Name: Allen Gant Height: 6’2″ Weight: 203 lbs. High school: Sylvania (OH) Southview Position: Linebacker Class: Redshirt freshman Jersey number: #12 Last year:I ranked Gant #81 and said he would redshirt. He redshirted.
Gant came into school as a large strong safety, and as I mentioned during his recruitment, he was somewhat lacking in foot speed for a safety. Defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has mentioned that he wants his safeties to be interchangeable, and Gant was probably a little on the slow side to be trusted in deep coverage. He didn’t garner a ton of practice buzz, and he didn’t play much in the spring game, partially due to a nagging injury; he did, however, show a little of what he could do when he came up for support in the run game during the spring. That tackling ability – and the lack of foot speed – precipitated a move to SAM linebacker for the fall.
With junior Brennen Beyer and fifth year senior Cam Gordon locked into a battle for the starting SAM spot this fall while redshirt junior Jake Ryan recovers from a torn ACL, Gant probably won’t be counted on much this year. He will also be competing with walk-on redshirt freshman Mark Lawson and true freshman Mike McCray II, but Gant looks to be third until Ryan returns. Hopefully Michigan won’t need him much on defense this year, but Gant is the type of big safety/linebacker who could be very useful on special teams.
Allen Gant looked a bit like a linebacker in high school
As you may have heard by now, redshirt freshman strong safety Allen Gant is moving to SAM linebacker. Gant was still playing safety in the spring game, so this is obviously a recent change.
Starter Jake Ryan was lost for at least half the season with an ACL injury he suffered in the spring. Michigan has already moved junior defensive end Brennen Beyer, who played SAM as a freshman in 2011, back to the position. Beyer started at the “new” position in the spring game over fifth year senior Cam Gordon. The only freshman slated to possibly play the SAM position is Mike McCray II, who may be a little small, too.
I have always thought Gant was a little too stiff to be a long-term answer at safety, so the move to linebacker makes a little bit of sense. However, he’s currently listed at 6’2″ and 203 lbs., so even if he adds 5-10 lbs. this summer, he’ll still be too light to be a viable option to replace Ryan anytime this year. Steve Brown held down a SAM-like position in 2009 at about 208 lbs., but Brown was a better athlete and playing in a different scheme.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, Beyer looks like the interim starter with Gordon a close second. Here’s how things appear to shape up until Jake Ryan returns:
SAM: Brennen Beyer (Jr.), Cameron Gordon (5th), Allen Gant (RS Fr.), Mike McCray II (Fr.), Mark Lawson (RS Fr.)
As for what this move does to the safety position, I don’t think it changes much. Fifth year senior Thomas Gordon is the likely starter at strong safety this year, and the heir apparent at the position is freshman Dymonte Thomas, who will quite possibly start at slot corner this fall. I also thought that Gant’s classmate Jeremy Clark looked like a better safety option, so Clark may be the next man in at SS this fall. Redshirt junior Josh Furman also may be a backup option there, and incoming freshman Delano Hill will likely end up as a safety before all is said and done (Hill was told he would get a shot to play corner first). Here’s what the strong safety position looks like, more or less:
SS: Thomas Gordon (5th), Jeremy Clark (RS Fr.), Josh Furman (RS Jr.), Delano Hill (Fr.)
Name: Allen Gant Height: 6’2″ Weight: 210 lbs. High school: Sylvania (OH) Southview Position: Strong safety Class: Freshman Jersey number: #12 Last year:Gant was in high school. He had 66 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 1 interception.
Allen Gant is a big, strapping safety who – if the above measurements are accurate – already has the size to play in college. He’s the son of a former Michigan defensive back, which probably bodes well for his attitude and dedication. However, Gant seems to be a little short on speed and doesn’t appear to be a great “athlete.” Of course, Michigan’s current starting strong safety, Jordan Kovacs, has done well despite being somewhat limited athletically, so maybe the current coaching staff can use Gant appropriately, too.
Kovacs is entrenched as the starter at SS, and his backup is likely junior Marvin Robinson, who has the physical skills to be good but needs to keep his head on straight. Michigan doesn’t necessarily need a third strong safety to be ready, but Gant and redshirt sophomore Josh Furman might compete for playing time if necessary. Gant also has a chance to see time on coverage teams. If there are no injuries or departures at the safety spots, Gant should be able to redshirt and then be a backup to Robinson in 2013.
Lemont (IL) Lemont OT Ethan Pocic (#77) would be a welcome replacement on the offensive line
if he plays like Michigan’s other Lemont alumnus
ADDED TO THE BOARD
Lemont (IL) Lemont OT Ethan Pocic, a 2013 prospect, was offered by Michigan. Pocic is 6’7″, 285 lbs. and has offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others. Lemont is the same high school that David Molk attended, and much like Molk, Pocic doesn’t seem to like opposing defensive linemen or reporters. His film shows him destroying various high schoolers, and he’s not very open about the recruiting process. He’s not a bad athlete, but he’s a little less athletic than some of the other offensive tackle prospects Michigan has recruited recently. I would slot Pocic in as a right tackle prospect.
Austintown (OH) Fitch OL/DL Billy Price, a class of 2013 player, received an offer from Michigan this past week. Price is a 6’4″, 280 lb. strongside end prospect with offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee, among others. He looks like an absolute physical specimen with good musculature and very little bad body weight. While some of the recruiting sites list him as a defensive end, most schools are recruiting him to play offensive line. Fitch attends the same high school as 2012 Notre Dame commit Will Mahone, a running back that was on Michigan’s radar but whom Michigan never offered.
PURDUE VISITORS
Farmington Hills (MI) Harrison TE Devin Funchess (2012). Committed to Michigan. Funchess has 18 receptions for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns this season.
Sylvania (OH) Southview SS Allen Gant (2012). Committed to Michigan. He has 67 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.
Birmingham (MI) Seaholm OT Dan Gibbs (2012). Gibbs is a 6’7″, 320 lb. mammoth with offers from Ball State and Eastern Michigan. He’s not athletic enough to be a contender for a scholarship offer from the Wolverines, but he could be a preferred walk-on type if he chooses. I don’t imagine he’ll choose to pay for school instead of taking a scholarship, and he doesn’t look like someone who would be in danger of cracking the lineup at any point, anyway. Gibbs is too stiff to be a high-level prospect.
Joliet (IL) Catholic RB Ty Isaac (2013). Isaac already holds an offer from Michigan, in addition to Illinois, Iowa, Notre Dame, and several other schools. Through six games this season, Isaac had 92 carries for 983 yards (10.7 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns. Current rumblings suggest that Michigan and Notre Dame are his two early leaders, and he has made unofficial visits to both schools already.
Muskegon (MI) Muskegon RB Juwan Lewis (2012). Nothing much has changed with Lewis, a 5’11”, 208 lb. runner with offers from Buffalo, Toledo, and Western Michigan. He keeps hoping that Canton (OH) Glenoak RB Bri’onte Dunn sticks with his Buckeye commitment, because Lewis might be in line for an offer if the Wolverines can’t reel in another running back.
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB Royce Jenkins-Stone (2012). Committed to Michigan.
Grand Blanc (MI) Grand Blanc DE Luke MacLean (2013). MacLean hasn’t been offered by anyone other than Buffalo, but more offers are surely on the way. I’m not sure that Michigan will go after him, but he has visited Michigan a couple times and also been to East Lansing.
Baltimore (MD) Gilman DT Henry Poggi (2013). Every team up and down the east coast has offered Poggi already, in addition to Michigan. He’s the son of Gilman’s head coach and already has two brothers playing FBS football, one at Duke and one at Iowa. The 6’3″, 250 lb. Henry has been offered to play several positions, including tight end and defensive tackle. Michigan is recruiting him as a defensive tackle.
Toledo (OH) Central Catholic FS Jayme Thompson (2013). Thompson is a 6’2″, 182 lb. free safety prospect with a single offer, that from Bowling Green. While the offers haven’t started flowing yet, they undoubtedly will for a kid his size and with his speed. I would not be surprised to see Thompson earn a Michigan offer at some point, although the current roster might preclude very many offers to safeties for the 2013 class.
Springboro (OH) Springboro OG Sean Welsh (2013). Welsh is 6’3″, 275 lbs. and has offers from Bowling Green, Ohio, and Toledo. From the looks of his film, I think offers from Big Ten schools are bound to be coming soon. He moves very well for a guy his size and looks like he already has pretty good strength for such a young player.
