1. JJ Is A Warrior
A minor limp turned into a pretty noticeable injury as the game wore on. By the end of the contest, Rivals100 Michigan quarterback commit JJ McCarthy looked like he could barely walk. Still, McCarthy toughed it out and led Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy to a blowout win over Duncanville (Texas) High, a powerhouse in the Dallas-area. At the half, I asked McCarthy if he was okay. His response: 'Yeah, it's just an ankle sprain.' Only it wasn't just an ankle sprain. From talking to his teammates and others around IMG, the ankle sprain was pretty severe, and he was told not to play in this game. However, McCarthy not only battled through it. He put on quite the show, throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns. McCarthy is perhaps the fiercest competitor I've ever covered on the trail.
2. JJ Is A Leader
I caught up with five-star 2022 IMG defensive back Kamari Wilson after the game. Wilson asked me: Did you notice JJ was hurt? I said 'yeah, after a little while.' Wilson responded: 'He wasn't supposed to play, but he didn't want to let us down.' Wilson continued by saying that JJ is one of the best teammates he's ever had and that he loves playing with him. Three-star 2022 defensive tackle Nick James also told me JJ is the leader of the team and a guy they want to give their all for. By playing through the aforementioned injury, JJ showed his leadership by example. He could have easily missed the game, especially since he's a high level prospect committed to Michigan. But he didn't. JJ battled throughout for his brothers on the team. JJ is a also a great vocal leader, but it's his actions — work ethic, battling through injuries, film study, etc. — that command the respect from everybody around him. Here is what IMG head coach Bobby Acosta tweeted about JJ yesterday.
3. The Throw
McCarthy had several great throws throughout the game, including a 61-yard touchdown early and a dart for a touchdown to give IMG a 17-7 lead. But the throw that caught my attention the most was this 23-yarder, which set up a touchdown in the second half. This is elite arm talent from a high school quarterback. Not many around the country can make it, and McCarthy made it look effortless. Again, McCarthy can sling it, fit it in tight windows and throw it on the money. There are very few if any throws McCarthy can't make.
4. Interviews Please
After getting no interviewed by Michigan offensive line commit Greg Crippen a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even try to talk to him. I also didn't tweet about him or post photos. I only wrote about him in my eval notes because I'm obligated to do so for you guys. It works both way. This time around, though, I did talk to McCarthy. And man, I just love his interviews. JJ is so authentic. He was so excited that he dropped an f bomb (he quickly apologized but doesn't know I drop f bombs every other sentence outside of work) during the interview and talked forever about his teammates and how IMG has benefitted him. JJ says all the right things in his own way not a fake way, and I really appreciate that about him. I've talked so much about JJ in this piece, so I'm going to stop here. But JJ is the man you want as the face of the franchise.
5. How Do You Evaluate Poor Performances?
Look, I get it's just one game. And that's why I'm not writing off three-star Austin (Texas) Del Valle running back and Michigan commit Tavierre Dunlap, who mustered just 16 yards on 14 offensive touches on Friday night. It was one of the worst in-game performances I've seen from a recruit I was there to cover during my 10 years of doing this. But it wasn't just about the numbers. I want to make that clear. Evaluating prospects goes beyond stat lines. In fact, our Clayton Sayfie called Donovan Edwards 'spectacular' a few weeks ago when he had about 50 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Another reporter had an issue with it. I told Clayton not to worry about it because Edwards scored on two of his nine carries, was used in short yardage situations on a couple of others and showed the explosion, power and speed that makes him a highly ranked recruit on the rest. On top of that, he excelled in pass pro, something that is undervalued when looking at high school running backs, and as a leader. If you can't pass pro, you likely won't play early. Again, evaluations go beyond box scores.
6. How Do You Evaluate Poor Performances? Pt. 2
Which brings me back to Dunlap. I think a lot of you guys saw my post and the negative comments and didn't really read what I wrote. Yes, I said I see Dunlap as a rotational back that will be used in short yardage situations. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You need depth guys, and Dunlap is ideally going to be your RB2 in this class. The reason I feel that way goes beyond the 16 yards. Against a great team, Dunlap looked slow. He looks faster on film because he's playing subpar competition. On Friday, I didn't see the track times transition to the field. When a team kicks at your DI running back on purpose, you know they think he's pretty damn slow and not a threat. That stood out to me more than anything. On top of that, Dunlap didn't explode through the small holes he had, didn't use his vision to find cutback lanes and didn't use his power to carry defenders. I get it was one game. I get Westlake dominated Del Valle in the trenches. I get he was hit in the backfield on a handful of those touches. But all the factors I just mentioned went into my evaluation.
7. Right Fit
I mentioned this on my podcast this weekend, but I do still feel like Dunlap has a chance to outplay his ranking and my evaluation because of fit. I think he would have been lost in a conference like the Big 12, so he made a great business decision picking Michigan over Oklahoma State. He resembles Hassan Haskins from a skillset standpoint, and will at least have an opportunity to excel at Michigan and in the Big Ten in general. Talent vs. Fit is something that I thought a lot about this weekend, especially when I watched highlights of Texas vs. Oklahoma. In 2018, Texas landed one of the best talented defensive back groups ever. Guys like Anthony Cook, Jalen Green and BJ Foster were all Top 100 prospects nationally. And I feel like their talent is going to waste at Texas. I really don't think it was poor evaluations. The fit just wasn't there. Cook should have gone to Ohio State, Green to LSU, etc. Development of secondary talent is non-existent at Texas. Picking the right 'fit' is so important for prospects regardless of talent. It can make or break them at the next level.
8. Reporting Skillset
One Fort member sent me a personal message and asked if I had a 'Cult of Personality' at my previous stops. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I'm going to assume it's good and that you guys really like me lol. Honestly, I just feel like I'm doing the best job I can do and having fun with it. I actually don't have a great personality in real life. My wife scolds me for being too quiet around people and saying 'inappropriate remarks' when I do talk. I feel like I'm different when I'm doing my job. Anyway, there are two things I feel like I do well that helps separate my coverage. One is relationship building, which you guys have seen evidence of. The other is craftiness. I showed Clayton that hopping fences is a requirement to be a recruiting reporter a couple of weeks. I'm an expert in that area lol. This week, I was supposed to sit in the stands for the Westlake vs. Del Valle. Despite leaving my media pass back in Chicago, I was able to sweet talk the lady at the gate, and she directed me to the press box. I just kept walking to the field and stayed on the Del Valle sideline the whole time. Coach Burton just looked at me and laughed because I stopped at Del Valle before the game and told him Westlake wasn't going to let me be on the field or do interviews after. Finessing makes good recruiting reporters great ones.
9. The Heat
I never want to live in Texas again or anywhere where temperatures get extremely hot. I've always hated the heat — even though I grew up and lived in Texas my whole life. I adapted to Chicago so fast that I was dying this weekend. I felt horrible on the field for the IMG vs. Duncanville game and was completely drained afterwards. Some of that had to do that I was running on seven hours of sleep over two days since I had a night flight and drove to Austin and back to Dallas during those two days, but the heat was just unbearable. Give me snow and ice for a few months over 90 degree temperatures for most of the year. I have no problem with the weather up north. In fact, I embrace it. I like the cold (maybe not below 25) and the amazing weather Chicago gets from May-October. I think I'll stay on the Michigan beat for a while.
10. Pizza vs. BBQ
I asked Dunlap, who was born in Chicago, if he would take Chicago deep dish pizza or Texas BBQ. He went with deep dish. I love pizza. I've tried it in every region of the United States and in Italy. But Texas BBQ, when done right, is the most amazing cuisine you'll ever have. I had Salt Lick in Austin this weekend, but it didn't quite live up to those standards. If you are ever in Houston, go to Pinkerton's. It's my personal favorite in the state. Unfortunately, you can't find anything remotely close to it in Chicago. Maybe that's the reason I would go with BBQ. Now that I live in Chicago, I can get great deep dish everywhere. And yes, while an unpopular opinion, deep dish is my favorite kind of pizza. Pequod's is the best I've had in the Chi so far.
A minor limp turned into a pretty noticeable injury as the game wore on. By the end of the contest, Rivals100 Michigan quarterback commit JJ McCarthy looked like he could barely walk. Still, McCarthy toughed it out and led Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy to a blowout win over Duncanville (Texas) High, a powerhouse in the Dallas-area. At the half, I asked McCarthy if he was okay. His response: 'Yeah, it's just an ankle sprain.' Only it wasn't just an ankle sprain. From talking to his teammates and others around IMG, the ankle sprain was pretty severe, and he was told not to play in this game. However, McCarthy not only battled through it. He put on quite the show, throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns. McCarthy is perhaps the fiercest competitor I've ever covered on the trail.
2. JJ Is A Leader
I caught up with five-star 2022 IMG defensive back Kamari Wilson after the game. Wilson asked me: Did you notice JJ was hurt? I said 'yeah, after a little while.' Wilson responded: 'He wasn't supposed to play, but he didn't want to let us down.' Wilson continued by saying that JJ is one of the best teammates he's ever had and that he loves playing with him. Three-star 2022 defensive tackle Nick James also told me JJ is the leader of the team and a guy they want to give their all for. By playing through the aforementioned injury, JJ showed his leadership by example. He could have easily missed the game, especially since he's a high level prospect committed to Michigan. But he didn't. JJ battled throughout for his brothers on the team. JJ is a also a great vocal leader, but it's his actions — work ethic, battling through injuries, film study, etc. — that command the respect from everybody around him. Here is what IMG head coach Bobby Acosta tweeted about JJ yesterday.
3. The Throw
McCarthy had several great throws throughout the game, including a 61-yard touchdown early and a dart for a touchdown to give IMG a 17-7 lead. But the throw that caught my attention the most was this 23-yarder, which set up a touchdown in the second half. This is elite arm talent from a high school quarterback. Not many around the country can make it, and McCarthy made it look effortless. Again, McCarthy can sling it, fit it in tight windows and throw it on the money. There are very few if any throws McCarthy can't make.
4. Interviews Please
After getting no interviewed by Michigan offensive line commit Greg Crippen a couple of weeks ago, I didn't even try to talk to him. I also didn't tweet about him or post photos. I only wrote about him in my eval notes because I'm obligated to do so for you guys. It works both way. This time around, though, I did talk to McCarthy. And man, I just love his interviews. JJ is so authentic. He was so excited that he dropped an f bomb (he quickly apologized but doesn't know I drop f bombs every other sentence outside of work) during the interview and talked forever about his teammates and how IMG has benefitted him. JJ says all the right things in his own way not a fake way, and I really appreciate that about him. I've talked so much about JJ in this piece, so I'm going to stop here. But JJ is the man you want as the face of the franchise.
5. How Do You Evaluate Poor Performances?
Look, I get it's just one game. And that's why I'm not writing off three-star Austin (Texas) Del Valle running back and Michigan commit Tavierre Dunlap, who mustered just 16 yards on 14 offensive touches on Friday night. It was one of the worst in-game performances I've seen from a recruit I was there to cover during my 10 years of doing this. But it wasn't just about the numbers. I want to make that clear. Evaluating prospects goes beyond stat lines. In fact, our Clayton Sayfie called Donovan Edwards 'spectacular' a few weeks ago when he had about 50 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Another reporter had an issue with it. I told Clayton not to worry about it because Edwards scored on two of his nine carries, was used in short yardage situations on a couple of others and showed the explosion, power and speed that makes him a highly ranked recruit on the rest. On top of that, he excelled in pass pro, something that is undervalued when looking at high school running backs, and as a leader. If you can't pass pro, you likely won't play early. Again, evaluations go beyond box scores.
6. How Do You Evaluate Poor Performances? Pt. 2
Which brings me back to Dunlap. I think a lot of you guys saw my post and the negative comments and didn't really read what I wrote. Yes, I said I see Dunlap as a rotational back that will be used in short yardage situations. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You need depth guys, and Dunlap is ideally going to be your RB2 in this class. The reason I feel that way goes beyond the 16 yards. Against a great team, Dunlap looked slow. He looks faster on film because he's playing subpar competition. On Friday, I didn't see the track times transition to the field. When a team kicks at your DI running back on purpose, you know they think he's pretty damn slow and not a threat. That stood out to me more than anything. On top of that, Dunlap didn't explode through the small holes he had, didn't use his vision to find cutback lanes and didn't use his power to carry defenders. I get it was one game. I get Westlake dominated Del Valle in the trenches. I get he was hit in the backfield on a handful of those touches. But all the factors I just mentioned went into my evaluation.
7. Right Fit
I mentioned this on my podcast this weekend, but I do still feel like Dunlap has a chance to outplay his ranking and my evaluation because of fit. I think he would have been lost in a conference like the Big 12, so he made a great business decision picking Michigan over Oklahoma State. He resembles Hassan Haskins from a skillset standpoint, and will at least have an opportunity to excel at Michigan and in the Big Ten in general. Talent vs. Fit is something that I thought a lot about this weekend, especially when I watched highlights of Texas vs. Oklahoma. In 2018, Texas landed one of the best talented defensive back groups ever. Guys like Anthony Cook, Jalen Green and BJ Foster were all Top 100 prospects nationally. And I feel like their talent is going to waste at Texas. I really don't think it was poor evaluations. The fit just wasn't there. Cook should have gone to Ohio State, Green to LSU, etc. Development of secondary talent is non-existent at Texas. Picking the right 'fit' is so important for prospects regardless of talent. It can make or break them at the next level.
8. Reporting Skillset
One Fort member sent me a personal message and asked if I had a 'Cult of Personality' at my previous stops. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I'm going to assume it's good and that you guys really like me lol. Honestly, I just feel like I'm doing the best job I can do and having fun with it. I actually don't have a great personality in real life. My wife scolds me for being too quiet around people and saying 'inappropriate remarks' when I do talk. I feel like I'm different when I'm doing my job. Anyway, there are two things I feel like I do well that helps separate my coverage. One is relationship building, which you guys have seen evidence of. The other is craftiness. I showed Clayton that hopping fences is a requirement to be a recruiting reporter a couple of weeks. I'm an expert in that area lol. This week, I was supposed to sit in the stands for the Westlake vs. Del Valle. Despite leaving my media pass back in Chicago, I was able to sweet talk the lady at the gate, and she directed me to the press box. I just kept walking to the field and stayed on the Del Valle sideline the whole time. Coach Burton just looked at me and laughed because I stopped at Del Valle before the game and told him Westlake wasn't going to let me be on the field or do interviews after. Finessing makes good recruiting reporters great ones.
9. The Heat
I never want to live in Texas again or anywhere where temperatures get extremely hot. I've always hated the heat — even though I grew up and lived in Texas my whole life. I adapted to Chicago so fast that I was dying this weekend. I felt horrible on the field for the IMG vs. Duncanville game and was completely drained afterwards. Some of that had to do that I was running on seven hours of sleep over two days since I had a night flight and drove to Austin and back to Dallas during those two days, but the heat was just unbearable. Give me snow and ice for a few months over 90 degree temperatures for most of the year. I have no problem with the weather up north. In fact, I embrace it. I like the cold (maybe not below 25) and the amazing weather Chicago gets from May-October. I think I'll stay on the Michigan beat for a while.
10. Pizza vs. BBQ
I asked Dunlap, who was born in Chicago, if he would take Chicago deep dish pizza or Texas BBQ. He went with deep dish. I love pizza. I've tried it in every region of the United States and in Italy. But Texas BBQ, when done right, is the most amazing cuisine you'll ever have. I had Salt Lick in Austin this weekend, but it didn't quite live up to those standards. If you are ever in Houston, go to Pinkerton's. It's my personal favorite in the state. Unfortunately, you can't find anything remotely close to it in Chicago. Maybe that's the reason I would go with BBQ. Now that I live in Chicago, I can get great deep dish everywhere. And yes, while an unpopular opinion, deep dish is my favorite kind of pizza. Pequod's is the best I've had in the Chi so far.
