". I think he may outstep a bit too much, but it does allow him to rotate his shoulders through his throw better than he otherwise would be able to if he was stepping to his target.
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ReplyDeleteA lot can change between now and when the 2016 class is actually on campus, but at the moment, between Messiah DeWeaver and KJ Costello who did you like more as a prospect?
ReplyDeleteI like Costello more. DeWeaver was the lowest QB on my priority list of guys that had been offered, and I was actually hoping that DeWeaver would not earn an offer because I was pretty sure he would jump on it. I wanted the coaches to give someone like Costello (and Malik Henry) more time to think. Oh well.
DeleteQB recruiting sure has changed around here with Nussmeier. While depth is finally developing, I'd still really like to see a 2 QB year every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteOh yea. Lloyd Carr had those once in a while, which really threw the QBs into competing with each other. Would like to see some cut-throat battles at the QB spot.
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