Posts under: Blog

Why begin the Fence the Mitten Project?

In case you missed it, earlier today I posted about quarterback talent within the State of Michigan (LINK). This is the beginning of a series of posts looking at the top 25 players within the state each year. So what spurred it, and why is it important?

Hit the jump for an explanation.

The Fence the Mitten Project: Quarterbacks

Please consider helping out the blog by making Amazon purchases (LINK):

There are constant arguments on message boards, recruiting sites, and Twitter about whether Michigan should offer certain in-state targets, and it has always been a curiosity of mine to see whether Michigan could field a competitive team of only in-state players. I realize this is not a realistic goal, but it might shed some light on just how deep Michigan could go with in-state offers before the results become severely sub-optimal.

So here’s what I did: I pretended that the top 25 players from within the State of Michigan (according to the 247 Composite) all were offered by and signed with the Wolverines over the past five recruiting classes. How would those players and that position fare while wearing the winged helmet? Naturally, this experiment assumes that Michigan State, MAC programs, and other out-of-state schools are limited to players ranked #26 and lower, which is completely and utterly unrealistic. That type of things doesn’t happen in any state, including California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas, all of which are talent-laden states.

A couple mechanics:

• If a player transferred from his original school or otherwise retired, he is crossed off the list since he probably wouldn’t have lasted at Michigan, either.
• If a player left early for the draft, he is also crossed off the list since he would not be on the roster for 2019.

Starting with top-25 in-state quarterbacks from 2015-2019…

Raheem Anderson II, Wolverine

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech center Raheem Anderson II committed to Michigan on Easter Sunday. He picked the Wolverines over Georgia, LSU, Michigan State, and Nebraska, among others.

Anderson is listed at 6’3″ and 298 lbs. He claims a 5.28 forty, a 5.38 shuttle, and a 19.7″ vertical.

RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 82 grade, #3 C, #226 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #2 C, #139 overall
247 Sports: 3-star, 89 grade, #9 C

Hit the jump for more.

New Offer: 2022 S Zion Branch

Michigan offered Las Vegas (NJ) Bishop Gorman safety Zion Branch on Saturday. He’s a 6’2″, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and USC, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #3 safety, and #74 overall.

Hit the jump for his highlights.

New Offer: 2022 DT Billy Schrauth

Michigan offered Fond du Lac (WI) St. Mary’s Springs defensive tackle Billy Schrauth on Saturday. He’s a 6’5″, 265-pounder with offers from Iowa, Penn State, Western Michigan, and Wisconsin. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #5 defensive tackle, and #143 overall.

Hit the jump for highlights.