Name: Kellen Jones Height: 6’1″ Weight: 225 lbs. High school: St. Pius X High School in Houston, TX Position: Linebacker Class: Freshman Jersey number: #52 Last year: Jones was a senior in high school (no commitment post)
For a moment I forgot why I never posted about Jones’ commitment. Now I remember – I was vacationing at the beach and had better things to do (in other words, sitting in a hot tub, playing Frisbee, using my superior height to dominate in pool volleyball, and checking out the . . . sunsets). But I’m not at the beach now, so this might be a little long winded.
I was thoroughly excited about Jones’ commitment. He’s a missile-like 6’1″ and has reportedly put on 10 lbs. since his senior year year, when he was listed at 215. The size isn’t particularly intimidating right now, but he obviously works hard in the gym and has been following Michigan’s workout regimen this spring. I see no reason why he can’t bulk up to 240-ish pounds in a couple years.
Jones had offers from the likes of Arizona, Arkansas, Boise State, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Virginia, among others. Scout ranked him as a 4-star and the #12 middle linebacker. He was a 3-star, the #29 inside linebacker, and the #69 player in the state of Texas to Rivals. ESPN placed him as a 3-star and the #35 outside linebacker, and 247 Sports ranked him as a 3-star, too. As a senior in 2010, he had 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.
The best parts of Jones’ game are his intelligence and instincts. He has a knack for finding the ball even if he has to wade through the trash. Furthermore, as a high school middle linebacker, he has experience playing the position, which ought to enhance the speed with which he picks up the college game. Once he finds the ball, he’s a solid tackler who could be a devastating hitter once he puts on the necessary weight and refines some tackling technique issues. There are times where he just hits guys and lets his weight drag down the ballcarrier, which isn’t going to work in the Big Ten, at least not until he hits 240 or so.
Jones’ size has led some to believe that he’ll be headed for the WILL position at Michigan, but he was recruited to play the MIKE. And when I watch him on film, the MIKE seems to be where he’s best suited. Jones plays sideline-to-sideline rather than downhill. As a MIKE in a 4-3, he needs to flow from side to side and make tackles all over the field. The WILL linebacker needs to read the play and go now (a skill that 2012 linebacker James Ross possesses in spades), and while Jones diagnoses plays quickly, it just doesn’t seem to be his style to get upfield. Other than when his coaches sent him on blitzes (which was often), most of his plays seemed to be made a couple yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
If you had asked me back in January, I would have said that Jones might be the #2 middle linebacker this fall. However, the return of Marell Evans to the team makes that a little more questionable. Evans played well at MIKE this spring and while I expect him to play WILL this fall, he could slide over to MIKE if Demens suffers an injury. It would seem that Jones will be in a constant battle for playing time with Demens a redshirt junior and then the stellar 2012 linebacker class (Royce Jenkins-Stone and Joe Bolden, in particular) pushing him after Demens graduates.
TTB Rating: 78
Prediction: Special teams contributor; backup linebacker
A poster over at Rivals posted the following jersey numbers for the incoming freshmen. I’m not sure how accurate they are, but here’s what he gave:
3 Russell Bellomy
5 Justice Hayes
18 Blake Countess
20 Tamani Carter
21 Raymon Taylor
24 Delonte Holowell
35 Greg Brown
38 Thomas Rawls
40 Antonio Poole
44 Desmond Morgan
45 Matt Wile
52 Kellen Jones
57 Frank Clark
58 Chris Bryant
79 Tony Posada
82 Chris Barnett
92 Keith Heitzman
95 Chris Rock
97 Brennen Beyer
Sorry, I did not get Russell Bellomy (EDIT: Bellomy is #3. Thanks, readers!) or Jack Miller.
Linebacker Desmond Morgan, from West Ottawa High School in Holland, MI, committed to the Wolverines on Monday after visiting for the “Big Chill” outdoor hockey game at Michigan Stadium. Morgan is a 6’1″, 225 lb. linebacker and ranked as a 3-star recruit to Rivals, Scout, and ESPN. He chose Michigan over offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Northwestern.
As a high schooler, Morgan played inside linebacker on defense and . . . quarterback on offense. That’s not a typical combination, but he pulled it off. As I said in some previous comments about Morgan, I have some added respect for recruits who played quarterback in high school. They typically tend to understand better how the entire team works together within a system, because they spend 50% of their practice time staring down a Cover 3, a Cover 2, seeing where the weaknesses are in zones, seeing how to attack different alignments and coverages, etc. In addition, teams often put their best athletes at quarterback. It doesn’t hurt that he has a 3.97 GPA.
As far as his defensive position goes, I fully expect Morgan to play middle linebacker at the next level. He has the prototypical body type for the position. He flows well to the ball and keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. And when he hits, he puts some force behind it. You can tell by the way he runs the ball and the way he tackles that he understands leverage and getting underneath his opponent. He also times his blitzes well and stays under control when attacking.
I understand why he’s a 3-star kid. He’s not a quick-twitch athlete. He looks like the type of player who will fill out to be about 245 lbs., plug his gap, make a bunch of tackles, contribute as a blocker or wedge buster on special teams, and just be a solid overall player. I would expect that he will redshirt in 2011 and spend another year or so on the bench before really pushing for playing time (Kenny Demens runs out of eligibility after 2012). I’m not expecting Morgan to win the Butkus Award, but I’m looking forward to him putting on a winged helmet. Between Morgan and fellow Class of 2011 defender Kellen Jones, the Wolverines are putting together a solid crew of linebackers.
