Tag: Maurice Hurst Jr.

Maurice Hurst Jr., Wolverine

Maurice Hurst, Jr. (#11) (image via New England Prep Stars)

Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr. committed to Michigan today.  He chose the Wolverines over offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, and several others.

Hurst is a 6’2″, 285 lb. defensive tackle who had 61 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks as a junior in 2011.  As a part-time fullback, he also had 18 carries for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He claims a 4.88 forty-yard dash.

Ratings:
ESPN: 3-star, 77 grade, #34 DT
Rivals: 3-star, #30 DT
Scout: 4-star, #23 DT
247 Sports: 4-star, 90 grade, #19 DT

Hurst is the son of former New England Patriots cornerback Maurice Hurst, whom I probably would have forgotten about or never known except for playing Madden football on Super Nintendo back in the old days.  Drew Bledsoe kicked much ass in that game.  Anyway, he was known to have a strong affinity for Michigan and said several weeks ago that there was a strong chance he would commit upon visiting.  Then he visited East Lansing yesterday and saw what kind of hell hole that place is, so it only makes sense that he would pick Ann Arbor as his college destination.  His father went to Southern University, in case you were wondering.

When I watch a highlight film like Hurst’s, I always think about what former Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron said about recruiting: You recruit guys who are athletic, and then you coach them up.  Hurst is athletic, and the best thing about him (other than being big and fast, of course) is that he really seems to be passionate about football.  After making a good play, he shows some excitement without showing up the other team.  I like the attitude he displays.

For being the son of a former NFL football player, I would think Hurst would be a more technically sound player, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.  There are only a handful of plays on the highlight film below where he fires off the ball and creates penetration by beating the blocker.  There are way too many occasions where he waits for the offensive lineman to fire out on him and then just uses superior quickness to swat the offensive guy to the side.  That won’t work in college.  He needs to gain ground with that first step and reset the line of scrimmage.  One clip shows him planting an offensive guard on his butt; however, that should probably happen more frequently with the size/speed advantage he has over his opponents.

Overall, Hurst has a nice set of athletic talents, but he’s a bit of a blank canvas.  Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery has some work to do to turn Hurst into a good college player.  If he matures and develops, Hurst has the potential to be a very good 3-tech defensive tackle because he has the athleticism to beat a lot of offensive guards when being single blocked.  Hurst lacks the technique, consistency, and strength that allowed undersized Mike Martin to play nose tackle and defeat double teams, so I don’t think he has much position flexibility.

Hurst will probably be headed for a redshirt in 2013 with Willie Henry one class ahead of him and Jibreel Black likely being the returning starter at 3-tech that season.

This gives Michigan 19 commits for the class of 2013.  Technically, Michigan has 20 open spots and can only take one more guy, but attrition always occurs.  The coaches will continue to pursue a nose tackle prospect and a strongside end for the class, which many project to get up to 24 or so.

TTB Rating: 73

Weekend Visitors: June 1-3, 2012

Cleveland (OH) St. Ignatius OG Jimmy Byrne: Byrne is a 6’4″, 275 lb. lineman from the class of 2014 with offers from Illinois and Ohio State.  He does not yet have a Michigan offer, but there’s a strong chance that he gets one at some point . . . unless he commits to the Buckeyes first.  St. Ignatius is the alma mater of Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan.

Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers DT Maurice Hurst, Jr.: Hurst is a 6’2″, 285 lb. defensive lineman whose father was a cornerback for the New England Patriots.  It’s very possible that the younger Hurst will commit to Michigan in the coming days, if not during his visit to Ann Arbor.

Recruiting Update: May 14, 2012

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon: Maurice Hurst, who spawned 2013 defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr., tries to tackle former Michigan running back Leroy Hoard

COMMITMENT
Harper Woods (MI) Chandler Park wide receiver Csont’e York was offered by and committed to Michigan. (Commitment post here.)

ADDED TO THE BOARD (2013, 2014)
Seffner (FL) Armwood wide receiver Alvin Bailey

was offered by Michigan.  The 5’11”, 170-pounder has also been targeted by Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, and South Carolina, among others.  He plays quarterback for Armwood, passing for 872 yards and 12 touchdowns, rushing for 872 yards and 6 touchdowns, and catching 22 passes for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Bailey is the teammate of fellow Michigan target Leon McQuay III, a safety.

Piscataway (NJ) Piscataway cornerback Nadir Barnwell was offered by Michigan.  The 5’11”, 180-pounder is a lefty quarterback for his high school, but his quarterback days are likely over when he hits college.  He also holds offers from Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Rutgers, along with many others.  During his junior season, he passed for 1,364 yards, ran for 452, and made 40 tackles to go with 3 interceptions.  (Highlights here.)

Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep offensive tackle Jay Hayes, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan last week.  The 6’5″, 270 lb. athlete, who could also play defensive line, holds offers from Connecticut, Rutgers, and UCLA, too.

Westwood (MA) Xaverian Brothers defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, Jr. was offered by Michigan.  Hurst is a 6’2″, 285 lb. lineman with offers from Nebraska, Ohio State, and many others.  He is the son of former New England Patriots cornerback Maurice Hurst, who had 27 career interceptions from 1989 to 1995.  As a junior in 2011, “Junior” had 65 tackles and 11 sacks.

Mansfield (TX) Timberview safety Edward Paris, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He stands 6’2″ and 188 lbs. and claims a 4.4 forty.  Teams like Clemson, LSU, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma are already after him.  He carried the ball 12 times for 179 yards (14.9 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns, but he also broke up 20 passes and notched 8 interceptions.  That’s pretty good production for a sophomore defensive back. (Highlights here.)

Tuscaloosa (AL) Northridge athlete Bo Scarbrough, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  The 6’1″, 215 lb. is projected by some sites as a running back and as a linebacker by others, but after I watched his highlights, he looks like a running back to me.  He also doesn’t look like he’s 215 lbs. unless he’s put on some serious weight since football season, but oh well – he’s only a sophomore.  Scarbrough already holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, UCLA, and a few others, but since he’s in the Crimson Tide’s back yard, I won’t hold my breath that he’ll head to Michigan.

Olathe (KS) South offensive tackle Braden Smith, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  The 6’6″, 285 lb. lineman also shows offers from Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Stanford. 

Chandler (AZ) Williams Field wide receiver Dionte Sykes, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He’s currently about 6’1″ and 175 lbs.  As a freshman in 2010, he was timed at 4.69 seconds in the forty and had a 245 lb. bench press, both of which are very impressive numbers for a freshman (and maybe too good to believe).  He also has offers from Arizona State, Colorado, and UCLA.  (Highlights here.)

Saluda (SC) Saluda defensive tackle Dexter Wideman, a 2014 prospect, was offered by Michigan.  He’s 6’3″, 276 lbs. as a sophomore and also holds offers from Clemson and South Carolina.  As a sophomore in 2011, he had 61 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.