Class of 2013 Wish List: Offense

Tag: Adam Breneman

14Feb 2012
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Class of 2013 Wish List: Offense

One guy we both agreed on was Warren (MI) De La Salle quarterback Shane Morris

Tremendous  and Touch the Banner  pooled together our information and came up with a wish list for the 2013 class.  This is purely a wish list based on guys who have either been offered by Michigan or, in a couple cases, are likely to get offered by Michigan at some point.

QUARTERBACK (Need = 1)
Touch the Banner: Warren (MI) De La Salle quarterback Shane Morris  is already on board, and he’s one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the country.  Based on his talent and how much he loves Michigan, he’s my pick to fill this spot.
Tremendous: Shane Morris – Doesn’t really need much of an explanation. Turn to my interview if necessary. This kid has the physical and mental qualities to play quarterback for Michigan. The only question, and one that can’t be answered yet, is how he’ll respond to getting continuously hit throughout the long run of a full college football season.

RUNNING BACK (Need = 2)
Tremendous: Ty Isaac, Deveon Smith – Isaac is explosive and the type of home-run hitter that Michigan has lacked for quite some time now. He does run a bit upright, but the upside is too much to ignore here. He could contribute quickly, too. Deveon Smith is a tackle-breaking machine who has good vision/cuts in between the tackles. Both of his brothers struggled in college but I don’t expect that to be the case with Deveon. Keith Ford would look good here, too, but despite the recent update I did on him, I don’t expect him to end up at Michigan.
Touch the Banner: Michigan needs a big-play guy, and I think Stockton (CA) Lincoln’s Justin Davis  could be that guy.  He’s 6’1″, 195 lbs. and could be the lightning to Cypress (TX) Cypress Ranch’s Keith Ford‘s thunder.  Both can make big plays, unlike a couple offerees who look like pound-the-rock type guys only.

FULLBACK (Need = 0)
Michigan doesn’t need anyone here.

WIDE RECEIVER (Need = 2)
Touch the Banner: Louisville (KY) Trinity wideout James Quick  would be #1 on my list because of his gamebreaking ability.  He’s similar to former Michigan wide receiver Steve Breaston because he’s a skinny guy who can take it the distance at any given time.  Crete (IL) Crete-Monee’s Laquon Treadwell  is a big, physical kid who also has a little bit of speed and can stretch the field.  Michigan could use a couple big-time receivers to pair with Morris.
Tremendous: Jaron Dukes, Laquon Treadwell – Dukes loves Michigan and has the physical tools necessary to fit the old Michigan receiver mold. He’s a bit of a project, but kids who love the program and want to be here are the types of kids that tend to succeed at Michigan. Treadwell is a five-star talent. Not much else to be said about him.

TIGHT END (Need = 2)
Touch the Banner:  Camp Hill (PA) Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman  is considered by many to be the nation’s top tight end for the 2013 class, and again it would be nice to find a good passing target for Morris.  Breneman is the type of tight end who could do damage as a traditional tight end or lined up in the slot.  Meanwhile, Pickerington (OH) North Pickerington’s Jake Butt  is a tough, physical kid who has some good athleticism.  And if things didn’t work out on offense, he has the athletic ability and demeanor to help out on defense, too.
Tremendous: Jake Butt, Adam Breneman – Butt is a likely commit who seems to be somewhat of a rising star within the rankings. I’d still say Breneman is better, but Butt has the frame to bulk up and remains quick enough on his feet for his size to do real damage in the passing game. Breneman is the real deal, a potential Gronk clone if he builds up properly. No reason not to choose a guy like him. Fast as hell for a TE, but more than big enough to block up front.

OFFENSIVE LINE (Need = 5)
Tremendous: Logan Tuley-Tillman, Chris Fox, Kyle Bosch, David Dawson, Laremy Tunsil – Four of these lineman are obvious choices based on ability alone. We really love Dawson though; he’s a pancake machine who would be an epic addition to the run blocking game. The good news? Outside of Tunsil, Michigan has a good shot at all four of these guys.
Touch the Banner: I’m going to take one guy for each position.  Give me Lake City (FL) Columbia’s Laremy Tunsil  at left tackle, Dallas (TX) Bishop Dunne left guard Ishmael Wilson, Parker (CO) Ponderosa right guard Chris Fox, and Lemont (IL) Lemont right tackle Ethan Pocic.  And then I’ll take Wheaton (IL) St. Francis’s Kyle Bosch  and move him inside to center, just because Michigan needs a center and I think Bosch could handle it.

31Jan 2012
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Adam Breneman Answers Your Questions

Class of 2013 tight end Adam Breneman
As stated in his “Ask a Question” post, Adam Breneman is a class 2013 tight end prospect out of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania who holds offers from more than 20 FCS schools, including Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Miami (FL). He recently took time to answer reader questions on a variety of topics.
Academics: “I was raised my whole life to put academics first. I realize that at some point football is going to end, and I’ll get a job and support a family, and that’s the reason why academics are so important to me. There’s a lot more to life than just football . . . I’m going to major in Business. Michigan’s obviously one of the best academically. They have a great history, a great business school. They might not be on-par with the Stanfords and the Notre Dames and the schools like that, but they’re one of the best options academic-wise out there.”
NFL Ambitions: “One of my goals is to play in the NFL; there’s no doubt about that, but very few people have the chance to play in the NFL. I don’t want to take anything for granted. If you just slide by and assume you’re going to play in the NFL, you might be in for a rude awakening by the time you graduate college . . . My two favorite players are [New England Patriot] Rob Gronkowski and [Philadelphia Eagle] Brent Celek. He [Celek] is actually the reason I started to wear number 87.”
Factors in Recruitment: “When I’m looking at a school, the first thing is academics and where they stand as far as their academic reputation. And then I’m looking at the way I’m going to be used in the offense. I like catching the ball; I like being a play maker – I want to be able to do that in college. And then it’s the relationships that you have with the coaching staff. You’re going to be around those guys a lot, so if you don’t like ’em, it’ll make for a long four years . . . Football is football no matter how hot it is outside or how cold it is, but location will play a little bit of a factor. It’s not a huge thing but a school that is closer to home will have a little bit of an advantage over a school that is farther away . . . I do look at depth charts; I do look at who they have, but the bottom line is that you’re going to have to compete wherever you go . . . .”
Where Michigan Stands: “Right now I’m open to everyone, no matter where they are or what conference they’re in. I mean, I have some opinions on some schools so obviously I have some favorites in my mind, but I’m staying open and I don’t have a top schools list or anything yet . . . But yeah, let’s just say if I had a top schools list, then Michigan would be in it. I really like the coaches, and I think they’ll be in it to the end with me . . . When you have guys like the guys who are at Michigan who are trying to recruit me, it says a lot about U of M and how much they want me. Shane Morris is a great example. He’s been trying to recruit me just as hard as the coaches are. So when there’s an especially developed player like Shane Morris who I know will be throwing me the ball, that’s another advantage . . . .”

Adam holds a 3.9 GPA and is currently 6’5” and 225 lbs. Although he acknowledges that he’s a bit “undersized weight-wise” for a tight end right now, Adam expects to fill out naturally and “go into college around 235-240 lbs.” His hand-timed 40 yard-dash times range between “the high 4.5s and the high 4.6s.” During his discretionary time, Adam enjoys reading – sports books in particular – yet his “favorite book of all time” is To Kill a Mockingbird.
Showing phenomenal perspective throughout the interview, Adam closed our conversation with this thought regarding his demanding schedule and relentless recruitment: “It can be overwhelming and I get stressed out with it sometimes, but then I think about all the kids in the world who dream of being in this position, and I get to live it; it’s a reality for me . . . . This whole process is just such a big blessing.”

Bonus: Check out Thunder’s scouting report on Breneman here.

23Jan 2012
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Ask a Question: Adam Breneman

Class 2013 tight end Adam Breneman out of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania holds over 20 offers from Division I schools, including Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami (FL). He also has an offer from Michigan, which I figure he’ll be giving ample consideration since he has a 3.9 GPA and an emphasis on academics. I’ll be talking with Adam this weekend, so feel free to leave any questions for him in the comments section below. For more information, check out Thunder’s scouting report and Adam’s interview with Ace.
19Jan 2012
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Scouting Report: TE Adam Breneman

Camp Hill (PA) Cedar Cliff TE Adam Breneman
(image via Penn Live)

Name: Adam Breneman
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 225 lbs.
Class: 2013
Position: Tight end
School: Camp Hill (PA) Cedar Cliff

Notes: Holds offers from Alabama, Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, and others . . . Scout 4-star . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 96 rating, #1 TE, #2 overall in Pennsylvania, #32 overall in nation . . . As a junior in 2011, had 72 receptions for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns . . . As a sophomore in 2010, had 70 receptions for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns

Strengths: Excellent route runner for a tight end . . . Understands how to set up defensive backs . . . Sells double-moves and play action passes well . . . Understands the tight end position . . . Can split out wide, play in the slot, or release from the traditional tight end spot . . . Above average speed for a tight end . . . Catches ball with his hands instead of body . . . Works well in traffic . . . Works back to quarterback in scramble situations . . . Athletic enough to block linebackers in space . . . Moves feet well when blocking

Weaknesses: Has just okay vision . . . Sometimes stops his feet when being tackled . . . Could use his size more effectively to break tackles . . . Will need to lower pad level to block bigger players at next level

Projection: Tight end/H-back

Reminds me of: Jake Stoneburner (Ohio State)