Recruit Tracker

Tag: Shane Morris


4Sep 2011
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Recruit Tracker

Matt Godin had 10 tackles and 2 sacks in Friday’s victory

Blake Bars and Montgomery Bell Academy (1-2) were defeated by Brentwood Academy 42-13.

Joe Bolden and Colerain (2-0) defeated Ryle by a score of 37-0. Bolden had one fumble recovery in the matchup.

Ben Braden’s team the Rockford Rams (1-1) defeated Holt 42-7 to improve their record to .500 on the season.

Pharaoh Brown’s team the Brush Arcs (0-2) were defeated by Madison 42-35. Brown had a 21-yard TD reception in the contest.

Jeremy Clark and North Hopkins (2-1) defeated North Hardin 34-21.  Clark had 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception that was returned for a 58-yard touchdown.

Devin Funchess and Farmington Hills Harrison won a 28-14 contest at Southfield High. Funchess had 2 receptions for 29 yards.

Allen Gant of the Southview Cougars (2-0) helped his team to an 18-0 victory over Rogers.  He had 10 carries for 50 yards, 3 receptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown, and had 4 tackles and a forced fumble on defense.

Matt Godin experienced nausea and dizziness last week, which led the Detroit Catholic Central training staff to suspect that Godin may have experienced a concussion. When I spoke with Matt mid-last week, however, he said the symptoms were caused by dehydration and illness–not a concussion. At the time of our conversation, Matt was still feeling under the weather and didn’t know if he’d be able to perform on Friday. But perform he did–and quite well at that. He recorded 10 tackles and two sacks in a 14-7 victory over Delphos (OH) St. John’s.

Sione Houma had 15 carries for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns as his team the Highland Rams (2-0) rolled to a 42-6 victory over Provo.
Royce Jenkins-Stone and Detroit Cass Tech defeated Detroit Central High by a score of 62-6. He had 3 touchdowns in the game, including a blocked punt return.  He also had 8 tackles.

Kyle Kalis of the Lakewood-St. Edward’s Eagles (2-0) defeated Penn Hills 47-6; Lakewood is ranked #4 in the USA Today national poll.

Erik Magnuson’s team the La Costa Canyon Mavericks (1-0) beat Marina by a score of 48-0.

Shane Morris of Warren De La Salle (2-0) defeated Flint Carman-Ainsworth 34-6. The 5-star 2013 QB commit threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 1 touchdown.

Mario Ojemudia and Farmington Hills Harrison beat Southfield by a score of 28-14. Ojemudia recorded 6.5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Ondre Pipkins and his Park Hill Trojans defeated Ruskin by a score of 23-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season.  Pipkins had 5 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 3 batted passes.

Terry Richardson registered a 60-yard kickoff return and two receiving touchdowns in a 62-6 victory over Detroit Central.  In total he caught 5 passes for 124 yards.

Kaleb Ringer and his Northmont High School squad (0-2) were defeated by Princeton 32-21.  Ringer sat out the game with the broken hand that has kept him on the sideline so far this season.

James Ross and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s were defeated by Toledo (OH) St. John Jesuit 34-24.

Anthony Standifer’s Crete-Monee team won by a score of 35-0 over Lincoln-Way West Friday night.  Standifer had 1 interception.  Teammate Laquon Treadwell, a 2013 prospect at wide receiver, had 6 receptions for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with two sacks and six tackles while playing defensive end.

Tom Strobel and his Mentor team beat Ursuline by a score of 38-27. Strobel had 1 solo tackle and 5 assists.

Jarrod Wilson’s
Akron squad Buchtel (0-2) were defeated by Steubenville by a score of 22-6.

Christopher Wormley’s team the Toledo Whitmer Panthers (2-0) beat Lucas by a score of 41-0.

*Here’s a video of the FHH contest, and Aaron Burbridge throwing a pretty nice looking TD pass.

Please let us know if you have any updates to stats or anything else interesting/informative.

28Aug 2011
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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.

27Jun 2011
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Blake Bars, Wolverine

Blake Bars (#67)

Nashville, TN, offensive lineman Blake Bars committed to Michigan on Sunday.  He picked the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Clemson, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Virginia, among others.  His other two finalists seemed to be Penn State, where his brother plays linebacker, or the hometown Vanderbilt Commodores.

Bars is a 4-star recruit to Rivals, but only a 3-star to the other three major services.  He’s the #34 offensive tackle to Rivals, #38 to Scout, and #56 to ESPN.  He stands 6’5″ and 275 lbs., benches 310 lbs., and squats 425.

I would be curious to find out how Bars appeared on Michigan’s radar.  There are various ways that coaches find out about players (privately hired scouting services, word of mouth, the internet, high school coaches sending game film, etc.), but Bars has an aunt who lives in Ann Arbor and a grandmother who lives in metro Detroit.  It seems like more than a coincidence that Michigan ended up offering a kid from a state that Michigan hasn’t recruited much.  Only two other players from Tennessee have Michigan offers: wide receiver Drae Bowles and running back I’Tavius Mathers.  The last Michigan players to come from the Volunteer State were the Brackins brothers (Eric and Phillip) and behemoth fullback Sean Sanderson a decade ago.

As for Bars’ future, he stated that the coaches want to start him off at left tackle.  And who am I to argue with the coaches?

Well, I’m a blogger, and that’s what bloggers do, dammit.  The kid looks like a guard to me.  Maybe a right tackle, but not a left tackle.  He doesn’t have a great first step or a great initial punch, and those things concern me, period, let alone for a blindside protector.  There are times where it looks like he has a little too much weight on his heels coming out of his stance, and he could afford to lengthen his first step a couple of inches.  It seems like sometimes he takes a false step by picking his foot up and putting it right back down in almost the same place.  When engaged with defenders, he also tends to overextend himself and get himself off balance.  Good opponents, especially ends and tackles who practice these things, will toss him to the side if he tries that with them.

Hopping in my DeLorean, though, I have a fledgling theory that left tackle might NOT be a blindside protector by the time Bars sees the field.  Since freshman offensive lineman typically redshirt, he’ll be a redshirt frosh in 2013.  That’s the same year that highly touted quarterback Shane Morris will hit campus.  Highly touted left-handed quarterback Shane Morris.  Ah-ha!  So it’s quite possible that when Bars is playing left tackle in 2013-16 (or something like that), Bars will be protecting Morris’ front side.*

Frank and Joe Hardy ain’t got nothin’ on me.

I do think Bars is a solid addition, especially if Michigan can pick up one or two more highly touted linemen.  He’s not at the head of the class, but he’s a kid who likes to finish blocks, has the frame to play at well over 300 lbs., seems conscientious and well spoken, and has family connections in the area.  That ought to keep him around for the duration of a career that could see him develop into a solid starter at the tail end, as a redshirt junior or senior.

*I realize that Devin Gardner will still probably be around in 2013, Russell Bellomy might be the starter, etc.  Obviously, we’re getting way ahead of ourselves when projecting the starting QB position three years down the road.

TTB Rating: 71

11May 2011
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Shane Morris, Wolverine

Class of 2013 quarterback Shane Morris committed to Michigan on Tuesday

Warren, MI, quarterback Shane Morris, a class of 2013 prospect, committed to Michigan on Tuesday.  He’s a 0-star recruit to Rivals, but Scout thinks he’s a 0-star.  However, 247 Sports is the outlier here and gave him a 0-star ranking.  ESPN was too busy working on its poker coverage to bother acknowledging Morris’ existence.

He’s 6’3″, 183 lbs. with a 4.63 forty, a 4.6-second shuttle, and a 28″ vertical.  Morris selected Michigan over offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Toledo.

He finished his sophomore year 102-for-180 for 1,150 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, in addition to 2 rushing touchdowns.

It’s very, very difficult to project a player as a sophomore in high school.  Kids hit growth spurts, their bodies fill out, sometimes they mature, sometimes they plateau, etc.  However, it’s easy to see why Morris would have garnered so much interest this early in the recruiting process.  He looks like a very mature passer.  He doesn’t panic in the pocket, he goes through his read progressions, etc.  Obviously, only highlights are available, but the thing that sticks out to me most is the touch and accuracy he puts on the ball.  When a ball need to gets to a receiver in a hurry, he rifles it in there.  When he knows he can put some air under a throw, he lays it out there for the receiver to go get it.  That’s somewhat rare in a young passer, many of whom want to throw the ball 100 mph every time.  In that respect, Morris might be even more advanced than freshman Chad Henne or sophomore Denard Robinson.  I’m also impressed with the quickness of Morris’ release.  He doesn’t hold the ball at a consistent spot, which is something that I’m sure he’ll work on in the future; however, even if he lets his arm drop, he gets the ball out quickly.  There’s just something unique and smooth about a lefthanded quarterback’s throwing motion, and he’s no exception.

Morris moves fairly well within and without the pocket, but this is not a kid who’s going to create many plays with his feet.  He’s comfortable throwing on the move, but the speed and creativity probably won’t be there to make him a consistent running threat.  His footwork is a little sloppy in the pocket, which is another thing that should improve with time.  I would also hope that Morris continues to thicken up and get stronger, although it’s hard to knock a 6’3″, 183 lb. sophomore in high school for a lack of size.

Honestly, I don’t have a good grasp on where Morris will be ranked next year or what his future looks like.  And if anyone claims they do, they’re fibbing.  This is rare territory for Michigan.  A few years ago, I was on a message board with Michigan fans who were talking up a safety from Florida who liked Michigan.  They said he was 6’3″, 220 lb. freshman with 4.4 speed and would be a surefire 5-star.  As you might have guessed, that player was Marvin Robinson.  You know, the 6’1″, 200 lb. Robinson whose speed (or lack thereof) puts him in a constant discussion to potentially move to linebacker.  So when you read these projections that Morris is going to be super awesome and such, take them with a grain of salt.  He’s far from a finished product.

I do like Morris.  He has some impressive physical qualities, and from everything I’ve seen and read, he seems like a quality individual.  I would guess that he will be highly ranked, but without being up to speed on all the quarterbacks in the 2013 class – which very few people are – it’s hard to say whether he’s a top five or top ten quarterback.  I would be surprised if he’s not a top-10 quarterback recruit by next year, but honestly, that’s just a semi-educated, wild-ass guess.

Morris is the first commitment for the class of 2013.  In fact, since it comes approximately 21 months before National Signing Day, this is the earliest commitment Michigan has received since Rivals started keeping track.  This is a way too early projection, but the class of 2013 looks like it will start off at about 18 players.  Once you figure in attrition and potential non-renewed fifth years, that’s going to be a pretty big class.  Morris would be the first Michigan player from Warren De La Salle since Mark Torzy back in the mid-’70’s.

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