Michigan Football Tidbits: Incoming freshmen football players

Incoming freshmen:

There are seven of them. Since, thus far, they are only working out, it is very hard to determine anything at this point except for an initial impression of their physical development

Until they actually get on the field, there is no way to know how far along they are in terms of being able to compete on the field at the college level. Overall, they are adjusting, they all think the workouts are intense, they all say it is more strength and conditioning work than they have ever done.

Big Will:

Since recruiting is now over, we can finally give our opinions on Will. Will had a great year on the workout circuit and in the camps. His size and ability are obvious. However, Will only had an average senior year.

We think it wise for posters not to overestimate what his contributions will be in 2009. Will he play? Probably, but Coach Tall will have to really work on Big Will getting off the ball, taking on blockers, and staying low. His big problem is wanting to stand up and use his upper body strength to overpower people. This worked for him in high school, but won’t in college.

At this point we would say his ability to rush the passer is better than his ability to defend or blow up running plays. Physically, he is the most ready of the seven on campus and will most likely play next year. He has 7-8 months to get ready for major college football.

Vlad:

We always like it when Michigan takes a kid who may have been unrated because of where he went to high school, or because of injury issues. Vlad looks to be ahead of the other seven on campus in terms of size and strength and quickness.

Knee does not seem to be bothering him, although the staff does not let him fully finish the running drills. We think Vlad exudes a healthy confidence — not arrogance — as if he just knows he is going to be a very good player.

Jones:

No telling where this kid will play in college. He wants to play safety and looks to be one of those tweener-type (safety/OLB) kids. Right now, he just looks very thin, but is taller than the other players. We think he has room to put on a minimum of twenty maybe even twenty-five pounds. He needs to gain strength, but he does well in quickness drills and looks to be a good athlete. Now it’s just a matter of finding out where he best fits in.

Smith:

Wow! This kid looks small, but does have thick legs. He takes very short, quick steps when he runs and seems to be able to go through the running drills without getting tired. While other kids are close to puking, Smith just stands there hardly breathing. We definitely see him as a running back, but not playing the slot position.

Hawthorne:

Another Wow! Does this kid look thin. He looks more like a wide receiver than a linebacker. He’s a very quiet guy. He may need a couple years to gain strength, but coaches say he is the toughest kid they saw this year for his size. He is an outside linebacker all the way. We would not describe him as super fast, but quick enough to get the job done. He’s another kid who seems to get through the running drills with relative ease: not quite as easy as Smith, but close. He seems to have come to school in good shape.

LaLota:

As of now, we think a sure redshirt kid. The good news is he is the type of kid who really would rather take a year and develop than be put in a position where he is just not ready. He will be a strong side defensive end or pass rushing defensive tackle down the road. Do not see him ever being a great pass rushing defensive end. He runs very well for his size, almost like a tight end.

Tate:

This kid just lives football. He is always asking to do more and always bugging kids to stay and catch passes or asking them to meet him early in the morning. He is extremely thin right now.

Posters need to understand that he is just a freshman — a freshman who looks like a high school kid. What we like the most about him is he has the attitude and approach you want in a quarterback, some may call it “cockiness,” others “swagger,” but when you watch him around other kids it’s apparent that all he wants is to fit in and play football. It’s been a long time that we have had a “natural leader”, but with Tate, we seem to have one now.

>>> (Tomorrow we will be talking about Recruiting, De-Commits and early predictions.)

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Written by MaizeMan, CoachBt and ErocWolverine

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