Ben Gedeon, Wolverine

Tag: Hudson (OH) Hudson


11Apr 2012
Uncategorized 20 comments

Ben Gedeon, Wolverine

Hudson (OH) Hudson linebacker Ben Gedeon committed to Michigan

Hudson (OH) Hudson linebacker Ben Gedeon committed to Michigan.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, and Virginia, among others.

Gedeon is 6’3″ and 215 lbs.  As a junior in 2011, he rushed for 1,600 yards and 27 total touchdowns, and made 120 tackles on defense to go with 5 tackles for loss.

Ratings:
ESPN: Unranked LB
Rivals: 4-star ILB, #8 ILB, #224 overall
Scout: 4-star OLB, #13 OLB, #159 overall
247 Sports: 4-star ATH, 90 grade, #21 ATH, #255 overall

Gedeon’s highlights are a little sparse.  He has two highlight videos available.  One shows only special teams and offense from his sophomore year.  The other has a few clips of offense and defense from his junior season. There’s not a whole lot to glean from those two for a kid who’s destined to play linebacker.

The kid is a pretty good overall athlete.  He has played a lot of positions at Hudson, including quarterback, tailback, slot receiver, tight end, and linebacker.  When he was first offered by Michigan, I thought it was as a tight end, and I thought he would be a very good U-back prospect.  It was soon revealed that he was being recruited as a linebacker instead, and his future there is a little murkier.  Highlights show a kid who runs pretty well, hits pretty hard, and plays downhill.  His skill set suggests that he could fit at WILL, but if he’s truly 6’3″, then he might end up being a little too big to play that weakside spot.  He seems more likely to play the MIKE linebacker position.

There are no significant weaknesses to be found in his highlights, although his college coaches will have to work a little bit on his initial stance.  I would also be interested in taking a look at Gedeon’s coverage abilities.  Considering his abilities as a receiver and his running ability, I would think that coverage should be a strength or at least something that he can turn into a strength.

Overall, I like Gedeon as a prospect.  He’s a throwback linebacker who does a little bit of everything.  He reminds me of a couple other guys who seem to be turning into good college players – Desmond Morgan and Joe Bolden.  Both of those guys were versatile high school players who don’t necessarily wow observers with their athleticism, but they’re just good football players.  I like the fact that Gedeon, like Morgan, is an integral part of his high school team’s offense.  It gives defensive players a little extra understanding of how the game works.

Michigan won’t lose a ton after this season (Kenny Demens is the only senior starter; Brandin Hawthorne is a senior backup; Mike Jones is a redshirt junior third-stringer who may not return in 2013).  Gedeon will have a chance to see the field as a backup in 2013, but I would expect him to redshirt.  If there is no attrition at the inside linebacker positions, he will have two or three guys ahead of him at both spots (Morgan, Bolden, Antonio Poole, James Ross, and Royce Jenkins-Stone).

Gedeon is commitment #17.  There are technically only two spots remaining in the 2013 class, but most analysts expect the class to reach 23 or 24 players.

TTB Rating: 82 (rating system)