I don’t think he’s any faster than Devion Smith and for sure not the 4.5 he advertises himself to be on Hudl. But he is kind of sudden changing direction in a sneaky sort of way and he doesn’t seem inclined to drive straight into the pile. Some of his TD runs early in the vid look a little too easy which caused me to think that kids who have hit him before wanted no part of that again. Thats a good thing.
I know he’s widely considered to be the #1 fullback in the country, but I’m not sure whether of not he’s a running back coming here. I’m thinking that our fullback next year is gonna be Derrick Green among others, if he sticks around.
I’m sorry to say that Derrick Green probably isn’t coming back. And I wouldn’t want him playing FB even if he did. He’s not cut out to be a lead blocker.
What defines a lead blocker that Mr. Green lacks. On the subject of his coming back, I have been told that he has not been happy, which is understandable I guess.
Green doesn’t love contact. He doesn’t have a great understanding of leverage. And I also think he still sees himself as a feature runner, not an anonymous battering ram.
I’m not going to question the toughness of a kid who has been playing football for I don’t know how many years and made it through a the spring and summer with Harbaugh, but I don’t think you can go from RB to FB overnight. They’re just different positions.
Toughness is more than just being physical, there is a mental aspect to it, and players like Vincent Smith and Deveon Smith have it. While Green who is bigger than both of them does not. It doesn’t make him a wimp, it just means that he doesn’t have the mentality of a FB despite his size.
Rivals, 24/7 are in the game for one thing… Money. In his highlight I see no plays of this kid playing fullback. I am going to watch his career closely. He has to play with a chip on his shoulders being insulted by the recruiting companies and some Michigan fans.
I don’t really understand your first comment. What does “money” have to do with ranking Kingston Davis as a fullback? I don’t see how that boosts their revenue stream.
You make a good point however it is my understanding he had not participated in the camp circuit. They will not rank a kid simply by seeing his highlights. My point is, if you patronize their camps you will get the special consideration and ranking if you are good. I have looked at his film and I don’t see him at the fullback position. I am sure they came up with fullback based on his size. By the way, Michigan recruited his as a running back.
I agree that his size is probably a major factor in his ranking as a fullback. But I’m not sure that he would be ranked as a tailback if he participated in a camp. Truthfully, there are not many tailbacks who are 6’1″, 242 lbs. Also, you mentioned that 247 Sports is all about money (what business isn’t?), but I don’t believe they hold camps. The only two recruiting services to hold camps, I believe, are Rivals and ESPN.
Let’s put it this way, Rivals & 24/7 are pretty much the same company. 24/7 CEO was spawn from Rivals. 🙂 . I look forward to seeing how his career unfold. Go Blue !
My understanding is that 247 Sports was created because the CEO didn’t get along with the guys at Rivals. Also, the setup of 247 is a lot different than Rivals (and a significant improvement in many ways). Furthermore, I don’t see what any of this has to do with ranking Davis as a fullback. But yeah, we’ll see. I don’t really have a strong hankering to see Davis at fullback, so I don’t disagree with you on that point entirely. I just think some of your comments about the business aspect are misguided.
I think that Davis is a step faster than Deveon Smith, and has better feet and better vision. Maybe Davis’ future is at FB, but to me Smith right now looks like an undersized FB and that is where I think he will end up if we can find an actual RB.
I have doubts about a 6’1 kid breaking through tackles as readily. Higher center of gravity and all… I trust Harbaugh though. Davis could be a Gearhart-type of thumper who fits the system. I think Smith’s main problem is that he arrived during the Hoke years and the OL is still developing. Couple years from now when Davis is reaching his upper class years things should be solidified.
Sure, Michigan could use another De’Veon Smith. I just hope the next De’Veon Smith will be paired with a running back who is actually good, so that way Smith can be a complementary guy or a short yardage guy, rather than the primary back.
Smith is good. He’s better at some things (blocking, trucking safeties, ball security) than others (speed, elusiveness) but overall he’s better than multiple 5-star recruits and players with more speed (Drake Johnson). Next year when he holds on to the starting RB job over Kareem Walker and Kingston Davis, that obvious fact will only be further driven home. He’s never going to be a YPC guy, but he’s a guy you want in the game. When the OL improves, so will his production.
Since Harbaugh likes to feature a FB, another Smith would be a welcome addition to the team. I think that Davis is a notch above him in the potential department, but Smith has proven to be a useful college level player and Davis has not. I am hoping that either Walker or Peppers will lock down the RB position so a more suitable role can be found for Smith, but I expect him to contribute to the offense no matter which scenario unfolds.
Davis has Vision! Vision! VIsion!, Smith missed too many holes this year. Walker has Vision! Vision! Vision!. Peppers is good, fearless but a little light for the heavy pounding. Peppers is a superstar best needed on the Defense! By-the-way, JH will run 3 to 4 backs a game if they can PLAY FOOTBALL.
Yeah, that’s what he says, but it’s been interesting how the snaps were dished out, especially early in the year. It seemed that every time a RB touched the ball, he looked to the sideline and was pulled for a different package. Smith went out, Isaac came in, then Green, then Johnson, then Smith, then Green, then Smith, then Higdon, etc. Maybe Harbaugh was just trying to get a feel for all the guys early, but carries were really spread out. Smith missed a little time because of his ankle injury flaring up, but here’s how the carries actually shook out:
Smith (155)
Drake Johnson (48)
Derrick Green (47)
Sione Houma (34, included because he played some tailback)
Ty Isaac (30)
Jabrill Peppers (18)
Karan Higdon (11)
Ross Taylor-Douglas (10)
Wyatt Shallman (3)
There was definitely one primary guy, but there were arguably about 5 guys who were #2 at various times throughout the year.
Like any other coach, Harbaugh will use backups more in non-competitive situations. Michigan had one non-blowout early in the year.
In that game against Utah, Smith got 17 carries and the next guy (Isaac) got 4. Green did get in on one series I believe but that’s hardly spreading around carries.
Oregon State was a blowout in the end but competitive in the first half. Smith got all but 1 RB carry in that half.
Against MSU (the next competitive game to the end), Smith got 19 carries and the next guy (Isaac) got 2. Again, Higdon got in for a series (like Green). Overall not much changed from Utah.
It wasn’t until Minnesota that things changed and Johnson/Smith kind of split carries evenly despite a competitive game throughout. Smith wasn’t real effective that game, nor the MSU game the week before, so Harbaugh might just have been trying to find a spark.
Excellent running back in Davis, I see him winning the running back job at Michigan next year. Amazing how the Michigan fans have ordain Walker to be the man next year. Walker played in a private school league where the privileged and a few scholarship athletes play. Davis played in Alabama largest classification, he is a gamer.
I can’t knock Alabama football, but I don’t think you should be knocking New Jersey football, either. De Paul Catholic plays some tough competition (http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/depaul-spartans-(wayne,nj)/football/schedule.htm), and those squads are/have been littered with FBS talent. Michigan has recruited a number of players from those schools in recent years, and New Jersey produces a fair number of NFL talents. I believe they’re just below states like Texas, Florida, California, Louisiana, etc. There might be other schools like Mississippi, Georgia, and yes, Alabama, in there, but New Jersey is a top-10 NFL-producing state.
You are right…. There are good players in every corner of the U.S., and JH will find him and offer him regardless of what Rivals/247 or ESPN thinks. I think he has offered two 2 Stars. Go Blue !
That’s 19 players out of about 100 who are participating in the Pro Bowl. I’m sure there are more from down south. There are probably a fair share from the west coast, Big Ten country, etc. Regardless, I’m not exactly sure what point you’re trying to make. Yes, the South has a lot of good football players. Nobody’s denying that. But there are also good players elsewhere (LeSean McCoy is from PA, Joe Thomas and JJ Watt are from WI, Zack Martin is from IN, etc.). This conversation started because you basically said that Kingston Davis is better because he plays in the South, but I’m sure at some point in his career, McCoy has beaten out a southerner for a scholarship, the starting job, his spot in the NFL Draft, etc. The same goes for those other guys. (And yes, Julio Jones has beaten out northerners, etc. It goes both ways.)
Evidently Maxpreps has a significantly higher opinion of New Jersey High School football than you do.
They placed New Jersey’s Big North United League at #1 in 2013. This would be the conference Walker plays in. Interestingly they placed Indiana’s Metropolitan conference at #9 that same year. Chris Evans and Ben Davis High School play in that conference.
Multiple Florida and California leagues are mentioned. Our own Catholic League makes every list, as does The Greater Ohio South ….. of course. Kentucky has a league that makes it repeatedly, as does Texas as you would expect. Nobody from Alabama.
Good Point! Let’s go back and check the last 15 National Championship teams. Let’s also assume that the majority of those Teams Players came from the South. I am sure you will find a factual link for my assumption. 🙂 By the way, Glad we have a Coach that can think outside the box. National Recruiting is the way to go. Coach Harbaugh is about playing the best players!. Go Blue!
I don’t think he’s any faster than Devion Smith and for sure not the 4.5 he advertises himself to be on Hudl. But he is kind of sudden changing direction in a sneaky sort of way and he doesn’t seem inclined to drive straight into the pile. Some of his TD runs early in the vid look a little too easy which caused me to think that kids who have hit him before wanted no part of that again. Thats a good thing.
I know he’s widely considered to be the #1 fullback in the country, but I’m not sure whether of not he’s a running back coming here. I’m thinking that our fullback next year is gonna be Derrick Green among others, if he sticks around.
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I’m sorry to say that Derrick Green probably isn’t coming back. And I wouldn’t want him playing FB even if he did. He’s not cut out to be a lead blocker.
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What defines a lead blocker that Mr. Green lacks. On the subject of his coming back, I have been told that he has not been happy, which is understandable I guess.
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Toughness – Green does not have it.
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Green doesn’t love contact. He doesn’t have a great understanding of leverage. And I also think he still sees himself as a feature runner, not an anonymous battering ram.
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Experience, Technique, and Willingness.
I’m not going to question the toughness of a kid who has been playing football for I don’t know how many years and made it through a the spring and summer with Harbaugh, but I don’t think you can go from RB to FB overnight. They’re just different positions.
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Toughness is more than just being physical, there is a mental aspect to it, and players like Vincent Smith and Deveon Smith have it. While Green who is bigger than both of them does not. It doesn’t make him a wimp, it just means that he doesn’t have the mentality of a FB despite his size.
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Rivals, 24/7 are in the game for one thing… Money. In his highlight I see no plays of this kid playing fullback. I am going to watch his career closely. He has to play with a chip on his shoulders being insulted by the recruiting companies and some Michigan fans.
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I don’t really understand your first comment. What does “money” have to do with ranking Kingston Davis as a fullback? I don’t see how that boosts their revenue stream.
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You make a good point however it is my understanding he had not participated in the camp circuit. They will not rank a kid simply by seeing his highlights. My point is, if you patronize their camps you will get the special consideration and ranking if you are good. I have looked at his film and I don’t see him at the fullback position. I am sure they came up with fullback based on his size. By the way, Michigan recruited his as a running back.
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I agree that his size is probably a major factor in his ranking as a fullback. But I’m not sure that he would be ranked as a tailback if he participated in a camp. Truthfully, there are not many tailbacks who are 6’1″, 242 lbs. Also, you mentioned that 247 Sports is all about money (what business isn’t?), but I don’t believe they hold camps. The only two recruiting services to hold camps, I believe, are Rivals and ESPN.
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Let’s put it this way, Rivals & 24/7 are pretty much the same company. 24/7 CEO was spawn from Rivals. 🙂 . I look forward to seeing how his career unfold. Go Blue !
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My understanding is that 247 Sports was created because the CEO didn’t get along with the guys at Rivals. Also, the setup of 247 is a lot different than Rivals (and a significant improvement in many ways). Furthermore, I don’t see what any of this has to do with ranking Davis as a fullback. But yeah, we’ll see. I don’t really have a strong hankering to see Davis at fullback, so I don’t disagree with you on that point entirely. I just think some of your comments about the business aspect are misguided.
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I think that Davis is a step faster than Deveon Smith, and has better feet and better vision. Maybe Davis’ future is at FB, but to me Smith right now looks like an undersized FB and that is where I think he will end up if we can find an actual RB.
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Michigan could use another Deveon Smith.
I have doubts about a 6’1 kid breaking through tackles as readily. Higher center of gravity and all… I trust Harbaugh though. Davis could be a Gearhart-type of thumper who fits the system. I think Smith’s main problem is that he arrived during the Hoke years and the OL is still developing. Couple years from now when Davis is reaching his upper class years things should be solidified.
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Sure, Michigan could use another De’Veon Smith. I just hope the next De’Veon Smith will be paired with a running back who is actually good, so that way Smith can be a complementary guy or a short yardage guy, rather than the primary back.
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Smith is good. He’s better at some things (blocking, trucking safeties, ball security) than others (speed, elusiveness) but overall he’s better than multiple 5-star recruits and players with more speed (Drake Johnson). Next year when he holds on to the starting RB job over Kareem Walker and Kingston Davis, that obvious fact will only be further driven home. He’s never going to be a YPC guy, but he’s a guy you want in the game. When the OL improves, so will his production.
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Since Harbaugh likes to feature a FB, another Smith would be a welcome addition to the team. I think that Davis is a notch above him in the potential department, but Smith has proven to be a useful college level player and Davis has not. I am hoping that either Walker or Peppers will lock down the RB position so a more suitable role can be found for Smith, but I expect him to contribute to the offense no matter which scenario unfolds.
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Davis has Vision! Vision! VIsion!, Smith missed too many holes this year. Walker has Vision! Vision! Vision!. Peppers is good, fearless but a little light for the heavy pounding. Peppers is a superstar best needed on the Defense! By-the-way, JH will run 3 to 4 backs a game if they can PLAY FOOTBALL.
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Harbaugh says he wants a primary guy with one primary backup. If there is a 3rd down back they might use a 3rd.
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Yeah, that’s what he says, but it’s been interesting how the snaps were dished out, especially early in the year. It seemed that every time a RB touched the ball, he looked to the sideline and was pulled for a different package. Smith went out, Isaac came in, then Green, then Johnson, then Smith, then Green, then Smith, then Higdon, etc. Maybe Harbaugh was just trying to get a feel for all the guys early, but carries were really spread out. Smith missed a little time because of his ankle injury flaring up, but here’s how the carries actually shook out:
Smith (155)
Drake Johnson (48)
Derrick Green (47)
Sione Houma (34, included because he played some tailback)
Ty Isaac (30)
Jabrill Peppers (18)
Karan Higdon (11)
Ross Taylor-Douglas (10)
Wyatt Shallman (3)
There was definitely one primary guy, but there were arguably about 5 guys who were #2 at various times throughout the year.
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Like any other coach, Harbaugh will use backups more in non-competitive situations. Michigan had one non-blowout early in the year.
In that game against Utah, Smith got 17 carries and the next guy (Isaac) got 4. Green did get in on one series I believe but that’s hardly spreading around carries.
Oregon State was a blowout in the end but competitive in the first half. Smith got all but 1 RB carry in that half.
Against MSU (the next competitive game to the end), Smith got 19 carries and the next guy (Isaac) got 2. Again, Higdon got in for a series (like Green). Overall not much changed from Utah.
It wasn’t until Minnesota that things changed and Johnson/Smith kind of split carries evenly despite a competitive game throughout. Smith wasn’t real effective that game, nor the MSU game the week before, so Harbaugh might just have been trying to find a spark.
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The grass is always greener with recruits. We’ll see if any of them look like the next DeVeon or the next Derrick Green.
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Excellent running back in Davis, I see him winning the running back job at Michigan next year. Amazing how the Michigan fans have ordain Walker to be the man next year. Walker played in a private school league where the privileged and a few scholarship athletes play. Davis played in Alabama largest classification, he is a gamer.
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I can’t knock Alabama football, but I don’t think you should be knocking New Jersey football, either. De Paul Catholic plays some tough competition (http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/depaul-spartans-(wayne,nj)/football/schedule.htm), and those squads are/have been littered with FBS talent. Michigan has recruited a number of players from those schools in recent years, and New Jersey produces a fair number of NFL talents. I believe they’re just below states like Texas, Florida, California, Louisiana, etc. There might be other schools like Mississippi, Georgia, and yes, Alabama, in there, but New Jersey is a top-10 NFL-producing state.
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Why do you think Coach Harbaugh is recruiting down south? We will see the fruits of his RECRUITING LABOR soon.
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Right…but he’s also recruiting New Jersey.
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You are right…. There are good players in every corner of the U.S., and JH will find him and offer him regardless of what Rivals/247 or ESPN thinks. I think he has offered two 2 Stars. Go Blue !
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Here is a good one for the guys down south. All of the players on this list are from the south and SEC. Coach Harbaugh knows what he is doing in recruiting. http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/19-sec-players-chosen-to-nfl-pro-bowl/
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That’s 19 players out of about 100 who are participating in the Pro Bowl. I’m sure there are more from down south. There are probably a fair share from the west coast, Big Ten country, etc. Regardless, I’m not exactly sure what point you’re trying to make. Yes, the South has a lot of good football players. Nobody’s denying that. But there are also good players elsewhere (LeSean McCoy is from PA, Joe Thomas and JJ Watt are from WI, Zack Martin is from IN, etc.). This conversation started because you basically said that Kingston Davis is better because he plays in the South, but I’m sure at some point in his career, McCoy has beaten out a southerner for a scholarship, the starting job, his spot in the NFL Draft, etc. The same goes for those other guys. (And yes, Julio Jones has beaten out northerners, etc. It goes both ways.)
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Evidently Maxpreps has a significantly higher opinion of New Jersey High School football than you do.
They placed New Jersey’s Big North United League at #1 in 2013. This would be the conference Walker plays in. Interestingly they placed Indiana’s Metropolitan conference at #9 that same year. Chris Evans and Ben Davis High School play in that conference.
http://www.maxpreps.com/news/2ylOE87a_UC3XlYOyz_Qbg/top-10-toughest-high-school-football-leagues-in-the-nation.htm
Maxpreps had them 5th in 2010. http://www.maxpreps.com/news/ESrPGc0bEd-YiQAcxJSkrA/top-10-toughest-football-leagues-in-america-.htm
USA High School Sports rated The Big North the #1 league in the land at the beginning of 2015’s season.
http://usatodayhss.com/2015/new-jerseys-big-north-united-lives-up-to-its-name-as-top-football-league
Multiple Florida and California leagues are mentioned. Our own Catholic League makes every list, as does The Greater Ohio South ….. of course. Kentucky has a league that makes it repeatedly, as does Texas as you would expect. Nobody from Alabama.
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Good Point! Let’s go back and check the last 15 National Championship teams. Let’s also assume that the majority of those Teams Players came from the South. I am sure you will find a factual link for my assumption. 🙂 By the way, Glad we have a Coach that can think outside the box. National Recruiting is the way to go. Coach Harbaugh is about playing the best players!. Go Blue!
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