*** It was a rough night for Michigan running back commit Tavierre Dunlap. The three-star prospect from Austin (Texas) Del Valle mustered just 15 yards on nine carries in the first half against state powerhouse Austin (Texas) Westlake. And things didn’t get much better after that. Dunlap finished with 16 yards on 14 offensive touches as Westlake ran away with the game in a 58-0 beatdown. Dunlap got a decent workload, but obviously, he and his entire team couldn't get anything going.
*** Everybody kept asking me for my thoughts on Dunlap, but I always wanted to maintain that I wanted to see him live against actual competition. I also said if Dunlap had a big game against Westlake then I would be in on him as a four-star prospect. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But it wasn’t all on Dunlap. Westlake dominated in the trenches and got penetration early and often. Running lanes closed in a hurry, and Dunlap basically had no real room to run. At least four of his carries resulted in negative yards from him being swallowed up in the backfield.
*** With that said, I wanted to see more from Dunlap. He’s a bigger back, so I would have liked to have seen him be more powerful and explosive. While his line had a subpar performancer, he didn’t show an ability to really gain many yards after contact on the plays he did have room to run. Dunlap also didn’t look as fast as he does on tape. I think Westlake has a lot of speed on defense, so it made Dunlap’s game look slowed down. In fact, Westlake kicked to him on purpose in the return game as they saw him as no threat in the return game. Along with speed, Dunlap will have to improve his vision against Big Ten competition at Michigan. He looked very much like a one cut back but was never able to break through the first level.
*** I’m fine leaving Dunlap where he’s ranked. He’s a solid back that could eventually outplay his ranking. But I didn’t see anything that would make me want to bump him. He’s built really well in both his upper and lower halves and is definitely a better fit for Big Ten football than Big 12 football. He made the right decision siding with Michigan over Oklahoma State. The fit should help his cause. Dunlap will likely continue to add weight and be a power back in the rotation. I didn’t get to see many Michigan games last year since I’m always on the recruiting trail, but he most resembles Hassan Haskins as far as guys on the roster.
*** Dunlap actually shares some similarities to top running back target Donovan Edwards. But I definitely feel like Edwards is the more superior prospect, and it’s not too close. Edwards is explosive, has more speed, more wiggle to his game and is very much a plus pass catcher. I don’t see Dunlap as a complement to Edwards. I actually see him as more of a relief back if Michigan does land the Rivals100 prospect. A guy like Minnesota commit Mar’Keise Irving would have been that complement guy. Again, I think Dunlap is a depth/rotational player at Michigan. Vision, exploding through holes and quickness are all areas that need work.
*** Everybody kept asking me for my thoughts on Dunlap, but I always wanted to maintain that I wanted to see him live against actual competition. I also said if Dunlap had a big game against Westlake then I would be in on him as a four-star prospect. Obviously, that didn’t happen. But it wasn’t all on Dunlap. Westlake dominated in the trenches and got penetration early and often. Running lanes closed in a hurry, and Dunlap basically had no real room to run. At least four of his carries resulted in negative yards from him being swallowed up in the backfield.
*** With that said, I wanted to see more from Dunlap. He’s a bigger back, so I would have liked to have seen him be more powerful and explosive. While his line had a subpar performancer, he didn’t show an ability to really gain many yards after contact on the plays he did have room to run. Dunlap also didn’t look as fast as he does on tape. I think Westlake has a lot of speed on defense, so it made Dunlap’s game look slowed down. In fact, Westlake kicked to him on purpose in the return game as they saw him as no threat in the return game. Along with speed, Dunlap will have to improve his vision against Big Ten competition at Michigan. He looked very much like a one cut back but was never able to break through the first level.
*** I’m fine leaving Dunlap where he’s ranked. He’s a solid back that could eventually outplay his ranking. But I didn’t see anything that would make me want to bump him. He’s built really well in both his upper and lower halves and is definitely a better fit for Big Ten football than Big 12 football. He made the right decision siding with Michigan over Oklahoma State. The fit should help his cause. Dunlap will likely continue to add weight and be a power back in the rotation. I didn’t get to see many Michigan games last year since I’m always on the recruiting trail, but he most resembles Hassan Haskins as far as guys on the roster.
*** Dunlap actually shares some similarities to top running back target Donovan Edwards. But I definitely feel like Edwards is the more superior prospect, and it’s not too close. Edwards is explosive, has more speed, more wiggle to his game and is very much a plus pass catcher. I don’t see Dunlap as a complement to Edwards. I actually see him as more of a relief back if Michigan does land the Rivals100 prospect. A guy like Minnesota commit Mar’Keise Irving would have been that complement guy. Again, I think Dunlap is a depth/rotational player at Michigan. Vision, exploding through holes and quickness are all areas that need work.
