Michigan Football: 5 Wolverine recruits added since Spring

Develop and conquer

Michigan football’s defensive coordinator knows the state of Massachusetts well. He was born there and he spent most of his coaching career there (and in the surrounding states), and it took nearly his entire career to finally leave the region he called home for so long.

But he never lost his east coast reputation. Brown set up deep roots that have helped him keep strong ties to the schools in the area, giving him a leg up in the recruiting circles.

Don used his connections, and recruiting prowess, to nab a bruiser from Noble And Greenough School named Casey Phinney. The 6-foot-1 225-pound linebacker is tough and aggressive; characteristics that Shawn Crable, a former Michigan LB, said are precisely what attracted an aggressive, blitzing coach like Don Brown.

Shawn did say that he’s a little concerned with Casey’s speed and pass coverage, although Crable acknowledged his “highlights really don’t show him in coverage all that much.”

Casey pointed out on Twitter that during his sophomore year, he accounted for 101 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions.

247 sports was the only one to rate Casey, and they put him as a three-star with an 8366 composite rating. Phinney is ranked 1,002 nationally, the 40th ILB, and ninth in-state.

Matt’s musings

Michigan “fans” have ridiculed the UM staff for the recent additions because they see other schools raking in what some mainstream recruiting websites call five-stars, and these are only three or four-star guys. Those same people that don’t understand three and four-star players are still in the top one percent of all football players in the country, and much of the ranking/attention has to do with size.

A 6-foot-2 cornerback is much more likely to maximize his ranking compared to someone under 6-foot.

You want proof? 247 Sports doesn’t have a single athlete under 6-foot in their top 15 players in the country and you have to go all the way to Billy Bowman at No. 37 to discover anyone under 5-foot-11.

Some schools won’t even give a guy a fair look at a position until they’ve reached a certain height. What’s apparent at Michigan is that they will take the five-star kids like J.J. McCarthy while also appreciating and offering someone they believe will eventually perform at a five-star level.