Eastpoint (MI) East Detroit wide receiver Tay'shawn Trent committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, Penn State, and West Virginia, among others.
Trent is listed at 6'4" and 205 lbs.
RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #26 WR, #206 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #33 WR
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #63 WR
Hit the jump for more on Trent's commitment.
Trent was offered by Michigan in the spring of 2020, but despite Michigan beating Michigan State to the punch, Trent seemed to be leaning toward the Spartans. Then when the Wolverines reshuffled the staff after the season, they started pushing for Trent and convinced him to lean toward the good guys.
Trent has good size. He's verified at 6'3", 210 lbs., but some places have him a little taller and a little heavier. He has a thick lower body, which indicates to me that he will continue to get heavier. I really like his body control and ability to snatch the ball away from his body. He shows some wiggle when catching the ball short and setting up routes. His size and ability to block is a plus.
Route running is something that may need to be improved. His highlights are mostly filled with him running fade routes or screens. While he should be a good target over the middle, there's not much evidence of his being able to run crossing routes, digs, curls, etc. He also gets a little loose with the ball and he will need to be more cautious to prevent the ball from getting stripped after the catch.
Overall, Trent is a pretty good prospect. I think 247 Sports has him underrated as a 3-star. He should be a 4-star prospect, and if used properly, he could be a solid player. I get Junior Hemingway vibes from him even though Hemingway was a little shorter. Hemingway didn't run away from many people, but he did go up and over some defenders and had some nice runs after the catch.
Trent is the third in-state prospect to commit in 2022, joining defensive tackle Davonte Miles and cornerback Will Johnson. He's the first wide receiver. Trent would be the first East Detroit product to suit up for the Wolverines since walk-on fullback Deyanco Hardwick in 2015.
TTB Rating: I will not be giving TTB Ratings for 2022 until I wrap up the 2021 class.
"there's not much evidence of his being able to run crossing routes, digs, curls, etc."
ReplyDeleteI'm genuinely curious ... by that do you mean there's evidence he *tries* to run those routes, but fails; or that there's simply no evidence of those routes being called and run by him?
What I'm wondering is whether it's possible his school's offense just didn't run those routes, for whatever reason? Or is it a case where Trent has just not yet mastered those types of routes?
I don't remember him attempting to run any of those routes on film. So he probably hasn't mastered them because he doesn't practice them, but that's just a guess.
DeleteI like the pickup. Need balance in the receiving corps, and we keep local talent away from B1G opponents
ReplyDeleteI look forward to 2023 when record-setting QB Bowman is throwing TDs to breakout star TE Trent against OSU.
ReplyDelete-Lank
The Bowman post didn't make it blogspot but I want to share my optimism.
DeleteI suspect he'll be the starter for the next couple years unless McCarthy is a hit beyond what is typical for a recruit below the elite top 20 range nationally.
Bowman's a Kingsbury-approved pocket passer renowned for his accuracy, IMO the most important QB physical characteristic. He is also proven and experienced over 3 years at TTU, despite a lot of injuries. Only one class ahead of McNamara is he has done so much more, and he's done it against quality competition (OU, Texas, Baylor, etc) and despite a coaching change.
If he can stay healthy, I think he has a very good chance of being a high quality multi-year starter. Maybe even the best QB of the Harbaugh era. I think the low-ceiling consensus is a bit misguided. Bowman looked excellent at times at TTU even as a freshman (e.g., Oklahoma). Less impressive but notable is the gaudy numbers against lesser competition (think Rutgers). Yeah, the INTs need to come down but that happens with most young QBs who play a lot. They needed to come down with Rudock too, and they mostly did, eventually. Bottomline: Bowman has shown he CAN play great already and he has 3 years left to get better.
As a sidenote, it's interesting (to me) that fans will talk for months on end about recruits that have a 50/50 chance of panning out into a starter someday and what the ramifications are for the rest of the recruiting class, etc. But news that has, or could have, a much bigger impact on team outcomes (e.g., Hawkins, Bowman) doesn't seem to resonate. I guess the lotto ticket is more exciting than a good 401K update.
-Lank
I think McCarthy will be starting by 2022 at the latest. Bowman is a soft tosser who can't run and is injury-prone. If Bowman is the starter at Michigan for the next two years, Jim Harbaugh will be gone. Michigan can't continue to go year after year after year with mediocre QB play.
DeleteNot having high fire power at QB is likely why Jim Harbaugh hired the QB coach. Josh Gattis isn't getting the job done. Like I said before, Gattis making Joe Milton starter over 2 players that are are day and night better thsn him tells a lot about where Josh Gattis really is.
DeleteSo yeah, I agree that Jim Harbaugh needs to have immediate improvement in the passing game. To beat Ohio St., Clemson, Alabama, and any other play off caliber team, you have to score regularly on offense, and at least slow down the other teams scoring.
I don't think Jim Harbaugh wants improvement in the passing game just to keep from being fired. I think he wants it because he wants to win.
I would expect if the offense doesn't start showing Jish Gattis' "speed in space" right away Gattis will be out, and the QB coach will be moved to OC. I got a hankerin he's ready and willing.
GO BLUE!
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ReplyDeleteIf Trent can block, we'd be fortunate to have his athleticism at TE! But I expect him to be a big body WR, not unlike Nico (but would take another JR hemingway)
ReplyDeleteAs for Bowman, was hoping his post would make it over to this side of the site. I don't know if he'll ever start, but the highlights and "60min" youtubes show a kid who will trust his speedy guys downfield, and can make all the easy throws ... a taller Cade McNamara. Not great, and most likely not good enough, but still an upgrade over what we just lost. Depth & experience should be welcomed
We just had a 6'5 QB with a cannon arm transfer out (following out the door another 6'5 QB with who can run like the wind). The best QB in Ann Arbor in the last decade plus was 5'10.
DeleteMaybe height isn't all that relevant for college success?
-Lank
The best Michigan QB in the past decade plus is currently on the Dolphins roster.
DeleteThe guy you're talking about is a quality control guy for the Jaguars who played RB in the NFL.
Who said height critical, or even most relevant to success? I said his film looked kinda like McNamara - not great, but an upgrade over Milton (who was really bad, regardless of arm strength)
DeleteHmmm who was the better college QB. The guy who squeaked into All Conference Honorable Mention in his 5th year in the Big Ten or the guy who did this in 3.5 seasons at QB:
Deletesixth in Heisman Trophy balloting...
Big Ten's Most Valuable Player ...
U-M's Bo Schembechler Team Most Valuable Player ...
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (coaches and media) ...
All-Big Ten first team (media) ...
Manning Award finalist ...
Davey O' Brien and Maxwell Awards semifinalist ...
eighth player in Big Ten history to post at least 10,000 yards of total offense ...
AT MICHIGAN
ranks fourth in career passing yardage (6,250) ...
ranks fourth in career touchdown passes (49) ...
ranks sixth in career completions (427) ...
ranks first in career total offense (10,769) ...
Michigan's all-time leader in touchdowns scored (91), surpassing Chad Henne (2004-07, 90) for the most touchdowns responsible for ...
owns the top eight and ten of the top 11 single-game offensive outputs ...
Setting aside any bias, it's obviously the first guy...or is it?
-Lank
@JE
DeleteHard to compare given injuries for both but McNamara wasn't much of an upgrade over Milton. Mostly a trading big plays for reliability. YPA was the same even though McNamara had easier opponents.
Coaches went with the guy who was more consistent. Mistakes are costly. Some might even draw a parallel to choices made at RB in previous years...
-Lank
Big plays? How many passes did Milton connect on, beyond 10yds from the line of scrimmage. His performance was cringe-worthy
DeleteAs for Mcnamara's opponents, all three teams he played Milton went up against as well ... the difference was moving the ball, getting 1st Downs, and scoring points
*for Wisconsin & Rutgers, Milton had the advantage of starters reps in practice
It's interesting to me that you tout the reliability of running backs (De'Veon Smith was better than Ty Isaac because Smith didn't fumble!) while eschewing reliability of quarterbacks.
DeleteOver 5.2% of Denard Robinson's passes were caught by the opposing team. In all those team records, you didn't include that he's also Michigan's all-time leader in interceptions thrown - even though he's #5 all-time in passing attempts. And the #1 and #2 guys in attempts have 600+ more career attempts.
Denard Robinson was a turnover machine.
Against ranked teams, he threw 11 TD and 16 INT.
Against ranked teams, Jake Rudock threw 6 TD and 3 INT vs. ranked teams at Michigan. Altogether (including Iowa), Rudock threw 13 TD and 8 INT vs. ranked teams.
So, neat...Denard Robinson ran for a bunch of yards at QB. Eddie McDoom must have been a good WR because he ran the ball well. Matt Godin was a good DT because he had an INT against Northwestern. I'm a good football coach because I make sure the locker room is clean.
If you're not good at the primary part of your job, then how good are you at your job?
Whoah ... easy on Lank. It's bad enough to apply logic, but he HATES when you also use stats
DeleteA QBs primary job is to move the offense to score. Denard's offense scored, a lot, as pointed out above. Against the wall of accolades and pile of stats you want to talk about INTs. But her emails!
ReplyDeleteBTW - You forgot to include 7 of Denard's TDs against ranked teams.
And it's interesting you think RB - a position where most plays you don't touch the ball - is entirely about big plays while QB - where you touch the ball every play - is not.
Also interesting that a fringe NFL role is proof of superiority at QB but not RB.
You're entitled to your hot take just know that it is very bad.
-Lank
Hmmm ... so you know better than defend Milton, just prefer to argue
Delete"A QBs primary job is to move the offense to score"
Talking here about Denard vs Rudock. Keep up JE.
DeleteYou want to bad mouth Milton again? Looks like 2021 is like 2020...and 2019.
-Lank
You think DRob was a better QB than the guy drafted - and has stuck around - the NFL (you're wrong)
DeleteI have shown that Milton is JOK-level
Neither is badmouthing. The former is simply your opinion; the latter reality
Let's not be pedantic about a QB's job. Of course it's your job to score points - but that's the job of every offensive player! The right guard's job is to move the ball and score points! The backup tight end's job is to move the ball and score points!
DeleteQuarterbacks need to pass the ball well to win at a high level in today's game. I'm not saying anything groundbreaking here. The last time that wasn't the case was probably the 1990s/early 2000s when Nebraska was still running the triple option. And there's a reason that Nebraska, Georgia Tech, etc. moved away from that style of offense.
I've never said RB was entirely about big plays, nor have I said that QB isn't about big plays. You're conjuring up a strawman fallacy that you often accuse other people of creating.
ON TOP of his rushing production, Denard threw for over 6,000 yards, 49 TDs, 8.4 ypa, and a 140 career passer rating. All without having a complete senior year let alone a 5th year. So yeah - Denard passed the ball a ton and he produced a ton as a passer.
DeleteAND he did that while going through a coaching turnover that he probably would have been better served jumping ship. Because he loves the school and program that we are so passionate about.
"Not a good quarterback" is one way to handle that as a fan...
-Lank
Smith was better than Isaac because he was better than Isaac. He was better at rushing, at receiving, at blocking, at breaking tackles, AND at not fumbling. Multiple coaching staffs started Smith over many other options. Multiple coaching staffs ended up with Isaac on the deep bench. The NFL also chose Smith over Isaac.
ReplyDeleteYou want to draw a parallel here but Rudock at least has accuracy and turnover avoidance over Denard. Isaac has literally nothing over Smith other than being taller and running faster in a straight line. But the coaches misused him right LOL. 9 lives weren't enough.
Ah yes, but Isaac's YPC stats. Did you know that Jake Rudock threw for 7.3 YPA in college while Joe Milton has thrown for 7.9?
In some worlds...fumbling is fine, interceptions are unforgivable, and rushing TDs by QBs don't count. Yards per play is the end all be all at RB regardless of context, opponent, or sample size but a throwaway stat at QB. In other real worlds...coaches play the better players.
Rudock MIGHT have been a better PASSER in college than Denard. Maybe! More accurate - yes. More effective - no. Overall - He couldn't hold a candle to Denard as a college QB. See wall of facts.
-Lank
More strawmen...
DeleteNot sure if you realize this, but PASSING is what matters. It's like saying a runway model is really funny. Great, but nobody's paying her to be funny. People are paying attention to her because she looks good modeling clothes.
Are fumbles fine? No. (And for the record, Denard Robinson also fumbled quite a bit because he always carried the ball in his left hand and didn't have good ball security/awareness, but I didn't even mention that above.) Are interceptions unforgivable? No. Etc.
A LOT of fumbles are bad. A LOT of fumbles are bad. IIRC, Ty Isaac lost 2 fumbles in his career at Michigan (one against Maryland, one against Michigan State). I would hardly call that a lot of fumbles.
Meanwhile, Denard Robinson threw more interceptions than anyone in school history. It's a school record. That qualifies as "a lot" in my book.
Devin Gardner went through a terrible stretch of turning the ball over, and he threw interceptions about 4% of the time.
Remember Nebraska's crappy QB who couldn't throw worth a lick, Taylor Martinez? He threw interceptions 3% of the time.
How about Illinois' Juice Williams? 3.9% of his throws were INTs.
Nebraska's Tommy Armstrong, Jr.? 3.8%
All these crappy QBs who never got a sniff at QB beyond college...and Denard Robinson was throwing INTs at a significantly higher rate than any of them.
You know who threw INTs at a roughly equivalent rate to Denard Robinson? Aidan Smith. If you don't know who Aidan Smith is, he's the Northwestern backup QB who was forced into action in 2019 after starter Hunter Johnson got injured and knocked out for the year.
It's pretty damning that Michigan's "best quarterback in over a decade" (or whatever it was you said) is on par as a thrower with Northwestern's backup.
Strawman: Lank thinks Isaac sucks because of fumbles.
DeleteLank: No Isaac sucks because he sucks all around, which is why coaches don't play him.
Thunder: Here are Isaac's fumble stats.
As for Denard. These aren't even serious arguments. Aiden Smith doesn't have the accolades, the production, the wins that Denard had as a QB. You can say passing is the only thing that matters till you're blue in the face and pump out INT stats forever. Denard racked up way more TDs and wins in college than everybody you listed. Including Rudock. Results oriented? I guess not.
You can comb through whatever cherry picked stats you want - the wall of fact will always be there. Denard got it done in college and has the resume to prove it.
-Lank
LOL. You're making my point for me. Yes, you're right that Aidan Smith, Tommy Armstrong, etc. don't have the wins, production, accolades, etc.
DeleteDenard does.
Delete-Lank