Michigan Football Recruiting: Preliminary look at 2014 Class — Part II

Posted at 6:45am — 2/8/2014

Michigan Football Recruiting: Preliminary look at 2014 Class — Part II

Continuing on with the GBMWolverine recruiting discussion, the logical starting place is Lawrence Marshall of Southfield, Michigan. Lawrence, as is commonly known, was an Ohio State commit for a short period of time, then he decommitted and stayed true to a later Michigan commitment. By his interviews and statements, Marshall seems to a young guy with good traits and high perception. He was recruited to be a pass rusher, one that finally may yield some impact for the Maize and Blue. There are very few pass rushers in the country coming from high school that are not question marks. There is a “we will see” disclaimer that must be placed in plain sight. Competition at the next level is an extreme difference.

Lawrence Marshall is listed at 6’3” and anywhere between 220 and 240 pounds. The pounds will come, regardless of what the true weight is. There have been many pass rushers that can cause grief at that size. The weight will be needed to secure the edge to allow linebackers to make tackles when running to the weakside, or forcing the play to the sideline. It is assumed that Marshall will start off at the rush end position, certainly not the traditional strong side alignment.

Marshall is listed by one site at running a 4.41 forty, which would beat out college level running backs and receivers like Fitz Toussaint and Jeremy Gallon. If he can run even in the 4.7 range that would be great speed for a defensive end. It is the first step that will be the most important to Lawrence’s success. His mission is simply to beat a tackle in passing situations.

Marshall has shown consistent improvement; he also has a good frame and the long arms Mattison likes. With work, Marshall should become a starter for Michigan. He could play this year; comments indicate he wants to play as a true freshman. There are many rush ends in a similar situation as Marshall, so, in short, things need to shake out. Comparisons to Clark and even Ojemudia naturally have come forth. There is merit to those comparisons, but Michigan is hoping for a better first step from Marshall.

Lawrence Marshall is a down the middle four-star talent, the remaining question is to what extent will he be an impact player?

Mason Cole certainly is a Michigan type guy: bright, enthusiastic, seemingly loyal, and a guy that seems to be team-oriented. Mason is 6’ 4”, or so, and is light at a listed 265 pounds. There is consensus among those in the know that Mason with his frame and long arms could easily add another 30 pounds. He is simply not the terrific jumbo, mauler guy that ends up at Alabama as a five star talent. But he has talent, and he has good footwork on pass protection. He may just fit into the Michigan scheme very well if zone inside blocking becomes a staple, or if getting a pull remains in the playbook.

The Michigan line-up provides Mason with two years to gain enough development to hit the field with good proficiency. Someday all the current young guys will be moving on and guys like Cole will need to step up big time.

Tarpon Springs is a neat little coastal town and it is good to again get at least a start in Florida, once again considered the premiere bed of high school talent.

Ian Bunting is an interesting study. The one item that seems to stand out about Ian is really good hands. There is coaching, and coaching can be an impact, but take note, by this time in a career an athlete either has good hands or does not. That is a general statement that may not be applicable to all, but is correct more often than not. A receiver is nothing more than an athlete moving around a field unless the ball is caught.

Ian has suffered numerous injuries and that must be a concern. He is a three-star athlete that was largely unheralded until Michigan and others suddenly took a strong interest. There is no doubt many top 50 type programs would accept Ian on a roster. He is one of those potential type guys, based on good hands and a nice frame. At a good 6’ 6”, Ian is certainly potential for being an integral part of a passing game. His listed weights show that a good amount of growth must occur before solid blocking is a remote possibility. Jake Butt is a superior athlete to Ian, but the gap between the two is not monstrous. If he stays healthy, fills out, and blocks well, look out.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu

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