Tag: Tom Strobel

2012 Season Countdown: #82 Tom Strobel

Tom Strobel (#36)

Name: Tom Strobel
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 260 lbs.
High school: Mentor (OH) Mentor
Position: Strongside defensive end
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Strobel was in high school.  He had 55 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 33 quarterback hurries

Final TTB Rating: 85

Strobel had an excellent senior season.  Originally slated for the weakside end position, his added weight and the team needs now see him penciled in as a future strongside end.  Strobel recently told Andrew that he’s up to about 260 lbs., which is pretty solid for a true freshman.  The current starting SDE is Craig Roh, and Roh was 235 lbs. coming into college.

Strobel does have an outside shot at playing time this fall, but Roh is the starter.  He’ll be backed up by redshirt sophomore walk-on Nathan Brink, who earned a lot of praise last year despite not doing much on the field.  The coaches like to go two-deep but not much further, so if Strobel can’t crack the top two and the other guys stay pretty healthy, he’ll probably be able to redshirt, bulk up, and work on his technique.

Prediction: Redshirt

Tom Strobel Answers Your Questions

Mentor (OH) Mentor defensive end Tom Strobel (#36)

Defensive lineman Tom Strobel was indoctrinated into Ohio State culture from childhood, received an Ohio State scholarship offer, and even admitted to favoring the Buckeyes in the early stages of his recruitment.  Aside from being raised in Ohio and identified as one of the top prospects in the nation, Tom graduated with a 3.8 GPA, maintains a focus on academics, and talks about a strong commitment to his team and “doing things the right way.”

In short, he’s just the kind of recruit that Brady Hoke and the coaches love to reel in.

Tom was recently nice enough to volunteer a few minutes of his time to update Michigan fans on several topics and answer a couple reader questions.

Playing 5-tech, playing early:  “As far as right now, the plan is that I’m going to play the 5-technique – not necessarily starting but just getting in the rotation.  That’s really what I’m looking to do. . . . The plan is to not redshirt me.  If they chose to, then I’d be more than willing to take it, but I’m ready to play whenever they need me.”

Height and weight, greasy food:  “I’m 6’6” and 255/260 [lbs.], but I’ll definitely be putting on weight.  In the off-season I dropped weight because I started to get a little bit fat, so I’m putting on weight the right way now. . . As long as I can still move, I’ll get as big as I can.  I’ve got so much room to put on weight – I’ll get bigger right off the bat.  I’m nowhere near my full potential. . . . I try not to eat any greasy or fast food because that just destroys me.  I can tell the difference when I don’t eat something right; I feel it in my workouts.  I know my body that well now.”

Studying with Matt Godin:  “I’m looking to go into business and finance.  My ultimate goal would be to get into the business school.  That’s difficult to do, but I’ll buckle down and see if I can get in there because that will be better for my future and help me get a job, hopefully after I go to the NFL.  But I’ve been working so hard.  My parents have pushed me my whole life to do well in academics. . . . My roommate Matt Godin – who will also be doing business with me – we’ll be working hard together.”

Respect your enemy:  “There are just a lot of Ohio State fans [in Mentor, Ohio].  They’re just everywhere.  You get the closet Michigan fan every once in a while who’ll say, ‘I’m so excited for you to go [to Michigan],’ and then they walk away. . . . So I’ve adjusted, and my family’s adjusted because we grew up Ohio State fans. . . . I think Ohio State is a great place, a great program, and they’ve done some awesome things, so all respect to them.  But aside from that, when they were recruiting me, the coaches would be around, but it didn’t seem like they were truly 100% focused on you.  And that’s what I look for, so it was like, ‘Do you really want me that bad?  Obviously you don’t.’  They stopped by and talked to me and gave me their little tour, but I didn’t get that feeling from them or from the coaches that I actually had a future with the team, and they wanted me to do things with them.  They didn’t really give me that push, so I didn’t really like that about them.  And also, their academics are decent, but when it came to Michigan – I mean, hell, look at their reputation as being the Ivy League school of the Big Ten.  And the coaches at Michigan were so welcoming and helped me.  At first, I was like, ‘Is this too good to be true?  Can these guys really be this nice?’ And they really are.  And then at Ohio State, who knows where I’d be playing  there.  They wanted to move me down to defensive tackle or something. . . . It just wasn’t very clear.  It was an uncertain future.  And that was before Tressel got booted.  I had no idea about that situation before I committed [to Michigan], whatsoever.”

A singer and thespian:  “I love to sing.  I sing whenever I can. . . . I was in choir in ninth grade, and I was in a musical this year.  They were begging me for years to do some sort of play or musical with the school.  So I did the musical the Titanic this year, and I won the lead role.

Ask a Question: Tom Strobel

Image via the News Herald (serving Northern Ohio)

Tom was indoctrinated into Ohio State culture at a young age and admits to having a bias toward the Buckeyes in the early stages of his recruitment.  Playing for the Mentor, OH Cardinals, Strobel developed into a top-flight recruit and garnered over twenty D-1 offers.  He also excelled in the classroom, earning academic honors and a 3.9 GPA.

In short, he’s just the kind of recruit that Brady Hoke and the coaches love to reel in.

I should be talking with Tom in the near future, so leave a question for him in the comments section if you have any Tom Strobel related catching up to do.

Final Scout 300 Released for 2012

Lakewood (OH) St. Edward’s Kyle Kalis is Michigan’s top-rated player to Scout

The Scout 300 was released on Wednesday.  For a refresher on where kids used to be ranked, check out this post from April.

Michigan commits are in the following slots:

• 35. Kyle Kalis
• 65. Ondre Pipkins
• 69. Joe Bolden
• 82. Erik Magnuson
• 83. James Ross
• 93. Tom Strobel
• 111. Royce Jenkins-Stone
• 162. Mario Ojemudia
• 164. Chris Wormley
• 183. Terry Richardson
• 205. Amara Darboh
• 221. Devin Funchess
• 225. A.J. Williams
• 249. Jarrod Wilson

Michigan has offered 133 of these 300 players (44.3%).  As is the custom ’round these parts, here’s a look at Michigan offerees in Scout’s final 300:

5-stars:
1. Dorial Green-Beckham – WR – Missouri
2. Arik Armstead – OT – California
3. Shaq Thompson – S – California (Cal)
4. Mario Edwards – DE – Texas (Florida State)
5. Noah Spence – DE – Pennsylvania (Ohio State)
6. Stefon Diggs – WR – Maryland
7. John Theus – OT – Florida (Georgia)
9. Ronald Darby – CB – Maryland
10. Adolphus Washington – DE – Ohio (Ohio State)
11. D.J. Humphries – OT – Florida (Florida)
12. Keith Marshall – RB – North Carolina (Georgia)
14. Kyle Murphy – OT – California
19. Jordan Jenkins – DE – Georgia (Georgia)
20. Darius Hamilton – DE – New Jersey
23. Ellis McCarthy – DT – California (Cal)
25. Brian Poole – CB – Florida (Florida)
26. Eli Harold – DE – Virginia (Virginia)
27. Avery Young – OT – Florida
31. Eddie Goldman – DT – Washington, D.C.
32. Bri’onte Dunn – RB – Ohio (Ohio State)
35. Kyle Kalis – OT – Ohio (Michigan)
38. Gunner Kiel – QB – Indiana (LSU)
39. Tee Shepard – CB – California (Notre Dame)
42. Joshua Garnett – OG – Washington
43. Bryce Treggs – WR – California (Cal)
45. Cyrus Jones – WR – Maryland (Alabama)
47. Jordan Diamond – OT – Illinois
48. Tommy Schutt – DT – Illinois
50. Sheldon Day – DT – Indiana (Notre Dame)

4-stars:
51. Andrus Peat – OT – Arizona
52. Kwon Alexander – LB – Alabama
55. Elijah Shumate – LB – New Jersey (Notre Dame)
58. Se’von Pittman – DE – Ohio (Ohio State)
61. Nelson Agholor – S – Florida
62. Jordan Simmons – OG – California (USC)
63. Aaron Burbridge – WR – Michigan (Michigan State)
65. Ondre Pipkins – DT – Missouri (Michigan)
68. Michael Starts – OG – Texas (Texas Tech)
69. Joe Bolden – LB – Ohio (Michigan)
72. Zach Banner – OT – Washington
73. Kent Taylor – TE – Florida (Florida)
75. Ifeadi Odenigbo – DE – Ohio (Northwestern)
76. Jonathan Taylor – DT – Georgia (Georgia)
77. Taylor Decker – OT – Ohio (Notre Dame)
78. Javonte Magee – DE – Texas
79. Armani Reeves – CB – Massachusetts (Penn State)
82. Erik Magnuson – OT – California (Michigan)
83. James Ross – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
84. Leonte Carroo – WR – New Jersey (Rutgers)
85. LaDarrell McNeil – S – Texas (Tennessee)
88. Devin Fuller – QB – New Jersey
91. Wes Brown – RB – Maryland (Maryland)
92. Marcus Maye – S – Florida (Florida)
93. Tom Strobel – DE – Ohio (Michigan)
95. Jordan Payton – WR – California (Cal)
96. Max Tuerk – OG – California (USC)
99. Dan Voltz – OG – Illinois (Wisconsin)
100. Jaquay Williams – WR – Georgia (Auburn)
104. D.J. Foster – RB – Arizona
105. Durron Neal – WR – Missouri (Oklahoma)
111. Royce Jenkins-Stone – LB – Michigan (Michigan)
116. Evan Boehm – C – Missouri (Missouri)
119. Devonte Fields – DE – Texas (TCU)
122. Geno Smith – CB – Georgia (Alabama)
123. Zach Kline – QB – California (Cal)
124. Greg Garmon – RB – Pennsylvania (Iowa)
127. J.J. Denman – OT – Pennsylvania (Wisconsin)
128. Ryan Watson – OG – Maryland (Virginia)
129. Brock Stadnik – OT – North Carolina (South Carolina)
130. Paul Thurston – OT – Colorado (Nebraska)
135. Peter Jinkens – LB – Texas (Texas)
137. Matt Jones – RB – Florida (Florida)
139. Jabari Ruffin – LB – California (USC)
145. Scott Starr – LB – California (USC)
146. Yuri Wright – CB – New Jersey
153. Reginald Davis – WR – Texas (Texas Tech)
159. Monty Madaris – WR – Ohio
162. Mario Ojemudia – DE – Michigan (Michigan)
164. Chris Wormley – DE – Ohio (Michigan)
167. John Michael McGee – OG – Texas (Oklahoma)
170. Dillon Lee – LB – Georgia (Alabama)
172. Camren Williams – LB – Massachusetts (Penn State)
173. Jonathan Williams – RB – Texas (Arkansas)
175. Sean Price – TE – Florida
176. Raphael Kirby – LB – Georgia (Miami)
178. Faith Ekakitie – DT – Illinois (Iowa)
181. Kyle Dodson – OT – Ohio (Wisconsin)
182. Dalton Santos – LB – Texas (Tennessee)
183. Terry Richardson – CB – Michigan (Michigan)
185. D.J. Singleton – S – New Jersey (Wisconsin)
188. Troy Hinds – DE – Utah (BYU)
191. Aziz Shittu – DT – California
192. Nick Davidson – OT – Minnesota (Stanford)
193. Deaysean Rippy – LB – Pennsylvania
196. Warren Ball – RB – Ohio (Ohio State)
198. Derrick Woods – S – California (Oklahoma)
199. Martin Aiken – DE – South Carolina (Clemson)
200. Connor Brewer – QB – Arizona (Texas)
202. Ken Ekanem – DE – Virginia
205. Amara Darboh – WR – Iowa (Michigan)
209. Keith Brown – LB – Miami (Louisville)
212. David Perkins – LB – Indiana
214. Jalen Overstreet – S – Texas (Texas)
217. Deontay McManus – WR – Maryland (West Virginia)
219. Kendall Sanders – CB – Texas (Texas)
221. Devin Funchess – TE – Michigan (Michigan)
222. Dominique Wheeler – WR – Texas (Texas Tech)
223. Vince Biegel – LB – Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
225. A.J. Williams – OT – Ohio (Michigan)
229. Jarron Jones – OT – New York (Notre Dame)
231. Deon Bush – S – Florida (Miami)
232. Derek Edinburgh – OT – Louisiana (LSU)
236. Evan Baylis – TE – Colorado (Oregon)
240. Maty Mauk – QB – Ohio (Missouri)
242. Tyler Orlosky – OG – Ohio (West Virginia)
243. J.P. Holtz – TE – Pennsylvania
244. Tyriq McCord – DE – Florida (Miami)
245. Jarrod Wilson – S – Ohio (Michigan)
247. Drew Harris – RB – Pennsylvania
250. Dalvin Tomlinson – DT – Georgia
251. Michael Moore – DE – Maryland (Penn State)
255. Danny O’Brien – DT – Michigan (Tennessee)
264. Ty Darlington – C – Florida (Oklahoma)
270. Avery Johnson – WR – Florida (LSU)
277. Kenny Lawler – CB – Washington, D.C.
278. Jaleel Johnson – DT – Illinois (Iowa)
280. Jason Croom – WR – Georgia (Tennessee)
282. Zeke Pike – QB – Kentucky (Auburn)
285. Jake Rodrigues – QB – California (Oregon)
286. Pharaoh Brown – TE – Ohio (Oregon)
287. Hiva Lutui – C – California
292. Devan Bogard – S – Ohio (Ohio State)
297. Vonte Jackson – RB – Wisconsin (Wisconsin)
298. Ron Thompson – TE – Michigan (Syracuse)
299. Shane Callahan – OT – Colorado (Auburn)

Recruit Tracker: The Remaining Few

Royce Jenkins-Stone carries the ball against Eisenhower (image via here)