For those of you that don't know the metro Ann Arbor area, Belleville is about a half an hour or less away from the Big House. When it comes to recruiting that is pretty much the Wolverines backyard.
Belleville in the 2019 class has two big time prospects.
Devontae Dobbs is a 5 star prospect (24/7 composite) and some have him rated as the top OT in the 2019 class. He has offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, PSU, Florida, Georgia, OSU, Wisconsin, MSU, etc. Michigan also has offered but the coaches are not in regular contact with Devontae.
Julian Barnett is a top 100 4 star WR/CB and a teammate of Dobbs. He has offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Georgia, MSU, Notre Dame and others. Barnett is 6'2 and 180 pounds and doesn't carry a Michigan offer.
Michigan is currently killing it with 2019 recruits and already has two 5 stars and two more 4 stars. We know Don Brown likes tall corners and 5 star OT's just don't grow on tree's in your backyard. So what's the deal?
I don't have an answer for you. Of course, we always trust the coaches in these matters, but this is a bit of a head scratcher. Mgoblog reports the Michigan coaches wanted Barnett to camp in Ann Arbor so they could evaluate him. He declined. Reports are he likes ND, OSU (who also hasn't offered) and MSU.
Here is a quote from Dobbs from Scouts$:
“Lately I’ve been talking to Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia,” Dobbs said.
One prominent school missing from Dobbs’ list is Michigan, as he explains his interest in the Wolverines is trending in the wrong direction.
“If they show interest then I’ll show interest back,” Dobbs said. “I’ll still consider them, but right now at the moment there is no communication between us.”
We still have a long way to go for the 2019 class, but this seems like a strange situation.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Wolverine Wednesday: Wonders What Is Going On in Belleville?
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6 comments:
You know, FWIW, it must be difficult for a local athlete and his/her family, especially one that is considered an exceptional athlete to wrap their brain around what they might fear as being snubbed by the national powerhouse that's in their backyard. We have seen the same type of reaction of students located near other major programs as well. They want to be noticed (and rightly so) and when they felt that the reception is lukewarm they over reacted. Its almost like the girl who likes the handsome hunk next door and he's chasing the other pretty girls in the neighborhood but he doesn't seem to show much interest in her. Then she reacts and says, "he's cute but he's not my type anyway." Then she throws herself after other guys to make him jealous. Both thinks the other isn't interested and so they move on.
There is a saying, "never judge solely what's going on inside by what you see on the outside." My point being that if Dobbs is truly interested in Michigan and wants to play there, then he needs to step up and make his case. There is another saying, "a closed mouth doesn't get fed." Don't let some other athlete take your spot. Learn to fight for what you want. If you don't truly want it, then say so and move on.
No high school player is too good to workout for any team. High school players all over the country travel to camps which is nothing more than to be noticed and try to solidify a good scholarship at the best colleges. Michigan just had about 19 players drafted or signed by the pros, and all of them that could, worked out for the pros on Pro day. Every college football player would give almost anything to be invited to the NFL Combine which is nothing more than a gigantic workout session for teams. Even seasoned pro players workout for teams and they do this for a living. Please don't let pride and bad counseling mislead you.
Sometimes these Star rating services can do more harm that good, because it could potentially give young athletes a sense of unfounded entitlement. Not all five stars (and high four stars) make a splash at the major college level, let alone the pros. We can look at some of the recent five stars that came through Michigan that didn't perform up to expectations (WC, KK, DG, etc.). At the same time, we've seen Michigan let a few outstanding athletes slip through their fingers and it would be a shame if Dobbs was one of them. As for me, I'd like to see this young man wear the Maze and Blue. IMHO!!!
One of the great things about UM is not only do you have to be an exceptional athlete, you need to have the academics and character to support your athletic prowess. We don't see what these coaches see and what they learn. If there's a 5-star in the backyard and they aren't on him like a dog to a bone, there's a real good reason for it. I don't know about these kids, but if football is your only thing going and you got nothing else upstairs or in the heart...you may as well go to suckeye nation or sparty, their standards are....well, a little more forgiving.
Don't understand Dobbs either....
Same happened with McCool this year and he was HS teammate with Hall
My guess is that Michigan is not particularly thrilled with his attitude. And if you look at the kids Harbaugh is bringing in...there's not a single one that you, as a parent, wouldn't be proud to claim. Mr. Dobbs is not as good as he thinks he is-5 stars not withstanding. The clips of him getting owned snap after snap at the Opening should inform him that football is a game where you either perform or you get run over...and he has some work to do here. (Besides, in-state Logan Brown appears to have much more upside in every way-plays hard and smart on every play.) So, get your act together Mr. Dobbs...you still have time.
Rudy,
I am with you on your points regarding Michigan's standards. They certainly know more than we do regarding their assessments of prospects. Truthfully, my initial reaction was the same. However, when I thought about it I never want to automatically assume that something is wrong with the kid neither do I want to assume something is wrong with the program. People and programs will only show what they want others to see, not usually the bad stuff; plus the program is limited in what they can publically say about a recruit that is not signed. The high school student has no known legal restrictions. If there is an issue with a high school student athlete, I for one would rather Michigan not recruit that particular athlete because if you do soon after you run the risk of losing that slot as a wasted scholarship when they transfer. That's one less body that's ready to contribute when you need them the most and it could set your program back, or at the very least hinder its progress. So as I get older, I find myself more inclined to give others the benefit of the doubt when the communication is between the student and the school. IMHO!!!
On WTKA this morning Steve Lorenz said until he becomes a junior in September the schools are not allowed to contact the players and that at this point it's up to the players to call the schools if they want to talk to them. So obviously it's on his end as far as contact. Now maybe he means he has contacted them but that he didn't feel they seemed too interested?
But Lorenz said Michigan is VERY interested and will definitely be contacting him once they're allowed to, and that he doesn't understand what Dobbs is talking about.
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