Ken Wilkins, Wolverine

Tag: 2010 Recruiting

9Jun 2009
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Ken Wilkins, Wolverine

The University of Michigan football team picked up a commitment today from OLB/DE Ken Wilkins, who hails from Trinity High School in Washington, PA. Wilkins grew up as a fan of Michigan but had never visited until the BBQ at the Big House over Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, Rich Rodriguez does BBQ like Kelly Brook does bikinis, because this is the third recruit who was wooed into the fold by that event (Jordan Paskorz and Christian Pace are the others).

Depending on whom you believe, Wilkins is either 6’3″ and 244 lbs. or 6’4″ and 225 lbs. . . . or some combination of the two. I’m going to pretend that he’s 6’3 1/2″ and 234.5 lbs. just so I can make everyone happy, but I’m 6’3″ and 234, and he doesn’t look as big as me (although I’m sure he’s a much better athlete than me). He’s also listed at a 4.61 forty yard dash, which is a lie if I’ve ever seen one. Pat White ran a 4.55 at the NFL Combine, so you’re telling me a high school junior DE is just .06 seconds slower than White? Not a chance. Anyway, He made all-state as a junior when he racked up 89 tackles, 11 quarterback sacks, and 2 touchdowns on defensive returns, so that’s positive.

According to recruiting services, Wilkins is being recruited as the “quick” OLB/DE hybrid for Greg Robinson’s defense. I would not be surprised if Wilkins grows into a full-time defensive end. Not only does he already have good size, but he lacks the fluidity and change-of-direction skills that I think are necessary for dropping back into coverage.

In watching video of Wilkins, I noticed several things. First of all, he’s not afraid to hit. Once he latches onto a ballcarrier, ballcarrier goes BOOM. He also seems to have good play recognition; he’s not a player who seems to make bad reads but then compensates by overwhelming athleticism.

Unfortunately, I see more negatives than positives in regards to the “quick” hybrid. As I said above, Wilkins lacks agility in open space. I think Big Ten running backs and tight ends could have a field day if he’s expected to cover them in pass routes. His three-point stance begins with his butt too low, meaning his first movement is straight up instead of bursting forward; he can beat offensive linemen and tight ends with pure strength, but that won’t be the case at the next level. If he expects to be a good pass rusher, he’ll need to play lower and work on disengaging from blockers. He does not use his hands well to fend off linemen. He has good straight-line speed for a defensive end, but not so much for a linebacker. He also does more hopping than shuffling and occasionally tries to leap over blockers and tackle ballcarriers after leaving his feet. Many of these issues are technical and can be corrected, but he has a lot of them.

Overall, I think Wilkins can be a productive player at the next level, but it won’t be for a few years. His potential is evidenced by offers from WVU, Illinois, NC State, Wisconsin, Pitt, and North Carolina, all good-but-not-great programs. But I wouldn’t expect him to emerge until he’s at least a junior. If he hits any kind of growth spurt, I think we’ll see him playing inside as a defensive end with his hand down.

(Image via Scout.com)

2Jun 2009
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Christian Pace, Wolverine

The effects of the BBQ at the Big House this past weekend are starting to show. Not only did Michigan pick up a commitment from offensive lineman Christian Pace on Monday, but linebacker recruit Ken Wilkins has set an announcement date for next Tuesday.

Pace is a 6’4″, 260 lb. interior lineman from Avon Lake, OH. Rivals has him listed as the #5 offensive center and a 3-star prospect. Pace has been a supposed Michigan lean for a while, and the Wolverines beat out Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan State, among others. Pace also has a teammate at Avon Lake High named Dan Schneider, a tight end who has earned offers from Colorado, Florida State, and Pitt, among others. Schneider attended the BBQ and though he doesn’t have an offer from Michigan, he could earn one down the road.

Here’s a weird quote from Rivals’ commitment article:

“As for playing time, they’ve got that real good center – David Molk – but they told me both of their guys will be out of there when I am a freshman and it will be open competition.”

This quote doesn’t make sense. At first glance, it looks like the coaches must be recruiting him as a center. But incumbent starter Molk will be a redshirt sophomore in 2009, meaning he’ll only be a redshirt junior when Pace arrives on campus.

That must mean the Wolverines are recruiting him as a guard, right? Starting guard David Moosman is a fifth year senior and . . . wait a minute . . . Steve Schilling will have one year of eligibility remaining when Pace gets to Ann Arbor.

Either the coaches were lying, or they meant there would be an open competition when Pace is a redshirt freshman. The latter makes more sense to me. Both Moosman and Schilling will be gone by then, and players like Ricky Barnum, Rocko Khoury, and Quinton Washington will be vying for the starting guard spots. True freshmen rarely play on the offensive line and if Pace truly is 6’4″, he’s a little bit tall for center. So I’m guessing the coaches are looking at him primarily for guard.

Looking at film, he’s athletic enough for guard. He plays tackle in high school, but many top linemen do because it gives them a chance to collapse one whole side of the line. Pace does an excellent job of finishing his blocks; the running back is sometimes seven or eight yards downfield and Pace is still latched onto his man. When he gets a pancake block, he often just lies on top of his man, which is demoralizing for a defensive player. He drives his legs and doesn’t just use his mass to move smaller defenders.

When releasing to the second level, Pace plays a little high. He can probably outmuscle players on the second level, but the problem lies in a lack of agility when linemen get out in open space and play too high. Playing lower will give him more power, but it will also give him a better opportunity to stay in front of those smaller, quicker linebackers. He also needs to work on lower body strength, as he gets stalemated by smaller players at times. But that will certainly be addressed as his body fills out and he enters a college strength and conditioning program.
Picture via Scout.com
30Apr 2009
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Drew Dileo, Wolverine

Louisiana slot receiver Drew Dileo has committed to the University of Michigan. I wrote a scouting report on Dileo at the end of March, so I won’t rehash what I already said there.

However, in the meantime, Dileo had picked up offers from Stanford, Rice, Tulane, Virginia, and Northwestern.

In regards to the rest of the class, Rich Rodriguez and Co. have to be nearing the end of their wide receiver recruiting. This gives Michigan six potential wide receivers in the class of 2010, which is an astronomical number, especially considering that the class currently should hold only about 19 players. However, Michigan has recently sent out offers to outside wide receivers such as Andrew Carswell and Adrian Coxson, so I wouldn’t bet any considerable amount of money that Michigan is done recruiting WRs.

A quick run-through of the six current commits:

1. Jeremy Jackson – At 6’4″, he’s destined for outside WR . . . or TE. However, he would probably take his talents elsewhere if the coaches put him at TE, so he’s either a WR or gone.

2. Ricardo Miller – At 6’2″ and 205 lbs., I think Miller is headed for outside WR. There’s been some talk that he could move to tight end, but I just don’t see it.

3. Jerald Robinson – He’s 6’2″ and 175 lbs. but could play safety. I honestly think there’s a very good chance he’ll end up on defense . . . or he’ll decommit, much like Dewayne Peace last year.

4. D.J. Williamson – Williamson is 6’1″ and 172 lbs. He could play outside or in the slot. He could potentially add depth at CB, too, but he won’t make an impact there. I think Williamson is the most likely to decommit of the aforementioned group.

5. Tony Drake – Drake is headed for slot or running back. He reminds me of Odoms, which makes me think he’ll be a slot.

6. Drew Dileo – Dileo has good hands and normally I’d say he’s headed for slot receiver. However, with the increasing number of wide receivers in this class, maybe the coaching staff is liking his potential at RB more and more. That’s pure speculation and I doubt its voracity, but it’s possible. I think his biggest contribution will be as a kick/punt returner.

21Apr 2009
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Scouting Report: William Gholston, DE – Detroit, MI

Gholston is a heavy Michigan State lean, and I think there’s a very slim chance that Michigan secures his commitment. But he’s perhaps the best player in the state of Michigan, so I thought I’d do a little research and film study.

Height: 6’7″
Weight: 237 lbs.
Position: Linebacker
Jersey number: #2
School: Southeastern High School in Detroit, MI
40 Yard Dash: 4.5 seconds (reported)

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, LSU, Miami, Michigan, MSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, among others . . . 101 tackles, 22 TFLs, 15 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 2 fumbles recovered as a junior in 2008 . . . 108 tackles, 19 sacks as a sophomore in 2007 at Detroit Mumford. . . 75 tackles, 9 sacks as a freshman in 2006 at Detroit Mumford. . . 55 catches for 970 yards and 14 TDs in high school career so far . . . Plays LB and TE . . . #44 in initial Rivals 100 . . . #57 on Scout

Scouting report: Keeps his shoulders square when scraping down the line . . . Plays downhill and fills the hole well . . . Maintains good knee bend and balance, which is difficult for someone who’s 6’7″ . . . Has excellent speed for his size . . . Has speed and motor to play sideline to sideline . . . Does a good job of pursuing from the backside . . . Runs with good body lean . . . Plays with good pad level from the linebacker position . . . Willing to lay out and put his body on the line to make plays . . . Listed at 6’7″ but plays like a smaller, more agile linebacker . . . Needs to improve upper body strength . . . Does a poor job of disengaging from blockers, attacking them head up rather than shedding with one forearm/shoulder . . . As a down lineman, stands up too high and needs to play with a lower pad level

Projection: Gholston will end up at defensive end in a 4-3 defense, but could play outside linebacker in a 3-4. He will be a very good player in a “Big Six” program and could play at a high level as early as his sophomore year. However, he may need to adjust to playing with his hand down, which might slow his development.

18Apr 2009
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Marvin Robinson, Wolverine

Finally. Highly touted safety Marvin Robinson, from Lake Region High School in Eagle Lake, FL, has publicly committed to Michigan. I say “finally” not because he should have committed sooner – I fully believe recruits should commit on their own time table – but because he’s been rumored to be close to committing several times and didn’t pull the trigger until today. The story goes that he committed silently to Michigan on his visit for the 2008 Michigan State game, but he didn’t want to go public with it because his high school coach is a big Buckeye supporter. Rumors say that the coach promised to bench Robinson if he committed to the Wolverines, but that story seems ridiculous.

Regardless, Robinson is the ninth player to commit to Michigan in the 2010 recruiting class – and the best, at least according to Rivals, which ranks him #99 overall. He also plans to enroll in January, meaning his prison abs (see above) will be even more impressive, what with Mike Barwis’s magic concoction of chocolate milk and wolf blood.

If you want a rundown of Robinson’s accomplishments and other people’s scouting reports, feel free to visit MGoBlog. Brian has a nice write-up and, as far as I know, is a full-time blogger and therefore has the time and inclination to do a great amount of research.

However, Brian @ MGoBlog seems to think that Robinson will end up at linebacker. I think otherwise. Regardless of what I heard when Robinson was a sophomore (that he’s a 6’3″, 220 lb. man-child), he is listed at 6’1″ and 190 lbs. And while he still has over a year before he first steps on the field for Michigan, it’s no guarantee that he’ll be big enough to be a linebacker. Even if he packs on twenty pounds by then, he’ll still be small-ish. By comparison, safety-turned-linebacker Jonas Mouton is currently 218 lbs. Witness Brandin Hawthorne as a counterpoint to my argument, but I still think Robinson is a safety. Here’s why:

Michigan’s safety position has been a black hole for years and years. The Wolverines have had adequate players there, but spectacular play has been hard to find. Robinson could help to change that. He has incredible ball skills for a safety and has the instincts to make up for other players’ mistakes. And while he doesn’t hit like Craig Loston, he is a sure tackler. Frankly, I don’t care if our safeties lay people out – I just want them to be able to take a man down in the open field. And according to Robinson, he’s being recruited as a free safety, so there’s that.

By the time Robinson gets here, these are the players who will be manning the safety positions (barring any further position switches or additions to the 2010 class):

1. Troy Woolfolk – A senior in 2010, Woolfolk moved from cornerback this spring and is vying to start at FS in 2009.
2. Vladimir Emilien – A sophomore-to-be in 2010, Emilien is currently coming off of ACL surgery. He has moved quickly up the ranks during spring practice, but he is obviously lacking experience.3. Thomas Gordon – A redshirt-freshman-to-be in 2010, Gordon is considered a project and I think Robinson’s talent would help him leapfrog Gordon.4. Michael Williams – He’ll be a redshirt junior in 2010 and might be locking up the strong safety job this year.5. Isaiah Bell – I think Bell will stick as a safety, but many think he’s destined for a linebacker position. He’ll either be a redshirt freshman or a sophomore in 2010.Out of those players, I think Woolfolk and Williams would probably be our starting safeties in 2010. But after that, Woolfolk will be gone and the FS job would be up for grabs. There isn’t a ton of depth at safety, and that depth gets even thinner if Bell kicks down to LB. In my opinion, Robinson will be roaming centerfield from 2011 onward.(Please disregard the ugly T-shirt on the gentleman to Marvin’s left. I have it on good authority that said gentleman lost a bet.)