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| Messiah DeWeaver |
Before he was originally offered a scholarship, I was hoping the coaching staff would hold off. The Wolverines were evaluating or had offered several other quarterbacks who I believed had higher potential, and I thought DeWeaver would jump at the chance to play for Michigan. The poor 2014 season for Michigan may have derailed their chances with some of the guys I viewed as better prospects, so for Michigan's long-term prospects, that may have been a blessing in disguise. Once a player decommits from a program, it can be tough to tuck the tail between the legs and come back.
Now Michigan has a fresh start with a well-established new coach in Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh has had success developing quarterbacks in the past, including former #1 overall draft pick Andrew Luck (Stanford) and former 5th round draft pick Josh Johnson (San Diego), not to mention NFL quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. When Harbaugh was at Stanford, he brought in an average of two quarterbacks per class, and he looks to continue to do so at Michigan. The Wolverines already have Alex Malzone enrolled early, and last weekend saw a commitment from Zach Gentry, who will sign with Michigan next week. Meanwhile, even with DeWeaver committed, Harbaugh had been meeting with California QB K.J. Costello and Washington QB Jacob Eason, who are the #4 and #1 pro-style quarterbacks for the 2016 class. The previous staff had offered seven quarterbacks (LINK), and that number may increase in the near future.
With DeWeaver committed, I had secretly been hoping to avoid doing scouting reports on 10-20 quarterback prospects for 2016. But now it looks like that's exactly what I'll be doing in the next couple weeks.
The Messiah has left the building. Oh well, I have a strange feeling we're going to be finally solid at QB during the Harbaugh years. With all our returning players on the 2 - deep, I'm actually expecting 10+ wins this season. Spring ball can't get here soon enough!
ReplyDeleteAs thunder said, there are bette prospects out there. Maybe DeWeaver wasn't ready for all the QB competition. I'm sure Harbaugh will lure in even better prospects for '16.
ReplyDeleteAs for Thunder having to do more reports, wah wah wah!
ReplyDeleteHe's from Trotwood (Trotwood), not Wayne (Huber Heights), although both are Dayton suburbs. Tyree Kinnell (2015) is Michigan's Wayne commit.
ReplyDeleteWayne's where Braxton Miller played. I think Roy Roundtree went to Trotwood.
Not anymore. DeWeaver transferred after the season.
DeleteThunder ... is there a position or group that you feel is your specialty? My sense is you're more a defensive player type of guy. Can evaluate all, but are most at home on the D side of things.
ReplyDeleteGood question. I don't really feel like I have a specialty. I've coached every position at one point or another, and I've called offenses and defenses at different times. I think defense is mostly about athleticism and getting the right athletes on the field, and I feel like I'm a pretty good judge of that type of thing.
DeleteSince you asked - so I'm not tooting my own horn - the other coaches on our staff have made comments about me being the "position guru." I guess I have a knack for determining what bodies fit where, who can play what position, etc. There are some coaches who try to fit square pegs into round holes, and it drives me nuts. I think that skill shows itself more on defense, so you might have a point.
Thanks! I got to thinking about the QB evaluations you're facing. That's got to be a pretty specialized position to evaluate. It sounds like you have some experience at all positions, including QB.
DeleteSo ... QB ... when you're looking at a QB candidate, what are the first rough-cut things you look for? That might depend on the type of QB -- dual or pro. Still, I would think there are two or three things that tell you he's worth looking at deeper, or not.
How do you feel about this 2 QB's per class strategy with Harbaugh... that's 8 QB's on the roster when he's fully established!
ReplyDeleteI'm fine with it, especially right now when Michigan does not have an established quarterback. It's unlikely that Michigan will actually reach a point where they have eight quarterbacks. Guys will transfer, graduate early, etc. And if it does reach a saturation point, Harbaugh will probably back off on the strategy for a year or two to maintain roster balance.
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