Van Fillinger – DE – Draper (UT) Corner Canyon: Fillinger decommitted from Texas immediately after they fired defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. He’s a 4-star, the #13 strongside end, and #285 overall. He could very well grow into a defensive tackle, which is something Michigan needs, but the home-state Utes appear to be his likeliest destination.
Hit the jump for more.
OFF THE BOARD
Jaylan Knighton – RB – Deerfield Beach (FL) Deerfield Beach: Knighton committed to Miami. It’s an odd time to commit to Miami after they finished the regular season at 6-6, but this is a kid who has been committed to both Oklahoma and Florida State earlier in the process.
Ethan Pouncey – CB – Winter Park (FL) Winter Park: Pouncey committed to Florida. His older brother, Jordan, played at Texas and is transferring to Florida. They are the cousins of former Gators Maurkice and Mike Pouncey.
Noah Sewell – DE – Orem (UT) Orem: Sewell committed to Oregon. He’s listed in some places as a linebacker, but at 6’2″, 266 lbs., I’m not sure that will be the case going forward.
Miyan Williams – RB – Cincinnati (OH) Winton Woods: Williams flipped from Iowa State to Ohio State. He’s a 3-star, the #43 running back, and #621 overall.
Dazalin Worsham – WR – Trusville (AL) Hewitt-Trussville: Worsham committed to Miami. He had decommitted from Alabama over the summer.
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Thunder: This is a bit off-topic, but there’s a Fillinger connection. Recently user FatGuyTouchdown on MGoBlog posted this on defensive tackle recruiting:
https://mgoblog.com/comment/243678775#comment-243678775
Like a certain poster here, I’d prefer to get two 6’5″ 320# guys with sub-5.0 40s every year, but if that would not (for various reasons) be realistic, do you think focusing on SDEs that can be bulked up makes sense? (Unlike that certain poster, I will not _demand_ that Harbaugh justify his high salary by bringing in two 5-star DTs every year.)
Also, how important do you think it is to have a fat guy (310+) at NT? (Seems pretty important to me …) TIA.
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Julio, I approved all the comments just because. (The reason they got filtered to “spam” is unknown, but I usually check the spam folder once a day to approve comments that were sent there erroneously.)
In response to your question, I prefer to bulk guys up. That doesn’t mean it works for everyone, but this is a 30-year-old tactic (or older). Miami of the 1980s bulked up ends to play tackle, linebackers to play end, safeties to play linebacker, corners to play safety, etc. I would rather take a good athlete and put weight on him than try to teach a big guy to play low. I always think about Gilbert Brown, who was a high school running back/sprinter who then turned into a super-awesome nose tackle in the NFL. Maurice Hurst, Jr. was a guy who was quick enough to play running back effectively in high school, too.
The big guys Michigan recruits often fail to pan out, and I think part of that is that it takes 3, 4, or 5 years to teach them to be athletes. I’m thinking of people like Mike Onwenu, Quinton Washington, William Campbell, etc. All of those guys were huge guys starting out who took several years to get good. Chuck Filiaga is another one. (I know some of those guys are offensive players, but the point remains about athleticism/size.) Also, we’ve had numerous big guys in our high school program who take forever to develop, guys who were just flat-out BAD at 315 or 350 pounds, while another kid who’s 200 or 215 pounds is better because those smaller guys can be more technical, get to their gaps, etc.
So yeah, it makes more sense to me to recruit strongside ends and bulk them up. If you need a guy to contribute in year one or year two, you need a guy with size. If you think you have a few years to bulk him up, you’ll get a better end product by taking a 250-pounder and making him 310.
There are exceptions, as always, but that’s my preference.
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Thunder: Regarding Fillinger, I wonder what you think about the idea of (at least for the “3T” position) looking to high school DEs that have the potential to bulk up to DTs. MGoBlog user FatGuyTouchdown expanded on this a bit recently:
https://mgoblog.com/comment/243678775#comment-243678775
Do you think it’s realistic to expect any of those guys to turn into the archetypal “fat guy” (310+ pounds with reasonable quickness and immovability) that seems to be needed at the “1T” position?
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Thunder: Regarding Fillinger, I wonder what you think about the idea of (at least for the “3T” position) of recruiting DEs and bulking them to play DT. MGoBlog user FatGuyTouchdown expanded on this idea recently:
https://mgoblog.com/comment/243678775#comment-243678775
Do you think it’s realistic to expect any of those guys to turn into the archetypal “fat guy” (310+ pounds with reasonable quickness and immovability) that seems to be needed at the “1T” position?
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I just spent a week in Miami and can tell you it is not at all an odd time to commit to Miami.
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Sorry, guys. Too many comments. Pick one / three.
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A lot of what Thunder posted is strong logic for filling the DT position. MICHIGAN’s problem is that their approach isn’t working. Carlo Kemp was LB, then DE, then 3T, and then Nose. It’s no wonder the guy got trampled by Wisconsin & ohio. Dwumfor is too light, and never did develop into an even decent run defender. Jeter has been a disappointment, and on & on. It’s so bad, we moved OL Jess Speight, who never got more than severe garbage time snaps, and our Fullback Ben Mason, who was completely miscast in that role
Instead of having two Kickers, to Punters and more TEs, how about an actual DT each cycle?
We’re desperate on the DL, and shouldn’t be
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