Tag: Devin Funchess

Recruit Tracker

Jeremy Clark (#2) had a punt return for a touchdown on Friday night.

Blake Bars of Montgomery Bell Academy lost against Trninity High 66-21.

Joe Bolden played this afternoon on ESPN and won by a score of 17-7 over Cocoa.  He had 12 tackles and a 38-yard pass on a fake punt.  He also averaged 36.8 yards punting the ball.

Ben Braden’s team the Rockford Rams were defeated by the Lowell Red Arrows 28-7.

Pharaoh Brown’s team the Brush Arc’s were defeated by Eastlake North 51-20.  Brown had 2 receptions.

Jeremy Clark and North Hopkins defeated Graves County by a score of 42-13.  Clark had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown to go along with 12 tackles and 1 interception.

Devin Funchess had 3 receptions for 70 yards, plus an interception, in a 43-7 victory over Detroit Cass Tech.

Allen Gant played on both sides of the ball as his team the Southview Cougars won 26-24 over the St. Francis de Sales Knights at The Glassbowl, which is home to the Toledo Rockets.  He had 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, 1 carry for 6 yards, and 1 reception for 5 yards.

Matt Godin of Detroit Catholic Central registered two tackles before sitting out the second half due to a concussion. DCC won 42-0 over Dearborn Fordson.

Sione Houma’s team the Highland Rams won 41-7 over the Cedar Reds.

Royce Jenkins-Stone had 4 tackles to go along with 2 receptions for 3 yards and 5 carries for 4 yards in a 43-7 loss to Farmington Hills Harrison.

Kyle Kalis of the 2010 Division 1 state champion Lakewood-St. Edward’s Eagles did not play in a 17-14 victory over Cleveland Glenville.  He sat out the game with a knee injury suffered in last week’s scrimmage.

Erik Magnuson’s team the La Costa Canyon Mavericks open next week.

Shane Morris of Warren De La Salle went 12/15 for 233 yards and 1 touchdown. His team beat Ann Arbor Pioneer 43-28.

Mario Ojemudia had 4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1/2 a sack, and 6 quarterback hurries in a 43-7 win over Detroit Cass Tech.

Ondre Pipkins’ of the Park Hill Trojans won 13-7 over Liberty.  Pipkins had 8 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

Terry Richardson had 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup in a 46-6 loss to Farmington Hills Harrison.  He also returned 3 kicks for 70 yards and had 1 reception for 11 yards.

Kaleb Ringer was held out of yesterday’s contest against Hamilton due to a broken hand.

James Ross of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s reportedly did a lot of stretching, bike riding and warm-ups while his team took care of Grand Rapids West Catholic 35-0.  Ross had 7 tackles and 2 tackles for loss.

Anthony Standifer’s Crete-Monee team defeated T.F. South by a score of 32-8.

Tom Strobel had 5 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries in a 49-21 victory over Euclid.

Jarrod Wilson had 6.5 tackles in a 31-6 loss to Massillon Washington.

Christopher Wormley’s team the Whitmer Panthers defeated the Start Spartans 42-6.  Wormley had 2 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 quarterback hurry.

Mailbag: Why so little love for Funchess?

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.

Devin Funchess, Wolverine

Farmington Hills, MI wide receiver/tight end Devin Funchess flies through the air with the greatest of ease

Farmington Hills, MI tight end Devin Funchess committed to the Wolverines on Saturday.  He chose Michigan over offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Virginia, among others.  He’s a 4-star recruit to Scout and the #6 tight end prospect in the country.  The 4-star ranking is echoed by 247 Sports.

Funchess stands 6’5″ and weighs approximately 210 lbs., although he will surely continue to add weight.  He caught 34 passes for 709 yards (20.8 yards per catch) and 5 touchdowns as a junior while playing a lot of wide receiver.  Two of his high school teammates, WR Aaron Burbridge and DE/LB Mario Ojemudia, also hold offers from the Wolverines, but Funchess was the most likely to choose Michigan.  Harrison High School generally seems to be a Michigan State pipeline, but that didn’t affect Funchess, whose sister currently goes to school in Ann Arbor.  The last Harrison product to choose Michigan was Charles Stewart in 2004.

The number of offers given out to tight end recruits suggested that Michigan wanted at least one blocking tight and at least one pass receiver from the position in the class of 2012.  The coaches seem to have filled that quota with earning commitments from Funchess and Ohio TE A.J. Williams.  When those two players arrive on campus in 2012, the only other scholarship tight ends on the roster will be fifth year senior Brandon Moore and sophomore Chris Barnett.  I will not be entirely surprised if Michigan continues to recruit the position, but the need has obviously been greatly diminished.  Southfield, MI Ron Thompson has been on commitment watch for several weeks, and these two commitments early in the process may have been an attempt on these players’ parts to reserve their spots before they were taken.

When I watch Funchess, the first player that comes to mind is Ben Troupe, the former Florida Gators and NFL tight end.  He’s a wide receiver with a tight end frame.  It may take him a while to get his body to fill out to adequate proportions, but San Diego State’s starting tight end in 2010 was a redshirt freshman who was 229 lbs.  They split him out at times and got him some decent numbers, and that’s what I expect from Funchess, too.  He catches the ball with his hands and adjust to the ball well when it’s in the air.  He ought to be able to make an impact in the passing game early in his career, and he has the lateral movement and feet to be a solid blocker at the second level once he adds some strength.  If you want a Michigan comparison, he’s Carson Butler with a good head on his shoulders.  I have high hopes for Funchess in the coming years.

Funchess is the sixth commitment in the class of 2012, which currently stands at 17 players.  That number will likely grow with the odds high for further attrition in the coming months.

TTB Rating: 75