Maize ‘n’ Brew: June 4 Recruiting Update

Tag: 2012 Recruiting

4Jun 2011
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2012 Offer Board Update

Aziz Shittu creates an ouchie.

The 2012 Offer Board has been updated:

Ohio TE Sam Grant committed to Boston College.

California DT Aziz Shittu has opened up his recruitment.

Texas OG Michael Starts committed to Texas Tech.

Illinois CB Anthony Standifer committed to Michigan.

Ohio SS Allen Gant committed to Michigan.

Added Utah DE Moana Ofahengaue.

Colorado OT Shane Callahan committed to Auburn.

2Jun 2011
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Anthony Standifer, Wolverine

Anthony Standifer (#3, with ball)

Anthony Standifer, a cornerback from Crete, IL, committed to Michigan on Wednesday.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Iowa, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Toledo, and Western Michigan.

The 6’1″, 178 lb. cornerback is a somewhat under-the-radar recruit to the services, which baffles me a bit because I was smitten with Standifer when I first learned about him a couple months ago.  He’s a 3-star to both 24/7 Sports and Scout, the latter of which ranks him as the #26 cornerback in the land.  Rivals and ESPN are still waking from their long winter hibernations.

Speaking of recruiting rankings, in a rare bout of the dreaded I-agree-with-Tom-Lemmings, I have to admit that I . . . agree with Tom Lemming, who ranks Standifer as the 98th best player in the country.  The kid had 44 tackles, 9 interceptions, and 1 forced fumble as a junior.  When the ball is in the air, he goes up and gets it at its highest point.  He also has very smooth hips for a kid who’s 6’1″.  (Check out the clip at 2:05 of the highlights below, which showcases both of those skills.)  I also really like the way Standifer deals with blockers; they’re nuisances to him and he finds crafty ways to get around people who are in his way.  At 2:37 and 3:54 below, watch how he ducks inside the blocker and gives the blocker his back to hit.  In those instances, the blocker either allows him to make the tackle or the ref throws a flag for blocking in the back.  These things are done in the manner of a natural athlete, not someone who ponders what to do for a split second before making the play.  Another plus is that Standifer doesn’t suffer from Cullen Christian Paralylyzing Fear of Making a Tackle.  Standifer doesn’t really light anyone up, but he’s not afraid to stick his nose into the fray, either.

There are some concerns about Standifer.  He doesn’t have great straight-line speed, he’s a bit skinny, he doesn’t look to have much experience in press man coverage, and his backpedal needs some work.  That first drawback should be somewhat mitigated by the fact that Standifer is likely headed for the boundary (or solid) corner position, which is predicated more on physicality than pure speed.  Those last three things are correctable, and while they might be cause for concern in the short term, a couple seasons of weighlifting and solid coaching ought to fix them.

Standifer offers Michigan some versatility in that he could play some free safety, so Michigan isn’t locked into playing him at corner if his speed is too much of a concern.  When I first saw his film, though, the player that popped into my mind was Chris McAlister, of Baltimore Ravens fame.  I’m not quite sure that it’s an apt comparison, but there we are.  I also see a little bit of Donovan Warren in Standifer, and that might be more accurate.  Warren was a cornerback/safety tweener by the time he left college, but he was a solid college cornerback despite being timed somewhere between a 4.59 and a 4.68 prior to the NFL Draft.  I have doubts that Standifer can be a truly elite corner because of his lack of high-end speed, but I think he has sufficient speed to be an impact corner in the Big Ten.

Standifer is the 14th commitment in Michigan’s 2012 class.  There are roughly four more spots to fill, but more slots will probably open up before February.

TTB Rating: 83 (Prospect Rating System)

1Jun 2011
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Allen Gant, Wolverine

Sylvania, OH safety Allen Gant

Allen Gant, a safety from Southview High School in Sylvania, OH, committed to Michigan publicly on Tuesday morning.  He committed to Michigan’s coaches last Wednesday.  Gant selected Michigan over offers from Ball State, Boston College, Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Stanford, Toledo, and West Virginia.

Recent measurements supposedly size Gant at 6’2″, 210 lbs. and running in the 4.6-second range.  He’s listed as a 3-star safety to Scout, but Rivals and ESPN each list him as a wide receiver.  247 Sports lists him as an “athlete” which isn’t helpful at all.

Gant’s father is former Michigan safety Tony Gant, who played in Ann Arbor from 1982-86, making 150 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions for Bo Schembechler.  The elder Gant was 6’2″ and 180 lbs. until his senior year, when he shrunk by two inches.

A few months ago, I was asked whether I thought Gant would get an offer from Michigan, and I said I thought he would be a guy the Wolverines might offer late in the process.  And although the class seems to filling up quickly – thus bringing the coaches closer to being “late in the process” than anytime in recent memory – I was still surprised when Michigan’s offer came through in mid-May.

Gant isn’t an elite athlete.  His biggest assets seem to be his size and strength, which is fine except Michigan seems to be rife with guys who have the size to play outside linebacker, but the speed to play . . . outside linebacker.  Each of Michigan’s safeties has toyed with playing linebacker, and here’s another one.  When you watch the film below, highlight #1 shows a kid who gets off the line like he’s running in quicksand.  By the end of the play, he has failed to outrun a nondescript, short, white kid.  Play #2 is on the highlight film because Gant makes the interception, but that backpedal isn’t smooth and he gets the pick because the ball is underthrown.  The bottom line for his high school team is that he made the play, which is kind of the point of playing football.  But when the receivers are faster and the quarterbacks are better, Gant won’t be able to get away with plays like that.

As I said above, his size and strength are the aspects of his game that have garnered rave reviews.  He seems to have thickened up since his junior season ended, and one message board poster who claims to have intimate knowledge of Gant’s training regimen relates news of 10-15 lbs. of added muscle this off-season and a 36″ vertical jump.  Those numbers are all well and good, but it causes me a little bit of concern when it seems that Michigan’s current safeties are lacking somewhat in speed, ball skills, etc.  Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison insists that his safeties must be able to play both safety positions, but I can’t imagine Gant trying to cover the middle of the field without putting the defense in jeopardy.

The coaching staff has done an excellent job in recruiting so far in the 2012 cycle, but I can’t help being a little wary of the pursuit of Gant.  Perhaps the fact that his father was a Wolverine played a part in his recruitment.  To put it another way, I don’t see another safety on the offer board who’s quite as limited athletically as Gant seems to be.  But perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the least athletic safety on the board happens to be the son of a former Wolverine.

Gant is the 13th public commitment for Michigan in the class of 2012.  The Wolverines should have at least five remaining spots to fill before February, but that number is bound to swell like always.

TTB Rating: 59 (Click here for the rating system)