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2017 Season Countdown: #89 Dylan McCaffrey

Dylan McCaffrey (image via MLive)

Name: Dylan McCaffrey
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 197 lbs.
High school: Castle Rock (CO) Valor Christian
Position: Quarterback
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: McCaffrey was a senior in high school

. He completed 204/306 passes (66.7%) for 2,796 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Final TTB Rating: 91

McCaffrey comes from a uniquely athletic family that has been discussed ad nauseam, so I won’t go over all that again. Michigan offered him in February of 2015, and he held off for a while, but he chose the Wolverines in February of 2016. This is nothing new in recruiting, but it’s odd to realize that we’ve been aware of him for over two years now . . . and he’s still almost three months away from starting his first fall practice. Anyway, he put up some good numbers for Valor Christian, led the team to a 10-3 record, and won a state championship without looking like a truly dominant high school player. He played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he was third on the depth chart; however, he played well in the game, and his place on the depth chart may have been related to missing the first day of practice while receiving an award.

The McCaffrey parents could only be at one son’s big night Thursday. They didn’t choose Dylan, who was at the CO sports HOF. #9Sports pic.twitter.com/WYQleDMqdD

— 9NEWS Sports Denver (@9NEWSSports) April 29, 2017

This fall I think McCaffrey will redshirt. McCaffrey has a good deal of physical development to do, including strengthening his upper and lower body, as well as simply adding mass to a 6’5″, 197 lb. frame. Additionally, Michigan has two quarterbacks with starting experience, and the third guy has arguably looked the best during the spring. Unless there are injuries on the level of Maryland’s a few years ago, McCaffrey should be spending this year soaking up everything he can in an attempt to succeed Wilton Speight in a year or two.

Prediction: Redshirt

2017 Season Countdown: #90 Deron Irving-Bey

Deron Irving-Bey

Name: Deron Irving-Bey
Height: 

6’5″
Weight: 271 lbs.
High school: Flint (MI) Southwestern
Position:

Defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Irving-Bey was a senior in high school. He made 79 tackles, 17 TFLs, 15 sacks, 4 FFs, and 3 FRs.
TTB Rating: 59

Irving-Bey looked like a Michigan State lean at one point, but a visit with Greg Mattison seemed to change the dynamic of his recruitment. Then he seemed all but a lock to Michigan, and his public announcement took longer than expected. He committed to Michigan in mid-December and then played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in early January. He did not earn rave reviews during the Army Bowl practice week, and he also wasn’t a standout in the game.

I gave Irving-Bey a final TTB Rating of 59, and I see him topping out as a backup. He has some raw skills, but they have to be developed, and I think there are other guys who will surge past him. Jim Harbaugh is not shy about burning redshirts, and that includes guys who do not seem like instant stars. Especially on the defensive line where having a lot of bodies is a good thing to keep people fresh, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Irving-Bey play this year, but I don’t think he will be an impact contributor. My guess is he’ll redshirt, but it could go either way. At the very least, he has Rashan Gary and Carlo Kemp ahead of him, and there are a couple freshmen who could move ahead of him long-term, too.

Prediction:

Redshirt

5-8-17 Recruiting Update: ABC, BBD

Lakeland (FL) Lakeland TE Keon Zipperer (image via Scout)

COMMITMENT

Olympia (FL) Olympia quarterback Joe Milton committed to Michigan (LINK).

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2019

Palm Beach (FL) Central cornerback Akeem Dent was offered by Michigan. Dent is a 6’1″, 170 lb. corner who decommitted from Miami in March. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #1 cornerback, and #6 overall, and has offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, and LSU, among others. He transferred to Central from Pahokee, which is the alma mater of former Michigan players Martavious Odoms, Brandin Hawthorne, and Richard Ash. As a sophomore at Pahokee in 2016, he made 40 tackles and 3 interceptions, 2 of which he returned for touchdowns.

Acworth (GA) Kennesaw Mountain tight end Ryland Goede was offered by Michigan. Goede stands 6’7″, 235 lbs. and is a 247 Sports 4-star, the #4 tight end, and #66 overall. Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, and Notre Dame have also offered. He seems likely to eventually end up at Georgia.

Loganville (GA) Grayson linebacker Kevin Harris was offered by Michigan. He’s a 6’4″, 210 lb. outside ‘backer with offers from Georgia and Oklahoma, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #9 outside linebacker, and #109 overall. Harris is a little bit thin right now, and he might end up at either linebacker or defensive end, depending on how his body develops. He attends the same school where Michigan incoming freshman Kurt Taylor played during his senior year, a powerhouse program in the state of Georgia.

Fort Myers (FL) Dunbar defensive end Derick Hunter was offered by Michigan. Hunter is a 6’5″, 245 lb. strongside end with offers from Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, and Oregon, among others. He’s a 247 Sports 4-star, the #13 strongside end, and #166 overall. With two years of high school remaining, I think Hunter might grow into a 3-tech defensive tackle before all is said and done.

Hit the jump for a bunch more new offers.

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Joe Milton, Wolverine

Joe Milton (image via Detroit News)

Olympia (FL) Olympia quarterback Joe Milton committed to Michigan on Sunday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Miami, among others.

247 Sports lists Milton at 6’6″, 222 lbs., and he lists a 4.69 forty. He led Olympia to a 6-5 record in 2016, and he plays against some very good talent in the Orlando area, including the alma maters of Eddie McDoom (West Orange), Greg Mathews (Edgewater), and numerous other Michigan targets over the years. In 2016 he was 82/178 for 1,573 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 83 grade, #8 dual-threat QB, #124 overall
Rivals: 4-star, #6 dual-threat QB, #113 overall
Scout: 3-star, #29 QB
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #12 pro-style QB, #279 overall

Hit the jump for more on Milton’s commitment.

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What I’ve Been Reading: Missoula and Jack Reacher

You can support TTB by clicking on any of the pictures or links to Amazon and making a purchase.

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer. I’ve written about Jon Krakauer several times in the past, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his past writings. The two books mentioned on the cover above – Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven

– were my favorites. I found Missoula to be a little less enthralling and more poorly written. It’s a non-fiction account of several sexual assaults that take place in Missoula, Montana, which is the home of the University of Montana and its football program. Several Montana Grizzlies football players were accused of rape over the span of a few years, and the justice system seemed to favor the football players. Not only does the town seem to protect its athletes, but claims and statistics suggest that the number of reported rapes is a mere fraction of the total sexual assaults that take place. As a fan of football and sports in general, it does not surprise me that athletes get away with more than the average citizen might. I see it happen all the time, even at the high school level. The most frustrating part is that it gets institutionalized, because local governments sometimes don’t communicate or cooperate with schools, and vice versa. The reason I say the book is poorly written is that Krakauer beats some of the same points to death, without seeming to realize that he has addressed the same arguments previously. Furthermore, he seems to come to very few conclusions. What can be done? How can the problem be fixed? What underlying psychological issues do we have as a society that prevents us from treating athletes how they should be treated? The book was interesting, because it gave some specific stories and statistics on the issue overall. We have seen similar issues become national stories in recent years with Jameis Winston, Gareon Conley, and others.

Hit the jump for a discussion of The Affair by Lee Child.

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