Terry Richardson, Shane Morris, Mario Ojemudia, and James Ross
at the Nike Football Training Camp in May (image via MGoBlog)
Last week I put up a poll about Michigan’s four linebacker recruits for 2012. I asked the question, “Which of Michigan’s four linebacker commits is most likely to be an All-American?”
In case you haven’t been able to tell from my comments and commitment posts, I voted for Ross. He’s the best athlete of the bunch, and while he might be the smallest (Ringer is listed at the same height but a few pounds heavier), that doesn’t matter a whole lot in college football. In fact, this voting finished in the exact same order that I would rank these players.
I was kind of surprised Rivals didn’t give Devin Funchess a fourth star. Which isn’t to say I think they SHOULD have, since I know very little about recruiting and try not to be an “OMG They Didn’t Give Ricardo Miller Nine Stars” guy. But he looked to demonstrate some acrobatic receiving ability in his video, while also being a good prototypical size. What do you think held him back? – Ben
Tight end/wide receiver/H-back Devin Funchess committed to Michigan a little over a month ago. So far Rivals hasn’t given Funchess a star rating. For comparison’s sake, Scout gave him 4 stars and ranked him as the #6 tight end in the country. 247 Sports gives him 4 stars and rates him a 90 overall.
I’ve been a member of Rivals for a few years, and they often downgrade players without clearly defined positions. At 6’4″ and 215 lbs. (or lighter), Funchess’ future position is a little murky. Some think he’ll develop into a full-fledged tight end, some think he might have the speed to play wideout, and some think he’ll be an Aaron Shea-like fullback/tight end. Without knowing what position a certain player might occupy at the next level, it’s difficult to say that he’ll be a high-impact guy.
Also, keep in mind that the recruiting services figure in NFL potential with their ratings. Especially at Rivals, 5-star players are considered to be potential first rounders, 4-stars are thought to have good potential to be drafted, etc. Tight end isn’t a premium position for the NFL, and H-back is even less so. Since 2004 the only two tight ends to receive 5 stars from Rivals were Martellus Bennett (2005) and Kyle Rudolph (2008). Consider that there were five 5-star running backs and nineteen 4-star running backs in the class of 2011. Meanwhile, there were zero 5-star tight ends and only sixteen 4-star tight ends in the same class. If the NFL doesn’t value tight ends as highly as other positions, high school recruits are going to be slightly downgraded as a result.
So this is probably what Rivals is thinking:
a) What’s his position at the next level?
b) Does he have a lot of potential to get to the NFL?
Personally, I think Scout and 247 Sports have it right. Putting on weight should never be a problem for a player who desires to do it, and I have heard no questions about Funchess’ work ethic or coachability. I would rather take a good athlete and bulk him up than a take a big guy and try to make him more athletic. In my experience, the latter tactic will rarely pan out. Funchess can run, jump, catch, and adjust to the ball in the air. Michigan just saw a 2007 recruit who had similar size coming out of high school leave as a 6’4″, 268 lb. tight end who excelled at blocking. But Martell Webb was a 4-star and the #29 wide receiver in his class, so you can see that the ratings aren’t consistent. (I will admit, though, that Webb was probably a slightly better athlete coming out of high school than Funchess is today.)
Don’t be too surprised if Funchess works his way up to 4-star status with a solid senior season. He has plenty of athleticism to move up to that next step, and if he remains on the 3-star level at Rivals, I think he’ll outplay that rating by the time all is said and done.
Detroit cornerback Terry Richardson committed to Michigan on Thursday morning. He selected the Wolverines over a long list of suitors that included Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, UCLA, and USC, among others.
Richardson stands 5’9″ and weighs 160 lbs. while listing a 4.5 forty. He’s a 4-star recruit and the #195 overall player to Rivals. Scout also lists him as a 4-star and ranks him as the #10 cornerback in the country. Upstart site 247 Sports has the best opinion of Richardson, giving him a grade of 97, ranking him as a 4-star, and putting him at the #3 cornerback and #31 overall player. So the recruiting sites like him.
There are varying reports on Richardson’s statistics, but Scout says he had 35 tackles and 12 interceptions as a junior. I’ve also seen interceptions numbers listed at 9 and 8 for him, so it’s hard to tell what’s right. Regardless, somewhere between 8 and 12 interceptions is pretty dang good. He also had 20 tackles, 16 pass breakups, and 4 interceptions as a sophomore.
I have stated before that I think Richardson is the best of Cass Tech’s midget cornerbacks in recent years. The Technicians have produced a slew of 5’6″-5’9″ cornerbacks like Boubacar Cissoko (Michigan), Teric Jones (Michigan), Dior Mathis (Oregon), Delonte Hollowell (Michigan), Kishon Wilcher (Toledo), and now Richardson. He has the “it factor” that I can’t really explain, but he always seems to be around the ball. One of my reservations with Cissoko was that, despite all of his technique and physical skills, he only had 3 interceptions in his junior and seasons combined. In some ways, Richardson is the polar opposite – lacking some technique but making big plays. However, the hip swivel is there for him to turn and run with receivers in an instant, and some good defensive back coaching from Curt Mallory should help him in that respect.
Obviously, Richardson’s size is a concern. Big Ten corners can do just fine at 5’9″, but he’s awfully thin and needs to bulk up before he gets a chance to play. I think Michigan fans had enough of the reed-thin cornerbacks in 2010 with Courtney Avery and Terrence Talbott on the field. Richardson also won’t blow you away with his speed, but he has enough to get the job done.
Overall, I’m a fan of Richardson’s recruitment at Michigan. He’s a smooth athlete with a nose for the ball. And sometimes having a knack for finding the football is more important than being 6’0″ tall and having blinding speed.
This is Michigan’s twelfth commitment for the class of 2012, and recruits have stated that the Wolverines would like to take three cornerbacks overall. Richardson would be the seventh commitment from Cass Tech in the last five recruiting classes (2008-2012), six of whom will be on the roster together; Cissoko was dismissed from the team in 2009, but Richardson would join William Campbell, Thomas Gordon, Teric Jones, Delonte Hollowell, and class of 2012 teammate Royce Jenkins-Stone.
