Csont’e York, Wolverine
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| Csont’e York looks like a good prospect, despite his apparent love for the Yankess instead of the Tigers (image via 247 Sports) |
Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park wide receiver Csont’e York committed to Michigan on Wednesday, one day after receiving an offer from the Wolverines. He picked Michigan over offers from Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Syracuse, and Toledo.
York stands 6’3″ and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 185 lbs. Since he is an under-the-radar recruit, no statistics or forty times are immediately available.
Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked WR
Rivals: Unranked WR
Scout: 3-star WR, #67 WR
247 Sports: 3-star WR, 88 grade, #69 WR
Okay, so there’s not much to go on. No stats, not many measurements, and only a couple recruiting sites really have a clue who he is. (UPDATE: York had 36 catches for 587 yards, which averages out to 16.3 yards per catch, and 11 touchdowns.) Here’s my analysis then:
York is tall, long, lean, and can jump. He has good straight-line speed and gets on top of corners pretty quickly, which makes them panic a little bit. This will not only help him threaten deep, but it should also be an asset for setting up corners for shorter routes; he’ll get them to flip their hips, he can throttle down, and then come back for a dig, hitch, or comeback. York goes up and gets the ball well, which should make him a very tough red zone threat. I am also impressed with York’s routes. He is very adept at setting up routes and not just going from point A to point B in a straight line. There aren’t any highlights of him blocking, but with his size and wingspan, he should be helpful on the edge. While he’s probably a little thin right now, I’m not worried about him getting to a good weight at Michigan; he has a good frame and should be able to hold 210-215 lbs. without any problems. I also like the fact that York’s coaches and quarterback obviously see him as a go-to guy. There are times when the play call in the huddle appears to be “Throw it somewhere near Csont’e and watch him score a touchdown. On two. Ready, break.”
On the negative side, York does not seem to be a threat to run much after the catch. While he accelerates well and can threaten deep when unimpeded, he doesn’t seem to have an extra gear. And if he makes anyone miss, that’s on the defensive guy, because he just doesn’t have much lateral quickness. Dennis Norfleet should not feel threatened that York might steal his punt return reps. I would also like to see York do a little less posing after big plays.
There are some questions about York’s opponents. Well, not really. The league is not very talented. His team went 8-3 on the season, but the average point differential over eleven games was 28 points per game. So if Chandler Park wasn’t trouncing someone else, they were getting trounced themselves. There are some kids on that highlight film who just aren’t very good athletes, period, and those are some of the guys he’s beating like a drum; Warren (MI) Michigan Collegiate athlete Teo Redding is the only other significant college recruit in the league, as far as I know.
York joins Jaron Dukes as the two wide receivers in the 2013 class, and Michigan probably wants one more. His commitment might put a little pressure on a player like Crete (IL) Crete-Monee wideout Laquon Treadwell, who wants to wait until January to decide but might not have that freedom if he wants to come to Michigan. Things might get interesting from here, just like they did with cornerback Terry Richardson last year, offensive tackle Logan Tuley-Tillman a few months ago, etc. Things are always fluid in recruiting.
This give Michigan 18 commitments in the class. Technically, there are only 19 spots open as of now, but attrition will almost certainly occur between now and February. When York hits campus, he will join a receiving corps that includes redshirt senior Jeremy Gallon, senior Drew Dileo, senior Jeremy Jackson, redshirt junior Jerald Robinson, sophomore Jehu Chesson, sophomore Amara Darboh, and fellow freshman Dukes.
TTB Rating: 79 (rating system)