I spent the weekend on the road to go see two recruits for the first time.
On Friday, I went to see Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King four-star QB Dante Moore in his playoff game against Allen Park.
He struggled early due to strong winds limiting what he could do through the air deep. After that, you could see the adjustments he made going for more short-to-middle of the field throws. He especially looked sharp in the red zone, where he only had one incomplete pass on ~8 attempts.
In the pocket, he’s unbothered. Moore showed he can make a play in any situation. He navigated the pocket well … knowing when to step up & throw … and when to pick up yardage with his legs. He doesn’t have the speed to blaze by you, but it’s more than enough to be a weapon to extend passing plays or scramble for positive yardage.
He throws a really tight ball with no draw or fade. Additionally, the touch he puts on it is advanced for a junior in high school. Consistently showed how advanced and consistent his back shoulder throws are.
The most positive trait I saw from Moore was his quickness with his decision making and how quickly he went through his reads. In the red zone, the ball was in his hand for less than a second before he threw a 7-yard pass to the back shoulder of his receiver in the end zone. This is his style. Quick reads, pinpoint throws, finding guys in space. If he’s in the red zone, then he’s going for the fade routes or using his legs.
Moore displays great leadership traits as well. After the game, he seeked out Allen Park’s quarterback to talk with him and take a picture. He has future captain written all over him.
The negatives remain with the arm strength needing to improve downfield. But to be fair, this wasn’t a game to showcase that. His frame suggests the arm strength will follow with a sustainable rate for his health.
As far as what he had to say about his recruitment…
I’ll be back in MooreLand next week.
The next chapter of my trip started with an underestimated, patience-testing 6.5-hour road trip to see 2022 Chicago Marist four-star ILB Jimmy Rolder.
A snow storm in Kalamazoo, long toll booth lines in Indiana, and a few traffic hazards in Chicago were no match for my refusal to give in to adversity.
Once I got to Glenview South, you could tell Rolder apart from the rest without pause. He is a man among boys out there. It’s not his height that stands out as much as his wide shoulders and thick, athletic build. The upper and lower body fits in the weight room now. The thought of Michigan developing it is scary.
He did it all for Marist in a 55-14 win, literally.
At linebacker he has a frame and presence similar to Luke Kuechly. He had a couple sacks, several tackles for loss, and showed he can drop back into coverage. Though his development continues to evolve as he settles into a full-time football focused lifestyle, you’d like to see smoother change of direction and more natural lateral movement in coverage.
Then again, he was probably gassed. He played running back and had a rushing touchdown, played tight end, blocked on special teams, AND he was the punter.
Kid has a motor Harbaugh loves. It’s nonstop and he’s always craving contact in all three phases. Obviously at the next level he’ll hone in on linebacker.
As for his recruitment …
More to come from this trip including video. Stay tuned for the additional content.
Let’s have a Sunday!
On Friday, I went to see Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King four-star QB Dante Moore in his playoff game against Allen Park.
He struggled early due to strong winds limiting what he could do through the air deep. After that, you could see the adjustments he made going for more short-to-middle of the field throws. He especially looked sharp in the red zone, where he only had one incomplete pass on ~8 attempts.
In the pocket, he’s unbothered. Moore showed he can make a play in any situation. He navigated the pocket well … knowing when to step up & throw … and when to pick up yardage with his legs. He doesn’t have the speed to blaze by you, but it’s more than enough to be a weapon to extend passing plays or scramble for positive yardage.
He throws a really tight ball with no draw or fade. Additionally, the touch he puts on it is advanced for a junior in high school. Consistently showed how advanced and consistent his back shoulder throws are.
The most positive trait I saw from Moore was his quickness with his decision making and how quickly he went through his reads. In the red zone, the ball was in his hand for less than a second before he threw a 7-yard pass to the back shoulder of his receiver in the end zone. This is his style. Quick reads, pinpoint throws, finding guys in space. If he’s in the red zone, then he’s going for the fade routes or using his legs.
Moore displays great leadership traits as well. After the game, he seeked out Allen Park’s quarterback to talk with him and take a picture. He has future captain written all over him.
The negatives remain with the arm strength needing to improve downfield. But to be fair, this wasn’t a game to showcase that. His frame suggests the arm strength will follow with a sustainable rate for his health.
As far as what he had to say about his recruitment…
- He hears from a long list of Michigan staff members: Jim Harbaugh, Matt Weiss, Ron Bellamy, host of others
- When asked about Michigan’s high efforts to land him and how it’s impacted his decision he said, “Yeah… Michigan has been there from the start. Michigan has always been a top school for me.”
- He’s going to cut his list down after the season. Likely 3, could be 5. He doesn’t know yet at this time.
- With Brother Rice being unpset by Marian, there’s a good chance King wins the state title.
I’ll be back in MooreLand next week.
The next chapter of my trip started with an underestimated, patience-testing 6.5-hour road trip to see 2022 Chicago Marist four-star ILB Jimmy Rolder.
A snow storm in Kalamazoo, long toll booth lines in Indiana, and a few traffic hazards in Chicago were no match for my refusal to give in to adversity.
Once I got to Glenview South, you could tell Rolder apart from the rest without pause. He is a man among boys out there. It’s not his height that stands out as much as his wide shoulders and thick, athletic build. The upper and lower body fits in the weight room now. The thought of Michigan developing it is scary.
He did it all for Marist in a 55-14 win, literally.
At linebacker he has a frame and presence similar to Luke Kuechly. He had a couple sacks, several tackles for loss, and showed he can drop back into coverage. Though his development continues to evolve as he settles into a full-time football focused lifestyle, you’d like to see smoother change of direction and more natural lateral movement in coverage.
Then again, he was probably gassed. He played running back and had a rushing touchdown, played tight end, blocked on special teams, AND he was the punter.
Kid has a motor Harbaugh loves. It’s nonstop and he’s always craving contact in all three phases. Obviously at the next level he’ll hone in on linebacker.
As for his recruitment …
- He said he’s narrowed things down and since he has, things have slowed down.
- He listed Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Florida. He still has two visits and plans to use them. He can’t use them until his team is eliminated. One visit sounds like it will certainly be to Wisconsin, a place he’s vocal about wanting to see.
- I had a long talk with his family on the sideline. It was echoed that they remain firm on wanting to see him choose Michigan. Though they’re not keeping him from other opportunities. The family continues to see Michigan as his clear No. 1 and where he will “likely end up,” but given his situation there’s still variables that could present themselves.
- I asked the family about Ohio State. I can promise that’s not where the family would like to see him go.
- We talked about Jimmy’s business school admirations. He has a 5.4 GPA - 4.4 in Michigan terms - and is Ross material, so they say.
- According to the family, Michigan is doing the little things. Earlier this week, Rolder was on a Zoom call with Strength & Conditioning Coach Ben Herbert. During the Zoom, Rolder complained about some back tightness he was experiencing. Herbert got down on the ground and showed him a series of stretches. Rolder went downstairs and did the routine then came back upstairs alarmed at how much better he felt.
- Harbaugh loves this kid and I see why. He fits the mold academically but most importantly on the field he’s a grinder who will do anything for the betterment of the team. I mean, come on, he was punting and blocking on punt returns! Rolder said Harbaugh sent him a selfie of him and his son Jack last week after the win, then showed them singing The Victors.
- Lastly… when I asked the family what happens if Marist loses next week, “we’ll be at the 50-yard line at Michigan Stadium for The Game,” the family said.
More to come from this trip including video. Stay tuned for the additional content.
Let’s have a Sunday!
