*** Let’s start off with Junior Colson. Of the three Michigan commits I saw on Friday night, I thought the Rivals100 linebacker commit was the best of the bunch. Some of you might remember that I recently wrote that I thought Colson might be the best commit in the class. And honestly, I’m leaning that way even more after seeing him last night. Despite battling a minor shoulder injury, Colson was all over the field last night. I lost count of how many tackles he had, but in a blowout loss, he was an extreme bright spot for Brentwood (Tenn.) Ravenwood.
*** Colson is the total package at the linebacker position. When I saw him in-game last month, Colson spent most of his time rushing off the edge. This time around, Colson showed off what makes him special — his versatility. Colson is extremely well put together and moves so well for his size. He has great hips and was a plus in pass coverage. When asked to get after the quarterback, Colson did just that, sacking JJ McCarthy late in the game and forcing an incompletion on the very next play. Colson even converted on a couple of fake punts.
*** Colson should be an excellent fit at the ‘Viper’ spot. While he’s a bigger backer, Colson resembles former Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Like Bush, Colson flies all over the field and is an absolute headhunter. He gets from one side of the field to the other in a blink of an eye and covers a ton of space. While his sideline-to-sideline speed grabs your attention, but Colson can get downhill in a hurry. Honestly, Colson should have no issue playing any of the linebacker spots at Michigan. It’s going to be hard to keep him off the field as soon as he arrives on campus.
*** It wasn’t the best game for Rivals100 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy quarterback JJ McCarthy, but he really didn’t have to do all that much through the air as his team rolled over Ravenwood, 45-14. McCarthy showed flashes of his arm talent, throwing a beautiful touchdown early in the game. He also gunned a couple of passes to his receivers in the open field. I mean, we’re talking full speed bullets. McCarthy also made some electric plays with his feet, juking the aforementioned Colson in the red zone and picking up big chunks of yards.
*** I like my Johnny Manziel comparison for McCarthy more and more. Again, I feel like we don’t talk enough about McCarthy as a runner. His esacpability in the pocket is terrific, and he’s so dangerous once he gets in the open field. He has really good straight-line speed, but his elusiveness is special. McCarthy also has a gunslinger mentality. He’s not afraid to trust his arm and make off-platform throws. Sometimes, they result in highlight plays. Sometimes, well, they just don’t work out. Like with Manziel, you’re going to have to live and die with McCarthy.
*** Unlike Manziel, McCarthy is such a great kid off the field. He has all the intangibles you want in a leader, which I’ve talked about at nauseam. Late in the game, a receiver dropped an easy pass, and McCarthy immediately ran over to pick him back up. It’s the little things like that often go unnoticed that make me excited about McCarthy.
*** When I was at Elite 11 this offseason, former Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer said McCarthy plays with his hair on fire, and it’s true. Sometimes, I feel like McCarthy is so animated that he doesn’t settle down and get in a groove. I would have liked to have seen him stand tall in the pocket and make throws. He was passing off his backfoot too often. It’s not even that McCarhty panics. He’s more than capable of reading a defense and going through his progressions. I just think McCarthy lives for the big play and is always looking to make one. Again, I absolutely love everything McCarthy brings to the table. I just want to see him be more consistent, which I’ve written in the past.
*** On to Greg Crippen. I did my best to pay close attention to Crippen in the interior of the offensive line, which proved to be a tough task since I was trying to watch Colson, McCarthy and Tyler Booker as well. Obviously, all were on the field at the same time. From what I saw, Crippen did what he was supposed to do. Ravenwood’s defensive tackles were puny, and Crippen had no issue overpowering them and opening up holes in the run game. He’s very technically sound and also did a great job snapping — I didn’t see any bad ones.
*** I like Crippen more than I did. Obviously, I haven’t been too high on him after watching him at a camp and in-game last year. There was some concern about Crippen’s size, but he’s added some really good weight and looks a lot stronger than he did a year ago. You can tell that the IMG training is paying off for him. I still think Crippen needs to improve his quickness. He’s a bit heavy footed and sometimes slow getting on blocks after he snaps. I also didn’t see that nastiness from him. While he overpowered defensive tackles, he should have been able to serve up pancakes against that small front. That’s why I’m concerned about Crippen moving over to guard if Raheem Anderson wins the center job down the line.
*** You know who is nasty? Tyler Booker. The elite 2022 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive tackle is an absolute monster. He finished blocks from his right tackle spot and looked nimble and athletic despite his massive frame. I loved Booker when I saw him last year, though, y’all probably don’t remember since he wasn’t a big target yet. Last season, Booker strictly played defensive tackle and was dominant at the position. I may like him better as a defensive tackle but am completely fine with him being an offensive lineman after seeing him play tackle last night. Honestly, he can be an elite player on either side of the ball. Fun player, too. I love his personality and leadership qualities. He was the team captain for the coin toss.
*** On the flip side of the coin, I was really impressed with rising 2022 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive tackle Nick James. Michigan usually recruits big-bodied defensive linemen with length that eventually slide inside, but James doesn’t fit that profile at all. He’s a true defensive tackle with the frame to be a terrific nose at the next level. I love him as a one-tech. He’s deceptively athletic and quick off the ball. James made his impact felt early in the game, recording a couple of sacks and notching an interception for a touchdown. While not quite a 300-pound mammoth, James can easily get there. He looks much heavier than his listed 254.
*** The IMG secondary featured a trio of 2022 Michigan targets in Rivals100 safety Kamari Wilson, three-star safety Trevon Howard and Rivals250 cornerback Daylen Everette. Wilson is a compact hard-hitting safety with speed. He was physical throughout the night and was excellent in run support. He also had an interception to close out the game. Howard has a similar build and skillset. Honestly, there weren’t a ton of differences between him and Wilson other than the latter has better instincts and is more explosive. Howard is originally from the Midwest, so he’s a guy we need to talk about a lot more. He looks under ranked. Everett didn’t see much action come his way. I like his height and length for sure. He did a great job of knocking receivers off their route and getting physical at the line of scrimmage.
*** Michigan has an offer out to 2022 Rivals250 IMG running back Kaytron Allen. While he split carries with a couple of other backs, Allen definitely had his moments throughout the game. He’s a physical runner that is very much a three-down back as evidenced by his ability as a receiver. He’s not necessarily a speed guy, but he hits holes quickly and has really good vision. Allen impressed me as a junior as well. He’s a very safe play at the running back position.
*** Lastly, a couple of prospects that don’t have Michigan offers that caught my attention were 2022 Ravenwood cornerback Myles Pollard and 2023 IMG outside linebacker Malik Bryant. I’ve actually mentioned Pollard on The Fort a couple of times. While still raw, he more than held his own against Alabama commit Jacorey Brooks. Speed is a bit of a question, but he has the height, length and physicality to be a Big Ten corner. Bryant was a monster coming off the edge, recording several sacks and tackles for loss. He is originally from Orlando and has some big offers from schools in the southeast, but if I’m Michigan, I’m throwing out a scholarship and seeing what happens.
*** Colson is the total package at the linebacker position. When I saw him in-game last month, Colson spent most of his time rushing off the edge. This time around, Colson showed off what makes him special — his versatility. Colson is extremely well put together and moves so well for his size. He has great hips and was a plus in pass coverage. When asked to get after the quarterback, Colson did just that, sacking JJ McCarthy late in the game and forcing an incompletion on the very next play. Colson even converted on a couple of fake punts.
*** Colson should be an excellent fit at the ‘Viper’ spot. While he’s a bigger backer, Colson resembles former Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Like Bush, Colson flies all over the field and is an absolute headhunter. He gets from one side of the field to the other in a blink of an eye and covers a ton of space. While his sideline-to-sideline speed grabs your attention, but Colson can get downhill in a hurry. Honestly, Colson should have no issue playing any of the linebacker spots at Michigan. It’s going to be hard to keep him off the field as soon as he arrives on campus.
*** It wasn’t the best game for Rivals100 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy quarterback JJ McCarthy, but he really didn’t have to do all that much through the air as his team rolled over Ravenwood, 45-14. McCarthy showed flashes of his arm talent, throwing a beautiful touchdown early in the game. He also gunned a couple of passes to his receivers in the open field. I mean, we’re talking full speed bullets. McCarthy also made some electric plays with his feet, juking the aforementioned Colson in the red zone and picking up big chunks of yards.
*** I like my Johnny Manziel comparison for McCarthy more and more. Again, I feel like we don’t talk enough about McCarthy as a runner. His esacpability in the pocket is terrific, and he’s so dangerous once he gets in the open field. He has really good straight-line speed, but his elusiveness is special. McCarthy also has a gunslinger mentality. He’s not afraid to trust his arm and make off-platform throws. Sometimes, they result in highlight plays. Sometimes, well, they just don’t work out. Like with Manziel, you’re going to have to live and die with McCarthy.
*** Unlike Manziel, McCarthy is such a great kid off the field. He has all the intangibles you want in a leader, which I’ve talked about at nauseam. Late in the game, a receiver dropped an easy pass, and McCarthy immediately ran over to pick him back up. It’s the little things like that often go unnoticed that make me excited about McCarthy.
*** When I was at Elite 11 this offseason, former Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer said McCarthy plays with his hair on fire, and it’s true. Sometimes, I feel like McCarthy is so animated that he doesn’t settle down and get in a groove. I would have liked to have seen him stand tall in the pocket and make throws. He was passing off his backfoot too often. It’s not even that McCarhty panics. He’s more than capable of reading a defense and going through his progressions. I just think McCarthy lives for the big play and is always looking to make one. Again, I absolutely love everything McCarthy brings to the table. I just want to see him be more consistent, which I’ve written in the past.
*** On to Greg Crippen. I did my best to pay close attention to Crippen in the interior of the offensive line, which proved to be a tough task since I was trying to watch Colson, McCarthy and Tyler Booker as well. Obviously, all were on the field at the same time. From what I saw, Crippen did what he was supposed to do. Ravenwood’s defensive tackles were puny, and Crippen had no issue overpowering them and opening up holes in the run game. He’s very technically sound and also did a great job snapping — I didn’t see any bad ones.
*** I like Crippen more than I did. Obviously, I haven’t been too high on him after watching him at a camp and in-game last year. There was some concern about Crippen’s size, but he’s added some really good weight and looks a lot stronger than he did a year ago. You can tell that the IMG training is paying off for him. I still think Crippen needs to improve his quickness. He’s a bit heavy footed and sometimes slow getting on blocks after he snaps. I also didn’t see that nastiness from him. While he overpowered defensive tackles, he should have been able to serve up pancakes against that small front. That’s why I’m concerned about Crippen moving over to guard if Raheem Anderson wins the center job down the line.
*** You know who is nasty? Tyler Booker. The elite 2022 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive tackle is an absolute monster. He finished blocks from his right tackle spot and looked nimble and athletic despite his massive frame. I loved Booker when I saw him last year, though, y’all probably don’t remember since he wasn’t a big target yet. Last season, Booker strictly played defensive tackle and was dominant at the position. I may like him better as a defensive tackle but am completely fine with him being an offensive lineman after seeing him play tackle last night. Honestly, he can be an elite player on either side of the ball. Fun player, too. I love his personality and leadership qualities. He was the team captain for the coin toss.
*** On the flip side of the coin, I was really impressed with rising 2022 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive tackle Nick James. Michigan usually recruits big-bodied defensive linemen with length that eventually slide inside, but James doesn’t fit that profile at all. He’s a true defensive tackle with the frame to be a terrific nose at the next level. I love him as a one-tech. He’s deceptively athletic and quick off the ball. James made his impact felt early in the game, recording a couple of sacks and notching an interception for a touchdown. While not quite a 300-pound mammoth, James can easily get there. He looks much heavier than his listed 254.
*** The IMG secondary featured a trio of 2022 Michigan targets in Rivals100 safety Kamari Wilson, three-star safety Trevon Howard and Rivals250 cornerback Daylen Everette. Wilson is a compact hard-hitting safety with speed. He was physical throughout the night and was excellent in run support. He also had an interception to close out the game. Howard has a similar build and skillset. Honestly, there weren’t a ton of differences between him and Wilson other than the latter has better instincts and is more explosive. Howard is originally from the Midwest, so he’s a guy we need to talk about a lot more. He looks under ranked. Everett didn’t see much action come his way. I like his height and length for sure. He did a great job of knocking receivers off their route and getting physical at the line of scrimmage.
*** Michigan has an offer out to 2022 Rivals250 IMG running back Kaytron Allen. While he split carries with a couple of other backs, Allen definitely had his moments throughout the game. He’s a physical runner that is very much a three-down back as evidenced by his ability as a receiver. He’s not necessarily a speed guy, but he hits holes quickly and has really good vision. Allen impressed me as a junior as well. He’s a very safe play at the running back position.
*** Lastly, a couple of prospects that don’t have Michigan offers that caught my attention were 2022 Ravenwood cornerback Myles Pollard and 2023 IMG outside linebacker Malik Bryant. I’ve actually mentioned Pollard on The Fort a couple of times. While still raw, he more than held his own against Alabama commit Jacorey Brooks. Speed is a bit of a question, but he has the height, length and physicality to be a Big Ten corner. Bryant was a monster coming off the edge, recording several sacks and tackles for loss. He is originally from Orlando and has some big offers from schools in the southeast, but if I’m Michigan, I’m throwing out a scholarship and seeing what happens.
