Tag: Antonio Poole

2011 Countdown: #73 Antonio Poole

Antonio Poole

Name: Antonio Poole
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 215 lbs.
High school: Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, OH
Position: Linebacker
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #40
Last year: Poole was a high school senior (commitment post here)

TTB Rating: 82

Poole is one of the most exciting prospects in the 2011 class for Michigan, because he offers a glimpse into the “old ways” of Michigan football.  He’s a weakside linebacker who’s a little on the small side, but he’s a good blitzer and can run a little bit.  Weakside linebackers in Greg Mattison’s defense are players who have little responsibility other than “see ball, get ball.”  As soon as Mattison was hired, he made it a point to visit Poole and push for a commitment, which showed that Mattison really wanted Poole.

I think Poole might be ready to get on the field immediately, even if it’s only on kick coverage.  He’s the type of downhill linebacker that Michigan fans ought to be excited about, and he could even work his way into some reps if some of the upperclassman WILLs don’t play well early in the season.

Prediction: Special teams contributor; backup linebacker

Welcome Back, 4-3 Under: The Linebackers

Shawn Crable would be ideal for the new regime

Last week I put up a post explaining how Michigan’s defense will look in the coming years under new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison.  Today we’ll take a look at the linebackers.

STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER (SAM)
Alignment:  9-technique, which is on the outside shoulder of the tight end
Gap responsibility:  D gap, which is outside the tight end
What should he look like?  If you’re building a team, this guy should be your best overall athlete with the best combination of size, strength, and speed.  He resides on the strong side of the formation and holds the point of attack on most run plays.  He will be blocked on every running play and take on blocks from fullbacks, tight ends, and pulling guards.  He also needs to cover running backs out of the backfield, drop into flat or hook zones, or occasionally slide inside and blitz the interior line.  These varied responsibilities require unique overall athleticism.  Shawn Crable, who was about 6’5″ and 245 lbs. and could run like a deer, would be the prototype.The physical freak you create in NCAA Football who’s 6’6″, 260 lbs., and runs a 4.3 forty . . . he’s a SAM.
Best physical fit:  Jake Ryan (6’3″, 224 lbs.).  Keep in mind that Ryan is just a freshman and probably weighs more than 224 at this point, but all these players are coming from a defense that didn’t recruit players for the SAM position.

MIDDLE LINEBACKER (MIKE)
Alignment: 3-off, which is on the outside shoulder of the strongside guard and off the line of scrimmage
Gap responsibility:  B gap, which is between the strongside tackle and guard
What should he look like?  Your middle linebacker should be the tackling machine.  As opposed to the middle linebacker in the 3-3-5 (who lines up directly over the center), the MIKE in a 4-3 Under aligns himself on the strong side of the formation.  The formation of the defense funnels most running plays to the MIKE’s vicinity.  He often has to defeat blocks from fullbacks, which means he has to have a sturdy frame.  He also needs to have a nose for the ball and roam sideline to sideline.  Unlike the 4-3 Tampa Cover Two defense, though, the MIKE in the 4-3 Under is somewhat protected in the passing game.  He needs to be able to cover crossing routes and hook zones, but the deep middle of the field will be covered by one of the safeties. Obviously, everyone would like to have a great athlete at every position, but the MIKE can afford to be a little stiffer in pass coverage.  The ideal size for a middle linebacker would be about 6’2″ and 245 lbs.
Best physical fit:  Isaiah Bell (6’1″, 245 lbs.)

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER (WILL)
Alignment:  1-off, which is on the inside shoulder of the weakside guard and off the line of scrimmage
Gap responsibility:  Flow to the ball
What should he look like?  Michigan had a great deal of success with smaller weakside linebackers when Hoke and Mattison were in Ann Arbor earlier in their careers, and I see no reason why that philosophy would change in the near future.  Guys like Larry Foote and Ian Gold were both very effective while being a shade over 6′ tall and 205-225 lbs.  The WILL rarely needs to take on a fullback because of the defense’s alignment; with a NT over the center and a DT over the weakside guard, it’s difficult to create enough space in that A gap to send a big fullback leading up through the hole.  That means the WILL often gets a chance to flow to the ball and make things happen.  He will blitz often and pick up running backs or slot receivers on rare occasions, so he needs to be somewhat more agile than the MIKE.  So despite technically being an inside linebacker (aligned between the tackles), he can get away with being smaller.
Best physical fit: Antonio Poole (6’1″, 210 lbs.)

Maize ‘n’ Brew: The Remaining Scholarships – Defense

Antonio Poole was the first one to drop.

I recently put up a post over at Maize ‘n’ Brew on how Michigan might fill out the remainder of its recruiting class.  Take a gander over there if you’re interested.

Antonio Poole, Wolverine

Antonio Poole chose Michigan instead of someplace worse.

Antonio Poole, an outside linebacker from Cincinnati, OH, committed to Michigan on Tuesday after receiving an in-home visit from new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison on Monday.  Poole is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect with other offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Purdue, among others.

Poole is a 4-star prospect and the #13 outside linebacker to Scout, but a 3-star to Rivals and ESPN.  Rivals ranks him as the #26 player at his position and ESPN puts him at #41.  There’s a bit of a wide spread in the rankings, but overall, it seems that Poole is a solid prospect for Michigan to pull at this point in the recruiting cycle.  I’m encouraged by Poole’s offer from Louisville, since head coach Charlie Strong (a former University of Florida defensive coordinator) clearly has a good idea of how to run a defense.  I would tend to agree with Scout more than the other two here.  I don’t see what Rivals and ESPN dislike about the kid’s game.

Poole reminds me a bit of Chris Graham in body stature, who played weakside linebacker for Michigan a few years ago.  The thing I like most about him is that he’s a very physical tackler.  Graham had a couple de-cleaters as a Wolverine, but he was never a standout.  (On a related note, Graham is currently playing middle linebacker for a pro football team . . . in Germany.)  Unlike Graham, however, Poole plays downhill and seems to diagnose quickly.

I think Poole could play either weakside linebacker or middle linebacker.  He’s an excellent tackler and wades through the trash well.  Much like Graham, it seems like Poole would fit best as a good two-down weakside ‘backer.  He blitzes well and he’s a good run stopper, but I expect Mattison to use nickel corners (a position that disappeared the last few seasons) in obvious passing situations, and Poole might be lifted when offenses try to spread the field.

This gives Michigan 16 commits for the class of 2011.  Linebackers Frank Clark and Leilon Willingham are rumored to be silent pledges, so Michigan should be done at the linebacker positions.  There should be four or five scholarships left to use in this class, which will likely be used on a couple offensive linemen , a defensive tackle, a running back, and perhaps a fullback.

TTB Rating: 82

2011 Offer Board Update

Ohio linebacker Antonio Poole

Commitments, offers, and new are coming fast and furious now.  The 2011 Offer Board has been updated:

Christian Westerman (OT) changed his commitment from Texas to Auburn.

Added Keith Heitzman (DE).

Added Antonio Poole (ILB).

Sheldon Royster (FS) committed to South Carolina.

Added Tamani Carter (CB) who committed to Michigan.

Added Max Issake (DE) who is committed to Pitt.

Added Leilon Willingham (ILB).

Jon Lewis (DT) changed his commitment from Texas Tech to TCU.

Added Chris Barnett (TE).

Woodson Greer (OLB) committed to Colorado.