2012 Michigan Football Recruiting: Chris Wormley
Posted at 8:00am — 6/29/2010
2012 Michigan Football Recruiting: Chris Wormley
Height: 6’4
Weight: 250
Number: 47
Position: Defensive End
High School: Toledo Whitmer (Ohio)
Head Coach: Joe Palka
Recruiter:
Class: 2012 Recruiting Class
Chris is a long and lanky high school defensive end, who along with 2011 Ohio State commit Ken Hayes forms one of (perhaps the best) the top defensive end combinations in Ohio.
Chris is an outstanding overall athlete for his size and he also plays forward for Toledo Whitmer’s basketball team, just like Kevin Koger did when he attended Whitmer. Chris has the movement skills that are germane to an athletic basketball player.
He moves extremely well and shows very good agility and coordination for an athlete his size and age.
On film Wormley shows a very good get-off and first step, but he also has outstanding closing speed. The scary part is Chris still has two years of high school to mature physically and athletically.
GBMW in person saw Wormley twice last year and both times thought he was the best player on the defensive side of the ball, and that includes his teammate, Ken Hayes.
To read the rest of the article please click on “continue reading”.
GBMW has received e-mails from people saying, “How can Chris be a lifelong Michigan fan, but like Ohio State?” Well, the easy and simple answer is that Ohio State is showing Chris Wormley a lot of interest, and this interest is not just sudden but from early on in the process. It is almost a certainty Ohio State will continue to show Chris interest since Ohio State’s recruiting is very thought out and focuses heavily on a chosen few.
Michigan is stating in so many words to recruits that the program has to carefully monitor its actions (recruiting rules) because of the NCAA investigation. But frankly there is no excuse for the football program not to contact a recruit during the entire winter and early spring, and that is what we have been informed happened in the Wormley case. This pattern (contact later on) seems to have happened with several other recruits we have followed.
Some people will say that Chris is a 2012 recruit and there is plenty of time to make up the progress of the early suitors. But this approach is problematical when a program has struggled the past two years. It is essential to not give up recruiting ground when battling programs like Ohio State, Florida and Alabama for prized recruits, say like Trey DePriest and other Ohio players.
Recruits have to wonder why elite programs, such as those mentioned above, are recruiting hard, while a program that has struggled is just now entering the race.
Ohio State, for example, knew Chris Wormley was a Michigan fan, but continued to follow him and not only establish a first line of communication, but continue the strong interest as Michigan tries to play catch up. With the organization and stature Ohio State has in Ohio, any other team, and especially the Wolverines, must be very proactive with top Ohio recruits or finish in second place, and in recruiting second place is the first loser.
To get back into the recruiting game for premier 2012 recruits, Michigan is going to have to continue to show these kids clear and substantial attention, along with winning some football games.
As recruits are committing earlier and earlier, major college programs are establishing early contact as well. When a team like Michigan is battling the home state team for recruits the contact from the prospective university must be early, often, and effective. Some recruits will just come to Michigan, but most come as a result of a true recruiting process. Waiting to get a prospect on campus late in the process is becoming more of an ineffective strategy with each passing year. There will be exceptions, but there will also be solid recruits lost to teams who did a better job of selling their program.
Written by GBMW Staff
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