So, despite the recent threads warning Forters about reporting on their video review, I spent a little time on the commitment reels. One observation: The DLs may be the most interesting positional group of UM recruits in one class in recent memory:
Chris Hinton - At a glance, he may not jump off the reel as a 5* SDE, but he's probably playing at 270ish lbs and has both excellent speed and enough quicks to gain a frequent advantage on his first step. He is strong enough to go right through bigger OL and he looks college ready right now. I'm not sure he has superstar written all over him, but he should challenge Hutch for PT straight away. IMO, he's the lowest risk guy in the bunch.
Mazi Smith - He's got great potential. He has really good speed for a guy carrying 300 lbs on a 6'3" frame. He frequently plays standing straight up and still dominates. Not a lightning first step, but he's a classic DT prospect who (when coached up) should stuff the run nicely and might get to be a decent pass rusher too.
Mike Morris - A natural penetrator as a DE. Not super quick, but quick enough. He looks to have that knack of making himself skinny to get between guys (reminds me a little of a jumbo Mario Ojemudia) and could end up as an SDE or WDE. I think he's likely to get situational pass rushing snaps sooner than many might expect.
David Odjabo - Might be the pure athlete in the group. Tall and thin, he's got the power to speed thing going for him. It's odd that he plays mostly inside for his HS team, because he looks like a pure 4-3 WDE end prospect. He's the guy who could be a monster pass rushing DE or potentially a great two-way TE down the road.
Gave Newburg - The first of the dark horses. Some here think he's a DT down the road, but I don't see it. He's tall and thin, too, and looks to have serious speed. He has pass rush moves (love the spin) and his success off the line might be partly due to more advanced technique than pure quicks. He reminds me a bit of Noah Furbush.
Tyrece Woods - Here's the guy who could end up at DT. He looks huge and fast as a prep LB but not super quick/athletic at that spot. It's beyond me to project a guy like this who I expect may play CFB at 50 lbs heavier and in a totally different position.
Five of the six guys (ex-Woods) should have people really excited IMO. For those with more imagination and ability to project Woods, it might well be six of six.
Chris Hinton - At a glance, he may not jump off the reel as a 5* SDE, but he's probably playing at 270ish lbs and has both excellent speed and enough quicks to gain a frequent advantage on his first step. He is strong enough to go right through bigger OL and he looks college ready right now. I'm not sure he has superstar written all over him, but he should challenge Hutch for PT straight away. IMO, he's the lowest risk guy in the bunch.
Mazi Smith - He's got great potential. He has really good speed for a guy carrying 300 lbs on a 6'3" frame. He frequently plays standing straight up and still dominates. Not a lightning first step, but he's a classic DT prospect who (when coached up) should stuff the run nicely and might get to be a decent pass rusher too.
Mike Morris - A natural penetrator as a DE. Not super quick, but quick enough. He looks to have that knack of making himself skinny to get between guys (reminds me a little of a jumbo Mario Ojemudia) and could end up as an SDE or WDE. I think he's likely to get situational pass rushing snaps sooner than many might expect.
David Odjabo - Might be the pure athlete in the group. Tall and thin, he's got the power to speed thing going for him. It's odd that he plays mostly inside for his HS team, because he looks like a pure 4-3 WDE end prospect. He's the guy who could be a monster pass rushing DE or potentially a great two-way TE down the road.
Gave Newburg - The first of the dark horses. Some here think he's a DT down the road, but I don't see it. He's tall and thin, too, and looks to have serious speed. He has pass rush moves (love the spin) and his success off the line might be partly due to more advanced technique than pure quicks. He reminds me a bit of Noah Furbush.
Tyrece Woods - Here's the guy who could end up at DT. He looks huge and fast as a prep LB but not super quick/athletic at that spot. It's beyond me to project a guy like this who I expect may play CFB at 50 lbs heavier and in a totally different position.
Five of the six guys (ex-Woods) should have people really excited IMO. For those with more imagination and ability to project Woods, it might well be six of six.
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