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| Shaquille Wiggins looks a lot like . . . |
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| . . . 2010 target Lamarcus Joyner (now at FSU). |
The 2013 Offer Board has been updated:
Added Colorado OT Chris Fox.
Added Ohio TE Ben Gedeon.
Added Virginia LB E.J. Levenberry.
Added Georgia DE Reginald Carter.
Added Michigan OT Steve Elmer.
Added Georgia CB Shaq Wiggins.
Added Texas WR Jake Oliver.
Added California LB Michael Hutchings.
Added Maryland DT Henry Poggi.
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| Class of 2013 safety prospect Tray Matthews |
The 2012 Offer Board has been updated:
California QB Jake Rodrigues committed to Oregon.
Added Tennessee OG Blake Bars.
California OT Max Tuerk committed to USC.
The 2013 Offer Board has also been updated:
Added PA tight end Adam Breneman.
Added NC linebacker Peter Kalambayi.
Added GA safety Tray Matthews.
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| Class of 2013 quarterback Shane Morris committed to Michigan on Tuesday |
Warren, MI, quarterback Shane Morris, a class of 2013 prospect, committed to Michigan on Tuesday. He’s a 0-star recruit to Rivals, but Scout thinks he’s a 0-star. However, 247 Sports is the outlier here and gave him a 0-star ranking. ESPN was too busy working on its poker coverage to bother acknowledging Morris’ existence.
He’s 6’3″, 183 lbs. with a 4.63 forty, a 4.6-second shuttle, and a 28″ vertical. Morris selected Michigan over offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Toledo.
He finished his sophomore year 102-for-180 for 1,150 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, in addition to 2 rushing touchdowns.
It’s very, very difficult to project a player as a sophomore in high school. Kids hit growth spurts, their bodies fill out, sometimes they mature, sometimes they plateau, etc. However, it’s easy to see why Morris would have garnered so much interest this early in the recruiting process. He looks like a very mature passer. He doesn’t panic in the pocket, he goes through his read progressions, etc. Obviously, only highlights are available, but the thing that sticks out to me most is the touch and accuracy he puts on the ball. When a ball need to gets to a receiver in a hurry, he rifles it in there. When he knows he can put some air under a throw, he lays it out there for the receiver to go get it. That’s somewhat rare in a young passer, many of whom want to throw the ball 100 mph every time. In that respect, Morris might be even more advanced than freshman Chad Henne or sophomore Denard Robinson. I’m also impressed with the quickness of Morris’ release. He doesn’t hold the ball at a consistent spot, which is something that I’m sure he’ll work on in the future; however, even if he lets his arm drop, he gets the ball out quickly. There’s just something unique and smooth about a lefthanded quarterback’s throwing motion, and he’s no exception.
Morris moves fairly well within and without the pocket, but this is not a kid who’s going to create many plays with his feet. He’s comfortable throwing on the move, but the speed and creativity probably won’t be there to make him a consistent running threat. His footwork is a little sloppy in the pocket, which is another thing that should improve with time. I would also hope that Morris continues to thicken up and get stronger, although it’s hard to knock a 6’3″, 183 lb. sophomore in high school for a lack of size.
Honestly, I don’t have a good grasp on where Morris will be ranked next year or what his future looks like. And if anyone claims they do, they’re fibbing. This is rare territory for Michigan. A few years ago, I was on a message board with Michigan fans who were talking up a safety from Florida who liked Michigan. They said he was 6’3″, 220 lb. freshman with 4.4 speed and would be a surefire 5-star. As you might have guessed, that player was Marvin Robinson. You know, the 6’1″, 200 lb. Robinson whose speed (or lack thereof) puts him in a constant discussion to potentially move to linebacker. So when you read these projections that Morris is going to be super awesome and such, take them with a grain of salt. He’s far from a finished product.
I do like Morris. He has some impressive physical qualities, and from everything I’ve seen and read, he seems like a quality individual. I would guess that he will be highly ranked, but without being up to speed on all the quarterbacks in the 2013 class – which very few people are – it’s hard to say whether he’s a top five or top ten quarterback. I would be surprised if he’s not a top-10 quarterback recruit by next year, but honestly, that’s just a semi-educated, wild-ass guess.
Morris is the first commitment for the class of 2013. In fact, since it comes approximately 21 months before National Signing Day, this is the earliest commitment Michigan has received since Rivals started keeping track. This is a way too early projection, but the class of 2013 looks like it will start off at about 18 players. Once you figure in attrition and potential non-renewed fifth years, that’s going to be a pretty big class. Morris would be the first Michigan player from Warren De La Salle since Mark Torzy back in the mid-’70’s.
You can now follow Touch the Banner on Twitter.
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| Chelsea running back Berkley Edwards breaks outside against Monroe |
A post showed up on Tuesday from Jim Stefani’s blog. Stefani is a recruiting “expert” with an encyclopedic knowledge of high school recruiting, and he unleashed his knowledge of the state of Michigan on his readers.
There are many potential 2013 and 2014 prospects with ties to Michigan, including:
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| Christian Skrepenak (#45), the son of former Michigan lineman Greg. See those other guys? They’re jumping. |