Michigan Football Recruiting — Deveon Smith (RB) — 2013 Verbal Commit — Profile
Posted at 6:00am — 3/20/2012
Michigan Football Recruiting — Deveon Smith (RB) — 2013 Verbal Commit — Profile
GBMWolverine readers: Here is a brief overview of recent verbal commitment Deveon Smith from Howland High School — Warren, Ohio.
Height: 5’11
Weight: 210
Number: 4
Current Position: Running Back
Future Position: Running Back
City/State: Warren, Ohio
High School: Howland
Head Coach: Dick Angle
Recruiter: Coach Greg Mattison
Committed: 3/17/2012
Top 5 other Offers: Bowling Green, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, and West Virginia.
Rankings: 24/7: 3-star … ESPN: ESPNU150 … FanSided: 3 1/2-stars … Rivals: 3-star … Scout: 4-star.
Class: 2013 Michigan Wolverine Recruiting Class (Verbal Commit).
Opening comments:
Michigan has made no secret of the intended goal of putting into place a ground chuck based West Coast Offense. The linemen from the class of 2012 fit the bill, and frankly the class of 2013 linemen may take that philosophy to an even higher potential.
Look no further than the Alabama model as to what Michigan would like to achieve: all conference linemen across the board, big punishing running backs, and a defense that gives up little, make that very little.
Michigan is heading in that direction, but getting the dominating defensive linemen that matriculate to the SEC will be a challenge. Michigan received a commitment from a big, punishing runner, Deveon Smith of Warren, Ohio; smack in the middle of Ohio’s Northeast power triangle.
Overview:
Deveon plays running back and outside linebacker for one of the top programs in Ohio. He rushed for 982 yards as a junior against top competition.
One great point is that Deveon already has a college ready build. It has been reported that he is top student, but this at the moment has not been confirmed.
Strengths:
Deveon is a compact running back, one who shows a very physical running style.
He moves his feet very well and shows excellent leg drive. Deveon runs with a good, low pad level. His balance is also top notch, making him very difficult to knock off his feet.
Film shows not only good vision but also the ability to hit the cutback lane.
Needs work:
As with backs of this nature, Deveon will never be a world-class sprinter.
To be a complete player Deveon will also need to pick up his passing game responsibilities, both blocking and receiving.
Durability could also be an issue, as he does not make many defenders miss and takes a ton of hits.
Final Thoughts:
Michigan just received a commitment from a valuable piece of the offensive puzzle, a player that has the potential to instill the desired philosophy of attack.
The question this begs is what is the future of the Michigan running back recruitment, this year and next year? Stay tuned.
We welcome Deveon Smith to Michigan and hope he has a successful career on and off the football field as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan. Go Blue!
Red-shirt or play his Freshman Year?
GBMWolverine believes he will likely play his first year. Red-shirt would be nice, but not necessarily, he already is physically ready.
Deveon Smith reminds the GBMWolverine Staff of — Former Ohio State All-Big Ten Football Player — Boom Herron — who played running back.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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